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The Human Rights Campaign Explains Why We Need The Equality Act
Human Rights Campaign Celebrates 4th Of July
Las Vegas: 10th Annual Human Rights Campaign Gala On May 9th
Friendly reminder that the Las Vegas Chapter of the Human Rights Campaign will host it’s 10th Annual Gala at Aria Resort and Casino on May 9th.
This year’s event will honor Assemblyman James Healy with the Equality in the Community Award, and May Reyes will receive the Ally for Equality Award.
Also attending will be Chad Griffin, president of the HRC.
Click here for ticket information.
And click here to see what the HRC is doing here in Las Vegas for the LGBT community.
HRC’s Americans For Marriage Equality
Americans for Marriage Equality is a collaborative campaign effort led by the Human Rights Campaign to advance marriage equality nationwide.
Susan Sarandon, Tony Hawk, Rev. Al Sharpton, Anthony Boudain, Kristin Chenoweth, John Ridley, Michael Kenneth Williams and many more famous folks join in supporting same-sex marriage.
For more info, head over to the Human Rights Campaign.
Sen. Cory Booker Speaks from The Floor Of US Senate On The Story Of Jim Obergefell
Today, Senators Cory Booker and Sherrod Brown spoke on the floor of the US Senate sharing the story of SCOTUS plaintiff and longtime HRC Supporter Jim Obergefell.
“Jim and John’s story is moving, heartbreaking, inspiring, and unfortunately, all too common,” Sen. Booker said during his remarks on the Senate floor.
“Their story is about love conquering indifference and equality conquering inequality—but it is also about a larger question: whether our country will live up to the ideal of equality under the law it was founded under, or whether we will allow ourselves to be a land that denies some citizens fundamental rights while granting them to others, so, when we consider the rights of Jim Obergefell and John Arthur, we aren’t just talking about “gay rights.” We are talking about my rights. We are talking about your rights. We are talking about Constitutional rights. We are talking about human rights.”
Booker just rocks.
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| Sen. Sharron Brow, Jim Obergefell, HRC pres Chad Griffin and Sen. Cory Booker |
Over 100 CEOs Of Tech Industry Call For National LGBT Non-Discrimination Protections
The Human Rights Campaign reports that more than 100 technology industry leaders (and counting) have joined in an unprecedented statement to legislators calling for the addition of non-discrimination protections for LGBT people to civil rights laws.
Just a few of the companies represented include YouTube, Google, Uber Technologies, Intuit, Facebook, GoPro, Cisco, Pinterest, Pandora Media, Yahoo! and Logitech.
Here’s the language of the declaration:
The values of diversity, fairness and equality are central to our industry. These values fuel creativity and inspiration, and those in turn make the U.S. technology sector the most admired in the world today.
We believe it is critically important to speak out about proposed bills and existing laws that would put the rights of minorities at risk. The transparent and open economy of the future depends on it, and the values of this great nation are at stake.
Religious freedom, inclusion, and diversity can co-exist and everyone including LGBT people and people of faith should be protected under their states’ civil rights laws. No person should have to fear losing their job or be denied service or housing because of who they are or whom they love.
However, right now those values are being called into question in states across the country. In more than twenty states, legislatures are considering legislation that could empower individuals or businesses to discriminate against LGBT people by denying them service if it they felt it violated their religious beliefs.
To ensure no one faces discrimination and ensure everyone preserves their right to live out their faith, we call on all legislatures to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes to their civil rights laws and to explicitly forbid discrimination or denial of services to anyone.
Anything less will only serve to place barriers between people, create hurdles to creativity and inclusion, and smother the kind of open and transparent society that is necessary to create the jobs of the future. Discrimination is bad for business and that’s why we’ve taken the time to join this joint statement.
Read the full list of signees on the HRC website here.
Arkansas: Huge Rally For Changes To “Religious Freedom Restoration Act”
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| Chad Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign |
From the Associated Press:
Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol urging lawmakers to make changes to a religious-objection measure that has faced national backlash from businesses and gay-rights groups.
HRC Requests Phone And Email Records Of Alabama Judge Roy Moore
The Human Rights Campaign has filed an Alabama Open Records request for the email and phone records of Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in order to ascertain whether or not he used his official position to coordinate a plan with two anti-LGBT groups to stop same-sex marriage in the state.
Last week, the two anti-LGBT activist groups, API and ALCAP, filed an emergency petition to the Alabama Supreme Court, hoping to stop marriage equality across the state. On Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court voted 6-2 to take up the petition. Justice Moore did not vote. Responses to the petition were due at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
“We want to know whether Justice Moore inappropriately used the power of his office to direct legal strategy in a case before his own court,” said HRC Alabama State Director R. Ashley Jackson. “Judge Moore is no stranger to questionable legal ethics and Alabamians have the right to know whether their chief justice has acted inappropriately once again. We ask Justice Moore to come clean and voluntarily hand over these files.”
According to Alabama Open Records Law § 36-12-40 et seq., HRC Alabama has requested to publicly inspect Moore’s email communications containing the following terms: gay; lesbian; homosexual; marriage; or Granade. HRC Alabama has also requested the phone records from January 23, 2015 to present. The listed time frame begins from the day U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade struck down Alabama’s discriminatory ban on marriage.
Michael Sam Receives Upstander Award At 2015 HRC Time To THRIVE Conference
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| Michael Sam accepts the Upstander Award at the HRC Time To THRIVE Conference |
At the 2015 Time To THRIVE Conference in Portland, Oregon, out professional football player Michael Sam received the Upstander Award for his inspiration to LGBT youth around the world.
The conference promotes inclusion and well-being for LGBT youth.
Excerpts from his inspiring speech:
On growing up poor, with no family support emotionally:
“I grew up poor, I grew up afraid, I grew up alone. There was 8 members of my family. Out of 8 only 5 are still living. Two are currently in prison, the other two are working class Americans. I grew up afraid because the people I was supposed to love supposed to have my back, supposed to tell me that it’s ok I’m here for you – I didn’t have that. I grew up alone. The people who were supposed to be there for me weren’t. I looked to football and sports to be my sanctuary.”
On having no regrets on coming out before the NFL draft:
“I didn’t want to be ashamed of myself when I come home and I see Vito and look him in the face and lie to myself – and I was like ‘Vito I’m gay to you but only in closed doors but I’m not gay to the world’. I manned up and a couple days ago we celebrated my first anniversary of me being comfortable with who I am and I’m proud of myself. I have no regrets.”
Watch the full speech below.
HRC & Roberta Kaplan Launch “The People’s Brief”
The Human Rights Campaign joins with attorney Robbie Kaplan to launch an unprecedented “People’s Brief” to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kaplan, leading civil rights litigator who won a landmark Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Windsor striking down Section 3 of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, is the author and lead counsel on the brief.
The historic effort, joined by Edie Windsor as first signer, gives every American a chance to share their view on marriage equality with the Supreme Court.
Sign today at www.thepeoplesbrief.com
