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#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: August 23, 2016
MAT STAVER & NC GOV. PAT MCCRORY PRAISE DANGEROUS DECISION PUTTING 1000s OF SCHOOL CHILDREN AT RISK: Yesterday, a federal judge issued an injunction against guidance provided to school districts by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice regarding the civil rights of transgender students. In his latest harmful remarks, notoriously anti-LGBTQ Liberty Counsel Founder Mat Staver praised the decision while once again peddling the myth that transgender people are somehow a threat to public safety. NC Governor Pat McCrory also released a statement pronouncing himself “pleased” with the decision. Unsurprisingly Staver and McCrory — who signed into law the state’s discriminatory HB2 that targets transgender people — are aligning themselves with the same judge who also sought to block Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) rights for legally married same-sex couples despite the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision in United States v. Windsor (2013). The company you keep. More from Towleroad.
NO SURPRISE — MORE HATEFUL RHETORIC OUT OF A HATEFUL CAMPAIGN: Last week, reports emerged that Trump’s new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway had ties to the National Organization for Marriage, while new Trump CEO Steve Bannon has a history of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, including smearing transgender people. Now The AP reports more troubling rhetoric from rank and file Trump staff: “Donald Trump’s paid campaign staffers have declared on their personal social media that Muslims are unfit to be U.S. citizens, ridiculed Mexican accents, called for Secretary of State John Kerry to be hanged and stated their readiness for a possible civil war, according to a review by The Associated Press of their postings.” More on the ugly rhetoric from Team Trump here.
GO JUNEAU! LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE OVERWHELMINGLY PASSED: Late last night, the Juneau Assembly voted 8 to 1 to pass a non-discrimination ordinance covering employment, housing, and public accommodations. The measure prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, as well as race, color, age, religion, sex, familial status, disability or national origin. Juneau joins Anchorage and more than 100 cities nationwide and 19 states with similar protections. HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse said, “All Alaskans, including LGBTQ people, deserve to be able to live their lives and raise their families free from unjust and unfair discrimination. We are incredibly proud to have worked side-by-side with local advocates in Juneau to pass these crucially important non-discrimination protections into law.” More from HRC.
LESBIAN METHODIST MINISTER FORCED TO RESIGN: After bravely coming out to her congregation earlier this year, openly lesbian Methodist Minister Cynthia Meyer is resigning to avoid a church trial. The Methodist Church officially condemns homosexuality. Read more at The Huffington Post and get faith positions on LGBTQ issues here.
ALMOST HALF OF OUT OLYMPIANS MEDAL AT OLYMPICS: The Washington Blade reports that, of the 53 out Olympians competing in Rio, nearly half took home a medal in their event. More from OutSports.
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Out Olympian Tom Daley got a magical shout out on Twitter when “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling called out a homophobic tweet by a so-called “Christian” group targeting the British diver.
THE FIFTEEN MOST LGBTQ-FRIENDLY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: Just in time for college application season, Campus Pride has published its annual index of the most LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. Cornell, Rutgers, UCLA and Tufts lead the list. See them all here.
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Back to school tips: BuzzFeed polled members of the LGBTQ community about tips for LGBTQ high schoolers (get out your tissues). More here.
READING RAINBOW
Towleroad profiles Ellen Page’s LGBTQ advocacy on and off screen… The Times of Northwest Indiana reports on a new coalition in Indiana devoted to LGBTQ rights and reducing gun violence… Erasing 76 Crimes shares a podcast featuring three musicians fighting for LGBTQ rights in Africa… Houstonia Magazine interviews the first openly transgender candidate to win a primary in Texas… and The Advocate gives a brief LGBTQ history of Saturday Night Live…
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!
www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-august-23-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
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