Tag: LGBT rights

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HUD Nominee Dr. Ben Carson: LGBTs Shouldn’t Get “Extra Rights”

Concerning, but not surprising language, from Housing and Urban Development Secretary nominee Dr. Ben Carson on the rights of LGBT people today during his confirmation hearing.

Dr. Ben Carson gets questions about LGBT Equality at his HUD Secretary Nomination Hearing by Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Via The Hill:

Trump Cabinet pick Ben Carson reiterated his belief Thursday that LGBT Americans don’t deserve “extra rights.” During Carson’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) pressed the Housing and Urban Development nominee about whether he would enforce LGBT protections in the public housing sector.

“Of course, I would enforce all the laws of the land,” Carson responded. “Of course, I think all Americans should be protected by the law.” “What I have said before is I don’t think anyone should get ‘extra rights,’” he added.

Carson’s remarks mirror those from his 2014 CPAC speech: “Of course gay people should have the same rights as everyone else, but they don’t get extra rights,” Carson said at the time. “They don’t get to redefine marriage.”

I have no idea what “extra rights” he’s talking about. Somehow he seems to conflate my right to marry my husband as an “extra right?”

I guess not surprising when you consider, as JoeMyGod reminds us, that this is the same guy who says prison makes people gay, and asking bakers to make a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding could result in poison in the cake.

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Mike Pence’s New Neighbors Fly Rainbow Flags In Peaceful Protest Of His Anti-LGBT Positions

Several of Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s neighbors in Washington, D.C. have begun flying rainbow flags in an effort to peacefully protest his now infamous anti-LGBT positions.

From CNN:

Until he moves into the Naval Observatory after taking office, the vice president-elect is renting a $6,000-a-month home in Chevy Chase, a swanky neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of the nation’s capital.

Some neighbors have put up rainbow flags since the Indiana governor moved in to protest what they call his anti-gay policy positions. The flag represents a symbol of pride in the LGBT community.

Roughly half-dozen pride flags are outside of homes on the block where Pence lives and neighbors say more are on the way.

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First Look: Gay Rights Miniseries WHEN WE RISE

Check out the first look at the highly-anticipated upcoming miniseries, When We Rise, written by Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black and executive produced by Gus Van Sant.

The eight-part gay rights miniseries seems timely considering the explosion of LGBT advancement over the last 8 years, plus the current turbulent political environment.

“It’s been the honor of my life to research and craft these stories of family, diversity and equality over the past three years,” Black said in a statement. “To have collaborators of this caliber sign on to help bring these stories to life is a tremendous vote of confidence, and I hope a testament to the relevancy and necessity of our continued march toward justice for all.”

The project is packed with a star-studded cast including Guy Pearce, David Hyde Pierce, Mary-Louise Parker, Charlie Carver, Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell.

When We Rise premieres February 2017 on ABC.

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Sen. Chuck Schumer: I Will Defend The Progress Made On LGBT Rights

Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer penned an open letter to The Advocates’ readers offering motivation to keep moving forward on LGBT issues even as the community finds itself reeling in the aftermath of the presidential election.

An excerpt:

Keep fighting; keep working; keep pushing for all LGBT Americans, all Muslim Americans, all Americans with disabilities, all Latino Americans, all African-Americans, all white-black-brown working-class Americans struggling to have a fair shot at the American dream. And keep in the back of your head the words preached by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

In the past decade, our country’s progress toward full equality for LGBT citizens leaped forward in ways that many of us never would have predicted just a short time ago. In the last 10 years alone, I went from being one of the first politicians to even walk in the New York City Pride Parade to watching marriage equality become the law of the land. Our country does change for the better, but not on its own. We worked hard for that progress, and we will expend every ounce of our ingenuity and effort to defend it.

I encourage you to read the full essay here.

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United Nations Votes To Create LGBT Rights Watchdog

Big step forward for LGBT rights today as the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution by a vote of 23 to 18 to create an LGBT rights “watchdog.”

From Buzzfeed:

The person appointed to this role will be known as an “independent expert” and the position is charged with monitoring “violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

This was the most ambitious effort yet to advance LGBT rights within the United Nations system, and the resolution included the strongest language to date suggesting LGBT rights should be a concern of international human rights law.

Not everyone was thrilled. See this from anti-LGBT group Family Watch International:

While we condemn violence against people based on sex or any other physical or mental characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity, this resolution goes way beyond seeking to end violence and unjust discrimination. The main objective of the resolution is to appoint a global LGBT “Czar” who will investigate alleged rights violations by governments and individuals against LGBT people.

Everyone knows that this is intended to be a tool to try to force such things as same-sex marriage, cross-gender bathroom use, LGBT “rights” indoctrination education, and much more upon countries around the world in the name of preventing discrimination and violence.

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Hillary Clinton Celebrates LGBT Pride, Looks To Future Progress

As gay Americans celebrate LGBT Pride AND the historic Supreme Court Obergefell ruling one year ago today which brought marriage equality to the entire nation, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton joins in celebrating the progress of the LGBT community, but also noted the work still to be done in the march for full equality.

Via press release:

“One year ago today, we celebrated a watershed moment for equality in America. Thanks to the bravery of LGBT Americans like Jim Obergefell and Edie Windsor, and the determination and tireless organizing of the LGBT community and their allies, marriage equality became the law of the land in all 50 states.

“Over the last year, more barriers to equality have fallen – including, finally, the last state law banning same-sex couples from adopting. Just this month, President Obama designated Stonewall as the first national monument commemorating LGBT history in America.

“We’ve also seen how much work is still unfinished. The attack in Orlando broke our hearts, and reminded us that LGBT people – particularly people of color – are still targets for harassment and violence. Discriminatory laws in states like North Carolina highlight the need for full federal equality under the law for LGBT Americans. And Donald Trump’s pledge to consider appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn marriage equality underscores the fact that so much of the progress we’ve made is at stake in November.

“But even when the road ahead seems daunting, never forget: on this day in history, love triumphed in the highest court in the land. Today, our march toward a more perfect union continues—toward equality, dignity, and justice for all.”

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Donald Trump: I’m Better For Gays Than Hillary

Clearly delusional, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump “thanked” the LGBT community for something, no one really knows.

He went on to say he would be better than Democrat Hillary Clinton for LGBT rights saying she would “threaten your freedoms and beliefs.”

All while filling his Twitter page with rainbow balloons…

Trump has said in the past that he opposes marriage equality and if elected president (oh my sides) would nominate SCOTUS justices who would overturn the Obergefell ruling.

He’s also flip-flopped on transgender rights saying at one point recently he supported trans rights then the next day saying “it should be left to the states.”

You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

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Today Marks 20th Anniversary Of Historic “Romer V. Evans” Ruling For LGBTs

Lambda Legal celebrates the 20th anniversary of historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Colorado’s Amendment 2, Romer v. Evans:

The infamous Amendment 2 prohibited the state and its political subdivisions from providing lesbians, gay men and bisexuals any legal protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It was a reaction to the efforts by several Colorado municipalities to enact anti-discrimination ordinances to protect their LGB residents.

[snip]

When decided, Romer v. Evans was the single most positive Supreme Court ruling in the history of the gay rights movement. The Court’s ruling made clear that lesbians, gay men and bisexuals have the same right to seek government protection against discrimination in the United States as any other group of people.

The decision also marked a new level of legal respect for LGBT people and rejected the notion that it is legitimate for the government to discriminate against gay people based on moral objections to homosexuality. It is a precedent whose influence can be traced through every momentous subsequent decision, and it informs our work today as we fight back against continuing efforts to enshrine discrimination. Indeed, faithful application of the controlling principles enunciated in Romer requires that the preemption provisions contained in North Carolina’s HB2 likewise be found unconstitutional.

Today, as we look at the challenges in front of us, we reflect on the 20 years of precedent at our back and take comfort. We’ve been here before, we handled it then, and we’re committed to continuing to protect LGBT people, now and in the future.

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President Obama Observes 2016 International Day Against Homophobia And Transphobia: “LGBT Rights Are Human Rights”

President Obama issued this statement today in observation of the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHOT).

Since 2004, the day represents an annual landmark to draw the attention of decision makers, the media, the public, opinion leaders and local authorities to the alarming situation faced by lesbian, gay, bisexuals, transgender and intersex people and all those who do not conform to majority sexual and gender norms.

On May 17, Americans and people around the world mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia by reaffirming the dignity and inherent worth of all people, regardless of who they love or their gender identity.

Our nation is committed to the principle that all people should be treated fairly and with respect. Advancing this goal has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and I am proud that my Administration has made advancing the human rights of LGBT individuals a specific focus of our engagement around the world. I am also proud of the great strides that our nation has made at home in recent years, including that we now have marriage equality as a result of last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision.

At the same time, there is much work to be done to combat homophobia and transphobia, both at home and abroad.‎ In too many places, LGBT individuals grow up forced to conceal or deny who they truly are for fear of persecution, discrimination, and violence. All nations and all communities can, and must, do better. Fortunately, human rights champions and good citizens around the world continue to strive towards this goal every day by lifting up the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights. The United States honors their work and will continue to support them in their struggle for human dignity.

The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

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Hillary Clinton: The Fight For LBGT Equality Is Not Over

It still catches me a bit off-guard that the LGBT community is not just “included” in campaign promises, we ARE campaign promises.

What’s quite remarkable about this spot is that it includes glimpses of same-sex couples actually kissing. Nothing rapturous, of course, but clearly displays of affection.

Some have doubted Hillary’s support for LGBTs, but I’ve instinctively accepted that she does and will continue to support our tribe.

Even just a few years ago, this would have been unthinkable to see from a presidential candidate.

Just, wow.

From the clip description:

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans deserve to live their lives free from discrimination. Hillary knows the fight for LGBT equality will not be finished until every American can not only marry, but also live, work, pray, learn, and raise a family free from discrimination.