LGBTQ advocacy groups on Tuesday condemned the U.S. Supreme Court for upholding the Trump administration’s policy that effectively bans the citizens of five Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
Lambda Legal Executive Director Rachel B. Tiven in a statement said the ruling is “as shameful as the internment of Japanese Americans and the doors slammed shut to Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany.”
The Brevard County School Board voted 3-2 to adopt a new non-discrimination policy at all Brevard County public schools that would include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity on July 19.
School board members Andy Ziegler, Amy Kneessy and Misty Belford voted to pass the non-discrimination measure, while members John Craig and Karen Henderson opposed adding in the protections.
RSVP to the training here: http://www.eqfl.org/brevard_training
Supporters of equality in Brevard County – the School Board will FINALLY vote on a fully-inclusive nondiscrimination policy for LGBTQ students and teachers, and we want you to attend the hearing to cheer them on!
Schools are for learning, and LGBTQ students should be safe, protected, and supported by their peers and their teachers. We’re so glad that the Brevard County School Board is taking up this important issue in the form of a nondiscrimination policy update for students AND faculty, demonstrating their commitment to equality for all.
The School Board will host public comment on the inclusive policy on Tuesday, July 19th, and we need YOU to show up to the meeting and share your support for equality.
Join us for a special training on Wednesday, July 6th to learn more about this policy change and learn the most effective way to share your story. We will start with a policy briefing, review non-discrimination messaging, and discuss best practices when testifying before the School Board in support of the LGBTQ inclusive policy.
We will provide all the materials and training – all we need is you!
Lexington, Ky. (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging a ban on letters, magazines and other mail sent to inmates at a Kentucky prison that contains material with gay-related content, news reports said.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Kentucky ACLU legal director William Sharp has written to the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex to object to a policy that prohibits prisoners from receiving items that “promote homosexuality.”
Viera – LGBT activists are getting prepared for another round before the Brevard County School Board following a setback Feb. 23.
“A group of us that have been attempting to update the nondiscrimination policy for the school board to include sexual orientation and gender identity for about a year and a half now were attending that meeting under the belief that it was a formal step that has to be taken, and that the board would, during that meeting, move the policy change along,” President of Space Coast Pride Lexi Wright says.
Pierre, S.D. (AP) – A House committee has approved a measure that would require public school students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their biological sex.
The panel sent the plan to the full chamber.
Orlando – The Orlando Police Department announced in a press release Nov. 6 that it will adopt new Transgender Persons procedures to ensure that all officers are in line with the agencies policy “to treat all people with dignity and respect.”
“Orlando is a city that embraces diversity and welcomes people of all ages, races, religions and sexual orientations,” OPD Media Relations stated in an email. “Mayor Buddy Dyer and Commissioner Patty Sheehan, in particular, have worked diligently to have an inclusive government that fosters diversity by establishing programs, ordinances and initiatives that benefit the LGBT community.”
WASHINGTON (AP) – Same-sex marriage opponents acknowledge they face a tough task in trying to persuade the Supreme Court to allow states to limit marriage to a man and a woman.
But they are urging the court to resist embracing what they see as a radical change in society’s view of what constitutes a marriage, especially without more information about how same-sex marriage affects children who are raised by two fathers or two mothers.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Students, parents and alumni of an Omaha Catholic high school have signed an online petition calling for the school to reverse its decision to fire a teacher over his same-sex relationship.
The change.org petition seeks to save the job of Matthew Eledge, an English teacher and Skutt Catholic High School’s speech team coach. His team recently won its fourth straight state championship.
DOWNEY, Calif. (AP) – A Southern California school district has settled a government claim that it discriminated against a transgender student who said she was forbidden to wear makeup, was harassed by other children and was encouraged to change schools, it was announced Oct. 14.
The Downey Unified School District agreed to give the teenager access to the same facilities and activities as other female students, including athletic tryouts and district-sponsored overnight events, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
SEATTLE (AP) – The bicyclist who died in a collision with a truck in downtown Seattle was identified as a well-respected attorney who was part of the American Civil Liberties Union legal team that successfully challenged the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gay service members.
The King County Medical Examiner’s office identified the bicyclist as Sher Kung, 31, who had been working for the firm Perkins Coie.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A group of parents and community members have appealed a decision by a Louisville high school to allow transgender students to use the restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their sexual identities.
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