Anti-gay Republican Voted Against Coronavirus Testing Bill Because It “Redefined Family”
The House of Representatives finally passed a coronavirus relief bill this past Monday night, but one Republican refused to vote for it because he said it “redefined family” by including sick leave to care for an unmarried partner’s children. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) was talking to the SPLC designated hate…
Ex-GOP Rep. Aaron Schock Comes Out As Gay, Fails To Apologize For Anti-LGBT Voting Record
Former Republican Rep. Aaron Schock (Ill.), who voted against the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and against expanding hate crimes legislation to include sexual orientation and gender identity, came out as gay in an Instagram post on Thursday, five years after resigning in disgrace over a scandal involving his…
Pete Buttigieg Supporter Attempts to Take Back Vote After Finding Out He’s Gay
“I don’t want anybody like that in the White House.” A woman who initially voted for Pete Buttigieg in the Iowa caucus asked to change her vote after learning that the presidential hopeful is gay. Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, came out to the public in 2015 and…
The Anti-LGBTQ Extremists of Evangelicals for Trump
The Evangelicals for Trump coalition, launched at an event Friday night in Miami, is pretty much a who’s who of anti-LGBTQ extremists from the Christian right. The group’s members have called being gay “filthy” and “immoral,” equated homosexuality with pedophilia and alcoholism, and blamed LGBTQ people for natural disasters, according…
Trump Omits LGBTQ People In World AIDS Day Proclamation For Third Year In A Row
President Trump has once again omitted any recognition of LGBTQ people as among the groups primarily affected by the epidemic in his proclamation Wednesday recognizing World AIDS Day. For the third year in a row, Trump omitted any recognition of LGBTQ people even as he touted his administration’s “unprecedented initiative”…
American Medical Association Backs Nationwide Conversion Therapy Ban
The leading medical group throws its weight behind ending the discredited practice of trying to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The American Medical Association on Tuesday voted to support state and federal efforts to ban gay conversion therapy, throwing the weight of America’s medical establishment behind ending the…
This is How The Trump Administration Has Been Quietly Erasing LGBT Issues
Researchers have revealed that under the Trump administration LGBT+ language, data, resource pages and anti-discrimination information has been disappearing from government websites. The research was conducted by the Sunlight Foundation’s Web Integrity Project (WIP) which says its “mission is to monitor changes to government websites, holding our government accountable by revealing shifts in…
Transgender Candidates Won Big in Elections Last Night
There’s more good news coming out of Tuesday’s special election. Six openly transgender candidates won their races, including four incumbents. That means that there are now 21 total out trans elected officials nationwide. Among the most prominent is Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, the first out trans person to win and serve…
7 Takeaways From the LGBTQ Presidential Forum
On a national stage, 10 Democratic presidential candidates answered questions exclusively about queer issues. In an ideal world, debate moderators would realize that roughly 10 million Americans identify as LGBTQ—and they would ask candidates important questions about issues like the transgender military ban or the Equality Act in front of a national audience. But instead,…
Trump Administration: It’s Legal to Fire Employees for Being Gay
The Trump administration has filed a legal brief arguing that it is legal for employers to discriminate based on sexual orientation. The Department of Justice filed an Supreme Court amicus brief on Friday (August 23), urging the justices to reject suggestions that federal discrimination laws protect gay people. The court is set…
Ricky Martin Reacts to Puerto Rico Governor’s Resignation: ‘We Did It’
‘We’ve rescued our island,’ the gay singer said. As the embattled governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, resigned, Ricky Martin praised protesters and celebrated the news. In a slow, softly-spoken Instagram video today (25 July), Martin, after over a week of protesting, described his relief over the governor’s stepping-down. This came after a winding journey…
Congresswoman Introduces Bill to Protect LGBTQ Rights Worldwide
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada Monday introduced a bill aimed at protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people worldwide. The Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality (GLOBE) Act would codify the State Department position of Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI…