WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court struck down a central part of the Voting Rights Act, invalidating crucial protections passed by Congress in 1965 and renewed four times in the decades since. The sharply divided decision will significantly reduce the federal government’s role in overseeing voting laws in areas with a history of discrimination…
WASHINGTON – With days to go until the Supreme Court rules, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has announced that she supports marriage equality. Murkowski joins two of her Republican colleagues – Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio and Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois – in endorsing the right of committed and loving gay and lesbian couples to marry….
WASHINGTON – The White House has announced its intention to nominate Daniel Baer – the current deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor – as the next ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). If confirmed, Baer would become the 4th openly-LGBT person to serve as…
WASHINGTON — A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health analyzed nationally representative survey results and found that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) adults smoke cigarettes at rates that are nearly 70 percent higher than the general population. A new study from Legacy, a national public health nonprofit located in Washington, D.C.,…
(CNN) — Here’s a look at what you need to know about same-sex marriage in the U.S. and worldwide. Facts: Same-sex marriage is legal in 12 U.S states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. (The law goes into effect on…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a non-profit public-private partnership focused on helping all digital citizens stay safer and more secure online, today announced a new collaboration initiative with the LGBT Technology Partnership to encourage greater awareness about cybersecurity and safety issues for LGBT communities. The LGBT Technology Partnership works to provide…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new LGBT Global Development Partnership, a public-private partnership between the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute (GLVI), the Williams Institute, and Olivia Companies, which further promotes foreign assistance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender…
(CNN) — Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, on Monday joined the wave of senators from his party who are endorsing same-sex marriage for the first time. The third-term senator, who’s not seeking re-election next year, said in a statement his “views have evolved sufficiently to support marriage equality legislation.” “This position doesn’t require any religious…
(CNN) — Olympia Snowe, who after serving three terms in the U.S. Senate did not seek re-election last year, said in an interview Friday that as public opinion has shifted on same-sex marriage, so have her views. “I think obviously this has evolved over time on the whole issue for the whole country and the…
(CNN) — The ranks of Senate Democrats who back same-sex marriage grew Friday morning by two as Indiana’s Joe Donnelly and North Dakota’s Heidi Heitkamp came out publically in support of overturning a federal law banning marriages between men and women. “With the recent Supreme Court arguments and accompanying public discussion of same-sex marriage, I…
