Tag Archives: civil rights

The Raleigh News & Observer has produced a great video in which transgender residents speak out against North Carolina’s HB 2. Watch below as these people express shock, confusion, regret, and dismay over being stereotyped as sexual predators. Huge props to the paper for doing this.

North Carolina Rep. Bill Richardson was one of the 11 Democrats to vote for his state’s anti-LGBT hate law. In an op-ed published today, Richardson says he is “haunted” by his vote and will now work for the law’s repeal. He writes: By enacting House Bill 2, the legislature did the wrong thing. I made the wrong vote and we …

Via Jackson’s ABC affiliate: Legal experts said Wednesday that a new Mississippi religious objection law is so broad it reaches beyond gay couples to anyone who has had premarital sex. A key section of the legislation lets government and business employees refuse service based on their religious beliefs. Opponents have said that it sanctions discrimination against same-sex couples and transgender …

“I think the NBA should move the All-Star game from there next year. As a black person I’m against any form of discrimination, against whites, Hispanics, gays, lesbians, however you want to phrase it. It’s my job, with the position of power that I’m in and being able to be on television, I’m supposed to stand up for the people …

From the Spokesman-Review: Washington employees were banned from most government-related travel to Mississippi because of that state’s new law allowing businesses owners to refuse service to gay, lesbian and transgender customers for religious reasons. Gov. Jay Inslee issued the ban on non-essential travel Tuesday afternoon, saying Washington has strong laws against discrimination that covers sexual orientation and identity, and its …

From the North Carolina Family Policy Council:  In this time of great strife, it is important to remember the sovereignty of the Lord and to seek His wisdom, grace, and guidance over the current events in our state. Join citizens across North Carolina who are gathering for prayer vigils tonight in order to show support for Governor McCrory and members …

The vote is starting. Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed: Mississippi lawmakers are scheduled to take a final vote Wednesday on what critics believe is the most sweeping anti-LGBT legislation in the United States. The bill passed in the state House in February, and opponents are hoping to kill it in the Senate by delaying a possible vote until after a …

We love this. From Atlanta’s ABC affiliate: Atlanta Council members are calling on the NBA to move the All-Star game to Atlanta. Next year’s game is set for Charlotte, North Carolina. But North Carolina just passed a state law that requires people to use the bathroom associated with the gender of their birth, not the gender with which they identify. …

Yesterday a press conference was held at which the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit against North Carolina appeared. Watch below. The Associated Press reports: The plaintiffs are two transgender people, a lesbian law professor, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina and Equality North Carolina. Defendants include McCrory and the University of North Carolina system, where two of the …

And for Georgia too, should today’s veto be overridden. Capital New York reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday he is instituting a ban on “non-essential travel” by New York City employees to the state of North Carolina following the passage of a law there that overturns anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. De Blasio said he …

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 …

From Lambda Legal: “With President Obama’s nomination of Judge Garland to the Supreme Court, we call upon members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to fulfill their constitutional duty and ensure Judge Garland is given a complete and timely review. We encourage them to ask comprehensive and probing questions to evaluate Judge Garland’s ability to be a fair and impartial member …

President Obama will announce his nomination for the US Supreme Court at 11am Eastern. Embedded below is the official White House live-stream. Some expect the nominee to be present during Obama’s revelation. Exciting! UPDATE: CNN is reporting that Garland will be the nominee.

Moments ago the Kentucky Senate voted 22-16 to approve a bill which would overturn all local LGBT rights laws in the state. Cities with LGBT protections include Covington, Danville, Frankfort, Lexington, Louisville, Midway, Morehead, and Vicco. Democrats have a slim 53-47 majority in the Kentucky House, but if the bill passes there, anti-gay Gov. Matt Bevin will surely sign it.

Watch live here. Just in from Fairness Kentucky: Senate Bill 180, Senator Albert Robinson’s “License to Discriminate,” is set for a vote by the full Kentucky Senate this afternoon. SB180 narrowly cleared the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection Committee two weeks ago, when the bill’s sponsor admitted his intent is to undo LGBT discrimination protections in eight Kentucky …

The Human Rights Campaign today announced that 60 major corporations have jointly endorsed the Equality Act. Companies on the list include Amazon, Apple, Google, Twitter, IBM, Facebook, Hilton, Hyatt, MasterCard, General Mills, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo. See the full list below. Via press release: Since HRC joined with lawmakers and advocates last July to introduce the Equality Act in Congress, HRC …

NBC News reports: Russian faces up to a year in prison for saying “there is no God” during an argument on social media, his lawyers said Wednesday. Viktor Krasnov also wrote the “Bible is a collection of Jewish fairy tales” during the discussion on European social networking site Vk.com in 2014, lawyer and human-rights activist Pavel Chikov posted on his …

From Alabama.com: Nelle Harper Lee, who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961 for her book, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” has died at the age of 89, multiple sources in her hometown of Monroeville confirmed Friday morning. Lee was born April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, the youngest of four children of lawyer Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch …

Via press release from the Human Rights Campaign: “Bob Dold is showing tremendous leadership today by becoming the first Republican to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Equality Act and we’re thrilled that he’s standing up for our fundamental values of fairness and equality,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Far too many LGBT people – nearly two thirds – …

According to the legislation tracker Protect Thy Neighbor, there are presently 59 anti-LGBT bills active nationwide in state legislatures. The site is tracking this post-Obergefell avalanche in multiple categories including same-sex marriage, adoption, healthcare, public accommodations, and religious liberty. Hit the link, check out your home state, and bookmark the site, which is a project of Americans United For Separation …