Foster Care Allowed To Discriminate

The Trump administration has announced that foster agencies in South Carolina do not have to comply with federal rules barring discrimination even if they receive federal funding. This decision was made after the state requested a waiver for Miracle Hill Ministries one of South Carolina’s largest foster care agencies which turned away a Jewish couple seeking to provide foster care & refuses to place children with families who are not Protestant, heterosexual married couples. Maggie Siddiqi, Director of the Faith & Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress stated, “This decision weaponizes our nation’s right to religious freedom in order to justify discrimination in the foster care system, depriving children of welcoming homes. It is wrong for the government to hand out taxpayer dollars to a foster agency & then sanction that agency’s discrimination against certain qualified prospective parents, whether they be Jewish, LGBTQ or a member of some other minority group. Such approval raises serious constitutional concerns & imposes one narrow religious viewpoint on others.” Christina Wilson Remlin Children’s Rights lead counsel concluded, “Let’s call this decision what it is: state-sanctioned & government-funded discrimination. By granting a waiver that allows agencies to accept federal & state dollars while turning away otherwise qualified families & individuals solely on the basis of religious belief, the Trump administration is sending the message that Jewish, LGBTQ, Muslim & other non-Christian individuals are less deserving of equal protection under the law. We disagree. Moreover, South Carolina is already facing a severe shortage of foster homes & inappropriately over uses group homes. Limiting the pool of prospective foster & adoptive parents based on their failure to pass a religious litmus test will deprive children of suitable, loving & stable homes.”
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SCOTUS Rules Against Diversity

Well we knew as the Trump administration loaded the US Supreme Court with homophobic, anti LGBTQ, anti choice judges it was just a matter of time that their hateful agenda would effect our LGBTQ community. Now it has happened with a vote of 5 to 4 SCOTUS has declined to hear any cases challenging the Trump-Pence Administration’s ban on transgender troops allowing the Trump administration to move forward with its discriminatory policy to begin kicking transgender troops out of the military & denying trans people the opportunity to enlist even though there are lawsuits pending. Jennifer Levi, Director of GLAD's Transgender Rights Project stated, "The Trump administration’s cruel obsession with ridding our military of dedicated & capable service members because they happen to be transgender defies reason & cannot survive legal review." When we spoke with trans author & activist Brynn Tannehill who also is a graduate from the Naval Academy stated, “If they can kick all the transgender people out of the military because they feel like it they can bring back ‘Don’t ask Don’t Tell’. If they can rule that my marriage isn’t valid they can rule that your marriage isn’t valid. If they can ban people from bathrooms because the idea of sharing a bathroom with a transgender person scares straight people guess what, during ‘Don’t ask Don’t Tell’ the primary argument was that sharing a bathroom or a shower or a locker room with a gay person scares straight people & we can go straight back that is verification to discriminate against lesbians & gays. This is a unified fight whether we like it or not. The only difference is that we will go down first because we are the primary target now & once we lose, if we lose, the same methods, tactics & impact litigation that took us down will be used to do the same thing to lesbians & gays in America. Make no mistake about it the anti LGBT hate groups haven’t forgotten about lesbians & gays. They’re just having to recognize that there is greater acceptance for lesbians & gays in our society & more protections of them and are going for the low hanging fruit first which is us.”
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LA Art Show Premiere Party Event

The LA Art Show has announced that actress Kate Beckinsale will be the official host of the 2019 Opening Night Premiere Gala that takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Wednesday January 23rd from 7P to 11P. Gavin Rossdale lead vocalist & songwriter from the band Bush has joined the roster as the evening’s Art Ambassador. Proceeds from the event will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for the fifth year in the row. At St. Jude thanks to generous donors families never receive a bill from for treatment, travel, housing or food. SABER will also be creating a new painting live over the course of the evening in partnership with 1849 Wines. It will be auctioned off at the end of the night with all proceeds going to St. Jude. Confirmed celebrity attendees will also include Jessica Szohr, Emma Roberts, Brigitte Nielsen, Kevin Zegers, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Ashley Tisdale, Barry Sloane, Erin Cummings, Poppy, Ian Bohen, Lance Bass, Denim Richards, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Shepard Fairey, Tristan Eaton, Kassandra Voyagis, Onch Movement, Titanic Sinclair, Danny Carey, Rynne Stump, Bruce Helford, Camille Rose Garcia, Brandi Milne Dosshaus, Sheila Silber, Lauren Willow White, Spencer & Nancy Hunt, Mark Sovel, Skip Heller & Mc¢. In addition to food, beverages, live music & art, gala attendees will be given a special sneak peek of the LA Art Show’s 200,000 sq. ft. of programming featuring over 100 galleries from 18 countries. They will have first dibs to try Marta Minujín’s “Rayuelarte” hopscotch installation, see special performances by Dorian Wood & Sarah & more.
For Info & Tix: laartshow.com
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America Stalled On MLK Day

Here we are celebrating Martin Luther King Day as the Trump administration continues its brat attack, refusing to reopen the government & placing thousands of federal workers on breadlines. Adding insult to injury Trump addressed the nation on Saturday not once mentioning the plight of what the shutdown has caused so many hardworking American families. Vanita Gupta, President & CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights stated, “Trump continued with his lies, stoking fear & pushing misinformation. He created this shutdown & every day it continues, federal workers, contractors, their families & their communities are left unpaid & are being harmed. Key civil rights enforcement actions are being ignored. Trump has the power to end these crises of his own making. He & Leader McConnell have no further excuses for blocking bipartisan bills that passed the Senate last month & the House this month to end this shutdown. We are deeply skeptical of Trump’s so-called offer on Dreamers & TPS holders, as those too are crises of his own making. Nothing he announced is a compromise or a deal, as evidenced by his lack of discussions with any leaders outside his own party. We also need to see if he changes his mind as he did a year ago when he told legislators to pass a ‘bill of love’ on immigration, but then proceeded to attack Dreamers, refugees & TPS holders & ripped children from the arms of their parents.”
For More Info: civilrights.org
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Trump’s LGBT Bias Continues

The Fenway Institute of Fenway Health in Boston, Massachusetts has released a policy brief demonstrating that in his second year in office Trump has continued to promote discrimination against our LGBT community & people living with HIV. In some cases these policies are built upon anti-LGBT measures begun in 2017 & in other cases the Trump administration has found new ways to negatively impact U.S. citizens & federal contractors as well as the family members of LGBT foreign diplomats. This administration has also engaged in practices that will increase anti-LGBT stigma & HIV stigma around the world. Sean Cahill, PhD, Director of Health Policy Research at The Fenway Institute stated, “In just two years, we have witnessed the rollback of rights & protections that took decades to win. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to estimate the full extent of harm now taking place. It is undeniable that LGBT people & people living with HIV are now much more vulnerable to discrimination in health care, social services, employment, education & access to basic government services.” Since 1971 Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in Boston neighborhoods, the LGBT community, people living with HIV/AIDS & the broader population. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues. Fenway’s Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center cares for youth & young adults ages 12 to 29 who may not feel comfortable going anywhere else, including those who are LGBT or just figuring things out; homeless; struggling with substance use; or living with HIV/AIDS. In 2013, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts joined the Fenway Health family allowing both organizations to improve delivery of care & services across the state and beyond.
Read Policy Brief…
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New York Passes Trans Civil Rights

New York’s legislature passed GENDA the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act that will ensure New Yorkers  protections from discrimination on the basis of gender identity & expression in employment, housing & public accommodations. The legislature also passed a ban on the dangerous & discredited practice of conversion therapy. Mel King, Development and Operations Manager at Equality Federation stated, “As a transgender New Yorker, I couldn’t be more proud of my state. All of us, including transgender people & our families, should be able to get a job, rent an apartment & be in the world without the fear of discrimination.” Glennda Testone, Executive Director of The LGBT Community Center added, "This hard-fought victory is a result of more than a decade of dedicated activism, bravery & persistence, led by transgender, gender nonconforming & nonbinary advocates & allies across New York State & beyond. We applaud our legislature’s steadfast leadership & commitment to civil rights as we look forward to continuing our work to build a stronger, more inclusive New York State where all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & queer people are welcomed, affirmed and fully protected." Dina Marie, Executive Board of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) concluded, “Transgender & non-binary people need to feel safe within their own communities where they live & work & are contributing & vibrant members. While Governor Cuomo affirmed his support for trans people with an executive order in 2015, today’s passage of GENDA is the final step to the reality that for the State of New York, human rights really do include everyone.” (Graphic by Richard Emmanuel)
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Deborah Cox At Sin City Sports Event

Grammy-nominated, multi award-winning singer & LGBTQ advocate Deborah Cox will perform at the Sin City Classic Sports Festival, the world’s largest annual LGBTQ sporting event that takes place January 17th to January 20th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cox will perform during the Festival’s Toyota Sin City Classic Closing Party. Ken Scearce, Sin City Classic Tournament Director stated, “We are thrilled to have Deborah Cox performing at this year’s closing party during the Sin City Classic. She has been a strong ally for the LGBTQ community for decades & we can't wait to hear her dazzle the crowd with all our favorite songs on Sunday night at the Brooklyn Bowl.” The 2019 Sin City Classic presented by Toyota & hosted by The Greater Los Angeles Softball Association (GLASA) brings together LGBTQ sports associations from around the world in order for LGBTQ athletes, fans & allies to enjoy a weekend full of competition, companionship & fun. This year the festival has adopted a new initiative “Play You.” The tournament welcomes all athletes, regardless of sexual orientation & promotes an open environment for everyone to participate in sports through the “Play You” initiative. The Sin City Classic encourages athletes to attend, participate & live authentically. The Sin City Classic is proudly hosted at Flamingo Las Vegas & additional sponsors include the Los Angeles Dodgers, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Athalonz, Caesar’s Entertainment, Charlie’s Las Vegas, Cheers to Las Vegas, Compete, Human Rights Campaign, Piranha Nightclub, GayVN, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Topgolf & White Claw.
For Info & Tix: sincityclassic.org
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