Tag Archives: LGBT rights

BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules For Anti-Gay Baker

The Associated Press reports: The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Lakewood baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because of religious beliefs did not violate Colorado’s anti-discrimination law. The case pitted Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, and the couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins. The court ruled that the Colorado …

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BELFAST: 20,000 March For Marriage Rights [VIDEO]

Belfast Live reports: Politicians have been urged “to do the right thing” by thousands of people who joined a rally in Belfast this afternoon calling for equal marriage. The march, which was organised by the Love Equality campaign, was led from Writer’s Square by Belfast Lord Mayor Nuala McAllister and Patrick Corrigan, from Amnesty International. Supporters lined the streets as …

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CALIFORNIA: AG Xavier Becerra Bans State-Funded Travel To Oklahoma Over Anti-LGBT Adoption Law

The Los Angeles Times reports: California will ban state-funded travel to Oklahoma because of a new law there that lets private agencies deny placement of adopted children with same-sex couples, state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra announced Friday. Oklahoma is the ninth state to fall under California’s anti-discrimination travel ban, joining Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, South Dakota and …

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Increase: 4.5% Of Americans Now Identify As LGBT

Gallup reports: The percentage of American adults identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) increased to 4.5% in 2017, up from 4.1% in 2016 and 3.5% in 2012 when Gallup began tracking the measure. The latest estimate is based on over 340,000 interviews conducted as part of Gallup’s daily tracking in 2017. The expansion in the number of Americans …

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BELARUS: Government Slams Same-Sex Relationships As “Fake” After UK Embassy Flies Rainbow Flag In Minsk

Reuters reports: Leading rights groups praised the British embassy in Minsk on Tuesday for flying a rainbow flag to support sexual minorities in one of Europe’s most homophobic states, after Belarus condemned the UK for challenging its “traditional values”. Britain came under fire from the eastern European country’s interior ministry on Sunday, which said on its website that the UK …

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Federal Court Affirms Rights Of Transgender Students

Via press release from the ACLU: A federal court today denied the Gloucester County School Board’s motion to dismiss a case brought by former student Gavin Grimm, holding that Title IX and the Constitution protect transgender students from being excluded from the common restrooms that align with their gender identity. The court directed the parties to schedule a settlement conference …

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MOLDOVA: Police Use Tear Gas, Drag Away Christian Protesters Blockading LGBT Rights March [VIDEO]

Radio Free Europe reports: Religious hard-liners in Moldova’s capital tried to crash a rally in support of the country’s LGBT community but were fended off by police who deployed tear gas. The Orthodox Christian protesters unsuccessfully attempted to break through a police line set up to guard dozens off demonstrators who marched through Chisinau in the May 19 rally against …

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KANSAS: GOP Gov Signs Anti-LGBT Adoption Bill

Via press release: Americans United for Separation of Church and State criticized Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer for signing Senate Bill 284 into law. The measure gives taxpayer-funded adoption and foster care agencies a right to use religion to deny children loving homes by discriminating against prospective parents. This is a troubling trend: Oklahoma enacted a law like this last week …

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Alabama Gov: Those Lesbian Rumors Are Disgusting Because I’m An Anti-Gay Born Again Christian [VIDEO]

Montgomery’s CBS affiliate reports: Tuesday, District 54 Rep. Patricia Todd tweeted that she had “heard for years” that Ivey was gay. In a sit down interview with CBS 42, Ivey called the speculation untrue. “it’s disgusting because they’re not telling the truth “I don’t have a clue [where this came from] but i do know that it’s a bold faced …

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IDAHO: GOP Rep Behind Anti-LGBT “Defense Act” Loses Gubernatorial Bid, Gambled Away His US House Seat

The Idaho Statesman reports: Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little won Tuesday’s Republican primary to replace Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, who is retiring after three terms. Little, 64 and Otter’s handpicked successor, defeated a handful of challengers, most prominently Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) and Boise businessman Tommy Ahlquist. Labrador is the fourth Republican member of Congress to gamble on statewide office …

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NEW YORK: GOP-Controlled Senate Committee Votes Down Trans Rights Bill For Eleventh Consecutive Year

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: Any hopes that New York would join other states this year and enact a law explicitly prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity were dashed Tuesday when a Republican-controlled Senate committee voted down a transgender rights measure. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA, was defeated in the New York Senate Investigations …

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Southern Baptist Convention To Consider Dallas Annual Meeting Resolution Denouncing “Social Justice Activism”

Via press release: A pastor in Texas is calling Southern Baptists to be alarmed about promotion of social justice within the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor Arnold, a lifelong Southern Baptist, declares that “most Southern Baptist churches have no idea how wide or deeply rooted that social justice is in the Convention.” As a result, pastor Arnold has submitted a resolution …

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OKLAHOMA: GOP Gov Signs Anti-LGBT Adoption Bill

Just in from Lambda Legal: Today, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed SB 1140, a license-to-discriminate bill that would allow taxpayer-funded child welfare agencies to reject foster or adoptive parents based upon the agency’s religious beliefs. A similar bill, SB 284, sits on the desk of Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer awaiting signature. Currey Cook, Counsel and Director, Youth in Out-of-Home Care …

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BRITAIN: Northern Ireland Marriage Equality Bill Stalls In House Of Commons After Objection By Tory MP

The Belfast Telegraph reports: A bid to introduce same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland has been blocked from progressing the legislative process in the House of Commons. MP Conor McGinn [photo] had brought a private member’s bill forward seeking to extend same-sex marriage into Northern Ireland following the collapse of the devolved government more than 15 months ago. He had expected …

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CUBA: Constitutional Reform To Include Marriage Push

The Washington Post reports: Mariela Castro [photo], a Cuban lawmaker and daughter of Communist Party chief Raul Castro, says she will push for gay marriage to be included in a constitutional reform process expected to begin in July. The reform is expected to encompass a wide range of modernizing changes to Cuba’s 1976 constitution, which was designed for a Soviet-style …

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KANSAS: GOP Gov To Sign Anti-LGBT Adoption Bill

The Wichita Eagle reports: A bill that ensures faith-based adoption agencies can turn away gay and lesbian couples based on religious beliefs will be signed into law by Gov. Jeff Colyer. Kansas lawmakers passed the legislation after an intense debate early Friday. One suggested the need for the legislation proves the existence of the “homosexual agenda” while another said the …

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OKLAHOMA: GOP Gov Gets Anti-LGBT Adoption Bill

The Associated Press reports: Oklahoma legislators approved a measure Thursday to grant legal protections to faith-based adoption agencies that cite their religious beliefs for not placing children in LGBT homes and lawmakers in Kansas were close to passing a similar measure. The Oklahoma House’s 56-21 vote sent its measure to Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, who has not said whether she …

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NEW HAMPSHIRE: Legislature Adds Trans Protections To Civil Rights Law, GOP Gov. Chris Sununu To Sign Bill

Via press release from Freedom For All Americans: In a legislative victory two years in the making, the New Hampshire Senate, by a bipartisan vote of 14-10, voted in favor of a bill, HB 1319, that adds transgender-inclusive nondiscrimination protections to the state’s existing civil rights law. The bill now heads to the desk of Republican Governor Chris Sununu, who …

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Teacher Of The Year Wears Trans Equality And Rainbow Badges During Award Ceremony With Trump [VIDEO]

The Guardian reports: A teacher who leads a classroom for teenage refugees staged a silent protest by wearing several overtly political badges while receiving an award from Donald Trump at the White House. Mandy Manning works at the Newcomer Center at Joel E Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington, which specialises in English language development for new refugees and immigrant …

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Majorities In 44 States Now Back Same-Sex Marriage

Just in from PRRI Polling: Recent dramatic shifts in support for same-sex marriage are also evident at the state level. Today, majorities in 44 states believe gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to legally marry, compared to only 30 states in 2014. In only six states does the issue of same-sex marriage garner less than majority support: Alabama (41%), …

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