by Olivia Hampton WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Barack Obama promised gay and lesbian activists he will repeal a ban on gays in the US military, rebuking complaints he has not honored his promises to fight for equal rights. "I will end 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' That's my commitment to you," Obama said during a rousing speech before some 3,000 activists at an event organized by the country's biggest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organization. "We should not be punishing... Read Full Story
Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay. Shepard's killers set out at first to rob him. But, after learning he was gay, they kidnapped and tortured him and left him for dead in a ranch in Laramie, WY.
James Byrd, Jr. was murdered for being black. His killers, three white supremacist, chained him to a pickup truck and dragged him to his death in east Texas.
These two deaths were disturbingly brutal but in 1998 when President Bill Clinton tried to get Congress to add sexual... Read Full Story
President Obama today signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act which was apart of the 2010 Defense Authorization bill. The new legislation adds sexual orientation, gender, disability, or gender identity to existing hate crimes laws.
Joe Solomnese of HRC and Judy Shepard respond to the signing …
“This law honors our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters whose lives were cut short because of hate,” said Human Rights Campaign... Read Full Story
This weekend’s widely publicized National Equality March called on activists and government officials alike to take action to end inequality.
Already at least one issue of LBGT equality appears very close to resolution – the expansion of federal hate crime legislation to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. One accomplishment that President Obama shared at the HRC Gala Dinner on Friday evening included the... Read Full Story
The following post is from HRC President Joe Solmonese:
Between President Obama’s speech at the HRC National Dinner on Saturday night and the inspiring crowd of pro-equality marchers who gathered at the Capitol on Sunday, it was quite a weekend. In my mind, it all reflected the undeniable fact that we in the LGBT community and our allies have a new-found energy and focus on what needs to be done to achieve the equality we’ve been promised and that we deserve. Of course, we are not a... Read Full Story
Me and my partner would like to get life insurance. I'm 22 and my partner is 50. We don't know where to start. We don't 100% understand how it all works or what companies are the best. There's no one "best" life insurance company. However, each year there is a list issued by the Insurance Information Institute that indicates the leading life insurance carriers - It's called the Top 10 life insurance companies . You start, by writing down exactly what you want the life insurance coverage to... Read Full Story
In this blog series, HRC attorneys discuss news and break down the legal theories in Supreme Court and federal court cases. This post is from Mike Wilson, HRC’s new staff counsel for special projects:
On October 5, the Supreme Court denied certiorari (in other words, declined to hear the case) in two LGBT-related cases. In Hudson Area Schools v. Patterson , the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of a Michigan school system that wanted the Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the... Read Full Story
The U.S. Senate passed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday with the controversial Matthew Shepard Act attached. The act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal hate crimes laws. The bill now heads to the desk of President Obama, who at last week’s Human Rights Campaign dinner promised LGBT advocates he’d sign the bill into law.
The bill passed the U.S. House two weeks ago . Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken were among the 68 Senators voting for... Read Full Story
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - American TV viewers are seeing more gay, lesbian and transgender characters on their screens and story lines are better reflecting current issues in the gay community, according to a survey set for release on Thursday. Characters like gay police officer John Cooper on NBC's "Southland" -- a rarity for a gritty crime drama -- and the gay parents of an adopted baby on the new ABC comedy "Modern Family" -- are sweeping away old TV stereotypes. Some 44 lesbian, gay... Read Full Story
Dec. 2 marks the fifth anniversary of Ohio’s Defense of Marriage Act. In 2004, Ohio passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
In honor of the banniversary, Equality Ohio has created a video to be delivered to members of the Ohio legislature. It is a part of the organization’s Our Stories project, which seeks to share the real stories of LGBT Ohioans to lawmakers and other citizens. Warning: It’s a tearjerker.
Posted in activism, Equality Ohio, gay marriage, Ohio... Read Full Story
