Tag Archives: LGBT rights

The Catholic News Agency reports: In a documentary that premiered Wednesday in Rome, Pope Francis called for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples, departing from the position of the Vatican’s doctrinal office and the pope’s predecessors on the issue. “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a …

Out Magazine reports: Tonight in Philadelphia, one voter asked, in the context of Amy Coney Barrett being rushed through a confirmation process to a seat on the bench of the Supreme Court, if the LGBTQ+ community should be worried about an erosion of its rights. “I think there’s great reason to be concerned,” Biden started in his response. He went …

Caroline Giuliani writes for Vanity Fair: Trump and his enablers have used his presidency to stoke the injustice that already permeated our society, taking it to dramatically new, Bond-villain heights. I am a filmmaker in the LGBTQ+ community who tells stories about mental health, sexuality, and other stigmatized issues, and my goal is to humanize people and foster empathy. So …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas social workers are criticizing a state regulatory board’s decision this week to remove protections for LGBTQ clients and clients with disabilities who seek social work services. The Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners voted unanimously Monday to change a section of its code of conduct that establishes when a social worker may refuse to …

Detroit’s CBS News affiliate reports: A ballot drive has turned in more than 483,000 signatures for an initiative to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people in Michigan by amending the state’s civil rights law. If election officials determine roughly 340,000 are valid, the bill would be placed before the Republican-led Legislature, where similar legislation has long stalled. If lawmakers did not …

The Washington Post reports: Barrett said Wednesday that she believed two Supreme Court decisions outlawing racial discrimination were correctly decided but declined to say the same for other landmark opinions involving gay rights and access to contraceptives. Those responses came under questioning from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who asked her whether Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed the “separate …

The New York Times reports: During the first round of questioning in her Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Judge Amy Coney Barrett faced a wide variety of meaningful inquiries about her background in a predominantly civil marathon on Tuesday. But with many of the more technical questions asked, committee members will now begin shorter, 20-minute rounds in which they may look …

The Guardian reports: Moments ago, Amy Coney Barrett was asked about Antonin Scalia’s criticism of the ruling that established the right for same-sex couples to marry. Again relying on the “Ginsburg rule,” Barrett declined to offer an opinion on Scalia’s criticism. But she said, “I have never discriminated on the basis of sexual preference and would not ever discriminate on …

From the Biden campaign: Joe Biden believes that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love. During the Obama-Biden Administration, the United States made historic strides toward LGBTQ+ equality—from the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to Biden’s historic declaration in support …

The New York Daily News reports: The son of a gay binational couple who was born in Canada via surrogacy is a citizen of the United States, an appellate court ruled Friday. “Today, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously upheld a lower court ruling recognizing the citizenship from birth of Ethan Dvash-Banks, a …

NBC News reports: With the presidential election a little more than a month away, a new poll finds 75 percent of LGBTQ voters are supporting Democratic candidate Joe Biden. According to GLAAD’s State of LGBTQ Voters report, released Thursday, just 17 percent of the respondents said they were pulling the lever for President Donald Trump. Five percent said they plan …

The BBC reports: Ambassadors from around the world have called for the rights of gay and transgender people to be respected in Poland, where many towns have declared themselves free of “LGBT ideology”. An open letter released on Sunday urges the Polish government to “end discrimination” of sexual minorities. It was signed by envoys from 50 countries, including Poland’s EU …

NBC News reports: Joe Biden on Thursday doubled down on his commitment to LGBTQ rights, including his support for the Equality Act, in a message to the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ rights group. Speaking in advance of the group’s Unite for Equality Live virtual event, the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee said America is at …

The Washington Post reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought his campaign to redefine and prioritize human rights to the United Nations on Wednesday, declaring that such protections around the world are in “crisis.” Pompeo delivered his remarks via videotape during a U.S.-hosted event at the United Nations General Assembly. He quickly pivoted from the 1948 U.N. declaration that is …

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a lawsuit filed Monday accused Kroger Co. of unlawful employment practices for allegedly refusing to accommodate two former employees in Conway who expressed religious objections to wearing an apron embroidered with a rainbow based on their belief that the symbol represented advocacy for the LGBTQ community. The rainbow flag has …

Mother Jones reports: Two months after a controversial State Department commission elevated religious freedom at the expense of LGBTQ equality and reproductive rights, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning to promote its findings at the United Nations, Mother Jones has learned. During the UN General Assembly, which begins on September 15 in New York, Pompeo is expected to lead …

NBC News reports: The Trump administration is siding with religious leaders who ordered a Catholic school in Indiana to fire a teacher in a same-sex marriage, saying the church’s actions are protected by the First Amendment. In a 35-page amicus brief filed on Tuesday, the Department of Justice argued that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis — which fired gay …

The New York Times reports: New York City has reached the largest settlement recorded over an inmate’s death at the Rikers Island jail complex, agreeing to pay $5.9 million to the family of a 27-year-old transgender woman who died there last year while in solitary confinement. Layleen Polanco was found unresponsive in her cell in June 2019 after having an …

ProPublica reports: The draft policy released by the U.S. Agency for International Development on Wednesday was billed as an update and replacement to the original 2012 policy, released under the Obama administration. Though written subtly, the agency’s gender policy is parsed closely by experts and grantees as a clue to the kind of initiatives the agency will prioritize, and it …

The South Bend Tribune reports: Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, pointing to his own experience as an openly gay Afghanistan war veteran and presidential candidate, touted Democratic nominee Joe Biden Thursday night as someone who would help more Americans feel like they “belong.” Underscoring that theme of belonging, Buttigieg addressed the virtual Democratic National Convention from LangLab, the South …