Victory in Georgia
A look at the numbers in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate races in Georgia indicate that Democrats have won control of the Senate – a development with enormous favorable consequences for the LGBT community and the nation. [...]
2020’s Top 10 National LGBTQ News Stories
In 2020, the nation faced two existential threats: an out-of-control novel coronavirus pandemic that killed more than 300,000 people in less than 12 months, and an erratic, self-obsessed Republican president whose administration withheld support from [...]
In 2020 Election Donald Trump Doubled his LGBTQ Vote
Early data from exit polls conducted with voters on Nov. 3 indicate that 2/3 of the LGBTQ vote went to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who appears to have be poised Friday morning to easily [...]
Election Night LGBTQ Hour-By-Hour Breakdown
It's a good bet that many LGBTQ people will be glued to their social media and news venues on Nov. 3. The Williams Institute, an LGBTQ think tank at UCLA, estimates that over 9 million [...]
LGBTQ Activists Alarmed at Thomas-Alito Anti-Equal Marriage Statement
While there was cause for alarm for LGBTQ people watching the opening day of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020-21 session on Monday, there was also at least a tiny bit of reassurance, too. The alarm [...]
Activists Believe Ginsburg Replacement Barrett Could Hinder LGBTQ Rights
President Trump announced Saturday, Sept. 26, that his nominee to replace U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is, as expected, a jurist that LGBTQ groups are expected to vehemently oppose. President Trump said his [...]
LGBTQ Champion on Supreme Court Dies
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the justice with the most pro-LGBTQ voting record in the history of the court, died Friday following a long struggle with cancer. As hundreds of people gathered on [...]
2 Major Transgender Bathroom Decisions in Federal Appeals Courts
Two federal appeals court panels have ruled that a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ people at work also applies to discrimination in schools. In Bostock v. Clayton, the U.S. Supreme Court [...]
Republican National Convention LGBTQ Summary Day 2
As the second night of the Republican National Convention got underway Tuesday night, the voiceover on a video showing the U.S. Constitution said, “Without equality, there is no opportunity.” The video also showed historic photos [...]
Monday Night Republican National Convention Coverage
The first night of the Republican national convention spent considerable time reassuring Black and Latinx people that it is the party of “diversity,” “values” and “morality.” An openly gay speaker is planned for Wednesday, but [...]
Day 3 Democratic National Convention Overview
Emma González, a bisexual student who became one of the leaders of a youth movement against gun violence after a 2018 shooting at her high school in Parkland, Florida, was one of the first voices [...]
Judge Stops HHS Rule Change from Taking Effect
U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block issued a temporary injunction Monday, Aug. 17, delaying the implementation of new rules written by the Trump administration that would eliminate protections for LGBTQ people in health care. The [...]
Day 2 Democratic National Convention LGBTQ Overview
Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention launched with a video “keynote” in which 17 people — including three gay men — shared the time to explain why they are voting for the party’s presidential nominee Joe [...]
President Trump Pardons Susan B. Anthony
In the midst of a controversy over President Trump’s attempts to interfere with the right of citizens to vote by mail, President Trump made a surprise announcement Tuesday morning that he will sign a presidential [...]
Monday Night Democratic National Convention LGBTQ Overview
Long gone are the days when the Democratic National Convention slated only a token openly gay person on its pre-primetime schedule. Monday night, the first day of the DNC’s four-day 2020 convention, openly LGBTQ people [...]
A Preview and Schedule of the 2020 Democratic National Convention
There will be a lot of history made at this week’s Democratic National Convention. Some of it will be highly visible – like prime-time closing night speeches by two high-profile LGBTQ leaders. Some will be [...]
Biden Picks Harris; Names Lesbian her Campaign Chief of Staff
It was not a big surprise, but it was a much-anticipated revelation: Democratic presidential nominee-apparent Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he has chosen U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California to be his running mate. Political [...]
Federal Judge Not Likely to Grant Injunction to Stop Anti-LGBTQ Rule Change
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., indicated Monday he is not likely to grant an injunction to stop a Trump administration change in rules that will eliminate nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people. In an hour-long [...]
Supreme Court Focuses in on Religion
While LGBTQ people nervously await the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions regarding two big employment discrimination cases, the court this month heard arguments in other cases that could have significant impact. On Wednesday, May 6, the [...]
Supreme Court to Weigh in on Foster Care Fight
There was troubling news for LGBTQ legal activists coming from the U.S. Supreme Court Monday: The high court announced it will review a lower court decision that held a Catholic foster care agency could not [...]
Buttigieg: ‘I’m ready’ to Take on Attacks Over Being Gay
Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg’s being gay made him stand out in the first few months of his campaign last year, earning him a surge of media attention that his relatively obscure reputation as the mayor [...]
Iowa Caucus: Buttigieg Declares Victory
Openly gay Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg declared his campaign to be “victorious” following the caucus voting in Iowa Monday night, even though a huge controversy was unfolding because the Iowa Democratic Party could not [...]
US Supreme Court to Review Religious Exemption Appeals in Health Insurance Coverage
In a move that LGBTQ legal activists see as “deeply worrisome,” the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday said it will review two appeals in which the Trump administration is seeking to make it much easier [...]
Win in Birth Certificate Fight for Indiana Married Same-Sex Couples
A federal appeals panel of Republican appointees ruled Friday that the state of Indiana must treat same-sex married couples the same as male-female married couples when determining who to list on a child’s birth certificate. [...]
Debate Shows Buttigieg Hanging On
Political observers gave U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren high marks in Tuesday night’s debate — the last debate before the first voting that will happen before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses. She adeptly deflected a question [...]
4th Circuit Rules in Favor of HIV-Positive Service Members
A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Jan. 10 unanimously upheld a national injunction to stop the U.S. Air Force from discharging service members just because they have HIV infection. [...]
Noteworthy LGBTQ Moments in 2019
One might argue that 2019 was a pretty good year for LGBTQ people. An openly gay man rose to the top tier of a large field of Democratic presidential candidates. A second openly LGBTQ person [...]
National LGBTQ Election Results
More than 75 percent of openly LGBTQ candidates running in Tuesday’s off-year elections won. The total, 112, 106 Democrats, one Republican, one independent and four with undeclared party affiliations. It was a happy night for [...]
Trump HHS Reverses Obama-Era Non-Discrimination Policy
The Department of Health and Human Services’ press release announcing a change in the administration of its grants had an innocuous-sounding title, one that said its purpose was to ensure that HHS regulations do not "impose specific public policy requirements beyond U.S. statutory requirements."
One Trump Nominee Denies He’s a Bigot and the Other is Gay
A confirmation hearing for two Trump nominees to the nation’s largest federal appeals court snared considerable media attention Wednesday after one of those nominees dissolved into tears while trying to defend himself against claims that [...]
U.S. Rep. Katie Hill Resigns
Keen News Service U.S. Rep. Katie Hill, an early leader among first-term members of the U.S. House and the first openly bisexual person elected to the House, resigned Sunday night. In a letter posted at [...]
Openly Bisexual US Rep. Katie Hill Publicly Acknowledges ‘Inappropriate’ Relationship With Staff Member
U.S. Rep. Katie Hill publicly acknowledged Wednesday that she engaged in an “inappropriate” relationship with a member of her staff. But she contends the allegations, supplemented by at least one photograph in which Hill is [...]
CNN LGBTQ Town Hall Overview
The bar had been set pretty high for CNN’s Oct. 10 town hall on LGBTQ issues for Democratic presidential candidates. It was the first national television broadcast by a major media outlet of an LGBTQ-specific [...]
Supreme Court Analysis: A Look at the Probabilities in the Title VII Rulings
U.S. Supreme Court observers are more reluctant than usual to try and predict how the court might come down on the always hot-button issue of rights for LGBTQ people. There is a newly minted conservative [...]
Optimism for Pro-LGBTQ Supporters During Oct. 8 Supreme Court Arguments
WASHINGTON — It was the second day of the court’s 2019-20 session, and the two hours of arguments Tuesday, Oct. 8, were split between cases involving discrimination based on sexual orientation and discrimination based on [...]
Supreme Court Oct. 8 LGBTQ Preview: ‘The Stakes Could not Be Higher’
Here’s the blunt reality: On Oct. 8 the U.S. Supreme Court’s will hear arguments on three cases impacting LGBTQ people. Its rulings could have the most profound consequences yet on LGBTQ people. Why? The three [...]
Arizona Decision on Religious Exemption Seen as Narrow but ‘Dangerous’
In a decision that LGBTQ legal activists call “dangerous” and “troubling,” the Arizona Supreme Court on Sept. 16 ruled that a business can — under certain circumstances — cite the business owner’s religious beliefs to [...]
A Guide to the Upcoming Democratic Presidential LGBTQ Debates
LGBTQ voters: Mark your calendars. Over the next month, there will be four Democratic presidential candidate forums — two of them devoted exclusively to LGBTQ issues. And one of those LGBTQ forums will be the first-ever to be broadcast by a major network.
A Guide to the Upcoming Democratic Presidential LGBTQ Debates
LGBTQ voters: Mark your calendars. Over the next month, there will be four Democratic presidential candidate forums — two of them devoted exclusively to LGBTQ issues. And one of those LGBTQ forums will be the [...]
Backlash Surrounds Trump Endorsement by Log Cabin Republicans
The national gay Republican group, Log Cabin Republicans, made a big splash Aug. 15 when it published a commentary in the Washington Post announcing its decision to endorse President Trump for reelection. The public's reaction [...]
Another Business Case Heading to Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court will soon get another chance to consider whether businesses can claim religious motivations for refusing service to LGBTQ people. The case will come from the Washington State Supreme Court that ruled [...]
U.S. Supreme Court Denies Appeal Challenging Trans-Inclusive Policy
It was a discernible ray of light flashing across an otherwise dark and stormy sea: The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, May 28, declined to accept an appeal from a group of students challenging a public [...]
New HHS Rule Puts Religious Objections on ‘Steroids’
A new Trump administration regulation permitting religious bias came carefully wrapped up in the language of civil rights; Its text promises to “remove barriers” for people who want to work in health care, support a [...]
Federal Court Ruled Local Govts can Exclude Foster Agencies who Discriminate Against LGBTQ People
For the first time, a federal appeals court has ruled that a local government can exclude a child foster care agency from city-funded programs if the agency refuses to abide by a local ordinance that [...]
Supreme Court Denies Appeal for Gay Man on Death Row
In an action one civil rights lawyer called “a deeply disturbing message about the value placed on LGBTQ lives,” the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from a man on death [...]
News Analysis: The Implausible Success of Buttigieg’s Campaign
Openly gay Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has leapt into a surprisingly strong position in the latest poll of Iowa Democratic caucus-goers: Third place. Right behind former Vice President Joe Biden, in first with 25 [...]
Reports: Russians Targeted LGBTQ Community With Disinformation
A Russian social media operation aimed at helping Republican nominee Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election included efforts to polarize voters around LGBTQ issues and, in some cases, pushed LGBTQ voters to support Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. The operation also posted a message aimed at lonely LGBTQ teenagers, an effort that is believed was intended to blackmail vulnerable youth.
Reports: Russians Targeted LGBT Community with Disinformation
A Russian social media operation aimed at helping Republican nominee Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election included efforts to polarize voters around LGBT issues and, in some cases, pushed LGBT voters to support Democratic [...]
Democratic Guide to Election Night 2018
For those still recovering from the shock that Republican Donald Trump won the Electoral College — and, thus, the White House — in 2016, the prospect of watching midterm election reruns on Tuesday night might [...]
Supreme Court 2018-2019 Session Busy with LGBTQ Cases
Cases before the U.S. Supreme Court seem almost like an afterthought after last week’s political slugfest over the confirmation process for President Trump’s second nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. But there are several cases before the high court that are of great importance to the LGBTQ community as the high court began its 2018-2019 session this week. In fact, this session could be one of the busiest in history for LGBTQ-related concerns.