Tag Archives: LGBT rights

The BBC reports: The European Union’s top court has ruled in favour of a Romanian gay man’s right to have his US husband live with him in Romania. The country, which does not recognise same-sex marriage, had argued that the American was not entitled to the EU residency rights awarded to spouses. But the European Court of Justice said the …

“This case was never just about a wedding cake. It was about all people– no matter who they are – having the right to celebrate their love without facing discrimination. The Democratic Party believes that no individual has a license to discriminate. We believe in the dignity of every human being. And we will continue to fight for equality for …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: “The Court today has offered dangerous encouragement to those who would deny civil rights to LGBT people and people living with HIV. Religious freedom under our Constitution has always meant the right to believe whatever you wish but not to act on your beliefs in ways that harm others. The Court today alarmingly fails …

Via press release from the ACLU: The Supreme Court today reaffirmed the core principle that businesses open to the public must be open to all in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The court did not accept arguments that would have turned back the clock on equality by making our basic civil rights protections unenforceable, but reversed this case …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …