Conservative evangelicals apparently have lots to pray for these days. Same-sex marriage rights are quickly spreading across the country, Obama declared an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, a Fairfax, Virginia school board recently implemented a transgender rights policy, and Robert Gates of The Boy Scouts of America urged his organization to lift the ban on gay leaders.
The Justice Department launched a program Thursday to train local police departments to better respond to transgender individuals, a population authorities say is disproportionately harmed by violence. The new initiative is aimed at helping police identify hate crimes and build trust with a community that law enforcement officials say is too often reluctant to report crimes.
There is a lot of misinformation going around about California State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano's transgender student equality law. Since Gov. Brown signed it last week, the right-wingers have been stirring themselves into a frenzy online. A few of the usual suspects are motivating offline, too, as Republican lawmakers and rabble-rousers are gathering forces to put the issue to ballot.
Senator Barbara Buono called me and there was no hesitation. Buono was the prime sponsor of the very first fully inclusive LGBT rights legislation in New Jersey.
