Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia
Lawmakers in Taiwan have approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making it the first place in Asia to pass gay marriage legislation.
LGBTQ+ rights & well-being
Morehouse College, the nation’s only black all-male college, will begin admitting transgender students in 2020
“In a rapidly changing world that includes a better understanding of gender identity, we’re proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men who want to be part of an institution that has produced some of the greatest leaders in social justice, politics, business, and the arts for more than 150 years,”
In major shift, Mormon Church reverses anti-LGBT policies
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is reversing its controversial 2015 policy that classified people in same-sex marriages as “apostates.” Children of parents who identify as LGBT may now also be blessed as infants and baptized.
Chicago makes history electing Lori Lightfoot as first black woman mayor
Lori Lightfoot, a political newcomer, was elected the first black female mayor of Chicago. Lightfoot, who will also become the first openly gay mayor of the third-largest U.S. city, appealed to voters who are tired of politics as usual.
Puerto Rico bans gay and transgender conversion therapy for minors
The governor of Puerto Rico signed an executive order on Wednesday banning so-called conversion therapy for gay or transgender minors on the island.
New Jersey will now require LGBTQ history to be taught in schools
Governor Phil Murphy signed a measure that would require all public schools to teach LGBTQ history, making New Jersey only the second state in the U.S. to do so, after California in 2017.
Majority of Americans say transgender people should be allowed in military
70% of respondents in the Quinnipiac University poll said transgender people should be allowed to serve, while only 22 percent said they should not.
New York passes trans rights bill, conversion therapy ban
New York State made history today, with both houses of the legislature passing bills to ban discrimination based on gender identity and to prohibit the use of conversion therapy on minors. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign both.
Colorado’s Jared Polis officially sworn in as first openly gay U.S. governor
Jared Polis was officially been sworn in as Governor of Colorado on Tuesday, making him the first out gay man to claim the title of Governor in any state.
The United States convenes the most diverse Congress in its history
There are more women than ever before, and a new generation of Muslims, Latinos, Native Americans and African-Americans in the House creating what academics call a reflective democracy, more aligned with the population of the United States.