#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 21, 2019

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NEW VIDEO FROM HRC -- NATION’S TOP CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS CALL ON CONGRESS TO PASS THE EQUALITY ACT: “The Equality Act would finally ensure clear federal protections from discrimination for LGBTQ people from coast to coast,” said HRC Government Affairs Director David Stacy (@David_Stacy). “More than 300 civil rights, religious, child welfare, and other state and national organizations have joined forces to support the critical legislation. HRC is proud to work alongside so many incredible leaders in the civil rights community  to make clear that this legislation is about the fundamental American promise of equality, dignity and justice for all.” Watch the video here. More from Metro Weekly and Advocate.

ICYMI -- TRUMP-PENCE ADMIN FAILS TO JOIN CALL FROM UNITED NATIONS TO INVESTIGATE ANTI-LGBTQ VIOLENCE IN CHECHNYA: “The Trump-Pence administration has once again shamefully chosen to not speak out against the barbaric, anti-LGBTQ attacks occuring in Chechyna,” said HRC Global Director Ty Cobb (@TyWesleyCobb). “It’s unconscionable that the United States is not joining with these more than 30 nations in publicly condemning these Chechen anti-LGBTQ crimes against humanity and calling for those responsible to be held accountable.” Since news of the Chechen atrocities first broke in April 2017, the Trump-Pence White House has refused to publicly condemn the anti-LGBTQ attacks. More from HRC.

Same week @realDonaldTrump allowed Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro to use the White House Rose Garden as a platform to demean LGBTQ people his administration was also refusing to join 30+ other nations in condemning anti-LGBTQ violence in Chechnya. https://t.co/jcvnCzlnmT

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) March 20, 2019

THANKFUL THURSDAY -- CONNECTICUT’S “KID GOVERNOR” IS OPENLY LESBIAN, RAN ON PLATFORM OF PROTECTING LGBTQ YOUTH: Eleven-year old Ella Briggs was elected by 6,400 fifth graders from 87 schools across the state, and sworn in earlier this year during a ceremony attended by the governor and other elected officials.  After facing anti-LGBTQ bullying at school, Briggs transferred to a more welcoming school and ran for office on the platform of supporting LGBTQ youth. We look forward to Ella’s presidential run in 2044! More from Connecticut Mirror.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH HRC PRESIDENT CHAD GRIFFIN IN LOS ANGELES BLADE: “We need to protect the House, protect the victories we’ve had; we need to make progress in the Senate; and we need to take back the White House -- and all three of those are possible, but is going to take a lot of work between now and Election Day, 2020,” the outgoing HRC president told Karen Ocamb (@KarenOcamb). “But I do believe that when all the dust settles, come January of 2021, that a new pro-equality president and vice-president will be sworn in. But there is a hell of a lot of work to do between now and then to insure that that happens.” More in Los Angeles Blade.

GOOGLE RESISTS ASKS TO REMOVE APP THAT PROMOTES DANGEROUS “CONVERSION THERAPY”: HRC’s statement: “We have been urging Google to remove this app because it is life-threatening to LGBTQ youth and also clearly violates the company’s own standards. Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have taken action to remove the app from their platforms, but so far Google has refused despite our warnings about the dangers.” More from Axios.

DOW CHEMICAL TO BECOME FIRST LARGE INDUSTRIAL COMPANY WITH OPENLY GAY CEO: Jeff Green (@JeffAGreen) interviews Jim Fitterling (@JimFitterling), who will join Apple’s Tim Cook as only the second openly gay CEO of a major public company, in Bloomberg.

WOKE: When its spinoff is complete, Dow Chemical will be the first large industrial company with an openly gay CEO https://t.co/gjvsArIKDB via @BW #Diversity #LGBT #CorporateGovernance

— Jeff Green (@JeffAGreen) March 20, 2019

WE’VE GOT 2020 VISION: Check out this profile of Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and presidential hopeful. More from Maureen Groppe (@mgroppe) in USA Today.

 GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

LGBTQ REFUGEES SEEKING BETTER LIFE IN KENYA DESCRIBE IMPRISONMENT AND ABUSE AT HANDS OF GOVERNMENT: While the Kenyan High Court is scheduled to decide on overturning the ban on consensual same-sex relations, 20 LGBTQ refugees were arrested en masse for protesting the ban. They describe horrific conditions in the country’s prison system. More from The Washington Post.

 READING RAINBOW - Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

Bloomberg looks at how Poland’s governing party is vilifying the LGBTQ community

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