AMBASSADOR LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD CONFIRMED BY SENATE AS UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO UN: Said HRC President Alphonso David (@alphonsodavid): “Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield has been a tireless champion of human rights throughout her career in public service. We congratulate her on her confirmation, and look forward to working closely with her to advance LGBTQ rights and equality for all around the globe.” More from The Washington Post.

NEW REPORT UNDERSCORES HOW COVID-19 HAS DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED LGBTQ PEOPLE OF COLOR: According to a new report from the Williams Institute, LGBTQ people of color in the U.S. were twice as likely to get COVID-19 last fall than non-LGBTQ white Americans. This report comes after research from HRC and PSB Insights last August which found that Black LGBTQ Americans were more likely to report pandemic-related income loss or reduced work hours than non-Black or non-LGBTQ people. More from NewNowNext.

CNN PROFILES BLACK TRANS ACTIVIST FIGHTING TO PROTECT HER COMMUNITY: “Elders in my community fought and marched and sacrificed and advocated in the hopes that one day, a young trans person could be able to walk in spaces they couldn't,” said Vanessa Warri, who is a social welfare MSW/PhD candidate at UCLA. More from CNN.

TO PASS EQUALITY ACT, LAWMAKERS CALLING FOR SUPPORT FROM BUSINESS COMMUNITY: “The legislation not only aligns with corporate values of fairness and inclusion, it’s also good business sense,” said HRC Director for the Workplace Equality Program Beck Bailey. “Leading employers have long offered nondiscrimination protections for their LGBTQ workers ensuring they are empowered to bring their full selves to work, but understand that employees and their families must have the uniform civil rights protections in other aspects of life.” More from The Hill.

A YEAR AFTER THE BRUTAL KILLING OF AHMAUD ARBERY, WE DEMAND JUSTICE -- AND ACTION:

IN THE STATES

GOP LEGISLATURES ATTEMPTING TO BAN TRANS ATHLETES FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS: The anti-trans sports bills are a discriminatory solution in search of a problem, said Kate Oakley, HRC’s State Legislative Director. “It’s not about any one of these issues actually being itself a real problem. They keep trying to find the thing that is going to make people afraid. And this is where they’ve settled, last year and this year, on these anti-trans bills that are targeting youth in particular.” More from The Huffington Post.

🌏 GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

IN POWERFUL INTERVIEW, GHANIAN JOURNALIST COMES OUT AS GAY: More from Out.