MORNING MUST READ -- NYT, “ROY MOORE, IN HIS OWN WORDS”: This week, Roy Moore was nominated in the Alabama Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In 2016, Moore was removed 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. Recently, he took his extremism one step further by saying that he and Vladimir Putin may be “more akin... than [he] knows,” specifically citing both of their views on LGBTQ rights. Moore’s past is full of anti-LGBTQ comments and actions, and it is clear that this will not change if he is elected to the U.S. Senate. #NoMoore on this and Moore’s numerous other anti-equality actions from The New York Times.

.@HRC will continue to oppose disgraced, anti-LGBTQ politician Roy Moore at every turn. #NoMoore https://t.co/4EE34WMlhP

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) September 27, 2017

LYFT TO RECEIVE HRC CORPORATE EQUALITY AWARD: Lyft will receive the HRC Corporate Equality Award at the 2017 San Francisco Bay Area Gala and Auction on October 14. Lyft Co-founder and President John Zimmer will accept the award. “Lyft has been a strong ally to the LGBTQ community, both with its inclusive internal policies for employees and its public positions supporting pro-equality legislation and policies across the country,” said Deena Fidas, director of HRC’s Workplace Equality Program. “We are so pleased to award Lyft with the HRC Corporate Equality Award and we look forward to watching its advocacy continue and grow.” Lyft has implemented policies that support the LGBTQ community, and joined an amicus brief supporting transgender student Gavin Grimm in G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board. Lyft has also signed HRC’s Equality is Our Business statement, stating that the company supports LGBTQ equality and opposes legislation that would discriminate against LGBTQ Americans. More from TechCrunch.

THANKFUL THURSDAY: In her historic bid to represent Virginia’s District 13 as the first out transgender person seated in a state legislature, HRC-endorsed candidate Danica Roem gives uplifting message to transgender people everywhere. Roem would fight to pass non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, improve affordable access to health care, update the Virginia Human Rights Act to include gender identity and sexual orientation, and remove outdated, unconstitutional language on marriage equality that still exists in the Virginia code. As the first out transgender nominee for public office in Virginia, Roem is working to unseat Delegate Bob Marshall, who has a vicious, anti-LGBTQ record. More on Roem’s candidacy from HRC.

• A new poll from Equality Virginia finds that most Virginians support non-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community. More from Virginia Public Radio.

TODAY -- WEBINAR ON SCHOOL-BASED ADVOCACY FOR LGBTQ YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE: Today at 12 p.m. ET, HRC’s All Children - All Families (ACAF) project will present a webinar exploring best practices to help ensure that LGBTQ foster youth have a welcoming and supportive school experience. It will also cover resources and policies that encourage the healthy development of LGBTQ youth and academic success. More from HRC.

TONIGHT -- WILL & GRACE IS BACK!: It’s finally time to celebrate the long anticipated return of NBC’s Will & Grace tonight. We’re especially excited because we all know that the show has not only been a staple of LGBTQ culture -- it’s also helped change American culture since it first aired in the fall of 1998. Will and Grace -- and Jack and Karen too! -- spent eight seasons bringing LGBTQ characters into living rooms all across America. More from HRC.

WICHITA, KAN. SCHOOL DISTRICT REFUSES TO PURCHASE TRANS-INCLUSIVE CHILDREN’S BOOK: George, written by transgender author Alex Gino, is written for students in late elementary school, and discusses a transgender student coming out navigating her school. However, the supervisor of library media for the Wichita district claims the book is “not appropriate,” and is not putting it on library shelves. More from The Wichita Eagle.

SHAMEFUL -- DRIVER KICKS TWO TRANS STUDENTS OFF OF SCHOOL BUS: The South Glens Falls, N.Y. driver asked students to sit on separate sides of the bus based on their gender, then kicked the two transgender students off when they sat on the side aligned with their gender identity. More from The (Albany, N.Y.) Times Union and Refinery29.

TOMORROW -- SCREENING OF RAISING ZOEY IN DC: Raising Zoey is a powerful documentary of 13-year old transgender girl Zoey Luna fighting for the right to use her correct name, pronouns, and gender-segregated facilities in her school. The documentary will be screened at HRC on Sept. 29. More from the Washington Blade.

U.N. RELEASES STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR GLOBAL LGBTQ WORKERS: Yesterday, the U.N. Human Rights Office continued its long history of support for the LGBTQ community by releasing standards of conduct for businesses around the world on how to treat LGBTI employees, suppliers, and customers. More from Advocate.

LGBTQ PEOPLE TORTURED IN AZERBAIJAN: One man described being abducted, detained and threatened while walking down the street. Local police claim the arrests are part of an “anti-prostitution campaign,” but advocates in the area say the arrests are part of a larger anti-LGBTQ crackdown leaving dozens beaten and humiliated. “The reports of LGBTQ people in Azerbaijan being arrested and abused by authorities are deeply disturbing, much like the atrocities occurring against gay and bisexual men in nearby Chechnya,” HRC Global Director Ty Cobb recently told NewNowNext . “It's absolutely crucial that the Trump administration and the international community demand human rights abuses against LGBTQ people in the region immediately cease and those responsible be held accountable.” More from EurasiaNet.

NEW BBC POLL -- ONE THIRD OF YOUNG BRITS EXPERIENCE SAME-SEX ATTRACTION: Of this third, nine percent of young respondents identify as bisexual. Additionally, a larger percentage of young people believe anti-LGBTQ prejudice and racism are important issues compared to older generations. More from Advocate.

READING RAINBOW

The Dallas Morning News tells the story of Trenton Johnson, a transgender man grappling with the state’s legislative efforts to attack trans Texans; Haaretz explores a Museum of the City of New York exhibit on HIV and AIDS; BuzzFeed shares how an off-Broadway theatre group is centering transgender voices and stories; Gay Star News highlights 50 celebrities supporting Australian marriage equality

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!