The New York City Council voted on legislation that updates and strengthens the New York City Human Rights Law on July 26, which will protect domestic violence victims from housing discrimination.
Alaska Court Strikes Down Anti-Abortion Parental Notification Law
The Alaska Supreme Court struck down a law last week that required physicians to notify the guardians of teenage minors seeking an abortion 48 hours prior to performing the procedure.
Retaliation Gang Rape in India amid Widespread Sexual Violence
A 21-year-old student in India is recovering after she was abducted, drugged and raped by five men, two of whom are currently out on bail awaiting trial for gang raping the same woman in 2013.
Judge Creates Temporary Exception to Wisconsin’s Voter ID Law
A federal judge in Wisconsin issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday that allows voters lacking a state approved photo ID to vote via affidavit in the upcoming November elections.
Texas Voter ID Law Ruled Racially Discriminatory by Court of Appeals
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that Texas’ law requiring individuals to show a limited selection of government issued photo identification when they go to vote is racially discriminatory. Wednesday’s ruling marks a momentous victory in an already three-year-long court battle to challenge the strictest voter ID law in the […]
2016 International AIDS Conference Focuses on Access to Treatment
South Africa is hosting the 2016 International AIDS Conference this week, bringing together policy makers, healthcare professionals and persons living with HIV to evaluate the current state of the pandemic and plot a course for moving forward.
Pakistani Feminist Killed by Brother
A Pakistani celebrity, Qandeel Baloch, was violently strangled to death by her brother last week, in what he referred to as an “honor killing.”
Patsy Mink Gender Equity in Education Act Introduced in House and Senate
Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) has introduced the Patsy T. Mink Gender Equity in Education Act (GEEA) in the Senate; a companion bill by the same name was introduced in the House by Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY).
States Sue over Department of Education’s Transgender Equality Initiative
Ten more states sued the Obama Administration last week over a federal directive requiring schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity, joining the eleven states that had already filed suit in May.
House Majority Passes Yet Another Anti-Abortion Bill
The House on Wednesday voted 245-182 to pass the Conscience Protection Act of 2016, a bill which would restrict access to abortion by allowing healthcare workers and health insurance providers to refuse to cover abortion services.
Anti-Abortion Extremists Coming to Wichita Exposed
Anti-abortion extremists are coming to Wichita on Saturday for a week-long campaign hosted by Operation Save America.
House Holds Hearing on Anti-LGBTQ Bill despite Widespread Criticism
Exactly one month after the massacre at Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman claimed the lives of 49 people and wounded 53 others, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on a piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation known as the First Amendment Defense Act.
Pink Tax Repeal Act Introduced in House
On Monday, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), along with 24 cosponsors, introduced the Pink Tax Repeal Act in Congress to combat the unequal pricing of products based on gender.
Investing in Teenage Girls on World Population Day
The theme of this year’s World Population Day, a United Nations initiative to focus attention on the urgency of population issues, is “Investing in Teenage Girls.”
Lawsuit Targets Gender Discrimination in Workers’ Compensation
Three California women filed a class-action lawsuit on Wednesday accusing the state workers’ compensation system of explicit and unfair gender bias.
House to Hold Hearing on Anti-LGBTQ Bill One Month After Orlando Shooting
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing next week on a federal anti-LGBTQ bill, similar to the one that was just blocked by a federal judge in Mississippi. The hearing will take place on Tuesday morning, exactly one month after the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando that claimed the lives of 49 LGBTQ individuals and allies.
House Investigation of Abortion Providers Set to Exceed $1 Million
According to the House Administration Committee, the Select Investigative Panel scrutinizing abortion providers is requesting around $500,000 to continue its probe into the practices of the organizations. If approved, the total cost of the investigation will exceed one million dollars by the end of the year.
New Report Finds Doctors Who Sexually Abuse Patients Receive Little Punishment
The Atlantic Journal-Constitution released a year-long investigative report on Tuesday documenting the minimal punishments doctors who have been found guilty of sexual abuse receive.
Title X Threatened When It’s Needed to Combat Zika
The House Appropriations Committee introduced a draft of a funding proposal for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies that cuts all monetary support for Title X programs.
Protests Erupt Following Police Killings of Young Black Men
This week Philando Castile and Alton Sterling were the two most recent victims to die at the hands of police officers, bringing the number of black people killed by police so far in 2016 to at least 136 individuals.