WASHINGTON –– Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) put the spotlight on a new and crystal-clear order from Judge Callie V.S. Granade, a federal judge in Alabama, declaring in a matter argued by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) that all probate judges in the state must begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples…
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) ordered the removal of four Confederate-era flags from the grounds of the state Capitol Wednesday morning, saying it was simply “the right thing to do,” reports The Huffington Post. Bentley told AL.com his decision to take down the flags was, in part, a response to last week’s massacre of nine…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Despite various discriminatory anti-LGBT bills being considered and debated over the past few months, the Alabama Legislature concluded this year’s legislative session on Thursday without a single piece of anti-LGBT of legislation becoming law. In addition, a handful of pro-equality bills that would have added explicit new protections for LGBT Alabamians were…
In a blog post this week, the Donaldson Adoption Institute (DAI) endorsed nationwide marriage equality in support of thousands of youth in need of foster or adoptive parents, writes Hayley Miller on hrc.com. April Dinwoodie and Kimberly Paglino authored the post, titled, “In Good Conscience,” and outlined the significant positive impact nationwide marriage equality could have…
Two leading child welfare organizations, the Donaldson Adoption Institute (DAI) and Voice for Adoption (VFA), have blasted Alabama’s H.B. 296, which would empower adoption agencies to discriminate against eligible parents and guardians. If passed, the discriminatory piece of legislation will deny countless children from accessing caring homes. Even more disheartening, the bill would prevent eligible…
WASHINGTON— Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and HRC Alabama kept up pressure on the Alabama legislature to halt the progress of Indiana-style “religious freedom” bills (H.B. 56)(H.B. 296/S.B. 261) that would allow discrimination in the arenas of marriage recognition and adoption. With H.B. 56 set to receive Kristen its first hearing in a Senate…
MONTGOMERY— Today, HRC Alabama confirmed that no probate office in the state is distributing certificates of marriage to same-sex couples. Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore and anti-equality forces, like the Alabama Policy Institute and Alabama Citizens Action Program, have put Alabama probate judges in a state of unnecessary confusion. As a result, many probate judges…
MONTGOMERY— Today, lawmakers in Alabama introduced two bills, S.B. 261 and H.B. 296, which empower adoption agencies to discriminate against eligible parents and guardians—legislation which, if passed, will deny countless children from accessing loving, caring homes. Though written in the guise of allowing private agencies to cite religious reasons for turning down applications, the bills have a host of…
MONTGOMERY— Tuesday, Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis ignored a federal court order by denying same-sex couples the opportunity to obtain a certificate of marriage. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade again refused to issue a stay in her ruling which struck down Alabama’s discriminatory constitutional amendment, banning same-sex couples from marrying. Earlier…
MONTGOMERY—HRC has launched the Equality is Our Business Program in Alabama. The program is designed to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the workplace, advance protections in employment, housing and public accommodations, and create more inclusive business practices. The new HRC Alabama pledge aims to strengthen support for the values of diversity and inclusion, including Alabama’s LGBT community,…
