HRC AND TOP LGBTQ ORGANIZATIONS RELEASE FORMAL LETTER OF OPPOSITION TO AMY CONEY BARRETT’S NOMINATION: The letter, signed by 185 organizations, outlines her problematic and disturbingly anti-LGBTQ past writings, rhetoric and association with extremist groups. “Too often, the LGBTQ community’s rights hinge on the Supreme Court,” said HRC President Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid). “From the freedom to be ourselves without fear of arrest to receiving protections from being fired from our jobs, from marriage equality to health care access, we rely on the Court to affirm our dignity and rights. We implore the Senate to reject Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination. If it does not, it is an endorsement of Judge Barrett’s prejudicial professional statements and deeply concerning allegiances, and an abdication of the Senate’s responsibility to protect the rights of all Americans.” More from HRC.

SUSAN COLLINS’ CAMPAIGN EMBRACES FAR-RIGHT ANTI-LGBTQ EXTREMIST GROUP: Said HRC spokesperson Lucas Acosta (@LucasRAcosta), “Embracing an extremist anti-LGBTQ group’s endorsement is nothing less than opportunistic in the waning days of this campaign. After years of being an independent voice for Mainers and advocating for the LGBTQ community, Collins has again chosen to pander to the far-right rather than stand by the principles she professed for years… LGBTQ Mainers and our allies need a true advocate like Sara Gideon in the Senate, a leader who puts our well-being ahead of what’s politically expedient.” More from HRC, the Maine Beacon and HuffPost.

MUST-WATCH MONDAY -- WHAT TRUMP’S CORONAVIRUS FAILURE MEANS FOR LGBTQ ECONOMIC SECURITY: LGBTQ Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza on what a failed coronavirus response means to small business owners like herself. Watch here.

TODAY AT 12 P.M. EDT -- HRC HOSTS CONVERSATION ON LGBTQ INCLUSION IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: In the light of both Pope Francis’s recent embrace of same-sex unions and the release of his third encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti,” a papal letter sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church to clarify, explain or expand upon a teaching, participants will discuss how the encyclical can serve as a path forward for LGBTQ inclusion and equity in the Catholic Church and throughout the world. Email madeleine.roberts@hrc.org for information on how to join the webinar.

HRC MARKS INTERSEX AWARENESS DAY: Intersex Awareness Day is observed every year on October 26 and is meant to highlight human rights isues that intersex people face every day. Today, HRC is launching a new resource page in collaboration with interACT. The resource page contains information about what it means to be intersex, challenges that intersex people face in their daily lives and recommendations on how to support intersex people. Check out the resource page here.

THE SENATE’S VOTE ON AMY CONEY BARRETT COULD “OPEN A PANDORA’S BOX”: “[It’s going to] allow for potentially widespread discrimination against LGBTQ people across our social safety net, all of those government-funded programs that are operated by religious agencies that people depend upon in their time of need -- emergency shelters, homeless shelters, veterans services, counseling for runaway and homeless youth,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow (@SarahWarbelow). More from The Hollywood Reporter.

• Last week, LGBTQ couples held a mass wedding to protest Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination. More from them.

🇺🇸 IN THE STATES

HRC LAUNCHES DIGITAL ADS TARGETING EQUALITY VOTERS IN KEY TEXAS STATE LEGISLATIVE RACES: “Texans have long valued inclusion and equality and it’s time that their Representatives finally catch up,” said Human Rights Campaign Texas State Director Rebecca Marques (@_RebeccaMarques). “These ads will not only help hold bad actors accountable, but it’s also an important extension of the expanding work HRC has done in Texas to fight for lasting change.”

ICYMI -- HERE’S WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR LGBTQ ARIZONANS IN 2020: “Mark Kelly knows Arizona values -- and McSally has proven time and time again, she doesn’t. Arizonans understand that equality is not a red issue or a blue issue -- it’s a human rights issue. Over 60% of Arizonans support marriage equality. Over 70% of Arizonans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people in the workplace.” Read more from HRC Arizona State Director Bridget Sharpe (@bridgetsharpeAZ) at the Tuscon Daily Star.

🌍 GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

FRANCE PROMISES TO TACKLE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE AND PROTECT LGBTQ PEOPLE FROM SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: More from Gay Star News.

U.K. CENSUS WILL INCLUDE QUESTIONS ABOUT GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION FOR THE FIRST TIME: Answers from these questions will be used to “help build a clearer picture for policy-makers and service providers.” More from Gay Times.

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