75 Major CEOs & Business Leaders Demand Repeal of Mississippi Anti-LGBT Law

Today, HRC announced that 75 leading CEOs and business leaders, including executives from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Capital One, Castlight Health, Inc., KMPG LLP, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Uber and more have signed onto an open letter calling on Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, and House Speaker Philip A. Gunn to repeal H.B. 1523.

H.B. 1523, the so-called “Religious Liberty Accommodations Act,” allows almost any individual or organization to use religion as a justification to discriminate against LGBT Mississippians in some of the most important aspects of their lives, including at work, at school, and in their communities.

“It is unfathomable that in 2016, Mississippi has passed a law explicitly allowing LGBT people to be denied service or discriminated against simply because of who they are and whom they love,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.“That’s why, across Mississippi and the nation, business leaders are speaking out against this discriminatory legislation that harms their employees, harms consumers, and harms their businesses. But there’s still time for Mississippi lawmakers to do the right thing. We urge Governor Bryant and state lawmakers to lead their state to a better future, leaving the politics of discrimination and prejudice firmly in the past. It’s time for them to listen, stand up for all Mississippians, and work quickly to repeal H.B. 1523.”

Last week, Mississippi State Rep. Jay Hughes and members of the Mississippi House of Representatives announced an effort to suspend regular House rules in order to introduce the “Mississippi Economic and Tourism Recovery Act” — a bill that would overturn H.B. 1523. Two-thirds of House members must vote in favor of suspending the rules to allow a vote on the proposed legislation to repeal H.B. 1523.

In addition to the major corporations signing onto this letter calling for repeal, some of the state’s largest employers, including Nissan Group of North America, Tyson Food Inc., MGM Resorts International, and Toyota, have publicly voiced their opposition to the appalling legislation — joining national corporations such as AT&T, IBM, and MassMutual. Gov. Bryant also ignored the call of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association (MMA) to veto the discriminatory measure. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has joined an effort to get more CEOs to speak publicly against the law, and top executives from Microsoft and IBM have asserted that the law is bad for business.

Additionally, performers like Bryan Adams, and most recently Tracy Morgan, have cancelled shows in the state, while actressSharon Stone has cancelled a film shoot. ABC’s “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts, who is featured as the welcoming face of the Hospitality State’s official tourism guide, also decried the legislation, as did native Mississippian actress Sela Ward. Earlier this month, nearly 100 prominent writers from the state, including John Grisham and Kathryn Stockett, also signed a letter protesting the discriminatory law.

Under this new law, religion could be used by almost any individual or organization to justify discrimination against LGBT people, single mothers, unwed couples, and others. Tax-payer funded faith-based organizations could: refuse to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples for provision of critical services including emergency shelter; deny children in need of loving homes placement with LGBT families including the child’s own family member; and refuse to sell or rent a for-profit home to an LGBT person — even if the organization receives government funding. It would also give foster families the freedom to subject an LGBTQ child to the dangerous practice of “conversion therapy,” and subject a pregnant unwed girl to abuse, without fear of government intervention or license suspension. It would even allow individuals to refuse to carry out the terms of a state contract for the provision of counseling services to all eligible individuals, including veterans, based on the counselor’s beliefs about LGBT people or single mothers.

Furthermore, schools, employers, and service providers could refuse transgender people access to appropriate sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity — all in direct conflict with the U.S. Department of Justice’s enforcement of federal law. HB 1523 even legalizes Kim Davis-style discrimination by allowing government employees to abdicate their duties and refuse to license or solemnize marriages for LGBT people.

On Sunday, May 1, HRC Mississippi will join local advocates in a rally calling on Governor Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip A. Gunn to listen to fair-minded Mississippians, and repeal H.B. 1523. The rally will culminate in a march from the Mississippi State Capitol to the Governor’s mansion.

The full letter and list of signatories is below:

Dear Governor Bryant, Lieutenant Governor Reeves & Speaker Gunn:

We write with concerns about legislation signed this week, HB 1523, which would allow individuals, religious organizations and private associations to use religion to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Mississippians in some of the most important aspects of their lives, including at work, at schools, in their family life and more. Put simply, HB 1523 is not a bill that reflects the values of our companies.

We are disappointed to see the legislature and governor’s office pass discriminatory legislation. The business community, by and large, has consistently communicated to lawmakers at every level that such laws are bad for our employees and bad for business. This is not a direction in which states move when they are seeking to provide successful, thriving hubs for business and economic development. We believe that HB 1523 will make it far more challenging for businesses across the state to recruit and retain the nation’s best and brightest workers and attract the most talented students from across the country. It will also diminish the state’s draw as a destination for tourism, new businesses, and economic activity.

Discrimination is wrong, and we believe it has no place in Mississippi or anywhere in our country. As companies that pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to all, we strongly urge you to repeal this bill.

Sincerely,

Laura Alber, President and Chief Executive Officer, Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Karen Appleton, Senior Vice President, Box
Brandee Barker, Cofounder and Partner, Pramana Collective
Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO, Salesforce
Chip Bergh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Levi Strauss and Co.
Michael Birch, Founder, The Battery
Lisa Bisaccia, EVP and Chief HR Officer, CVS Health
Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, co-CEOs, Warby Parker
Steven Boal, CEO, Quotient
Craig Bromley, President, John Hancock Financial
Wes Bush, Chairman, CEO and President of Northrop Grumman
Lloyd Carney, CEO, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Founder and CEO, Joyus
Amy Chang, CEO, Accompany
Giovanni Colella, CEO, Castlight Health, Inc.
Alex Constantinople, CEO, The OutCast Agency
Bracken P. Darrell, CEO, Logitech
Chad Dickerson, CEO, Etsy
Alex Dimitrief, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, GE
Lynne Doughtie, Chairman and CEO, KPMG LLP
Sandy Douglas, Executive Vice President and President, Coca-Cola North America, The Coca-Cola Company
Jonathan Eppers, CEO, RadPad
Amy Erret, Founder and CEO, Madison-Reed
Jared Fliesler, General Partner, Matrix Partners
Jennifer Fonstad, Cofounder and Managing Partner, Aspect Ventures
Joe Gebbia, Cofounder and CPO, Airbnb
Jason Goldberg, Founder, Pepo
Peter T. Grauer, Chairman, Bloomberg L.P.
Julia Hartz, Cofounder and President, Eventbrite
David Hassell, CEO, 15Five
Robert Hohman, Founder and CEO, Glassdoor
Lane S. Hopkins, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Capital One Financial Corporation
Drew Houston, CEO, Dropbox
Laurene Powell Jobs, Founder and Chair, Emerson Collective
Steve Joyce, President and Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels International, Inc.
Travis Kalanick, CEO, Uber
David Karp, Founder and CEO, Tumblr
Travis Katz, CEO, Gogobot
Brian Krzanich, CEO, Intel
Sarah Leary, Cofounder, Nextdoor
Aileen Lee, Founder and Managing Partner, Cowboy Ventures
Max Levchin, CEO, Affirm, Inc.
Aaron Levie, CEO, Box
Dion Lim, CEO, NextLesson
Andrew N. Liveris, CEO and Chairman of the Board, The Dow Chemical Company
Joe Lonsdale, General Partner, 8VC
Tom Mangas, CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Melody McCloskey, Founder, StyleSeat
Ryan McDonough, CFO, Accompany
Bob Moritz, US Chairman and Senior Partner, PwC
Dr. Nathan Myhrvold, Founder and CEO, Intellectual Ventures
Christopher J. Nassetta, President & Chief Executive Officer, Hilton Worldwide
Lorrie Norrington, Operating Partner, Lead Edge Capital
Bob Page, Chairman and CEO, Replacements, Ltd.
Sunil Paul, Founding Partner, Spring Ventures
Mark Pincus, Founder and Executive Chairman, Zynga
Michelle Peluso, CEO, Gilt
Walter Robb, Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market
Dan Rosensweig, CEO, Chegg Inc.
Kevin Ryan, Founder and Chairman, AlleyCorp
Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association
Tom Sheahan, CEO, Red Oxygen
Ben Stevenson, Data Engineer, Accompany
Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO, Yelp
Christopher J. Swift, Chairman and CEO, The Hartford
Brian Tippens, Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
David Tisch, Managing Partner, BoxGroup
Nirav Tolia, Cofounder and CEO, Nextdoor
Robb Webb, Chief Human Resources Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Tony West, EVP Government Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, PepsiCo
Anne Wojcicki, CEO, 23andMe
Robert Wolfe, CEO, CrowdRise
Emanuel Seth Yekutiel, CEO, ESY Strategies
John Zimmer, Cofounder and President, Lyft

www.hrc.org/blog/75-major-ceos-business-leaders-demand-repeal-of-mississippi-anti-lgbt-law?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Ted Cruz Capitalizes On Opportunity To Bash Transgender People

Ted Cruz suddenly remembered how transphobic he is.

The post Ted Cruz Capitalizes On Opportunity To Bash Transgender People appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/04/22/3771899/ted-cruz-transphobia/

Jackson Public School Board Unanimously Adopts LGBT-Inclusive Employment Policy

Today HRC Mississippi praised the Jackson Public School Board of Trustees for voting unanimously to extend fully-inclusive sexual orientation and gender identity workplace protections to their employees. With almost 30,000 students, the Jackson Public School district is second largest in the state and one of the first in the Mississippi Public School system to grant employment protections to LGBT staff members.

“Every Mississippian, no matter who they are or whom they love, has the right to earn an honest living and provide for their families without fear of prejudice and discrimination in the workplace,” said HRC Mississippi State Director Rob Hill. “As state lawmakers roll back the rights of LGBT Mississippians, we commend the Jackson Public School board members for doing what they can to safeguard these necessary protections for all their employees.”

Superintendent Dr. Cedrick Gray shared, “I am proud to announce the Board of Trustees for Jackson Public Schools has revised its policies to reflect that the District shall not discriminate against any individual because of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity.”  

The Board of Trustees on Tuesday voted 5-0 to approve the updated policy, which goes into effect immediately.

This week’s vote comes as the Mississippi State Legislature is facing fierce backlash for the passage of HB 1523 — a deeply discriminatory law that allows almost any individual or organization to use religion to justify discrimination against a host of Mississippians, including LGBT people, single mothers, unwed couples and others. Major national and local businesses are calling for repeal, and performers like Bryan Adams, and most recently Tracy Morgan, have cancelled shows in the state, while actress Sharon Stone has cancelled a film shoot. ABC’s “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts, who is featured as the welcoming face of the Hospitality State’s official tourism guide, also decried the legislation, as did native Mississippian actress Sela Ward. Earlier this month, nearly 100 prominent writers from the state, including John Grisham and Kathryn Stockett, also signed a letter protesting the discriminatory law.

On Sunday, May 1, HRC Mississippi will join local advocates in a rally calling on Governor Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip A. Gunn to listen to fair-minded Mississippians, and repeal H.B. 1523. The rally will culminate in a march from the Mississippi State Capitol to the Governor’s mansion.

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

www.hrc.org/blog/jackson-public-school-board-unanimously-adopts-lgbt-inclusive-employment-po?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

It Takes A Village To Bully A Transgender Kindergartner

All Dave and Hannah Edwards wanted was a safe learning environment for their child, but the parents at their school declared war against them.

The post It Takes A Village To Bully A Transgender Kindergartner appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/04/22/3771366/dave-hannah-edwards-transgender-kindergartner/

Give Hate a Holiday in Mississippi

This week, HRC was proud to join PFLAG and Equality Mississippi in Tupelo, Mississippi for “Give Hate a Holiday,” a night of music, fellowship and reflection on the work that lies ahead.

It was an honor to be a featured speaker and to have the opportunity to hear from people regarding their fears and concerns regarding HB 1523, the “Religious Liberty Accommodations Act.”

Under this new law, religion could be used by almost any individual or organization to justify discrimination against LGBT people, single mothers, unwed couples, and others. Tax-payer funded faith-based organizations could: refuse to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples for provision of critical services including emergency shelter; deny children in need of loving homes placement with LGBT families including the child’s own family member; and refuse to sell or rent a for-profit home to an LGBT person — even if the organization receives government funding. It would also give foster families the freedom to subject an LGBTQ child to the dangerous practice of “conversion therapy,” and subject a pregnant unwed girl to abuse, without fear of government intervention or license suspension. It would even allow individuals to refuse to carry out the terms of a state contract for the provision of counseling services to all eligible individuals, including veterans, based on the counselor’s beliefs about LGBT people or single mothers.

Furthermore, schools, employers, and service providers could refuse transgender people access to appropriate sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity — all in direct conflict with the U.S. Department of Justice’s enforcement of federal law. HB 1523 even legalizes Kim Davis-style discrimination by allowing government employees to abdicate their duties and refuse to license or solemnize marriages for LGBT people.

It’s time to give hate a holiday in Mississippi. 

www.hrc.org/blog/give-hate-a-holiday-in-mississippi?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

NBA Commissioner Warns All-Star Game Will Move from North Carolina If Lawmakers Fail to Change HB 2

Today, HRC hailed the news that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s radical anti-LGBT HB 2 must be changed or the league will move the 2017 All-Star Game out of the state. The commissioner’s comments come just days before the North Carolina General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene.

Today at the Associated Press Sports Editors’ commissioner meetings, Silver said of the league’s plan to hold the 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte: “We’ve been, I think, crystal clear a change in the law is necessary for us to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event.”

“Commissioner Silver’s comments are crystal clear: If Governor McCrory, Senator Berger, and state lawmakers do not act immediately to repeal their deeply discriminatory HB 2 law, North Carolina will lose the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, costing the state and regional businesses millions of dollars,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The economic catastrophe Governor McCrory has inflicted on North Carolina can only be  repaired by repealing this draconian law and replacing it with commonsense non-discrimination protections for LGBT people across the state.”

Gov. McCrory and state lawmakers are under increasingly intense pressure to repeal the discriminatory HB 2 in next week’s legislative session. Mayors and governors across the country are banning travel to the state, musicians are cancelling concerts, and the New York Times editorial board called North Carolina a “pioneer in bigotry.” Major film studios and corporations, from PayPal to Deutsche Bank, have stopped investments in the state because of the new law. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office has even warned its LGBT citizens of the risks of traveling to North Carolina. More than 180 leading CEOs and business leaders are urging Gov. McCrory and the North Carolina General Assembly to repeal the deeply discriminatory law that’s bad for business and bad for North Carolina.

HB 2 has eliminated existing municipal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people and prevents such protections from being passed by cities in the future. In addition, the legislation prevents transgender students in public schools from using restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity. It also compels the same type of discrimination against transgender people to take place in publicly-owned buildings, including in public universities, major airports, and convention centers. Further, HB 2 revokes the ability to sue under state employment non-discrimination law on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, religion, national origin, and sex.  Lawmakers passed the legislation in a hurried, single-day session, and Gov. McCrory quickly signed it into law in the dead of night. The discriminatory law is already facing a legal challenge, and North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said he will refuse to defend it in court.

North Carolina has the unfortunate distinction of becoming the first state in the country to enact a law attacking transgender students, even after similar proposals were rejected across the country this year — including a high-profile veto by the Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota. North Carolina school districts that comply with the law will now be in direct violation of Title IX, subjecting the school districts to massive liability and putting an estimated $4.5 billion of federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education, as well as funding received by schools from other federal agencies, at risk. This section of HB 2 offers costly supposed solutions to non-existent problems, and it forces schools to choose between complying with federal law — plus doing the right thing for their students — or complying with a state law that violates students’ civil rights. Read more about how this bill puts federal funding at risk here.

While the governor’s recent executive order extends protections to some state workers, it does nothing to fix the vile and discriminatory provisions he signed into law through HB 2. Under HB 2, transgender people are prohibited from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity in public buildings, including the University of North Carolina campus and the Raleigh-Durham Airport. Cities still cannot adopt ordinances to prohibit discrimination against their residents and visitors. And HB 2 still prevents individuals from bringing discrimination suit in state courts.

www.hrc.org/blog/nba-commissioner-warns-all-star-game-will-move-from-north-carolina-if-lawma?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: April 21, 2016

TAR HEEL TRAVESTY: News from North Carolina, where more than 180 companies and an ever-increasing list of national Republicans are publicly opposing the discriminatory HB2. Meanwhile, McCrory, Berger and right-wing groups backing the bill are quadrupling down, despite mounting economic damage and companies suffering from lost business.

• NOW MORE THAN 180 STRONG, EXECUTIVES CALL FOR REPEAL OF HB2: Additional companies are urging Gov. Pat McCrory to repeal HB2, despite his recent do-nothing executive order, and failed attempt to defend the law on Meet the Press. Today, HRC and Equality NC announced that executives from Alcoa Inc., BASF Corporation, Ben & Jerry’s, Cascade Engineering, Dansko, Etsy, Green Mountain Power, Kickstarter, KPMG LLP, Live Nation Entertainment, New Belgium Brewing, New Seasons Market, Osceola Music, Patagonia, Self-Help, The Fresh Market, Vanguard, Warby Parker and Xerox Corporation have signed onto an open letter that now includes more than 180 leading CEOs and business leaders urging Governor Pat McCrory and the North Carolina General Assembly to repeal the radical provisions in the deeply discriminatory law that was rammed through the legislature on March 23. More from HRC Blog.
• HB2 BACKERS ASK LEGISLATORS TO SIGN LOYALTY PLEDGE: Anti-equality activists in North Carolina are doubling down on their efforts ahead of the state’s upcoming legislative session by asking lawmakers who support HB2 to sign a pledge not to repeal any of its provisions. In the pledge, representatives from the NC Values Coalition, NC Family Policy Council and the Christian Action League are also demanding that lawmakers promise not to add protections for LGBT people to the state’s non-discriminatory law. As The News & Observer points out, all three of these groups came out against the Governor’s recent executive order banning anti-LGBT discrimination in state offices and contracts. Senate Leader Phil Berger will likely sign the pledge, if he hasn’t already. At a press conference yesterday, he reiterated his support for the discriminatory law. More from The News & Observer.
• DONALD TRUMP AND TED CRUZ SPAR OVER NORTH CAROLINA’S HB2: Noting the damage it has caused to the state’s economy, Donald Trump said this morning that he did not support North Carolina’s HB2. Ted Cruz promptly appeared on Glenn Beck’s radio show to blast Trump and spout yet again his transphobic rhetoric. Reminder: North Carolina’s WRAL found in its poll this month that 50 percent of Tar Heel voters oppose HB2, while only 38 percent support it. HRC’s Chad Griffin reacts: “#HB2 is so extreme and so costly, even @realDonaldTrump wants it repealed.” More on WRAL’s poll.
• NORTH CAROLINA’S HOTEL INDUSTRY TAKES A HIT AFTER HB2: North Carolina continues to lose out on direct spending in the state. The National Organization for Victim Assistance, citing the discriminatory provisions of HB2, has pulled its annual training event from Charlotte. This loss will again hit North Carolina where it hurts — roughly 1,200 people were expected to attend the event, translating into about 1,516 hotel room nights in the city. The organization says it hopes that it can eventually return to Charlotte, but won’t even consider it until HB2 is repealed. More from The Charlotte Observer.
• MORE THAN 250 SEXUAL ASSAULT AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ORGANIZATIONS SPEAK OUT AGAINST HB2: Today, a broad coalition of more than 250 sexual assault and domestic violence organizations released a moving statement calling for the end to the slew of discriminatory anti-transgender legislation. Led by the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, the coalition says that the anti-transgender rhetoric surrounding laws like North Carolina’s HB2 comes from a “failed understanding of what it means to be transgender.” The statement goes on to say, “As rape centers, shelters, and other service providers … we speak from experience and expertise when we state that these claims are false.” These organizations provide further proof of how harmful HB2 and measures like it are to the LGBT community. More on HRC’s blog.

NO, GOV. BRYANT, MISSISSIPPI’S HB1523 IS NOT LIKE RFRAs IN OTHER STATES: Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant is standing by HB1523, while making spurious claims that the bill only relates to marriage ceremonies and is similar to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed by New York Gov. Cuomo in 2011. What Bryant seems to be forgetting is that, among other harmful provisions, Mississippi’s law includes a right to refuse to recognize a marriage, and the state of New York already has laws in place protecting LGBT people from discrimination. Bryant then goes on to throw shade on performers including Bryan Adams and Belinda Carlisle who have denounced the legislation. Maybe Gov. Bryant should spend more time reading HB1523, instead of claiming that we haven’t. More from WAPT News.

LANCE BASS WANTS TO BRING ‘LOVE’ TO HIS HOME STATE: Native Mississippian Lance Bass has continued to speak out against HB1523 — a discriminatory religious refusal bill that was signed into law on April 5. While several performers including rocker Bryan Adams and comedian Tracy Morgan have taken a stand by cancelling shows in the Hospitality State, Bass is taking a different approach. Yesterday he announced that he is working with Live Nation on a concert that will help raise money to fight the bill.  Bass said, “I want to bring my friends down here and show them that Mississippi is about love and we are the hospitality state. The world does not look at us as the hospitality state anymore.” We’ll be looking forward to this one. More from The Clarion Ledger.

NEW: PASSOVER PAMPHLET: In advance of the Passover holiday, HRC released today a guide to help LGBTQ Jews who are seeking to reconnect with their faith and build more inclusive communities. Coming Home to Judaism and To Self features the personal journeys of prominent LGBTQ faith leaders, and highlights progress that many Jewish institutions have made toward becoming more welcoming and inclusive. The guide reflects a wide spectrum of personal experiences, and the variety of Jewish responses to welcoming LGBTQ families and friends in their communities. Read the full guide.

STATE SNAPSHOT

ALABAMA HOUSE COMMITTEE ADVANCES LGBT-INCLUSIVE HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION: Yesterday the Alabama House Judiciary Committee voted to advance HB413 — commonsense legislation that would add critical new protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to the state’s hate crimes statute. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Juandalynn Givan and Patricia Todd, now heads to the full Alabama House for consideration. Rep. Givan, who also introduced a same-sex marriage recognition bill this session, boldly reintroduced HB413 yesterday after it was voted down by a voice vote last week, Alabama is one of 20 states that do not have hate crimes laws explicitly protecting sexual orientation and gender identity. More from HRC’s blog.

INDIANA COUNCIL WANTS TO ADD LGBT PROTECTIONS TO CITY ORDINANCE: An advisory council in Valparaiso, Indiana, is looking to create a City Council ordinance that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The advisory voted 6 – 2 in favor of sending the recommendation for the added protections to city council. This comes after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law last year, which gave business the right to deny services on the grounds of “religious liberty.” Indiana also failed to add LGBT protections to the state law this year. More from The Washington Times.

MEDICAL, HIV AND LGBT GROUPS CHALLENGING MISSOURI’S CRIMINAL HIV LAW: Yesterday, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, a national leader on HIV policy development, filed an amicus brief on behalf of Michael Johnson, a former Missouri college student sentenced to more than 30 years for allegedly violating Missouri’s HIV transmission and exposure statute. “Laws criminalizing the behaviors with near-zero risk for HIV transmission and that fail to account for effective HIV prevention measures — like condom use and PrEP — are not just misguided, they are deadly,” said HRC Senior Legislative Counsel Robin Maril at the time of the sentencing. Medical experts and advocates have continued to decry Johnson’s conviction, attributing it to a trial that was full of misinformation about HIV transmission and inaccurate stereotypes about men who have sex with men, as well as a justice system that tries, convicts and sentences Black men more harshly than other groups. (A nearly all white jury convicted Johnson after only two hours of deliberation). A number of organizations including the American Academy of HIV Medicine, Center for Constitutional Rights, Missouri AIDS Task Force and Empower Missouri and HRC have signed on to the brief.

SEATTLE LAUNCHES SAFE PLACES PROGRAM: We’ve crossed North Carolina and Mississippi off our summer vacation list, but maybe it’s time to visit the Emerald City! 98 public schools in Seattle are now designated “safe places” in Seattle, meaning that LGBTQ victims of violence or harassment can seek refuge in these locations until police arrive. The announcement, made by openly gay Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, underscores a point made by our friends at the Victory Fund: More LGBT officials in a state leads to greater LGBT protections. More from Seattle Pi.

AROUND THE WORLD

MALTA MARRIAGE: A survey conducted by The Malta Independent revealed that 61 percent of Republic of Malta citizens want to legalize same-sex marriage. This overwhelming push toward marriage equality comes just two short years after the island (located between Italy and Libya) introduced civil unions. Malta destination wedding, anyone? More from The Malta Independent.

UKRAINE PROTESTERS? MORE LIKE U-CRAZY: Yesterday, a smattering of anti-equality protesters gathered outside of parliament in Ukraine. Their plight? To protest equal rights for LGBT people. In November, Ukraine took a historic step with the passage of significant nondiscrimination legislation that provides needed workplace protections for LGBT citizens and others throughout the country. The protest yesterday dispersed, and it seems their voices of hatred cannot stop the momentum for equality. More the Kyiv Post.

READING RAINBOW

The International Business Times breakdown all the artists who’ve cancelled events in Mississippi and North Carolina over their anti-LGBT laws… Progress Illinois shares that almost 10,000 same-sex marriage licenses have been issued in Illinois’ Cook County… The Daily Mississippian highlights the latest protests against HB1523… The Los Angeles Times looks at the phenomenon of red states with blue cities… The Reno Gazette Journal celebrates the opening of Reno’s LGBT community center… and ABC News profiles Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL draftee, as he slams Missouri’s “religious objections” bill.

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to A.M. Equality, and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

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