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Long-time people's lawyer Lynne Stewart made invaluable contributions to human rights in many arenas including LGBT rights and inclusion. Out-FM producer Bob Lederer interviewed Ralph Poynter, Lynne's husband, about her contributions in this area. 

Lynne Stewart, the people's attorney known for representing many dissidents and people considered outcasts by society, died on March 7 at the age of 77. She had served 4 years of a 10-year sentence on charges of providing material aid to terrorists based on her simple forwarding of a press release by her client, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, an Islamist activist convicted on terrorism charges that Lynne believed were false. It was only after an intensive international campaign citing the fact that her breast cancer had spread throughout her body that led to her compassionate release in 2014. I recently spoke with her husband, Ralph Poynter, about her legal work in support of the LGBT community.

Lynne's memorial service will be Sat., April 22 at St. Peter's Church in Manhattan - details at lynnestewart.org.

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Biljana Ginova from the LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey speaks at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Biljana speaks on the cost of LGBTI exclusion. Her group is implementing a survey together with the World Bank focusing on LGBTI people and their treatment in those societies and overall awareness in the general society of LGBTI’s existence. She discusses the unevenness of LGBTI rights varying from Macedonia where we aren’t mentioned in the anti-discrimination law or hate-crimes law, to Slovenia where recently marriage equality was effected. Also Turkey where the state of emergency continues jeopardizing LGBTI rights. Even in countries where the laws are favorable, hate speech and crimes continue. There has been a special effort to improve protection against discrimination, with a focus on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). That term, SOGI (so-gee) is used throughout the presentation.

Michael Adams of SAGE/NY is interviewed about the exclusion of LGBT elders from government lists as well as the homeless crisis of young people and their efforts to address the issue.