HRC Blog

Yesterday, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced that the Department of Labor’s policies on equal employment opportunity and workplace harassment had been updated to explicitly include protections for gender identity. The policy had already included sexual orientation for many years. DOL follows the lead of the Office of Personnel Management and a number of cabinet-level departments and other agencies in making it clear that discrimination based on gender identity is not permissible in the federal workforce. We applaud Secretary Solis for ensuring that her department is one that welcomes all employees, including transgender workers.

The following post is from HRC Staff Counsel, Aaron Welo: Minnesota Republicans yesterday introduced an amendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage in the state. The proposed amendment, introduced in three identical Senate bills with 12 total cosponsors, asks “[s]hall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?” State Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) appears to be taking the lead on this effort by cosponsoring each of the three bills and speaking at yesterday’s press conference. The proposed amendment would constitutionally ban marriage equality in the state, which is already illegal under existing state law. Rather than focusing on improving the state economy, or finding a solution to the state’s $5 billion budget deficit, state Republicans are attempting to distract from their failure to address the real issues by attempting to harm LGBT families.

The following post is from New Hampshire field organizer Katie Drapcho: Not only has the newly elected conservative majority in the New Hampshire legislature tried to repeal marriage equality, they are also taking aim at the anti-bullying bill that passed with bi-partisan support in 2010, and is regarded by anti-bullying organizations as a national example of a proactive and inclusive policy. It contains specific protections for LGBT students and allows schools to address cyber and off-campus bullying that interferes with a student's education.

Personal stories of bullying and harassment from DC youth took center stage earlier this afternoon at the Rally for “Bully Free” DC, as District of Columbia youth, teachers, families, and activists joined lawmakers on the steps of the Wilson Building to celebrate the introduction and urge movement of the Bullying and Intimidation Prevention Act of 2011 (B19-11).

Moments ago the Virginia State Board of Social Services let Virginia’s children down. By a vote of 7-2, the Board stripped legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, disability, political beliefs and family status from final rules governing licensed adoption and foster care agencies. By keeping discrimination in the adoption process, the Board is in effect limiting the number of loving homes available.