Thursday, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) body unanimously approved a resolution in support of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples throughout the country. The Washington Blade reports, “Same-sex marriage is a constitutionally guaranteed right nationwide and can no longer be denied by state laws,” reads the resolution. “The ruling…
This week, Houston Unites launched its first radio ad in support of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), a measure to protect Houston residents and visitors from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, reports Hayley Miller on the HRC Blog. “As Christians, my wife and I believe in treating others the way we want…
SACRAMENTO – The Senate today, as part of the Legislature’s extraordinary session on health, passed legislation calling for new statewide regulations on electronic cigarettes. SB X2-5, authored by Sen. Mark Leno, protects the public against exposure to e-cigarettes by ensuring they are accurately defined as tobacco products and fall under the state’s existing smoke-free laws….
HARRISBURG, Penn. — Wednesday, the Pennsylvania General Assembly introduced the bipartisan Pennsylvania Fairness Act. Introduced by Representatives Dan Frankel (D-23) and Thomas H. Killion (R-168) in the House of Representatives and Senators Lawrence M. Farnese, Jr. (D-1) and Patrick M. Browne (R-16) in the Senate, this legislation would update the state’s non-discrimination law to explicitly include…
PHILADELPHIA — For over 20 years, the fashion line Suddenly Fem has been serving the transgender community with fashion forward clothes designed for trans women. Suddenly Fem (Crossdresser.com) specializes in clothes, padding, and undergarments for transgender women as well as fashionable crossdressers. When the online and catalog based company tried to advertise through Facebook in summer…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit today denied a request from Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis of Kentucky to issue a stay on a lower court’s ruling that orders her to immediately resume issuing marriage licenses – including to same-sex couples – regardless of her religious objections to marriage equality. U.S. District…
Yesterday, federal agents raided the offices of Rentboy.com, and arrested the CEO of Rentboy.com, Jeffrey Hurant, and six Rentboy.com employees on charges of racketeering and promoting prostitution. The Transgender Law Center has issued a statement condemning the raid, reiterating a call to decriminalize sex work. The release states: This bust comes at a time when human…
Recent studies in the U.S. and the United Kingdom suggest that increasing numbers of young adults are identifying on the spectrum of sexual identity, somewhere between exclusively gay and exclusively straight, writes Beth Sherouse on the HRC Blog. A study from YouGov asked 1,000 respondents to identify their sexuality along a modified Kinsey Scale of…
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging the CEO of Rentboy.com, Jeffrey Hurant, and six Rentboy.com employees with conspiring to violate the Travel Act by promoting prostitution. The defendants were arrested this morning and are scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Marilyn Go at the United States Courthouse,…
Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) will join a coalition of LGBT and family advocates to urge Gov. Brown to sign Assembly Bill 960, the Equal Protection for All Families Act. The Assembly passed the bill on Monday, and it now heads to the governor’s desk. AB 960 would update current assisted reproduction laws in three…
