LGBT News

Two weeks ago Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an executive order banning employment discrimination against LGBT state employees. Today the chance for wider protections advanced. Via the Associated Press: Senators advanced a proposal to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, moments after an initial vote appeared to stall the measure in committee. Sen. Regina Barrow, …

From the National Center for Lesbian Rights: Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, a companion bill to HR 2450, introduced in the House of Representatives by Ted Lieu in 2015. The bill would define the provision of conversion therapy for profit as consumer fraud and, additionally, take Rep. Lieu’s bill …

Less than a month after last year’s landmark ruling from the Supreme Court, Freedom To Marry held its “going out of business” gala and has since closed its offices. But founder Evan Wolfson is far from retired from fighting for LGBT equality. From the US Embassy in Tokyo: “To mark the beginning of Tokyo Rainbow Week starting tomorrow, here’s a …

From the Raleigh News & Observer: Without mentioning North Carolina’s House Bill 2, the NCAA’s Board of Governors on Wednesday adopted a requirement that sites bidding on NCAA events demonstrate they will provide safe environments free of discrimination. “The higher education community is a diverse mix of people from different racial, ethnic, religious and sexual orientation backgrounds,” Kirk Schulz, president …

Theater Mania recaps: The company of Broadway’s Hamilton took top presentation honors at this week’s 30th annual Easter Bonnet Competition, an event that serves as the culmination of six weeks of spring fundraising efforts for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Watch the cast perform a transformed version of their opening number “Alexander Hamilton,” featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda as the Demon Barber Sweeney …

Via press release from PROMO Missouri: In a 6-6 vote this afternoon, the majority of the Emerging Issues Committee voted against SJR 39. The committee members that voted against SJR 39 are Rep. Jeremy LaFaver, Rep. Mike Colona, Rep. Jim Hansen, Rep. Sharon Pace, Rep. Caleb Rowden, and Rep. Anne Zerr. SJR 39 has had national attention in light of …

From the Washington Post: Stephen Colbert doesn’t like that legislators in North Carolina and elsewhere are legislating which bathrooms transgender people can use. He even called them “weirdos” on Tuesday night’s show. “To all those lawmakers out there who are so obsessed with who’s using what bathroom and what plumbing they’ve got downtown?” Colbert said. “Newsflash: You’re the weirdos.”

Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims won his district’s Democratic primary last night, beating his closest challenger by just over 700 votes. As no Republican filed for the seat, Sims will return as his state’s only openly gay legislator. Sims ended his bid for the US House back in February.

The Guardian recaps: The first full trailer for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie has Edina and Patsy on the run in France after possibly killing Kate Moss. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley reprise their roles as the champagne-drinking fashionistas for the first time in four years, while the film brings back the sitcom’s other co-stars Julia Sawalha and Jane Horrocks. The …

The Charlotte Observer reports: With the threat of the NBA pulling its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte in the wake of House Bill 2, Hornets owner Michael Jordan reinforced his franchise’s position against any form of discrimination. “As my organization has stated previously, the Charlotte Hornets and Hornets Sports & Entertainment are opposed to discrimination in any form, and we …

Yesterday the city council of Oxford, Alabama, population 21,000, voted unanimously to publicly rebuke Target and criminalize the use of public restrooms by transgender citizens. Violations of the new law can result in a $500 fine or six months in jail. From the Anniston Star: After members approved the new city ordinance, Council President Steven Waits read from a prepared …

Seriously. He said that. From the New York Times:  McCrory, 59, last week could barely contain his irritation that the law had taken center stage in the election, siphoning attention from his central message: that he has been a wise steward of the economy who had engineered what he and his team have branded the “Carolina Comeback.” This hornet’s nest, …

From the Democratic National Committee: “As Republican legislators and governors continue their assault on LGBT Americans through Right to Discriminate laws, even many prominent conservatives think they’ve gone too far. Watch what they and others have to say.”

And the list just keeps getting longer. From Portland’s NBC affiliate: The Portland City Council voted unanimously in favor of restricting travel by city employees to states with laws that discriminate against the LGBT community. All eight councilors had already publicly backed Mayor Ethan Strimling’s proposal before Monday night’s meeting. They don’t want the city spending money for city employees …

National Center for Transgender Equality head Mara Keisling and at least several other activists have just been arrested at a sit-in at the North Carolina General Assembly building. I’ve posted several short videos of current reporting via Twitter. See below. The protests were organized by several local and national groups, including the North Carolina NAACP, whose head Rev. William Barber …

At this writing a growing crowd of about 1000 are protesting in support of North Carolina’s anti-LGBT hate law as Democrats introduce a repeal bill in the state Assembly. LGBT activists led by Equality North Carolina and the Human Rights Campaign started the day by delivering petitions calling for the law’s repeal. Local news video reports are below. Thousands gather …

The Mirror reports: The editor of Bangladesh’s first ever LGBT magazine has been hacked to death by suspected Islamist militants in a horrific attack, it is reported. Julhas Mannan, 35, who worked for ‘Roopbaan’, was killed alongside his friend, Tanay Mojumdar, in an apartment in the capital of Dhaka, a police official said. A third person was injured in the …

Today’s “Moral Monday” protests against North Carolina’s anti-LGBT HB2 have begun outside the state capitol building. Anti-LGBT groups have vowed to bus in thousands to counter-protest. Watch live at this link.

From the New York Daily News: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office says it was misled about the sale of the Rivington House Lower East Side AIDS care facility to a condo developer. State law requires court approval — with recommendations from the Attorney General’s Office and state Health Department — whenever a not-for-profit facility like Rivington House is converted into …

Video below. From Raleigh’s CBS affiliate: Hundreds of people against and for House Bill 2 will descend on downtown Raleigh to make their voices heard as the General Assembly begins a new session Monday. When lawmakers file into the legislative building they’ll be met with plenty of opposition, but they won’t have to look far to find support. “We’re expecting …