LGBT and civil rights advocacy groups condemn confirmation of Jeff Sessions

Following yesterdays Senate vote to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General, LGBT and civil rights groups were quick to condemn his confirmation. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said that Donald Trump’s choice of Jeff Sessions to lead the United States Department of Justice places civil rights and equality in jeopardy. “It’s deeply disturbing…

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Alabama House Committee advances bill allowing taxpayer-funded anti-LGBTQ discrimination

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Today, the Alabama House Health Committee put the discriminatory H.B. 24 bill on the fast track to a vote by the full House of Representatives. The bill, titled the “Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act,” would enshrine taxpayer-funded discrimination into Alabama law by allowing state-funded and licensed adoption and foster care agencies to…

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Tennessee Senate Committee advances anti-LGBTQ legislative proposal

A Tennessee Senate Commerce and Labor Committee has voted to advance SB 127 — legislation promoting taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBTQ Tennesseans and their families. The discriminatory proposal would prohibit state agencies and municipalities from requiring businesses, organizations, contractors and grantees, to not have policies that discriminate against LGBTQ people. SB 127 states, “A government entity shall not…

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GLSEN calls on DeVos to honor her confirmation commitment to address ‘the needs of all parents and students’

NEW YORK – Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Betsy DeVos’ nomination for Secretary of Education, despite hundreds of thousands of calls, emails and letters from parents, students and advocates for inclusive public education asking senators to vote no. GLSEN’s Executive Director, Dr. Eliza Byard, issued the following statement in response. “During her confirmation…

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Former transgender inmate to receive gender affirming surgery Feb. 10

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.  – Michelle-Lael Norsworthy, most notably known for setting a precedent that the state of California needs to provide gender reassignment surgery for trans inmates, is finally undergoing her surgery this Friday, Feb. 10. In April 2015, in the landmark decision of Norsworthy v. Beard, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar ruled the state…

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House LGBT Caucus announces bipartisan, 102 person membership in the 115th Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus announced its bi-partisan membership list for the 115th Congress today.  The Caucus will continue to be co-chaired by the six openly LGBT members of the House of Representatives:  Jared Polis (CO-02), David N. Cicilline (RI-01), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), and Mark Takano…

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NCSA: North Carolina must repeal HB2 or lose NCAA Championship games through 2022

In a letter sent to state lawmakers today, the North Carolina Sports Association (NCSA) warned that the NCAA will pull all of the state’s championship game bids through 2022 if HB2 is not immediately repealed. In the letter, the North Carolina Sports Association warned lawmakers that the NCAA decision will cost the state at least another half a billion…

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Assemblymember Gloria, Sen. Wiener seek to modernize HIV criminalization laws and help end stigma

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) and California State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced today their introduction of a bill to modernize current state law that criminalizes and stigmatizes people living with HIV. California State Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) is a co-author of this bill. “It’s time for…

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Sen. Wiener introduces LGBT seniors long-term care bill of rights

SACRAMENTO, Calif. –  Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) today announced the introduction of SB 219, the California LGBT Seniors Long-Term Care Bill of Rights, which will strengthen protections for LGBT seniors living in long-term care facilities against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or HIV status. The bill would protect all seniors…

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‘Immigrant Tenant Protection Act’ announced in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) Friday joined San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, state and local legislative colleagues, and immigration attorneys and advocates to announce the Immigrant Tenant Protection Act of 2017 in San Francisco’s Mission District. Assembly Bill (AB) 291 strengthens state law to protect immigrant tenants from intimidation and retaliation in their…

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