Gavin Grimm Decision a Letdown, But the Sky's Not Falling Yet
Essentially, the Supreme Court has said “redo,” and trans people shouldn’t lose hope, writes Amanda Kerri.
www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/3/08/gavin-grimm-decision-letdown-skys-not-falling-yet
Getting PrEP on the Cheap
Even without insurance, getting the HIV prevention pill is possible.
100 Anti-LGBTQ Bills Introduced in 2017
As lawmakers continue to meet in state capitols around the country, HRC is tracking more than 100 anti-LGBTQ bills in 29 states.* The states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Here are a few states and pieces of legislation to keep a close eye on in the coming weeks:
Arkansas
Late last week, Arkansas lawmakers introduced a dangerous bill that would prohibit changes to a person’s gender marker on their birth certificate, a move that would disproportionately affect transgender Arkansans. HB 1894, would make an onerous process even more difficult for transgender Arkansans seeking to have their identification documents reflect their gender identity.
Kentucky
SB 17, a bill that would, among other things, allow student groups at colleges, universities, and high schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students, passed the House yesterday in an 81 to 8 vote. It passed through the Senate last month and now heads to Governor Matt Bevin for consideration.
North Carolina
After nearly a year of unprecedented economic suffering and discrimination, North Carolina’s House and Senate leaders have failed to undo the damage they inflicted on the state and fully repeal HB 2. A Republican-led proposal, HB 186 would once again single out LGBTQ people for discrimination. Here are a few things to know about HB 186:
South Dakota
Last Thursday, the blatantly anti-LGBTQ SB 149 passed the South Dakota House. It had already passed the Senate. The legislation now goes to Gov. Daugaard for consideration. If enacted, SB 149 would enshrine taxpayer-funded discrimination into state law by allowing state-funded adoption and foster care agencies to reject prospective LGBTQ adoptive or foster parents based on the agency’s purported religious beliefs.
Last year, Governor Daugaard vetoed HB 1008, legislation that attacked the rights of transgender children in public schools by attempting to force them to use restrooms and other facilities inconsistent with their gender identity. Daugaard said that meeting with transgender students in his state “put a human face” on the legislation’s potential effect, and helped him to see things “through their eyes.”
Tennessee
In Tennessee, SB 127, a bill that would allow contractors with state or local governments to discriminate against LGBTQ people, was referred to the Senate calendar and could be heard by the full Senate at any moment. Tomorrow, anti-transgender SB 771 will be heard in Senate Ed Committee tomorrow and another anti-trans bill, HB 888, will be heard in Senate Ed Subcommittee.
Texas
Today there is a public hearing on SB 6, which would overturn non-discrimination ordinances currently providing critical protections in several major Texas cities; further, it would force state agencies, municipalities, public schools and public universities to discriminate against transgender people. By making it illegal for transgender people in Texas to be afforded access to facilities consistent with their identity, it opens them up to increased discrimination and harassment as they simply live their everyday lives. It also exposes Texas to tremendous risk of the kind of financial, legal, and political blowback that North Carolina has continued to reckon with after the passage of HB2.
HRC is calling on our members and supporters to pledge to oppose any discriminatory legislation. Take action today.
*Note – HRC and other organizations use different criteria for labeling bills as anti-LGBTQ, therefore numbers may not align across organizations.
www.hrc.org/blog/100-anti-lgbtq-bills-introduced-in-2017?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Court Rules Against ACLU's Request for Kim Davis to Pay Legal Fees
The ACLU will have to cover the $233,058 bill for now.
www.advocate.com/politics/2017/3/07/court-rules-against-aclus-request-kim-davis-pay-legal-fees
Kentucky Governor Urged To Veto Bill Allowing Student Groups To Discriminate Against LGBT Students: VIDEO
Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin (above) has been urged to veto a bill that would allow student groups to discriminate against LGBT students.
SB 17 passed the Kentucky House 81-8 after passing through the Senate last month.
In a statement, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said:
SB 17 undermines inclusive “all comers” policies at public colleges, universities, and now high schools, by allowing student organizations to discriminate against students under the guise of religious freedom. Many public colleges and universities have long had “all-comers” policies that require that student organizations that receive financial and other support from the institute of higher education do not discriminate against students based on race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. These policies are important because they allow all members of the student body to participate in students groups and prevent such groups from discriminating against students with state funding. The Supreme Court upheld these all-comers policies as constitutional in the Christian Legal Society v. Martinez decision in 2010.
HRC’s Sarah Warbelow added that the bill would “allow, in part, student groups, at colleges, universities and high schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students and still receive public funding.”
@TheMichaelBusby Matt Bevin got elected because of the religious hatred for gay people (and women) he shared with Kim Davis. He used her.
— Dr. Vicki Hayes (@WonderfulwomanK) December 31, 2016
Calling on Bevin to veto the bill, Warbelow noted that “all students should have the opportunity to fully participate in school programs, and no public school should have a license to discriminate against LGBTQ students.”
Watch Samantha Bee rip Bevin below.
(Image via Wikipedia)
The post Kentucky Governor Urged To Veto Bill Allowing Student Groups To Discriminate Against LGBT Students: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.
HRC Joins 19 Coalition Partners in Calling Upon DHS to Halt Deportation of DREAMers
Today, HRC’s President Chad Griffin joined the leaders of 19 progressive organizations in calling upon U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly to halt the deportations of Daniela Vargas of Mississippi and Daniel Ramirez of Seattle, as well as any other DREAMers in his custody, and release them back to their families and communities.
LGBTQ people are as diverse as the fabric of this nation. Now, more than ever, we must stand together against hate, division, and fear. And HRC couldn’t be prouder to stand shoulder to shoulder with our coalition partners in support of the immigrant and undocumented communities. Because when you attack any one of us — you attack us all.
Read their letter below or upload it here.
The Honorable John F. Kelly
Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
March 7, 2017
Dear Secretary Kelly,
We, the undersigned, write to ask that you take action immediately to stop the deportation of all detained immigrant youth, particularly DACA recipients Daniela Vargas and Daniel Ramirez, who could be removed from the country they have called home since a young age, any day now.
We are deeply concerned about the cases of Daniela Vargas, Daniel Ramirez, Edwin Romero, and Josue Romero, four DACA recipients who have been arrested and detained by ICE officials. These enforcement actions appear at odds with President Trump’s assurances that individuals with DACA should not worry about deportation.1 We would like to hear from you directly whether or not the Department of Homeland Security plans to honor President Trump’s statements expressing his support for DACA recipients.
Within days of taking the presidential oath, President Trump promised DACA participants that they “shouldn’t be very worried” and that he was going to “take care of everybody.”2 On February 16, President Trump promised once again that his administration would show “great heart” with DACA children and acknowledged they were some “absolutely, incredible kids.”3 During your confirmation hearing, you stated you would “keep an open mind” with regards to children with DACA. Yet, the recent actions of the Department of Homeland Security indicate that the Department is targeting certain DACA individuals for enforcement.
Only six weeks into the Trump administration, ICE officers have detained at least four DACA recipients. On Wednesday, ICE agents detained Daniela Vargas who was in the process of renewing her DACA application. Even though her father and brother had recently been arrested by ICE officers, she was not afraid to speak out. At a recent press conference she said: “Today my father and brother await deportation, while I continue to fight this battle as a dreamer to help contribute to this country which I feel that is very much my country.” According to press reports, shortly after she made this brave statement, ICE officers took her into custody.4 And, because she entered the country as a young child with her family on the Visa Waiver Program, we are hearing reports that she is being processed for imminent deportation, without due process.
In Seattle, Washington, ICE officers detained Daniel Ramirez, a 23-year old DACA recipient and the father of a three-year-old US citizen.5 Just last week, Edwin Romero, another DACA recipient, was jailed for 15 hours and faced removal over unpaid traffic tickets.6 Josue Romero was detained in Texas before being ultimately released to his parents.7 These recent activities indicate an alarming pattern within the Department of Homeland Security, and have already created a chilling effect in immigrant communities. Taken together, these do not appear to be random actions, but rather they point to a shift in Department policy to target DACA recipients for enforcement actions.
Individuals with DACA contribute to the United States in powerful social and economic ways. They start businesses at twice the rate of the American public as a whole. They are economic consumers who purchase big-ticket items like their first homes and cars. Not only are they making the United States economically stronger, but they also work in large numbers in educational and health services, giving back to the country they love.8 Detaining these individuals not only runs counter to President Trump’s assurances, but these actions also make the economy weaker and waste valuable agency resources on individuals who present no danger to our community.
As Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, immigration enforcement falls under your purview and as a result, the decisions on immigration arrest, detention, and deportation lie with you. We respectfully ask that you immediately halt the deportations of Daniela Vargas, Daniel Ramirez, and any other Dreamers in your custody and release them back to their families and community.
Thank you very much for your time.
Sincerely,
Deepak Bhargava, President, Center for Community Change
Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO, PolicyLink
Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO, NAACP
Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club
Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force
Andrew Friedman, Co-Executive Director, Center for Popular Democracy
Lily Eskelsen García, President, National Education Association
Olivia Golden, Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Policy
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Chad Griffin, President, Human Rights Campaign
Mary Kay Henry, International President, Service Employees International Union Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director, National Immigration Law Center
Cristina Jimenez, Executive Director and Co-Founder, United We Dream
María Teresa Kumar, President and CEO, Voto Latino
Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
Janet Murguía, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza
Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union
Neera Tanden, President and CEO, Center for American Progress
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
John C. Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC
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