Obama to Repeal Ban on Transgender Military Service July 1

President Barack Obama's Department of Defense is expected to lift the ban on transgender people openly serving in the U.S. military on July 1, reports USA Today , citing unnamed defense officials. "Several issues relating to repeal of the ban have proven to be contentious, according to officials familiar with the review but not authorized to speak publicly about it," notes USA Today .

U.S. stands with Orlando shooting victims, attorney general says

The U.S. government is providing $1 million in emergency funds to cover overtime for first responders to the Orlando nightclub massacre and stands in support of the LGBT community after the tragedy, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Tuesday. Lynch spoke in Orlando after meeting with relatives of some of the 49 people killed and 53 wounded in the June 12 rampage and said there was no doubt it was a "shattering" attack on the United States, its people and its most fundamental ideals.

U.S. advocates see LGBT rights at a watershed after Orlando shooting

In the days following the slayings of 49 people at a gay nightclub, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community pulled together in prayer vigils and benefit drag shows and basked in a broad showing of support many said they had never experienced. For Victor Guanchez, that support was personified in President Barack Obama, who met Thursday with survivors at a sports arena in downtown Orlando.

Democrats look to revise party rules that some say exclude transgender people

As protections for transgender people become a topic of intense debate in Washington state and nationwide, Democrats are asking themselves how well they can fight for the rights of those individuals when their party's rules fail to recognize they exist. Several proposals up for a vote Saturday at the Washington State Democratic Convention in Tacoma would amend party rules that require equal numbers of men and women to serve as delegates and in leadership roles, following the voicing of concerns that the male-female quotas exclude people who don't identify as either.

Transgender rights: What administrators need to know

The rights of transgender students in K12 schools became explicitly clear in a directive issued by the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice in May. Schools must let transgender students use the restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity, not what's listed on birth certificates, the Obama administration says. "This is a watershed moment for transgender students," says Nathan Smith, director of public policy at the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network .

Senate approves defense bill, defies White House veto threat

Defying a White House veto threat, the Senate voted decisively Tuesday to approve a defense policy bill that authorizes $602 billion in military spending, bars shuttering the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and denies the Pentagon's bid to start a new round of military base closings. The GOP-led Senate's version of the National Defense Authorization Act passed 85 to 13, with all but seven members of the Democratic caucus backing the legislation.

DEA demanding warrantless access to millions of health records to combat prescription drug abuse

It might have been launched with the best of intentions during the Reagan administration, but the so-called "war on drugs" has been used more times as justification for violating Americans' constitutional rights than it is possible to count. And the government still persists in utilizing anti-drug policy to invade our privacy.

Thousands expected at vigils around US for Orlando victims

Vigils, rallies and marches are being held around the country Monday and later this week for the victims of the deadly attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Police in many areas have promised heightened security for the events, which come during Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.

Some lawmakers talk gun control after Florida shooting, scant hope for change

The deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history prompted calls on Sunday by some members of Congress for legislation to tighten control of weapons sales, although there were slim hopes for much change after 50 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Florida. Democratic Senator Robert Casey said he would announce a bill on Monday that would ban anyone convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime from owning a firearm.

APNewsbreak: Desert race through Nevada monument under fire

Police and FBI agents were working to figure out why a man from Indiana had three assault rifles and chemicals used in making explosives in his car some 2,000 miles from home in Southern California, where he told... Police and FBI agents were working to figure out why a man from Indiana had three assault rifles and chemicals used in making explosives in his car some 2,000 miles from home in Southern California, where he told the... Conservationists are asking the White House Council on Environmental Quality to put the brakes on plans to allow a popular off-road, desert race from near Las Vegas to Reno to run through a newly established... Conservationists are asking the White House Council on Environmental Quality to put the brakes on plans to allow a popular off-road, desert race from near Las Vegas to Reno to run through a newly established national... The deadliest shooting in U.S.

HB2 repeal discussion causes buzz, doesn’t gain traction

"I have no sense as to whether leadership on the House side is going to take it up," said Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, who is himself a House budget chairman and often tapped to help draft complex pieces of litigation. McGrady acknowledged he had been involved in some tentative conversations about a measure that would roll back parts, but not all, of the controversial bill.

Bill would give vouchers to escape Obama school bathroom rule

Rep. Cynthia Lummis is sponsoring a bill that would allow parents who object to the latest federal guidelines on transgender students to receive education vouchers for private schools or homeschooling. Lummis, R-Wyo., said the bill comes in response to the May edict issued by the Justice Department advising the nation's public schools that transgender students may enter locker rooms, bathrooms and join sports teams that adhere to gender identity.