Transgender people are being noticed in the media in an unprecedented way. It is a great flowering of the trans rights movement, and it is welcome. It is to be expected that, if we work hard, our activism will mature into positive rights for our community. However, it does not change the daily reality that…
Monday, the Department of Defense (DoD) released a new DoD Human Goals Charter, signed by Secretary of Defense Hagel. The last iteration of that document was released in 1998, and included mention of equal equality based on sexual orientation for civilian employees, but not for military servicemembers. The new iteration includes a language based on…
NEW DELHI — Today, India’s highest court has directed that transgender people be recognized as the third sex, besides male and female and be accorded social acceptability and an equal standing under Indian law, reports GayAsia News.com. “The spirit of the Constitution is to provide equal opportunity to every citizen to grow and attain their…
Charles “Chuck” Schoen, one of the six founding members of American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), passed away on February 27th, 2014, in Desert Hot Springs, California, at the age of 88. Chuck was a Life Member of AVER and is survived by his fellow US Navy veteran and partner of 48 years, Jack Harris,…
Media Matters for America’s latest post reveals that nationally syndicated columnist and National Review Online (NRO) contributor Dennis Prager has declared that the “radical and extreme” notion of marriage equality leaves “no plausible argument” against polygamy or marriages between brothers and sisters or parents and children. In his February 18 syndicated column, Prager assailed a spate of…
When it comes to the fight for LGBT civil rights, my philosophy has been, and will always be, the greater good for our community. Essentially, that means sometimes I vote for candidates that have philosophies that may negatively impact me personally, but will advance the cause of LGBT rights. For example, I have problems voting…
The Stanford University Symbolic Systems Program affiliates have chosen the equal sign as the Symbol of the Year in 2013, in their second annual vote for notable symbols. The citation reads: “The Human Rights Campaign’s modified logo became a viral symbol for marriage equality in 2013 ahead of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in June. The embedded equal sign also featured…
San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Board of Education President Kevin Beiser affirmed the district’s commitment to compliance with AB 1266, the new law that went into effect Jan. 1, which mandates safe and equal access for California’s transgender students in public, K-12 schools to facilities, such as restrooms, locker rooms and athletic activities whose…
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes has told reporters that the state is ready to appeal US District Judge Robert Shelby’s landmark ruling by taking it to the US Supreme Court. Just minutes after being sworn in on Monday, Reyes said, “We’re willing to spend whatever it takes to protect the laws and the will of…
Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on same-sex benefits, released by the U.S. Department of Defense today: On Oct. 31, I called on the chief of the National Guard Bureau to work with several states to fully implement Department of Defense policy by providing DoD identification cards to all eligible military spouses, regardless of sexual orientation. Following…
