gay rights dnc protest
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While Anti-LGBT Bills Progress Across Nation, Oklahoma’s “Slate of Hate” is Defeated
Yesterday, the LGBT community celebrated after the last of the anti-LGBT bills in the Oklahoma legislature this session were defeated. In this year’s legislative session, an unprecedented 27 anti-LGBT bills were before the Oklahoma legislature, which were ultimately coined the “slate of hate.”
HRC was on the ground working with Freedom Oklahoma and several local and national partners, including the ACLU of Oklahoma, Oklahomans for Equality, The Family Equality Council and The Equality Federation to defeat the last two remaining bills. , The two bills died a procedural death on a crossover late last night.
“We have seen a truly unprecedented level of community advocacy this legislative session, and fair-minded legislators – both Republicans and Democrats – have listened,” said Troy Stevenson, Executive Director at Freedom Oklahoma, after the gavel fell last night.
For the second year in a row a small handful of anti-LGBT lawmakers proposed a record number of bills aimed at hurting the LGBT community in Oklahoma. Luckily for the second year in a row, all of those bills have been defeated.
“There will be no anti-LGBTQ laws passed in Oklahoma this year.” said Stevenson, “It is our greatest hope that going forward we will be fighting for positive change, rather than fighting back against discrimination. But no matter what, we will keep fighting until every Oklahoman is equal under the law, and in every walk of life.”
This “slate of hate” was part of nearly 200 anti-LGBT bills that were introduced across 32 states this year. Over 100 bills are still active, representing an onslaught of anti-LGBT bills being pushed this year by anti-equality activists around the country.
Ryan Rowe, HRC Associate Regional Field Director, was on the ground for the past few weeks helping to coordinate HRC’s resources, field support and coordination with national and local partners. If you’d like to learn more about the remaining work around the country to defeat the anti-LGBT bills that are left, or want to get involved locally with the positive, proactive work that remains in Oklahoma, contact [email protected].
Sen. Cory Booker Speaks to HRC Volunteers
Courageous SCOTUS Marriage Equality Plaintiff Pens Op-ed Urging Acceptance in Catholic Church
In a powerful op-ed in Kentucky’s The Courier Journal, courageous Supreme Court marriage equality plaintiff Greg Bourke urged the Catholic Church to extend equality and acceptance to the LGBT community as part of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.
“There could be no better time than this Extraordinary Jubilee Year — only the third in Catholic history — for Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz to join in a show of mercy and compassion for LGBT Kentuckians, who continue to be marginalized and face legal discrimination in our commonwealth,” he wrote. “Currently, only eight Kentucky cities protect LGBT people from discrimination on the job and in housing. Archbishop Kurtz’s support could help our state become the first in the South to update its Civil Rights Act to include LGBT people.”
Bourke and his husband, Michael De Leon, are two of the many remarkable marriage equality plaintiffs whose fight for equality and justice led to the Supreme Court’s historic ruling last June.
“Unfortunately, my husband and I are best known for the discrimination we have faced for being openly gay — both in our church and in Kentucky. We are one of the many LGBT couples who were denied marriage rights,” he continued. “We are also both lifelong Catholics and have given generously of our time, talent and treasures to the church. For more than two decades, we have been involved in many church ministries.”
While the Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world, the actual experience of LGBT parishioners can vary widely across dioceses and parishes. Sadly, just like Bourke and his family, many Catholics are rejected from their churches simply because of who they are or whom they love.
“Time and again, we have been made to feel shame and exclusion by the very church that teaches love, compassion, and mercy—our church,” he concluded. “It is a travesty of God’s true love for LGBT people and there is no better time for it to cease than this Jubilee Year of Mercy.”
To learn more about HRC’s Catholic initiatives, visit hrc.org/Catholic. HRC Foundation’s guide “Coming Home: To Catholicism and to Self” is aimed at LGBT American Catholics who hope to lead their faith communities toward a more welcoming stance, and those seeking a path back to their beloved tradition.
They chose not to see me fall
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Instagram debuts official #VisibleMe video channel for LGBT youth to express themselves
A few months ago, LGBT advocate Raymond Braun launched #VisibleMe, an Instagram photo series dedicated to giving a platform to LGBT youth to share their stories and connect with each other. Young LGBT people have taken to Instagram to open up about body image, transitioning, coming out, bullying, dating, faith and more. View an archive of #VisibleMe photos: facebook.com/visibleme.
On Friday, March 11, Instagram debuted an official #VisibleMe video channel inside of their in-app Explore page. When you click the #VisibleMe banner inside of the Instagram Explore page, it will direct you to an video channel with more than 25 videos from a passionate group of LGBT young people. Include in the videos are viral star Brendan Jordan, Ella Giselle from I Am Cait, out college football player Conner Mertens, video influencer ThomasIsTrash, and trans activist Ellie Gaustria.
This is the first time that Instagram has ever featured an Explore video channel exclusively dedicated to the LGBT community.
“#hellomynameis Raymond Braun (@raymondbraun) and I am 26 years old. I’m from a small town in Ohio and I knew there was something different about me for as long as I could remember. As soon as I got access to the Internet, I found a community which helped me gain the courage to come out to myself. Now my passion is to speak to anyone who was like me — that young LGBTQ kid who feels isolated or misunderstood. When I shared my story, I started receiving powerful messages from young LGBTQ people all around the world, and I thought, ‘I wish there was a way for me to share the hope, optimism and resilience in these incredible stories.’ I created an Instagram photo and video series called #VisibleMe with the goal of reflecting a spectrum of LGBTQ experiences, because the more times that young people tell their stories, the more we show that we have a lot of the same dreams, fears and aspirations as everyone else. When you grow up feeling different, like there’s something about you that isn’t seen as conventional or traditional, it gives you an openness to color outside the lines and chart your own life. I hope #VisibleMe encourages everyone to celebrate diversity and embrace what makes them different. We all have that spark within us.” To learn more, check out #VisibleMe on the Explore page and visit facebook.com/visibleme. Photo of @raymondbraun by @jeysonpaez
A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on
Raymond Braun said, “I hope this project provides a platform and voice to young people, helping them feel empowered and supported. And most importantly, I hope it shows LGBTQ youth that they are not alone and that they’re part of a community filled with creativity, diversity, resilience, strength, and passion.”
Go to the Instagram in-app Explore page to see the videos!
www.glaad.org/blog/instagram-debuts-official-visibleme-video-channel-lgbt-youth-express-themselves
Missouri Columnist Highlights Dangerous Anti-LGBT Bill; Defines it as “Resolution of Hate”
In a piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, columnist Tony Messenger calls out Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 39 – a measure that could enshrine discrimination against LGBT people and their families into the state constitution.
“For years the Legislature has refused to join 28 other states in passing a nondiscrimination act that protects gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment, housing, transportation or other areas of life,” Messenger wrote. “So, should SJR 39 become law, Missouri will be a place that not only refuses to protect gays from discrimination but also creates a specific protected class for bakers, photographers and florists who refuse to provide their business services to gay people.”
On Wednesday, Senate Republicans passed the resolution after the Senate Democrats led a historic filibuster effort to stop the anti-equality majority.
“Then the hammer was brought down by the president pro tem of the Senate, Ron Richard, R-Joplin, and the sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution No. 39, Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis,” Messenger explained. “They broke their own rules to cut off debate and pass their resolution of hate.”
Messenger is not alone in speaking out against this dangerous bill. The discriminatory proposal has received widespread condemnation from fair-minded Missourians and businesses throughout the state, including Governor Jay Nixon, the St. Louis Regional Chamber, Dow Chemical Company and Monsanto. Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders also spoke out against the bill.
The discriminatory proposal now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. If the House passes the resolution, it would go directly to the ballot and the governor would have no opportunity to veto it. Messenger urged Missouri businesses and citizens to take a stand to stop it.
“The clock is ticking, St. Louis. If every major St. Louis corporation used its megaphone, and directed its lobbyists to fight SJR 39, it could be stopped in a heartbeat,” he concluded. “Missouri Republicans are coming for your neighbors, for your employees, for your sons and daughters. Who will speak for them, if not you?”
Read the article in full here and for more information on SJR 39, click here.
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