POLICIES

POLICIES

The curious support for transgender rights in Pakistan.

September 4, 2017 compassq Comments Off on The curious support for transgender rights in Pakistan.

A member of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F), one Pakistan’s hardline religious parties, this month proposed the country’s first piece of legislation aimed at protecting the rights of transgendered people. The Transgender Bill 2017, which is expected to pass in the coming weeks, represents the most eye-catching sign of an awkward alliance between Pakistan’s increasingly visible transgender community and its fundamentalist religious wing.

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Canada is leading the way for international LGBT rights.

September 3, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Canada is leading the way for international LGBT rights.

“Take them to Canada,” Chechen despot Ramzan Kadyrov said when renewing his cynical vow to rid the North Caucasus territory of gay people. This week, the Canadian government announced that nearly 30 victims of the anti-gay purge in Chechnya have been safely resettled.

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Catholic and LGBT groups coming together.

September 3, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Catholic and LGBT groups coming together.

The relationship between the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ+ community has long been characterized by tension. As a sect of Christianity that prides itself on tradition and following what the Catechism decrees, the Catholic Church has been known to condemn homosexuality and same-sex marriage, failing to recognize the rights of LGBTQ+ people.

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Trump to nominate out gay man as German ambassador.

September 2, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Trump to nominate out gay man as German ambassador.

President Trump announced on Friday that he intends to nominate Richard Grenell, the longest-serving United States spokesman at the United Nations, to be the ambassador to Germany. If Grenell is confirmed, he would be the first openly LGBT ambassador for Trump, according to The Associated Press. Grenell held his U.N. spokesman position from 2001 to 2008, serving under four U.S. ambassadors during former President George W. Bush’s administration.

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Will the transgender troop ban be the end of ROTC?

September 2, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Will the transgender troop ban be the end of ROTC?

A ban on transgender troops in the military could take effect next year if President Donald Trump has his way. This presents a problem for institutions like Roger Williams University (RWU), who said it doesn’t accept discrimination based on race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. According to RWU President Donald Farish, Trump’s ban could eventually lead to a “termination” of the school’s Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program.

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The Canadian Rainbow Railroad steps in to help Chechen aslyum seekers.

September 2, 2017 compassq Comments Off on The Canadian Rainbow Railroad steps in to help Chechen aslyum seekers.

A charity has partnered with the Canadian government to help dozens of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender refugees escape persecution in Russia’s Chechnya republic. Kimalhi Powell, executive director of Rainbow Railroad, says the non-profit group heard in April that Chechen forces were abducting, torturing and murdering gay men. Powell says the charity worked with the Russian LGBT Network to establish safe houses for 37 people looking to escape the country, and partnered with the Canadian government on emergency visas.

POLICIES

The “no gay wedding cake” case heading to the Supreme Court.

September 2, 2017 compassq Comments Off on The “no gay wedding cake” case heading to the Supreme Court.

This coming year, the Supreme Court will determine whether a religious baker has the right to refuse a same-sex couple a wedding cake. On Thursday, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an anti-LGBTQ hate group, submitted its first brief defending the discriminatory actions of its client, Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Denver.