WATCH: HRC released a new video on the consequences for LGBTQ people.
“If the Trump-McConnell health care bill becomes law, it will threaten the lives of countless Americans,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “For LGBTQ people, who already face health care disparities, this proposal is downright dangerous. Both the House and Senate versions of the bill gut core provisions of the Affordable Care Act and cut off tens of millions of Americans from life-saving health care coverage while increasing out-of-pocket costs. This unconscionable proposal -- drafted behind closed doors, without public input -- is a disturbingly harmful bill that Senators must reject.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has led an unprecedented covert approach to passing a bill that would affect millions of Americans and one-sixth of the American economy. After working behind closed doors, without public input and keeping both their constituents and health care advocates in the dark, they are now planning to ram through a bill without a single hearing and no meaningful time for health care experts and the American people to review, understand, and debate.
Because of the ACA, thousands of low-income people living with HIV have been able to obtain health insurance through the Medicaid expansion. This critical coverage ensures that people living with HIV have access to the lifesaving treatments. The so-called “Better Care Reconciliation Act” proposes drastic changes to Medicaid and it will strip many of these people, and the most vulnerable among us, of essential health care coverage.
This bill will disproportionately impact LGBTQ Americans, leaving them with some of the lowest rates of insurance coverage in the nation. The LGBTQ community has benefitted from the ACA’s tax credit structure and the Medicaid Expansion, and the rescission of both of these critical components will have devastating consequences for a community already facing significant health care disparities.
In another dangerous move, the Senate bill would also cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which would jeopardize the ability of clinics to deliver preventive health services, including HIV testing and transition-related care. The ACA’s public health and prevention fund, established to expand investments in the nation’s public health infrastructure, would also be repealed. Health centers, like those operated by Planned Parenthood, often offer the only culturally competent healthcare available, especially in rural and isolated areas.
In 2016, soon after the bill was passed in the state legislature with bipartisan supermajorities in both chambers, opponents of the law confirmed they had gathered enough signatures needed to bring it to the November 2018 ballot for repeal. If successful, this would officially position Massachusetts to become the first and only statewide voter initiative to repeal transgender protections in the country.
Republican Governor Charlie Baker signed the bill into law extending commonsense, non-discrimination protections to transgender people and visitors to the state. While the Bay State law already prohibited discrimination against transgender people in housing and employment, the new law extended these same crucial protections to public accommodations, such as access to restaurants, malls, restrooms, and locker rooms.
Massachusetts became the 19th state with non-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in public accommodations, housing, and employment. In addition, similar protections exist in more than 100 cities across the country, including Atlanta, Dallas, and Louisville.
HRC is part of the Freedom for All Massachusetts campaign working to defeat this harmful ballot initiative and ensure the state continues to be a national leader on equality and fairness for all. Learn more here.
HRC continues to work with our coalition partners (ACLU, Planned Parenthood, The Pride Foundation, and Identity),asking fair minded residents of Anchorage to stand up to the discriminatory ballot initiative which would damage Anchorage’s reputation and undermine civil liberties.
While in Alaska, HRC was proud to join coalition partners in the Anchorage Pridefest 40th Anniversary celebration. HRC was also present at the first-ever Talkeetna Pride march, organized by Celeste Harrell and Lillian Rust. Both events allowed for new venues to educate our LGBTQ community about the upcoming ballot threat and HRC’s resistance efforts across the country.
Interested in taking action with HRC? Text UNITE to 30644 to join HRC’s Mobile Action Network and get the latest news straight to your phone.
This weekend, after I-1552 failed to qualify for the November ballot, HRC staff celebrated with coalition partners and equality activists at Tacoma Pride.
On Friday evening, hours after the news broke about I-1552’s defeat, Washington Won’t Discriminate (WWD) Campaign Chair Seth Kirby hosted a gathering to thank supporters for their dedication and hard work that led to a victory for transgender Washingtonians. Kirby also thanked HRC for having staff on the ground throughout the campaign to support the work being done by local coalitions.
HRC staff and local leaders were on hand at Tacoma’s Pride Festival to continue the celebrations and talk to festival goers about the discriminatory ballot initiative, HRC’s contributions to WWD and our dedication to continue working with local partners.
HRC remains steadfast in its commitment to keep existing non-discrimination laws in place and will continue working with local coalition partners on the ground to ensure that transgender Washingtonians feel safe in the Evergreen State.
For the second year in a row, a campaign to rollback non-discrimination protections for transgender people failed to turn in enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in Washington state. Washington’s Secretary of State’s office announced that the I-1552 campaign cancelled its appointment to turn in 259,622 valid signatures. Learn more here.
Anti-trans initiative fails to make ballot in WA! Proud to work w/@NoDiscrimWA to show hate won't prevail! https://t.co/9gYCG3NW3l
— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) July 8, 2017
HOW DOES TRUMP UNDERMINE THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY? LET US COUNT THE WAYS: Since the day he stepped foot in the White House, Donald Trump has time and time again proven himself an adversary to the LGBTQ community, despite campaign promises to the contrary. Teen Vogue reporter Leigh Cuen (@La__Cuen) catalogues the many ways this has played out under Trump -- from delaying a policy allowing transgender people to openly enlist in the military, to the steady stream of anti-LGBTQ activists he’s given jobs in his administration. Read the full piece from Teen Vogue.
MUST WATCH MONDAY: In a new viral video, Youtubers Trent and Luke asked an openly gay 13-year-old to sit down with an openly gay 78-year-old to discuss their lives, 50 years of LGBTQ advocacy in the United Kingdom and the need to learn from your past to continue moving forward. Get out your tissue boxes, because this one, made in partnership with London Pride, is a tearjerker. More from Advocate.
IF THEY COULD TURN BACK TIME...BUT THEY CAN’T: The anti-LGBTQ extremist organization National Organization for Marriage (NOM) sent a letter to its members recently laying out a plan to undermine marriage equality, including targeting organizations including HRC. Note to NOM: support for marriage equality in the U.S. is at an all-time high, and continues to grow and solidify across the political, religious and age spectrum. More from Right Wing Watch.
LEXINGTON HERALD LEADER GETS IT -- ANTI-LGBTQ LEGISLATION IS BAD FOR ALL: The publication’s Editorial Board writes that the state’s anti-LGBTQ SB 17, “serves no purpose, could create unnecessary legal conflicts for Kentucky schools and hurt innocent students. Because of it, Louisville is already losing conventions, says Mayor Greg Fischer.” The measure allows student groups at colleges, universities, and high schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students. More from The Lexington Herald Leader.
NEW RESOURCE ON LGBTQ YOUTH IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM: Movement Advancement Project, YouthFirst and Center for American Progress, in partnership with HRC, have released Unjust: LGBTQ Youth Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System, a comprehensive report examining the pervasive systemic failures that harm LGBTQ youth. More from HRC.
QUICK WARM N’ FUZZY TO START THE WEEK: Check out 33 photos from LGBTQ Pride celebrations around the world from BuzzFeed.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND CALLS TO END SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: At a recent meeting of the church’s governing body, they backed a motion saying the abusive practice has “no place in the modern world”. More from Independent.
TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLIST PHILIPPA YORK COMES OUT AS TRANSGENDER: Read her personal statement on coming out at CyclingNews.
NEW LGBTQ ORGANIZATION IN PERU: On June 28, Presente launched in Lima at an event sponsored by HRC through the Global Partnerships in Pride program. More from HRC.
HRC MOURNS T. NHAVEEN, YOUTH MURDERED IN MALAYSIA: Nhaveen was called anti-LGBTQ slurs by his attackers, who beat the 18-year-old to death. Malaysia is one of at least 72 countries where homosexuality is illegal. More from Advocate.
READING RAINBOW
CNN reports on the efforts of some Catholic priests to promote a reconciling church; Pink News shares the story of a woman proposing to her London police officer girlfriend at Pride;
Have news? Send us your news and tips at AMEquality@hrc.org. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!
“Anti-equality activists spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to pass a shameful ballot measure aimed at discriminating against LGBTQ people, but thanks to the fair-minded people of Washington State, they have failed,” said Marty Rouse, HRC National Field Director. “For months, our opponents attempted to garner enough signatures to put the fundamental civil rights of transgender people on the ballot. Their failure is a victory for equality and validation of Washington’s non-discrimination laws that ensure fair and equal treatment for LGBTQ people in housing, employment, and public accommodations. HRC was proud to work closely with the Washington Won’t Discriminate campaign and will keep up the fight in Washington and across the country.”
HRC worked closely with Washington Won’t Discriminate, Pride Foundation, ACLU-WA, Equal Rights Washington, Gender Justice League, Planned Parenthood and other local coalitions urging Washington residents to “Decline To Sign” the dangerous petition that would have put the discriminatory, anti-trans measure on the ballot in November.
Throughout the month of June, HRC worked to raise awareness about the discriminatory proposal at four Washington area prides, including Ellensburg, Spokane, Olympia and Seattle. At these events, HRC staff, local leaders, and volunteers collected approximately 500 “Decline To Sign” signatures supporting the efforts to keep the state’s current law in place.
HRC remains steadfast in its commitment to keep existing non-discrimination laws in place and will continue working with local coalition partners on the ground to ensure that transgender Washingtonians feel safe in the Evergreen State.
Pictured above from left to right: Jeremiah Allen- Project Director at Pride Foundation, Liezl Rebugio- Field director at ACLU-WA, Narissa Rahaman, and Carlos Padilla - Organizing Director at Washington Won't Discriminate.
El 28 de junio se llevó a cabo el lanzamiento de Presente, una nueva organización LGBTQ peruana, en un evento auspiciado por HRC a través del programa Global Partnerships in Pride. Estoy orgulloso de ser un Innovador Global de HRC y el director de Presente, entidad que busca cambiar la percepción pública de la comunidad LGBTQ.
El encuentro realizado en la Galería del Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano contó con la participación del congresista peruano Alberto de Belaunde y el embajador de Estados Unidos en el Perú, Brian A. Nichols. Otros patrocinadores del evento fueron la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Lima y empresas multinacionales como Marriott. Entre los 300 invitados del evento inaugural estuvieron funcionarios del gobierno peruano, diplomáticos, líderes corporativos, destacados líderes culturales y activistas LGBTQ.
Estamos contentos de contar con el apoyo de líderes políticos peruanos como el congresista Belaunde en nuestro trabajo.
“Aunque es difícil aprobar leyes para proteger a las personas LGBTQ en el Congreso debido a la oposición conservadora, la participación del sector privado ha sido muy útil. Presente está tomando el camino correcto al incluirlos en la lucha por la igualdad en el Perú”, dijo Belaunde.
El embajador Nichols también emitió una nota de aliento y señaló que en Estados Unidos se necesitaron “muchos años para lograr la igualdad de personas LGBTQ y los activistas trabajaron muy duro por ello”. Nichols agregó que la embajada espera “colaborar para fortalecer el movimiento LGBTQ en el Perú y los lazos entre nuestros dos países”.
Actualmente, Presente está trabajando para reducir el porcentaje de peruanos que se oponen a la legislación que protege a la comunidad LGBTQ. Esta es una tarea monumental que requerirá de trabajo constante durante varios años.
Mi experiencia en la Cumbre de Apoyo Innovador de HRC, a principios de este año, me inspiró a crear Presente. Esperamos colaborar con HRC a medida que avancemos en el trabajo de esta nueva organización.
Last month, Movement Advancement Project, YouthFirst and Center for American Progress, in partnership with HRC, released Unjust: LGBTQ Youth Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System, a comprehensive report examining the pervasive systemic failures that harm LGBTQ youth. As this report underscores, without understanding the intricate ways in which the criminal justice system fails this vulnerable population, we cannot change it.
Unjust provides advocates, stakeholders, and government officials with straightforward information about the disproportionately negative impact the criminal justice system has on LGBTQ youth. While LGBTQ youth make up less than 9 percent of youth in the U.S., they are 20 percent of the youth detained in juvenile justice facilities.
Unjust documents the root causes behind these disparities. LGBTQ youth are at a higher risk for homelessness and school discrimination. Additionally, once in the system, they are frequently targeted for discrimination by law enforcement and juvenile justice facility staff. Due to these and other factors, LGBTQ youth are two times more likely to be part of the criminal justice system when compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts.
The greatest antidote to injustice is knowledge. By providing a comprehensive analysis of how the criminal justice system fails LGBTQ youth, Unjust is sending a resounding message of change. From unjust policing practices to family rejection, poverty, homelessness, school inadequacies, healthcare discrimination, identity documents, and re-entry programs, Unjust illustrates starkly how the system fails our most vulnerable. There is much work to do, and Unjust provides indispensable tools needed in the fight for dignity, respect, and equality.
On June 28, Presente, a new LGBTQ organization in Peru, launched in Lima at an event sponsored by HRC through the Global Partnerships in Pride program. I am proud to be an HRC Global Innovator and the managing director of Presente, which seeks to change public perceptions of the LGBTQ community.
Attendees at the launch event at the Galeria del Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano included Peruvian Congressman Alberto de Belaunde and the U.S. Ambassador to Peru Brian A. Nichols. Other sponsors of the event included the U.S. Embassy in Lima and multinational companies such as Marriott. Peruvian government officials, diplomats, corporate leaders, prominent cultural leaders and LGBTQ activists were among the 300 other guests at the launch event.
We are glad to have support from Peruvian political leaders like Congressman Belaunde in our work.
“While it is difficult to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people in Congress because of conservative opposition, the involvement of the private sector has been very helpful,” Congressman Belaunde said. “Presente is taking the right approach by including them in the fight for equality in Peru.”
Ambassador Nichols also sounded a note of encouragement, noting that in the U.S. it took “many years to achieve equality for LGBTQ people and activists worked very hard for it.” He added that the embassy looked forward “to collaborating to strengthen the LGBTQ movement in Peru and the bonds between our two countries.”
Currently, Presente is working to reduce the percentage of Peruvians that oppose legislation protecting the LGBTQ community. This is a monumental task that will require determined work over several years.
My experience at the Global Innovative Advocacy Summit earlier this year inspired me to create Presente. We look forward to collaborating with HRC as we move ahead with Presente’s work.
●Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Daniel Baer penned a powerful oped in The Denver Post about this meeting, writing “Violence ordered, executed, or done with the tacit assent of the Kremlin is one way that Putin reinforces his power. At the same time, violence of political consequence that is not controlled by Putin is necessarily a challenge to him. The rounding up, torture, and killing of gays in Chechnya and Nemtsov’s killing may both be examples of the latter.” Read the full piece from The Denver Post.
TRUMP APPOINTS YET ANOTHER ANTI-LGBTQ EXTREMIST: This time, it’s Bethany Kozma, who will -- get this -- serve as a senior adviser to the office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. Kozma has warped views on gender, and transgender people, once referring to gender identity as “gender confusion.” She also opposes allowing transgender people -- including children -- to use facilities consistent with their gender identity, and once equated transgender women to “predators.” Now she’ll assume an influential role in an office that has a history of supporting LGBTQ equality. More from Advocate.
FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Ken Ballard is a great dad and ally to his 14-year-old transgender son -- and he made sure the Texas Legislature knew how their proposed legislation could harm his family. In a new video shared by Equality Texas, we hear Ballard’s emotional story of loving his son and fighting for his rights, saying “”Was I going to be his bully? Was I going to try and put him back into a box that fit the rules of my world at the time or wait it out and see if it would just pass and go back to the way it’d use to be?” More from UpWorthy.
●OutSmart Magazine shares how a young LGBTQ ally won the election for Pearland, TX School Board.
PAGING GOVERNOR ABBOTT -- MOST TEXANS OPPOSE ANTI-TRANSGENDER BATHROOM BILL: A PRRI survey found that 53 percent of Texans oppose a bill that would prevent transgender people from using facilities consistent with their gender identity; only 33 percent the discriminatory measure. HRC sharply criticized Governor Abbott for calling a special session of the Texas legislature in order to pass just such a bill. More from PRRI.
LAWYERS TO SEEK SCOTUS REVIEW OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISCRIMINATION CASE: Lambda Legal wants the high court to determine whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation in the case of their client, Jameka Evans, who was allegedly harassed and fired from her job as a hospital security officer due to her sexual orientation. More from The Washington Blade.
WHO WANTS TO COME OUT AS A LESBIAN ON A NATIONAL TV GAME SHOW? HRC Global Innovator Mima Simić is a Croatian writer, cultural critic and LGBTQ rights advocate who famously came out on her country’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, one of the country’s most popular TV shows. The experience, she writes, “was a real break-through, not only for lesbian visibility in Croatia, but for me personally, as it was confirmed to me what a potent space for political activism popular culture was.” Read more from Mima in her piece for The Daily Beast.
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM’S GAVIN RUSSOM COMES OUT AS TRANSGENDER: In an interview with Pitchfork, the synth and electronics artist shared that she will continue to use the name Gavin. “Over the last year and a half, I went from my trans identity being something I was in touch with and worked through in one way or another, to suddenly this shift where it’s on the front burner. Now it's time to become a whole person.” More from Pitchfork.
UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACED BY OLDER LGBTQ PEOPLE OF COLOR: Journalist Chandra Thomas Whitfield speaks to Cecelia Hayden Smith, who, as a Black LGBTQ elder, sees firsthand the way economic and health disparities affect those like her. More from NBC.
●A new report from the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Health Network looks at Latinx elders with HIV. More from NBC.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIM OBERGEFELL! Today is Jim Obergefell’s (@JimObergefell) birthday -- one of the many brave plaintiffs who helped bring marriage equality to the nation with the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges. More on Jim’s journey from HRC.
VIDEO -- NORDIC AMBASSADORS DISCUSS LGBTQ EQUALITY: Equality is a fundamental value in the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Same-sex marriage is legalized, and same-sex couples are able to adopt children in all five countries. Promoting equal rights abroad is also a central priority for the Nordic countries. Ambassadors from these country spoke to The Huffington Post’s Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) and Jennifer Bendery (@JBendery) about LGBTQ rights in Nordic countries and challenges to maintaining and expanding those rights. More from HuffPo.
HIV PREVENTION PROGRESS IN EUROPE: The European Parliament passed a resolution that would make PrEP, a once-daily pill that reduces the risk of acquiring HIV, available throughout Europe. More from Gay Times.
NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO APOLOGIZE TO MEN CONVICTED OF SAME-SEX SEXUAL ACTIVITY: The motion reads, “I move that this House apologise to those homosexual New Zealanders who were convicted for consensual adult activity, and recognise the tremendous hurt and suffering those men and their families have gone through, and the continued effects the convictions have had on them.” More from Pink News.
LET’S END THIS WEEK ON A FABULOUS NOTE: After watching RuPaul’s Drag Race together, Mikli Feria Jorge’s (@hiddenmikli) son asked to dress up like the drag queens on the television. The moment -- complete with selfies and drag name personas -- was captured on Twitter, and has gone viral. More from Twitter.
Meet Ballooni Liteg! (silent e, silent g)
— Mikli Feria Jorge (@hiddenmikli) July 5, 2017
(My drag name, from him, is Cat Astrfi) pic.twitter.com/bPtKfl9jd0
READING RAINBOW
The New York Times shares the story of Bianca Sierra (@Bfromthe_BAYY) and Stephany Mayor (@StefMayor), two Mexican soccer players who moved to Iceland to find acceptance for their relationship; The New York Times interviews Juliana Huxtable, a transgender performance artist creating transgender-inclusive spaces; Curbed DC highlights eight historic LGBTQ sites in the nation’s capital;
Have news? Send us your news and tips at AMEquality@hrc.org. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!