After differing versions of Mississippi’s so-called “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” passed the House and Senate, yesterday a conference committee reported out a final bill that fails to prohibit discrimination against customers based on business owners’ personal religious beliefs. Tonight the final bill passed both houses of the Mississippi legislature and now heads to the desk of Gov….
Media Matters for America has revealed new reporting highlighting the links between Newsweek‘s new owners, IBT Media, and an evangelical college that threatens to punish students if they’re caught engaging in “homosexual activity.” After a one-year print hiatus, Newsweek is back on newsstands and under the new ownership of IBT Media. In-depth reports in The Guardian and Mother Jones…
Dronenburg San Diego County Clerk Ernest Dronenburg Jr. is back in the news, particularly with the LGBT community. Why? Many in the community have broken with District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis because she endorsed Dronenburg. Dronenburg asked the state Supreme Court to halt same-sex weddings after the federal court ruled Prop. 8 unconstitutional. He said the…
From Media Matters for America comes their latest post responding to Vox.com editor-in-chief Ezra Klein’s statement explaining his decision to hire Brandon Ambrosino. Vox.com editor-in-chief Ezra Klein issued a statement explaining his decision to hire Brandon Ambrosino, a writer who has been criticized for peddling misinformation about LGBT people and acting as an apologist for…
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The City Attorney’s office has won a case filed against the San Diego Police Department for alleged violation of constitutional rights arising out of an arrest under the City’s public nudity ordinance at the 2011 Pride Event. Plaintiff, William X. Walters, alleged that SDPD conspired with Pride organizers to enforce the…
Media Matters for America’s latest piece reveals how National Review has established itself as a staunch proponent of allowing business owners refuse service to gay and lesbian customers. It’s a position that unfortunately aligns with National Review‘s record of attacking defending discrimination against marginalized groups, including its shameful opposition to the Civil Rights Movement in the…
In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in a pharmaceutical contract dispute, Abbott Laboratories v. SmithKline Beecham, that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection to exclude someone from jury service because of his or her sexual orientation. In doing so, the court also concluded that discrimination based on…
Today the Fairness for All Marylanders Act, a bill that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations and credit, passed the full Senate after last week having been voted out of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. “It is critical that the Maryland legislature gets to the unfinished business of…
Today Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a recently-passed bill that would have allowed businesses to refuse services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community on the basis of religious freedom. This morning, HRC delivered 65,000 petition signatures to Gov. Brewer calling on her to veto the bill. The so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act…
WASHINGTON – With mounting opposition to Arizona’s so-called “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” today the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) called on other states considering such measures to abandon their own “license to discriminate” bills. In addition to Arizona, similar bills have been introduced in Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon (proposed ballot measure), South Dakota and…
