LGBT News

As I’ve reported here several times, openly gay US Ambassador Wally Brewster is under attack in the Dominican Republic, where anti-LGBT activists and the Catholic Church have launched a joint campaign calling for his resignation for spreading “homosexual indoctrination.” Today US House Democrats launched a tweetstorm in support of Brewster using the hashtag #ImWithWally. Brewster stands accused in part because …

UPDATE: Deal will VETO the bill. Earlier, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Gov. Nathan Deal has a 10 a.m. press conference on his calendar. Chances are good that it’s about HB 757, the “religious liberty” bill. No doubt, by now you’ve heard about that email from Chris Riley, chief of staff for the governor, to Spiro Amburn, top aide to House …

Early this morning North Carolina was sued in federal court over the recently signed law which overturns LGBT rights statewide and bans transgender citizens from using public facilities that align with their gender identity. The suit was filed on behalf of three individuals and two LGBT rights groups. Buzzfeed News has details: “By singling out LGBT people for disfavored treatment …

From NPR’s Asheville affiliate: The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina is preparing litigation against the state over a recent bill blocking towns and cities from passing anti-discrimination measures. Governor Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2 late Wednesday night, several hours after the legislature gave final approval during a one-day special session lawmakers called to address the issue. Response …

After facing near universal condemnation from the media, from big business, and from civil rights groups, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has issued a nine-point “Myths Vs Facts” press release about his state’s anti-LGBT law. I’ve screen-capped the full message below and as you’ll see, McCrory doesn’t tell the full story.There are so many obfuscations in this list, it’s hard …

CBS News recaps: New legislation in North Carolina — outlawing anti-discrimination protections for LGBT citizens — could mean a new approach to attracting visitors to the state might be called for. Luckily, Funny or Die is here to help. The comedy website started by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell released a spoof commercial Thursday that offered a “special message from …

The Associated Press reports: San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has banned city workers from non-essential travel to North Carolina after that state approved legislation preventing anti-discrimination protections for gay, lesbian and transgender people. Lee said in a statement Friday that residents in the city with a large gay and lesbian population “will not subsidize legally sanctioned discrimination.” He says the …

An avalanche of major Hollywood production companies and networks are backing ABC/Disney in pressuring Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to veto his state’s pending anti-LGBT bill. Deadline reports: In what is virtually now a unanimous and united stance against Georgia’s move to allow discrimination against the LGBT community, CBS, NBCUniversal, Discovery and Open Road Films have joined the effort to get …

Blue Ridge Now reports: State Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson) has asked his staff to look and see how the General Assembly can charge Charlotte to cover the costs of Wednesday’s special session, including the possibility of withholding the city’s sales tax revenues. Lawmakers met Wednesday and passed a law invalidating a measure the Charlotte City Council passed last month to …

Michelangelo Signorile today blasted the HRC for its endorsement of GOP Sen. Mark Kirk. He writes: The simple truth is that in 2016 in Illinois we don’t need Mark Kirk — he needs us. Kirk is in a deep blue state and he absolutely must support full LGBT equality in order to win. His coming out for the Equality Act …

Sports Illustrated reports: Recent anti-LGBT legislation in North Carolina could impact the NBA’s ability to host the 2017 All-Star game in Charlotte, the league announced Thursday. “The NBA is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for all who attend our games and events,” the statement reads. “We are deeply concerned that this discriminatory law runs counter to our guiding principles …

Yesterday major corporations took to social media or released statements to denounce North Carolina’s new anti-LGBT law. See some of their messages below. Perhaps most prominent among them is IBM, the state’s largest private employer. Fortune reports: Big Blue, North Carolina’s largest employer, posted a statement on Thursday that expressed disappointment with the new law, which LBGT rights supporters widely …

From the editorial board of the New York Times: By promoting the ludicrous idea that transgender women are inherently dangerous, the law endangers citizens who are already disproportionately vulnerable to violence and stigmatization. Transgender men go largely unmentioned in bathroom bill debates, but that could change. James Parker Sheffield, a transgender man with a beard, exposed the foolishness of the …

Last night Buzzfeed News reporter Dominic Holden appeared on PBS NewsHour to deliver a succinct recap of North Carolina’s nasty new anti-LGBT law. Watch below. Holden: What the city council did in Charlotte was very common in the United States. There are about 200 cities with ordinances like these that ban discrimination against LGBT people. What the lawmakers did in …

Raleigh’s NBC affiliate reports: Five people were arrested after protesters blocked North Blount Street in front of the governor’s mansion in downtown Raleigh Thursday evening in response to Gov. Pat McCrory signing the state discrimination bill into law Wednesday night. Jade Brooks, 30, of Durham, Salma Mirza, 28, of Durham, Ngoc Tran, 20, of Durham, Jessica Jude, 27, of Durham, …

JMG reader Mike points us to the above message from Democratic Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who slams North Carolina and plugs tourism to his state in one tweet. Bullock is running for reelection against nutjob software mogul and anti-LGBT activist Greg Gianforte, who is a major donor to Focus On The Family and the Heritage Foundation. In addition to funding …

The Kentucky GOP’s plan for a separate marriage license for gay couples has been shot down. Via McClatchyDC: Kentucky would have a single marriage license for straight and gay couples under a compromise plan backed by Republican Gov. Matt Bevin and the Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee. The proposed form would allow applicants to identify themselves as bride, groom or spouse …

A coalition of major Hollywood figures have signed a joint letter urging Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to veto his state’s pending anti-LGBT bill. Among the boldface names are Rob Reiner, Lee Daniels, Anne Hathaway, Julianne Moore, Gus Van Sant, and Harvey Weinstein. Read it below. The letter was coordinated by the Human Rights Campaign, which earlier this week pressured Disney …

Via press release: Today, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of North Carolina, and Equality North Carolina condemned North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signing into law a sweeping anti-LGBT measure, HB 2, and announced that the organizations are exploring legal challenges to the discriminatory law. “We expect the ACLU’s and Lambda Legal’s Legal Help Desks will light …

From the Ali Forney Center: Youth homelessness is one of the most severe disparities faced by the LGBT community. While comprising only about 5% of the overall youth population, LGBT youth make up 40% of the nation’s homeless youth population. The response to this crisis has been meager. While there are an estimated 500,000 homeless youths in the country, 200,000 …