Tag Archives: civil rights

MacKenzie Scott Donates $72M To LGBTQ Groups

The New York Post is very unhappy about it: Most of the $640 million in new charitable donations Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott is dishing out will go to nonprofits pushing extreme left-wing causes. Scott will provide 67 migrant-advocacy organizations a combined $122 million for legal aid and other assistance, according to an analysis of 361 awards she …

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Texas State Bar Suspends License Of County Prosecutor Who Pursued Murder Charge Over Woman’s Abortion

The Texas Tribune reports: A Texas prosecutor has been disciplined for allowing a murder charge to be filed against a woman who self-induced an abortion in 2022. Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez reached a settlement with the State Bar of Texas following an investigation. Ramirez agreed to pay a $1,250 fine, and his license will be held in a …

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Tennessee Town To Pay $500K For Banning Pride Event

The Washington Post reports: A Tennessee city must pay $500,000 as part of a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups over an ordinance designed to ban drag performances from taking place on public property, attorneys announced Wednesday. Last year, the Tennessee Equality Project — a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights — filed a federal lawsuit …

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MI Wedding Venue Hit With Complaint For LGBTQ Ban

The Holland Sentinel reports: A formal complaint has reportedly been filed after a West Michigan wedding venue sparked controversy for its anti-LGBTQ marriage policy. The venue, the Old Wooden Barn, was hand-built in 1905. It was converted into a wedding venue over the past decade. The business, owned by Mitch and Kelli VanOverloop, states its marriage policy clearly online. “Because …

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PA Supreme Court Rules Abortion Access Is A Right

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: Pennsylvania’s highest court on Monday recognized for the first time that access to abortion is a right guaranteed by the state’s constitution, a significant finding in the wake of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning nationwide abortion rights. The finding came in a case focused on a much narrower issue — whether Medicaid should cover …

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FL Abortion Petition Has Enough Names To Make Ballot

Miami’s PBS affiliate reports: Groups behind the push to put abortion rights on the Florida ballot next year have reached a major milestone: They believe they have collected all the signatures needed to put it to a vote. The petition aims to place a state constitutional amendment to protect the right to an abortion on the 2024 ballot. It would …

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Leading LGBTQ Groups Endorse Biden For Reelection

ABC News reports: The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) PAC, the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) Action Fund and Equality PAC, representing three of the nation’s leading LGBTQ+ organizations, endorsed President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign on Tuesday — the eve of National Coming Out Day. “Without question, the Biden Administration has been the strongest advocate for the needs of transgender …

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Haley: Obama Set Minorities Back, Made Them Victims

The Guardian reports: Barack Obama has criticized two Republican presidential hopefuls, the South Carolina senator Tim Scott and the former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, over their stances on race relations in America. In a podcast interview, Obama, who became the first Black US president when he was elected in 2008, said that while presenting a hopeful message on race relations …

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2023 Global Survey: 9% Of Adults Identify As LGBT+

From Ipsos Polling: The Ipsos LGBT+ Pride 2023 survey finds that an average of 9% of adults in 30 countries identify as LGBT+, with sharp generational differences. The survey was conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform in February and March 2023 among more than 22,500 adults under the age of 75. On average, across the 30 countries …

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Activist, Actor, Singer Harry Belafonte Dies At Age 96

The New York Times reports: Harry Belafonte, who stormed the pop charts and smashed racial barriers in the 1950s with his highly personal brand of folk music, and who went on to become a major force in the civil rights movement, died on Tuesday at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was 96. The cause was …

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SURVEY: 80% Support Broad LGBTQ Protections

The Freedom From Religion Foundation reports: A new national survey has reassuring findings that Americans of almost all religions and no religion are growing ever more supportive of LGBTQ rights. For instance, eight in 10 Americans (80 percent) in the Public Religion Research Institute survey support laws against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations and housing against gay, lesbian, bisexual and …

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House GOP Disbands Subcommittee On Civil Rights

The Hill reports: The Republican-controlled House Oversight and Accountability Committee has disbanded the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which focused on issues including voting rights, freedom of assembly and criminal justice reform policies. In a committee meeting on Tuesday, Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said this doesn’t mean topics related to these issues can’t be brought before the committee. …

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USPS To Issue Stamp Honoring Late Rep. John Lewis

From the United States Postal Service: This stamp celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (1940-2020) of Georgia. Devoted to equality and justice for all Americans, Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s. Even in …

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Indonesia Is Set To Criminalize Sex Outside Marriage

Reuters reports: Indonesia’s parliament is expected to pass a new criminal code this month that will penalise sex outside marriage with a punishment of up to one year in jail, officials have confirmed. The legislative overhaul will also ban insulting the president or state institutions and expressing any views counter to Indonesia’s state ideology. Cohabitation before marriage is also banned. …

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Kentucky Voters Reject Constitutional Ban On Abortion

Frankfort’s CBS News affiliate reports: Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure aimed at denying any constitutional protections for abortion, handing a victory to abortion-rights supporters who have seen access to the procedure eroded by Republican lawmakers in the deeply red state. The outcome of Tuesday’s election highlighted what appeared to be a gap between voter sentiment and the expectations of …

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Kansans Decisively Vote To Protect Abortion Rights

The Associated Press reports: Kansas voters on Tuesday sent a resounding message about their desire to protect abortion rights, rejecting a ballot measure in a conservative state with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure outright. It was the first test of voter sentiment after the U.S. …

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Trump Judge Temporarily Blocks LGBTQ Protections

The New York Times reports: A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from enforcing directives that extended civil rights protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and workers. The ruling comes roughly one year after a group of 20 conservative state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against two federal agencies for their interpretation of the 1972 landmark civil rights statute …

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Derek Chauvin Gets 21 Years On Civil Rights Charges

USA Today reports: A federal judge sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 21 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights when he killed Floyd by pinning the unarmed Black man to the pavement with his knee for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted in a separate case on state charges of murder and manslaughter and …

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BREAKING: Supreme Court Strikes Down Roe v Wade

CBS News reports: The Supreme Court on Friday overturned its landmark decision in Roe v. Wade that established the right to an abortion, with a ruling that marks a seismic shift in abortion law and will usher in new rules limiting or banning access to the procedure half of the states, in some places immediately. The decision to undo nearly …

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SCOTUS Rules To Protect Cops From Miranda Violations

CNN reports: The Supreme Court limited the ability to enforce Miranda rights in a ruling Thursday that said that suspects who are not warned about their right to remain silent cannot sue a police officer for damages under federal civil rights law even if the evidence was ultimately used against them in their criminal trial. The court’s ruling will cut …

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