Last week billboards went up in Shreveport, LA, last week promoting workplace equality, thanks to Be Fair Shreveport, a joint campaign by regional LGBT-rights groups Forum For Equality and People Acting for Change and Equality (PACE). “Any city hoping to succeed in a globally competitive market must be able to attract and retain… workers who are known for their independent thinking, high tech skills, and innovative approaches to problem-solving. These highly-talented workers abhor intolerance of diversity and will not move to a place that is unwelcoming to certain groups.” said PACE’s Adrienne Critcher. [Be Fair Shreveport]
The New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that wedding photographer Elaine Huguenin was in violation of the state’s anti-discrimination laws when she refused to take pictures of a gay couple’s commitment ceremony. Huguenin claimed her stance reflected her religious beliefs and asked hypothetically if an African-American photographer would be required to photograph a Ku Klux Klan rally. 
“The Ku Klux Klan is not a protected class,” the court noted. “Sexual orientation, however, is.” [Albuquerque Journal]
People.com editor and trans-rights activist Janet Mock has launched the #GirlsLikeUs campaign on Twitter to raise awareness about trans women unfairly caught in the judicial system including Paige Clay and CeCe McDonald, who was just sentenced to 41 months in prison for stabbing an assailant to death. [QWOC]
The Lancaster, PA, newspaper that recently rejected a gay couple’s engagement announcement has reversed its decision after public outcry and media scrutiny. Lancaster Newspapers Inc. CEO Harold Miller originally said the paid notice submitted by Jeffrey Clouser and Brent Weaver wasn’t in keeping with “community standards,” but issued a statement Monday night that “We recognize that while our readers have many different interests and values, every reader looks to us to weave news and information of Lancaster County’s people into a daily chronicle of our community.” Miller was careful to say his outlets would print such announcements “without passing judgment.” [Lancaster Online]
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
