As the world continues to learn more about coronavirus and its spread, it's vital to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. However, it's also important to make sure that the information being distributed is from credible sources. To that end, Between The Lines has compiled, [...]
Trump Staffer Terminated from USAID Upon Anti-LGBTQ Twitter Tirade: Report
A Trump administration staffer unleashed of series of tweets Monday expressing anti-LGBTQ animus, prompting the U.S. Agency for International Development to fire her after her anti-LGBTQ views had once gone without reprisal, according to Politico. Merritt [...]
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 [...]
Oakland Pride Reveals New Logo to Reflect the Colors of the LGBTQ+ Progress Flag
Oakland Pride revealed its new logo for 2020 to reflect the colors of the LGBTQ+ progress flag. The new logo includes the colors black, brown, light blue and pink embodying the Oakland oak tree. The [...]
Study Finds that Trans Women at Highest Risk for HIV/AIDS are Least Likely to Use PrEP
Since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012, pre-exposure prophylaxis, more commonly known as PrEP, has been proven to be an effective method of HIV/AIDS prevention. And when taken consistently, the Centers [...]
Lewis Defended Gay Marriage in 2004 House Speech
Members of Congress and the public paid tribute to the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) this week at the U.S. Capitol in both a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, where his American flag-draped coffin [...]
Rep. Speier Seeks to Undo Military Bans on Trans Troops, LGBTQ Pride Flag
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) has proposed a pair of amendments to major defense spending legislation that would undo the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members and LGBTQ Pride flags at U.S. military installations. As [...]
Over 300 Catholic Leaders Object to Commission on Unalienable Rights’ Religious Freedom Priority
Over a period of two days, Catholic religious leaders from across the U.S. have signed a statement in objection to the draft report of the newly formed Commission on Unalienable Rights, which Secretary of State [...]
LGBTQ Rights Supporters Remember Civil Rights Icon John Lewis
LGBTQ rights supporters are mourning the less of Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and died late Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer at [...]
The State Department’s Controversial Human Rights Advisory Commission Releases Draft of Long-Anticipated Report that Largely Omits LGBTQ Issues
The Commission on Unalienable Rights’ 60-page report contains numerous references to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and religious freedom. The report refers to marriage rights for same-sex couples, affirmative action and abortion as [...]
Inside the Surprising Challenge to Ban Gay Panic Defense in Colorado
LGBTQ activists are celebrating Colorado becoming the 10th state in the country to prohibit the gay and transgender panic defense in state court — but that win came after a battle and was never a [...]
Creating Change LGBTQ Conference Goes Virtual in 2021
WASHINGTON — For the first time in its 33-year history, the Creating Change Conference will be a completely virtual event. Given the ongoing public health crisis and current safety regulations, organizers say that they will [...]
Instagram and Facebook to Ban Conversion Therapy Content
Instagram and Facebook on July 10 announced they will ban conversion therapy content on their sites, following a block on ads promoting the practice earlier this year. This announcement comes on the heels of the [...]
Walmart Teams up with ‘Queer Eye’ to Release Exclusive Home Furniture Line
As entertaining as it can be to watch the Fab 5 provide someone with a custom home makeover on Netflix's "Queer Eye," it might not always be clear where to start in one's own space. [...]
The EARN IT Act Could Affect the Online Safety of LGBTQ People, Sex Workers and Free Speech
Sex workers continue to be a regular target of police brutality, but those crimes often go unreported because sex workers fear they will be arrested. Now, in the midst of a worldwide movement [...]
Trump Administration Sued Again Over Rescission of Trans Health Care Protections
Several advocacy groups on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to remove transgender protections from the Affordable Care Act. Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth; Callen-Lorde Community Health [...]
Fauci: No Clear Evidence HIV Heightens Coronavirus Risk
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday said it remains unclear whether people with HIV are more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus. “The story is not yet completely out in individuals with HIV,” he said during a [...]
Members of Congress Call Upon White House to Implement Bostock Ruling
More than 100 members of Congress on Thursday called upon President Trump to implement last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that says Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bans anti-LGBTQ employment discrimination. [...]
Supreme Court Makes Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination Easier at Religious Schools
In a decision that undermines LGBTQ teachers at religious schools, the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed for Catholic schools an expansive ministerial exemption in hiring practices under civil rights law. In the 7-2 decision issued [...]
Wedding Photographer Files Federal Lawsuit Against Va. Nondiscrimination Law
A Norfolk wedding photographer has filed a federal lawsuit against Virginia’s new anti-LGBTQ discrimination law. The lawsuit, which the Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-LGBTQ legal group, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of [...]
Virginia Nondiscrimination Bill Takes Effect
A bill that adds sexual orientation and gender identity to Virginia’s nondiscrimination law took effect on Wednesday. The Democrat-controlled General Assembly earlier this year approved the Virginia Values Act. Governor Ralph Northam signed it into [...]
House Approves Bill to Designate Pulse Nightclub a National Memorial
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a bill that would designate the Pulse nightclub as a national memorial. A press release that U.S. Reps. Darren Soto, Val Demings, and Stephanie Murphy released notes [...]
Global Pride Amplifies Black Voices During 24-Hour Virtual Event
Celebrities, politicians and activists on Saturday united with Global Pride 2020, a 24-hour virtual event created in light of widespread cancellations of Pride events and festivals due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event celebrated LGBTQ [...]
D.C. Installs ‘Progress Pride’ Rainbow Flag Crosswalk
Representatives of the Office of the Mayor as well as the Director of the D.C. Department of Transportation looked on as a rainbow crosswalk was installed at 17th and P Streets, NW on Thursday. The [...]
Trump Admin Sued for Refusing to Back Down on Anti-Trans Health Care Rule
With the Trump administration refusing to take back its rule permitting anti-transgender discrimination in health care following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on LGBTQ rights effectively countermanding it, LGBTQ legal advocates are returning to the [...]
Fulfilling the Promise of Juneteenth
This Friday is the American holiday known as Juneteenth, although this holiday is largely unknown to many Americans — as it commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger announced federal orders in Galveston, [...]
Supreme Court Ruling may Force Trump Retreat on Anti-LGBTQ Policies
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling this week in terms of the immediate protections it granted LGBTQ people in the workplace, but the decision may soon provide more victories by forcing President Trump [...]
HISTORIC: Supreme Court Rules Firing Workers for Being LGBTQ is Illegal
In a historic development, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday federal law bars discrimination against workers for being LGBTQ, affirming long-sought federal protections for LGBTQ people in the workplace. The 6-3 decision, written by [...]
Trump Admin Makes Final Rule Allowing Anti-Trans Discrimination in Health Care
Disregarding pleas from transgender advocates, the Trump administration made final on Friday a rule enabling health care providers to refuse care to transgender people, including gender reassignment surgery. The rule change at the Department of [...]
Jerry Moore, Activist, Last Link to Detroit Mattachine, Dies at 92
Jerry Abraham “Jai” Moore, a tireless advocate for civil liberties and social justice, and the last surviving officer of the Detroit Area Council of the Mattachine Society of the late 1950s, died May 22 at [...]
LGBTQ Athletes Urge NCAA to Nix Events in Idaho Over Anti-Trans Sports Law
Lesbian athletes Billie Jean King and Megan Rapinoe are calling on the National Collegiate Athletics Association to move a major basketball competition from Idaho in the wake of the state enacting a law barring transgender [...]
Anger Over Racism, Police Brutality Directed at Trump in White House Protests
Protesters gathered outside the White House on Saturday to direct their anger at President Trump after days of demonstrations over police brutality against Black individuals, including George Floyd. The portion of 16th Street leading up [...]
‘It Means Giving Up Some Privilege’: Black Leaders on how LGBTQs Should Fight Racism
As anger over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis continues to rage — with protests, #BlackOut posts on social media and even violence — some are asking what action is needed from the LGBTQ [...]
Musicians, Politicians, Drag Queens Set to Headline Global Pride 2020
LGBTQ musical icons, drag queens and global human rights leaders are set to take part in Global Pride 2020 on June 27, a 24-hour virtual LGBTQ celebration that is estimated to attract 300 million viewers, [...]
Anti-LGBTQ Steve King Loses GOP Primary to Anti-LGBTQ Challenger
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who long before his remarks embracing white nationalism was known for his draconian anti-LGBTQ views, lost his primary race in Iowa, but to a challenger who also has an anti-LGBTQ record. [...]
LGBTQ Groups Call to Bring Into Movement Anti-Racism, End to White Supremacy
Amid the national horror following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, LGBTQ and civil rights groups have issued a joint statement declaring anti-racism and an end to white supremacy must be “integral to [...]
Trump Administration: Transgender Inclusion in School Sports violates Law
In a determination sending a nationwide message against transgender inclusion in sports, the Department of Education under Secretary Betsy DeVos has concluded the participation of two transgender athletes in the girls’ school track league in [...]
LGBT Lawmakers Lead Effort To Push Mail, Absentee Voting
Amid concerns the coronavirus pandemic could endanger voters seeking to cast their ballots in the 2020 election, LGBT members of Congress have launched an initiative with the Human Rights Campaign to call on states to [...]
Larry Kramer, Gay Rights Pioneer During AIDS Crisis, Dies at 84
Larry Kramer, a gay rights pioneer who led the way as an activist and author during the AIDS crisis, has died at age 84, according to a report in the New York Times. David Webster, [...]
Supreme Court Refuses to Block Transgender Surgery for Idaho Inmate
In a surprise order on Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant the state of Idaho’s request to block gender reassignment surgery for a transgender inmate, which lower courts affirmed is her right to [...]
Barefoot Wine Creates Pride-Themed Packaging to Benefit Free Mom Hugs
As June draws closer, the LGBTQ community is still anticipating Pride month, but it's clear that novel coronavirus concerns have drastically altered what celebrations are going to look like across the globe. Still, that's not [...]
Melissa Etheridge’s 21-Year-Old Son Dead
By Washington Blade Staff Melissa Etheridge’s 21-year-old son Beckett Cypher died Wednesday. Etheridge tweeted that it was related to opioid addiction. “Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid [...]
Over 300,000 Transgender People at Heightened Risk for COVID-19
It's no secret that the health impacts of the new coronavirus are not yet fully understood. In fact, it's still uncertain what makes different populations more susceptible to the virus than others, but scientists do [...]
NOGLSTP Seeks LGBTQ Scholarship Applicants
The National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals is seeking applicants for the 2020/2021 school year to receive its Out to Innovate Scholarship. Any two undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a career [...]
Stonewall Riots Historian, Author David Carter Dies at 67
David Carter, an author and historian on LGBTQ civil rights who is credited with writing the definitive book about the 1969 Stonewall riots that he said triggered a worldwide “mass movement” for LGBTQ rights, died [...]
CDC Now has Data on HIV Infections for Trans People — and They’re Going Up
For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is including data on transgender people in its reports on HIV infections — and the results show a gradual increase in new cases of [...]
Indigo Girls to Perform at PFLAG Virtual Mother’s Day Brunch Celebration
WASHINGTON — On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10, PFLAG National will air a celebration of motherly love, the “PFLAG Virtual Mother’s Day Brunch." This free, online special event raises awareness and funds for PFLAG National, [...]
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 [...]
Nat’l Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund Endorses Biden
Joseph Biden has obtained the official support from a leading transgender rights group, which has endorsed him in his bid to unseat President Trump from the White House. The National Center for Transgender Equality Action [...]
HRC Rolls Out Support for Biden on Anniversary of Marriage Endorsement
The nation’s leading LGBTQ group has officially thrown its support behind Joseph Biden in the presidential election, drawing on the anniversary of his famous words in support of same-sex marriage on “Meet the Press” to [...]
HRC Lays Off 22 Employees Due to Coronavirus
The Human Rights Campaign on Tuesday laid off 22 employees because of the coronavirus pandemic. HRC told the Washington Blade that Alphonso David, the organization’s president, “personally reached out to every single person affected to [...]