Tuesday, Patricia A. Shiu director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs posted through the Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Labor that the department had issued guidance stating that transgender federal employees and employees of federal contractors are covered under nondiscrimination protections that apply to sex. The federal government holds contracts with…
SAN FRANCISCO– The National AIDS Memorial Grove announced today the naming of its youth scholarship program in honor of AIDS educator, activist and reality television pioneer Pedro Zamora, who passed away 20 years ago from an AIDS-related illness. The Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship Program will help foster the next generation of leaders, helping support…
Equality Matters latest post reveals how the Family Research Council (FRC) used actor and comedian Robin Williams’ suicide to champion discredited “ex-gay” therapy, comparing treatment for mental illness to treatment for homosexuality. In an August 18 post for the FRC’s blog, Senior Fellow for Policy Studies Peter Sprigg compared the late actor’s struggles with addiction and depression to people struggling…
James Jeffords, the former Republican congressman and senator from Vermont who famously dropped his party affiliation in 2001 has died at age 80. A moderate with a clear-eyed independent streak, Jeffords was an early supporter of LGBT equality within the Republican Party—jointly introducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to the U.S. Senate with Senators Edward Kennedy…
WASHINGTON – Dozens of the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy organizations have joined an open letter of solidarity in response to the tragic death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed by a police officer in suburban St. Louis. Since Tuesday when the letter was released with 17 signers, an…
CHINA — When a 27-year-old woman, surnamed Wang, met the 32-year-old man, surnamed Zhou, she was, in her own words, swept off her feet. The two met one night and, much to her surprise, this charming, humorous stranger proposed. After four months of dating, they got married. But Wang quickly discovered certain quirks about him….
Pleasant Hill, IOWA — After 16-year-old Alexander Betts Jr. passed away following a suicide attempt, his family chose to have his organs donated. His heart, liver, kidneys and lungs were all donated to recipients in need. His eyes, however, were not. The young man’s eyes were rejected for donation, not because of any medical condition,…
A robber known as the “Peep Bandit” who held up adult bookstores and other businesses pleaded guilty Aug. 12 to all charges. Oscar Augustin Smith, Jr., 29, faces a maximum term of 15 years and four months in state prison, said Deputy District Attorney Roy Lai. Sentencing is set for Oct. 16 by San Diego…
A poll released by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in New York shows that Americans are supporting LGBT civil rights in record numbers. More extraordinary still, the change in attitudes from as recently as 1999 when a majority of Americans stood firmly against same-sex marriage or admitted to knowing someone who is gay, lesbian,…
Campus Pride announced today the annual Campus Pride 2014 Top 50 LGBT-Friendly Colleges & Universities. The listing highlights the positive efforts to improve safety and academic life for LGBT students as well as the top institutions leading the way. “More than ever colleges today want to be viewed as LGBT-friendly and a welcoming place for…
