HRC Blog

Here in Rhode Island, we’re on the heels of the biggest volunteer weekend thus far in the fight for marriage equality. Over Saturday and Sunday we sent no less than 10 canvass teams out to knock doors in key Senate districts across the state. Meanwhile, we ran simultaneous phonebanks, transferring supporters directly to their representatives with a message urging them to vote yes on this fundamental civil rights issue.

March has been a month of substantial movement in state legislatures on bills relating to gender identity. Though not all of these bills will ultimately become law, hearings and votes highlight the seriousness of the discrimination faces by the trans community. On Saturday, The Maryland House passed a non-discrimination bill adding gender identity to the state’s civil rights laws for the purposes of employment, housing, and credit. The bill moves to the Senate where it will be considered by the Senate Rules Committee.

Last night, the Las Vegas steering committee hosted the opening reception of Nevada's biannual Equality Days, where constituents come to Carson City to speak with their legislators face to face. It was great to see many community partners and members rally for a great cause. Our guest speaker, Allyson Robinson, Associate Director of Diversity at HRC, spoke with passion about her story and the need for passing an inclusive ENDA and more specifically, AB211, state legislation would provide anti-discrimination policies to the state's employment laws in regards to gender identity and expression.

Greetings from Charlotte, North Carolina! HRC recently gave a $10,000 grant to Equality North Carolina to fight against Senate Bill 106. This bill would amend the state constitution to prohibit marriage or any other form of relationship recognition for same-sex couples. This means it could prohibit domestic partnerships and civil unions.

As Americans struggle to recover from one of the worst economic recessions in our nation’s history, it’s important to remember that the risk of losing a job can be far greater for LGBT people. However, this week we will see an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) introduced which would create federal protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill is a critical piece of our economic empowerment agenda for the LGBT community, as detailed in a new memo on federal LGBT legislation.