Tag Archives: LGBT rights

Just in from the Democratic National Committee: On the 3rd anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, the 5th anniversary of U.S. v. Windsor, and the 15th anniversary of Lawrence v. Texas, DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement: “Before the Supreme Court handed down its decision in U.S. v. Windsor five years ago, Edie Windsor said, ‘I think justice will …

Bloomberg reports: A little more than half of LGBT workers say they’re comfortable being out at work, according to a study released today by the Human Rights Campaign. It’s roughly the same number as a decade ago, and it calls into question how well many big companies’ ubiquitous diversity initiatives are working. In the survey of 1,615 workers both gay …

Reuters reports: After siding with a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sent back to lower courts a similar dispute over a florist who declined to create flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding based on her Christian beliefs. The justices threw out a 2017 ruing by Washington state’s …

ABC News New York reports: Don’t miss our live coverage of the march: it begins at 11:00 a.m. here on abc7NY.com , with an hour-long pre-march special. That is followed by Channel 7’s live broadcast of the 2018 NYC Pride March on-air and on digital via abc7NY.com from Noon until 3:00 p.m. The annual civil rights demonstration in New York …

The Washington Post reports: Dick Leitsch, who became a leading gay rights activist in 1960s New York, where he helped end police entrapment of gays and organized the first major act of civil disobedience by a gay rights group — a boozy sit-in known as the Sip-In — died June 22 at a hospice center in Manhattan. He was 83. …

On Top Magazine reports: The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday denied review in a case involving a bakery that refused to serve a lesbian couple. “The court has considered the petition for review and orders that it be denied,” Oregon’s highest court said in its order. Late last year, the Oregon Court of Appeals upheld a decision by the Oregon …

Gay Star News reports: Czech Republic just introduced a draft law to legalize same-sex marriage today (22 June). According to iDNES, Lucie Zachariáš, the lawyer representing the campaign for marriage equality in Czech Republic said on the government’s decision: “We are happy that the government has consistently spoken about the proposal to change the Civil Code and promote marriage for …

John Wright reports at Houston’s OutSmart Magazine: Happy Pride Month from the Republican Party of Texas! Delegates to the GOP state convention in San Antonio approved a rabidly anti-LGBTQ party platform over the weekend. Texas Republicans once again officially endorsed the dangerous, discredited practice of “ex-gay” therapy, including for “self-motivated” youth. They called on state officials to reject the Supreme …

Via press release: Liberty Counsel filed a brief in the appeal of Jacksonville, Florida residents and businesses against the city’s 2017 ordinance that added “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as “protected categories” under Jacksonville law. The lawsuit, Parsons v. City of Jacksonville, seeks to invalidate the so-called “Human Rights Ordinance” or “HRO” because its authors and sponsors illegally hid the …

CNET reports: Not to get judgy about a judge, but these Ruth Bader Ginsburg action figures win on appeal. The Supreme Court associate justice, 85, has been re-created in action-figure form by Seattle sculptor Mike Leavitt for product incubator FCTRY, which has also made figures of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and other famous names that certain of your …

ABC News reports: Vice President Mike Pence came to Columbus Friday for a speech on the Republican tax reforms but was repeatedly heckled by protesters in the crowd. The event was part of a victory lap tour for the White House organized by America First Policies, a group created by allies of President Trump to promote his agenda. The speech …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Today, a federal court in Seattle denied yet another attempt by the Trump Administration to implement its discriminatory plan to ban transgender people from serving openly in the U.S. Armed Services. Today’s ruling in the lawsuit brought by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN and joined by the State of Washington denied the administration’s motion to …

The CBC reports: Trinity Western University has lost its legal battle for a new evangelical Christian law school, with a Supreme Court of Canada ruling today that calls it “proportionate and reasonable” to limit religious rights in order to ensure open access for LGBT students. In a pair of 7-2 rulings, the majority of justices found the law societies of …

Ben Winslow reports at Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: After hours of sometimes heated negotiation, a deal has been struck that lets a coalition of groups representing Utah County’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community into the popular Freedom Festival parade and patriotic celebration. It came after intense political and community pressure on the festival and hours of closed-door talks …

Two positive Utah stories today but now this. Ben Winslow reports at Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: Mayor Michelle Kaufusi has signed a new agreement with America’s Freedom Festival that includes a non-discrimination clause, but it apparently does not mean that LGBTQ groups will be allowed to march in the July 4 parade. Five LGBTQ groups that asked to be …

Manchester’s ABC affiliate reports: Civil libertarians and LGBTQ rights advocates praised Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday after he signed into law a bill prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity. “Discrimination – in any form – is unacceptable and runs contrary to New Hampshire’s Live Free or Die Spirit,” Sununu said in a statement after signing House Bill …

LeGaL executive director Eric Lesh reports at Medium: In the first lower court ruling applying Masterpiece Cakeshop, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected the argument that business owners have a license to discriminate against same-sex couples in Brush & NIB Studio v City of Phoenix. This case was brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom. This shows that the Supreme Court’s …

Sky News reports: Gay couples seen kissing in public by Russian Cossacks during the World Cup will be reported to police. The tournament begins in 11 cities across the country next week. Rostov-on-Don, a southern city, will reportedly have 300 Cossack vigilantes on patrol to help the police keep the streets safe, including 100 on horseback. The city will host …

The Royal Gazette reports: Gay couples will once again be able to marry in Bermuda, after the Supreme Court this morning upheld a constitutional challenge against the Domestic Partnership Act. Chief Justice Ian Kawaley, delivering his judgment before a packed courtroom, said the sections of the Act which revoked the right to same-sex marriage were invalid because they were inconsistent …

Media Matters reports: During his most recent MSNBC program, host Hugh Hewitt defended the anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) in its fight with Amazon. But Hewitt did not disclose that ADF is a major sponsor of his radio programs. Hewitt has had prior conflict of interest problems on MSNBC. The network gave him a “verbal warning” last month …