AFTER THREE DAYS, TRUMP FINALLY DENOUNCES WHITE SUPREMACY -- WILL HE BACK IT UP WITH ACTION AND REMOVE BANNON & GORKA? Under pressure from all sides, Donald Trump yesterday finally condemned the white supremacists who rioted over the weekend in Charlottesville and killed Heather Heyer, who was peacefully demonstrating. If Trump truly wants to solve a problem he's fueled, he must back up words with action. Since Day One, Trump has filled his White House with advisors whose rhetoric and beliefs are in line with the white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville. Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka -- both with ties to these very same racist extremists -- have served as Trump’s dog-whistle to this neo-Nazi base. They must be removed from the White House.

• Morning Must Read: GQ’s Jay Willis (@JayWillis) writes, “Charlottesville Is the America That Donald Trump Promised.” Read in GQ.
• Corporate leaders are stepping down from Trump’s American Manufacturing Council -- Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank are joining the chorus of Americans standing against racism and hatred. More from CNBC and NBC.

After 3 days of pressure, @realDonaldTrump finally denounces white supremacists; still waiting for him to rid the @WhiteHouse of the same.

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) August 14, 2017

MORE THAN 50,000 TEXANS TAKE ACTION TO OPPOSE ANTI-LGBTQ MEASURES: A coalition of LGBTQ and civil rights groups -- including HRC, Equality Texas, the ACLU of Texas, the Texas Freedom Network and the Transgender Education Network of Texas -- delivered to legislative leaders a list of signatures from more than 50,000 Texans who have taken action this year to oppose discriminatory anti-transgender legislation and other anti-LGBTQ bills being considered by state lawmakers. “The 50,000 Texans and the many organizations that have spoken out against these bills demonstrate that there is no tolerance in Texas for discrimination -- and there’s no doubt about the fact that these efforts are discrimination in action,” HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse said yesterday after the signatures were delivered to Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Speaker Joe Straus. More from HRC.

• WNBA stars Brittney Griner and Layshia Clarendon penned a powerful oped in NBC calling out dangerous anti-LGBTQ legislation in Texas, and detailing how it will disenfranchise transgender athletes. Read the piece in NBC.
• HRC recently sat down with Marilyn, a transgender girl in Texas, to talk about the deep harms of potential anti-LGBTQ legislation currently being debated in the state;

If #SB3 becomes law in TX, it will have devastating consequences for Marilyn & other #transgender youth in the state. #YallMeansAll #txlege pic.twitter.com/b6AfaGCqWL

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) August 13, 2017

TUESDAY TWEETS -- MAJOR CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS AND LEADERS CONDEMN VIOLENCE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE: Civil rights organizations are united in their condemnation of this weekend’s violent, racist riots in Charlottesville. See a roundup of statements from these organizations and their leaders from HRC.

SECRETARY OF THE NAVY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST TRUMP’S TWEETED TRANSGENDER SERVICEMEMBER BAN: Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer (@SecNav76) told reporters on Friday, “On a fundamental basis, any patriot that wants to serve and meets all the requirements should be able to serve in our military.” Ever since Trump took to Twitter to announce his ban on transgender service members from the military, the backlash has been immense and swift. Not only did Trump declare he would ban thousands of trans troops from serving “in any capacity,” but heartlessly referred to them as “burdens” and “disruptions” to our military. However, the majority of the country and lawmakers across the political spectrum strongly disagree. More from The Hill.

• Julie Mazziotta (@julietmazz) of People spoke to eight transgender servicemembers about how this ban affects them. More from People.
• Former Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning (@EricFanning) sat down with Steve Edwards (@SteveGDLA) on Good Day LA on Friday to discuss President Donald Trump’s unconscionable decision to tweet a ban on transgender people serving in the military. More from Good Day LA.

TODAY -- RALLY TO SUPPORT DREAMERS: The future of young people in the country under an Obama-era program allowing undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children hangs in the balance. Ten extremist attorneys general from across the country have called for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to be rescinded, leaving immigrant youth -- including 75,000 LGBTQ Dreamers -- without work permits, driver’s licenses, and vulnerable to deportations. Today, HRC will join FIRM, CASA, Planned Parenthood, MoveOn and more for a National Day of Action to defend DACA recipients.

CALL IT OUT -- JUNK SCIENCE USED TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TRANSGENDER PEOPLE: In a [Greensboro, N.C.] News & Record piece, Director of Transgender Policy for Equality NC Ames Simmons (@Ames_Simmons) called out the junk science peddled by anti-equality extremists in an effort to delegitimize transgender lives. Much of this junk science comes from Dr. Paul McHugh, who misrepresents and mischaracterizes existing medical and scientific research. His work is being used to target and discriminate against LGBTQ people across the country. The harm is real, but his science is not. More from the News & Record.

Y’ALL MEANS ALL -- NETROOTS HIGHLIGHTS FIGHT FOR LGBTQ EQUALITY IN THE SOUTH: A panel featuring Que Bell, a grassroots organizer in Alabama; Simone Bell, Lambda Legal; Britney Nesbit, Campaign for Southern Equality;  HRC Project One America Director Ben Needham (@NeedhamB); and HRC Southern States Press Secretary Nick Morrow (@NRMorrow) highlighted the work advocates are doing in coalition -- from legal and grassroots organizing, fighting in the courts and influencing legislative policy -- to achieve equality in the Deep South.

• Following the white supremacist riot in Charlottesville, Needham joined Muslim Advocates, Color Of Change and Bend the Arc Jewish Action for a press conference condemning the white supremacist violence and urging the White House to take action. More from Fox Atlanta. Watch here.

HRC HONORS LATE CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER JULIAN BOND: In addition to his lifetime of work within and on behalf of the African American civil rights movement, Bond, who died two years ago today, was a passionate and stalwart supporter of the equal rights of LGBTQ Americans. More on his life and legacy from HRC.

MASSIVE NEW INITIATIVE TO STUDY LGBTQ HEALTH: The University of California - San Francisco have begin the PRIDE study -- which will follow a group of LGBTQ people over decades to study longterm LGBTQ health. HRC is a community partner on the PRIDE study, and Tari Hanneman, HRC Director of the Health Equality Project, sits on the advisory committee. More from Slate.

LATEST EDITION OF HRC’S RESISTANCE REPORT: The report provides bi-monthly updates on the latest actions HRC is taking to unite, resist and enlist against the injustices happening to the LGBTQ community on the federal, state and local levels. More from HRC.

TEEN CHOICE AWARDS HONORS LGBTQ, ALLIED ARTISTS: Winners included Miley Cyrus, who was awarded the Ultimate Choice Award; Zoe Saldana for Sci-Fi Movie Actress; Ellen DeGeneres for Comedy Movie Actress, TV Personality and Twit; Ariana Grande for Female Artist, Summer Tour, Snapchatter and Change-Maker; and Fifth Harmony for Music Group, Group Song and Summer Group. See the full list of winners at Variety.

ACCEPTED BY HER FAMILY, TEEN STAYS CLOSETED DUE TO BULLYING: HRC recently sat down with Val Weisler, an HRC Youth Ambassador from New City, New York. Even though her maternal grandmother is a lesbian and her oldest brother is gay, Val felt compelled to stay in the closet outside her home because of a hostile school environment. More from HRC.

READING RAINBOW

The Huffington Post interviews a queer couple who plan to marry in every country that has  marriage equality; Voice of OC shares a grassroots program by De Colores Queer Orange County providing support to the Latinx LGBTQ community

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