Alabama just made it much harder for LGBT parents to adopt children from certain adoption agencies. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 24, titled the Alabama Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act, which “prohibit[s] the state from refusing to license or renew the license of a child placing agency on…
Tag: Gay
Bill Seeks to Ban Harmful Conversion Therapy Nationwide
A bill introduced in Congress this week would ban the harmful, widely discredited practice known as “conversion therapy” across the country. The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 calls conversion therapy “an unfair or deceptive practice” that has been largely rejected by “professionals in education, social work, health, mental health…
Republicans Urge Trump to Enact Discriminatory Executive Order
House and Senate Republicans are calling on President Donald Trump to sign a “religious freedom” executive order that was leaked last month but has not yet been put into effect. The proposed order, “Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom,” would legalize discrimination based on religious beliefs “without suffering…
Are Gay People Next LGBT Groups Suspicious of Trump Administration
President Donald Trump has “set a low bar” for equal rights in the LGBT community, according to activists. Over the weekend, rumors circulated that the White House planned to reverse former President Barack Obama’s order that provided some protections for LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace, The New York…
LGBT Abuse Victims Face Discrimination When Disclosing Abuse: Report
LGBT and HIV-positive victims of domestic violence frequently face barriers and discrimination when they try to report their abuse, a new report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), found. The report, “National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs LGBTQ and HIVAffected Intimate Partner Violence in 2015,” analyzed 1,967 incident reports…
Hypocrisy Reigns in Orlando Aftermath
The same people who have expended tremendous energy and taxpayer dollars to deny the rights of LGBT people and who have refused to block gun sales to suspected terrorists and people convicted of hate crimes this week went out of their way to express their condolences to the victims of…
Orlando Shooter ‘Not Open About Being Gay’ Said Police Academy Classmate
By Sheryl Estrada Omar Mateen, who officials say shot and killed 49 people and injured 53 others on Sunday morning at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, was himself gay, according to a former classmate. The Palm Beach Post reported Tuesday a former classmate who attended Indian River State College…
'Are You the Husband or the Wife' 6 Things NOT to Say to LGBT People
Left: Jean-Marie Navetta; Right: Doug Case The growing acceptance of same-gender marriage and diversity in sexual orientation in recent years has shifted mindsets and removed a lot of blatant discrimination toward LGBTs from workplaces, says Jean-Marie Navetta, director of equality & diversity partnerships at PFLAG National, a nonprofit grassroots organization…
Tennessee Law Lets Therapists Turn Down LGBT Clients
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) signed a bill on Wednesday that makes it legal for therapists and counselors to turn down LGBT clients based on “sincerely held principles.” Per the bill, therapists are not permitted to refuse clients who are an imminent danger to themselves or others, and therapists must…
EEOC Files First-Ever Sexual Orientation Discrimination Lawsuits
In a historic move, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed its first two lawsuits for discrimination based on an employee’s sexual orientation. In most states, it is still legal for employers to fire workers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity; according to the Human Rights Campaign…