KAMALA REITERATES HER UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ+ RIGHTS
Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, reiterated her unwavering support for LGBTQ+ rights in a speech at the American Federation of Teachers national convention in Houston last month, reports the Advocate.
Harris spoke passionately about the recent surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in red states, particularly the “don’t say gay” laws that have proliferated across the country.
“It pains me so to think that there are teachers who are afraid to put up a photograph of themselves and their partner for fear they could lose their job,” Harris said. She promised to fight to protect teachers and students from discrimination, affirming, “Every American should be free from bigotry and hate.”
FORCED OUTING OF QUEER STUDENTS NOW ILLEGAL IN CALIFORNIA
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law last month banning forced outings in state public schools, reports LGBTQ Nation.
The SAFETY Act prohibits “parental notification” policies in school districts that require educators to notify parents if their child requests to use pronouns and facilities different from the gender they were assigned at birth.
The law, which goes into effect immediately, also protects teachers and administrators from retaliation if they choose not to to follow district directives to out queer kids to their parents.
ALABAMA JUDGE UPHOLDS LGBTQ STUDENT PROTECTIONS
A federal judge in Alabama last month refused to block the Biden administration from enforcing new anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ students in four Republican-led states, breaking with six other judges who have said the rules are invalid, reports NBC News.
U.S. District Judge Annemarie Axon in Birmingham rejected various arguments that the four states led by Alabama made in challenging U.S. Department of Education regulations that say a federal law barring sex discrimination in education extends to gender identity.
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE VOTES TO EXPAND PROTECTIONS FOR LGBTQ PARENTS
Massachusetts’s Democratic-controlled Senate voted unanimously last month to update the state’s parentage law, adding protections for LGBTQ families and children born through surrogacy and assisted reproduction that advocates say are long overdue, reports The Hill.
“At the heart of this bipartisan legislation lies a simple yet profound principle: the recognition of legal parentage should not be contingent upon outdated norms or narrow definitions,” state Rep. Hannah Kane said in a statement.
NEARLY 1 IN 5 LGBTQ ADULTS HAVE NEVER COME OUT
Though LGBTQ adults say society has become more accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the last 10 years, nearly 1 in 5, 18%, say they have never come out to anyone, according to a new Gallup survey, reports NBC News.
“Roughly 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ Americans are comfortable telling Gallup that they’re LGBTQ+, but not comfortable telling others,” said Justin McCarthy, an analyst at Gallup.
That rate is higher for bisexual adults, with 23% reporting that they aren’t out to anyone, compared to 5% of gay and lesbian adults.
