TWO TRANS WOMAN OF COLOR MURDERED IN NEW ORLEANS SINCE SATURDAY: HRC mourns the loss Chyna Doll Dupree and Ciara McElveen, both Black transgender women murdered in New Orleans over the past few days. According to The Times-Picayune, Dupree’s body was found Saturday night in a shopping center parking lot. Neighbors reported hearing several gunshots. There has been an outpouring of love, remembrance and support on Dupree’s Facebook page, commemorating her life and mourning her loss. Yesterday, The Times-Picayune reported that McElveen died as a result of stab wounds. A local transgender advocate and friend of McElveen said of the tragedy, “[t]rans women don't want any special privileges. We should have the right to live our lives open and free and not be taunted and traumatized by the general public if they don't approve.” Local law enforcement officials say they do not believe the two murders are connected. However, the incidents highlight the disturbing epidemic of violence against transgender people, and particularly against transgender women of color. At least four other transgender people have been killed this year -- all women of color. More from HRC and Mic.

MEET THE TEXAS KIDS AFFECTED BY TRUMP’S CRUEL ATTACK ON TRANSGENDER STUDENTS: Across the country, parents of transgender children are scared and heartbroken over the Trump Administration’s roll back of the protective guidance for transgender students. CNN talks to a group of Texas transgender kids deeply concerned by the unconscionable decision. They also talk about Texas SB6 -- an anti-transgender bill that would prohibit transgender people from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity in government buildings and overturn non-discrimination ordinances currently providing critical protections in several major Texas cities.​ More from CNN.

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF TRANS SISTER OF JACKIE EVANCHO: BuzzFeed’s Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) reports that  Juliet Evancho, sister of singer Jackie Evancho who performed at President Trump’s inauguration, and two of her schoolmates must be given access to school restrooms consistent with their gender identity. A U.S. District judge in Pennsylvania issued a temporary injunction barring Pine-Richland School District from enforcing a policy that said transgender students could either use single-person bathrooms or facilities matching their birth sex, Holden reports. Read more at BuzzFeed.

LEAKED ANTI-LGBTQ TRUMP ORDER FUELS EXPANSION OF STATE “LICENSE TO DISCRIMINATE” BILLS: NPR’s Laura Sydell (@Sydell) reports that the recent leak of a draft Trump presidential executive order that would allow an unprecedented expansion of taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBTQ people appears to be feeding anti-equality efforts in state legislatures. In Alabama, for example, the deceptively titled “Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act,” would enshrine taxpayer-funded discrimination into state law by allowing state-funded and licensed adoption and foster care agencies to reject qualified prospective LGBTQ adoptive or foster parents based on the agency’s religious beliefs. HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow told NPR, "[a] number of states have introduced bills for many years that would allow child welfare agencies to discriminate on the basis of religious belief. But since this particular executive order draft leaked out, we've seen a number of states really begin the process of moving those bills." Listen at NPR.

TUESDAY TWEET: Equality NC Executive Director Chris Sgro called out the North Carolina legislators holding a press conference today in support of HB 186. The bill, also known as “HB2.0”,  would double down on the most discriminatory provisions of the state’s HB2 law. It would prevent cities from passing meaningful non-discrimination protections and from implementing policies that stop taxpayer funds from being used by contractors to discriminate against LGBTQ people. It would also impose additional new and unnecessary penalties for crimes committed in restrooms, and create a mechanism for non-discrimination ordinances to be subject to a burdensome referendum process. More on the bill from HRC.

• TODAY: In Raleigh at 10 a.m., local business owners and a concerned mother of a transgender son will join Sen. Terry Van Duyn, Progress NC, HRC, and Equality NC for a press conference at the Statehouse to urge lawmakers to fully repeal HB2 and reject the “new” HB186 proposal that would simply continue the harm caused by the discriminatory law.

MOONLIGHT IN THE SPOTLIGHT -- MAKING HISTORY WITH MANY GROUNDBREAKING OSCAR FIRSTS: On Sunday, Moonlight, the coming of age story of a gay Black man, took home the coveted Best Picture Oscar, making history as the first movie with an LGBTQ plotline to do so. It is also the first film with an all-Black cast to win the award. And Best Supporting Actor winner,  California-native Mahershala Ali,  is the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. More from Yahoo.

• BuzzFeed sat down with Black LGBTQ people to talk about what the film means to them. More from BuzzFeed.

LET’S PLAY! ACTUAL FACTS VS ALTERNATIVE FACTS WITH TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS: In a new video, HRC debunks some particularly egregious  “alternative facts” served up by key Trump Administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, HUD Secretary Ben Carson and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. From hate crimes laws and anti-transgender violence, to non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people and critical guidance to protect transgender youth, we correct the lies they’ve been peddling for years. Watch here.

EXPERIENCES OF BLACK TRANS PEOPLE IN HEALTHCARE: In honor of Black History Month, BuzzFeed’s Anthony Rivas (@AnthoRivas) compiled the healthcare experiences of 15 members of the Black transgender community and provided a list of resources for Black transgender people seeking affirming healthcare options. Read the full piece here.

MY-KING JOHNSON MAKES HISTORY ON THE GRIDIRON: My-King Johnson (@kingj9943) will become the first openly gay Division I football scholarship player to take the field this fall when he joins the Arizona Wildcats. Thank you, My-King, for speaking out and living your truth. More from The Washington Post.

UNREPORTED ANTI-LGBTQ VIOLENCE IN LATIN AMERICA: Anti-LGBTQ violence is pervasive across Latin America -- and too often, these crimes go uninvestigated by local law enforcement. More on this epidemic of violence, including data on perceptions of LGBTQ people in Latin American countries from CNN.

READING RAINBOW

KRCR News interviews a local transgender man about his fears under a Trump administration… The Obama Foundation shares the story of two gay Marines under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”...

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