National news and events that affect Illinois.
WASHINGTON — A new report released yesterday by the Human Rights Campaign details the violence against the U.S. transgender community. The report, A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in America in 2018, stated that 22 transgender people have been killed in the U.S. in 2018. More than 80% of those killed were people of color, two-thirds…
DES MOINES — The Des Moines Register reported on Sunday that the the U.S. Agriculture Department under the Trump Administration pressured the national 4-H organization to withdraw a LGBTQ-friendly membership policy which also allowed a leader in Iowa to be pushed out. 4-H, an international youth organization that in the U.S. receives its funding from…
WASHINGTON — Far-right members of Congress are objecting to LGBTQ protections that are part of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The agreement, which replaces NAFTA, requires that workers be protected against discrimination, including orientation and gender identity. From Politico: “A trade agreement is no place for the adoption of social policy,” reads the letter, which carries the…
WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced on Thursday that its president, Chad Griffin, will be stepping down after seven years leading the organization. “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this incredible organization at such an important moment in the history of our movement — and…
CHICAGO — While intimate partner violence (IPV) can occur between heterosexual or same-sex couples, efforts to address this public health problem have remained mostly focused on heterosexual women despite other populations experiencing IPV at similar or higher rates. The American Medical Association (AMA) adopted policy at its Interim Meeting today aimed at addressing IPV in…
WASHINGTON — A proposal could prevent American diplomats from using phrases like “sexual and reproductive health” and “comprehensive sexuality education.” Politico reported this week that conservative appointees to the U.S. State Department and other agencies are pushing the proposal. The publication said it was clear what direct policy changes there would be to banning those phrases,…
NEW YORK — Responding to a rising tide of legislative and administrative attempts to further marginalize transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex people — including a recent report by the New York Times on administrative efforts to erase transgender non-discrimination protections through reinterpretation of existing law — 56 major companies today issued a business statement in…
TORONTO — On Nov. 1, Rainbow Railroad, an international organization helping LGBTQI people find a path to safety, launches its #60in60 Campaign to save 60 lives in the final 60 days of the year. At this moment, in one of more than 70 countries around the world, LGBTQI people are facing extreme violence and persecution.…
LOS ANGELES – GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, on Thursday announced the findings of its annual Where We Are on TV report. Where We Are on TV analyzes the overall diversity of primetime scripted series regulars on broadcast networks and assesses the number of LGBTQ characters on cable networks and original scripted streaming series…
NEW YORK — Friday, October 26 marks Intersex Awareness Day. interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, Lambda Legal, and Proskauer Rose LLP have recently released the nation’s first intersex-affirming hospital policy guide, offering concrete steps for medical providers to provide sensitive, non-discriminatory care to intersex patients. “Intersex” describes up to 1.7% of the population born with…
