Official News Outlet for the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association
By John Mack Freeman Lawmakers in India have rejected a bill that would have decriminalized consensual same-sex activity in that country. Members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliaments, voted 71-24 against the measure. The move does not come as a surprise as the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party controls that house of Parliament. Via […]
By John Mack Freeman The Malawi government has decided this week that they will not prosecute people under that country’s anti-gay laws. Via LGBTQ Nation: Earlier this month, two men were detained by a neighborhood watch team, who turned them over to police, according to Human Rights Watch and the Centre for the Development of […]
By John Mack Freeman An anti-trans initiative has failed to gather the required signatures to make the ballot in California. Via Towleroad: Had it been approved by California voters, the “Personal Privacy Protection Act” would have required trans people to use public restrooms according to their biological sex unless a doctor confirmed they had undergone gender reassignment surgery. In response to […]
By John Mack Freeman A lawsuit has been filed in federal court challenging North Carolina’s law that allows for magistrates to recuse themselves from performing marriages based on their religious beliefs. The law was passed earlier this year by the Republican-controlled legislature over the veto of Governor Pat McCrory (R). Via LGBTQ Nation: The lawsuit, […]
By John Mack Freeman The Mexico Supreme Court declared this week that all bans on same sex marriage in that country were unconstitutional. The move comes after a same-sex couple in the state of Jalisco had filed a suit challenging the ban. The Court first moved earlier this year in June to legalize same-sex marriage. […]
By John Mack Freeman Numerous presidential candidates have taken anti-LGBT stances in the last week. Senator Ted Cruz and former Governor Mike Huckabee (both Republican candidates for President) have both made promises that would make the First Amendment Defense Act a priority in their first hundred days in office if they were elected president. This bill would provide for a […]
By John Mack Freeman The legislature in the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus have voted to approve civil unions between same-sex partners. While joint adoption rights were not included in the measure, this is seen as a positive step forward in a culturally conservative country where the Orthodox Church (Greek) has significant sway. Many believe this move […]
By Peter Coyl The subject of bathrooms has been in the news quite a bit here in Texas. It started a few months ago in the wind up to the election because of a contested ballot measure (the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance or HERO which would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity). […]
By John Mack Freeman This week, the White House formally endorsed the Equality Act. Via Out: “The administration strongly supports the Equality Act,” said Press Secretary Josh Earnest at today’s afternoon White House press briefing. The Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal laws to protect LGBT Americans from discrimination […]
By John Mack Freeman Late last week, Ukraine passed a law that banned discrimination in the workplace for GLBT people. Via PinkNews: It specifically says workplace discrimination on the basis of “race, colour, political, religious and other beliefs, sex gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic, social and foreign origin, age, health, disability or suspected presence of […]