COUNTRY’S TOP-RANKING MILITARY GENERAL WAS “NOT CONSULTED” ON TRUMP’S BAN ON TRANSGENDER SERVICE MEMBERS: Gen. Joseph Dunford, the country’s highest ranking military general, said that Trump's tweets about a transgender military ban “was unexpected” and that he was “not consulted.” More from BuzzFeed.

CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS (D-CA) TO SPEAK AND PORTUGAL. THE MAN TO PERFORM AT 2018 HRC L.A. DINNER: The event will bring together more than 1,000 of HRC’s most active members and supporters in the greater Los Angeles area to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ equality on March 10. “Maxine Waters is a steadfast defender of equality who is fighting to reclaim the United States from the Trump-Pence agenda of hate, fear, and discrimination,” said HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin). “For years, Congresswoman Waters has been standing up for the marginalized and oppressed in our society. We are truly honored to welcome her to the 2018 HRC Los Angeles Dinner.” More from HRC.

ANNOUNCING: Equality champion @MaxineWaters will speak and @HRC supporter and Grammy Award-winning band @portugaltheman will perform at the 2018 #HRCLADinner on March 10. https://t.co/R44fwC33XB

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 21, 2018

MORNING MUST READ FROM POLITICO, “TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DISMANTLES LGBT-FRIENDLY POLICIES”: Despite empty meetings with LGBTQ advocates, the Trump-Pence Administration has attacked civil rights and LGBTQ equality at every turn. “There’s a difference between hearing and listening,” said HRC Associate Legal Director Robin Maril. “For a listening session to actually be successful, we would’ve had to see actual, meaningful engagement. And we’ve seen nothing but disappointing and harmful policies come out of HHS and [the civil rights office] since the meeting.” More from Politico.

Trump-Pence administration has systematically eroded years of progress in their quest to undermine the rights of LGBTQ Americans. This November we must pull the emergency brake on their hateful agenda. https://t.co/ZCzmWvKNFi

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) February 20, 2018

PROGRESSIVE GROUPS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTI-LGBTQ, ANTI-PLANNED PARENTHOOD CONGRESSMAN DAN LIPINSKI: “Dan Lipinski has an abysmal record on LGBTQ equality and the shameful distinction of being the worst-scoring Democrat on the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard,” said HRC Communications Director Chris Sgro (@cristoferosgro). “The people of Illinois' third district deserve a champion of equality fighting for each and every one of them in Congress. The Trump-Pence administration is attacking and undermining American values every day, and we need a leader who will stand up to their dangerous and hateful agenda -- not enable them.” More from Windy City Times.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING WEDNESDAY -- NEW ‘GENDERCOOL’ PROJECT SHOWCASES STORIES AND STRUGGLES OF TRANSGENDER YOUTH: More from Today and The New York Times.

HRC ANNOUNCES KEY LEADERSHIP FOR ARIZONA AHEAD OF 2018 ELECTIONS: Justin Unga will lead HRC’s Arizona efforts as Arizona State Manager and Stan Williams will serve as HRC’s Arizona Deputy State Manager. Said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs: “Justin and Stan are proud Arizonans who will work to mobilize, activate and harness the energy of our grassroots army of more than 800,000 Equality Voters across the state who will make the difference come November.” More from HRC.

AMAZON MUST CONSIDER CITY AND STATE NONDISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS WHEN SELECTING THE HQ2 SITE: “Employees shouldn't have to worry about day-to-day lives, dry cleaning or apartment hunting,” said Sarah Warbelow, HRC legal director. “We're certainly hopeful that wherever they locate, they and their employees will continue to advocate for the LGBTQ community.” More from CNBC.

LAMBDA LEGAL FILES SUIT AGAINST HHS FOR BLOCKING SAME-SEX COUPLE FROM FOSTERING CHILD: Fatma Marouf and Bryn Esplin were told by a federal contractor conducting child placement services funded with taxpayer dollars that because they did not “mirror the Holy Family,” they were not suitable foster parents for refugee children in need of homes. The agency also claimed that none of the approximately 700 children needing placements were LGBTQ. More from Lambda Legal.

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES! State legislation to keep on your radar:

• The Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee passed an anti-LGBTQ bill that could give adoption agencies a license to discriminate against LGBTQ perspective parents. More from The Georgia Voice.
• And in Oklahoma, a similar discriminatory bill has passed through committee. Read the bill text here.
• And for more on the harms of efforts to write anti-LGBTQ discrimination by child welfare agencies into law, check out this report from HRC.

LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE NONDISCRIM PROTECTIONS AND 2018 ELECTIONS: Jimmy LaSalvia encourages fair-minded Americans to confront Trump-Pence’s politics of hate, writing, “Enacting LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination laws is an important piece of bringing about that national unity and civility, and the 2018 midterm elections present a critical opportunity to advance that goal at all levels of government.” More from Advocate.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

HORRIFYING -- INDONESIAN CITY CREATES “TASKFORCE” TO ATTACK LGBTQ COMMUNITY: More from The Telegraph.

READING RAINBOW - Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

Reuters talks to experts about the dangerous and debunked practice of so-called “conversion therapy”; Pink News reports that Jacinda Arden became the first ���� New Zealand Prime Minister to march in an LGBTQ Pride parade; Merriam-Webster gives a history of the pronoun ‘they’; HRC shares what it means to live and work at the intersections of Black and LGBTQ identities