Transgender rights are a hot topic in the news recently, from Trump’s slapdash ban on transgender soldiers in the military to the question of whether Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act includes gender identity under the umbrella of sex discrimination.
Trump’s Aim at Transgender Troops Sharpens
The Trump administration announced a new-ish ban on transgender people serving in the military on March 23. But in reality, there’s not much difference between this one and the ban he announced via Twitter last summer.
The State of the LGBTQ Union
Much of our focus on LGBT rights centers at the federal level, but there are also several ongoing battles in several states concerning equality.
Masterpiece Cakeshop Will Change the Way We Do business
In early December, SCOTUS heard oral arguments in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The crux of the case is that bakery owner Jack Phillips sued the CCRC claiming his rights to freedom of religion and freedom of speech have been denied when he refused to bake a custom wedding cake for a gay couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins.
The Icing on the Discrimination Cake
On the final day of its session, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who refuses to make cakes for same-sex weddings on the basis of his “religious beliefs.” Unfortunately, we are going to have to wait to see if “religious freedom” includes the freedom to discriminate as the…
The Beginning of an LGBT Civil Rights Rollback?
I won’t mince words: Each day, values that we hold dear — inclusion, tolerance and equality — are in danger like never before. Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen Americans ban together in unprecedented ways, from the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., to a small town in Alaska where 2 feet of snow fell…
Prospects for Pride in a Trump Era
As we move toward Trump’s half-year mark in office, it is becoming clearer that the Trump administration does not intend to continue its predecessors’ prioritization of the protection of the rights and liberties of the LGBT community. Contrary to promises made during his campaign trail to be “good to the gays” and to protect the…
Ongoing LGBT Evolution in the U.S. Military
For 17 years, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” forcibly closeted tens of thousands of military servicemen and women. Originally designed as a compromise between lawmakers and military personnel who wanted the ban on LGBTQ servicemembers lifted and those who didn’t, the reality of DADT encouraged an environment in which discrimination and prejudice festered, and those most…
Grim outlook for transgender rights?
So much has changed since that day in October when we all rejoiced at the announcement that the Supreme Court of the United States would hear G. G. v. Gloucester County School Board and review a decision of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the discrimination of transgender people in the educational system. We…