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LGBTQ Rights

Protest Against Trump’s Transgender Military Service Ban

July 28, 2017 Hayley Miller, www.huffingtonpost.com , , , , , ,
By Hayley Miller for The Huffington Post - New Yorkers came out in droves Wednesday to protest President Donald Trump’s seemingly sudden decision to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. Hundreds rallied in front of the U.S. Army Career Center in Times Square as trans activists and allies blasted the president’s discriminatory policy proposal, which he announced in a series of tweets early Wednesday morning. Tanya Walker, a trans woman and U.S. Army veteran, said she was “appalled” by Trump’s tweets, and led the crowd in chanting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” ″It is our duty to fight,” Walker told the crowd. “It is our duty to win. We must love each other and protect each other.” The ban would reverse an Obama-era policy that allowed transgender people to openly serve in the country’s armed forces. The policy would affect thousands of transgender people actively serving in the U.S. military. Trump announced the ban on Wednesday on Twitter and claimed he made the move after consulting with military experts, despite the Pentagon lifting the ban on transgender service members in 2016. Jacqueline Swannick, a trans woman and former Army medic, joined protesters demonstrating against the proposed ban on Wednesday.

President Trump Cruelly Threatens Trans Service Members With Rank Discrimination

July 27, 2017 Chase Strangio, www.aclu.org , , , ,
By Chase Strangio for ACLU - Apparently that extensive work over many years and across many areas of expertise was reversed in a matter of minutes — over Twitter. Indeed, contrary to Trump’s suggestion on Twitter, retired Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified in Congress just last week that inclusion of transgender individuals in the military promoted readiness and caused no disruption or cost. He explained that “[t]he military conducted a thorough research process on this issue and concluded that inclusive policy for transgender troops promotes readiness” and urged Congress “to respect the military’s judgment and not to breach the faith of service members who defend our freedoms.” Congress ultimately rejected a proposal to ban health coverage for transgender servicemembers and dependents. As Mullen noted, “Thousands of transgender Americans are currently serving in uniform and there is no reason to single out these brave men and women and deny them the medical care that they require.” This is not about cost. This is not about readiness or a strong military. Today’s announcement is about targeting, demonizing, and endangering a group of people who are risking their lives every day for our country.

How Our Protests Won Marriage Equality

June 27, 2017 Keegan O'Brien, www.socialistworker.org , , ,
By Keegan O'Brien for Socialist Worker - GAY MARRIAGE leads to "the deterioration of marriage and the family" and "societal collapse." Keeping same-sex couples from marrying isn't discrimination, but simply enforcing "God's idea." These are just a few of the ugly statements by Vice President and religious bigot Mike Pence about marriage equality. And it doesn't stop there. In 2015, Trump's second-hand man signed a "religious freedom" law as governor of Indiana that gave permission to businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people. During his short time in office, Trump has already come close to implementing a similar executive order, but he was forced to back down after a series of humiliating defeats on other issues and pressure from LGBTQ organizations. With Trump and Pence controlling the White House and a Republican majority in Congress, it's understandable that millions of LGBTQ people, their family, friends and supporters are fearful that rights won in recent years will be rolled back.

Federal Judge In Ohio Just Declared Another Victory For Trans Kids

September 29, 2016 Zack Ford, www.thinkprogress.org ,
By Zack Ford for Think Progress - When a school is playing up the fact that a fifth grader’s suicide risk has been downgraded from high to moderate to justify its ongoing discrimination, it’s not a particularly convincing argument. A federal judge in Ohio ruled Monday that she must immediately be allowed to go the bathroom with the other girls. Jane Doe is a student at Highland Elementary School. Just before first grade, she socially transitioned, changing her clothing and even obtaining a legal name change

Bad-Ass Transgender Student Took His Transphobic School To Court

September 26, 2016 Mark Joseph Stern, www.slate.com ,
By Mark Joseph Stern for Slate - Ash Whitaker is a high-school student who gets good grades, plays in the orchestra, and hangs out with his friends. He is also a bad-ass. After Whitaker came out as transgender, his school in Kenosha, Wisconsin, launched a campaign of discrimination against him. The school forced him to use the girl’s bathroom, addressed him with female pronouns, and referred to him by his (female) birth name.

Tallying Up The Mounting Economic Toll Of North Carolina’s HB2

September 20, 2016 Alex Kotch, www.facingsouth.org , ,
By Alex Kotch for Facing South - Since becoming law in late March, North Carolina's House Bill 2 has sparked national controversy and an ongoing boycott of the state over its discriminatory provisions. HB2 requires transgender people to use public bathrooms that match the gender on their birth certificate and bars local governments from adopting LGBT protections and minimum wage laws. This week, major college sports leagues became the latest organizations to cancel events in the state because of the law.

Boycotts Won’t Change Mississippi—But History Shows How We Can

June 13, 2016 Jake McGraw, www.yesmagazine.org , ,
By Jake McGraw for Yes Magazine - On May 13, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to school districts across the country clarifying that Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in schools, applies to transgender students—most notably, their right to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. The letter brought backlash from many quarters. But some of the harshest came from my home state of Mississippi, which has a long and brutal tradition of fighting the expansion of civil rights. Declaring his opposition on Facebook, Governor Phil Bryant chose language that evoked the ugliest ghosts of the state’s past...

Obama To Name Stonewall First National LGBT Rights Monument

May 6, 2016 Elizabeth Daley, www.advocate.com , , ,
By Elizabeth Daley for Advocate - President Obama is expected to sign a proposal which will designate New York City's historic Stonewall Inn as the nation's first LGBT national momument, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Stonewall first became known as the birthplace of the LGBT rights movement following a series of riots which took place on June 28, 1969, during a routine police raid targeting LGBT clientele that frequented the space. The Inn's original location was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000 and a New York City Landmark in 2015.
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