Senate panel advances bathroom legislation

As part of state lawmakers' second attempt at passing a bathroom bill this year, a panel of Senate lawmakers voted Friday to advance a measure to restrict bathroom use for transgender Texans. The 8-1 vote came after almost 10 hours of emotional testimony -- a large majority in opposition -- by transgender Texans, their families and their allies, who pleaded with lawmakers to not endanger an already vulnerable population.

Pentagon approves six-month delay for transgender U.S. military recruits

U.S. Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis leaves a news conference after a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 29, 2017. U.S. Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis leaves a news conference after a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 29, 2017.

Gay pride parades nationwide take on a political tone

People marched in the annual New York Gay Pride Parade, one of the oldest and largest in the world, in the West Village in Manhattan on Sunday. NEW YORK - Thousands of people lined the streets for gay pride parades Sunday in coast-to-coast events that took both celebratory and political tones, the latter a reaction to what some see as new threats to gay rights in the Trump era.

Off-duty black St. Louis cop mistakenly shot by white cop

The lawyer for a black St. Louis police officer who was off-duty when he tried to help in an arrest but was mistakenly shot by a white officer says his client's race factored into it. The lawyer for a black St. Louis police officer who was off-duty when he tried to help in an arrest but was mistakenly shot by a white officer says his client's race factored into it.

Over 120 people buried by massive southwest China landslide

Deliberations in the second trial of a white former University of Cincinnati police officer who shot an unarmed black motorist have gone on longer than in his first trial. Deliberations in the second trial of a white former University of Cincinnati police officer who shot an unarmed black motorist have gone on longer than in his first trial.

Federal Court Upholds Law Allowing Refusal Of Service To LGBT Couples

A law allowing business owner to deny service to LGBT couples was ruled enforceable in Mississippi by a federal court Thursday. The U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th circuit struck down a district court's injunction against the law , which now allows business owners to refuse to serve gay, lesbian, or transgender couples on grounds of religious objection and also permits clerks to refuse to issue marriage licenses to LGBT couples.

Arkansas legislators approve bathroom-bill study

Legislation to restrict how transgender people use public restrooms quietly stalled toward the end of this year's regular legislative session, only to reappear Wednesday. The so-called bathroom bill was among several pieces of legislation that lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to study until the Legislature meets in its next regular session in 2019.

Joe Biden to LGBT gala: ‘Hold President Trump accountable’

Former Vice President Joe Biden , warning of transgender Americans "under attack" in Republican-led states, on Wednesday challenged the nation's LGBT community to push back against President Donald Trump 's administration. "Hold President Trump accountable for his pledge to be your friend," Biden declared at a private LGBT gala hosted by the Democratic National Committee in New York.