Michael Lavers
Nikki Haley Resigns as US Ambassador to UN
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley resigned on Tuesday. Haley in her resignation letter to President Trump wrote the U.S. "achieved great success at the U.N." during her tenure, which include efforts to pressure North Korea to abandon its [...]
New Diplomatic Visa Policy Takes Effect
A new State Department policy that requires partners of foreign mission personnel and employees of international organizations to be married in order to qualify for a diplomatic visa took effect on Monday. A State Department letter the Washington [...]
Trump UN Speech Sparks Renewed Criticism from LGBTI Activists
President Trump's speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday prompted renewed criticism from LGBTI rights activists. He prompted audible laughter when he said his "administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the [...]
San Juan Mayor: Trump 'Unhinged from any Sense of Reality'
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — San Juan Mayor Carmen Yul√≠n Cruz on Wednesday reiterated her sharp criticism of President Trump's response to Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico a year ago. "More than 3,000 people have died, that's for sure," she [...]
Irish Prime Minister Raises LGBTI Issues During Papal Visit
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar raised LGBTI-specific issues during Pope Francis' two-day visit to the country.Varadkar, who is openly gay, on Saturday in a speech in front of Francis at Dublin Castle pointed out same-sex couples can legally [...]
Trump Policies Prompt Calls to Move Global AIDS Conference out of U.S.
HIV/AIDS activists in the U.S. and around the world are urging the International AIDS Society to relocate the 2020 International AIDS Conference that is scheduled to take place in the San Francisco Bay Area. HIPS, a D.C.-based group that advocates [...]
ICE Releases 14 Transgender Asylum Seekers
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released from its custody 14 transgender women who are seeking asylum in the U.S. The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts in a July 31 press release that announced the trans women's release [...]
Trump Nominates Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court
President Trump on Monday nominated Brett Kavanaugh to succeed retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kavanaugh, 53, has been a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2006. Kavanaugh also clerked [...]
British Government to Ban Conversion Therapy
The British government on Tuesday announced it will ban so-called conversion therapy in the U.K. The ban is among the 75 recommendations to promote equality and fight discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity that the government [...]
LGBT Activists Join Protests Against Trump Immigration Policy
LGBT rights advocates across the country on Saturday took part in protests against President Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy. Human Rights Campaign Foundation Director of Faith Outreach and Training Lisbeth Meléndez Rivera, National [...]
Cicilline: No Policies 'In Place' for Detained LGBT Immigrant Children
Editor's note: President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order that stops the separation of immigrant children from their parents. The White House has yet to say how it will reunite them. U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) on Tuesday said [...]
US Withdraws from UN Human Rights Council
The U.S. on Tuesday announced it has withdrawn from the U.N. Human Rights Council. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told reporters during a press conference at the State Department that Cuba, Venezuela, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo [...]