Tuesday night was historic. Amid high turnout across Virginia, New Jersey, Washington, and elsewhere, voters elected a range of progressive candidates, many whose victories signify the first time queer and transgender people, communities of color, and religious minorities will be represented in office.
Here are a few of the next wave of diverse U.S. lawmakers.
Danica Roem, VirginiaManassas Park Democrat Danica Roem triumphed over one of Virginia’s most socially conserv...
lgbtq
Justice Department issues new ‘religious freedom’ memo that invites anti-LGBTQ discrimination
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued extensive guidance Friday morning regarding “Protections for Religious Liberty” throughout the federal government. The document scrupulously avoids mentioning the LGBTQ community by name but it is undeniably the latest in a string of actions targeting LGBTQ rights.
Among the 20 “key principles” in Sessions’ memo are several assurances that the government will not penalize religious organizations for their religious ...
Experts confirm gender identity is biological and say insurers should cover trans health needs
The Endocrine Society, an international organization of medical experts and biological researchers, has released a new set of guidelines for caring for transgender patients. Along with the guidelines, the organization has issued a position statement calling on federal and private insurers to cover the costs of all medical interventions a physician might prescribe for a transgender patient, including hormone replacement therapies and surgeries.
The updated guidelines and position sta...
McCain joins new legislative effort to overturn Trump’s trans military ban
It became clear Thursday that the Senate would not consider an amendment to the defense budget addressing President Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military, but lawmakers have not given up. On Friday, they introduced a separate bill addressing the ban, with new bipartisan support: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
The bill expands upon bipartisan support the amendment already enjoyed from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Susan Collins (R-ME), but...
The conservative quest to convince the Supreme Court that anti-gay discrimination is okay
Last week, conservatives from across the country chimed in to urge the Supreme Court to side with Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who refused to sell a wedding cake to a same-sex couple. While the top headline was that President Trump’s Department of Justice was siding with Phillips, amicus briefs were also submitted from 19 states, several major religious organizations, dozens of lawmakers, and a slew of conservative think takes, advocacy organizations, and legal groups.
In...
Coast Guard spends more to protect Trump at Mar-a-Lago than the military spends on trans health…
Coast Guard spends more to protect Trump at Mar-a-Lago than the military spends on trans health careTrump is on track to spend more money on travel in 2017 than Obama spent in eight years combined.President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Raleigh County Memorial Airport, in Beaver, W.Va., Monday, July 24, 2017, en route to the 2017 National Scout Jamboree in Glen Jean, W.Va.. CREDIT: AP Photo/C...
Trump announces he’s kicking thousands of transgender people out of the military
He made the announcement on Twitter.CREDIT: AP Photo/Tony Dejak
Without warning or explanation, President Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday morning that he is unilaterally reversing the military’s plan to allow transgender service:
body[data-twttr-rendered="true"] {background-color: transparent;}.twitter-tweet {margin: auto !important;}After consultation with my Generals and military experts,...
Chris Christie signs two pro-transgender bills into law
The new laws take New Jersey in the opposite direction Trump is taking the country.CREDIT: AP Photo/Matt Rourke
On Friday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) surprised many when he signed two different bills advancing transgender equality into law. While both are positive advancements for the state, they coincidentally mirror prominent ways the Trump administration is rolling back transgender rights.<...