2020 hopefuls gather for LGBT forum, but Biden has tense moment

By : Chris Johnson of the Washington Blade, courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association
September 23, 2019
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ABOVE: Former Vice President Joe Biden (Screen capture via YouTube)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa | Democratic presidential hopefuls came together Sept. 20 at an LGBT candidate forum to lay out their vision for LGBT rights, but the evening yielded to a tense moment when Joseph Biden was defensive on stage about blemishes on his record.

Lyz Lenz, a columnist with the Cedar Rapids Gazette brought up Biden’s past votes in the 1990s for the crime bill, a military spending bill that instituted “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage.

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Former Obama admin officials urge Supreme Court to uphold LGBT protections

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
July 8, 2019
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ABOVE: (L-R) Chai Feldblum, Arne Duncan and Mary Beth Maxwell. Washington Blade photos of Feldblum and Duncan by Michael Key, photo of Maxwell public domain.

A group of 36 former federal government officials who served during the Obama administration is calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold LGBT rights in pending litigation that will determine whether firing a worker for being LGBT is legal.

The 43-page brief points to decisions made during the Obama administration that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in the workplace, should be read to constitute workplace protections for LGBT people.

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Ros-Lehtinen talks retirement, slams Trump’s military trans ban

By : Michael K. Lavers OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
May 30, 2018
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ABOVE: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Letinen (R-Fla.) speaks with the Washington Blade at her office on Capitol Hill on May 21. Washington Blade photo by Michael Key.

Retiring U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) last week reiterated her criticism of President Trump over a host of issues that includes his effort to ban transgender people from the military.

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Marriage opponent wins first round of Costa Rica presidential election

By : Michael K. Lavers OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
February 7, 2018
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A vocal opponent of marriage rights for same-sex couples has won the first round of Costa Rica’s presidential election.

The New York Times reported Fabricio Alvarado of the National Restoration Party received nearly 25 percent of the vote on Sunday. Alvarado, a Pentecostal minister and singer who is a former journalist, will face off against Carlos Alvarado of the leftist Citizen’s Action Party in the second round that will take place on April 1.

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Sen. Gillibrand: Defeat Trump in 2020 to pass Equality Act

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
February 6, 2018
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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called Saturday night for the defeat of President Trump in Election 2020 and a change of Congress to enact long-sought after federal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people.

Gillibrand, a possible Democratic contender in 2020, made the remarks Saturday at the 2018 HRC Greater New York Gala, encouraging attendees to join efforts to make change in the mid-term election and the presidential election in 2020.

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Missouri Supreme Court to hear two cases on LGBT rights

By : wire report
January 25, 2018
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases on LGBT rights.

One case transferred Tuesday involves a transgender teen who wasn’t allowed to use the boy’s locker rooms and restrooms in his Blue Springs school. An appellate court upheld the dismissal of his case.

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Effects of ‘bathroom bill’ linger in North Carolina

By : Wire Report
July 24, 2017
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – The law that replaced North Carolina’s notorious “bathroom bill” sports a new look but maintains LGBT discrimination and prevents transgender people from using restrooms matching their gender identity, according to a lawsuit July 21.

The lawsuit renews a high-profile legal battle that has thrust North Carolina into the center of the national debate over LGBT rights. The state took the “bathroom bill” off the books in late March after a yearlong backlash that hurt North Carolina’s reputation and caused businesses and sports leagues to back out of lucrative events and projects.

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Samford University to forego funds from Baptist group after LGBT flap

By : Wire Report
July 11, 2017
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Samford University will refuse an anticipated $3 million annual budget allocation from the Alabama Baptist State Convention next year, university officials said.

The university’s Board of Trustees executive committee approved the decision July 7, after consultation with state convention leaders. The move is effective Jan. 1.

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Politicians, officials to launch global LGBT rights group

By : MICHAEL K. LAVERS of the Washington Blade, courtesy of the National Gay Media Association
June 30, 2017
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MADRID — The gay prime minister of Luxembourg is among the elected officials from around the world who have agreed to launch a new group that seeks to promote LGBT and intersex rights.

Xavier Bettel and more than three dozen others will take part in the LGBTQI (LGBT, queer and intersex) Elected and Appointed Officials Experts Group, which the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute and organizers of the WorldPride International Human Rights Conference will coordinate.

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First-ever UN LGBT rights watchdog seeks ‘open’ dialogue

By : Michael K. Lavers of the Washington Blade, courtesy of the National Gay Media Association
February 16, 2017
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The U.N.’s first-ever LGBT and intersex rights watchdog says one of his main objectives is “to open the dialogue” around issues that relate to sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I look at this process as an engaging process with all actors,” Vitit Muntarbhorn told the Washington Blade on Jan. 25 during a telephone interview from Geneva where he was holding a two-day series of consultations on LGBT and intersex issues at the U.N. Human Rights Council. “The door’s always open.”

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Partisan power struggle overshadows North Carolina governor

By : Wire Report
February 10, 2017
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)- Six weeks into North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s term, the Democrat and Republican-controlled legislature are locked in a partisan power struggle, leaving a cloud of uncertainty over state government.

Cooper won the latest battle Wednesday as a three-judge panel temporarily blocked a new law that required Senate confirmation for the governor’s Cabinet members, using a process similar to what the U.S. Senate does for the president’s Cabinet choices.

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North Carolina GOP eases into session before facing Democratic governor

By : Wire Report
January 27, 2017
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)- North Carolina Republican legislators handed out chairmen’s gavels and filed bills on Wednesday, easing into a new work year that is likely to feature clashes with the state’s Democratic governor, including over what to do with a controversial law limiting LGBT rights.

The General Assembly finished in less than an hour with no recorded votes in sessions held two weeks after lawmakers re-elected GOP House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger.

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