LGBTQ Trump Voters: You Betrayed Our Community’s Most Vulnerable; Huffington Post, 11/14/16

JamesMichael Nichols, Huffington Post; LGBTQ Trump Voters: You Betrayed Our Community’s Most Vulnerable:

"At times like this, it’s important for us ― and these voters ― to zoom out and recognize that queer liberation is a battle that is still very much ongoing for the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community and all of us. Trans people, people of color, women, homeless queer youth, intersex people, people outside of the gender binary will all suffer tremendously under a Trump/Pence leadership structure.

Even those in the LGBTQ community who apparently feel safe may be in for a shock once the new administration begins unrolling plans and polices for the future trajectory of our country.

And this should be both mortifying and disconcerting for everyone. 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ. The majority of states don’t have anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. Trans people literally can’t even use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity in many states ― and are terrified for what’s to come. Hate crimes against LGBTQ people ― and ALL minority groups ― are on the rise post-election. And the list goes on.

So, LGBTQ people that voted for Trump and Pence ― this is the outcome that you wanted, that you voted for. But this choice will likely have long-standing, possibly life-threatening, repercussions on the most vulnerable members of our community, and that is something that you need to both examine your role in and shoulder the responsibility for.

Because, in the end ― as it has always been with our community ― we are all in this together."

The ACLU Sues to Stop North Carolina’s Anti-LGBTQ Law; Slate.com, 3/28/16

Mark Joseph Stern, Slate.com; The ACLU Sues to Stop North Carolina’s Anti-LGBTQ Law:

"The complaint names three individual plaintiffs: a trans employee at the University of North Carolina; a trans University of North Carolina student; and a lesbian at North Carolina Central University School of Law. These are the perfect plaintiffs, because they allow the ACLU to challenge a key illegality in the North Carolina law (dubbed HB2): It explicitly discriminates against trans people by barring them from using the correct bathroom in any government facility, including public universities. Federal law prohibits discrimination against trans students in schools that receive federal funding—as UNC does. So the ACLU lawsuit effectively highlights the direct clash between HB2 and an existing federal mandate, forcing the state to choose between continued discrimination and continued education funding."