Tag Archives: LGBT rights

Just in via press release: If Chick-Fil-A is serious about their pledge to stop holding hands with divisive anti-LGBTQ activists, then further transparency is needed regarding their deep ties to organizations like Focus on the Family, which exist purely to harm LGBTQ people and families. Chick-Fil-A investors, employees, and customers can greet today’s announcement with cautious optimism, but should remember …

As you surely recall, they’ve said this before: As Chick-fil-A expands globally and into more liberal parts of the U.S., the chicken chain plans to change which charities it donates to after years of bad press and protests from the LGBT community. Beginning next year, Chick-fil-A will move away from its current philanthropic structure, Bisnow has learned. After donating to …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis said on Friday politicians who rage against homosexuals, gypsies and Jews remind him of Hitler. “It is not coincidental that at times there is a resurgence of symbols typical of Nazism,” Francis said in an address to participants of an international conference on criminal law. “And I must confess to you that when I hear a …

Agence France-Presse reports: With its hard line against Catalan separatism, immigration and feminism, far-right party Vox was the big winner of Spain’s repeat general election on Sunday, surging into third place. The party won 52 seats — more than doubling the 24 it took during its April parliamentary debut in the most significant showing by a far-right faction since Spain’s …

Reuters reports: Police in Georgia said on Saturday they had arrested more than 25 people after ultra-nationalist protesters attempting to derail the premiere of an award-winning movie about gay love clashed with security forces. A few hundred demonstrators blocked the road outside a cinema in the capital’s city center on Friday ahead of the first screening of “And Then We …

The South China Morning Post reports: Five men in Malaysia were sentenced to jail and canings on Thursday by an Islamic court for attempting to have gay sex, local media and a rights group said. Sodomy and same-sex acts are illegal under Islamic law in Muslim-majority Malaysia, although convictions are rare. The Selangor Shariah High Court sentenced four men to …

Via press release from hate group leader Tony Perkins: This is tremendous news for children, birth moms, and adoptive families, who want the opportunity to work with an agency that shares their values and core beliefs — without fear of government discrimination. Thanks to President Trump, charities will be free to care for needy children and operate according to their …

Now breaking on Twitter…. “Today, the Trump Administration issued a proposed rule that would strip existing protections for sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, religion, and for individuals in same-sex marriages in all programs and grants administered by Health and Human Services.” Updates to follow shortly…. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: The Department of Health & Human Services went …

Politico reports: A federal appeals court nominee broke down in tears during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, reacting to a scathing letter against his confirmation by the American Bar Association after it conducted 60 interviews and concluded that he was “not qualified” for the judicial branch. Lawrence J.C. VanDyke grew emotional, with his face turning red as he defended …

Via press release from Christian Newswire: “Formers” (those who no longer identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning) representing every state in the Union have selected 15 Former LGBTQ people to travel to Washington, D.C. October 28 – November 1 to address concerns about LGBTQ-focused legislation such as bill H.R. 5, which passed in the House in May. Although …

Reuters reports: A group of 16 LGBT activists have been arrested and subject to forced anal examinations by police in Uganda, according to a rights group on Thursday. Police confirmed the arrests, saying the men were detained after a “complaint from the public.” Gay acts and anal sex are illegal in Uganda and can be punishable with life imprisonment. “Based …

The Colorado Gazette reports: Will Perkins, a prominent local businessman who helped cement Colorado Springs’ reputation as an epicenter for evangelical Christianity, died Saturday at the age of 91. Perkins, who ran Perkins Motors dealership for nearly three decades, was a renowned leader in the city’s religious community, working for and alongside Christian ministries such as Focus on the Family …

The Irish Post reports: Same-sex marriage and abortion are set to become legal in Northern Ireland for the first time. The changes are the result of amendments to a routine Commons Bill on the governance of Northern Ireland tabled by Labour Party backbenchers Conor McGinn and Stella Creasy. McGinn put forward a proposal calling for Westminster to legislate for same-sex …

Eater London reports: Chick-fil-A, the controversial American fast food brand, famous as much for its donations to anti-LGBTQ organisations as it is for fried chicken sandwiches, is being forced to close its first U.K. restaurant. It opened only eight days ago. The company, which appeared to be at the beginning of a major European expansion, opened at the Oracle shopping …

The South China Morning Post reports: A Hong Kong court on Friday turned down the city’s first judicial challenge for same-sex marriage and civil union partnerships, but urged the government to “undertake a comprehensive review” to save time and money from court actions arising from discrimination. Court of First Instance judge Mr Justice Anderson Chow ruled against a lesbian woman …

Reuters reports: Poland’s ruling conservative nationalist party won parliamentary elections on Sunday, a result that likely will lead it to seek to exert even more control over the country’s judiciary and deepen a showdown with the European Union. Preliminary results showed the Law and Justice party won about 44% of the vote, giving it a majority in the 460-seat lower …

MarketWatch reports: Some 21% of LGBTQ adults aren’t registered to vote, according to a study released this week by the University of California, Los Angeles’ Williams Institute. That’s compared to an estimated 17% of non-LGBTQ adults. The finding, part of a larger poll of 2,237 people that measured LGBTQ voters’ demographic characteristics and political attitudes, came as LGBTQ rights have …

Vox reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden had a markedly improved performance from the last LGBTQ presidential forum, when he condescended to the woman who was interviewing him both on and off the stage. But on Thursday, he still often rambled through long stories about how he supported marriage equality within the Obama administration. By giving meandering answers, Biden managed …

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: Protesters demanding attention to ongoing violence against transgender women momentarily disrupted Thursday night the CNN town hall on LGBT issues as several Democratic candidate were on stage. The first time protesters came on the stage just as an audience member was about to ask the first question of Pete Buttigieg. Their numbers were …

The New York Times reports: The campaign trail can bring fraught encounters for a presidential candidate. At a televised forum on L.G.B.T.Q. issues on Thursday, Senator Elizabeth Warren was asked to consider a hypothetical one. Suppose, she was told, a supporter approached her and said: “Senator, I’m old-fashioned and my faith teaches me that marriage is between one man and …