HRC MESSAGE TO TRUMP -- THE U.N. IS CRITICAL TO PROTECTING WORLD’S MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE, ADVANCING GLOBAL STABILITY: As President Trump prepares this morning to deliver his first speech to the U.N. General Assembly, HRC is underscoring the organization’s importance in advancing and protecting human rights internationally -- including and especially those of LGBTQ people, who are targeted for persecution and violence around the world. From 2011 when the U.N. Human Rights Council passed a wide-ranging resolution on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity and commissioned the first-ever U.N. study focused on LGBTQ issues, to just weeks ago when it criticized Trump’s ban on qualified transgender people serving in the U.S. military, the U.N. has been a leader in stepping up to support LGBTQ people over the past decade. Read about 10 ways the U.N. has protected LGBTQ human rights at HRC.

.@HRC celebrates @UN’s role in protecting the world’s most vulnerable & fostering global stability for decades #UNGA https://t.co/iHx9iw5dyw

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) September 19, 2017

HRC OPPOSES CASSIDY-GRAHAM, URGES “NO” VOTE ON BILL THAT WOULD HARM LGBTQ AMERICANS: “The Cassidy-Graham bill is yet another drafted-in-secret, cynical legislative ploy to rip health care away from millions of Americans,” said HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin). “Like its predecessors, this bill would undermine health care for millions of Americans and have a disproportionate impact on low-income senior citizens, women, children, LGBTQ people and people living with HIV. The Senate must reject any bill that aims to repeal key parts of the Affordable Care Act and, in the process, put people’s lives at risk.” The bill  is yet another effort by Trump and some Senate Republicans to take away health care from millions of Americans. HRC strenuously opposes any attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would harm millions of Americans and disproportionately affect LGBTQ people. Read more at HRC.

CAN’T SAY IT ENOUGH -- TRUMP’S ANTI-LGBTQ PICKS FOR THE JUDICIARY POSE LONG-TERM THREAT TO EQUALITY:  In an NBC Out piece by Julie Moreau (@JEMoreau), advocacy groups Alliance for Justice and Lambda Legal highlight the anti-LGBTQ records of many of Trump’s judicial appointees who could serve lifetime appointments in federal courts, causing lasting harm to the LGBTQ community. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Stephen Schwartz to the Senate floor for confirmation. Earlier this month, HRC joined 27 other LGBTQ organizations across the nation in signing a letter opposing Schwartz’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Schwartz has a history of supporting anti-LGBTQ -- and especially anti-transgender -- causes, including HB2, the discriminatory North Carolina law that attacked the rights of transgender people. Read more from NBC Out.

MICHIGAN CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION DECLINES TO AFFIRM ANTI- LGBTQ DISCRIMINATION IS ILLEGAL: Yesterday, the commission declined to act on a request from Equality Michigan to affirm that discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, housing and public accommodations is illegal under Michigan state law. The inaction followed a threat from the state Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office to sue if the commission found it illegal.  The meeting comes after a two-month period of public comment, and after the Michigan state legislature has failed to act to protect LGBTQ people. More from Detroit Free Press.

HRC JOINS MORE THAN 80 GROUPS ASKING DOJ TO TAKE CONCRETE ACTION TO PREVENT HATE VIOLENCE: HRC has joined more than 80 organizations on a letter to Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore at the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division outlining steps that the DOJ should take in the wake of white supremacist violence in Charlottesville and other bias-motivated crimes across the country. The letter also calls attention to the coalition’s broader priorities to help inform the DOJ’s plan of action to prevent and respond to hate violence. This letter, signed by civil rights, religious, education and professional organizations, urges the administration to take action to address hate-based incidents and crimes across the U.S. Read more from HRC.

TUESDAY TWEET: Yesterday was National HIV & AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (#NHAAD). Despite medical and societal advances in prevention, treatment and public education, HIV and AIDS continue to affect hundreds of thousands of Americans over the age of 50. Older adults living with HIV face unique challenges for preventing and treating other diseases, as both age and HIV increase the risk for certain cancers, bone loss and cardiovascular diseases. Read more from HRC.

Today is Nat'l HIV/AIDS & Aging Awareness Day. Ppl 50+ are fastest growing population w/ #HIV. It's time to talk about greying of HIV #nhaad pic.twitter.com/DQv5yAVLhe

— SAGE USA (@sageusa) September 18, 2017

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY RESCINDS SPEAKING INVITE TO LGBTQ-FRIENDLY PRIEST: The Rev. James Martin (@JamesMartinSJ), a popular Catholic priest who encourages cooperation and understanding between the LGBTQ community and the Catholic Church, has been disinvited from giving an address at Catholic University’s seminary, The Washington Post’s Sarah Pulliam Bailey (@spulliam) reports. Rev. Martin was not planning to speak about LGBTQ issues. Read more from Washington Post.

• Many in the Catholic community, including San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy, believe that the Church must end its “long-standing bigotry” against LGBTQ people. More from Times of San Diego and American Magazine.

KNOXVILLE NEWSPAPER ED BOARD URGES SCHOOL BOARD TO PROTECT LGBTQ EMPLOYEES: The Editorial Board of the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel urged the county school board to keep language that protects LGBTQ employees in its harassment policy. Read the editorial at News Sentinel.

NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE STRUGGLES -- AND RESILIENCE -- OF BISEXUAL OLDER ADULTS: The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) has released a report that takes a closer look at bisexual older adults. This week is Bisexual Awareness Week, also known as #BiWeek, which culminates on September 23, with Bi Visibility Day. Read the report here.

LGB CANADIANS REMOVED FROM PUBLIC SERVICE STILL WAITING FOR AN OFFICIAL APOLOGY: From the late 1950s to the early 1990s, thousands of lesbian, gay and bisexual Canadians were removed from the Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and federal public service because of their sexual orientation. They are still waiting for an official apology from the government, which is expected before the end of the year. More from HuffPost Canada.

READING RAINBOW  

PinkNews takes a look at Victorian England from an LGBTQ perspective; NBC Out discusses the importance of addressing the needs of LGBTQ people with disabilities; USA Today recounts Sunday’s “gloriously gay” Emmys;

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