HRC PRESIDENT CHAD GRIFFIN AT TOKYO CONFERENCE -- “KEEPING EMPLOYEES IN THE CLOSET HAS HIGH COSTS FOR BUSINESS”: “At HRC, we conducted a comprehensive survey of American employers and employees. And we found that keeping employees in the closet has high costs for businesses. More than a third of LGBTQ workers reported feeling forced to lie about their personal lives in the workplace,” said HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin‏), during a speech yesterday at the Work With Pride conference in Japan. “Lost productivity adds up. It means worse service for your customers and diminished morale for your workforce. Just a few small changes can unlock potential and create opportunity -- and even save lives.” The 5th annual Work with Pride summit drew a crowd of over 500 LGBTQ advocates from multinationals and Japanese companies. Watch the speech here. More from HRC.

MORNING MUST READ -- “THIS IS THE UGLIEST, MOST EXPLICITLY ANTI-LGBTQ PRESIDENCY IN U.S. HISTORY”: “[T]his administration is building walls between LGBTQ people and the American dream. Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Jeff Sessions are using their powers and offices to make life as difficult as possible for everyone from the transgender worker, to the gay widower, to the queer undocumented immigrant,” writes HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) in an oped for Cosmopolitan. “These efforts are not about bathrooms or religious freedom; they’re about driving LGBTQ people out of public life.” More from Cosmopolitan.

• The New Yorker’s Masha Gessen (@MashaGessen) draws the parallel between Trump’s anti-LGBTQ actions, Mississippi’s anti-LGBTQ bill and using so-called “religious liberty” to discriminate against LGBTQ Americans. More from The New Yorker.

RUSSIA TARGETED LGBTQ AMERICANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: In the leadup to the 2016 presidential election, the Russian government used Facebook paid promotional ads to target LGBTQ Americans. These ads included anti-LGBTQ and, especially, anti-transgender messages. A representative of Facebook says that all of these pages that have been identified have been shut down. More from NewNowNext.

THANKFUL THURSDAY -- TRANS TEEN BOOTED FROM ONE SCHOOL, CROWNED HOMECOMING KING AT NEW ONE: When Stiles Zuschlag began transitioning, his school, the Tri City Christian Academy in New Hampshire, gave him an ultimatum: renounce your gender identity, or pursue your schooling at home. Stiles left, and not only found support at his new school in Maine, but was crowned homecoming king on Friday. “I was extremely shocked and excited. I felt like crying -- it was the most surreal thing that's ever happened to me, and I hadn't even been there a month yet,” Zuschlag said. More from Boston.com and NBC.

YOU DON’T SAY! MORE SLEAZY REVELATIONS ABOUT ROY MOORE: The Washington Post is reporting that the bigoted, racist, anti-LGBTQ nominee for U.S. Senate in Alabama has been benefiting for years from an undisclosed sweetheart deal that paid him more than $1 million over six years for part-time charity work. The extremist Christian right “charity” helped Moore thrive -- financially and otherwise -- after his ouster from the Alabama Supreme Court in 2003 for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the courthouse. “For years, Roy Moore has used his dangerous rhetoric to raise his own profile and champion anti-LGBTQ, racist, harmful policies and views. Yet, while positioning himself as a moral authority, he was taking covert, copious payouts for working part-time at a charity apparently designed mostly to promote Moore's speaking engagements and books,” said HRC Alabama State Director Eva Kendrick. “The bottom line: Moore only cares about himself. This is one of the prime reasons that he is fundamentally unfit for office, and why HRC will continue to work to ensure he doesn't get to the U.S. Senate.” Read the piece from WaPo here.

HORRIFYING -- CARA DELEVINGNE DESCRIBES HOMOPHOBIC EXPERIENCE WITH HARVEY WEINSTEIN: “He said to me that if I was gay or decided to be with a woman especially in public that I’d never get the role of a straight woman or make it as an actress in Hollywood,” Delevingne revealed on Instagram. She also described inappropriate sexual advances by Weinstein, including his request to have her kiss another woman in front of him. This is the latest in a series of disturbing revelations regarding Weinstein, the now-disgraced film producer. More from The Hollywood Reporter.

Horrifying and disgusting. Thank you @Caradelevingne for speaking out. https://t.co/NBHkDoGJZg

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) October 11, 2017

HRC ENDORSES JENNY DURKAN FOR MAYOR OF SEATTLE: “Jenny Durkan is a proven leader with a passion for justice, fairness, and equality,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs. “As the first out LGBTQ U.S. Attorney appointed by President Obama, Durkan knows the importance of leading by example and has a clear vision to make Seattle an even stronger and more vibrant community. We are proud to endorse Jenny Durkan for mayor of Seattle.” HRC estimates approximately 389,000 of Seattle’s 512,000 registered voters are “equality voters” -- meaning they are strong supporters of LGBTQ equality. More from HRC.

CALIFORNIA PROVIDES TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: The state commission that reviews textbooks for adherence to state curriculum has approved 10 new books that reflect a state law requiring history and social studies classes to include contributions of the LGBTQ community. More from Education Week.

REP. GWEN MOORE UPDATES LGBTQ CONSITUENTS ON PRO-LGBTQ LEGISLATION: The Milwaukee congresswoman outlined 15 proposed pieces of pro-LGBTQ federal legislation in a town hall meeting earlier this week. More from Wisconsin Gazette.

HRC MOURNS THE LOSS OF MICHAEL FRIEDMAN: Friedman, a theater composer and lyricist, died last month from complications related to AIDS at the age of 41. He was best known for the Broadway musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.” He leaves behind many friends and colleagues who are mourning the tragic loss of this monumental talent. More from the The New York Times.

SHAMEFUL, IF NOT SURPRISING -- WASH POST UNCOVERS RECORDINGS OF SEAN HANNITY SPOUTING ANTI-LGBTQ GARBAGE: Hannity can be heard saying AIDS is a “gay disease” and claiming anyone who believes being LGBTQ is normal “has been brainwashed.” The 1989 recording was uncovered by WaPo’s Marc Fisher (@mffisher). More from WaPo.

ICYMI -- 76 MAJOR COMPANIES SIGN BRIEF SUPPORTING LESBIAN WORKER: HRC announced a “friend of the court” brief signed by 76 major U.S. companies supporting Jameka Evans, Evans v. Georgia Regional Hospital, in her efforts to ask the Supreme Court of the United States to hear her case. More from Reuters.

KNOXVILLE SCHOOL BOARD VOTES TO CONTINUE PROTECTING LGBTQ STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES: Nearly a dozen citizens spoke at a county school board meeting in favor of keeping language in the district’s harassment policy that protects LGBTQ students and employees. More from The Knoxville News Sentinel.

REMEMBER THE ANTI-LGBTQ FRESNO SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT?: The Fresno Unified trustees met yesterday to discuss the censure or removal of Brooke Ashjian as board president. The meeting comes after the district released emails showing Ashjian praising anti-LGBTQ groups. HRC has called on Ashjian to resign for his anti-LGBTQ remarks regarding California’s LGBTQ-inclusive comprehensive sex education laws. More from The Fresno Bee.

MARYLAND COUNTY PASSES TRANSGENDER-INCLUSIVE SCHOOL POLICIES: This action came as a direct response to the Trump administration rescinding critical guidance regarding transgender students and public facilities. More from WAMU.

• And in Grass Lake, Mich.: The Community School Board has reaffirmed a similar policy protecting trans students. More from M Live.
• And in Decatur, Ga.: The Board of Education pledged this week to seek public input on adopting policies to protect transgender students. More from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

TRANS BRIDE IN NEPAL FINDS ACCEPTANCE FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY: “I never dreamed that one day I would be someone’s wife, that I would be loved as a daughter-in-law,” said Monika Shahi Nath, the first transgender woman to be formally married in Nepal. More from Independent.

READING RAINBOW

NBC talks to LGBTQ people who are out on social media, but not in their everyday lives;

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!