Tonight on AC360: Should a state employee fired for misconduct get benefits?
In the fall of 2010, Anderson Cooper confronted Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell about his actions against a student who attended the University of Michigan at the time. Shirvell launched a relentless and personal campaign on the internet and targeted Chris Armstrong in person claiming he had a "radical homosexual agenda" he was pushing as student body president.
Subsequently, Shirvell was fired from his job and denied unemployment benefits because he was let go due to misconduct. He also lost in a federal court in August when a jury reached a verdict in Armstrong's favor, awarding him $4.5 million.
Gay teen fights for Eagle Scout rank
Ryan Andresen says his Scout troop knew he was gay, but a policy prevented him from getting the certification he earned. Anderson Cooper talked with Ryan and his mom about his fight for equality.
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Post by: Filed under: Gay & Lesbian Issues |
Same-sex marriage and the election
Anderson Cooper talks to John King, Jessica Yellin and Gloria Borger about how the issue of gay marriage will impact the election, and how the candidates have presented their views.
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Post by: Filed under: 2012 Election • Gay & Lesbian Issues |
Author: Morals matter to my two moms
"My Two Moms" author Zach Wahls says he "doesn't get it" when other people are offended by same-sex marriage. His profile is part of AC360's series "What Keeps You Up at Night," which focuses on election issues.
Tonight on 360: "My Two Moms" author talks about gay marriage in America
With 43 days until the election, all this week we're focusing on the social issues most important to voters.
Tonight we'll discuss gay marriage, which was number five on our poll of top domestic issues for registered voters.
You'll hear from Zach Wahls of Iowa, whose speech entitled "What Makes a Family" in support of gay marriage to his state legislature went viral on the internet last year.
He's the son of two lesbian mothers and author of the book "My Two Moms."
"My family really isn’t so different from any other Iowa family," Wahls told state lawmakers. "We just hope for equal and fair treatment for our government," he added.
Most recently, Wahls spoke last month at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Julian Bond: Gay rights are civil rights
Dr. Julian Bond, former NAACP Chair, reacts to the National Organization for Marriage's efforts to drive a wedge between black people and same-sex marriage activists.
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Post by: Filed under: Gay & Lesbian Issues • Race in America |
Video: School district's neutrality policy impacting bullying?
Editor's note: Rosalind Wiseman and Candi Cushman weigh in on a Minnesota school district's neutrality policy on homosexuality.
Related: Minnesota school district investigated after civil rights complaint
Feds investigate Minn. school district after civil rights complaint
Editor's note: For more on this story, watch AC360 tonight at 10 p.m. ET on CNN. For a full investigation into the Anoka-Hennepin student suicides, watch "CNN Presents" on Sunday, July 24, at 8 p.m. ET.
(CNN) - Federal authorities are investigating "incidents involving harassment and bullying" in Minnesota's largest school district, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed in an email to CNN.
The civil rights investigation is currently underway in the suburban Minneapolis school district, Anoka-Hennepin, a community already embattled in a culture war over homosexuality in the classroom.
The Justice Department together with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights are looking into "allegations of harassment and discrimination in the Anoka-Hennepin School District based on sex, including peer-on-peer harassment based on not conforming to gender stereotypes," according to a district memo provided exclusively to CNN.
The party filing the complaint was not named due to privacy concerns.
The district said the joint investigation included interviews with staff members by federal authorities.
"The Department is committed to investigating allegations to determine whether there are violations of federal civil rights laws and will use the enforcement tools at our disposal to protect the safety of students," wrote a Justice Department spokeswoman in an email to CNN.
The federal investigation comes after a string of seven student suicides in less than two years, which stirred public debate over the district's sexual orientation curriculum policy.
Parents and friends say four of those students were either gay, perceived to be gay or questioning their sexuality, and they say, at least two of them were bullied over their sexuality.
It's unclear whether the suicides or the policy are a significant part of the federal investigation. The controversial policy, adopted in 2009, states that staff must "remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation" and that "such matters are best addressed within individual family homes, churches, or community organizations."
FULL STORYVideo: Dr. Drew on controversial therapy
Editor's note: HLN's Dr. Drew Pinsky weighs in on a controversial form of therapy that aims to change a patient's sexual orientation.
Related on the CNN Political Ticker: What's going on at the Bachmann clinic?
Video: Ex-patient on Bachmann clinic's therapy
Editor's note: Jim Acosta reports on a controversial therapy provided at a clinic run by the husband of GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Related: Questions raised about Bachmann clinic
Related on the CNN Political Ticker: What's going on at the Bachmann clinic?
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