LGBT

November 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez today stated that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is a “top legislative priority” of the Obama Administration. The remark came during a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing focused on the legislation.

Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the chief Senate co-sponsor of ENDA, applauded the comment as a major endorsement of the Senate’s efforts to pass a fully inclusive version of the bill.    » read more »

November 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC- At a hearing today of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) urged passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Senator Casey is a cosponsor of ENDA.

Senator Casey released the following statement:

“It is long past time to require employers in the private sector to respect the rights and dignities of their employees and to provide employees with remedies in federal courts when they are the victims of egregious and insidious discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.    » read more »

Calls For Workplace Anti-Discrimination Law

October 29, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Today, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Executive Vice President Mary Kay Henry praised President Obama for his signing into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and called for greater protections for LGBT workers.

"There's a motto we have in the labor movement: 'An Injury to One is An Injury to All,'" said Henry. "For Congress to pass, and the President to sign into law, the first explicit protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the nation's history, is an incredibly important first step in ending the decades of violence and discrimination suffered by the LGBT community.    » read more »

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act will help protect Americans, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, religion or national origin, in the event of violent hate attacks

October 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a conferee on H. R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2010, cheered the passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was included in the Defense bill, while registering his strong reservations on the military commissions provision also included.    » read more »

October 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – The US House of Representatives today voted in favor of legislation containing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which extends the definition of violent hate crimes to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

The original bill, H.R. 1913, passed the House on April 29th of this year, mostly along partisan lines. The Senate attached its version of the Hate Crimes Bill to the Defense Authorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 2467), and after the bill passed the Senate, the language was maintained by the House/Senate Conference Committee. Today, the Defense Authorization Act conference report passed on a vote that broke largely on partisan lines, 281 to 146.    » read more »

DeGette Applauds House for Extending Hate Crimes Protections

8 October 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) today joined her colleagues in passing the National Defense Authorization Act of 2009, which includes the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, on a vote of 281 to 146.    » read more »

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State -- Washington, DC, June 1, 2009 -- "Forty years ago this month, the gay rights movement began with the Stonewall riots in New York City, as gays and lesbians demanded an end to the persecution they had long endured. Now, after decades of hard work, the fight has grown into a global movement to achieve a world in which all people live free from violence and fear, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In honor of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month and on behalf of the State Department, I extend our appreciation to the global LGBT community for its courage and determination during the past 40 years, and I offer our support for the significant work that still lies ahead.    » read more »

June 3, 2008 -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today joined Massachusetts Democratic Representative Barney Frank and Wisconsin Democratic Representative Tammy Baldwin in issuing the following Proclamation marking PRIDE Month:

"Today, on behalf of Democrats across America, we join together in celebrating the contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans and their families make to our society and reaffirm our Party's commitment to promoting full equality under the law for every American.    » read more »

SAN FRANCISCO, April 3, 2008 /PRNewswire - FirstCall/ -- Expedia.com®, the world's leading online travel provider, has partnered with PlanetOut Inc. (NASDAQ: LGBT), the leading media company exclusively serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, to be the exclusive travel booking provider for PlanetOut Web sites, including PlanetOut.com, Gay.com and OutTraveler.com.    » read more »

February 04, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - Former LGBT supporters of Senator John Edwards and other candidates are publicly announcing their support of Senator Barack Obama. Almost half of Senator Edwards' original LGBT steering committee is throwing their support behind Obama. Most of the other former members remain formally uncommitted.    » read more »

1/25/2008 -- In the second "Ask Hillary" Web video, Hillary Clinton addressed a question from a voter about the high incidence of depression and suicide among gay teens. The transcript of the exchange is below:

Emily Hawkins, Director of Youth Outreach: Ryan says, "considering the extraordinarily high incidence of depression and suicide among gay teenagers, what action will you, as president, take to encourage a more accepting and healthy educational experience for LGBT teens?"    » read more »

1/23/2008 -- (Denver, CO) – The Clinton campaign announced its Colorado for Hillary LGBT Steering Committee at a kick-off event last night with Senator Jennifer Veiga. The LGBT Steering Committee will organize support for Hillary in Denver and across the state.

“Hillary Clinton will end the divisive politics of the past seven years and move our country toward the promise of fairness and equality for all Americans,” said State Senator Jennifer Veiga.    » read more »

Calls On Democratic and Republican Presidential Candidates To Do The Same

Wilmington, DE (December 12, 2007) – Sen. Joe Biden issued the following statement condemning former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s comments and calling on other presidential candidates – including Republicans participating in today’s debate in Iowa – to do the same:    » read more »

Senator Sheila Kuehl to Serve as Chair of California LGBT Steering Committee

12/4/2007 -- The California Hillary Clinton for President Campaign today announced the formation of its statewide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Steering Committee for Hillary which consists of more than 100 LGBT leaders and allies. The Campaign also announced that California State Senator Sheila James Kuehl would serve as Chair of the Committee.    » read more »

11/14/2007 -- The Clinton campaign today announced the addition of 44 members to its national LGBT Americans for Hillary Steering Committee. The announcement comes just a day after Clinton successfully hosted a fundraiser with 250 members of the LGBT community in Washington, DC as well as a day after the endorsement of openly gay Congressman Barney Frank.

“I am honored to have the support of these leaders in the LGBT community,” Clinton said. “Together, we can end the divisive politics of the current administration and renew the promise of fairness and equality for all Americans.”    » read more »