Mississippi governor signs law attacking LGBT people and families

JACKSON, Miss. – Today, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed into law H.B. 1523, “The Religious Liberty Accommodations Act.” National corporations and businesses have spoken out against the horrific measure, that would allow individuals, religious organizations and private associations to use religion to discriminate against LGBT Mississippians in some of the most important aspects of their…

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Deal in Georgia not a slam dunk for equality ya’ll

San Diego LGBT Weekly publisher Stampp Corbin makes a convincing editorial case, “North Carolina and Georgia,” for the economics of inclusion and non-discrimination with GOP Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal’s veto of an anti-gay bill that might have triggered an unofficial economic boycott in the Peach State of Georgia. Mr. Corbin’s greater argument Deal’s veto signals…

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New UC San Diego Center will focus on heart health among Latinas

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a new four-year, $3.7 million multidisciplinary research center to investigate the relationship between sedentary behavior and cardiovascular risk factors in Latinas, who have a disproportionately higher chance of developing heart disease than the general population. The study is part of a new…

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Michael Silverman to step down as TLDEF’s executive director

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) has announced that Michael Silverman plans to step down as Executive Director of the organization. Silverman will be leaving the organization he founded in 2003. Under Silverman’s leadership, TLDEF has been at the forefront of transgender legal advocacy. The organization is known for…

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Anti-LGBT bill heads to Mississippi governor’s desk

JACKSON, Miss, – Monday, the Mississippi State Legislature voted to approve the anti-LGBT bill H.B. 1523, a measure opposed by some of the state’s largest employers. Major corporations are among those urging Gov. Phil Bryant, House Speaker Philip A. Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves to stop to this discriminatory measure that would put the…

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National Cannabis Industry Association calls on Sen. Grassley to hold hearings on bipartisan cannabis legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) today called on Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to respect the will of the voters and bipartisan members of his own committee by holding hearings on the Carers Act. The Carers Act is bipartisan legislation, originally introduced by Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY),…

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New federal housing policy aims to eliminate discrimination against LGBTQ people with a criminal record

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a new federal policy that aims to eliminate housing discrimination against people with a criminal history, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people with a criminal record. The new policy clarifies that using criminal history to justify a negative housing decision,…

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Jason Collins: North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law ‘casts dark shadow over tonight’s NCAA Championship game’

As the University of North Carolina (UNC) men’s basketball team heads to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship game tonight, its hard work and success are being overshadowed by the reckless actions of North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and state lawmakers. Jason Collins, the first active NBA player to come out as gay,…

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Federal judge halts enforcement of Mississippi ban on adoptions by same-sex couples

JACKSON, Miss. – U.S. District Court Judge Daniel P. Jordan III in Mississippi has declared unconstitutional the state’s ban on adoption by same sex couples, citing the Supreme Court of the United States’ 2015 marriage equality ruling in the historic case Obergefell v. Hodges. The federal lawsuit, Campaign for Southern Equality v. Mississippi Department of…

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List of major CEOs and business leaders urging North Carolina to repeal discriminatory anti-LGBT law grows to more than 120

WASHINGTON – Friday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Equality NC announced that executives from Hyatt, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Northrop Grumman, American Apparel, Qualcomm, Twilio, Udacity, Pandora Media, and EMC Corporation have signed onto an open letter that now includes more than 120 leading CEOs and business leaders calling on Gov. Pat McCrory and the North Carolina General…

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