Name one.
"The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation"
"The Human Rights Campaign is lobbying Congress to pass the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, (the revised Hate Crimes Prevention Act), which would give local law enforcement officials the resources they need to combat hate crimes based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender or disability."
"However, GLBT families are not treated like all other families under law, according to the HRC Foundation report, "The State of the Family: Laws and Legislation Affecting Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Americans." Among the inequities that GLBT families face: Same-sex couples are denied more than 1,000 federal benefits and protections of marriage and, in all states but Vermont, they are denied most of the state rights and responsibilities that come with marriage."
"WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign joined today with other national and Pennsylvania gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organizations expressing outrage at deeply discriminatory and insensitive remarks made by Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. In an interview with The Associated Press, Santorum compared homosexuality with bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery. He also said that homosexuality, feminism and liberalism undermine the family. "Senator Santorum's remarks are deeply hurtful and play on deep-seated fears that fly in the face of scientific evidence, common sense, and basic decency. Clearly, there is no compassion in his conservatism," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. "Discriminatory remarks like this fuel prejudice that can lead to violence and other harm to the gay community. HRC is calling on Republican leaders to take quick and decisive action to repudiate Senator Santorum's remarks."
WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign will co-sponsor a discussion on homophobia and the black church at Morehouse College on Wednesday night. The college is hosting the forum in an ongoing effort to build tolerance and understanding on campus after an anti-gay hate crime in November 2002. "This incident shocked the entire Morehouse and greater Atlanta community," said Donna Payne, HRC’s constituency organizer. "This forum is an opportunity for people to have open and honest discussions about race, religion and sexual orientation and to heal some of the wounds caused by this terrifying incident."
"HRC OPPOSES ANTI-GAY JUDICIAL NOMINEES"
"Americans Want Judges Who Are Free of Prejudice, Says HRC"
"WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign announced its opposition today to a slate of anti-gay judges, nominated by the Bush administration, whose confirmations could place courts outside the mainstream and make it increasingly difficult for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans to achieve basic justice and equality though the federal courts.
"We reject the notion that either party has been given a mandate with regard to the federal courts and believe that Americans want judges who are free of prejudice," said HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "We are alarmed that the administration has put forth a slew of unacceptable nominees whose extreme anti-gay views threaten to make the federal courts hostile to basic equality for GLBT Americans. We urge the Senate to oppose these nominees and to use its role of advice and consent to ensure that only fair-minded nominees are confirmed."
HRC opposes the nomination of Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. There could be a committee vote on his nomination before the end of February.
In a 1997 law review article, Bybee, then a professor, offered an extremely troubling view of the landmark equal protection case, Romer v. Evans. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that Amendment 2 in Colorado was unconstitutional and said that the amendment was not rationally related to a legitimate purpose. Amendment 2 sought to ban any municipality in Colorado from enacting laws that would protect gay people from discrimination.
In the article criticizing the Amendment 2 decision, Bybee questioned the "continuing validity" of Romer and characterized sexual orientation-inclusive civil rights laws as nothing more than government-sponsored "preferences" for "homosexuals."
"Bybee's characterization of civil rights laws as 'preferences' indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the law and an antipathy toward laws that protect the GLBT community from discrimination," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg.
HRC also opposes the nomination of Jeffrey Sutton to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. A hearing for Sutton was held in late January, and the Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on his nomination Thursday.
Sutton has been a leader in the effort to limit congressional authority to enact laws protecting civil and disability rights. As the gay community is impacted by HIV/AIDS, HRC is particularly concerned about his activism in this area, which has dealt a critical blow to legal protections for people with disabilities.
"Sutton's work has helped close the door on people with disabilities seeking redress for discrimination by states or state institutions," said Stachelberg. "As a community affected by hate violence, HRC is also very concerned about Sutton's views of Congress' authority to enact legislation aimed at curbing criminal violence, such as hate crimes legislation."
Sutton has argued that the federal judiciary should have almost unfettered discretion to override Congress' empirical findings in support of its legislation, which would limit congressional authority to protect individuals from violations of their rights - such as hate crimes.
Additionally, HRC opposes the nomination of Timothy Tymkovich for Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. As solicitor general, Tymkovich defended Colorado's Amendment 2 and wrote a law review article that he co-authored that appears to reflect anti-gay bias and opposition to laws designed to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
"The article shows that Tymkovich buys into some of the worst anti-gay rhetoric and ideology concerning our community," said Stachelberg. "He describes anti-discrimination laws as 'special legal protections for homosexuals' and 'special rights,' common rhetoric for those opposed to equal protection for gays and lesbians."
In the article, Tymkovich lumped homosexuality with a litany of "immoral" and dangerous behaviors, including sadomasochism, cockfighting, bestiality, suicide, drug use and prostitution: "Our society prohibits, and all human societies have prohibited, certain activities not because they harm others but because they are considered, in the traditional phrase, 'contra bonos mores,' i.e., immoral. In American society, such prohibitions have included, for example, sadomasochism, cockfighting, bestiality, suicide, drug use, prostitution, and sodomy. While there may be great diversity of view on whether various of these prohibitions should exist (though I have found few ready to abandon, in principle, all of them), there is no doubt that, absent specific constitutional protection for the conduct involved, the Constitution does not prohibit them simply because they regulate 'morality.'" (emphasis added). "Amendment 2, while not primarily about moral judgment, reflects a social statement about state and local laws benefiting homosexual conduct."
"Tymkovich's statements are insulting to GLBT citizens whose lives are affected by discrimination and violence, and for whom the even-handed enforcement of civil rights laws is of the utmost importance," added Stachelberg. "Furthermore, his assertion that GLBT anti-discrimination laws protect a type of conduct rather than a group of people is inconsistent with medical and psychological research and with public opinion."
HRC has also opposed the nomination of Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals because his career has been punctuated by racial divisiveness and anti-gay sentiments. Last year, HRC opposed the nomination of Michael McConnell to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. McConnell, who was confirmed by the Senate in November 2002, contributed to the anti-gay brief for the Boy Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America v. Dale.
"HRC HOPES WITHDRAWAL OF CONTROVERSIAL APPOINTEE SIGNALS BUSH ADMINISTRATION SHIFT TOWARD SCIENTIFIC-BASED HIV/AIDS POLICIES" "Jerry Thacker [a self-described "committed Christian"]Steps Aside After Anti-Gay Comments Cause Political Firestorm" "WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign called on the Bush administration to recommit itself to a science-based plan to combat HIV/AIDS after a controversial appointee to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) withdrew his name today. Anti-gay activist Jerry Thacker stepped aside after a political firestorm ensued from comments found on his website (www.scepter.org) that call homosexuality a "deathstyle."
"Thacker was right to step aside and we hope that future administration appointments will reflect a commitment to epidemiology, not fringe ideology," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. "It is important that the administration bolster PACHA's credibility by avoiding divisive figures, such as Thacker, who distract the panel from doing the important work of fighting against HIV and AIDS. We look forward to working with the administration and PACHA on scientifically sound policies that disseminate accurate information and save lives."
The offensive remarks were made on Thacker's website for the Scepter Institute, an online AIDS ministry he operates. In an apparent effort to stop the controversy, Thacker, a former Bob Jones University faculty member, deleted the "deathstyle" reference from the website.
Thacker was one of seven new PACHA appointees to the 35-member panel, including four who are openly gay -- David Greer, Brent Minor, David Reznik, Don Sneed. These new leaders offer an opportunity for the panel to change direction and move forward with helpful new policies, says HRC.