SACRAMENTO –A bill that would ban smoking or disposal of tobacco products at a California state owned or operated beach or park was approved today by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on a nine to five vote. Sen. Marty Block (D-San Diego) said his bill, SB 1333, would help California fulfill its obligation…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus today denounced the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s decision to hold a hearing on H.R. 2802, which would give a government ‘license to discriminate’ to businesses and non-profits to discriminate against LGBT people. The Committee’s decision to hold a hearing on this anti-LGBT legislation comes in the…
The city of Texarkana, Ark. has voted to repeal its non-discrimination ordinance, taking the city backwards and rolling back the rights of its LGBTQ citizens. The ordinance, which had passed the Texarkana Board of Directors by a unanimous vote early this year with broad-based support from citizens and the business community, was targeted by an…
The leadership of the North Carolina House of Representatives has proposed legislation that doubles down on the state’s anti-LGBTQ law passed in March, known as HB2. The new proposal would continue some of the most vile aspects of the HB2, including the provision that has made it illegal for transgender people to access certain restrooms…
HOUSTON— BHP Billiton, one of the world’s largest natural resources companies, today becomes the 1,000th Texas economic stakeholder to sign a pledge stating that Texas must be welcoming to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as an economic imperative. BHP Billiton’s petroleum unit, a major upstream oil and gas producer, is headquartered in Houston. “BHP…
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Equality Forum 2016 released a letter sent to the Donald Trump campaign requesting the candidate’s position on the Equality Act. The Trump campaign was requested to respond by Monday, June 27. In the letter, Malcolm Lazin, Equality Forum’s Executive Director, wrote: “On November 8th, voters will elect the 45th President of the…
In a 5-3 decision Monday, the Supreme Court struck down two abortion restrictions in a Texas law, known as HB 2, that would have shut down dozens of clinics across the state. It mandated that abortions take place in ambulatory surgical centers, or mini hospitals, instead of regular clinics. The ruling in Whole Woman’s Health…
Pope Francis said Sunday that LGBTQ people and all those people marginalized by the church deserve an apology. The apology from Pope Francis came in response to a question about recent comments from German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who said that in the wake of the tragic shooting in Orlando, the church owed an apology to…
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has applauded President Obama’s historic designation of the Stonewall National Monument, the first national monument that honors the history of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in the United States. Friday’s designation permanently protects the site that played a pivotal role in the nation’s LGBT…
The Pentagon plans to announce the repeal of its ban on transgender service members July 1, reports USA Today. The controversial decision would end nearly a year of internal wrangling among the services on how to allow those troops to serve openly. According to the report top personnel officials plan to meet as early as…
