HEY TRUMP -- YOU CAN’T CLAIM TO SUPPORT TROOPS UNLESS YOU SUPPORT ALL TROOPS: Donald Trump tweeted in support of servicemembers for Purple Heart Day yesterday -- ignoring the estimated 15,000 transgender troops he aims to bar from serving their country, and disrespecting transgender veterans like Stephanie Heart, a Purple Heart recipient. There is a growing consensus -- including among military leaders -- that Trump's tweeted pledge to ban qualified transgender people from U.S. military service would undermine the readiness, morale, retention and recruitment of our forces at home and abroad. Get the latest news on Trump’s effort to impose this discriminatory ban from HRC.

"...unless they are transgender." https://t.co/kv56dGU636

— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) August 7, 2017

• NEW POLLING from The Washington Post has found that a majority of people in all 50 states oppose Trump’s transgender servicemember ban. Read the results from The Washington Post, and more at HRC.
• Check out this powerful piece from the mother of Blue, a transgender girl who has had to fight to get the health care she needs -- even though her father bravely serves this country. More from Teen Vogue.
• And while Trump begins his 17-day vacation, transgender troops continue serving their country, despite worrying that they will soon lose their careers. More from The Washington Blade.

“WORLD’S LARGEST LGBTQ CHURCH” OPPOSES TEXAS SB3: Eighty percent of the parishioners at The Cathedral of Hope in Dallas are LGBTQ, and the church is actively opposing Texas’ discriminatory SB3. “It’s a demonstration of bigotry and discrimination using the name of religion… when we listen to the voices of those who we are making laws against, you understand then that your faith directs you to always be on the side of the marginalised, the poor, the disenfranchised,” said Senior Pastor Neil Cazares-Thomas. “And when we don’t do that we are not exhibiting the faith of Jesus.” More from The Guardian.

• Criss Ruiz, HRC Texas Field Organizer, shares her work advocating against SB3 in Texas after working at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. She writes, “While I will always be Orlando proud, my heart is filled with love and determination in Texas.” More from HRC.

TUESDAY TWEETS: Upworthy chronicled “20 things Mike Pence did while you weren't looking — and why it matters” by tracking the Vice President’s tweets. The ugly laundry list includes undermining health care -- including global and domestic family planning services; supporting the use of taxpayer money to fund schools that discriminate against LGBTQ students; downplaying the anti-LGBTQ positions of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; and advocating for a ‘License to Discriminate’ executive order that could allow hospitals, child welfare providers, and other taxpayer-funded entities to cite religion in denying services or discriminating against LGBTQ people and women. More on Pence’s loathsome actions from Upworthy.

LGBTQ CHARACTERS DON’T REFLECT DIVERSITY OF THE COMMUNITY: A new GLAAD report shows that a majority of LGBTQ chracters are white, gay men -- and that bisexual characters are still falling under the “Evil Bisexual” trope. More from Elle.

YOUUUUU’RE OUTTA THERE -- OAKLAND OUTFIELDER SUSPENDED FOR TWO GAMES AFTER HURLING ANTI-LGBTQ SLUR AT FAN: The Oakland A’s will donate Joyce’s lost salary to PFLAG. More from The Associated Press.

THE ASSOCIATION OF LGBTQ JOURNALISTS ANNOUNCES EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARD WINNERS: Congratulations to all the winners, including Journalist of the Year Katie Barnes (@Katie_Barnes3) of ESPNW, on their amazing journalism and coverage of the LGBTQ movement. See the full list of winners here.

U.N. SAYS AUSTRALIAN RULE BARRING SAME-SEX COUPLES ACCESS TO DIVORCE IS A BREACH OF HUMAN RIGHTS: As Australian advocates fight for marriage equality, the United Nations Human Rights Committee made a powerful decision that could sway the fight. More from BuzzFeed.

IF THIS GAY JOURNALIST IN MOSCOW IS SENT BACK TO UZBEKISTAN, IT COULD MEAN DEATH: Khudoberdi Nurmatov escaped hell in Uzbekistan, where he was imprisoned and tortured for practicing Islam. After a decade in Moscow, Russian police are now threatening to send him back. More from The Daily Beast.

LGBTQ ADVOCATES IN SINGAPORE ARE CALLING ON CORPORATIONS FOR SUPPORT: The Pink Dot Festival, an annual Pride event, broke records with its corporate support, despite the government denying multinational companies the ability to sponsor the event. More from World Politics Review.

READING RAINBOW

The Associated Press created a Q&A for parents with gender-creative children; Politico calls out Germany for deporting LGBTQ asylum seekers without considering the risks they face;

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