Official News Outlet for the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association
By John Mack Freeman Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York said that he will use executive action to provide protections for transgender people in speech given last week. Via New York Times: The governor, addressing the crowd at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, said he would direct the State Division of Human Rights […]
By John Mack Freeman France is changing its ban on blood donations by men who have sex with men (MSM). Previously, France had a lifetime ban in place for all MSM. Now, France has changed its rules to come in line with recent changes by many other Western countries, allowing blood donation by MSM as long […]
By John Mack Freeman Social media giant Facebook will soften its policy requiring users to use their real, legal name on the site. Instead, users will be instructed to use their “authentic” name, or the name that their communities best know them as. Users reported for using a false name will be given more of […]
By John Mack Freeman The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (widely referred to as HERO) was rejected by a referendum vote, with nearly 61 percent of voters rejecting the measure. Via Wall Street Journal: Known as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, the measure would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race […]
By John Mack Freeman A court in Colombia has ruled that same-sex couples in that country can legally adopt children. The Colombian Constitutional Court ruled 6-2 in favor of the plaintiffs who were seeking adoption rights for GLB people. Via Washington Blade: The Colombian Constitutional Court in February ruled gays and lesbians can adopt a […]
By John Mack Freeman This past Thursday, the Mormon Church made a change to its practices that blocks all children of same-sex parents from receiving baptism in the church. The Mormon Church has long been opposed to same-sex marriage, and it was principal backer of several initiatives that sought to block same-sex unions in several […]
By John Mack Freeman The Ukraine may lose an agreement with the European Union that would allow its citizens visa-free travel within member nations because of the Ukraine’s rejection of a law that would have banned GLBT discrimination. This is widely seen as yet another battleground over the Ukraine’s divided population that has one faction […]
Via press release The American Library Association (ALA) is accepting nominations for the inaugural Newlen-Symons Award for Excellence in Serving the GLBT Community. The award, to be given for the first time this year, will honor recent library initiatives that demonstrate excellence in library services to or for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community. The award […]
By Elizabeth Gartley Most educators are familiar with African American History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March, but LGBT History Month is often overlooked in October, and the experiences and contributions of LGBT people throughout the world are omitted from most history classes. But there are a wealth of opportunities to integrate […]
By Emilia R. Marcyk Scholarship and academic news that addresses LGBTQ identities and concerns, of interest to librarians and information professionals Special Issues This month’s issue of Educational Forum focuses on sexuality, gender, identity and education. Of particular interest to librarians working in the K-12 world: Helmer, Kirsten. “‘Everyone Needs a Class Like This’: High […]