I slept better last night knowing that the U.S. nuclear codes were in the hands of someone not likely to make ego-driven decisions. I woke up refreshed thinking about the first vice president who is a woman, Black, and of South Asian descent. And I was delighted for LGBTQ families, who have a number of reasons to celebrate today.
The U.S. Supreme Court surprised many today with a landmark 6-3 ruling, written by Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, stating that people cannot be fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Yet last Friday, the Trump administration finalized a rule that says health care anti-discrimination protections don’t cover discrimination based on LGBTQ identities.
Aimee Stephens, whose civil rights lawsuit was the first case involving transgender civil rights to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, died yesterday from kidney disease.
Twelve-year-old Jak Guimbellot lives in Kansas with his two moms—and spoke out recently at a local city council meeting, urging them to pass an ordinance that bans anti-LGBTQ discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.
The “myth of gay affluence” has long haunted the queer community, even after much debunking. LGBTQ people are in fact more likely to be in poverty than non-LGBTQ ones. Now, a new study shows that LGBTQ people are also more likely to participate in public assistance programs—and are thus at particular risk when those programs are cut.
A month ago, many people would have predicted that marriage equality was coming soon. Not nearly as many would have guessed the imminent arrival of protections from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.
It was a big week in LGBTQ news at the White House—or a big week in federal news for the LGBTQ community, depending on how one looks at it.
I didn’t want to let the day pass without an acknowledgment of the historic signing by President Obama of an executive order to ban federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The order also added “gender identity” to an executive order of President Clinton that banned discrimination against federal employees on the basis of sexual orientation. Today’s order will directly benefit many LGBTQ people and their families — but it isn’t enough.
News from late last week that didn’t make it into that roundup: The U.S. Senate confirmed two gay men and a lesbian to high-ranking roles in the administration. Douglas Wilson will be assistant secretary of defense for public affairs. As a civilian, he is not subject to the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Cynthia
