OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THE VICTIMS OF THE BARCELONA TERRORIST ATTACK: Yesterday, at least 13 lives were senselessly taken when a van plowed into a crowd of people in Las Ramblas, a popular tourist area, and another person was killed during a police shootout with suspected terrorists in Cambrils, west of Barcelona. An additional 100 people were injured in the Barcelona attack. We must stand strong in the face of hatred, and come together to stand against violence. More from CNN.

Our hearts go out to the victims of today's #Barcelona terrorist attack. We must all stand against hate and violence.

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) August 17, 2017

PRESIDENT IMPLIES VIOLENCE AGAINST MUSLIM COMMUNITY BY SHARING BOGUS TALE OF GENERAL PERSHING: The mortifying story, which Trump tweeted he would “study up on,” involves General John J. Pershing shooting 49 Muslims with bullets dipped in pig’s blood -- and telling the 50 victim to return to their home and tell others what they saw. This horrifying and debunked story is yet another nationalist, anti-Islamic move by the leader of our country. More from The Washington Post.

NEW YORK GOVERNOR TO INSURERS -- YOU CAN’T DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TRANSGENDER PEOPLE:  In a letter issued this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration tells health insurers that they cannot deny coverage to or otherwise discriminate against people based on their gender identity. The action comes after reports that the Trump Administration is poised to roll back Obama-era Affordable Care Act (ACA) guidance that prohibits most insurers from discriminating on the basis of sex -- including gender identity -- when providing health coverage. More from The Associated Press.

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Newlyweds Tom Daley (@TomDaley) and Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) recently released their wedding video. The pair were married on May 6 in Bovey Castle in Devon surrounded by friends, including HRC President Chad Griffin. They are donating the ad revenue from the wedding video to LGBTQ organizations -- LGBT+ Switchboard and It Gets Better. More from BuzzFeed.

NEW STUDY -- MORE THAN HALF OF PARENTS WOULD SUPPORT A TRANS CHILD: The online survey conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association found that 53 percent of those polled would support their child if they came out as transgender. More from Pink News.

HRC MOURNS GWYNEVERE RIVER SONG, TRANS PERSON MURDERED IN DALLAS: HRC was saddened to learn that Gwynevere River Song was shot and killed in Dallas over the weekend, marking the 17th known homicide of a transgender person this year.  Song, 26, died in their home after an argument escalated into a violent altercation, according to the Advocate, which cites reporting from a local paper that misgendered and misnamed Song. Song was a 2015 graduate of the University of Texas in Austin. They identified as femandrogyne and a member of the bisexual community. More from HRC.

HRC ALSO MOURNS HOLLY BOSWELL, CREATOR OF TRANSGENDER SYMBOL: Transgender pioneer Holly Boswell, who created the powerful transgender symbol, passed away at 66 in Asheville, N.C. More from NewNowNext.

HRC WELCOMING SCHOOLS TRAINS MADISON, WISC. SCHOOL DISTRICT: Elementary school teachers are learning how to create more inclusive classrooms for LGBTQ students, with guidance from HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools, the nation’s premier professional development program dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools. More from HRC.

HISTORY LESSON OF THE WEEK: Euphemia Charlton Fortune’s impressionist paintings of the California countryside appear in over 70 churches across the country. She was also a lesbian, and turned heads in the early 1900s by wearing suits, living happily unmarried and having a successful career. More from Advocate.

NORTHERN IRELAND JUDGE DISMISSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY CASES: High Court Judge Justice O’Hara claimed he could not base his judgment on “social policy.” Northern Ireland is the only holdout in the United Kingdom without marriage equality. More from BBC.

• Some equality advocates are looking to British Prime Minister Theresa May to intervene. More from Belfast Telegraph.

ICYMI -- UGANDAN PRIDE SHUT DOWN FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR: On Tuesday, LGBTQ activists in Uganda received the shocking news that the events had been shut down by Minister of Ethics Simon Lokodo. This disturbing development follows last year’s police raid on the Pride festival, which resulted in dozens of arrests. More from HRC.

READING RAINBOW

NewNowNext previews eight books with LGBTQ themes coming out soon; HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is streaming a training video titled “What Can We Do? Bias, Bullying & Bystanders” on its website; NewNowNext highlights 11 drag queens fighting for LGBTQ equality around the world; Mic shares that Kordal Lewis and Kaleb Anthony will be the first Black LGBTQ family to represent a high-fashion brand

Have news? Send us your news and tips at AMEquality@hrc.org. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!