Gay News

Brooklyn will be home to matrimonial mediation pilot program

Hon. Jeffrey Sunshine, the supervising judge of the Kings County Matrimonial Court would like to see more matrimonial cases solved out of court in mediation so he, in his role in the chief administrative judge’s Matrimonial Practice Advisory and Rules Committee, has developed a pilot program for Brooklyn designed to funnel people into mediation. read

Waukegan police to get training on emotional intelligence, diversity and change after federal mediation

The Waukegan Police Department will be the focus of continued diversity and other training started in the wake of a Department of Justice-mediated agreement. read

Early Mediation Can Facilitate Divorce Cases

Family lawyers should embrace early mediation as a creative tool that makes them more attractive to clients and helps them cast a net for a wider client base. read

Chicago Archdiocese Rejects Mediation With Fired Gay Employees

The archdiocese of Chicago has refused to participate in mediation in two cases involving human rights complaints. Two homosexual men working in different parishes were fired last year by their pastors. Colin Collette, choir director at Holy Family parish in Inverness, Illinois, and Sandor Demkovich, music director of St. Andrew the Apostle parish in Calumet City, were asked to resign when news of their same-sex weddings were made public. They both refused and were fired. read

Trouble in Your Marriage? Try Mediation

The goal of mediation, however, is to resolve conflict, which has nothing to do with mental health. Mediation aims to help two (or more) parties find a mutually acceptable resolution to their points of difference or disagreement. It’s all about identifying goals and finding a way to achieve them that bypasses the inherent conflict. read

How Divorce Mediation Can Help Cope with Divorce Related Trauma

Divorce mediation is not designed to reconcile a couple. Rather, the formal and guided structure of the divorce mediation process is built around the idea that separating from the life one has built with the spouse should be as painless and reasonable as possible. The family has probably already had enough emotional trauma and pain. The mediation process is a caring and healing environment in which both spouses can make the right decisions to protect the financial assets, children and each other from further trauma. read

Mediation held with SA council executive who resigned over rainbow flag

Mediation is underway between a South Australian council and its chief executive officer after he resigned in protest against the council raising a rainbow flag during an Adelaide gay and lesbian festival. read

What is Divorce Arbitration?

Divorce arbitration occupies a unique position in the growing field of alternate dispute resolution. Let’s start by stating what it is not. It is not mediation where divorcing parties meet with a trained person who will hopefully assist them in achieving a settlement through a process of discussion, negotiation and compromise. Quite simply, some cases call for more than mediation can provide, especially if the parties are less than trustful of each other and a more firm, formal approach is appropriate. read

Where Does Marital Mediation Fit In?

Where does marital mediation fit into the construct of "facilitative", "evaluative" and "transformative"? It has characteristics of all of these, as well as John Fiske's construct of "control" and "acknowledgement", depending on the situation, the mediator's preference, experience and style, and the clients' needs and visions for what the marital mediation should accomplish. read

Court Bars Ordering Abuse Victims to Post-Divorce Mediation

Divorced couples cannot be required to resolve their post-divorce disputes through mediation if there has been an entry of a final restraining order based on a finding of domestic violence, even if existing property settlement agreements call for disputes to be worked through by mediators, a New Jersey appeals court has ruled. read

Conflict resolvers' ensure peace at gay rugby world cup

The referees overseeing the Bingham Cup last week were re-named “Conflict Resolvers,” in a legal twist that had Folklaw prick up its ears. Chad Burnell assistant director – legal at the Australian Sports Commission was a referee at the Bingham Cup. He told Folklaw that the spin on the referee title came from the t-shirt sponsor, mediation firm Negocio Resolutions. “When [the referees] saw it we all had a chuckle but that name actually stuck throughout the tournament. It got a laugh from the players as well,” he said. “I guess it was a light-hearted touch to poke fun at us in terms of what we actually do because, at the end of the day, rugby is a game of conflict and we try to resolve it the best we can.” The Bingham Cup is an international LGBIT tournament that runs every two years. This year around 1,000 players from 15 countries came to Sydney to participate. read

Conflict Mediation a Key Tool for Same-Sex Couples

Our lives sometimes seem filled with concerns or disagreements that too often spiral out of control into full-blown disputes. These conflicts may be with the ones we most love or may concern issues vitally important to us. These incidents may be with a partner relating to the dissolution of a relationship, with the family of a loved one regarding issues of care during an illness, with others laying claim to an inheritance after a death, with a former partner concerning visitation rights to children, with a child regarding access to grandchildren, or with an employer, school, neighbor, or merchant.  Traditional mechanisms for resolution use the “win/lose” dynamic. Conflict resolution is, then, a risk-filled process. “Mediation” or a “Shared Decision Making Process” offers a completely different model of conflict resolution. Within mediation, conflict may be seen as an opportunity rather than a problem. The operational theory of mediation is “win-win.” read

Conflict Mediation a Key Tool for Same-Sex Couples

Our lives sometimes seem filled with concerns or disagreements that too often spiral out of control into full-blown disputes. These conflicts may be with the ones we most love or may concern issues vitally important to us. These incidents may be with a partner relating to the dissolution of a relationship, with the family of a loved one regarding issues of care during an illness, with others laying claim to an inheritance after a death, with a former partner concerning visitation rights to children, with a child regarding access to grandchildren, or with an employer, school, neighbor, or merchant. read

New Mediation Program to Resolve Employment Discrimination Disputes Faster, Save Time and Money for All Parties

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission has launched a mediation program to resolve employment discrimination complaints within a short timeframe. Trained, neutral mediators will guide the process, which aims to produce settlements agreeable to both parties.  "With mediation, everyone gets relief faster," Commission Chairman Gerry Robinson said. "People who believe they have been wronged, as well as employers facing complaints will get conflicts resolved faster, avoiding lengthy investigations, costly hearings and potential court filings."  There is no cost to those who choose mediation as a way of resolving their disputes, and they do not need to hire an attorney. The process is confidential. read

Transparency marks Montana sex abuse lawsuit mediation

A weeklong "global mediation" slated to begin April 15 in Seattle will seek a broad settlement for two comprehensive sex abuse lawsuits pending against the diocese of Helena, Mont., and the Ursuline Sisters. More than 360 plaintiffs, several insurance carriers, the Helena diocese and Ursuline Sisters will be represented at the Seattle gathering to negotiate culpability and potential financial awards for sex abuse claims against priests. read

School rejects mediation talks in transgender girl's case

Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 officials have refused to enter into mediation talks with the family of a transgender girl who wants to return to school. read

Croydon antisocial behaviour mediator abused lesbian couple in school playground

An antisocial behaviour mediator abused a lesbian couple and stuck her finger up one of their friends' noses during a heated row in a school playground. read

AU: Some sex offences are best dealt with out of the courts

Less serious cases of sexual offending could be better dealt with in a mediated, restorative justice setting. read

Scotland: Mediation call in gay clergy row read Mediation best way to resolve discrimination disputes read Federal judge orders mediation for Ten Commandments case involving southwest Va high school read Minn. lesbian pep rally dispute goes to mediation read Transgender group, restaurant agree to mediation read Gay & Lesbian Times: Meet the Mediator read Mediation in Gay Marriages and Domestic Partnerships read Show next 25 News