Thirty-Three LGBTQ Students Launch Battle Against Religious Exemption That Allows Schools To Discriminate Against Them

Thirty-three American LGBTQ students, or former students, are suing the Department of Education.

After the bad news from Arkansas where a bunch of anti-LGBTQ laws has been passed, signed into law, or are about to be signed into law, let’s move on to North Carolina where four pro-LGBTQ bills have been introduced by legislators and the group Equality NC.

As you already know, there is a wave of hatred against transgender people that has spread across the American states with anti-trans laws.

After winning the U.S. presidential election last year, President Joe Biden made a surprise appointment of Dr. Rachel Levine as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Levine became the first transgender woman ever to hold such a high-level position.

Today, I am delighted to share that Rachel Levine was confirmed a few days ago to her position by the U.S. Senate.

Back in Michigan where last time we saw the LGBTQ rights group, Fair and Equal Michigan, had successfully sent to the vote their initiative to bring protections to LGBTQ people against discrimination.

Well, we may not need that initiative in the end because openly bisexual Democratic Representative Laurie Pohutsky has reintroduced a bill to amend the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act in Michigan, which currently protects against discrimination based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, marital status or marital status.

Republicans have introduced bills attacking transgender teens and children in many U.S states.

Unfortunately, transgender rights are in danger in Missouri too as a bill to prevent transgender youth from playing sports and getting gender reassignment treatments has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

The constitutional amendment that prohibits marriage for same-sex couples still exists in Virginia since voters approved it in 2006.

Of course, it is no longer enforced as the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage equality in all states in 2015.

Still, it would be nice to abolish it once and for all.

We had seen that the moratorium that prevented the passage of nondiscrimination legislation in North Carolina ended on December 1, 2021, and we had seen that Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill had decided to protect LGBTQ people by immediately passing ordinances to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

I have more good news today as two new and significant cities, Greensboro and Durham, which are among the largest cities in the state, and Orange County have passed similar ordinances.

Democratic and openly gay Senator J.D. Ford introduced a bill to ban “conversion therapies” to minors under the age of 18 in Indiana.

The General Assembly had retooled the bill to ban "conversion therapies" in 2019, but now it is back.