#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 20, 2020

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OUR HISTORY HAS PREPARED US FOR THIS -- A MESSAGE FROM HRC PRESIDENT ALPHONSO DAVID (@AlphonsoDavid) ON COVID-19: The LGBTQ community has known adversity. In fact, we have drawn much of our strength and power from times of great uncertainty. As we have time and again, we must raise our voices together to fight for our community, to lift each other up and to vote out those who are not protecting us. More from HRC. 

MAJOR HEALTH, EDUCATION AND CHILD WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS OPPOSE STATE-BASED LEGISLATION TARGETING TRANS YOUTH, LGBTQ COMMUNITY: The letter is released as Idaho passes two anti-transgender bills that attack youth in sports and transgender Idahoans seeking to update their birth certificates. “Harmful legislation, such as the torrent of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country, deeply affect youth-serving professionals’ ability to do their job -- caring for America’s young people,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “The letter released today underscores the widespread professional and public opposition to anti-LGBTQ legislation and clearly warns states that LGBTQ discrimination will harm states’ education, health care and child welfare.” More from HRC and Metro Weekly

Amidst a pandemic spreading throughout our nation, Idaho lawmakers are choosing to focus their attention NOT on the health and safety of their constituents, but instead on attacking trans people. https://t.co/zI6vbuxypx

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 18, 2020

ON SATURDAY -- HRC TO HOST VIRTUAL INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE: HRC will host a virtual interfaith service, titled “Remaining Home in Faith: An Interfaith Prayer Service,” as a part of its “Coming Home to Faith: A Search for Common Ground” tour. The service, which will be hosted on Zoom on Saturday evening and posted publicly by HRC on Sunday, comes as HRC canceled or postponed all of its public events through the weekend of April 4 in light of the current global health crisis.

  • If you would like to RSVP to attend the virtual prayer service, please email your full name, outlet affiliation, role and cell phone number to Madeleine Roberts at madeleine.roberts@hrc.org.

FEEL FOOD FRIDAY -- ACTOR LACHLAN WATSON SHARES A POWERFUL MESSAGE TO LGBTQ YOUTH: More from HRC. 

Lachlan Watson, best known for their role on @sabrinanetflix, received the HRC Visibility Award at our Arizona Gala Dinner. Thank you for being an advocate for the non-binary and trans community both on and off screen! ️‍ pic.twitter.com/KaoEttzjhf

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 19, 2020

VIRGINIA VALUES ACT MAKING LGBTQ HISTORY IN THE SOUTH: Virginia Values Act is on its way to the governor’s desk to become law. Once this bill is enacted, Virginia will be the first state in the South to have non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, the first state in more than a decade to add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing non-discrimination law and the first state since 1993 to add a prohibition on discrimination in public accommodations where none existed before. More from HRC. 

  • Opponents of equality are threatening to gut reforms that would protect all Virginians from discrimination. Take action in support of the bill here.

NEWNOWNEXT’S KATE SOSIN WRITES ON WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE TRANS AND NEED TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM: Sosin (@shoeleatherkate) shares advice from Dr. Nick Gorton (@RNickGorton), a trans ER doctor and primary care physician at Lyon-Martin Health Services in San Francisco, and Dallas Ducar (@DallasDucar), a clinical lead for mental health services at the Massachusetts General Hospital Transgender Health Program. More from NewNowNext

LGBTQ COMMUNITY MAY BE “PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE” TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: More from Louisville Courier Journal’s Savannah Eadens (@SavannahEadens) in USA Today.

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GAY TIMES SPOTLIGHTS BIG FREEDIA (@bigfreedia), HER IMPACT IN THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY: More from Sam Damshenas (@samdamshenas) at Gay Times.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT GIVES FRAGMENTED OVERVIEW OF ONGOING HOSTILITY AND VIOLENCE FACED BY LGBTQ PEOPLE ACROSS THE GLOBE: The annual State Department’s Human Rights Report reveals a broad picture of LGBTQ abuses across the globe yet also omits anti-LGBTQ abuses in several countries including Russia, Egypt and Brazil. More from Council for Global Equality. 

COVID-19 LOCKDOWN EXPOSES LGBTQ PEOPLE TO FAMILY ABUSE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: More from Reuters

READING RAINBOW - Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

Metro shares that Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) is being creative during social distancing, reveals a DIY TV station starring his cat Harry Larry; NewNowNext shares 11 queer books to read by LGBTQ authors or featuring LGBTQ characters; Vulture highlights artist Salman Toor (@Salmantoor)

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!


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