LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A proposed bill in the Arkansas State Legislature would prohibit changes to a person’s gender marker on their birth certificate, a move that would disproportionately affect transgender Arkansans. The bill, H.B. 1894, doubles down on discrimination, and would make an onerous process even more difficult for transgender Arkansans seeking to have…
The Arkansas Senate has passed a measure calling for a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as the “union of one man and one woman.” Senate Joint Resolution 7 will now go to the state House of Representatives. The Arkansas legislature has no authority to force Congress to begin the process of…
The city of Texarkana, Ark. has voted to repeal its non-discrimination ordinance, taking the city backwards and rolling back the rights of its LGBTQ citizens. The ordinance, which had passed the Texarkana Board of Directors by a unanimous vote early this year with broad-based support from citizens and the business community, was targeted by an…
LITTLE ROCK— Tuesday, Pulaski County, the largest county in Arkansas, passed non-discrimination protections that will protect county employees in the workplace. By a vote of 10-5, members of the Pulaski County Quorum Court enacted essential workplace protections that will prohibit discrimination against county employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as political…
LITTLE ROCK – Despite the efforts of anti-LGBT activists in Arkansas, equality continues to prevail in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Residents voted (579-231) to uphold a comprehensive, city-wide non-discrimination ordinance that was originally passed by the Eureka Springs City Council in February. The new legislation will ban discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations against people based on…
LITTLE ROCK — Last night, the city of Hot Springs took a tremendously important step forward in the fight for inclusiveness and equality under the law for all Arkansans. Its powerful actions stand in remarkable contrast to the vision for America that former Governor Mike Huckabee, who earlier that morning announced his presidential campaign up…
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.— Today, the Little Rock City Board of Directors passed an ordinance creating non-discrimination protections for city employees, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, political opinions or affiliation. Also, any vendor with whom the city does business will…
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signed a revised version of the state’s Religious Freedom Reformation Act today, one day after refusing to sign an earlier version of the bill over concerns about discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, reports The Huffington Post. According to the report, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a new…
In a HuffPost Live interview today, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich joined host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani and slammed the opposition to the recently passed religious freedom bills in Indiana and Arkansas. Gingrich claimed the resistance to the legislation is part of a liberal “lynch mob” mentality and is an example of “selective outrage.” Gingrich:…
In a surprising announcement Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that he will not sign a religious freedom act into law requesting that the state legislature make changes to the bill in the wake of criticism that the legislation could be used to facilitate discrimination against LGBT citizens and other groups, reports The Huffington Post. Hutchinson…
