Poll says Virginians are okay with “bathroom bill”

MAY 10: Unisex signs hang outside bathrooms at Toast Paninoteca on May 10, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. Debate over transgender bathroom access spreads nationwide as the U.S. Department of Justice countersues North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory from enforcing the provisions of House Bill 2 that dictate what bathrooms transgender individuals can use.

Do they want anarchy?

Former New Hampshire senator Kelly Ayotte will lead a team of political veterans chosen by the White House to help shepherd President Donald Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court through the U.S. The Boston Bruins came out of the All-Star break with a key road victory, trailing early but taking control for a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on ... (more)

White House says it wona t roll back LGBTQ protections

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he won't roll back federal workplace protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people, giving a rare nod of approval to President Barack Obama's work on the issue. In a statement released early morning, the White House said Obama's 2014 executive order prohibiting LGBTQ workplace discrimination would remain intact "at the direction" of Trump.

White House considers pulling back on LGBT protections – Mon, 30 Jan 2017 PST

The White House is embroiled in a debate over whether to reverse some key protections the Obama administration extended to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers, according to several people briefed on the process. A draft of a potential executive order began circulating in Washington over the weekend that would overturn President Barack Obama's directive barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal workforce and by federal contractors.

Trump hits lowest approval, highest disapproval yet

The last time Trump had a higher approval rating than disapproval rating on the FiveThirtyEight tracker was on the 12th day of his presidency. The last time Trump had a higher approval rating than disapproval rating on the FiveThirtyEight tracker was on the 12th day of his presidency.

Moore, Warren Kick Off Women’s Marches With Words of Protest

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, Senator Elizabeth Warren and other prominent liberal leaders lined up at microphones across the nation to voice demands during a series of women's marches in the nation's cities, insisting their message was not only about women's rights, but about human rights they say are in jeopardy with President Donald Trump. Moore, in Washington D.C.: "If the federal government comes to take our Mexican brothers and sisters away, 30,000 people say I will do it.

A man holds a placard as anti-war protesters mount a Free Bradley Manning demonstration

The Welsh-Irish family of whistleblower Chelsea Manning have said they are "overjoyed" she will soon be free after her sentence was commuted by outgoing US President Barack Obama. A statement released on behalf of her mother, Susan Manning, and other family members said they hoped the transgender former intelligence analyst, born Bradley Manning, would "now be able to get on with the rest of her life", adding there would "always be a welcome for her here in Wales".

Why Does “Big Gay” Expect Trump To Persecute Them?

One rather queer aspect of the Donald Trump phenomenon is that people so expect to be offended by his paroxysms of intolerance that they haven't noticed there's one group the president-elect has never scapegoated, attacked, or belittled: LGBT Americans. Trump's reserve on gay matters, coming from a politician so promiscuous with his vituperation, represents a welcome watershed in LGBT history.

Trump’s Pick for Attorney General to Make Final Case for Confirmation

In particular, he will vow to tell incoming president Donald Trump "no" when necessary. He will defend police and law enforcement officers across the country who have been "unfairly maligned" in recent years, and he will insist he understands the struggle for justice by "African-American brothers and sisters" and from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, according to prepared remarks to be made before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

LGBT activists view Obama as staunch champion of their cause

In this Friday, June 26, 2015 file photo, people gather in Lafayette Park to see the White House illuminated with rainbow colors in commemoration of the Supreme Court's ruling to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington. It was a new look for the White House: illuminated in rainbow colors to celebrate the Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage nationwide.

Federal judge blocks Obamacare’s protections for transgender patients

Three weeks before President Barack Obama leaves office, a federal judge dealt yet another blow to the president's signature policy, siding with religiously affiliated health care providers over the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor on Dec. 31 blocked the Affordable Care Act's so-called transgender mandate, which sought to end discrimination on the basis of gender identity within the health care system.

Federal judge blocks law barring health care discrimination against women who’ve had abortions

A federal judge in Texas on Saturday issued a court order barring enforcement of an Obama administration policy seeking to extend anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act to transgender health and abortion-related services. The decision sides with Texas, seven other states and three Christian-affiliated healthcare groups challenging a rule that, according to the judge, defines sex bias to include "discrimination on the basis of gender identity and termination of pregnancy."

Federal Judge Halts Transgender Protections in Obamacare

A federal judge halted protections for transgender individuals that were found in the Affordable Care Act, issuing the injunction just a day before the safeguards would go into effect. US District Judge Reed O'Connor in Texas halted the protections for their treatments and for abortion-related services, siding with the state of Texas against the Obama administration on Saturday.

Philly’s Mummers Parade offers new year a lively welcome

The city's annual Mummers Parade quieted critics who raised concerns about racially or culturally insensitive displays in previous years, with marchers putting on a family friendly New Year's Day show that still entertained spectators crowded along the milelong route. Philadelphia has hosted the Mummers Parade since 1901, making it the oldest continuous folk parade in the country, with string bands, comic brigades, elaborate floats and plenty of feathers and sequins.

In red states, businesses gearing up to fight bathroom bills

Sean Henry, the president of Tennessee's NHL team, is stunned he even has to explain why he hopes state legislators will snub bills similar to North Carolina's transgender bathroom law, which has consumed that state for months and scared off businesses and sporting events. The Nashville Predators team is among about 300 companies, ranging from health-care giant HCA to FedEx, joining under the moniker Tennessee Thrives to oppose bathroom and religious objection bills, which they consider discriminatory and bad for business.

Justice, retirement systems among Daugaard’s top priorities

Gov. Dennis Daugaard enters his final two years in office aiming to tackle issues ranging from rising methamphetamine use to the solvency of the state retirement system. During the legislative session that starts Jan. 10, the Republican governor will likely be the final word on reshaping a voter-approved government ethics overhaul and deciding whether to restrict the bathrooms that transgender students use.