SCOTUS Blocks Transgender Teen from Using Boys’ Bathroom During Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday effectively blocked a transgender student from Virginia from using school bathrooms matching his gender identity while his court case is appealed.

The Court was responding to request from a Virginia school board to stay a lower court’s ruling which found its transgender bathroom ban to be discriminatory and illegal.

News of the action was first reported on Twitter.

#SCOTUS steps into bathroom dispute, blocks district court order allowing transgender student to use boys’ bathroom

— Amy Howe (@AHoweBlogger) August 3, 2016

Breyer provides “courtesy fifth” vote in transgender dispute; Ginsburg, Sotomayor, & Kagan would have denied school board’s request

— Amy Howe (@AHoweBlogger) August 3, 2016

The stay of the lower court’s ruling is temporary while the Supreme Court decides if it will take up the case.

Politico reports:

The justices split, 5-3, on the issue, with Democratic-appointed Justice Stephen Breyer joining with the court’s four GOP appointees to lift—for now—the obligation of the Gloucester County school system to allow student Gavin Grimm to use the bathroom of his choice in accordance with Obama Administration guidance.

Here’s the order.

#BreakingNews – #SCOTUS puts transgender bathroom decision on HOLD. Until court decides if it will take the case. pic.twitter.com/lUKDhRw8Vn

— Mike Valerio (@MikeNBC12) August 3, 2016

The case in question is centered on transgender teen Gavin Grimm, who sued the Gloucester County school board for the right to use school bathrooms and facilities that match his gender identity. The 4th Circuit ruled in favor of Grimm in April, declaring that denying Grimm the right to use the boys’ bathroom violates Title IX of the Education Act of 1972. Title IX bans discrimination based on sex.

The 4th Circuit’s ruling is being closely watched given that it has jurisdiction over North Carolina, which this year passed HB 2, a bill that made it illegal for transgender people to use bathrooms matching their gender identity.

This is the first time the Supreme Court has weighed in on the transgender bathroom war.

The post SCOTUS Blocks Transgender Teen from Using Boys’ Bathroom During Appeal appeared first on Towleroad.

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While GOP Jumps Ship on Trump, Log Cabin Republicans May Still Endorse Him – VIDEO

Gay GOP group the Log Cabin Republicans may still endorse Donald Trump despite his abominable record on LGBT rights and his tacit approval of the most anti-LGBT party platform in the history of the Republican party.

Log Cabin president Gregory T. Angelo told The Washington Blade’s Chris Johnson that an endorsement for Trump is still on the table and will depend on the feedback from the group’s members:

“Any inclinations I have right now would be pure conjecture at this point,” Angelo said. “I clearly have members around the country sharing their thoughts and opinions with me as I’ve traveled around on behalf of Log Cabin Republicans, especially over the course of the last three months, but that’s all just anecdotal at this point.”

The board of directors, Angelo said, will make the endorsement determination no earlier than during an upcoming meeting in late September in D.C. The exact date for the meeting isn’t yet decided, and as is customary for Log Cabin board meetings, the discussion won’t be open to the public, Angelo said.

Angelo added that Log Cabin members will make their decision not solely based on LGBT rights issues:

“What I will say is that we don’t view any candidates that we provide with endorsement considerations for any single issue, and I will say that there are members around the country, and even members on our national board of directors who have strong reservations about Donald Trump outside of any considerations that he might have in regards to LGBT issues,” Angelo said.

The Log Cabin Republicans cannot endorse a candidate that is not the Republican nominee according to its bylaws. So the most the group could do to rebuke Trump is to withhold its endorsement. Log Cabin Republicans have withheld their endorsement only once before, in 2004, over President George W. Bush’s support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

RELATED: Dan Savage Blasts Log Cabin Republicans for Continuing to Support the GOP That Hates Them

It was only two weeks ago that the Log Cabin Republicans placed a full page ad in USA Today during the RNC, condemning the GOP platform as the most homophobic in its history. Angelo also personally condemned the party’s platform for it’s anti-gay language.

In the meantime, reports have surfaced indicating that Trump and his ilk put up no fight about the anti-LGBT planks in the platform. In fact, the only thing the campaign seemed to care about was softening language that was tough on Vladimir Putin and Russia pertaining to Ukraine. And while Trump may have name-checked the ‘LGBTQ’ community in his RNC acceptance speech, he has yet to demonstrate any support for LGBT rights that surpasses rhetoric.

News that the Log Cabin Republicans are still considering endorsing Trump is particularly surprising given the events of the past 24 hours. In that time, Trump has continued to attack the family of fallen Army Captain Humayun Khan and refused to endorse fellow Republicans Paul Ryan, John McCain and Kelly Ayotte. Add to that the endorsement of Hillary Clinton by prominent Republicans Meg Whitman and Congressman Richard Hanna, reports of a looming intervention staged by top RNC officials, plus the rumored preparations for what the party would do if Trump drops out of the race, and the Log Cabin Republicans’ continued fence-sitting makes even less sense.

Watch a report, below.

 

The post While GOP Jumps Ship on Trump, Log Cabin Republicans May Still Endorse Him – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

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HRC Expresses Disappointment in SCOTUS Order Delaying Justice for Trans Students

HRC expressed disappointment in a decision today by the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a lower court’s order forbidding a Virginia school district from enforcing its discriminatory ban on transgender students using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity. The 5-3 order in Gloucester County School Board v. Grimm allows the school board’s discriminatory policy to remain in place while the Supreme Court awaits an application by the school board to have its full appeal heard by the Supreme Court.  A final decision in the case would likely occur well into the school year.

“Today’s Supreme Court order is deeply disappointing and subjects Gavin Grimm and students like him to unsafe and discriminatory conditions as they begin returning to school in the coming weeks,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “No young person should wake up in the morning fearful of bullying or discrimination during the school day ahead. Every day that discrimination is allowed to continue, transgender students are put at risk of harm. While we remain optimistic that this is a temporary setback in the larger effort to ensure that transgender students are treated with dignity and respect, time is of the essence and any delay infringes on these students’ right to a safe and quality education.”

In late May, the full Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request by the Gloucester County School Board to rehear Grimm’s lawsuit. Grimm claims that the school district violated his federal civil rights under Title IX of the Education Act of 1972 by denying him access to the boy’s restroom consistent with his gender identity.  

In April, a panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, in a 2-1 decision,the U.S. Department of Education’s interpretation of Title IX as protecting transgender students from discrimination, including allowing them to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

www.hrc.org/blog/HRC-Expresses-Disappointment-in-SCOTUS-Order?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Record Number of Out Olympians to Participate in 2016 Olympics

Post submitted with contributions from Katherine Burns

Ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio, HRC is proud to support out athletes competing in the games. While many athletes continue to face discrimination in their sports, several have chosen to speak out proudly about who they are, both on and off the field of competition. According to sources, including Out Sports, there are at least 41 openly lesbian, gay and bisexual Olympians to watch in Rio:

Ari-Pekka Liukkonen, Finland, Swimming
Luikkonen holds the Finnish record for the 50 meter freestyle and attended the 2012 Olympics in London. He came out as gay before the Sochi Olympics in 2014 to help draw attention to the horrific conditions the LGBTQ community faces in Russia. “This has been a long, slow process for me, but now I’m there…[and] it’s a really great feeling that I can finally be myself,” Liukkonen told YLE.

Carl Hester, Great Britain, Equestrian
Rio will be Hester’s fifth Olympic Games. He has competed in the individual and group dressage events and took home the gold medal in 2012 for his team event. Hester is openly gay.

Caroline Seger, Sweden, Soccer
Seger is a midfielder for the Swedish national soccer team. She has represented Sweden in three World Cups as well as the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Seger came out in 2013.

Hedvig Lindahl, Sweden, Soccer
Lindahl has been awarded Sweden’s Goalkeeper of the Year award three times and represented Sweden in the 2015 World Cup. She married Sabine Willms in 2011. They have  a son together who was born in 2014.

Lisa Dahlkvist, Sweden, Soccer
Dahlkvist is a midfielder who played twice in the World Cup and in the 2012 Olympics in London. She and wife Jessica Danielsson welcomed their daughter Penny into the world in November.

Michelle Heyman, Australia, Soccer
Heyman is a striker for Canberra United, and Rio will be her first Olympic trip. She wrote a powerful piece about her coming out story, noting, “Being ‘out’ as a professional athlete was simple for myself. From the day I told my parents, I could be comfortable in my skin. I would never hide who I am, and I think that is what makes me so confident within myself.”

Nilla Fischer, Sweden, Soccer
Fischer plays center back for the Swedish national team and married her wife in 2013.

Robbie Manson, New Zealand, Rowing
Manson competed in the 2012 Olympics and won the bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships. He wrote a powerful essay on his journey and decision to come out for Out Sports.

Seimone Augustus, United States, Basketball
Augustus has been playing professional basketball since 2006 and currently plays for the Minnesota Lynx. She earned two Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. She married LaTaya Varner in Hawaii last year.

Tom Bosworth, Great Britain, Race Walking
Bosworth will be competing in his first Olympics this year in the 20 kilometer walk. He came out last year as gay.

Tom Daley, Great Britain, Diver
Daley won a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics in London. He is engaged to Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

Edward Gal, Netherlands, Equestrian
Gal won the Bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics for team dressage, as well as taking home numerous gold medals at the 2010 World Championship. He and teammate Hans Peter Minderhoud have been in a relationship for several years.

Maartje Paumen, Netherlands, Field Hockey
Paumen has been a member of the Dutch national field hockey team for many years, taking home two Olympic gold medals. Collectively, Paumen has scored 14 goals in both the Beijing and London Olympics, making her one of the top Olympic scorers. Paumen came out in 2009 following the European Championship.

Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel, Netherlands, Field Hockey
Van Den Heuvel scored two goals as a member of the Dutch national team during the 2012 Olympics and took home the gold medal.

Megan Rapinoe, United States, Soccer
Rapinoe is a midfielder who currently plays for the Seattle Reign FC. She has played in multiple World Cups and the 2012 Olympics, where she famously scored a “Goal Olympico,” a goal from a corner kick. Rapinoe came out just before the London games in 2012.

Mayssa Pessoa, Brazil, Handball
Pessoa competed in the 2012 Olympics. She came out as bisexual during the Olympic Games in London. She is engaged to Nikki Schumaker.

Hans Peter Minderhoud, Netherlands, Equestrian
Minderhound took home the silver medal in the 2008 Olympics for team dressage and also took home gold at the Kentucky World Championships in 2010. He dated fellow dressage competitor Edward Gal.

Nicola Adams, Great Britain, Boxing
Adams is currently the world flyweight champion, after defeating Thailand’s Peamwilai Laopeam in Kazakhstan. She will be defending her 2012 gold medal in this year’s Olympics. She is openly bisexual.

Larissa França, Brazil, Beach Volleyball
Franca won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and won two Pan American Game titles. She married Lili Maestrini in 2013.

Brittney Griner, United States Basketball
Griner currently plays center for the Phoenix Mercury and has been named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year twice. She came out in 2013.

Stephanie Labbé, Canada, Soccer
Labbé is the goalkeeper for the Canadian National Team as well as the Washington Spirit. She has represented Canada in two World Cups and numerous other matches.

Alexandra Lacrabère, France, Handball
Rio will be Lacrabère’s third Olympic Games. Lacrabère was on France’s national women’s handball team when they won the silver medal at the 2011 World Championships.  She came out before the London Olympics.

Ian Matos, Brazil, Diving
Matos participated in the 2011 Pan American Games and came in fourth. He also won a bronze medal in 2012 during a U.S. World Tour event. Matos came out as gay in 2014.

Angel McCoughtry, United States, Basketball
McCoughtry plays for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA. She holds two WNBA scoring titles and is engaged to Brande Elise.

Marie-Eve Nault, Canada, Soccer
Nault has represented Canada as a defender in two World Cups and the 2012 Olympics when Canada won the bronze medal. She has been playing soccer since she was seven-years-old.

Ashley Nee, United States, Kayaking
Nee won the bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. This will be her first Olympic Games. She suffered a shoulder injury before the 2008 Olympics and just missed qualification for the 2012 Olympics. Her wife, Ashley McEwan, convinced her to continue chasing her Olympic dreams.

Helen Richardson-Walsh, Great Britain, Field Hockey
Richardson-Walsh has competed as a midfielder in three Olympics and has been named to the International Hockey Federation World All Stars Team three times. She and wife Kate, who is also on the field hockey team, have been married since 2013 and will compete in Rio together.

Kate Richardson-Walsh, Great Britain, Field Hockey
Like her wife, Richardson-Walsh will be competing in her fourth Olympics. She has been captain of the team since 2003 and was Great Britain’s Hockey Athlete of the Year in 2007.

Melissa Tancredi, Canada, Soccer
Nicknamed “Tanc,” Tancredi plays striker for the Canadian national team. This will be her third Olympic competition for Canada. She spoke on CTV Vancouver about the Canadian Olympic Committee’s initiative to end LGBTQ discrimination in sports.

Susannah Townsend, Great Britain, Field Hockey
Townsend has been playing internationally since the 2008 Olympics. In 2014, she was named the Hockey Writers’ Club Women’s Player of the Year. She and girlfriend, Dirkie Chamberlain, played against each other in several competitions.

Jeffrey Wammes, Netherlands, Gymnastics
Wammes has been competing since 2005. He won the silver medal at the 2008 World Cup. This will be his first Olympics. He came out in 2011.

Spencer Wilton, Great Britain, Equestrian
Wilton won his first Dressage National Title in 1999. While he has won 13 national titles, Rio will be his first Olympics. He was previously in a relationship with fellow equestrian Edward Gal.

Katie Duncan, New Zealand, Soccer
Duncan has played in three World Cups and in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She married Priscilla Duncan in 2015.

Nadine Müller, Germany, Discus
Muller has been competing since she was a teenager. She earned the silver medal in the 2011 World Championship and the bronze medal in 2015. She also competed in the 2012 Olympics. She married her wife on New Year’s Eve in 2013.

Sunette Stella Viljoen, South Africa, Javelin
Viljoen came in fourth at the 2012 Olympics. She came out publicly in 2014.

Marieke van der Wal, Netherlands, Handball
Van der Wal is the goalkeeper for the Dutch national team. She participated in the 2011 World Championships in Brazil and will be returning to the country for the 2016 Olympics. She came out earlier this year.

Kelly Griffin, United States, Rugby
Griffin won bronze at the 2013 Rugby World Cup and the silver in the 2015 Pan American Games. She credits her wife for giving her a lot of support at home.

Mélanie Hénique, France, Swimming
Henique was the bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championship for the 50 meter butterfly event. Henique is openly lesbian.

Jillion Potter, United States, Rugby
Potter participated in the World Cup in 2014. After battling cancer, Potter focused on the 2016 Olympics. She credits her wife, Carol Fabrizio, for never losing hope.

Júlia Vasconcelos, Brazil, Taekwondo
Vasconcelos has participated in 20 international tournaments. She recently came out to Claudia Custodio on ESPN Brazil.

Elena Delle Donne, United States, Basketball
Donne is a three-time WNBA All-Star starter and was named the 2015 WNBA MVP. She currently plays for the Chicago Sky. She came out in the August issue of Vogue and is engaged to Amanda Clifton. 

www.hrc.org/blog/record-number-of-out-olympians-participate-in-2016-olympics?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Don't forget about Brazilian LGBT issues during Rio Olympics coverage

www.glaad.org/blog/dont-forget-about-brazilian-lgbt-issues-during-rio-olympics-coverage

Antigay Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp Won't Be Returning to Congress

But the Republican who defeated Tim Huelskamp isn’t exactly a progressive dream come true. 

www.advocate.com/election/2016/8/03/antigay-kansas-rep-tim-huelskamp-wont-be-returning-congress

Cailtyn, Gus Kenworthy Roll With Sultan of Brunei's Son

The two LGBT Olympic medalists attended a party for the son of the sultan of Brunei, who implemented Sharia law in his island nation and calls for the death penalty for gays. Kenworthy later expressed regret.

www.advocate.com/world/2016/8/03/cailtyn-gus-kenworthy-roll-sultan-bruneis-son

Hotels of Hate: the Sultan of Brunei's 10 Properties to Avoid

www.advocate.com/world/2016/8/03/hotels-hate-sultan-bruneis-10-properties-avoid