HRC: ‘Ben Carson should know better than to call sexual orientation a choice’

WASHINGTON – In reaction to the latest anti-LGBT rhetoric from retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, the Human Rights Campaign’s Fred Sainz issued the following statement. Carson’s history of anti-LGBT rhetoric includes comparing same-sex marriage to NAMBLA and bestiality. “The only thing that’s really been proven here is that when Ben Carson says what he really thinks, he reveals…

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Darren Wilson will not face civil rights charges in Michael Brown’s death

The Justice Department announced today that Darren Wilson, the former police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August, will not face federal civil rights charges in connection with Brown’s death. “There is no evidence upon which prosecutors can rely to disprove Wilson’s stated subjective belief that he feared for…

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Balboa Park donates Explorer Passes in honor of centennial

SAN DIEGO – San Diegans have been visiting Balboa Park for 100 years, but there are still many in the city who have yet to experience the celebrated park’s arts, science and culture. In honor of the 2015 Centennial Celebration, 17 Balboa Park institutions and more than 75 philanthropic benefactors are donating $1 million in…

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Alabama state Supreme Court halts same-sex marriages in the state

MONTGOMERY—Today, the Alabama state Supreme Court issued a ruling ordering a halt to same-sex marriages in the state. In the ruling, the Court granted an emergency petition by two anti-LGBT groups, the Alabama Policy Institute and Alabama Citizens Action Program, who sought to stop probate judges from issuing marriage licenses across the state. The order…

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Benham brother says gay man abandoned his ‘Lifestyle’ after he bought him tickets to a baseball game

At last week’s National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, David Benham recounted a story where a gay man decided to walk away from his gay lifestyle after he gave him Chicago Cubs tickets. The Huffington Post reported that Benham, one of the twin brothers who lost their HGTV reality show after their anti-gay views came…

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HRC calls on ‘Psychology Today’ to reject ads from practitioners of LGBT ‘Conversion Therapy’

WASHINGTON – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) called on Psychology Today to stop accepting online listings from mental health practitioners who offer to “cure” LGBT people. HRC leadership made the request directly to executives of the publication in a letter that further urged them to build on Psychology Today’s history of LGBT inclusion and…

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HRC to submit ‘People’s Brief’ with more than 200,000 signatories for marriage equality to the Supreme Court

WASHINGTON – Today, the Human Rights Campaign announced that 207,551 Americans from all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands have joined as signatories on its unprecedented “The People’s Brief” in support of marriage equality. Authored by prominent lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who successfully defeated the key section…

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Is he or isn’t he? Jussie Smollet’s sexuality continues to prick ears

Unless you’ve been living under a rock capable of blocking out every imaginable light source known to man, you’ve probably already heard of Fox’s latest television smash, Empire. Part drama, part musical, Empire tells the story of Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) and his Hip Hop empire co-founded with his on-again off-again love interest and co-founder…

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Eric Holder appoints Benjamin Mizer as interim head of Civil Division at Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that he has named Benjamin C. Mizer as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. Mizer replaces Joyce R. Branda, who will return to her permanent role as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Commercial Litigation Branch.  Mizer and…

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