Marco Rubio pledges to reverse Obama’s LGBT executive order By Chris Johnson, The Washington Post“Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio has pledged to reverse President Obama’s executive order barring anti-LGBT workplace discrimination among federal contractors, saying faith-based businesses are ‘being compelled to sin by government in their business conduct.’””After being questioned about maintaining religious freedom in the United States, which is considered code by conservatives to mean enabling anti-LGBT discrimination, Rubio said “there’s no doubt that we need to be extra vigilant now” about protecting religious liberty.””Rubio went on to discuss the Supreme Court rulings in favor of same-sex marriage and abortion rights, saying the next president must appoint justices who understand the U.S Constitution “’is not a living and breathing document.’”
“Two foundations pledged Tuesday to contribute $20 million over five years to organizations in the transgender movement, officials told BuzzFeed News, an unparalleled philanthropic donation to improve quality of life for transgender people around the world.”
“Beginning in 2016, the money will be awarded mostly to U.S. groups that focus on transgender issues or are led by transgender individuals, rather than organizations that include transgender issues as part of a broader agenda. The project will expand internationally in following years, particularly in poorer and developing nations.”
“Among the goals: quelling a rising tide of violence against transgender people, increasing job opportunities, and boosting long-term inclusion of transgender people in society.”
“Buried in some upbeat reporting about the latest U.S. statistics on HIV from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are some very disturbing findings about an increase in infection among gay men of color. “”Over the past decade, the trend among gay and bi men of color was not as encouraging as it was in just the past few years. HIV diagnoses among African-American men who have sex with men has increased about 22 percent, and the rate among gay and bisexual Latinos has also increased, by about 24 percent.”
“Another disturbing finding relates to geography: Where you live with HIV can make a difference in how long you live. The CDC found Southern states have the highest rates of infection, illness, and death related to HIV. “People living in with HIV in some Southern states have death rates that are three times higher than people living with HIV in some other states,” said the report. ”
“Part of the problem, the CDC said, is that people living with HIV in the South are less likely to be aware of their infection than those living elsewhere in the U.S. Fewer than 85 percent of people living with HIV in Southern states, including Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Alabama, are aware of their positive status.”
“One of the primary justifications invoked for limiting gay parental rights is “science.” In Utah, Judge Scott Johansen’s initial order referred to social science research showing that children do better with a mom and a dad than with same-sex parents. In Kansas, state Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, a Republican who opposes gay marriage, explained her objections to same-sex foster parents this way: ‘It’s too bad that these children have become the subject of political correctness instead of looking at the scientific evidence.'”
“But a closer look shows that what is being cited as “science” in these situations is anything but. In fact, flawed scholarship is being used as a smokescreen to create the illusion of legitimate debate where none exists.”
LGBT rights groups filed a federal suit Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of a new law that allows magistrates to opt out of performing same-sex marriages based on “sincerely held” religious beliefs.
The Asheville-based Campaign for Southern Equality joined with statewide advocacy group Equality North Carolina and Charlotte-based law firm Tin Fulton Walker & Owen to file the suit and host an accompanying public education campaign.
“Senate Bill Two seeks to undermine the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling and uses taxpayer funds to promote a single, particular religious viewpoint,” said Meghann Burke, an attorney with Brazil & Burke, PA in Asheville, who helped file the lawsuit. Burke is married to the executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality.
“When a magistrate is acting within his or her official capacity, he or she is the government,” Burke added. “Government has no right to establish, promote, or respect a particular religious viewpoint.”
“Federal transportation officials will investigate whether Alabama violated civil rights laws by cutting back on motor vehicle services in predominantly black counties.”
“The cutbacks already are under fire by civil rights activists who say they make it harder to get a photo ID, a requirement to vote under a new state law.”
“The Alabama probe is part of an ongoing battle over voter ID laws and is particularly important as more states, including Mississippi and South Carolina, implement similar voter ID laws. Driver’s licenses are often used to comply with voter ID laws.”
“Voting rights and civil rights advocates argue the laws could cause millions of voters, mostly minorities, to be turned away at the polls next year for not having the required ID.”
“While there is an abundance of data on racial, gender and geographic bias influencing death penalty convictions, data are not collected on bias against LGBT defendants — but case studies across the nation show that discrimination exists.”“’To convince the jury or judge that they should take the life of a defendant, they attempt to demonize the defendant,’ [Death Penalty Information Center Executive Director, Robert] Dunham said. “They do it to make the defendant ‘other’ than human.” Dunham said prosecutors often label LGBT defendants as sexually or morally deviant or bring up their sexual orientation when it is not relevant to the case.”
“In addition to discrimination in prosecutor’s arguments, jury selection in capital punishment cases can also work against LGBT defendants.”
“It is unlawful for lawyers to ask jurors about their sexual orientation, which some argue might make it more difficult to find a jury of peers for LGBT defendants.”
“Stephen Deal is dad to a 17-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy who he adopted. But unlike most teens in their Southern California community, Marella and Raul have not one doting dad but two: Deal and his husband, Dan Calma, who tells The Advocate, ‘Most of our friends are dual income, no kids. We went from being part of that community to all of a sudden having kids.'””Last week, in celebration of National Adoption Month, Calma and Deal and two other couples — Sara Neel and Sherri Paxton, and Kergan Edwards-Stout and Russ Noe — shared with The Advocate the lessons they’ve learned as LGBT parents who adopted.”
“Each couple offered different perspectives on the experience of choosing to become foster parents. They bravely shared what they had to do to achieve their dream and how they manage their family dynamic given the factors of sexuality, gender, interests, politics, and teenage hormones. They are each raising their children to be strong, self-sufficient, and upstanding young men and women, and with one possible exception, their children show no indication of being LGBT themselves. But their parents say they do understand, perhaps better than most, that it’s love that makes a family, and that they are indeed loved. ”
“I began to think about Truvada last fall, when a friend of mine mentioned that it was gaining currency as an HIV-prevention drug. This friend knew that I generally only had condomless sex—and that as a result, I rarely had sex at all. As a gay man who has receptive sex—and who lives in Miami and Washington, D.C., the cities with the first- and fifth-highest HIV rates in the U.S.—I knew how high my risk was, and for the most part, I wasn’t willing to chance it.”
“So when another Miami friend of mine mentioned he was taking PrEP, I began to consider it. I made an appointment at my doctor’s office. The physician’s assistant listened attentively as I explained my situation: gay man, age 33, inconsistent condom use, high-risk behavior. I said: I’m interested in starting PrEP.”
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