With any hope for legislative action on the Employer Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) all but quashed for the foreseeable future, President Obama has announced plans for an executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for all federal contractors seeking bids from the U.S. Government. The action, which politically speaking is about all…
This morning, the Senate confirmed three federal judges. On the one hand, they are not unique; like all of the President’s judges and judicial nominees, they have the necessary intellect, experience, integrity, and temperament. But they are special in that each of them is a trailblazer on their courts: Judge Darrin Gayles, confirmed to the…
WASHINGTON –– Following yesterday’s announcement that President Obama will soon issue an executive order extending essential workplace protections to the employees of federal contractors, all eyes turned to the Exxon Mobil Corporation—a Fortune 100 corporation and one of the nation’s largest federal contractors. ExxonMobil has long resisted instituting non-discrimination protections for LGBT employees, digging in…
WASHINGTON –– The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), today urged Secretary of State John Kerry to directly raise the United States’ vehement opposition to Uganda’s recent enactment of state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia in his meeting this afternoon with Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa. In addition, following recent news that an Administration-ordered interagency review of the U.S. relationship…
BOSTON – Jack’d, the fastest growing gay app in the world among young gay men, today released the findings of a community survey conducted among its users in the United States. Ahead of the second anniversary of Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage May 9, Jack’d surveyed its users on their thoughts on marriage, relationships and…
WASHINGTON – This morning, President Obama will sign two executive actions aimed at eliminating sex discrimination in federal contracting. Movement on these critically important orders, intended to support a push for Congress to pass the Pay Check Fairness Act, underscores the need for President Obama to offer protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)…
Today, March 31 is the deadline for people to enroll for insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. If you or someone you know doesn’t have health insurance or wants to look at other coverage options, check out www.healthcare.gov today. And act quickly, because if you don’t enroll by the deadline, you won’t be able…
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…
After President Obama announced yesterday that Douglas M. Brooks, MSW, would lead the Office of National AIDS Policy, HIV/AIDS organizations from around the country announced their support. They echoed the President’s words when he said, “Douglas’s policy expertise combined with his extensive experience working in the community makes him uniquely suited to the task of…
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced the appointment of Douglas M. Brooks, MSW, as the Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). A leading HIV/AIDS policy expert, Douglas most recently served as Senior Vice President for Community, Health, and Public Policy at the Justice Resource Institute (JRI). As the Director…
