DETROIT— Equality Michigan, the state’s LGBTQ rights organization, has condemned the appointment of an anti-LGBTQ activist to the state’s Civil Rights Commission. Equality Michigan made the announcement on their Facebook page. The group’s executive director, Stephanie White, made this statement: “Equality Michigan condemns the appointment of Ira Combs to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission in…
DES MOINES — A bill that could allow “religious exemptions” from civil rights laws was submitted to the Iowa Senate this week. The bill, SF 2154, was submitted by State Sen. Dennis Guth on Thursday. The bill, if passed and signed into law, would allow people to claim that state and local civil rights laws…
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A bill that would outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ people is moving forward in committee with testimony from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Radio station WOSU reported that this was the first time that a anti-discrimination bill has gotten more than one hearing in almost 10 years. From WOSU: The language has taken…
JEFFERSON CITY — PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBTQ rights organization, has called for gender identity to be added to a nondiscrimination bill. PROMO said in a statement that HB 2253, filed by State Rep. Mike Stephens this past week does not include gender identity, unlike other versions of the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act that have been submitted in the…
CHICAGO — The online community newspaper Illinois Eagle announced Saturday morning that it would cease publication, effective immediately. The site, which had focused on Illinois LGBTQ, bear and kink news, stopped publishing because of low readership and a lack of resources to expand. The Illinois Eagle was a sister publication to the Great Lakes Den.…
PALATINE — A transgender teen in Palatine was denied an court injunction that would have allowed her immediate, unrestricted bathroom access. The Daily Herald of Arlington Heights reported that Nova Maday, 18, had sought the injunction to lift the district’s requirement she use a private changing area inside the girls locker room during her final…
ST. LOUIS — Pride St. Louis, producer of one of the city’s annual Pride celebrations, has asked the city of St. Louis to drop charges against two people who protested last year’s event. The organization sent a letter to City Counselor Julian Bush requesting that the charges be dropped. The letter was also posted on…
DAVOS, Switzerland — GLAAD announced on Thursday that, for the first time, acceptance for LGBTQ has gone down. The result came from the annual Accelerating Acceptance report produced by GLAAD and Harris Poll. This is the first time in the four year history of the report that the level of acceptance has gone down. Some…
WASHINGTON — The Trump Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is now creating a Division of Conscience and Religious Freedom, according to multiple reports. NPR reported that the division is to protect doctors, nurses and other health care workers who refuse to take part in procedures like abortion, or treat certain…
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is supporting legislation that would ban job and housing discrimination against LGBTQ Ohioans. Cleveland.com reported on Thursday that the chamber was backing House Bill 160, called the Ohio Fairness Act. The bill would extend Ohio’s workplace and housing discrimination protections to sexual orientation and gender identity or…
