Chris Johnson
New Trump Guidance Rolls Back Rights for Trans Inmates
Newly unveiled guidance from the Trump administration instructing federal prisons to designate sex to transgender inmates on the basis of birth sex, not gender identity, is facing criticism from human rights groups who say the policy will jeopardize [...]
Ex-gay' Therapy Bans, Anti-LGBT Adoption Bills Advance in States
A host of LGBT-related bills are making their way to the desks of governors around the country and could have a major impact on LGBT Americans if signed into law. Anti-LGBT bills that would enable taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to deny placement [...]
Campaign Seeks to Expose Anti-LGBT History of 'The Real Mike Pence'
The nation's largest LGBT group launched a new campaign on Thursday seeking to expose the anti-LGBT record of the No. 2 public official in the United States: Vice President Mike Pence. The Human Rights Campaign initiative consists of a video [...]
Army Chief of Staff Undermines DOD Report Against Transgender Service
The top uniformed official in the U.S. Army on Thursday undermined recommendations from Defense Secretary James Mattis against transgender military service — which led to President Trump's ban on transgender people in the armed forces — by asserting [...]
Anti-trans bathroom ballot initiative defeated in Anchorage
A ballot initiative in Anchorage that would have removed transgender protections from the city's non-discrimination ordinance has been defeated, transgender advocates against the measure declared Friday night. Although the city had yet to declare [...]
Who's to Blame for Trans Military Ban: Mattis or Pence?
When President Trump reaffirmed his ban on transgender military service last Friday, the memo was backed up by a report from Defense Secretary James Mattis in which he asserted that a nine-month review of the issue revealed "substantial risks" in [...]
Poll of U.S. Adults Gives Trump Poor Numbers on LGBT Rights
A recent Economist-YouGov poll on President Trump and a range of other issues gives him a poor numbers on his handling of LGBT rights just days after the administration reaffirmed its ban on transgender military service. A total of 29 [...]
Joint Chiefs not Briefed before Trump went Public with Trans Military Ban
The joint military service chiefs were not briefed on the recommendations by Defense Secretary James Mattis against the transgender military ban or the Trump memo seeking to implement them before the White House went public with them last Friday, [...]
Trump Issues (Moot) Memo Affirming Ban on Transgender Military Service
Consistent with expectations for timing for the new policy, President Trump issued a memo late Friday on transgender military service that — while moot thanks to court orders against banning transgender troops — nonetheless reaffirms policy against [...]
DeVos Affirms Education Department not Taking Up Trans Bathroom Cases
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos admitted during congressional testimony the Trump administration won't take up complaints from transgender kids denied access to school restrooms based on their gender identity, defying a growing number of courts that [...]
Pride Fund Endorses Tammy Baldwin for Re-Election
The only LGBT group focused solely on gun reform has endorsed Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who's running for re-election in Wisconsin for the U.S. Senate in what could be a competitive race. Jason Lindsay, executive director of the Pride Fund to End [...]
Pence Criticized for Excluding Media from Breakfast with Gay Irish PM
Vice President Mike Pence is taking heat for excluding the media from his breakfast meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who is gay. The breakfast at the Naval Observatory is a tradition for St. Patrick's Day, which is a time when the [...]