Official News Outlet for the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association
By John Mack Freeman Charlotte, North Carolina became one of the newest cities to have LGBT protections. Voting 7-4, the measure passed after multiple hours of debate with 140 people speaking both in favor and against the measure. Via The Charlotte Observer: The changes mean businesses in Charlotte can’t discriminate against gay, lesbian or transgender customers, […]
By John Mack Freeman Two weeks ago, we reported that the president of Portugal had vetoed a bill in that country that would have allowed same-sex couples to adopt children. We are happy to report that the legislature has overruled that veto by a vote of 137 of 230 seats. The overturn was supported by the […]
By John Mack Freeman The government in Indonesia has begun to urge Facebook and Whatsapp to remove same-sex-themed emojis that the social media companies have released in recent years. Via PinkNews: Pro-government newspaper Republika, reports that Line removed the emojis following complaints from users. The government’s information ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu said: “No social media […]
By John Mack Freeman The government of Malawi is reliant on western governments and NGOs for aid money, and as such, agreed in 2012 to stop arresting and prosecuting people who have participated in same-sex activities. However, a December 2015 arrest of two men then led to Malawi’s Justice Minister to proclaim a moratorium and all […]
By John Mack Freeman Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva vetoed adoption rights for same-sex couples this week. Although same-sex marriage is legal in the European country, the law allowing the unions specifically prohibits adoption. Supporters are seeking to overturn his veto with a 2/3 vote of the Parliament, but it is unclear whether or not […]
By John Mack Freeman Via a unanimous decision of the Mexican Supreme Court, same-sex marriage was approved in the state of Jalisco. Jalisco contains Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, and the city of Puerto Vallarta. Via Joe. My. God.: Same-sex marriage is legal and recognized in all of Mexico’s 31 states, but Jalisco becomes only […]
By John Mack Freeman GLAAD just released its 2016 “Accelerating Acceptance” report, and it shows that while progress has been made towards achieving full GLBT equality, an attitude of complacency is settling in with many GLBT supporters. From GLAAD’s Key Findings: Perhaps because marriage equality was so widely covered by the media in 2015, half […]
By John Mack Freeman On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day earlier this week, Montana Governor Steve Bullock issued an executive order banning discrimination against GLBT people by the state government. He further encouraged private businesses in the state to follow his lead. For more on this story, read the full story on Joe My God.
By John Mack Freeman Tennessee State House Representative Rick Womick recently proposed that the state should stop issuing marriage licenses so that it would not have to issue licenses to same-sex couples as the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell. Via Advocate.com: “The state Constitution says that marriage is between one man and one woman, and my personal belief is […]
By John Mack Freeman The New York City Commission On Human Rights released a new report from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration that outlines the way the city will interpret a 2002 law that protects the rights of trans people. First off, it has officially banned willful misuse of gender pronouns as part of a […]
