For the past two years, NCLR has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the True Colors Fund on our #RuralPride campaign, in which we visit rural communities across the country and conduct day-long summits to identify the needs and lift up the voices of LGBTQ people living in rural America. We have visited towns across the South and Midwest, from coast to coast, working to connect federal officials and national LGBTQ organizations with rural LGBTQ advocates to increase...
Our Voices
We know that having one-on-one conversations about equality is one of the best ways to change hearts and minds. Our work around marriage showed us that when we reach out, listen, and share our stories we can create monumental change towards a more just community. Now we have an amazing new opportunity to create that same change for LGBTQ non-discrimination and transgender equality. We are proud to participate in the #SummerOfAction with the National Equality Action Team (NEAT) to engage our...
“…Later that night I held an atlas in my lap ran my fingers across the whole world and whispered where does it hurt? it answered everywhere everywhere everywhere” —Warsan Shire Two days after a sniper killed five Dallas police officers, this poem, by expat Somali poet Warsan Shire, who came to world’s attention when her words were spoken on Beyonce’s visual album “Lemonade,” showed up in my Twitter feed. That was three days after the killing of Philando Castile in Minneapolis,...
The Republican National Convention will consider adding its support for conversion therapy—the dangerous practice of attempting to change one’s sexual orientation and gender identity—to the GOP platform when it meets July 18-21 in Cleveland. Please help us tell the #RNC2016 to #StopHate and protect LGBTQ people from the dangerous practice, which has been condemned by every major medical and mental health organizations and is known to lead to extreme depression and even suicide. You can use one...
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, struck down two onerous and medically unwarranted restrictions on abortion. The 5-3 ruling came in a legal challenge to the Texas legislature’s harmful anti-abortion law, House Bill 2 (HB2), passed in 2013. HB2 was enacted to make safe abortion care more difficult to provide and obtain and has resulted in the closure of nearly 75 percent of the clinics in the state of Texas, forcing some women to drive up to...
Today, President Obama designated a new national monument at the historic site of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City, honoring the movement for LGBT equality. The new Stonewall National Monument protects the area where LGBTQ people fought back against a police raid that took place on June 28, 1969 and helped start the fight to bring full equality and dignity to the LGBTQ community. Watch the video to learn more.
U.S. Supreme Court Made History June 26, 2015 with Landmark Decision in Favor of Marriage Equality A year ago on June 26th, several of us from NCLR sat in white-knuckled silence at the U.S. Supreme Court, waiting for the Court’s most important decision ever for LGBTQ Americans and their children. Anticipation gave way to jubilation when Justice Kennedy announced the Court’s decision. In soaring and inspirational prose, Kennedy’s opinion for the Court made clear that same-sex couples are...
Legal services organizations play a crucial role in alleviating the effects of poverty for low-income older Americans. However, not all low-income older adults have the same legal needs, not all will seek out help on their own, and for diverse groups, culturally competent service is key to meeting their needs. How Can Legal Services Better Meet the Needs of Low-Income LGBTQ Seniors? is a new Special Report by Justice in Aging, produced in partnership with Services and Advocacy for Gay,...
Today, NCLR joins 65 American Muslim and LGBTQ organizations in a statement that sends a clear message in the wake of the Orlando shooting: love and unity are powerful tools against those who seek to divide Americans using fear and hate. Statement signatories include Muslim Advocates, National LGBTQ Task Force, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Human Rights Campaign, Emerge USA, American Civil Liberties Union LGBTQ Project, American Muslim Health Professionals, Equality Florida, Muslim Alliance...
Today, NCLR joins more than 150 other LGBTQ Latinx groups and allies reaffirming their commitment to ending violence against marginalized communities following the June 12, 2016 shooting at an Orlando, Florida LGBTQ bar that left 49 people dead and more than 50 seriously injured. Statement We, the undersigned, a coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Latinx organizations and allies make the following statement in the spirit of education and with the purpose of...
