Civil Rights

Via press release: The first-ever hearing on the Equality Act set to take place this morning in the House Judiciary Committee. The crucially important, bipartisan legislation will finally provide clear, comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across the country. The Equality Act has unprecedented support and is backed by nearly 70% of Americans, hundreds of members of Congress, more than …

Amnesty International reports: Cruel and inhuman punishments such as death by stoning for same-sex sexual acts and amputation for robbery will come into effect in Brunei next week, Amnesty International said today. “Pending provisions in Brunei’s Penal Code would allow stoning and amputation as punishments – including for children, to name only their most heinous aspects,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Brunei …

NBC News reports: The NAACP, the country’s oldest African-American civil rights organization, publicly endorsed the Equality Act, a federal LGBTQ anti-discrimination bill. “We support what it does — and we support it now,” Hilary Shelton, the organization’s D.C. bureau director, told NBC News on Friday. “It’s important that it gets through.” Shelton said the group had previously endorsed the bill …

The Detroit Free Press reports: Michigan will no longer financially support adoption and foster care agencies that refuse to work with same-sex couples and LGBTQ individuals because of religious beliefs under the terms of a settlement of a lawsuit negotiated by Attorney General Dana Nessel. The settlement, which was announced Friday, sets up a battle with the Republican-led Legislature, which …

The Tennessean reports: A bill opposed by LGBTQ advocates that would prevent state or local government entities in Tennessee from discriminating against a business based on the company’s internal policies has advanced in the House. House Bill 563, sponsored by Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville [photo], passed in the House on a 68-22 vote. The legislation seeks to prohibit the state …

Politico reports: The West Virginia senator, perhaps the most conservative Democrat in Congress, said that he believes the bill should allow more local control after talking to officials in his state. The bill extends federal protections to people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. “I am not convinced that the Equality Act as written provides sufficient guidance …

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday announced it has refused to hear the case of a Hawaii bed and breakfast that sought to refuse service to same-sex couples out of religious objections. The high court indicated it had denied certiorari to Aloha Bed & Breakfast, or refused to take up its case, in …

Former Log Cabin president Gregory Angelo writes: Don’t be fooled by the name: The Equality Act is legislation that would compromise American civil rights and religious liberty as we know it. All reasonable Americans, especially gay Americans who support pluralism and tolerance, should oppose it. In 1975, when it was first introduced in Congress, this legislation was certainly more needed …

The Associated Press reports: German authorities on Wednesday extended compensation payments to more gay men who were investigated under a law criminalizing homosexuality that was enthusiastically enforced in West Germany after World War II. German lawmakers in 2017 approved the annulment of thousands of convictions under the Paragraph 175 law, which remained in force in its Nazi-era form until homosexuality …

Via press release: Democratic leaders of the House and Senate will hold a press event at 2PM to introduce The Equality Act, which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, federal jury service, public accommodations, and the use of federal funds. The …

From the Public Religion Research Institute: Amid our currently polarized political climate, a new PRRI survey shows that majorities of Americans across virtually all demographic groups and geographical locations support laws protecting LGBT people. Support for nondiscrimination protections enjoys broad support across the political spectrum. Majorities of Democrats (79%), independents (70%), and Republicans (56%) say they favor laws that would …

Just in from the Human Rights Campaign: HRC announced that an unprecedented 161 leading businesses have joined HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act. With a combined operation in all 50 states, headquarters in 26 states, more than $3.7 trillion in revenue, and more than 8.5 million employees across the United States, these companies know how important it is to …

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday during her weekly news conference the Equality Act, legislation that would enact long sought-after federal protections against anti-LGBT legislation, would be introduced next week. As it was previously introduced, the Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act to …

Reuters reports: An estimated 4.5 percent of U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and they tend to be younger and poorer than the population at large, according to an analysis of polling data released on Tuesday. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law examined previously released results from the Gallup Daily Tracking survey and went …

The Lincoln Journal Star reports: It wasn’t exactly a vote on the bill that would give protections to LGBTQ workers, but it was a vote that ended debate and the bill’s chances of passing this session. The bill (LB627) that would ensure workers couldn’t be fired or discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity will be put …

The Denver Post reports: Litigation between the owner of Lakewood’s Masterpiece Cakeshop and the state will end after the baker agreed to drop his lawsuit alleging the Colorado Civil Rights Commission was harassing him for refusing to make cakes with LGBTQ themes in exchange for the commission dropping its own actions against him. “After careful consideration of the facts, both …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Just when advocates for a statewide LGBTQ civil-rights appear to have more support than ever — including from a growing number of Republicans — another bill in the Florida Legislature is threatening to eliminate anti-discrimination measures already enacted by cities and counties. On its face, House Bill 3 would preempt local governments from imposing new regulations …

Nashville’s ABC affiliate reports: A family-owned bakery declined to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple over the weekend, citing the “spiritual conviction” of the owner. The bakery, Susie’s Sweets, lists its location on its Facebook page as Burns, in Dickson County. The shop’s owner is Susie Dennison. An initial account of the denial was posted on the Hip …

NBC News reports: A federal judge in California ruled Thursday that a twin son of a gay married couple has been an American citizen since birth, handing a defeat to the U.S. government, which had only granted the status to his brother. The State Department was wrong to deny citizenship to 2-year-old Ethan Dvash-Banks, District Judge John F. Walter found. …

NBC News reports: U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell says the Trump administration has strong backing at home from Republicans and even religious conservatives for its push to end laws that criminalize homosexuality in foreign countries, telling NBC News that he’s “wildly supported by both parties.” In an exclusive interview in Berlin, Grenell says he has no concerns that the …