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#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: August 12, 2016
RUBIO RAILS AGAINST MARRIAGE EQUALITY ON TWO MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF PULSE TRAGEDY: A day after Trump courted anti-LGBTQ activists in Orlando, Rubio took to the same stage this morning to rail against marriage equality. Rubio calls for people to “not judge” the LGBTQ community, yet he continues to support Kim Davis-style discrimination like the so-called “First Amendment Defense Act,” which would allow non-profit organizations and businesses contracting with the federal government to circumvent critical federal protections designed to protect LGBTQ families from harmful discrimination. Despite condoning a time where McCarthyism led to a witch-hunt against the LGBTQ community holding government jobs, Rubio consistently voted against the Employee Non-Discrimination act and vowed during his presidential campaign to reverse the executive order made by President Obama that bans anti-LGBTQ discrimination by government contractors. Read more on Trump and Rubio adding insult to injury in Orlando via TIME and The Huffington Post, and check out how, when it comes to opposing LGBTQ equality, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are two dangerous peas in a pod.
NEW CDC DATA REVEALS LGB TEENS FACE STARTLING RATES OF VIOLENCE: Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) teens are far more likely to experience violence and bullying, and attempt suicide, than their heterosexual peers, according to new national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data show just how deeply stigma and discrimination affect LGBTQ youth, how urgently they need their communities’ support and affirmation, and how far we have to go in protecting them. For the first time ever, the biannual Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) asked young people about their sexual orientation, allowing researchers to assess how being LGB affects teens’ risk of problems including depression, drug use and violence. The results are sobering. More from The New York Times.
- In Texas, one mother is standing up for her transgender daughter’s right to use school bathrooms consistent with her gender identity. “Please understand I’m not fighting about bathrooms, I’m fighting about her life, I’m fighting about her well-being, I’m fighting for her happiness, I’m fighting for her future,” said Kim Shappley. More from KXAN.
THIS DAY IN LGBTQ HISTORY: On August 11, 1981, a group of brave, early HIV and AIDS activists gathered in Larry Kramer’s living room and made history – founding Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the world’s first AIDS service organization. Read this piece in The Advocate by Kelsey Louie, the current CEO of GMHC, about the history of the movement and work that remains.
HRC ALABAMA’S EVA KENDRICK: ROY MOORE MUST GO: In the Montgomery Advertiser, HRC Alabama state manager Eva Kendrick, citing suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore’s unethical and anti-LGBTQ behavior and rhetoric, lays out why he must be permanently removed from the bench. “[Alabama] elected Roy Moore to be a Supreme Court justice, not a pastor,” she writes. Moore faces a second hearing on ethics charges next month. #NoMoore
HRC MOURNS THE LOSS OF ERYKAH TIJERINA: HRC is saddened to learn that Erykah Tijerina, a transgender woman, was found dead on Monday in her El Paso apartment. KFOX14 reports that police observed “obvious signs of foul play.” Tijerina was 36. She is at least the 16th transgender person murdered in the U.S. since January. Over 80 percent of those killed have been women and about 20 percent, including Tijerina, have been Latinx. More from HRC.
DOJ RELEASES REPORT DETAILING UNLAWFUL CONDUCT OF BALTIMORE PD: HRC is heartened to hear that the City of Baltimore recognizes the unlawful conduct by its Police Department as detailed in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) report, and is committed to reform. As DOJ and Baltimore work together to improve policing in Baltimore, HRC will continue to work with Congress and the Administration to push for criminal justice reform on the federal level. This week, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division released a report on its investigation of the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) that concludes there is “reasonable cause to believe that BPD engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution or federal law.” More from HRC.
HRC’S SARAH MCBRIDE ON MAKING HISTORY AT THE DNC: In an interview with Al Jazeera’s The Stream, HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride talks about her historic speech at this year’s Democratic National Convention, where she became the first openly transgender person to address a major party’s convention. Watch it here.
OPENLY TRANS ATHLETES ABSENT FROM OLYMPIC ROSTER: While there are many talented and successful transgender athletes around the globe, there are no openly transgender athletes competing in the Olympic Games in Rio. It was only earlier this year that the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decided to allow transgender athletes to compete without gender affirming surgery. Previously, transgender athletes were required to undergo surgery and wait two years after before competing. Though there are no openly transgender Olympians in Rio, Rolling Stone reports that there are two athletes competing at the Olympics who are transgender. More from HRC.
MASS. MANDATES INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR SIDE EFFECT OF HIV DRUGS: Massachusetts has become the first state to require that insurers cover treatment for HIV-associated lipodystrophy syndrome, an often debilitating side effect of some old HIV medications, which some insurance companies did not previously cover. The law was signed yesterday by Governor Charlie Baker. More from MassLive.
GEORGIA PREZ SAYS NO TO ANTI-LGBTQ REFERENDUM: Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has rejected an anti-LGBTQ organization’s proposal to hold a referendum on defining a marriage as a union between one man and one woman. More from Georgia Today.
READING RAINBOW
The Washington Post explores how one Jewish summer camp is finding new ways to welcome nonbinary campers; Gay Star News celebrates nine inspiring transgender teens; The Advocate details why transgender rights can’t wait; ThinkProgress explores why bisexual men fear coming out; Adweek unveils Grindr’s newest line of athletic wear to benefit LGBTQ athletes; The Charlotte Observer profiles a transgender student who earned one of the state’s most prestigious scholarships to attend UNC Chapel Hill; and The New York Times takes a look at what the Olympics say about the climate for LGBTQ people in China.
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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