#Nondiscrimination

[npi]

Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed"

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and like we do every year in honor of Dr. King’s memory, I’m posting an excerpt from his Letter From Birmingham Jail. In these passages, he is explaining why he has rejected calls to wait on advancing civil rights. King makes the point that people who wish to expand freedom must be bold (and willing to violate unjust laws!), because timidity does not bring…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Molly Sprayregen at LGBTQ Nation:

The City Council of Spokane, Washington, has passed an ordinance enhancing protections for LGBTQ+ people, with a focus on protecting trans folks. Council members voted 5-2 to implement the ordinance, which updates the city’s human rights code to define gender-affirming care and ensure equal protections for LGBTQ+ people.

A press release explained that both Spokane Municipal Code and state law already provide protections for LGBTQ+ people, but the ordinance adds language to “acknowledge the inherent risks faced by the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Spokane, particularly due to federal policies and interjurisdictional legal processes from states that do not recognize LGBTQIA2S+ rights or are working to deny such individuals access to essential medical care, including gender-affirming care.” The policy “prohibits the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone’s sex assigned at birth, unless it’s related to a criminal investigation.” The ordinance also adds a definition of gender-affirming care to the human rights code’s glossary of terms and adds a section requiring city-provided healthcare to cover it. It also requires the Spokane Police Department to keep an LGBTQ+ liaison officer on staff.

“LGBTQIA2S+ people deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions and deserve to feel safe in our community,” Council Member Zack Zappone said in a statement.  “That freedom and safety are under threat across the country. This ordinance ensures the City continues to protect LGBTQIA2S+ people and that they know that in Spokane, we all belong.” “I want to thank all the powerful and heartfelt testimony in support of this ordinance that is about supporting safety, freedom, and dignity,” added Council Member Paul Dillon.  “Spokane is a city where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated, and this ordinance shows our commitment to our city motto that in Spokane, we all belong, especially in a time of targeting and discrimination…” Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart voted against the ordinance, with Bingle attempting to add five amendments, including measures to ban trans people from using the bathrooms and playing on sports teams that align with their genders and to ban those under 18 from receiving gender-affirming care through city insurance. None of the amendments passed.

Good news: Spokane, Washington's city council passes an enhanced LGBTQ+ rights protections bill to protect access to gender-affirming care and other LGBTQ+ rights that are under attack by red states and the Trump regime.

See Also:

The Advocate: Spokane City Council passes measure protecting LGBTQ+ rights and gender-affirming care

[alamari-chibi]

oh my god these executive orders are so poorly written

[some-greatreward]

i love finding new smiths fans but gotta be honest sorting by new on the smiths tag scares me somewhat.

[pynkhues]

https://x.com/lesm4nd/status/1845849624663269538?s=46&t=wEEyhyX9fIplMoT3Zo_5Tg 😊

*Carol voice* Lestat was everything to everyone!

[martyrbat]

posting on here really is just being expected to say ‘sorry for being desensitized by facing daily, real life homophobia and the constant threat of being killed for being a faggot-tranny to where i forgot to take into consideration that youre gonna be a whiny bitch about me making a light-hearted joke about a fictional character on my own blog’ while not feeling sorry at all.

[swankpalanquin]

reading about how actual material positive change for lgbt community at the university happened over the years and surprise! randomly protesting without also working with the people in charge is not how protections get put into place

[reasonsforhope]

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday [June 27, 2025] upheld a key provision of the Affordable Care Act, ruling in Kennedy v. Braidwood that health insurance companies must continue covering preventive services recommended by a federal task force — including HIV prevention medication, cancer screenings, and vaccines.

The Court ruled 6-3, in an opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, concluding that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force operates constitutionally and that the Secretary of Health and Human Services has the authority to appoint its members as inferior officers. That means the ACA’s mandate, requiring insurers to cover preventive services, remains intact. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neal Gorsuch dissented.

The majority rejected arguments that the Task Force’s structure violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution, emphasizing that Congress had provided for the Secretary’s oversight and removal authority, making the Task Force’s members “inferior officers.”

At issue was whether insurers could be compelled to cover services such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, which prevents HIV transmission. Public health experts say PrEP access is especially vital for Black and Latine gay and bisexual men and transgender women, who are disproportionately impacted by HIV.

Other services potentially on the chopping block included screenings for cancer, depression, hepatitis B and C, and sexually transmitted infections, as well as a range of vaccines and counseling interventions.

The plaintiffs, a group of Christian business owners, argued that being required to cover PrEP violated their religious beliefs, claiming the medication “encourages homosexual behavior.” A lower court had previously sided with them, sparking concern that the ruling could jeopardize nationwide access to dozens of preventive health services.

Medical experts and LGBTQ+ advocates emphasized that PrEP is used by people of all backgrounds and sexual orientations, and that HIV “does not discriminate.”

Friday’s decision, on the last day of the Supreme Court's term, marks a significant win for LGBTQ+ health equity and for public health more broadly, following years of legal attempts to undermine the ACA’s nondiscrimination and preventive care mandates.

A joint statement by Lambda Legal, PrEP4All, the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, and Equality Federation called the ruling “the right decision to reject this assault,” saying it “uphold[s] essential protections for preventive services and affirm[s] that prevention and early detection of diseases save lives, improve health outcomes, and reduce long-term health outcomes.”

They said the Braidwood case “has been not just an attack on HIV prevention or LGBTQ people — it has been a coordinated effort to dismantle access to no-cost preventive healthcare for more than 150 million Americans.”

“This was never about religious liberty,” the statement continued. “It has been about using LGBTQ people as a scapegoat to push a broader agenda that punishes the vulnerable. And the truth is, most of the people harmed by this decision wouldn’t have been queer. They would be working-class families, Black and Brown communities, rural Americans, and anyone who relies on preventive care to stay healthy and alive.”

The groups warned that while the ruling preserves existing protections, vigilance is needed to prevent political interference. “History reminds us that silence is deadly,” they said, invoking the memory of the AIDS crisis and those who “weaponized faith to justify inaction.” ...

“This Pride Month, we celebrate this victory as we honor the legacy of those who fought back at Stonewall, who took to the streets with ACT UP, and who demanded dignity at the height of crisis,” the statement said. “We carry that legacy forward now. Join us. Raise your voice. Defend preventive care. Fight back.”"

-via The Advocate, June 27, 2025

[npi]

Book Review: Isabel Wilkerson's Caste explains how oppression goes beyond racism in America

Isabel Wilkerson’s book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, is a necessary book. This is because it offers a valuable corrective to the prevailing understanding of what “race” is, as well as an overview of how race has been used throughout American history to divide Americans and maintain the power of the already powerful. Some readers may find Caste’s conclusions difficult to accept.  They…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Trudy Ring at The Advocate:

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, has signed a bill into law removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Reynolds signed the bill Friday after both houses of the legislature passed it Thursday. “The signing makes Iowa the first state in the country to take away civil rights from a group it has previously protected in law,” The Des Moines Register reports. The Iowa law has included gender identity since 2007, when the state had a Democratic governor, Chet Culver, and Democratic majorities in both legislative houses. The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed in 2022 that discrimination against trans people was illegal in the state. “It’s common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women,” Reynolds said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “In fact, it’s necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls.” Actually, protection of transgender people has not been shown to have any ill effect on cisgender women and girls. And indeed, Iowa stripped rights from women and girls (and some trans and nonbinary people) in passing a ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in 2023. Iowa enacted the anti-trans law over the protests of about 2,000 of people who appeared at the state capitol Thursday and over the opposition of Democrats, who are now in the minority in both the Iowa Senate and House of Representatives.

[...] Iowa Republicans said that removing gender identity from nondiscrimination law would help them defend other anti-trans laws in court, including its ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth, its law barring trans students from using restrooms aligned with their gender identity, and another keeping trans women and girls from participating in female school sports.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) officially has blood on her hands, as she signed the discriminatory anti-trans bill SF418 into law that removes gender identity nondiscrimination protections from the Iowa Civil Rights Act that were put in place in 2007 under former Gov. Chet Culver (D).

Iowa has the dubious distinction of being the first state to remove nondiscrimination protections for trans people.

[llycaons]

“What Xichen is trying to say,” Nie Mingjue jumps in when Lan Wangji doesn’t reply, “is that it’s best to do a background check on him. Make him sign a couple of NDA’s. Maybe casually mention that you have a bodyguard at public events, just in case he tries anything.”

“All reasonable precautions,” Lan Xichen agrees. “I know it hurts, Wangji. But it’s easy to get burned.”

There is a brief pause, wherein all three of them stop and remember Meng Yao.

Then, Nie Mingjue says, “And don’t buy him a fucking car, what the fuck.”

“There comes a time at every kidnapping when one must consider one’s past actions and ask oneself, Is this in any way my fault?” Lan Xichen adds.

this lan xichen has me in tears

[zvaigzdelasas]

New York University led by troubling example when the school shared an updated code of student conduct last week. Ostensibly aimed at curtailing bigotry, the new language instead shuts down dissent by threatening to silence criticism of Zionism on campus. Students who speak out against Zionism — an ethno-nationalist political ideology founded in the late 19th century — will now risk violating the school’s nondiscrimination policies.[...]

Tucked into a document purportedly offering clarification on school policy, the new NYU guidelines introduce an unprecedented expansion of protected classes to include “Zionists” and “Zionism.” Referring to the university’s nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policy, known as NDAH, the updated conduct guide says, “Speech and conduct that would violate the NDAH if targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the NDAH if directed toward Zionists.”[...]

“Using code words, like ‘Zionist,’” the guide says, “does not eliminate the possibility that your speech violates the NDAH policy.”[...]

The entire premise of the guidance — that “Zionist” must be functioning as a “code word — is a flaw egregious enough to reject the entire document outright.

The language here is of utmost importance. The text does not say that “Zionist” can and has been used by antisemites as a code word, which is no doubt true. Instead, it takes it as a given that, when used critically, “Zionist” simply is a code word.[...]

According to NYU’s guidance, then, Zionist and Zionism are either antisemitic dog whistles when invoked critically or a protected category akin to a race, ethnicity, or religious identity. Ethically committed and politically informed anti-Zionism — including the beliefs of many anti-Zionist Jews like myself who reject the conflation of our identity and heritage with an ethnostate project — is foreclosed, and the long history of Jewish anti-Zionism, which has existed as long as Zionism itself, is all but erased.[...]

“For many Jewish people, Zionism is a part of their Jewish identity,” the NYU guidance says. And this is of course true. That does not, however, make Zionism an essential part of Jewish identity.

There are conservative Christians for whom the damnation of homosexuality is a key part of their Christian faith too, but Republican lawfare to see homophobic positions enshrined as protected religious expression have been rightly and consistently condemned by the liberal mainstream.

“The new guidance sets a dangerous precedent by extending Title VI protections to anyone who adheres to Zionism, a nationalist political ideology, and troublingly equates criticism of Zionism with discrimination against Jewish people,” NYU’s Faculty for Justice in Palestine said in a statement in response to the updated conduct guide.[...]

“Furthermore, the new guidance implies that any nationalist political ideology (Hindu nationalism, Christian nationalism, etc.) that is integrated into some members of that group’s understanding of their own racial or ethnic identity should be entitled to civil rights protections.”

27 Aug 24

[metanarrates]

I haven't seen a lot of coverage in the news about this, but my state has just advanced legislation on a bill that would criminalize trans bathroom use in publicly owned buildings. this could mean up to 6 months in jail and up to $1000 in fees for those convicted.

most alarming aspects of this bill:

-"publicly owned buildings" include airports, schools, libraries, government offices, some hospitals, and most terrifyingly AND explicitly within the bill, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis facilities. transgender people, who are estimated to be almost 4 times more likely to be victims of violent crimes than cisgender people, could become criminalized in the very spaces they seek out to shelter from abuse.

-on that note, the bill potentially threatens federal funding of already-underfunded domestic violence and sexual assault facilities. to recieve federal grants, facilities are required to follow nondiscrimination laws. this law could place the facilities in danger of losing the grants they rely on. this is severely going to impact victims' abilities to access critically needed services.

-the bill legally defines "sex" in a way that has a lot of potential impact across state legislature. according to the bill’s text, HB 257 would legally define a female as “an individual whose biological reproductive system is of the general type that functions in a way that could produce ova,” and a male as “an individual whose biological reproductive system is of the general type that functions to fertilize the ova of a female.” this could effectively end the state's legal recognition of trans people.

-the bill demands that trans people who DO use bathrooms in publicly owned buildings must have undergone both gender reassignment surgery and have had their birth certificate changed. this has several issues, obviously, but the biggest one I want to highlight is that this opens the door to potential genital inspection by law enforcement if someone is accused of being transgender in a bathroom. in addition to any other indignities suffered by being harassed by cops when trying to use the restroom, it is completely possible for law enforcement to now demand to see whether someone's genitals are in compliance with these laws. it's an unconscionable and humiliating invasion of privacy.

-the bill requires trans students to develop a "privacy plan" with their school in order to arrange access to unisex spaces. if unisex bathrooms are unavailable, the student can be granted access to a sex-designated space “through staggered scheduling or another policy provision that provides for temporary private access.”

-the bill allows the state’s attorney general to impose a fine of up to $10,000 per day on local governments that don’t enforce the bill. in essence, any government that isn't sufficiently committed to enforcing these draconian laws may face massive fines until they have reached the attorney general's standard of enforcement.

this is one of the most unbelievably severe anti-trans laws that have ever been proposed in the united states. it would effectively ban trans people from participating in public life, harm nearly every single victim of domestic violence and sexual assault who seeks services in the state, enforce criminality on random trans people in bathrooms, and open every single person who could be potentially accused of being trans up to a wave of harassment and discrimination from both private citizens and law enforcement. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that this law would literally force me and my transfemme fiancee to flee this state.

the law's been fast tracked to an insane degree through the legislature. similarly to the anti-dei bill currently making its way through, it's only been a week since it was introduced, and it's already passed the house, and is now up for vote in the senate. if it passes both sets of votes, the only thing left in its way is the governor's decision to veto.

please share this post. make as much noise as you can. if you live in utah, please call and email your district senator as soon as possible. it doesn't matter how late you see this. the bill is up for vote this week (1/23/24 at the time of writing) and we need to do whatever we physically can to protest its passing. we've already moved past the opportunity for public comment on the bill, but a few organizations have called for a rally at the capitol steps on thursday (1/25/24) at noon. if you are in the salt lake area or are able to make it there, please consider attending. wear a mask and bring a sign. we are stronger together.

[batboyblog]

This year’s Trans Day of Visibility hits differently than in years past. This is a frightening time for trans people. I know many of you are scared. Truthfully, I am, too.

Since day one of this administration, they have pursued a crusade of cruelty against trans people – hurting us for the sake of hurting us. They’re requiring our forced outing on several identity documents. They’re summarily firing qualified federal workers who are disproportionately LGBTQ, Black, women, and veterans. They’re trying to purge patriotic transgender servicemembers. They’re trying to insert government between patients, parents, and providers to stop medically necessary care and support. They’re targeting students for bullying and invasive inspections. And they’re trying to make it harder for us to participate in public life by making it difficult and dangerous to use necessary facilities.

The stakes couldn’t be higher and, because of that, we need allies now more than ever before. We’re understandably worried and vigilant for any evidence that our defenders won’t be there when we need them. After a lifetime of pushing progress, from passing nondiscrimination protections in Delaware to helping to draft the Equality Act federally, I won’t stop fighting for the dignity of every person I represent, including my trans constituents. I've been trying to fight hard and smart since taking office in January. I won’t always be perfect. But from joining my trans constituents at rallies in Delaware to joining my colleagues in DC in opposition to this administration’s anti-equality actions, it’s going to take all of us speaking out publicly and speaking with people one-on-one to meet this moment.

Those conversations, sometimes uncomfortable, can lead to critical solidarity precisely when we need it most. In this Congress, nearly every House Democrat voted against the only anti-trans bill that has come before us – laying the foundation for the Senate Democrats to block its passage. I’m grateful for the allyship of my colleagues.

We must remain firm in our values and our vision in this moment – and, just as importantly, we should never give up on our ability to win over more people to more fully see our humanity and support our rights. It’s not always fair work, and it’s certainly not always easy work, but through the power of our proximity we can still open the hearts and change the minds of imperfect or unlikely allies.

It has been through the power of our proximity that we find our superpower. We exist in families and communities across every region and race, across every income and ideology. We are organic changemakers when we live lives of joy, humor, brilliance, and kindness in view of — and for some of us, in difficult conversation with — people who have more to learn. And while we won’t win everyone over, when we both build community among ourselves and forge a coalition beyond us, no amount of progress is impossible.

That’s what we celebrate on this Trans Day of Visibility. Our visibility not only has the ability to inspire one another. It also has the capacity to push past the caricatures to invite more people in, to grow the tent of allies, to defeat the hateful attacks, and to lay the foundation for freedom and safety for trans people in every corner of our country and every part of our globe.

-Congresswoman Sarah McBride Democrat, Delaware 3/31/2025

[saywhat-politics]

'Segregated facilities' are no longer explicitly banned in federal contracts

After a recent change by the Trump administration, the federal government no longer explicitly prohibits contractors from having segregated restaurants, waiting rooms and drinking fountains.

The segregation clause is one of several identified in a public memo issued by the General Services Administration last month, affecting all civil federal agencies. The memo explains that it is making changes prompted by President Trump's executive order on diversity, equity and inclusion, which repealed an executive order signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 regarding federal contractors and nondiscrimination. The memo also addresses Trump's executive order on gender identity.

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/03/18/nx-s1-5326118/segregation-federal-contracts-far-regulation-trump

[dog-park-dissidents]

Went to my first pride parade. I swear, only 10% of the people in the parade were from local groups and the rest were either corporations or people running for office with nothing about queer people on their platform

Oh yeah, Pride parades especially in North America have gotten so far from our roots with how much it costs to get permitting and logistics that most actual queer orgs get priced out of participating. Corporations can afford it but of course, instead of decentering themselves and just being okay with like, Dykes On Bikes (Sponsored By Chipotle), they cannot help but make it all about their fucking marketing. We are literally dogs and we couldn't even dream of pissing on parts of public space to claim them as our own on the sheer scale of a corporate logo.

Local Pride organizers are generally part of the problem and lean all the way into this, cause they're usually shitlibs who feel super fuckin validated because Shell Oil turned their logo rainbow, and don't you know how great it is that their HR department has a nondiscrimination policy. Zac was dating the person put in charge of organizing New Orleans's Pride parade and he was like, what if we save money by not allowing floats, just make it a walking parade so more people can participate? And the rest of the goddamn board of directors was like, no, absolutely not, what would our corporate sponsors think.

So anyway that was the year he used his clout to at least let our local pup group lead the parade, which we did looking like this

Needless to say Shell did not return as a sponsor the year after that