HRC STATEMENT ON MASS SHOOTING IN LAS VEGAS: “Our hearts are with Las Vegas and all those impacted by this horrific tragedy. After Newtown, our nation called for action. After Tucson, Virginia Tech, Aurora, San Bernardino, Charleston, and Alexandria, we called for action. After the shooting at Pulse Nightclub a little more than a year ago, we called for action,” said HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin). “Yet, in the face of these mounting tragedies, many of our lawmakers have refused to act on meaningful gun safety legislation. As these politicians fail to act, at least 59 people in Las Vegas were killed, while hundreds more have been injured. It’s time for Congress and the White House to act. We need leadership now, and we must continue to demand it until our lawmakers either hear us -- or we have new lawmakers.” This tragedy comes just over a year since 49 lives -- most of them LGBTQ and Latinx -- were taken in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. This also comes as Congress is considering legislation to allow silencers and transportation of concealed weapons across state lines. More from HRC.

• HRC demands common-sense gun violence prevention policy measures and policies aimed at addressing the epidemic of hate that has fueled anti-LGBTQ-motivated murder, assault, and discrimination. More from the Advocate and HRC.

TUESDAY TUNES -- OCTOBER IS LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH: In honor of LGBTQ History Month, HRC is releasing a series of blog posts that pay homage to the diversity and breadth of our community. This month provides an opportunity for somber reflection, and for celebrating the myriad ways the LGBTQ community has and continues to lift us up and allow us to dream bigger. HRC has created a Spotify playlist to kick off the month. More from HRC.

HRC ENDORSES CONGRESSWOMAN KYRSTEN SINEMA FOR U.S. SENATE IN ARIZONA: “Kyrsten Sinema is a fighter and a trailblazer who has spent her career advancing the rights of the LGBTQ community,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “As a highly effective legislator, Kyrsten has proven herself to be a relentless champion for equality. We are proud to endorse her candidacy for the U.S. Senate.” Said Sinema: “I am honored to earn the support of the Human Rights Campaign. HRC has worked tirelessly to ensure all Arizona families can love and take care of each other. We won’t stop fighting until every Arizonan has his or her shot at the American dream.” First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, Sinema is the first openly bisexual member of the House. She has been a staunch advocate for the LGBTQ community, serving as a co-chair of the House LGBT Equality Caucus, earning a perfect 100 on HRC’s Congressional Scorecards since she was elected, and cosponsoring the Equality Act. More from HRC.

.@kyrstensinema serves as a leader in AZ & has been a champion for #LGBTQ equality as a member of Congress. #AZSEN https://t.co/4RFEy2OEBv

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) October 1, 2017

BUH-BYE -- TOM PRICE’S EARLY DEPARTURE: HRC issued the following statement on Price’s resignation as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services: “We are glad Tom Price resigned because he jeopardized the health and well being of LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities,” said David Stacy, HRC Director of Government Affairs. “Americans deserve a secretary of Health and Human Services who will stand up for them and look out for their best interest no matter who they are, where they come from or whom they love.” More from HRC.

MORNING MUST READ -- NYT ON “HOW DONALD TRUMP OPENED THE DOOR TO ROY MOORE”: Following Moore’s win in the Alabama Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, The New York Times’ Michelle Goldberg (@Michelleinbkyln) describes how Trump invites acceptance for racist, bigoted, anti-LGBTQ extremists like Moore. “Trump is not a pious man, but by destroying informal restraints on reactionary rhetoric, he’s made his party hospitable to the cruelest of theocrats,” Goldberg writes. In 2016,  HRC Alabama initiated the #NoMoore campaign to remove Moore from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to implement a ruling that brought marriage equality to Alabama. This was the second time that he was removed from that position for disobeying legal and ethical standards. Despite his assertion that he was only opposing marriage equality as a legal matter, his subsequent comments about the LGBTQ community have revealed a deep, underlying animus toward LGBTQ Alabamians. More from The New York Times.

• In 2006, Roy Moore wrote two scathing columns attacking the Bush administration for appointing openly LGBTQ individuals to government positions. More from CNN.

HRC JOINS WITH NATION’S LEADING PEDIATRIC ORGS TO ISSUE GUIDE SUPPORTING TRANS YOUTH: Supporting and Caring for Transgender Children, which helps community members and allies to ensure that transgender young people are affirmed,  respected, and allowed to thrive, is being released by the HRC Foundation along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOP), which together represent more than 66,000 pediatricians and pediatric specialists across the country. The resource comes at a time of unprecedented attention on transgender identities and during a national dialogue on the inclusion and rights of transgender students and youth. Transgender young people are too frequently targeted by hurtful and mean-spirited debate, as was evidenced during the passage of North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2 law. More from HRC.

JUNK SCIENCE ALERT: You may remember Mark Regnerus as the so-called “academic” trotted out by anti-marriage equality advocates to spew his debunked study on LGBTQ parents. Well, heeee’s back with a new book loaded with more junk science. Get a terrible taste of it from The Wall Street Journal and then learn about HRC’s most recent work exposing anti-LGBTQ junk science at McHugh Exposed.

MADISON SCHOOL DISTRICT EXPANDS HRC’S WELCOMING SCHOOLS PROGRAM: The district, which was awarded HRC Welcoming Schools’ Seal of Excellence, hired a full-time Welcoming Schools coordinator position to create more LGBTQ-inclusive classrooms. More from The Wisconsin State Journal.

BOTSWANA COURT ALLOWS TRANS MAN TO CHANGE HIS IDENTITY DOCUMENTS: The court’s ruling represents major progress in the African country, which still criminalizes same-sex relations. HRC Global Innovator Tashwill Esterhuizen of South Africa was the plaintiff's lawyer. More from Agence France Presse.

READING RAINBOW

Pink News commemorates older LGBTQ and allied Americans fighting for equality; HRC remembers the inspiring life and tragic death of Marsha P. Johnson; NBC speaks with Annie Segarra, a disabled, queer, Latinx advocate;
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!