Tag Archives: civil rights

North Dakota GOP Votes To Disavow Party Platform Calling LGBTs “Unhealthy, Dangerous, Infecting Society”

Bismarck’s CBS News affiliate reports: After both Republican and Democratic politicians spoke out against a portion of the North Dakota Republican Party’s recently adopted policy platform that describes LGBT practices as “unhealthy and dangerous,” and “sometimes infecting society at large,” the NDGOP Executive Committee voted to disavow Resolution 31 and its “harmful and divisive language.” In a statement after the …

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Rep. John Lewis To Lie In State At US Capitol Today

USA Today reports: John Lewis has returned to the nation’s capital one last time. Lewis, who died July 17 from pancreatic cancer at 80, arrived at Joint Base Andrews after two days of tributes in Alabama. The family and friends traveling with him include Lewis’ only son, John-Miles Lewis, as well as siblings, nieces and nephews. The motorcade is expected …

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ALASKA: Small Town Approves LGBTQ Protections After Florist Refuses Order For Same-Sex Wedding [VIDEO]

Ketchikan’s NPR affiliate reports: An ordinance that prohibits discrimination against LGTBQ individuals in Ketchikan city limits was passed today. The local law was approved by the Ketchikan City Council over the objections of religious advocates. Though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this summer that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender …

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Activists And Politicians Hail Civil Rights Icon John Lewis

CNN reports: As news of Rep. John Lewis’ death rocked the nation, tributes to the civil rights leader and longtime Georgia politician poured in from activists and politicians alike. Lewis was the son of sharecroppers who survived a brutal beating by police during a landmark 1965 march in Selma, Alabama. He ultimately became a towering figure of the civil rights …

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Barack Obama Pays Tribute To John Lewis: “He Gave All Of Himself To The Cause Of Freedom And Justice”

ABC News reports: Rep. John Lewis “loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise,” former President Barack Obama said Friday night in paying tribute to one of his personal heroes. “And through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of freedom …

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BREAKING: Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Dead At 80

NBC News reports: Civil rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who has been receiving hospice care, passed away at the age of 80 at his home in Atlanta on Friday. Lewis, a Democrat, played a key role in the civil rights movement and marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 in Selma, Alabama. He was the …

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NFL May Play “Black National Anthem” Before Games

ESPN reports: “Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing,” traditionally known as the Black national anthem, is expected to be performed live or played before every Week 1 NFL game, and the league is considering a variety of other measures during the upcoming season to recognize victims of police brutality, a source familiar with the league’s discussions told The Undefeated on Thursday. …

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South Carolina Sees 13 COVID Cases Linked To Protests

The Washington Post reports: South Carolina racial justice activists said they would postpone future demonstrations or move them online after at least 13 people who took part in previous protests tested positive for the coronavirus. As the number of cases across the country continued to climb ominously Monday, organizers of “I Can’t Breathe” protests in South Carolina urged participants to …

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LGBTQ Groups Celebrate Historic SCOTUS Ruling

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Today, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis sex, also protects employees from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Today’s decisions confirm workplace anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people …

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BREAKING: SCOTUS Rules For LGBT Employment Rights

NBC News reports: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that existing federal law forbids job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, a major victory for advocates of gay rights — and a surprising one from an increasingly conservative court. The decision said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate …

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Dems Condemn New Trump Admin Anti-LGBTQ Policy

From DNC Chairman Tom Perez: “Shameful. On the four-year anniversary of Pulse, in the middle of Pride Month, and during a pandemic, Trump has taken a knife to protections against health care discrimination put in place by the Obama-Biden administration. This illegal attack on the health of LGBTQ+ Americans and other marginalized communities is appalling, but tragically unsurprising. “Trump and …

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HRC To Sue Over Erased Protections For LGBTQ Patients

From the Human Rights Campaign: The Human Rights Campaign announced that it will file a lawsuit challenging the Trump-Pence administration’s decision to roll back critical civil rights protections in the rule implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The new rule will eliminate explicit protections from discrimination based on sex stereotyping and gender identity that have existed under …

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POLL: Vast Majority Back Sweeping Police Reforms

Reuters reports: Most Americans, including a majority of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party, support sweeping law enforcement reforms such as a ban on chokeholds and racial profiling after the latest death of an African American while in police custody, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released today. For example, 82% of Americans want to ban police from using chokeholds, 83% …

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Obamas Address Unrest In Message To Class Of 2020

Deadline reports: As in previous public statements of late, Obama never said the name Donald Trump, but left no one unclear who he was spotlighting as gaslighting the divisions in America for personal and ideological gain. “Democracy isn’t about relying on some charismatic leader to make changes from on high,” he proclaimed. “It’s about finding hope in ourselves, and creating …

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Minneapolis City Council Backs Defunding Local Police

Minneapolis’s Fox News affiliate reports: Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council announced their support for de-funding the Minneapolis Police Department and replacing it with a community-based public safety model at a rally in Powderhorn Park Sunday afternoon. With the support of the nine council members, they have created a veto-proof supermajority in support of disbanding the police department. However, …

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DC Paints “Black Lives Matter” On Road To White House

The Hill reports: Washington, D.C., is painting large yellow letters spelling out “Black Lives Matter” on a major road leading to the White House Friday. The letters span two blocks of 16th Street NW in the nation’s capital and take up the width of the two-lane road. Painters started on the project early Friday morning after being contacted by Washington, …

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Federal Court Overturns Florida “Poll Tax” On Felons

Tallahassee’s NBC News affiliate reports: A federal judge has ruled that the Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe. The 125-page ruling issued late Sunday by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee …

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Brazil Ends Restrictions On Gay Men Donating Blood

The Guardian reports: Brazil’s supreme court has overturned rules that limit gay and bisexual men from donating blood in a decision considered a human rights victory for LGBT+ people in the country. The move came as more nations review restrictions on blood donations imposed during the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis, with some countries applying blanket bans, some have waiting periods after …

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LIVE VIDEO: GLAAD Presents Star-Studded “Together In Pride” With Babs, Buttigiegs, Rosie, And Many Others

Via press release: Billy Porter, Pete & Chasten Buttigieg, Rosie O’Donnell, Jonathan Van Ness, Brian Michael Smith, Ross Mathews, and Tyler Oakley will join GLAAD’s livestream event, “Together in Pride: You are Not Alone,” tonight at 8pm ET on GLAAD’s YouTube channel and Facebook Live. Billy Eichner and Lilly Singh will co-host the event, which will include special performances from …

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EU High Court Rules Against Ex-Politician Who Said He’d Never Hire Gays As They’re All “Genetically Abnormal”

Courthouse News reports: An Italian lawyer who was sued after talking on the radio about his aversion to hiring gay people failed Thursday to secure relief from the EU’s highest court. “Homosexuals are abnormal, they have physical and genetic anomalies,” lawyer Carlo Taormina had said in a 2013 broadcast of the Italian shock jock radio program “La Zanzara.” Taormina went …

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