Steve Lee, Editor

McCain announces that he will not vote for the latest Obamacare repeal bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Friday that he doesn’t support the latest Obamacare repeal bill, the Huffington Post reports. “I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal,” McCain said in a statement. “I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried,” he…

Read More

Remembering Tyler Clementi on the anniversary of his death

Tyler Clementi was an LGBTQ freshman at Rutgers University. After being harassed for his sexuality, Clementi tragically ended his life Sept. 22, 2010. After his death, Clementi’s parents founded the Tyler Clementi Foundation to combat bullying and harassment and promote safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ youth. In April, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Sens….

Read More

Air Force top enlisted leader pledges support and respect for trans troops

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — At the Air Force Association’s Air Space Cyber Conference on Wednesday, Chief Master Sergeant Kaleth Wright affirmed that trans troops in the US Air Force will be treated with dignity and respect, invoking the end of racial segregation in the military, the Air Force Times reports. “Right now, our transgender airmen…

Read More

Betsy DeVos rescinds sexual assault protections

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos followed through on her promise to rescind Obama-era Title IX guidelines that protected sexual assault survivors on college and university campuses across the nation, replacing it with new interim instructions allowing universities to decide which standard of evidence to use when handling complaints. “This interim guidance will help…

Read More

UNAIDS calls to quicken the pace of action to end AIDS

GENEVA/NEW YORK —The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, in collaboration with UNAIDS, brought together six heads of state or government to accelerate action and get countries on the Fast-Track to end AIDS. World leaders joined around 500 partners from government, the private sector and civil society on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly…

Read More

Lambda Legal blasts Trump judicial nominee Jeff Mateer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lambda Legal has blasted President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Jeff Mateer.  Mateer, who is coming under fire as news reports are surfacing past remarks that reveal a record of extreme hostility toward the LGBT community, including Mateer’s referring to transgender children as part…

Read More

New antiretroviral therapy to be launched in South Africa, Kenya and over 90 low- and middle-income countries at reduced price

NW YORK, N.Y. – A breakthrough pricing agreement has been announced which will accelerate the availability of the first affordable, generic, single-pill HIV treatment regimen containing dolutegravir (DTG) to public sector purchasers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) at around US$75 per person, per year. The agreement is expected to accelerate treatment rollout as part…

Read More

Groundswell Fund honored with 2017 NCRP Impact Award for ‘smashing silos’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Groundswell Fund, largest funder of the reproductive justice movement in the United States and the nation’s primary movement engaging women of color, low-income women, and LGBT people as grassroots activists, won the first-ever “Smashing Silos Award” from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) 2017 IMPACT Awards. The public foundation was…

Read More

Planned Parenthood Toronto launches a new campaign encouraging straight and cisgender youth to challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia

TORONTO – The LGBTQ Youth Initiative at Planned Parenthood Toronto will launch Send the Right Message  Sept. 26. This LGBTQ youth-led campaign provides resources for straight and cisgender youth who want to help improve the lives of LGBTQ people. As a comprehensive public campaign, activities range from TTC advertisements, to a video on pronoun use…

Read More

National ad challenging adoption discrimination laws rejected by Fox News as ‘too powerful’

WASHINGTON, D.C.— As the American Civil Liberties Union announced the filing of a landmark lawsuit challenging LGBT adoption discrimination practices in Michigan, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) unveiled a national ad and policy report underscoring the potential dangers that adoption-related religious exemption laws pose to children. The “Kids Pay the Price” ad, released in partnership…

Read More