Lisa Keen
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 cases ask whether an existing federal [...]
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 claim an exemption from a city [...]
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 was not [...]
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 last week a business [...]
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 school's policy of allowing transgender students [...]
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 "more diverse" field of health [...]
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 prohibits discrimination based on sexual [...]
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 row who said anti-gay bias motivated his jury's decision [...]
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 percent, and [...]
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 not conjure a notion for [...]
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 [...]
Kavanaugh Hearings: No Comment, No Comfort
It was the third day of a four-day confirmation hearing for federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh to join the U.S. Supreme Court before a senator really pressed hard for him to account for his commitment to equal rights for LGBTQ people. U.S. Senator Cory [...]