A vote by the Republican National Committee to leave the party’s 2016 party platform unchanged ahead of the November election has infuriated grass-roots activists — including moderates who wanted to streamline its message and social conservatives who sought added language on emerging hot-button topics.
The decision by the party’s executive panel Wednesday means the GOP will maintain positions in the four-year-old policy blueprint — including opposition to same-sex marriage and a nod to gay conversion therapy — and decline to stake out new positions on topics such as police reform, gender identity and third-trimester abortions.
Party officials and senior Trump campaign aides had previously discussed ways to pare down the 58-page document to a single note card or abbreviated list of principles, but the effort broke down after several conservative groups registered complaints with the White House.
At the link (read it) you’ll see that among the anti-LGBT groups that pressured the RNC to reuse the 2016 platform were the Eagle Forum and the Family Research Council.
The president of Poland Andrzej Duda has pledged to ban LGBT+ education in schools, as well as blocking the legalisation of same-sex marriage and adoption.
President Duda ramped up his homophobic rhetoric on Wednesday to jump-start his re-election campaign, which had been interrupted by to coronavirus.
In an apparent pitch to his conservative base, he signed a ‘family values’ declaration that vows to “protect children from LGBT+ ideology” and prohibit the teaching of LGBT+ inclusion by public institutions.
“Parents are responsible for the sexual education of their children,” Reutersreported him saying. “It is not possible for any institutions to interfere in the way parents raise their children.”
His proposals include the preservation of special benefit schemes for families and pensioners, alongside the promise that same-sex couples will never be allowed to marry or adopt children.
“It’s a foreign ideology. There is no consent for this phenomenon to happen in our country in any way,” he said.
Trzaskowski belongs to the main centre-right opposition Civic Platform (PO) party and has drawn criticism from religious conservatives for introducing LGBT-inclusive education in Warsaw schools.
Meanwhile, Duda is backed by the far-right nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which won last year’s parliamentary election with a campaign based on a staunch opposition to LGBT+ rights.
PiS is keen to secure Duda’s re-election as it would cement the party’s grip on power, allowing it to complete reforms to the judiciary that have been challenged by the European Union for violating standards on democracy and rule of law.
The party’s leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has previously claimed that “the affirmation of homosexuality will lead to the downfall of civilisation”, while other officials have compared homosexuality to “paedophilia, necrophilia and zoophilia”.
While the RNC preposterously claims Trump has taken “unprecedented steps to protect the LGBTQ community,” they just re-endorsed an unpopular platform that advocates overturning hard-fought LGBTQ+ rights.
The GOP’s 2020 platform “condemns” marriage equality, which has been legal across the United States for five years and is supported by two in three Americans.
GOP Platform: “Our laws and our government’s regulations should recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman … We do not accept the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage and we urge its reversal.”
Gallup: “U.S. Support for Same-Sex Marriage Matches Record High”
The GOP’s platform supports Trump’s efforts to legalize anti-LGBTQ discrimination.
GOP Platform: “That same provision of law is now being used by bureaucrats — and by the current President of the United States — to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories.”
Public Religion Research Institute: “72% of Americans favor laws that would protect LGBT people against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing, including 30% who strongly favor the policy.”
The GOP platform endorses Trump’s cruel and widely unpopular ban on transgender people serving openly in the military.
GOP Platform: “We reject the use of the military as a platform for social experimentation and will not accept or continue attempts to undermine military priorities and mission readiness.”
Gallup: “As President Donald Trump’s ban on most transgender military servicemembers continues to face legal challenges, 71% of Americans support allowing openly transgender men and women to serve in the military.”
The GOP platform endorses discrimination against LGBTQ parents, families, students, workers, individuals experiencing homelessness, and customers.
GOP Platform: “We endorse the First Amendment Defense Act, Republican legislation in the House and Senate which will bar government discrimination against individuals and businesses for acting on the belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.”
Public Religion Research Institute: “In 2019, a majority (56%) of Americans said they oppose allowing a small business owner in their state to refuse products or services to gay or lesbian people if providing them would violate their religious beliefs, including 25% who strongly oppose this policy.”
LA Pride has stepped away from its “All Black Lives Matter” protest, after organisers were revealed to have been working “collaboratively” with police.
LA Pride was cancelled almost two months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, but organisers announced last week that they intended to replace it with a Black Lives Matter march.
However the event was slammed by the LGBT+ community after an LA Pride organiser wrote a letter to police seeking permission and approval for the march.
In the letter, organisers requested a special event permit in order to hold its Black Lives Matter march, and said they looked forward to organising the event “collaboratively” with the LAPD.
Over the weekend, the organisation apologised for involving the police, writing on Instagram: “We realized that we did not first collaborate with enough key leaders and activists in the Black community that have been fighting on the frontlines.
“For that we offer our sincerest apologies.
“Furthermore, as we quickly mobilized this protest… in that haste, we overlooked the direct police involvement that permitting involves. We understand that clearly goes against the demands for systemic police reform.”
It added that “solidarity march scheduled for June 14 is currently being reevaluated” through discussions with with Black leaders and organisations.
On Monday, June 8, it announced that the “All Black Lives Matter” march would still go ahead, but LA Pride would “no longer be involved”.
The organisation wrote on Instagram: “We recognize systemic racism, implicit bias and privilege permeates this country, and this includes the history of our organization.
“We hope to see progress and start with change from within. With that, CSW/LA Pride will no longer be involved in organizing what will now be known as the All Black Lives Matter march… but we are in full support.
“We will be there and hope the LGBTQ+ community will as well.”
It clarified that there would now “be no police or city law officials involved in any capacity”, and that “this is a solidarity protest march and there will be no corporate participation”.
It is unclear whether the decision to step away from the march was made by LA Pride or by Black Lives Matter organisers.
Human rights campaigners have called on Saudi Arabia to release blogger Mohamad al-Bokari, who was detained after stating his support for LGBT+ rights.
According to Human Rights Watch, al-Bokari was arrested on April 8 after an online Q&A in which he said: “Everyone has rights and should be able to practice them freely, including gay people.”
Al-Bokari, who is from Yemen but has been living in Saudi Arabia since last year, is accused of “violating public order and morals” with “sexual references”, the rights monitor quotes a Riyadh police spokesperson as saying.
Police subjected Mohamad al-Bokari to forced anal exam, a homophobic form of torture.
Sources in contact with al-Bokari, inside the Riyadh prison where he is being held, have raised fears about the cruel and degrading treatment he has received.
HRW reports that he was subjected to a forced anal exam by police to determine whether he is gay – a practice which has no basis in science or medicine and is condemned internationally as a form of torture and sexual assault.
West Virginia elected its first-ever openly trans official on Tuesday, June 9, making history and “shattering the lavender ceiling”.
Rosemary Ketchum, a trans woman, was elected as councilwoman and won her bid for the third ward seat in Wheeling City, West Virginia.
When she assumes her role on July 1, she will become one of only 27 openly trans elected officials in the whole of the United States, and one of four out LGBT+ officials in her state.
According to The Intelligencer Wheeling News-Register, Ketchum said that although her gender identity was not a large part of her campaign and she thinks that “people had a lot more going on than thinking about a transgender candidate”, her election “matters a lot”.
She said: “I’m incredibly excited and grateful. I know this was a close race.
“I think it shows how much people care about the third ward… I’m excited to fulfil the promises I made and work for the third ward and and the entire city of Wheeling.”
Ketchum, an active community organiser who works at the National Alliance for Mental Illness, said on her campaign website: “From addiction to homelessness, I work every day to create real community-based solutions to some of our biggest problems.
“I believe that we must work WITH our community members to solve problems rather than without them or worse – against them.”
Mayor Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which backed Ketchum’s campaign, said in a statement: “Rosemary has shattered a lavender ceiling in West Virginia and will join the growing number of out trans elected officials serving nationwide.
“Trans people are severely underrepresented in elected office – with just 26 out trans officials anywhere in the country – so Rosemary’s victory will resonate well beyond her state.
“We know Rosemary’s race will inspire other trans people from conservative states to consider a run for office in their communities – and then those candidates will inspire others as well.
“That virtuous cycle is the key to building trans acceptance and political power long-term.”
You’re dining out for the first time since the shelter-in-place order went into effect. You walk in with your mask on and have your temperature taken. Then, you’re asked to sanitize your hands. Next, you’re told you’ll have to read the menu on your phone and your table is only reserved for 90 minutes. Finally, you’re asked to sign a liability waiver acknowledging the risks of contracting the coronavirus.
This may be the new normal for dining out. It could be the same for working out at the gym, going to the dentist or getting your haircut. While you might be used to signing a liability waiver for activities that carry some risk like skydiving or horseback riding, and you could have already signed one if you belong to a gym (which releases them from responsibility if you incur any injuries while on their premises), signing one before getting a haircut may feel a bit odd. We talked with legal experts to help you understand why they’re popping up everywhere and what you need to know if you sign one.
Businesses still have an obligation to protect their customers by following the rules of the state or county and putting sanitation measures in place, even if it requires customers to sign a liability waiver. “The liability waiver is a way to de-risk the situation, but this isn’t Captain America’s shield,” Bay Area contract attorney Jesse Birbach said. “You still have the obligation to protect your customers.”
Just because you sign a waiver, it doesn’t mean a business would be immune if there was a COVID-19 outbreak that could be traced back to one specific restaurant. If the customers can prove gross negligence, like the servers weren’t wearing masks and there was no hand sanitizer, for example, the waiver may not do much good if challenged in court. If the restaurant took all the necessary precautions and the document was specific and worded properly, they may be waived of liability.
Liability attorney Richard C. Bell said these are the ways such cases are typically judged, but there have yet to be any examples we can point to. “This is going to be very interesting because we’re in uncharted territory,” Bell said. “The courts have never ruled on this before.”
He said the wording in the waivers is extremely important, especially in California. The language used needs to be extremely specific about the virus and the circumstances, very easily understandable to anyone and have highly readable text (e.g. no small fonts).
Bell said it’s also important to remember that you as a customer have to do your own assessment of whether a business appears to be taking the necessary precautions for public health. “If someone wants you to sign a waiver, you should ask them everything they’re doing to protect your health and safety,” Bell said. “You have an absolute right to ask questions. Consumers forget that they have power.”
While the waivers might become common, Bell doesn’t think they’ll be absolutely everywhere you go and he doesn’t ultimately think there will be a lot of lawsuits brought against the average restaurant or gym. He said as of mid-May, there had only been 45 COVID-related personal injury or death cases filed and more than half of them were related to contraction on various cruise ships.
Birbach said especially because of the nature of the virus, with its long infection period and the high prevalence of asymptomatic cases, it’s going to be difficult to determine causation, the key in winning any liability case.
Still, large companies may be looking for an extra layer of protection as they reopen, especially those with deep pockets that may be advised by their lawyer to require one. Barry’s, a popular chain of class-based gyms with locations across the globe, recently sent out a waiver for all its customers to sign before returning to the gym, whenever that may be. When asked for more information, a spokesperson for the company told SFGATE, “We recently sent a digital waiver to our community which reinforces our commitment to provide a safe environment for our employees and clients to the very best of our ability.”
As with any liability waiver, Birbach said it’s important to read them carefully and fully before signing.
Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot has spoken out over a video of a police officer shouting an anti-gay slur at Black Lives Matter protesters in the city.
A clip emerged on social media last week of the unnamed officer, dressed in a Chicago Police Department uniform, snapping back at protesters after a projectile is thrown.
The officer, who does not appear to be injured, yells at the protesters: “B***h! Wait ’till I turn my back, you f**king faggot!”
An investigation is now underway after the incident was reported to Chicago Police.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot: Homophobic comments ‘demean the value of who we are as Chicagoans’.
“We will not tolerate profanity and homophobic comments that demean the badge, demean the honour of being a Chicago police officer, and demean the value of who we are as Chicagoans. We will not tolerate that.
“If you are one of those officers who choose to do those things, or to tape over their badges, or to turn off their body-worn cameras — all things that violate very clear directives of the Chicago Police Department — we will find you, we will identify you, and we will strip you of your police powers. Period.
“We are not going to tolerate this in our city.”
Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The mayor added: “If you believe a police officer has committed an act of misconduct, please call 311 to report it.”
Chicago Police Department says it is investigating ‘unacceptable’ behaviour.
The Chicago Police Department said in a statement: “A complaint of misconduct has been received regarding this incident, and we immediately opened an investigation, which is now underway.
“The Chicago Police Department strives to treat all individuals our officers encounter with respect. Any derogatory conduct is inexcusable and has no place in the Department.
“We do not tolerate this kind of behaviour, which is why we have opened an investigation into this incident and will take appropriate disciplinary action immediately as we work to identify the officer involved.
“Anyone who feels they have been mistreated by a CPD officer is encouraged to call 311 and file a complaint with COPA, who will investigate allegations of misconduct.”
Joe Biden on Monday announced the formation of his presidential campaign’s LGBTQ steering committee, Out for Biden, an initiative “aimed at turning out a record number of LGBTQ+ voters this November to elect Joe Biden.”
The committee has over 30 members, including most of Congress’ LGBTQ delegation: Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Reps. David Cicilline, D-R.I., Angie Craig, D-Minn., Sharice Davids, D-Kan., Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., Chris Pappas, D-N.H., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., are all members.
“Our campaign’s decision to launch Out for Biden in the shadow of historic protest elevates the power of the moment and encourages deep — and sometimes difficult — dialogue within our LGBTQ+ community as Pride month begins,” Reggie Greer, the Biden campaign’s LGBTQ+ Vote Director, said in a press release.
“LGBTQ+ people of color are central to the fabric of our communities,” Greer added. “We must elect a government that will center their voices and celebrate the contributions of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.”
There is significant electoral college potential for Biden in LGBTQ voters: There are an estimated 11 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender eligible voters dispersed throughout the country, and 9 million of them are registered to vote — disproportionately as Democrats — according to an estimate from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.
In the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote by millions but lost the electoral college due, in part, to slim defeats in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania that totaled fewer than 80,000 votes combined. According to state-level estimates by the Movement Advancement Project, Wisconsin has 171,000 LGBTQ adults, Michigan has 311,000 and Pennsylvania has 416,000 — all easily outstripping Clinton’s 2016 electoral college loss margins.
The Biden campaign said the Out for Biden committee members were chosen, in part, based on states the campaign hopes to contest in November’s election, providing a faint outline of the campaign’s view of the 2020 map: Members include those from Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kansas, Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Nevada.
Alphonso David, a member of the committee and the executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, said data shows LGBTQ people are a “growing and crucial voting bloc in elections across the country.”
“Our rights have long been on the ballot, compelling us to register to vote and participate in politics rather than let others speak for us and make decisions without us,” he said in a statement.
While there are an estimated 11 million estimated LGBTQ voters across the U.S., David said his organization’s research has found there are 57 million “equality voters” in the country: voters who prioritize pro-LGBTQ stances when selecting political candidates.
During this year’s Democratic presidential primaries — where roughly 10 percent of the electorate in many state contests identified as lesbian, gay bisexual or transgender — LGBTQ voters disproportionately supported Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., according to the NBC News exit poll. However, LGBTQ people have long been a reliable voting bloc for Democrats, and David said these voters will strongly back Biden.
In the 2018 midterm elections, 82 percent of LGBTQ people voted for their Democratic candidate for Congress, while just 17 percent voted for the Republican candidate. And in the 2016 presidential election, 78 percent of LGBTQ voters picked Clinton, while 14 percent chose Donald Trump.
June is LGBTQ Pride Month, and in the past 50 years, it has grown into a massive money-making machine with an estimated 1,500 Pride events globally. It’s become a month when big businesses can show their support for the community and their employees. It’s also an opportunity to win over the support of LGBTQ+ consumers by shelling out millions on Pride-related ads, sponsorships and merchandise.
In June 2019, New York hosted World Pride, which honored the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Those events maxed out the city’s hotel capacity in June, and while an official report has not been published on how much money the events made for businesses in the city, it’s estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
But due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, June 2020 is looking much different. Most Pride organizers have pivoted to virtual platforms. InterPride, the overseeing body for World Pride, is co-producing an international virtual event called Global Pride, which will hit each time zone with new content, performances and speeches made for and by the countries within that time zone.
This is a first for Pride organizers, so many weren’t exactly sure what a virtual Pride would look like, especially when discussing ads and sponsorships. Despite hardships, many big corporate donors are still thinking of creative ways to be involved.
But in the past decade, some members of the LGBTQ community are disturbed that many Pride events have focused too much on sponsorships and not enough on LGBTQ rights. Organizations like the Reclaim Pride Coalition are trying to make sure these corporations are really walking the walk for the LGBTQ community, not just using Pride as a marketing opportunity.
With all of the changes to this year’s lineup, many are left wondering how these virtual events will maintain their support of small LGBTQ+ owned businesses, such as restaurants, bars and brick-and-mortar stores, as well as LGBTQ+ focused nonprofits, many of which heavily rely on the revenue spike in June to keep their doors open and services running.
