National

In an interview today with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Sen. Marco Rubio said that the Supreme Court’s rulings on marriage equality and abortion rights in the Obergefell and Roe decisions, respectively, are “not settled law.” The Republican presidential candidate said that states should “do everything possible within the constraints that its placed upon us” to curtail abortion rights, before insisting that government officials “ignore” Supreme Court rulings if they believe they conflict with “God’s rules.” “We are clearly called, in the Bible, to adhere to our civil authorities, but that conflicts with also a requirement to adhere […]

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) filed a formal complaint with the IRS against the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) for violating federal law by refusing to disclose their 2014 Form 990s. Following their November 16 deadline, NOM is required by law to provide a copy of the organization’s Form 990s for the previous fiscal year on the same day any in-person request is made.  For the third year in a row, HRC has made such a request at NOM offices and the organization has failed to comply, prompting HRC to file a complaint with the IRS in order to compel the […]

In response to last week’s vote in favor of HR 4038, the so-called American Security against Foreign Enemies Act, by members of California’s congressional delegation and openly LGBT congressmembers, Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur issued the following statement: “Last week’s vote was a victory for ignorance and fear.  We are deeply disappointed that the list of ‘ayes’ included members of California’s congressional delegation, including members who have been champions of LGBT civil rights, and several LGBT members of Congress outside of California. Among the millions of Syrians fleeing their country in fear for their lives are thousands of LGBT […]

On Monday, November 23, the White House will recognize nine individuals from across the country as “White House LGBT Artists Champions of Change.” These individuals were selected by the White House for their artistry in advocating for the LGBT community. The program will feature remarks by Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett and Secretary for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, and screenings of the show Transparent from Amazon Studios and the Focus Features film The Danish Girl. The event also marks an important day in the LGBT community, Transgender Day of Remembrance, observed […]

  Today, the FBI released Hate Crime Statistics, 2014, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s latest compilation about bias-motivated incidents throughout the nation. Submitted by 15,494 law enforcement agencies, the data provide information about the offenses, victims, offenders, and locations of hate crimes; however, the UCR Program does not estimate offenses for the jurisdictions of agencies that do not submit reports. Highlights of Hate Crime Statistics, 2014 follow. Law enforcement agencies submitted incident reports involving 5,479 criminal incidents and 6,418 offenses as being motivated by bias toward race, gender, gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and ethnicity in 2014. The […]

  The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus has announced the creation of the new Transgender Equality Task Force, to be chaired by Rep. Mike Honda (D-Silicon Valley). “To this day, transgender people face formidable barriers in employment, housing, health, education, and other areas. And to end the ongoing violence and discrimination transgender people experience, we need everyone’s help and support,” said Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, Trans/Gender Non-Confirming Justice Project Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund who attended today’s press conference that launched the task force. “We’re elated to see the formation of the Congressional Transgender Equality Task Force. We thank the LGBTQ […]

Friday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and the Trans People of Color Coalition (TPOCC) released a comprehensive report on the epidemic of violence against transgender people – particularly transgender women of color. The report comes ahead of the first-ever Congressional forum set for next Tuesday on the scourge of violence against transgender people. The joint report, Addressing Anti-Transgender Violence: Exploring Realities, Challenges and Solutions for Policymakers and Community Advocates, comes in a year when at least 21 transgender people have been killed — the most reported since 2006 when advocates began working to track reported homicides of transgender people […]

  This Sunday, ahead of the anti-LGBT World Congress of Families (WCF) conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, HRC will place a two-page ad in The Salt Lake Tribune, standing in support of all families and against hate, writes Hayley Miller on the HRC Blog. “As the harmful and divisive World Congress of Families descends upon Salt Lake City, we stand in support of all families,” the ad reads. “ Hate is not an American value, it has no place in Salt Lake City. We fundamentally reject the World Congress of Families and its destructive agenda.” The ad features the […]