Alabama House Committee Advances LGBT-Inclusive Hate Crimes Legislation

Today, HRC Alabama hailed the Alabama House Judiciary Committee’s 7-5 vote to advance H.B. 413 — commonsense legislation that would add to the state’s hate crimes statute critical new protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Juandalynn Givan and Patricia Todd, now heads to the full Alabama House for consideration.

“Hate-motivated crimes are vicious, brutal acts that not only cause extraordinary harm to victims and their families, but also instill fear in the entire community that is targeted,” said Eva Walton Kendrick, HRC Alabama State Manager. “All Alabamians should have the opportunity to live their lives free from fear and discrimination, and passing this legislation would be a deeply significant step forward for the state. We thank Reps. Givan and Todd for their leadership on this issue, and urge the Alabama Legislature to continue this momentum by passing H.B. 413.”

Rep. Givan, who also introduced a same-sex marriage recognition bill this session, boldly reintroduced H.B. 413 today after it was voted down by a voice vote last week.

In 1994, the Alabama legislature passed a hate crimes law mandating  harsher sentences for perpetrators who commit crimes motivated by the victim’s race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, and physical and mental health. H.B. 413 extends those same penalties to crimes motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.

Alabama is one of 20 states that do not have hate crimes laws explicitly protecting sexual orientation or gender identity.

Today’s pro-equality vote comes as the Alabama State Legislature is considering two harmful anti-LGBT bills that would allow state-licensed adoption and foster-care agencies to disregard the best interest of children and prioritize religious-based discrimination. An agency could turn away qualified LGBT couples; interfaith couples; single parents; married couples in which one prospective parent has previously been divorced; or any other parent seeking to care for a child in need to whom the agency has a religious objection. Chief executives of major child advocacy organizations have come out strongly against this type of legislation in a letter hand-delivered to state lawmakers.

In 2014, HRC launched Project One America, an initiative geared towards advancing social, institutional and legal equality in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. HRC Alabama continues to work to advance equality for LGBT Alabamians who have no statewide protections in housing, workplace, or public accommodations; and legal state recognition for their relationships and families. Through HRC Alabama, we are working toward a future of fairness every day—changing hearts, minds and laws toward achieving full equality.

www.hrc.org/blog/alabama-house-committee-advances-lgbt-inclusive-hate-crimes-legislation?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Hockey Player Suspended For Hurling Gay Slur At Official

“NHL players can no longer use ignorance as an excuse for not understanding the power of their words.”

The post Hockey Player Suspended For Hurling Gay Slur At Official appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/sports/2016/04/20/3771518/nhl-suspends-andrew-shaw-gay-slur/

GLAAD trans intern Summer Luk releases new music video

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-trans-intern-summer-luk-releases-new-music-video

Target Affirms Trans-Inclusive Policies, Makes Powerful Statement During Surge of Anti-LGBT Bills

Yesterday, in response to the wave of anti-LGBT legislation sweeping our country — including discriminatory bills aimed at barring transgender people from using restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity — Target reiterated its inclusive restroom and fitting room policy for its employees and customers.

At Target, which was recognized as an HRC “Best Places to Work for LGBT Inclusion,” employees and guests are welcome to use restrooms and fitting rooms that correspond with their gender identity. Not only is this policy in keeping with the best practices recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health  Administration, it also aligns with the latest U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance on preventing discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Target’s announcement, however, takes a decisive step beyond on-paper policies, serving to publicly affirm transgender people at a time when our dignity and safety are under daily attack.

When I use the restroom as a transgender man today, no one challenges whether I belong there because most people assume I was assigned male at birth. But that wasn’t always the case for me. For decades I walked the earth as a visibly gender non-conforming person, and the question of which restroom or fitting room or locker room to use was a constant source of anxiety and pressure and not without good cause: I faced discrimination and verbal and physical abuse more than once while using sex-segregated facilities. An act as simple as using the restroom or trying on a new pair of jeans was often demoralizing at best, and dangerous at worst.

I wonder what it must be like to be a young transgender person today? I can’t be easy to be bombarded with messages undermining your humanity and dignity. It must be awful to know that elected officials — like those who passed North Carolina’s terrible HB2 — fixate on restricting safe access to facilities, including restrooms in public buildings including schools, airports and convention facilities. These discriminatory bills increase stigma for transgender and gender-nonconforming youth and health experts, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, have condemned these pieces of legislation as harmful to LGBTQ youth.

Target’s public affirmation of its existing transgender-inclusive policies for employees and guests is an important voice in countering the current misunderstanding and fear mongering surrounding these anti-transgender bills. More than just a statement on policy, it also affirms the dignity of transgender people. This message is a welcome reminder that transgender people, like everyone else, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Target received a 100 on HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBT employees. Target is also a National Corporate Partner at the Platinum level. Learn more about the CEI here.

www.hrc.org/blog/target-affirms-trans-inclusive-policies-makes-powerful-statement-during-sur?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

How Does Curt Schilling Still Have A Job With ESPN?

The ESPN analyst posted an anti-trans meme on social media on Tuesday.

The post How Does Curt Schilling Still Have A Job With ESPN? appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/sports/2016/04/20/3771127/curt-schilling-anti-trans-espn/

Target Shows How Simple It Is To Be Welcoming Of Transgender People

Target wants to make clear that respecting transgender people’s identities is both easy and the right thing to do.

The post Target Shows How Simple It Is To Be Welcoming Of Transgender People appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/04/20/3771147/target-transgender-bathrooms/