Official News Outlet for the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association
By John Mack Freeman This week, anti-GLBT legislation in both South Carolina and Missouri died in those states’ respective legislatures. In South Carolina, South Carolina Senate Bill 1203, which would have prevented cities and schools from establishing protections that would allow transgender individuals from using sex-designated bathrooms, missed the so-called “crossover” deadline. The crossover deadline is the date […]
By Ashley R. Lierman A recent parody on Saturday Night Live took aim at the entire basis of recent anti-LGBT “religious freedom” bills. In the form of a satirical movie trailer, the clip presents a right-winger’s paranoid fantasy of an America where Christians are oppressed, gays are the most powerful people in the country, and […]
By John Mack Freeman A religious freedom bill flew through the Mississippi legislature this week in a matter of days and has now landed on the governor’s desk for his signature. The bill is considered by many politics watchers to be a more stringent version of religious freedom bills that have been introduced elsewhere in […]
By John Mack Freeman Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D) announced his intentions this week to rescind an executive order put in place by his predecessor Bobby Jindal (R) that allowed anti-GLBT discrimination on religious grounds. Via the Washington Blade: As reported by Deadline Hollywood, Edwards, a Democrat, intends to undo the executive order signed […]
By John Mack Freeman Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has vetoed HB-757, a religious freedom bill that many believed would allow anti-GLBT discrimination to take place in the state. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday vetoed the “religious liberty” bill that triggered a wave of criticism from gay rights groups and business leaders […]
By John Mack Freeman North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper (D) has refused this week to defend the state’s new religious freedom law in court because he opposes the law and wishes to see it repealed. Although Cooper will not be defending the law, he is still named as a defendant in current and future […]
By John Mack Freeman Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has vetoed a religious freedom bill in that state that would have allowed for anti-GLBT discrimination. The bill, SB-41, was introduced by State Senator Charles Carrico. Via the Washington Blade: McAuliffe said in a statement that Senate Bill 41 is “nothing more than an attempt to stigmatize.” […]
By John Mack Freeman A large number of high-profile companies have come out against Georgia’s HB 757. A large number of film and television companies and workers have come out against the law. Georgia has a growing film industry due to a sweetheart tax deal that makes it incredibly cheap to film in the state. […]
By John Mack Freeman A new law in Kansas would allow student groups on public college and university campuses to discriminate against other students as long as the discrimination was rooted in a “sincere religious belief.” Governor Sam Brownback signed the legislation in to law this week. Via Advocate.com: The legislation, officially titled the Campus […]
By John Mack Freeman This week, the Georgia legislature sent House Bill 757 to Governor Nathan Deal for his signature. The bill would allow any faith-based organization to deny services to any individual based on that organizations sincerely held religious beliefs. The law is modeled on the federal “First Amendment Defense Act,” and it is […]
