Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director Maya Rupert, Esq. (Washington, D.C., December 1, 2011)—Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights joins advocates around the world commemorating World AIDS Day to remember those we have lost to this disease, to acknowledge the significant advances we have made, and to raise awareness about how far we still must come in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the struggle to protect those living with infection. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates...
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Obama administration
By Huong T. Nguyen NCLR Guest Columnist At the beginning of this school year, Rowan, my 6-year-old son, held court in his first-grade class about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). The unprompted conversation with his classmates went something like this: Rowan: My mom was in the military. Classmates: Really? Rowan: Yeah, but she was kicked out because she was gay. (His peers gathered around to hear his tale.) One classmate: No, I don’t believe you! Rowan: No, really, I saw her uniform! In the...
Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director Maya Rupert, Esq. (San Francisco, CA, September 7, 2011)—Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new guidelines that strengthen the November 2010 hospital visitation rules that protect patients’ rights to be visited in the hospital by their families and loved ones. Today’s guidance, which is effective immediately, strengthens patients’ rights to choose their own representative to make medical decisions if they are unable to...
Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director Maya Rupert, Esq. (Washington, D.C., July 13, 2011)—On July 11, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) included protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in its road map to help states establish Affordable Insurance Exchanges. These Exchanges, which are part of the Affordable Care Act, are state-based, one-stop marketplaces where individuals and small businesses can research affordable...
Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director Maya Rupert (San Francisco, CA, June 21, 2011)—Today, Representatives Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Barney Frank (D-MA), and Melvin L. Watt (D-NC) called on President Barack Obama to restore essential employment protections and religious freedom. The request comes on the 70th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt issuing Executive Order 8802, which prohibited employment...
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, April 14, 2011)—Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, announced that they introduced the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit most employers across the country from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers. The bill, known as ENDA, would make it illegal under federal law for employers with...
Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director Maya Rupert, Esq. (Washington D.C., April 1, 2011)—Today, as part of LGBTQ Health Awareness Week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced significant efforts it has taken, and several others in development, to improve the health and well-being of the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. HHS’ announcement responds to President Obama’s April 2010 memorandum requesting that HHS protect LGBTQ patients’...
(San Francisco, CA, March 31, 2011)—A groundbreaking report released today by the Institute of Medicine urges medical researchers to include the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities in health studies to gain a better understanding of their lives and unique health care needs at different stages of life. Authored by leading experts on LGBTQ health, “The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Understanding” concludes that the...
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, March 30, 2011)—Today, U.S. Representative Barney Frank, D-Mass., announced that he will reintroduce the fully inclusive Employeee Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit most employers across the country from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers. The bill, known as ENDA, would make it illegal under federal law for employers with at least 15 employees to discriminate against, harass, or...
Today brings momentous news from President Barack Obama and the federal Department of Justice about the discriminatory and offensive so-called “Defense of Marriage Act,” or DOMA. This morning, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that, at the urging of the President, as well as based upon Mr. Holder’s own assessment, the Department of Justice will no longer defend Section 3 of DOMA—the section that prohibits the federal government from recognizing legal marriages between same-sex couples....
