#AM_Equality Tipsheet: June 25, 2018
SHOCKING — THIRD TRANSGENDER WOMAN KILLED THIS YEAR IN JACKSONVILLE (FLA.): Police are investigating the shooting death Sunday of a transgender woman in her 20s — the third trans woman killed and the fourth shot this year in the Florida city. The victim has not yet been identified. Reports indicate that shooting occurred at the Quality Inn in the Baymeadows area of the Southside. HRC joins local activists in calling on police to aggressively investigate these horrifying attacks and bring the killers to justice. Antash’a English and Celine Walker, both Black transgender women, were also killed in Jacksonville this year. This latest is the 13th murder of a transgender or nonbinary person in the U.S. this year — most of the victims were trans women of color who died by gunshot. Watch the report from First Coast News.
HRC RESPONDS TO SCOTUS’ DECISION SENDING ARLENE’S FLOWERS CASE BACK TO LOWER COURT: “The Supreme Court has simply asked the lower court to take another look at this case in light of their recent decision in Masterpiece, but they did not indicate there was anything wrong with the ruling,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “In Masterpiece, the Supreme Court found that the state of Colorado’s enforcement of its civil rights law was flawed due to perceived bias in the process, however, there is no indication that there were flaws in the application of civil rights law in Arlene’s Flowers. We view this decision as encouraging news that justice will prevail and the Washington State Supreme Court will again uphold the state’s non-discrimination laws ensuring LGBTQ people cannot be turned away from a business open to the public.” In the case, filed by the ACLU, the Washington State Supreme Court had found that Arlene’s Flowers clearly violated the state’s non-discrimination law when refusing to provide floral arrangements to a same-sex couple because of the owner’s personal religious beliefs. More from HRC.
OVER WEEKEND, ADVOCATES AND MEDIA CALL OUT HYPOCRISY OF TRUMP-PENCE ADMINISTRATION OVER RED HEN INCIDENT : Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Administration’s chief spokesperson, took to her official Twitter account complaining that she was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant by staff who cited her complicity in the Administration’s dangerous agenda. Critics called out Sanders’ hypocrisy, as Trump, Pence, and their appointees have spent the last two years advancing ‘license to discriminate’ policies targeting LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities. Sarah Sanders has been a vocal proponent of such discriminatory measures. One hopes Sanders’ experience this past weekend might open this administration’s eyes to the injustice of their efforts to license discrimination of any sort — and to the indignities LGBTQ people and others face daily in the absence of comprehensive federal civil rights protections.
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD DISTRICT AFFIRMS THAT TRANS STUDENTS ACCESSING FACILITIES ALIGNED WITH THEIR GENDER IDENTITY DOES NOT VIOLATE CONSTITUTION OR TITLE IX: The court rejected arguments by anti-equality activists who sued the Boyertown Area School District, claiming their trans-inclusive policies violated other student’s “right to privacy.” More from National Law Review and Slate.
MUST WATCH MONDAY — “HERE I AM”: QUEER CHINESE ARTIST COMES OUT TO HER PARENTS VIA THE INTERNET: Mengwen Cao, a New York-based photographer, created a powerful video to show her parents while coming out as queer. She recorded her parents’ reaction and shared it with The New York Times.
SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN (D-WI) DRINKS WISCONSIN BEER WITH SETH MEYERS, TALKS ABOUT FIGHTING FOR THE PEOPLE OF HER STATE: HRC-endorsed Senator Baldwin is the first openly gay U.S. senator, the first woman elected to the chamber from Wisconsin and a champion for LGBTQ equality. Watch here.
MUST-READ FROM HRC’S CHARLOTTE CLYMER (@CMCLYMER) ON BEING HARASSED FOR USING THE WOMEN’S RESTROOM AT A DC RESTAURANT, AND THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS FOR LGBTQ PEOPLE: Read Charlotte’s full thread here.
I could not have asked for a more professional and affirming experience from @DCPoliceDept. The responding officers–all cisgender men–were patient and kind in their communication, assured me I was right on the law, and radioed for their LGBTQ liaison unit to respond.
— Charlotte Clymer��️�� (@cmclymer) June 23, 2018
HRC MOURNS LGBTQ RIGHTS ACTIVIST DICK LEITSCH: Leitsch helped organize “sip-ins” to protest New York City bars that refused to serve LGBTQ people. More from Advocate.
ESPN’S ‘THE BODY’ ISSUE FEATURES LGBTQ ATHLETES: WNBA point guard Sue Bird (@S10Bird), USWNT forward Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) and Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon (@Adaripp) will appear in the upcoming issue. More from ESPN.
ARRESTS MADE IN SUSPECTED LAS VEGAS HATE CRIME: Five men were arrested after up to 12 people who were yelling gay slurs attacked a gay man. The victim was hospitalized. More from Las Vegas Sun.
GAY MEN’S CHORUS EVENT IN LOS ANGELES CANCELLED AFTER BOMB THREAT CLEARS CONCERT HALL: More from KTLA.
BI THE WAY — BISEXUAL+ PEOPLE MAKE UP MAJORITY OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY: Yet, bisexual+ people still face stigma in LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ spaces, leading to bi+ people being less likely to be out, and experiencing increased health problems and struggles with mental health. More from Bustle.
PRIDE MONTH ROUNDUP
MORNING MUST READ — “MONTGOMERY (ALA.) PRIDE: ‘WE’RE HERE, AND WE’RE HERE TO STAY’” Said Montgomery Pride United Vice President Daniel Johnson: “We’re growing. We understand that everyone is at their own different walk in life. Their own comfort level. Just know that even though Montgomery may be evolving, there may be some areas that are a little slower coming than others. But we are here for you. There’s a place for you and we accept you.” More from the Montgomery Advertiser.
- The New York Times publishes an amazing, moving Pride 2018 special section, Divided Together, including stories on the people behind Starkville, Mississippi’s first Pride parade and the global fight for equality. Read it at NYT.
- Gay Apple CEO Tim Cook marched in San Francisco’s Pride Parade this weekend. More from Apple Insider.
- HRC was on the ground as Prides across the country this weekend, including New York City, St. Louis, Montgomery, San Francisco and Cincinnati.
.@HRC is celebrating #Pride2018 this weekend at #NYCPride! Join us and thousands more here in The Big Apple and across the country as we celebrate and protect #LGBTQ progress! ❤️���������� pic.twitter.com/kzFeKGOt0S
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) June 24, 2018
GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS
CZECH GOVERNMENT LENDS SUPPORT TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL: The bill would need a simple majority in both houses of the legislature and the president’s approval to become law. More from Reuters.
ARREST MADE IN MURDER OF MEXICAN LGBTQ ACTIVISTS: Mexican authorities detained a person allegedly involved in the murder of three LGBTQ rights activists, who were found dead on June 17 in the state of Guerrero. More from Segundo Enfoque.
ARRESTAN A IMPLICADO EN ASESINATO DE ACTIVISTAS LGBTQ MEXICANOS: Las autoridades mexicanas detuvieron a un sujeto que presuntamente participó en el asesinato de tres activistas de derechos LGBTQ, a quienes encontraron muertos el pasado domingo 17 de junio en el estado de Guerrero. Más de SegundoEnfoque.
NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS CHALLENGES FACED BY LGBTQ WORKERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM: More from HR Drive.
READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
The New York Times looks at the ways travel companies are offering experiences specific to LGBTQ customers; GQ interviews bisexual actress Stephanie Beatriz (@iamstephbeatz); Bloomberg examines LGBTQ equality in Chile; The Associated Press reviews an exhibit by Latinx LGBTQ artists; Pink News talks to gay South Korean pop star Holland; GQ reviews vacation spots for LGBTQ travelers; The New York Times asks LGBTQ couples about the first time they held hands in public; Donna Minkowitz (@Minkowitz) apologizes in The Village Voice for her reporting on Brandon Teena’s murder; St. Louis Post-Dispatch sits down with trans actress Angelica Ross, grand marshal of the local Pride Parade; MLB marches in NYC Pride (and check out the comments for some grand-slam clapbacks)
#Pride2018 pic.twitter.com/3cSwsNvq02
— MLB (@MLB) June 24, 2018
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