Aimee Stephens was fired from RG and GR Harris Funeral Homes in 2013 for coming out as trans to her (now ex) boss, Thomas Rost. Rost testified in court documents that he fired Stephens because she “wanted to dress as a woman” which would be a “distraction not appropriate” for grieving families. Following her firing, […]
Protests Erupt in Indonesia Over Bills that Would Ban Extramarital Sex
In cities across Indonesia, protesters have gathered to speak out against a new set of proposed legislation that would ban extramarital sex. This would, in effect, ban any sort of same-sex activity since the country does not recognize same-sex marriage. Additionally, the bill would ban abortion except in cases of rape or incest. These measures […]
French Lawmakers Approve IVF for Single and Gay Women
France’s lower house of Parliament approved a controversial draft of a bioethics law Friday allowing single women and lesbian couples to use medically assisted reproduction methods, but it still needs to make it through France’s upper house. The bill, which would allow women who are not in heterosexual relationships or single to access IVF treatment […]
Megan Rapinoe Named FIFA’s Women’s Player of the Year
U.S. soccer player Megan Rapinoe was named FIFA’s Best Women’s Player in the World after the U.S. soccer team won the Women’s World Cup this summer. Rapinoe gave a moving speech after winning, asking other FIFA players to stand up and fight for social justice. She said she hopes to see “everybody outraged about equal […]
Shooting of Dallas Transgender Woman Being Investigated as a Hate Crime
Dallas police say a transgender woman was seriously wounded after being shot multiple times late Friday, and they are investigating the attack as a hate crime. On Sunday, police asked for help identifying the suspect and released pictures of his red four-door Chevrolet pickup truck. They said the unidentified man pulled up alongside the survivor, […]
Trump Administration Amends Rule to Weaken LGBTQ Employment Protections
Following a thread of Supreme Court decisions that protected business owners’ rights to discriminate on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, on August 15th, 2019 the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) — a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor — published a proposed rule that aims to expand the number of […]
Hawaii Establishes Third Non-Binary Gender Classification for State IDs
Governor Ige of Hawaii signed HB1165 into law, establishing a non-binary gender option on applications for state-issued IDs and driver’s licenses. The law, which will go into effect on July 1, 2020, allows applicants to select “F,” “M,” or “X” as their gender on government ID applications and does not require applicants to provide documentation […]
Man Shoots 10-month-old Baby after Mother Rejects him
In Fresno, California, a 10-month-old baby is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the head by a man after her mother rejected his unwanted sexual advances. The mother, Deziree Menagh, 18, was at a social gathering with her daughter when she met Marcos Echartea, 23, and he started to make advances towards her. […]
US Embassies fly Pride Flag Despite Denial from Trump Administration
Monday, Mike Pence came out in support of the Trump administration’s decision to repudiate U.S. embassies’ for flying the pride flag, making nationalist claims that only one flag can fly, after U.S Embassies in Vienna, India, and South Korea all flew the pride in celebration of the LGBTQ community, despite previous denial from Trump Administration, […]
Vatican Issues New Attacks on the Trans Community
This Monday, the Vatican released an attack on the LGBTQ+ community after they issued an official document from the Congregation for Catholic Education that rejected the idea of gender fluidity and gender identity, furthering the harmful and scientifically inaccurate understandings of gender. The document is intended to be used as guide for sex education for […]
Gay Civil Servant Wins Monumental Court Battle for LGBTQ Rights in Hong Kong
This week, Hong Kong Court of Final Appeals ruled that a gay official and his husband were permitted to spousal benefits and joint tax returns despite that same-sex marriage is still illegal in the city. Senior immigration officer, Angus Leung, sued the government in 2015 after the government refused to grant his husband spousal benefits. […]
Alabama Mayor Mark Chambers Post Violent Anti-LGBT Rhetoric Faces Calls for Resignation
This week, Hometown Action and Equality Alabama have started petitions calling for the resignation of Mark Chambers, Mayor of Carbon Hill, Alabama following his comments posted on June 4th on his personal Facebook page advocating for the “killing” of the LGBTQ community. This statement has caused backlash from his constituents and the LGBTQ Community. Chambers […]
Funeral for Muhlaysia Booker Held Today at the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas
Hundreds are expected to gather today for the funeral of Muhlaysia Booker, a 23-year-old transgender woman, who was brutally assaulted in a hate crime in April and murdered ten days ago. The funeral is being held at the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas at 11 a.m. today. A month after the April assault on Booker, […]
Supreme Court Will Hear Cases on LGBTQ+ Rights in the Workplace
The Supreme Court announced yesterday that they have agreed to hear a group of high profile cases regarding the rights of gay and transgender individuals in the workplace. These cases are aimed to determine if existing federal laws banning sex-based discrimination applies to cases of sexual orientation or gender identity. In particular, the case will […]
“Empire” Star Jussie Smollett Attacked in ‘Possible’ Hate Crime
Jussie Smollett, a black and openly gay actor, released a statement this morning after he was attacked while walking down the street in Chicago by two masked assailants that allegedly yelled racist and homophobic slurs while pouring a chemical substance, believed to be bleach, on him and tying a noose around his neck; this was […]
New Jersey Providing Gender Neutral Option on Birth Certificates
Starting tomorrow, a New Jersey law, named after New Jersey resident Babs Siperstein who was the first transgender woman to join the Democratic National Committee, goes into effect, providing a gender neutral option on birth certificates. Previously, New Jersey law only allowed a person to change the gender on their birth certificate if they had […]
Trump Defies Science to Attack Transgender Americans
The Center for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that nearly 2% of all high schoolers identify as transgender; this report also confirms that transgender students need to be protected in and out of school. In school, transgender students are more likely to be victims of bullying, whether in person or online. They […]
Japan’s Supreme Court Upholds Law Requiring Sterilization to Legally Change Gender
The Japanese Supreme Court unanimously upheld Law 111, which requires transgender people looking to officially change their gender to undergo sterilization by removing their original reproductive organs, causing human rights and LGBT activists to immediately denounce the ruling. The Supreme Court denied Takakito Usui, a transgender man, an appeal against the 2004 law, citing that […]
LGBTQ Migrants are the First to Reach US Border
This week LGBTQ members from the migrant caravan were the first to reach the U.S. border in Tijuana, Mexico. LGBTQ members arrived at the border before the rest of the caravan because they were escaping discrimination and harassment from within the caravan itself as well as the dangers members faced traveling through Mexico. While fleeing […]
Election Night 2018 Historic for LGBTQ+ Candidates
A week after the midterm election, Kyrsten Sinema was declared the winner of the Arizona Senate election, making her the first openly bisexual person elected to Congress and Arizona’s first female Senator. After Tuesday’s election, the total number of LGBTQ+ members of Congress is now eleven, the first time that the number has reached double […]