In striking feat, Dems come close to retaking Virginia House

Danica Roem, a Democrat who is running for Virginia's House of Delegates against GOP incumbent Robert Marshall, casts her vote at Buckhall Volunteer Fire Department on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in Manassas, Va. If Roem wins she would be the first openly transgender person elected and seated in a state legislature in the United States.

Trump resistance hands heavy defeats to Republicans in governorship polls

US Democrat Ralph Northam has defeated Republican Ed Gillespie in the race for the governorship of Virginia, marking his party's first major Trump-era victory. The results in the state were replicated in several contests across America on Tuesday as the Trump resistance struck back at the US president's nationalist rhetoric.

Get ready for Moore bad news on Election Day

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's ruling Monday temporarily blocking a White House ban on transgender individuals from serving in the military prompted right-wing Republican candidate Roy Moore to provide fresh evidence why sensible Alabamians should not allow him to set foot in the U.S. Senate. Moore, a rabid homophobe and champion of the anti-Obama " birther" movement , has called for Kollar-Kotelly's impeachment by the House of Representatives because, in making her ruling, she has "placed herself above the Constitution" with a display of "judicial activism."

Judge largely blocks Trump’s military transgender ban

A federal court judge in Washington, D.C., has largely blocked President Trump's controversial ban on transgender people serving in the military. The judge, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, issued a preliminary injunction on Monday halting two portions of Trump's presidential memorandum issued in late August, including his reinstatement of the ban on transgender service members that was in place before June 2016.

Court partially blocks Trump’s transgender military ban

Paul Manafort, Who Once Ran Trump Campaign, Told to Surrender - WASHINGTON - Paul Manafort and his former business associate Rick Gates were told to surrender to federal authorities Monday morning, the first charges in a special counsel investigation, according to a person involved in the case. Manafort to turn himself in to Mueller, source says - Source: Manafort to turn himself in to Mueller - STORY HIGHLIGHTS - Manafort is the first person in Trump's orbit charged in connection with the special counsel investigation - Washington Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort How the Russia Investigation Entangled a Manafort Protg - Nearly everywhere Paul Manafort went, it seemed, Rick Gates followed, his protg and junior partner.

Judge allows new route to challenge Mississippi LGBT law

A gay rights group is getting another chance to challenge a Mississippi law that lets government workers and private business people cite their own religious beliefs to refuse services to LGBT people. Legal experts say it's the broadest religious-objections law enacted by any state since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.

How John Kelly Exposed Himself As Steve Bannon Lite

The notion of the three retired generals surrounding Donald Trump-National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and Chief of Staff John Kelly- protecting Americans from an unstable, impulsive demagogue who might create global catastrophe has been around since the beginning of the Trump presidency. The narrative , that these individuals are privately more moderate and responsible, has been bandied about by pundits, reporters and other observers.

Stopping hate crimes against transgender Americans

It's compelling and important news that Attorney General Jeff Sessions is so concerned about the killing of a transgender Iowa high school student that he has sent an experienced federal hate crimes lawyer to help prosecute the man charged in the murder. This act of compassion also begs a question: Why isn't Sessions more concerned about violence against transgender people while they are still alive? There have long been concerns about Sessions' stance on the civil rights of gay and transgender Americans.

Mississippi Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ Law Takes Effect

A Mississippi law enabling sweeping anti-LGBT discrimination in the name of "religious freedom" took effect Tuesday as a result of a federal appeals court decision throwing out a legal challenge to the statute. The law, House Bill 1523, was signed by Gov. Phil Bryant last year in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide.

Trump-Pence Administration Unleashes Sweeping Anti-LGBTQ #LicenseToDiscriminate

Today, the Human Rights Campaign , the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer civil rights organization, strongly condemned the Trump-Pence administration's decision to carry out a sweeping " license to discriminate " that puts millions of LGBTQ Americans at risk of discrimination, as well as release a new regulation that could deny millions of Americans access to critical contraceptive care previously guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act . Today the Trump-Pence administration launched an all-out assault on LGBTQ people, women, and other minority communities by unleashing a sweeping license to discriminate, HRC President Chad Griffin .

Reform Movement Condemns DOJ Discriminatory Guidance on Transgender…

On Wednesday, October 4, the Department of Justice issued a memorandum stating that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect transgender employees in their places of work. In the memorandum, Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote, "Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination between men and women but does encompass discrimination based on gender identity per se , including transgender status."

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Reacts To Latest DOJ Assault On LGBTQ Community

Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement "The text of Title VII, federal case law, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission all support interpreting and applying Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination to cover the stark discrimination faced by transgender individuals. Transgender individuals are among some of our nation's most vulnerable communities and they experience discrimination in virtually every area of life based on their sex.

Trump Is Banning Trans Soldiers at the Worst Possible Time

President Trump's tweet that the U.S. military will not "accept or allow" transgender service members triggered a host of vehement and impassioned replies, many calling the decision morally wrong, ethically bereft, and a legally flawed way to treat fellow Americans. As the president prepares to send "guidance" to the services on how to rid the military of transgender service members, it is imperative for those of us who are able to speak out against such prejudice and intolerance.