Texas and Wyoming getting ready to pass key anti-LGBT legislation

In an anti-LGBT legislation update the ACLU has highlighted two states where lawmakers are gearing up to pass anti-LGBT bills. “Legislatures across the country are starting the year aggressively, with 15 states considering nearly 40 anti-LGBT bills in just the first two weeks of January,” said Eunice Rho, ACLU Advocacy & Policy Counsel. “A significant…

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President Obama grants commutation to Chelsea Manning

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced today the commutation of Chelsea Manning’s sentence for disclosing classified information that raised public awareness regarding the impact of war on innocent civilians. Manning will reportedly be freed in May 2017. Manning, a transgender woman, is in the seventh year of a 35-year sentence and has been forced to serve her sentence in…

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New government report reveals 18 million would lose insurance in the first year after Obamacare repeal

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a report today on how repealing the Affordable Care Act would affect health insurance coverage and premiums for millions of Americans. The CBO predicts that partial repeal of Obamacare would affect insurance coverage and premiums primarily in these ways: The number of people who are uninsured would increase by 18…

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Wife of Orlando nightclub shooter arrested on federal charges

Noor Salman, the wife of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, has been arrested on federal charges, NPR reports. Salman is charged with “Aiding and Abetting by providing material support to a terrorist and Obstruction of Justice,” Orlando Police Chief John Mina said in a statement. In her final exit interview, Attorney General Loretta Lynch spoke…

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UK health care organizations unite against conversion therapy

Major U.K. organizations have been working against Conversion Therapy for a number of years, publishing a Memorandum of Understanding against the practice (2015) and updating the document to warn against conversion therapy in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation (including asexuality). Aware of concerns regarding the future of Conversion Therapy in the USA, and…

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General Mattis indicates he will not roll back open LGBT military service as secretary of defense

During confirmation hearings Thursday, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, retired General James Mattis indicated he will not work to reverse the current policies that allow any qualified person to serve, including LGBT people. During his prepared testimony, General Mattis said, “We open the door to all patriots who are eligible and meet…

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Communities coast-to-coast plan events for National Day of Racial Healing in United States Jan. 17

BATTLE CREEK, Mich.— Communities across the country are planning a wide-range of events to highlight the National Day of Racial Healing Tuesday, Jan. 17.  The day’s activities, initiated by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) through its Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) enterprise, are uniting civic, religious, community and philanthropic organizations in collaborations to facilitate…

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HRC to join social justice actions standing for equality at dawn of Trump administration

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has announced that it is to both sponsor and and join in major social justice actions next week in the nation’s capital, raising up our shared and continuing fight for equality for all. A contingent of HRC staff, members and volunteers will be participating in both the We…

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The Elton John AIDS Foundation awards nearly $3.5 million in grants during December 2016

NEW YORK — The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), a leader in the global effort to end AIDS, today announced it awarded nearly $3.5 million in grants to 57 organizations addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in critical and innovative ways in December. This brings the Foundation’s total grant investments for calendar year 2016 to nearly $8.6…

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