New Hampshire State Senate Approves Transgender Non-Discrimination Protections

The New Hampshire state Senate, by a 14-10 vote margin, has approved a bill that will add gender identity to the state's nondiscrimination law.

New Hampshire is the only state in the New England area without transgender protections in its non-discrimination law.

Notable - both chambers of the state legislature are controlled by Republicans.

Openly gay state Rep. Ed Butler (D) introduced the measure in the House as HB 1319, which was approved in March by a vote of 195-129, with 51 Republican votes.

Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has indicated he will sign the bill into law.

BREAKING: In bipartisan vote, #NewHampshire Senate passes H.B. 1319, extending nondiscrimination protections to #transgender Granite Staters. The bill now goes to Gov. Chris Sununu's desk. Congrats to @FreedomNH_! pic.twitter.com/Bvzs7oL9fl

— Trans Equality (@TransEquality) May 2, 2018

BREAKING: NH Senate votes to pass #HB1319 #TransBillNH 14-10 that would update anti-discrimination protections to include transgender folks across the state!! On to the @GovChrisSununu's desk for signing. #NHPolitics pic.twitter.com/XvxUhKgYkY

— ACLU_New Hampshire (@ACLU_NH) May 2, 2018

Arizona Haters Lose Legal Challenge to LGBT Protections In Phoenix

A small business in Phoenix, Arizona, which designs and prints wedding invitations has lost in their attempt to override the city's ordinance that protects LGBTs from discrimination.

It's important to note that NO gay couple has asked Brush & Nib Studio for wedding services; nor has anyone has filed a complaint against the artists with the city.

Judge Karen Mullins rejected arguments that the ordinance interferes with free speech or free exercise of religion laws.

From the Arizona Republic:

Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, owners of Brush & Nib Studio and self-described evangelical Christians, create invitations and other handmade artwork for weddings and events.

They filed a lawsuit against Phoenix in May 2016 challenging the part of the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Their suit alleges the city’s ordinance would compel them to create invitations or artwork for same-sex couples, which would conflict with their religious belief that marriage is between one man and one woman and violate their freedoms of speech and religion.

In 2013, the Phoenix City Council added sexual orientation and gender identity to an already existing non-discrimination ordinance making it illegal to discriminate in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations.

JoeMyGod noted back in May 2016 when the lawsuit was filed that the company didn't appear to have a physical address, and the artists' social media accounts were only months old, making it credible that the company might have been created just to file the lawsuit.

The video below, titled "Getting to Know the Artists of Brush & Nib," was uploaded to YouTube just days before the lawsuit was filed, and the comments section is closed. Additionally, the video is listed as "Unlisted."

In the video, the two artists make a point to say their teaming up was a "God thing," "beautiful things just come from God," and how "special" they view their work on wedding invitations.

Now, why have a "getting to know" video be "unlisted" on YouTube?

#ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmm

Alabama: Birmingham City Council Passes Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, First In State

Years in the making, the Birmingham City Council has passed a fully inclusive non-discrimination ordinance - the first in the state of Alabama - by a unanimous vote of 7-0.

Mayor William Bell has announced he will sign the ordinance into law immediately.

Via Equality Alabama:

“Today is a monumental victory for everyone who lives and works in Birmingham who are now fully protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Before this ordinance was passed, you could get married on Saturday then on Monday be fired from your job, evicted from your home, or denied service because you’re LGBTQ,” said Alex Smith, executive director of Equality Alabama. “No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or whom they love, and Birmingham took action today to ensure that.”

"Today is a great day to be from Birmingham," said Fran Hutchins, Deputy Director of Equality Federation. "I'm so proud of Equality Alabama and their partners on the ground to make this important policy possible."

"Birmingham now joins more than 200 counties and cities in the United States that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Our neighbors in Jackson, MS, passed a fully inclusive non-discrimination ordinance over a year ago. In Alabama, both Huntsville and Mobile have human rights commissions, and Montevallo is poised to pass non-discrimination protections for its LGBTQ citizens.

The Human Rights Campaign issued this statement:

“Today, the City of Birmingham made history in Alabama by taking a crucial step toward ensuring LGBTQ residents are protected from discrimination,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “In doing so, Birmingham joins Jackson and Magnolia, Mississippi in setting an example for cities across the South to follow. Now, it is time for all southern cities to guarantee the right of LGBTQ people to live their lives free from discrimination.”

Pentagon To Add Sexual Orientation To Non-Discrimination Policy

Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade writes:

The Pentagon is preparing to update its Military Equal Opportunity Policy to include sexual orientation as a protected class and the change could be made final as soon as the end of next month, the Washington Blade has learned.

A senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed late Friday the Defense Department is planning to update the Military Equal Opportunity Policy to add the words “sexual orientation” as part of the non-discrimination policy.

The proposed change is set to be delivered as early as the middle of next week to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter for his review and final approval, the official said. Each of the military services has already agreed to the change, the official said.

Transgender people are still barred from open service in the U.S. Military.

Wyoming: House Legislators Vote Down LGBT Anti-Discrimination Bill

Wyoming Welcomes You (or not, depending on how you look at it)

By a vote of 33 to 26, the Wyoming House of Representatives killed a bill which would have made discrimination on the basis of sexual identity or gender identity illegal in the state.

The legislation had already passed in the Wyoming Senate.

Anti-discrimination laws serve dual purposes for many states. One, the laws help discourage discrimination. That's a good thing.

Second, they send a signal to corporations about the work environment in the state helping corporations attract and recruit talent.

Opponents of the bill expressed concern that folks wouldn't be able to hire and fire based on sexual orientation. And that folks right to expound on the sins of gays would be curtailed.

(source)

Texas GOP Lawmakers Seek To Nullify LGBT Non-Discrimination Ordinances

Last month I reported on the city of Plano, Texas, passing important non-discrimination LGBT protections.

Now, it appears four Texas GOP lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would effectively cancel those protections not only in Plano but the entire state of Texas.

The Texas Observer reports:

Texas Pastor Council Executive Director David Welch, whose group is leading efforts to repeal equal rights ordinances in Plano and Houston, told the Observer the legislation would prohibit political subdivisions of the state from adding classes to nondiscrimination ordinances that aren’t protected under Texas or federal law—neither of which covers LGBT people.

“It should be a uniform standard statewide, and cities can’t just arbitrarily create new classes that criminalize a whole segment of the majority of the population,” Welch said. “It’s just self-evident that they’re going to try to do it city by city. We’re dealing with a broad public policy that creates criminal punishments. That’s a pretty serious issue, and when it’s based on a special agenda by a small, tiny fragment of the population … that’s a legitimate need and reason for the state Legislature to act.”

The legislation is apparently modeled after a law that passed in Tennessee in 2011.

Top 5 Myths Regarding LGBT Non-discrimination Laws

Media Matters Carlos Maza does an excellent job of debunking the top 5 myths regarding LGBT non-discrimination laws.

Those often-used talking points include:

• LGBT discrimination isn't a real problem
• Non-discrimination laws create "special rights" for LGBT people
• Non-discrimination laws infringe on religious liberties
• Non-discrimination laws cause frivolous lawsuits
• Non-discrimintion laws let sexual predators sneak into women's restrooms

Great job by Media Matters of getting the facts out there.  Watch below:

Fayetteville, Arkansas, passes LGBT non-discrimination ordinance by vote of 6-2

After more than 10 hours of public debate and testimony by over 100 community members, the Fayetteville, Arkansas City Council voted to not pass an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance by a vote of 6-2.

The legislation, Ordinance 119, makes discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity illegal in matters of employment, housing and public accommodations.

Such protections are not available on a federal level. Eighteen states plus Washington, D.C., ban discrimination in employment and housing on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity and 17 of those states also prohibit discrimination in in public accommodations on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

The legislation will take effect September 20, 2014.

(source)

Hate group leader Tony Perkins - Tell gay customers they are funding "ex-gay" clinics to scare them away

Hate group leader Tony Perkins

Just when conservatives might be seeing the inevitable in terms of same-sex marriage, now the haters find they have to contend with non-discrimination laws requiring businesses to treat LGBT folks fairly. Of course, the anti-gay industry spins this as a "threat to religious freedom."

Always have to be the "victims" I guess.

But hate group leader Tony Perkins has an idea that might "scare away" any potential gay customers - contribute the "gay dollars" to ex-gay therapy clinics.

Right Wing Watch reports:

On Monday’s “Washington Watch,” host Tony Perkins lamented how increasingly difficult it is for Christian business owners to actively discriminate against and refuse service to LGBT people or same-sex couples based on their “religious views on sexuality.”

Perkins said that business owners who fear challenges to their discriminatory practices from gay couples should prominently place signs in their businesses explaining their belief in “traditional marriage,” and emphasizing that any profits earned from LGBT customers will be donated to “ministries that actually help people who want to come out of the homosexual lifestyle.”

Listen to Perkin's pitch his idea below:

Montana: Billings Mayor cast deciding vote against non-discrimination protections for LGBT community

Just after 3am last night, Mayor Tom Hanel said he didn't think Billings, Montana, was ready for a nondiscrimination ordinance regarding equal treatment under the law for the LGBT community. 

Hanel cast the deciding vote against the NDO.

From the Billings Gazette:

Hanel said he applied a standard from Rotary International to help him reach his decision: “I needed to ask myself, is this fair to everyone, beneficial to everyone? Will it build goodwill and friendships? I can’t say for sure,” he said of the NDO.

The vote was 6-5, with council members Shaun Brown, Rich McFadden, Denis Pitman, Angela Cimmino and Mike Yakwich joining Hanel against the ordinance, which would have amended city code to protect people from being discriminated against on the bases of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

So, just to be clear: if you are gay or lesbian and you find yourself in Billings, Montana, it is perfectly fine with the folks there for you to be denied a hotel room or be served in a restaurant.

You can be turned down trying to rent an apartment.

 All good because in the mayor's eyes, that wouldn't be "fair to everyone, beneficial to everyone."