WEATHER ALERT
Major companies abandon an LGBTQ+ rights report card after facing anti-diversity backlash
Read full article: Major companies abandon an LGBTQ+ rights report card after facing anti-diversity backlashMore than two decades ago, a national LGBTQ+ rights group decided to promote change by grading corporations on their workplace policies.
Walz touts Democratic record of defending LGBTQ+ rights, says Harris will advance cause if elected
Read full article: Walz touts Democratic record of defending LGBTQ+ rights, says Harris will advance cause if electedMinnesota Gov. Tim Walz touted Vice President Kamala Harris’ record of defending LGBTQ+ rights, pledging to a supportive crowd that she will advance their cause if elected president.
Lowe's changes some DEI policies amid legal attacks on diversity programs and activist pressure
Read full article: Lowe's changes some DEI policies amid legal attacks on diversity programs and activist pressureHome improvement chain Lowe’s is scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining the ranks of a few other companies who have altered their programs since the end of affirmative action in higher education and amid conservative backlash online.
ACLU sues Tennessee district attorney who promises to enforce the state's new anti-drag show ban
Read full article: ACLU sues Tennessee district attorney who promises to enforce the state's new anti-drag show banTennessee’s first-in-the-nation law placing strict limits on drag shows is facing another legal challenge.
Ruling on Tennessee's anti-drag law leaves questions about enforcement, next steps
Read full article: Ruling on Tennessee's anti-drag law leaves questions about enforcement, next stepsQuestions remain over how a law designed to limit drag shows in Tennessee will be enforced after a federal judge declared it unconstitutional while saying the decision only applied to the state’s most populated county.
LGBTQ+ ‘State of emergency’ declared, ‘Americans Fight Back’ guidebook released
Read full article: LGBTQ+ ‘State of emergency’ declared, ‘Americans Fight Back’ guidebook releasedSounding the alarm about the current political climate, the Human Rights Campaign has declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. The civil rights group warns of what it calls an “unprecedented and dangerous” spike in discriminatory legislation sweeping state houses.
Trump-appointed judge rejects Tennessee's anti-drag law as too broad, too vague
Read full article: Trump-appointed judge rejects Tennessee's anti-drag law as too broad, too vagueA federal judge says Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law designed to place strict limits on drag shows is unconstitutional.
LGBTQ+ group suspends Bud Light maker's rating over handling of backlash to transgender influencer
Read full article: LGBTQ+ group suspends Bud Light maker's rating over handling of backlash to transgender influencerThe country’s largest advocacy group for LGBTQ+ rights has suspended its benchmark equality and inclusion rating for Anheuser-Busch.
Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law fuels anti-LGBTQ hate online
Read full article: Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law fuels anti-LGBTQ hate onlineResearch that analyzed social media posts finds that hateful references to gays, lesbians and other LGBTQ people surged online after Florida passed a law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
Could Texas abortion ban strategy be double-edged sword?
Read full article: Could Texas abortion ban strategy be double-edged sword?The unusual legal strategy used to ban most abortions in Texas is already increasingly being employed in Republican-led states to target pornography, LGBT rights and other hot-button cultural issues.
Tennessee sued over 'bathroom bill' for public schools
Read full article: Tennessee sued over 'bathroom bill' for public schoolsTennessee is being sued over a law that puts public schools and their districts at risk of legal consequences if they let transgender students or employees use multi-person bathrooms or locker rooms that do not reflect their gender at birth.
Mississippi gov will sign bill limiting transgender athletes
Read full article: Mississippi gov will sign bill limiting transgender athletes– Mississippi is on track to become the first state this year to enact a law banning transgender athletes from competing on girls or women's sports teams. Tate Reeves said Thursday that he will sign a bill that the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature has passed. AdRepublican legislators who pushed the bill gave no evidence of any transgender athletes competing in Mississippi schools or universities. A Mississippi mother with a transgender daughter spoke Thursday during the Human Rights Campaign news conference. AdSupporters of bills such as the one in Mississippi argue that transgender girls, because they were born male, are naturally stronger, faster and bigger than those born female.
Sarah McBride becomes the first openly transgender person to be elected state senator
Read full article: Sarah McBride becomes the first openly transgender person to be elected state senatorWhile most Americans continued awaiting the presidential election results, history was silently being made in Delaware. Sarah McBride, 30, made history on election night by becoming the first openly transgender person to be elected to the state Senate in U.S. history. “I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too,” McBride tweeted Tuesday night after the election was called. McBride is a former spokesperson for the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign and also became the first trans person to speak at a major political convention. McBride will represent parts of Bellefonte, Claymont and Wilmington, the state’s largest city.
For transgender activists, election stokes hopes and fears
Read full article: For transgender activists, election stokes hopes and fears(AP Photo/Jason Minto)Among transgender-rights activists, there’s a powerful mix of hope and fear heading toward the Nov. 3 election. “The stakes are extremely high,” said Shannon Minter, a transgender attorney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights. — Support from administration attorneys for efforts to prevent transgender girls from competing in Idaho K-12 girls' sports and university women sports and from doing so in Connecticut high school girls' sports. There have been at least 33 violent deaths of transgender or gender nonconforming people this year in the U.S., according to the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ-rights organization. “If Trump loses, I’m hopeful we’ll see federal agencies reversing the many anti-trans policies that the Trump administration has adopted,” Strangio said.
LGBT activists see hard work ahead despite Supreme Court win
Read full article: LGBT activists see hard work ahead despite Supreme Court winFILE - In this Oct. 8, 2019, file photo, protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington where the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the first case of LGBT rights since the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Trumps likely election opponent, hailed the Supreme Court ruling as a momentous step forward for our country, and said he looked forward to signing the Equality Act. The Supreme Court has teed up years of social conflict, said the National Association of Evangelicals. Mondays high court ruling is likely to be cited in future litigation over the scope of those exemptions. The court ruling came at a moment when many LGBT activists are aligning with the Black Lives Matter movement and other groups protesting police brutality and racial injustice.