Florida Keys reopens to visitors after Hurricane Irma

FLORIDA KEYS — The Florida Keys have reopened to visitors, exactly three weeks after Hurricane Irma impacted the island chain Sept. 10. Local officials chose Sunday, Oct. 1, as the official reopening date based on the speedy completion of significant infrastructure repairs, almost total restoration of utilities, and necessity of resuming the tourism-driven economy that…

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San Diego City Council OKs shelter crisis declaration due to Hepatitis A outbreak

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The San Diego City Council unanimously declared a shelter crisis Monday in an 8-0 vote as it related to the Hepatitis A outbreak that has killed 17 people, most of whom were homeless. Mayor Kevin Faulconer endorsed the action, saying it would help in setting up three temporary shelters for the…

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Trump administration votes against U.N. resolution condemning death penalty for same-sex relations

GENEVA — The United States has voted against a U.N. Human Rights Council resolution condemning the use of the death penalty against those convicted of consensual same-sex sexual relations. The resolution passed by a 27-13 vote margin. Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovenia, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador,…

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GLAD and NCLR join as co-counsel in Equality California lawsuit against President Trump’s transgender military ban

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Equality California announced today that the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the LGBT legal organizations leading the fight against the Trump Administration’s transgender military ban, have joined as co-counsel in its lawsuit challenging the ban, Stockman v. Trump. Equality California is a plaintiff in the suit together with seven…

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Conversion therapy documentary to premiere on National Coming Out Day (VIDEO)

BALTIMORE, Md. – The upcoming feature-length documentary film, The Sunday Sessions, will have a special one-day premiere in 15 cities on Wednesday, Oct. 11 in recognition of National Coming Out Day. The Sunday Sessions is an intimate portrait of one man’s struggle to reconcile his religious conviction and sexuality. The observational documentary chronicles the turbulent journey…

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HRC statement on mass shooting in Las Vegas: ‘It’s time for Congress and the White House to act’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) responded to the mass shooting in Las Vegas where at least 58 people have been killed and 515 injured. HRC President Chad Griffin said: “After Newtown, our nation called for action. After Tucson, Virginia Tech, Aurora, San Bernardino, Charleston, and Alexandria, we called for action. After the shooting…

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Estonia’s craft cocktail makers stand up for LGBTQ rights

ESTONIA — Although gender-neutral civil partnership law was passed in Estonia in 2014, the law has still not been properly implemented. With municipal elections happening in just a few weeks, the civil partnership law together with LGBTQ rights have once again become fiercely debated topics in Estonia. Last week the Legal Affairs Committee of the…

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LGBT and civil rights organizations respond to resignation of Tom Price as HHS secretary

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Friday, President Donald Trump accepted the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price following numerous reports of Price using close to $1 million dollars of taxpayer money to pay for the more than two dozen private and chartered jet trips across the world. LGBT and civil rights organizations welcomed the…

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State lawmakers hail signing of bills to address affordable housing crisis in California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a historic set of housing bills to address the affordable housing crisis in California. Among the bills signed by the governor are SB 2 (Atkins), SB 3 (Beall), SB 35 (Wiener) and AB 1505 (Bloom/Chiu/Gloria). Assemblymember Todd Gloria co-authored SB 2, SB 3, and SB 35 and…

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San Diego Opera presents ‘Taste of Opera’ as introduction to the San Diego Opera season

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – San Diego Opera has announced a series of communitywide events designed to offer a fun and casual introduction to San Diego Opera’s 2017-2018 season offerings for both the operaphile and opera curious. Centered on themes that are covered in the Company’s season –As One, Maria de Buenos Aires, Turandot, and Florencia…

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