Tag Archives: LGBT rights

Just in via email from the Democratic National Committee: “Today, we celebrate the birth of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. We honor the courage and diversity of the activists at Stonewall. We remember heroes like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson – two trans women of color – whose bravery changed our country for the better. And we recognize all …

The Guardian reports: Putin tried to defend Russia’s record on LGBT+ rights. “I am not trying to insult anyone because we have been condemned for our alleged homophobia. But we have no problem with LGBT persons. God forbid, let them live as they wish,” Putin said. “But some things do appear excessive to us. They claim now that children can …

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 …

The Associated Press reports: Alphonso David, a civil rights lawyer who has been serving as chief counsel to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was named Tuesday as the new president of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ-rights organization in the U.S. David, 48, is the first African American to lead the Human Rights Campaign since its founding in 1980. …

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 …

The Hill reports: The American Psychoanalytic Association apologized on Friday for previously labeling homosexuality a mental illness. “It is long past time to recognize and apologize for our role in the discrimination and trauma caused by our profession,” Lee Jaffe, the group’s president, said in a statement. “We all know that hearing the words ‘we are sorry’ is important to …

NBC News reports: A Jesuit-run prep school in Indianapolis is defying a demand by the local archbishop that it fire a veteran teacher who is in a same-sex marriage, prompting the archdiocese to revoke recognition for the school as a Catholic institution. In a letter to parents, the leaders of the Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School said Archbishop Charles Thompson’s “direct …

Time Magazine reports: “Freedom,” sings Madonna, “is what you choose to do with what’s been done to you.” This lyric from the artist’s new song “I Rise,” off her 14th studio album Madame X, is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. A new video inspired by the song, created by Madonna and TIME Studios, weaves together footage …

The Hill reports: Only 24 percent of U.S. adults approve of the Trump administration’ handling of LGBTQ rights while 38 percent disapprove, A Hill-YouGov poll has found. Republicans expressed stronger support than Democrats, but neither political party expressed overwhelming support for the administration’s LGBTQ policies. Just 8 percent of Democratic respondents either somewhat or strongly approve of the administration’s handling …

Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate reports: Two students have been indefinitely suspended from the Kearns High football team for a social media post showing a Pride flag being burned and threatening LGBTQ people. A player posted a video on Snapchat last week where someone lights an LGBTQ Pride flag on fire and laughs. Someone in the video is heard saying …

“Religious freedom should be cherished by all of us. But the progressive socialists in our country want to strip us of those freedoms and regulate those freedoms. That’s the same thing Communism did in Russia and Eastern Europe, and is still doing today in places like Cuba and China. These people hate God and despise those who worship Him. This …

NBC News reports: The Supreme Court declined Monday to decide whether an Oregon baker can refuse on religious grounds to design a cake for a same-sex wedding – a question it carefully sidestepped last year. The case would have given the court’s conservative majority the chance to expand upon its narrow 2018 ruling in favor of a Colorado baker. That …

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 …

NBC News reports: Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló backed down from a “religious liberty bill” after international star Ricky Martin published an open letter Thursday slamming the legislation that would exempt government employees from serving constituents if they believe it clashes with their religious beliefs. “As a defender of human rights and a member of the LGBT community, I am …

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 …

Gay Star News reports: Ecuador has voted in favor of marriage equality in a landmark ruling today (12 June). Confirming the hopes of local activists, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage in the country. Today’s ruling centered on whether the Inter-American Court Ruling of January 2018, which recognized same-sex marriage, compels Ecuador to legalize same-sex marriage. Judges …

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 …

The Independent reports: Botswana has decriminalised homosexuality. The southern African nation’s High Court rejected sections of the penal code that criminalise same-sex relations and impose up to seven years in prison .Activists and rights groups cheered the unanimous ruling, which called the sections unconstitutional. High Court said in its ruling that penalising people for who they are is disrespectful, and …

The Associated Press reports:  The Washington State Supreme Court has unanimously upheld its previous ruling that Baronelle Stutzman violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws by refusing to provide flowers for a gay couple’s wedding in 2013. “Washington state law protects same-sex couples from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, the same way it protects Washingtonians from discrimination based on their religion, …

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 …