Tag Archives: civil rights

The Associated Press reports: A Virginia restaurant operator has agreed to pay $40,000 to resolve a lawsuit that claims its employees routinely harassed a gay server with homophobic epithets and taunted him about his sexuality. A federal judge on Thursday signed off on the settlement between the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Mejia Corp., which does business as El …

Reuters reports: Botswana’s government will appeal a high court ruling that decriminalized homosexuality, potentially resuscitating a law that punished gay sex by up to seven years in prison. Last month’s landmark court ruling, which was praised by international organizations and activists, meant Botswana joined a handful of African countries that have legalized same-sex relationships. But Attorney General Abraham Keetshabe said …

Chris Johnson reports at The Washington Blade: The U.S. Supreme Court has designed Oct. 8 as the date when it will hear arguments on whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to cases of anti-LGBT discrimination, setting up a showdown for when LGBT rights in all areas of life will hang in the balance. On Monday, …

Just out from PRRI Polling: Three in ten (30%) Americans say they think it should be permissible for a small business owner in their state to refuse to provide services to gay or lesbian people if doing so violates their religious beliefs, while two-thirds (67%) say they should not be allowed to do so. Support for religiously based service refusals …

Just in via press release: GLAAD today announced the findings of its fifth annual Accelerating Acceptance Index, a national survey among U.S. adults conducted on GLAAD’s behalf by The Harris Poll. The Index measures American attitudes toward LGBTQ people. The percentage of non-LGBTQ adults reporting being ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ comfortable with LGBTQ people across seven scenarios remained stable (49%) after …

USA Today reports: Even as activist groups continue to raise concerns of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s [photo] views toward LGBT people, Brazil’s supreme court voted to criminalize homophobia and transphobia similarly to its laws on racism. Eight of Brazil’s 11 Supreme Federal Court justices ruled today to include homophobia and transphobia within the country’s laws prohibiting racism — a clause …

Just in from Gallup Polling: A slight majority of Americans (53%) say that new civil rights laws are needed to reduce discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. This comes one month after the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, which would protect LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing and other settings. Gallup found similar support for …

Reuters reports: Almost half of all Americans incorrectly believe that federal law protects lesbian, gay and bisexual people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released this week. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 45% of respondents believed federal anti-discrimination protections already exist for lesbian, gay and bisexual people, including 40% of those aged …

CBS News St. Louis reports: A St. Charles County couple says an O’Fallon, Mo. restaurant refused to host their rehearsal dinner after learning of their sexual orientation. Mindy Rackley and Kendall Brown are getting married on June 15. They planned to host a rehearsal dinner two days prior at Madison’s Café. Kendall said she was speaking with someone at the …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Today, Lambda Legal announced the Central District of California entered judgment for Nikko Briteramos against the owner of a Los Angeles barbershop who refused to cut Briteramos’ hair because he is living with HIV. CUT THE STIGMA, a joint public education campaign launched last year by the Black AIDS Institute and Lambda Legal, will …

Just in from the Democratic National Committee: “As we begin LGBTQ Pride Month and prepare to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, when brave members of New York’s LGBTQ community said enough to brutal discrimination, Democrats across the country are celebrating our nation’s progress and rededicating ourselves to the fight for equality. No one should face violence, bullying, or discrimination …

The New York Times reports: Kenya’s High Court on Friday upheld laws that criminalize gay sex, declining to join the handful of former British possessions that have recently abolished a prohibition imposed by Britain during the colonial era. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the court, announced in a courtroom packed with activists who wanted to see the …

Well, THIS is a surprising development. The Associated Press reports: A majority in Brazil’s supreme court has voted to make homophobia and transphobia crimes like racism, a decision coming amid fears the country’s far-right president will roll back LGBT social gains. Six of the Supreme Federal Tribunal’s 11 judges have voted in favor of the measure. The five other judges …

The Dallas News reports: After the so-called “Save Chick-fil-A” bill was sunk in the Texas House last week, a Senate committee on Monday quietly revived the legislation which LGBTQ advocates say perpetuates anti-gay discrimination. The Senate Bill 1978, filed by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, is the companion bill to Fort Worth GOP Rep. Matt Krause’s House Bill 3172, which was …

The Hill reports: The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment and housing. The Equality Act was approved in a 22-10 party-line vote, setting the bill up for a potential floor vote. “The ability to have a job, to receive medical care or to rent a home should not depend on …

Just in via press release: Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization released a new video from HRC’s Americans for the Equality Act campaign featuring Olympian and figure skater Adam Rippon. As an openly gay athlete, Rippon calls on Congress to advance the Equality Act — bipartisan legislation …

The Hill reports: The Trump administration appears ready to roll back health care protections for transgender people, and advocates are gearing up for a fight. A proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services that’s expected in the coming days would make it easier for doctors, hospitals and insurance companies to deny care or coverage to transgender patients, …

CNBC reports: The Supreme Court on Monday took up job discrimination cases that could for the first time resolve at a national level whether lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers can be fired based on their identity. The cases come as federal courts as well as independent agencies within the Trump administration remain divided over whether Title VII of the …

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 …

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 …