IN ANOTHER UNHINGED SPEECH, TRUMP DEFENDS BIGOTED RESPONSE TO CHARLOTTESVILLE VIOLENCE & SUGGESTS HE’LL PARDON RACIST, ANTI-IMMIGRANT, ANTI-LGBTQ JOE ARPAIO: The President of the United States went off the rails again last night, equating violent white supremacists with anti-racist demonstrators, and hinting he’ll pardon former Maricopa (Ariz.) County sheriff Joe Arpaio, convicted of illegally targeting Latinx people for harassment and imprisonment. “Joe Arpaio must be held accountable for his long record of violating the civil rights of Maricopa County’s Latinx population, and carrying out a hate-filled agenda through extreme racial profiling,” said HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof. “During his tenure, Arpaio has attacked nearly every marginalized community, including using anti-LGBTQ schemes to humiliate inmates at his ‘Tent City’ prison. By pardoning Arpaio, Trump would again align himself with his nationalist, racist, anti-LGBTQ supporters -- only ten days after the violent extremism in Charlottesville.” Arpaio additionally campaigned against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides much needed relief for undocumented immigrants -- including 75,000 LGBTQ Dreamers -- who were brought to the United States as children.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING WEDNESDAY: Pull out a box of tissues and check out this clip from “What Would You Do?” hosted by ABC’s John Quiñones (@JohnQABC), who last year received HRC Foundation’s Upstander Award for his work educating the public about issues affecting the LGBTQ community. In this recent episode, shoppers being filmed by a hidden camera react to a blatantly transphobic store clerk who refuses to sell a dress to a transgender woman. More from The Huffington Post.

KATIE SOWERS BECOMES FIRST OPENLY LGBTQ COACH IN MEN’S PROFESSIONAL SPORTS: Katie Sowers (@KatieSowers), assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, came out as a lesbian, making history as the first openly LGBTQ coach for any men’s professional sports team. “No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers said. “There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation.” More from New York Daily News.

OH. MY. GOSH. LAVERNE COX IS COLLABORATING WITH BEYONCÉ ON A NEW PROJECT: Actress and transgender trailblazer Laverne Cox (@LaverneCox) is collaborating with Queen Bey herself (@Beyonce) on a new project. More details will be released on September 6. More from Access Hollywood Live.

 

Yes it's true. I am collaborating with @beyonce on a new project. #QueenBey herself. More details Sept. 6. #Beyonce #TransIsBeautiful

A post shared by laverne cox (@lavernecox) on Aug 22, 2017 at 7:57am PDT

BILLION DOLLAR ROUNDTABLE EXPANDS MEMBERSHIP TO INCLUDE LGBTQ-OWNED SUPPLIERS: The organization seeks to recognize corporations that work with diverse suppliers -- including those owned by women and racial minorities. At its annual summit, the organization added suppliers owned by LGBTQ people, veterans and people with disabilities. “It's not only equitable to engage LGBT business enterprises in these supplier diversity initiatives, it makes perfect business sense,” said HRC Director of the Workplace Equality Program Deena Fidas. More from NBC.

SIX CHILDREN’S BOOKS THAT CELEBRATE DIVERSITY: As children gear up to return to school, HRC is celebrating back to school season with quality read-alouds. This fall, check out these six books that embrace family diversity recommended by HRC’s Welcoming Schools program. More from HRC.

NEW APP CONNECTS LGBTQ PATIENTS TO DOCTORS: The app, SpectrumScores, is expected to launch by the end of this month. More from NBC.

REMINDER -- AUSTRALIANS MUST ENROLL IN THE MARRIAGE EQUALITY POSTAL SURVEY BY TOMORROW, AUGUST 24: Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ian Thorpe appears in an Australian marriage equality promotion -- where he enrolls to vote for marriage equality faster than his boyfriend can swim a lap in a pool. More from Gay Times.

• Need a refresher on the postal survey and what it means for marriage equality in Australia? Check out this Q&A from BuzzFeed.

READING RAINBOW

HRC’s Welcoming Schools program shares resources for educators and families; BuzzFeed celebrates 28 LGBTQ comic creators; The Associated Press interviews Chilean families with transgender children; BuzzFeed speaks with transgender people with disabilities about their fears during the Trump Administration;

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!