“For the first time, this historic decision ensures that LGBTQ people have nationwide employment protection and represents a monumental step that will help to create a safer working environment for everyone.” — Imani Rupert-Gordon, NCLR Executive Director

To say we were happily surprised this morning is an understatement. Just last week the federal administration repealed HHS rules protecting LGBTQ people from denials of healthcare, even though the Affordable Care Act prohibits such discrimination. That callous targeting of vulnerable communities happened on the same day we remembered and mourned those lives lost in the Pulse Orlando shooting.

Today is a celebration! The Supreme Court of the United States has now issued its ruling in three Title VII cases, holding —in no uncertain terms— that LGBTQ people ARE protected from discrimination under federal law.

“This is a huge victory not just for LGBTQ people, but for our country, which benefits enormously when LGBTQ people are permitted to participate and contribute on equal terms,” said Shannon Minter, Legal Director of NCLR. “Today’s decision will be remembered as a watershed in the history of LGBTQ rights, even as our country continues to grapple with the brutal legacy of racism. The transgender movement owes a particular debt of gratitude to Aimee Stephens, who courageously fought this battle in the final months of her life.” — Shannon Minter, NCLR Legal Director

WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU: HISTORIC SUPREME COURT TITLE VII RULING
with NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
12:00 PM (PT)/3:00 PM (ET)
REGISTER NOW

While LGBTQ people now have legal protection from discrimination at work, we still have a long way to go to secure comprehensive federal protections for our community. But this ruling gives us something we haven’t had in a long time: Hope. This ruling opens the door to progress. We will continue to fight for equality and we will continue to win.

The post SCOTUS victory for LGBTQ rights first appeared on Lesbian.com.

NCLR has announced that Imani Rupert-Gordon will be its new Executive Director. Rupert-Gordon is a long-time movement leader and advocate for LGBTQ people of color. Rupert-Gordon will lead the 42-year old feminist LGBTQ legal organization, which is known for tackling the most pressing issues of race, gender, and economic inequality facing LGBTQ people.

“Imani is the perfect fit for NCLR’s mission, culture, and commitment to bold leadership,” said NCLR Co-Chair Emily Doskow. “She is a dynamic leader with a wealth of experience and a strong vision for the organization’s future. We could not be more fortunate to have her joining NCLR.”

“We were blown away by Imani’s passion and results-oriented leadership,” added NCLR Board Co-Chair Felicia Medina. “NCLR and our country will benefit greatly from Imani’s experience in building community-based movements to address racism, sexism, transphobia, and white supremacy. She knows how to call in and call out, and will fight every moment of her tenure to ensure that all of us, particularly the most vulnerable in our community, are legally protected and can live their truth.”

“I’m thrilled to join the team at NCLR and to help expand their incredible work,” said Imani Rupert- Gordon. “As we continue the fight for legal protections to achieve LGBTQ equality, I’m excited to be part of creating a more inclusive LGBTQ movement that centers racial, economic, and political justice. There has never been a more important time for NCLR’s approach to advancing LGBTQ equality and liberation, and I am grateful to be a part of the team as we meet this challenge.”

Rupert-Gordon currently serves as the Executive Director of Affinity Community Services, the nation’s oldest social justice organization serving the needs of Black LGBTQ people with a particular focus on Black women.

The post NCLR Names Imani Rupert-Gordon as New Executive Director first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Nevada Army National Guard Sgt. Sam Hunt, an electrician with G Company, 2/238th General Support Aviation Battalion poses for a photo on the flight line at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Stead, Nev., May 12, 2017. Hunt is the first openly transgender soldiers of the Nevada National Guard.

FROM SHANNON MINTER
NCLR

This morning, the Supreme Court issued its first rulings in our challenges to the transgender military ban. The Court denied the Trump administration’s request to leapfrog the normal judicial process and hear the cases now. But it also lifted three of the four preliminary court orders preventing Trump from enforcing the ban while the cases continue in the lower courts.

While this is a rapidly evolving situation, here’s the immediate takeaway:

The Court will not hear the cases this term, which is good news. We don’t want the Court to rule on this important issue prematurely, before we have had a chance to build a strong record in the lower courts and present evidence showing that the ban is based on bias, not facts.

For now, the transgender military ban should remain blocked. The Court ruled only on three of the four injunctions in place, but until the government takes action to overturn the fourth injunction, the ban cannot yet be enforced.

Multiple federal courts have recognized that excluding qualified individuals simply because they are transgender is contrary to basic constitutional principles of equality and fairness. I am confident the courts will ultimately protect the integrity of our nation’s military and hold that transgender service members must be evaluated based on the same standards applied to all others, not barred from service based on a characteristic that has no relevance to their fitness to serve.

As a practical matter, of course, the Court’s apparent willingness to greenlight the ban while the cases proceed is a stinging loss for transgender people currently in the military because it strengthens the government’s position that it may be permitted to exclude people from serving. It also creates confusion.

But as we’ve said since we first sued Trump, this case is not just about transgender servicemembers. It’s part of a larger pattern of policies by Trump to deny basic rights to any LGBTQ person in any context, with implications far beyond the armed forces. The military is one of the largest employers in the nation. This ban is about employment discrimination, and as such it could have a ripple effect in every area of life, from immigration to family law to employment and many others.

We will continue to fight, and I will keep you posted as our cases are heard in the lower courts. This is a setback, but a temporary one, and we will not stop fighting until we defeat this harmful and demeaning ban.

Thank you for all you do to support NCLR and the LGBTQ community.

The post NCLR explains Supreme Court decision on transgender troops first appeared on Lesbian.com.

It’s the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day. Ok, yes, the political situation today is bleak. But think of how far we’ve come.

On the first National Coming Out Day:

– Marriage equality was not even a topic of serious discussion
– Same-sex parental rights were non-existent
– No federal court had ever protected students from anti-LGBTQ bullying or discrimination
– “Conversion therapy” was not only legal but was an accepted treatment

So yes, with Kavanaugh’s confirmation last week and being under constant fire from the Trump-Pence administration, it feels like we’re up against it right now. But that’s even more of a reason for us to make a statement today. Our very existence is the foundation of our resistance.

On this National Coming Out Day, let’s promise to be sanctuaries for each other. Sanctuaries for those battered by the current administration, sanctuaries for survivors of sexual violence, sanctuaries for those turned away by families and churches.

Maybe you’re so out that you don’t have anyone left in your life to come out to – good for you! But I’d still urge you to post on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and let your words be a source of strength to someone who may need to see that today.

Remember, together we’re a force so powerful that they can only try to make us invisible again because maybe we won’t realize how many there are of us, and how few there are of them.

Don’t be invisible. Be loud, be proud, and be a force for the world you want to see.

In solidarity,
Kate Kendell, Esq.
NCLR Executive Director

The post Happy National Coming Out Day from NCLR first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Republicans in the United States Senate continue to rush Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination to a vote despite credible allegations of sexual assault against him that were revealed last week.

We believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who made public her traumatic experience with Kavanaugh despite knowing that her privacy would be shattered and her personal life inalterably changed by this revelation. Her home address and photos of her house have been circulating on extremist websites and discussion boards since last week, and she and her family have had to go into hiding because of death threats generated by this vicious campaign against her.

This is why survivors of sexual assault hesitate to come forward. But we’re here to lend our support to this fearless woman, and I urge you to watch this video with Andrea Pino, NCLR’s Digital Strategy and Communications Manager, along with other survivors of sexual assault. They speak for all of us here at NCLR with a simple message: #WeBelieveYou.

Also, please contact your Senators to demand that these charges against Kavanaugh be investigated thoroughly before any vote is taken on his nomination. We’ve made it easy to voice your objections using our online activism form – fill in your contact info, modify the message or just send it with the suggested text, and we’ll make sure it’s emailed to your two Senators immediately.

We refuse to back down from this fight, and I hope you stand with us as we take on the powerful forces of hatred, misogyny, and white male privilege driving this shady nomination process. Thank you.

In solidarity,
Kate Kendall
NCLR, Executive Director

The post Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, your sisters have your back first appeared on Lesbian.com.

“For decades, the Supreme Court has recognized the fundamental equality of LGBT people under the law. The Court’s landmark decisions in cases such as Romer, Lawrence, and Obergefell are deeply rooted in the Court’s jurisprudence and have been relied upon by millions of LGBT people and others. Any backtracking on those precedents would be unthinkable.”

“At the same time, the potential for decisions that cause lasting harm to LGBT people and their families is real as new issues and cases come before the Court. We urge the Senate to explore these issues carefully and to ensure that any person who sits on our nation’s highest court understands the realities facing LGBT communities and others for whom our Constitution’s promise of freedom and equality is not yet fully realized. To date, there is nothing in Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s record to indicate that he understands the real-world impact of discrimination on LGBT people or the importance of construing our nation’s laws to enable them to participate fully and equally in society. The Supreme Court must be a court for all, not just for the privileged few.”

“It is sobering that a president who has shown disregard for many of our nation’s most cherished rights and freedoms has an opportunity to appoint a second justice to the Supreme Court. This moment is a wake-up call to LGBT people and others about the critical importance of elections and the need to vote this November.”

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. www.NCLRights.org.

The post NCLR: Trump’s Supreme Court nomination a wake up call to LGBT community first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Dear Lesbian.com readers,

I can’t believe we’re still fighting for equal treatment in housing! But here we are, in 2018, filing suit in Missouri on behalf of our clients Mary Walsh and Bev Nance.

Let me tell you a little more about Mary, age 72, and her wife Bev, 68. Mary and Bev both grew up in the St. Louis area, attended college locally, and spent their entire working years there. For Bev and Mary, St. Louis is as home as home gets.

These women have been in a committed relationship since 1978, and they went, like many of us, to Massachusetts in 2009 so they could be married legally. We all know how significant it is to have our relationships recognized not just by friends and family, but by the government and the world at large.

That photo you see of them on the right was taken at their wedding in Provincetown, and their smiles tell the story. Being able to finally say “I do!” – those are smiles I saw on so many faces since we won the right to marriage.

Fast forward to a few years ago, when Bev and Mary started thinking about moving into a senior community for their retirement years. They wanted a place where they could live independently, but that had options for continuing care should one of them require additional assistance.

After visiting friends who lived at Friendship Village, they started checking it out and it proved to be ideal for them for many reasons. They knew two couples who lived there who spoke highly of the facilities and encouraged them to move in.

Not only did their friends urge them to move in, so did the management of Friendship Village. After many visits and interviews, putting down a deposit, and canceling a vacation so they could move in sooner, Mary and Bev were rejected just as they were about to sign their final papers – because they are married.

That’s illegal under both Federal and state law. So last Wednesday, we filed suit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to protect Mary and Bev and all LGBTQ elders against housing discrimination.

Help us fight back on their behalf and all our LGBTQ clients who are facing discrimination by making a gift right now to NCLR.

Because of the significance of this case for all LGBTQ elders, one of our most generous donors has offered to match any gift that is received before midnight tonight, July 31, dollar for dollar, up to $15,000.

Can you pitch in with a gift right now of $50, $100, or even $250 when it will be matched and go twice as far to help us protect LGBTQ elders and our entire LGBTQ family? Donate now.

What happened to Mary and Bev has to be among the biggest fears we face as we grow older – that on top of dealing with declining health or mobility issues or any of the myriad challenges of aging, something like this will come out of nowhere and leave us grasping at straws and not knowing where to turn for help. That’s where NCLR comes in, and why your support is so critical.

If you believe that all LGBTQ elders deserve protection from housing discrimination, make a gift to NCLR before midnight tonight and it will be matched by an anonymous donor, dollar for dollar, and help us fight back against this and other assaults on our LGBTQ family.

On behalf of Bev and Mary and all our LGBTQ family who will benefit with a favorable ruling in this case, THANK YOU!

Sincerely,
Kate Kendell, Esq.
NCLR Executive Director

The post Help NCLR fight for LGBTQ elders first appeared on Lesbian.com.

You know our anniversary celebrations are the stuff of legends (and more than one “how we met” story!), but this year’s will be one for the books. You don’t think we’d let Kate ride off into the sunset without one last big blowout, do you?

Come help us send her off in style. Grab your besties and get a table, or come solo and make new friends! In addition to our usual stellar program, we’re planning a few surprises over the course of the evening that you won’t want to miss. If you want to be in on the fun, buy your ticket right now!

And if you want to make an even bigger splash, become a sponsor or table host! Tables of 10 start at $5,000 and INCLUDE 10 party tickets! Individual Dinner and Party combo tickets are $400 and Party-only tickets are $125 each.

If you thought we couldn’t top last year’s 40th anniversary celebration, just you wait. I predict that when you wake up on May 20th you’ll be thinking “did I really see that?” Rest assured, we’ll have plenty of photos (and probably incriminating video!) to prove you did!

Get your ticket today, and we’ll see you May 19th!

The post Join NCLR’s farewell bash for Kate Kendell first appeared on Lesbian.com.

As the executive director of NCLR for the past 22 years steps down, I wanted to pay tribute to Kate Kendell and all she has done to enrich our lives and uplift our community.

No. 5: Bold hair

Kate Kendell was on “Crossfire” with Geraldine Ferraro in this vintage clip.

She’s also responsible for bringing more hair choices to the lesbian community as she lead us through landmark victory after landmark victory, we no longer had to identify each other by our coiffure. Thank you for liberating our hair, Kate (and finally liberating yours).

No. 4: Bold fashion
Sears called, they want their couches back. But, seriously, they were recalled because of a formaldehyde issue and I am worried about your safety.

I think one of the strongest things that comes through being in a room with Kate Kendell is her keen sense of humor and genuine love of people. She’s always quick with a laugh or a hug. And when I say laugh, I mean a full-throated-chortle-like-no-one-is-watching laugh. It’s a beautiful thing to behold.

Upholstery jokes aside, I particularly admire Kate’s bold fashion choices. It’s one of the many, many ways in which she’s completely unforgettable.

No. 3: Bold choices
As the oldest child of a deeply Mormon family growing up in Utah, young Kate did not imagine that she would be dropping F-bombs on live television in support of same-sex marriage in defiance of a Mormon-funded ban. A series of bold choices led her to where she is today, like her choice to be the first person in her family to go to college, her choice to study the law, her choice to be an out and proud lesbian at a time when it was not widely accepted (you know, before everyone fell in love with Ellen) and her choice to take the reigns at NCLR. As one of the myriad beneficiaries of all these bold choices, thank you.

No. 2: Bold statements

You’d never know she came from a nice Mormon family in this clip where she drops an F-bomb at City Hall on live television. But, as Kate always says, “Feminism is her second favorite F-word.”

No. 1: Bold leadership
Over the past two-plus decades, Kate Kendell has lead our community through changes even she did not imagine, like marriage equality. NCLR has won many battles, large and small, throughout Kate’s tenure, all of them important to the parties involved. From child custody cases to access to education cases, and more, the people touched by NCLR’s work remember because they hold children in their arms or college degrees because of her efforts. I think Kate tells the story best in her poignant farewell letter.

In that letter, you will see another of her attributes shine through, her humility. Through it all, Kate has kept the spotlight on the issues, not herself. She gives credit to her staff and tirelessly works to get them the resources they need to keep shining for all of us.

Let’s all hope Kate decides to run for governor or president when her time with NCLR draws to a close at the end of this year.

Thank you, Kate, for your courage, your bravery, your humor and your integrity.

Visit NCLR to learn more about their amazing work and the battles ahead.

The post 5 things we love about Kate Kendell first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Moments ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that bans on the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in four states — including our Tennessee case — do not violate the U.S. Constitution.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act last year, we have experienced a sea change in the freedom to marry, with nearly 40 court victories across the country in favor of marriage equality.

While today’s decision hurts loving couples and families in Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio, this case isn’t over, and we know the tide is turning. We know — one day soon — every person across the country will be able to marry the person they love.

We will not rest until this decision is overturned and until no matter where you live, you have the freedom to marry the person you love. But we can’t do it without you.

We need you to stand with us. Will you join us in the fight for equality and justice by donating today?

Onward,
Kate Kendall

Make a donation at NCLRights.org.

The post NCLR: A setback for marriage equality first appeared on Lesbian.com.