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, [...]
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 [...]
Corktown, Unified, 170+ Organizations Call on Legislators to Address LGBTQ COVID-19 Concerns
Along with over 170 state, local and national organizations across the U.S., Corktown Health Center and Unified HIV Health and Beyond have signed two open letters to policymakers to address LGBTQ-specific new coronavirus concerns. These [...]
As Sex Toy Sales Spike Globally, LGBTQ-Friendly Retailer Offers #StayHome Sale
A Rising Need Almost everyone's staying home. People are bored. And they're getting intimate. Or at least, that's what global sex toy sales show. Around the world, sex toy sales are rising sky high as [...]
LGBTQ Groups Seek Safeguards Against COVID-19 Discrimination
At least 170 national, state, and local LGBTQ and allied organizations on April 21 released a joint open letter to health care and public policy leaders calling for measures to prohibit discrimination in the treatment [...]
GLAAD to Present Livestream Highlighting LGBTQ COVID-19 Response, Benefiting CenterLink
GLAAD announced that it will host “Together in Pride: You are Not Alone,” a livestream event on Sunday, April 26 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on GLAAD’s YouTube channel and Facebook Live. The event will highlight the LGBTQ response to COVID-19 [...]
Trump Executive Order to Suspend US Immigration for 60 Days
Advocacy groups on Tuesday sharply criticized President Trump over his executive order that will effectively stop immigration into the U.S. “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to [...]
State AGs to FDA: Drop Gay Blood Ban and Use Risk-Based Policy
In the aftermath of the Food & Drug Administration easing the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is leading a group of 19 states in calling for [...]
CenterLink Calls on Congress to Take Note of LGBTQ Centers
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers is asking Congress to take note of the work LGBTQ community centers do across the country and to remember them for funding in future stimulus packages. CenterLink represents more [...]
Fewer Americans Oppose Religious-Based Refusal of Service to LGBTQ People: Poll
A new study on LGBTQ issues made public Tuesday has found a modest — but noticeable and sustained — drop over time in opposition to business owners being allowed to refuse services to LGBTQ people. The study, [...]
Obituary: Phyllis Ann Lyon
Nov. 10, 1924 – April 9, 2020 Phyllis Lyon, who along with her late wife Del Martin, became the first to wed in San Francisco in 2004 when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom instructed the city clerk [...]
Fauci: Gay People Lifted Stigma With ‘Incredible Courage’ in HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday the visibility LGBTQ people brought to themselves during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic helped change the tide for public perception. Fauci made the remarks during the daily White House [...]
White House: ICE to Consider Release of Vulnerable Detainees on ‘Case-By-Case’ Basis
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf on Wednesday did not specifically say whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would consider releasing detainees who are at heightened risk for the coronavirus. “In some cases, we [...]
Idaho Governor Quietly Signs Anti-Trans Bills Amid Coronavirus Crisis
As the nation’s focus has become fixated on the coronavirus, Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law Monday, on the eve of the Transgender Day of Visibility, two pieces of anti-transgender legislation. One measure, [...]
Transgender Legal Group Releases Coronavirus Guide
By Michelle Siegel The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund has prepared a free online guide, available in both English and Spanish, for transgender and non-binary individuals attempting to navigate life during the coronavirus pandemic. “A Know Your [...]
PrEP Manufacturer to Test Drug Against COVID-19 — Has Low Expectations
Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of Truvada, is set to test components of the HIV prevention drug against COVID-19 as the pandemic continues to rage across the globe — but has low expectations for the results, [...]
International AIDS Conference to Be Held Virtually Because of Coronavirus
Organizers of the 2020 International AIDS Conference on Friday announced the event will be held virtually because of the coronavirus. The conference was scheduled to take place in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., from July [...]
Senators Renew Call to Lift Ban on Gay Blood Donations Amid Coronavirus Crisis
A cadre of 17 senators — including six former presidential hopefuls and one current candidate — are calling on the Food & Drug Administration to take another look at the ban prohibiting gay and bisexual [...]
NCOA Tele-Town Hall: Caring for Older Adults During COVID-19 Pandemic
This tele-town hall is a dial-in event and requires no internet access to join. It will last from 2 to 3 p.m. EST and focus on galvanizing efforts with partners of National Council on Aging [...]
Obituary: Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally, writer of such plays as "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and "Master Class" died March 24 of complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in his home state of Florida. Labeled by The New York Times [...]
LGBTQ Advocacy Groups Sue Department of Health and Human Services at Critical Time
Lawsuit Filed at Critical Time On March 19, three organizations serving the LGBTQ community sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over its Nov. 2019 announcement that it would no longer enforce nondiscrimination [...]
State Department Urges US Citizens Not to Travel Abroad
The State Department on Thursday urged U.S. citizens not to travel abroad because of coronavirus. “In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate [...]
Despite Call to Donate Blood Amid Coronavirus Crisis, FDA Firm on Gay Ban
Despite calls for increased blood donations amid the coronavirus crisis, the Food & Drug Administration is staying firm on its ban prohibiting gay men from donating blood. “At this time, FDA’s recommendations regarding blood donor [...]
Risks to LGBTQ People in Coronavirus Crisis Cited in New Lawsuit Against HHS
LGBTQ legal advocates highlighted the dangers of the coronavirus people in a lawsuit Thursday challenging the Trump administration’s refusal to enforce an Obama-era rule barring federal grantees from discriminating against LGBTQ people. Because medical practitioners [...]
Idaho Legislature Sends Anti-Trans Bills to Governor’s Desk
As the nation continues to reel from the coronavirus, the Idaho legislature has sent a pair of anti-trans bills to the desk of its governor, one aimed barring transgender youth from participating in sports, the [...]
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti to LGBTQ Community on Coronavirus: Be Leaders, Save Lives
The LGBTQ community is not invisible to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who has been a strong ally for decades. He is keenly aware that his emergency order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is [...]
LGBTQ Seniors Particularly Vulnerable to Isolation
By Philip Van Slooten During the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, D.C.’s Salon Roi remained open while other shops shut down due to the epidemic. But coronavirus has forced former owner Roi Barnard to put [...]
ICE Urged to Release Detainees at Heightened Risk for Coronavirus
Several LGBTQ advocacy groups on Tuesday called for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release all detainees in its custody and to close all of its detention centers because of coronavirus. “People in ICE custody [...]
Coronavirus Risk Not Significantly Greater for Those With ‘Well-Controlled’ HIV
The risk of people with HIV who are receiving standard of care treatment to control their HIV is not significantly greater than the general public for contracting or becoming seriously ill from the Coronavirus, according [...]
Joe Biden Wins Michigan’s Democratic Presidential Primary
The Associated Press called Joe Biden the winner of Michigan's Democratic presidential primary less than two hours after polls closed. This adds to his campaign's wins in Mississippi and Missouri. Unlike in 2016, competitor Bernie [...]
Biden Unveils Extensive LGBTQ Plan, Drawing on Obama-era Achievements
Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Biden unveiled on Thursday a comprehensive plan to advance LGBTQ rights, pledging to support policies and legislation against anti-LGBTQ discrimination and to protect LGBTQ human rights advances across the globe. “As [...]
Buttigieg Drops Presidential Campaign
Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, who had considerable success and made history as a gay presidential candidate, dropped on Sunday night his bid for the White House. “Tonight, I am making the difficult to [...]
Va. Nondiscrimination Bill Receives Final Approval
A bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Virginia’s nondiscrimination law cleared its final legislative hurdle on Wednesday. Senate Bill 868, which state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced, passed in the Virginia [...]
Pete’s Predicament: Winning Over Black Voters on Super Tuesday
With Super Tuesday just a few days away, Pete Buttigieg will be required to make wins among Black and Brown voters to stay in the game as a viable presidential candidate — a Herculean effort [...]
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 [...]
Tenn. Governor Signs Anti-LGBTQ Adoption Bill Into Law
Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tenn.) has signed into law an anti-LGBTQ adoption bill. (Photo by Lynn Freeny via Flickr) Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed legislation into law that would enable taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to [...]