...Coalitions and Punctuated Equilibrium in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate: Learning from Pro-LGBT Policy Changes in Minneapolis and Minnesota LAKE DZIENGEL St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota Policy change to actualize same-sex marriage requires planning and practices that can be most effective to advance marriage equality. This case study examines how building and maintaining strong coalitions aided in attainment and preservation of civil rights and protections for same-sex couples in Minnesota. As a historical policy analysis, it dissects collaborative strategies and events that led to a municipal domestic partner ordinance and state civil rights protections for sexual minorities in Minnesota during 1983–1995. Viewed through the lens of Advocacy Coalition Framework and Punctuated Equilibrium theory, findings support and highlight the importance of strategic planning of developing capable leaders, building strong coalitions, and capitalizing on events to garner public support and advance public policy toward civil rights protections and legal recognition for same-sex couples. KEYWORDS advocacy coalitions, punctuated equilibrium, policy, lesbian, gay, domestic partner benefits INTRODUCTION The city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a large urban community, passed a Domestic Partner Ordinance in 1991 as the result of intensive lobby efforts by community organizers and private citizens and liaison building with the city government. The ordinance was repeatedly challenged...
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...main reason. (Shedlin, Michele G, World Book p.15, 2007) The idea of sex workers fighting for their human rights is a foreign concept to most people, even those who identify politically as progressives or feminists. Sex workers have lived on the margins of society through most of human history, and despite the prevalence of this work all over the world, sex workers are often treated as less than human, both in cultural attitudes and public policy. In fact, it cannot be said enough: sex workers are people—friends, neighbors, family members, wage earners, and parents—and they deserve the same human rights as everyone else. (http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/july08/july2008_1.php) Feminists and advocates of all stripes have argued that they want to work for the human rights of sex workers, often without an analysis of what human rights for sex workers might look like. While many people would agree that access to human rights includes the right to be free from harm, to have access to health care and housing, and to seek safe employment that pays a living wage, there is fierce debate as to what any of this actually means. (http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/july08/july2008_1.php) In many parts of the world, sex workers have been among the groups most vulnerable to and most affected by HIV since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic. After more than a decade of research and intervention in sex work settings there is a substantial body of knowledge on the behaviours...
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...Sex and the City can be compared to previous examples of post feminist, woman-centered drama produced for prime-time network television in the US. These are dramas that in the wake of second-wave feminism selectively deploy feminist discourses as a response to cultural changes in the lives of their potential audience; an audience that is addressed as white, heterosexual, and relatively youthful and affluent. They emerged out of a hybridization of genres driven by a desire to maximize audiences by creating drama that appealed to both men and women. The feminization of crime genres such as cop shows (Cagney and Lacey) and legal dramas (LA Law, Ally McBeal) allowed for an exploitation of the generic pleasures associated with the masculine, public world of work and the feminized, private world of personal relationships. Their responsiveness to changes in the socio-political context had also allowed for an engagement with liberal feminist issues arising from women’s relation to the law and to work. A focus on women as protagonists, whose actions drive the narrative, replaced the marginal and narrow range of roles available previously to women characters in these genres. Although it shares their incorporation of feminist themes and their focus on the liberal, heterosexual, white, metropolitan, career- oriented woman, Sex and the City is very different from most dramas. It gives insight on how women are perceived in today’s society. They have, or want it all, are independent, and the...
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...Problem and it’s Setting Background of the study Sex education has become a major issue here in the Philippines because the church people and government officials cannot decide on whether to incorporate sex education in students learning curriculum in this study the researchers will show the importance of incorporating sex education to the subjects of the students. According to statistics compiled by the Guttmacher Institute schools (2008) is exploring the best sex education programs to benefit students. The US has “one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world—almost twice as high as those of England, Wales and Canada, and eight times as high as those of the Netherlands and Japan.” Because of the rising pregnancy rates among teens, in addition to the rising rates of sexual activity among teens, parents. The United States has unacceptably high rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV/AIDS infections. To address this challenge, NARAL Pro-Choice America supports honest, age-appropriate, and medically accurate sex education that promotes abstinence and provides young people with the information they need to protect themselves. On the same hand, Peter J. Smith (2006) any DepEd directors and church people have argued that if they should incorporate sex education to the learning of the students. Furthermore they have argued about it since 2006 but today some public schools are incorporating sex education to a child’s learning in addition the...
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...THE SKY Declining Sex ratio in Gujarat : Campaign Against Sex Determination and Sex Pre-selection. - Dr. Trupti Shah, "in our society the male child is always a precious child for a mother having three daughters. To her it is of a more value. Because of illiteracy and social customs the status of a mother would change after having a male child." The above mentioned lines are not quoted form the speech of some traditional Kathakar (preacher). These were the wording in a judgement dated 10th July 2001, by the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Ahmedabad in Complaint No. 271/1993. The Consumer Redressal Commission has delivered an order of compensation of Rs. 25,000 for medical negligence in a case that involved sex determination and subsequent abortion of a foetus, which was earlier detected as female foetus but after the abortion it was found out to be a male foetus. In addition, the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission further observes, “The loss of motherhood of only male child can not be compensated by any amount." This attitude of people sitting in judiciary reflect the kind of forces we are fighting in Gujarat. The data from 2001 Census make this point much more clear. Gujarat is among the top four states (including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh) to register the most alarming declines in the number of girls in the 0-6 years category. Gujarat is one of the DEMARU states as termed by Ashish Bose. 1. Declining Sex Ratio in Gujarat Table-1:...
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...Empirical Profile of Sex Workers AKM Ahsan Ullah Recommended Citation Ullah, AKM Ahsan (2005). Prostitution in Bangladesh: An Empirical Profile of Sex Workers. Journal of International Women's Studies, 7(2), 111-122. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol7/iss2/7 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. ©2005 Journal of International Women’s Studies. Prostitution in Bangladesh: An Empirical Profile of Sex Workers By AKM Ahsan Ullahi Abstract The paper explores the profile of the Sex Workers (SW) in Bangladesh; and the ordeals faced by them. 221 randomly selected respondents from three categories of sex workers (Hotel, brothel and floating) were interviewed using both close and open-ended questionnaire. Data show that child prostitution is quite prevalent. A higher percentage of sex workers were married compared with the singles. HSWs (Homosexual Sex Workers), on an average, entertain seven clients and BSWs (Bisexual Sex Workers) 15 clients per day. The highest percentage of child prostitutes was prevalent among the FSWs (Female Sex Workers). Hotel sex working is an emerging...
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...Executive Summary Suva is the capital of Fiji. It is located in the southeast coast of Viti Levu Island. The population of this city as in 2012 was 89,038. It is the main spot in Fiji. Sugar and tourism industry are two major industries in Fiji. With a mix of traditional infrastructures and modern architectures and the unique natural scenery, Suva attracts a lot of tourists to visit yearly. The most tourists are from Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A and Europe. When the visa-free policy approved in 2009, the number of Chinese tourists is increasing. And low price also is a reason that tourist choose Suva as a destination of holiday. Even though, the city is with wonderful nature, there are some issues are affecting the development of tourism industry. The increasing crime rate is continuing problem in Suva. The crime occurred frequently in Suva create a sense of fear in the minds of visitors. According to the official crime statistics, a total of 8,012 crimes were recorded. The safety issue is related to whether tourists would choose this place as a destination or not. With the development of tourism industry in Fiji, the environmental degradation is one situation that we need pay more attention. The air pollution caused by increased urbanisation and industrial growth is destroying the nature and damaging the people’s health. And increasing waste disposal make the environment become worse. Poor hygienic conditions are damage to environment as well as stop the tourists to visit...
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...Specific Aims or Objectives of the Research Project d) Methodology, including research design, target population, sampling issues, IRB, data collection methods and analysis etc f) Resources, including specific locations for the study, personnel and facilities available or will be required to complete the research project Methodology Target Population As data presented earlier in the background section of this report, it is highly noticeable the large impact that HIV/AIDS has placed on the sex workers population of Papua New Guinea (PNG). There have been many studies conducted that have linked and confirmed that in many developing countries female sex workers carry the disproportionate burden of HIV infection. Similar to most developing countries, female sex workers in Papua New Guinea are following the trend of accounting for a very high HIV prevalence among the total infected adult population. Female sex workers (FSW) are not only high in prevalence but they are experiencing a high increase of HIV infection rates. Data from 1998 of HIV prevalence among FSWs in Port Moresby was 17% and rose to 21% in 2004. This burden is markedly more noticeable when compared to prevalence among the adult population of Port Moresby, only 0.34% in 2004 which increased to 1.54% in 2004. Incidence of other STIs among female sex workers in PNG is also high. In a study in 2003, “Chlamydia trachomatis was found to be 23.3%, Trichomonas vaginalis 41.0%, Neisseria gonorrhea 37.2% and Syphilis...
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...the term is used legally. According to Law.com, sexual harassment is defined as "unwanted sexual approaches (including touching, feeling, groping) and/or repeated unpleasant, degrading and/or sexist remarks directed toward an employee with the implied suggestion that the target's employment status, promotion or favorable treatment depend upon a positive response and/or "cooperation" (Sexual harassment, 2013). An example of sexual harassment would be an executive assistant's boss telling her he would give her a promotion or incentive if she went on a date with him. Explain how sexual harassment differs from gender discrimination. Gender discrimination (also known as sex discrimination) is defined as treating an individual poorly because of their sex or because they are associated with a group of a certain sex (Sex-Based Discrimination, n.d.). For example, an employer treats a female employee poorly because she is associated with a women's rights group. Gender discrimination is also a violation of title VII and the...
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...Lam Ka Kiu(54390709) Should same sex marriage be legalized in Hong Kong Legalizing same sex marriage(also known as gay marriage,a kind of marriage between people of the same sex) has long been a controversial issue.It is said that gay people should enjoy the same right as ordinary people while the others think that marriage should be between a man and a woman.I aim to explore whether same sex marriage should be legalized in Hong Kong.It is my belief that same sex marriage should be legalized. Everyone should have the right to love others and be loved,even for the same sex couples.All of us are equal and it applies to marriage as well.1,138 benefits, rights and protections are provided for married couples in Federal law"(Members of The...
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...lifespan” (Allen, 2006). In a society where the stigma of being gay, lesbian or transgendered is great, the concept of same-sex marriage has an even greater stigma. I theorize that by legalizing same sex marriage, the economy will be affected positively. We will consider how gay friendly business practices increase sales, how same-sex marriage affects the economy of our state and nation, and how overcoming the objections of same-sex marriage will benefit us all. Background: Older generations are afraid of concepts that are newer to them or that aren’t considered “traditional.” A recent CNN/Gallup poll showed that approximately 53% of Americans approve of same-sex marriage in the United States, which is the highest amount of approval that there has ever been. Within the state of Minnesota, there are, “… 9,147 same-sex households with nearly 4,000 of those located in Hennepin County” (Dziengel, 2010). With such a large concentration of same-sex households, Minneapolis (Hennepin County) has been considered a mecca of same-sex friendly businesses and people. Travel Channel has listed the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area as one of the top 10 gayest cities in the United States, putting us in direct comparison with such cities as Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. There have been several companies that have made a stance in favor of same-sex marriage and the economic value that such unions bring with them. Companies such as Target, which is based in Minneapolis;...
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...CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background and Rationale of the Study Job satisfaction in registered nurses should be of great concern to any organization. Nurses hold the majority of positions in most health care settings, and replacement of licensed personnel is costly and time consuming. As newly graduated nurses, we have limited time but ample exposure to varying degrees of job satisfaction. What makes some so happy with their chosen profession, and others so unhappy? Aside from a change of career, is there a solution? With the current nursing shortage, and the anticipation of worsening conditions, we set out to investigate the sources of dissatisfaction in the health care setting. We reviewed several scholarly sources and withdrew pertinent information. Following the discussion of literature findings is a summary including suggestions for further research. In the article written by Fletcher, job satisfactions as well as dissatisfactions were investigated. Questionnaires were mailed to 5,192 registered nurses (RNs), 1,780 of which were returned and scored using several evaluation methods (Fletcher, 2001). Researchers looked at job satisfaction, patient satisfaction and safety, extrinsic work values, role of the immediate supervisor, and intent to stay in nursing. Job satisfaction was evaluated on several levels: Profits, Job performance, Intrinsic work values, and, Patient care issues. Profits referred not to personal financial gain, but to the organization’s profits. Many...
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...Applying Social Network Interventions in Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Systematic Review Communication 623 Final Paper Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Health Psychology Seminar at Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania by Qijia Chen May 2014 Instructor: Professor John B. Jemmott, Annenberg School for Communication Abstract The current paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature on social network intervention in HIV prevention among MSM. I performed a systematic literature research in multi-lingual databases and located a relatively exhaustive collection of articles on social network interventions in MSM. There is strong evidence that such interventions are efficacious in generating changes in behavioral and psychological constructs that might lead to risk reduction in HIV infection and transmission. This paper identified several urgent issues in the current state of research development, particularly, a lack of theoretical development, an insufficient numbers of methodologically rigorous studies, and an absence of clear conceptual distinctions and implementary recommendations. The review also proposes potential solutions and suggestions for future research. Introduction Men who have sex with men (MSM) comprise the largest proportion of new HIV infections in the USA (CDC, 2011). Efforts to curtail the incidence of HIV infection require that at-risk individuals adopt effective behavioral changes....
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...They coordinate the activities of the employees. They recruit new employees when needed. Every institution needed to appoint new employees in the organization. The organization has to follow proper recruitment, selection, and retention procedures to employ the appropriate employees. City link, a leading delivery company of UK, needs some new fresh employees to recruit and appoint in their organization. There are some different leadership techniques. It has to follow the best to overcome the challenges of working outside of UK. The organization has to build up proper team management to work efficiently in the context. The organization also provide training facilities to develop the individuals of the organization. Introduction Working with leading people is an important topic for all business students. This topic teaches how to lead effectively. In this assignment we apply our knowledge gained from this unit on City link a world class delivery company. City link is the UK`s leading delivery organization that successfully operate in UK and over the world from 1969. It makes annual revenue over £320m which makes City link the market leader of this field (City Link, 2014). We talk about the city link`s recruitment, selection and retention procedure and about its working culture. 1. Using recruitment, selection, and retention procedure Human resource is a key factor of every organization. The successes of every organization depend on skilled, innovative, creative and...
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...overlaps between interest and political groups and as a result, political decision-making is reached through negotiation and compromise (Manley 1983). Indeed, when examining the progressive debate concerning the legal recognition of same-sex relationships in Australia, the perception that power is bartered through interest groups becomes highly plausible through the lens of classical pluralist theory. There are competing visions of diversity in Australia, and behind the main positions; supportive, neutral, and opposing, there are a multitude of perspectives underlying these umbrella groupings. For some in the community, the concept of gay and lesbian marriage is controversial, and its complexities raise fundamental social, religious, moral and political questions. In analyzing how power has operated in this situation, I will apply classical pluralism to converse sides of the moral argument to reveal how Australian attitudes have changed over time in a progressively consensual political environment. For this issue, the strengths of pluralism lie in its empirical nature; it is an observable and comprehensive view of understanding how power operates in society, with regard to a multitude of perspectives and interest groups. However, further analysis will reveal that while there are many voices in the debate concerning marriage equality, they are not created equally. A form of ‘elite pluralism’ prevails that refutes classical pluralist ideals of diversity. Interestingly, a weakness...
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