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Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Defense of Marriage Act.

The House debates and approves (224-206) the Equality Act, which would ban discrimination against LGBTQ Americans.

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy.

Once again, LGBTQ rights are up for judgment by the U.S. Supreme Court. The SCOTUS will be issuing rulings on anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in employment. The cases involved are Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga., Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Join us for a timely discussion with some real legal eagles. Meet our expert panel: Felicia Medina is a queer, latina attorney and founding partner of Medina Orthwein LLP. Her practice focuses on individual and class action employment discrimination and harassment cases relating to race, gender, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation, as well as wage and hour collective actions. She has been honored as a 2018 San Francisco Business Times OUTstanding Voices, 2017 Daily Journal Leading Labor and Employment Attorneys in California; a 2016 National LGBT Bar Association – Best LGBT Lawyer Under 40; a 2015 National Diversity Council Most Powerful and Influential Woman; and a Law360 2014 Minority Power Broker. Felicia received her law degree from Yale Law School in 2006. Kevin Love Hubbard is a partner at Medina Orthwein LLP. He has dedicated his career to civil rights and brings extensive experience in civil rights litigation to his firm, including individual and class employment discrimination and wage and hour claims, as well as constitutional claims involving police and prison misconduct. Prior to joining Medina Orthwein, Kevin represented nationwide classes and collectives of women with claims of gender discrimination, as well as individuals with cutting-edge employment claims, including claims of LGBTQ+ discrimination. Kevin graduated from Yale Law School in 2012. Imani Rupert-Gordon is the executive director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. Previously, she served as the executive director for Affinity Community Services, a social justice organization that works with the entire LGBTQ community with a focus on Black women. She also served as the director of the Broadway Youth Center, a division of Howard Brown Health in Chicago, which has served more than 1,500 LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability. In 2019, the Illinois Human Rights Commission presented her with its 2019 Activism Award. This year she was recognized by the Chicago Foundation for Women with a 2020 Impact Award. Rupert-Gordon received a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara Rev. Elena Rose Vera, a Filipina-Ashkenazi trans woman originally from rural Oregon, joined Trans Lifeline’s executive team in May 2018. A longtime organizer, educator and performing artist, she holds an M.Div. focused on social justice and community care work and was ordained as a minister by the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, a historic civil-rights church in San Francisco. Rev. Vera is proud to bring her deep commitment to love, support and liberation for trans people everywhere to her work with Trans Lifeline. Speakers: Felicia Medina Attorney; Founding Partner, Medina Orthwein LLP Kevin Love Hubbard Partner, Medina Orthwein LLP Imani Rupert-Gordon Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights Rev. Elena Rose Vera M.Div., Executive Director, Trans Lifeline Michelle Meow Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW/KPIX-TV and Online Radio—Host -www.commonwealthclub.org/covid19support  -Subscribe for more Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/commonwealthclub -Upcoming events: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events -Become a Member: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/membership -Donate Now: https://support.commonwealthclub.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=298 -Text DONATE to: 415-329-4231 -Watch & Listen https://www.commonwealthclub.org/watch-listen -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonwealthclub/ -Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cwclub/ -Twitter https://twitter.com/cwclub

The nation's highest court is hearing Obergefell v. Hodges, a case that examines if same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Here's what you need to know about the case that could make gay marriage legal across the nation.

We speak with Jennicet Gutiérrez, an organizer and co-executive director of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, who declined an invitation to attend the annual White House Pride Month celebration to protest the detention and deportation of LGBTQ immigrants and asylum seekers. At the U.S.-Mexico border, trans people in detention centers are reportedly being misgendered, denied access to essential healthcare, held in inhumane conditions or blocked altogether from entering the country due to the Trump-era Title 42. Roxsana Hernández Rodriguez, a trans asylum seeker from Honduras, died while in ICE custody. Regarding Biden’s recent executive orders to establish some protections against anti-LGBTQ discrimination, Gutiérrez says, “We cannot just applaud and say, 'Yes, you've done enough,’ when, no, that’s the least you can do.”