National Center for Transgender Equality has created a “Voting While Trans” checklist, including how to register to vote, how to update a name/address for voting, as well as what to do if challenged on Election Day, and more. They have also released a video on the importance of voting featuring Laverne Cox, Janet Mock and Kit Yan.
info: transequality.org.
Immigration Equality and the Brooklyn Community Pride Center will launch the LGBTQ New Americans Project, featuring audio and video oral histories of LGBTQ immigrants living in Brooklyn and throughout New York City.
info: immigrationequality.org.
PFLAG participated in a coalition with the Department of Justice Community Services to launch a new “Law Enforcement and the Transgender Community” training video that models best practices for police interactions with transgender individuals.
info: youtu.be/gfGPx4xJHvM.
Jason Leclerc has released his latest book, “Black Kettle,” which tackles the tough topics of gender fluidity, police brutality and politics.
info: momentitiousness.com/black-kettle.
Jenn-Air teamed up with PFLAG National to host their annual fundraiser, HOT!, on Sept. 21 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
info: pflag.org.
A new report, “From Teasing to Torment: School Climate Revisited, a Survey of U.S. Secondary School Students and Teachers,” finds bullying continues to be a significant problem in schools, despite progress and also finds that teachers lack training on LGBT issues.
info: glsen.org.
Miss Missouri Erin O’Flaherty became the first openly lesbian contestant in the Miss America Pageant.
info: bit.ly/2cC75Eh.
Hogan Lovells will be a global sponsor of Out Leadership’s initiative OutWOMEN for 2017.
info: outleadership.com.
Grindr, in partnership with HackerNest, announced that Vicc Alexander and Marlon Lopez were the Grand Prize winners of their seven-week Hackathon, Hack4Equality, dedicated to solving crucial issues within the LGBT community. Runner-up was Kristening.me, an application that simplifies transgender name and identity change documentation. It was developed by Janet Jeffus and Alice Radulski, who also won the Transgender Visibility and Economic Empowerment category. LGBT International Issues category winner was SpeakOut, a political advocacy platform that empowers citizens to share their personal stories and see the personal stories of others who are impacted by LGBT legislation. Through the application, it amplifies the users’ voices and also encourages them to contact their elected representatives. It was developed by Chun-Wei Chen and Leonard Hyman. Access to Sexual Health Services & PrEP category winner was HeyBud which is an AI- and human-powered chat bot that answers sexually related questions, presents users with access to health-related resources and automates complex on-boarding paperwork/processes required for health treatment. It was developed by Savalas Colbert and Eddie Aguilar.
info: grindr.com.
The Williams Institute has reported that strict voter ID laws may disenfrancise more than 34,000 transgender votes in the 2016 general election.
info: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu.
Equality Florida announced a total of more than $9.5M has been raised for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting, largely through a record-setting GoFundMe campaign that drew more than 120,000 donors from over 120 countries.
info: eqfl.org.
Popular international TV and web series “Child of the ’70s” was featured in the Hollywood Museum exhibit “Reel to Real: Portrayals and Perceptions of Gays in Hollywood.”
info: theofficialchildofthe70s.com.
During the past summer, Google documented global Pride parades using 360º cameras, the Gay and Lesbian International Foreign Affairs Agencies shared. This was done so that those who were unable to attend could celebrate using virtual reality and Google Cardboard.
info: landing.google.com/intl/en/pride.
The Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society proudly announces the first edition of their annual publication, entitled “Inclusiveness Index 2016: Measuring Inclusion and Marginality.”
info: haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/inclusivenessindex.
The mother of a transgender teenaged boy who was admitted into Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego for inpatient care in early April 2015 for suicidal ideation and for treatment of his serious self-inflicted injuries following an incident of transphobic harassment by his peers has filed a lawsuit against the hospital for discrimination against her son. The hospital’s staff kept referring to the child as a girl, despite requests from his mother. The hospital also released the child before the full 72-hour stay had been completed.
info: nclrights.org.
Variety announced that the media company will host the industry’s first-ever conference on Nov. 1 focused on diversity — including gender, ethnicity, aging and sexuality — on film, television and digital outlets.
info: variety.com.
The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund will present their 2016 Freedom Award on Oct. 24 honoring HBO and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
info: transgenderlegal.org.
A handbook, “The Transgender Teen,” has been published for parents and professionals supporting transgender and non-binary teens.
info: bit.ly/2ddyQVz.
A new edition of Simon LeVay’s book, “Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation,” has just been published by Oxford University Press. The book presents evidence that being gay, like being straight, emerges from a biological process that involves genes, sex hormones and the developing brain. Besides updating the research with scores of new references, the book includes a new chapter, titled “Beyond gay and straight,” which explores the many complexities of sexual orientation that are not captured by a simple gay/straight dichotomy.
info: simonlevay.com.
“Cheetah in August” will return for its second season on BawnTv, a new online subscription entertainment network that was developed with the idea of promoting LGBT programs that not only featured people of color, but also storylines that were able to confront issues specific to the LGBT minority community, as well as celebrate it.
info: bawnmedia.com.
Jill Soloway and the Freeform network will receive Outfest legacy awards on Oct. 23 in Los Angeles, Calif. Soloway recently received an Emmy Award for “Transparent” and will be the recipient of the Visionary Award. Freeform will receive the Corporate Trailblazer Award in recognition of its groundbreaking programming for young adults, people in high school, college and the decade that follows which includes such LGBT-friendly programs including “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Fosters” and “Shadowhunters.”
info: outfest.org.
A coalition of leading HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and stakeholder organizations announced the launch of “HIV: The Long View” with the release of an evidence-based report that examines the potential implications of future healthcare trends on HIV care and management in the U.S.
info: hivthelongview.com.
Equality Florida made a significant policy announcement to formally endorse common sense gun violence prevention policies in response to the hate-fueled attack in Orlando this past June, targeting the LGBT community at Pulse nightclub’s Latin night.
info: eqfl.org.
The third and final act in “The Falls” trilogy will be screened at its world premiere at the TWIST Seattle Queer Film Festival on Oct. 22. The films are centered around faith and discrimination against LGBT individuals and couples.
info: bgpics.com.
Funders for LGBTQ Issues announced it has awarded 11 grants totaling $528,000 to southern LGBT funds and funding collaboratives. This is the first round of grants from the Out in the South Fund, which aims to build up sustainable sources of locally rooted LGBT funding in order to strengthen the capacity of local community organizations making a positive impact on the lives of LGBT southerners.
info: lgbtfunders.org.
The National Aids Memorial commemorated 25 years of remembrance, healing and hope with a ceremony honoring long-time supporters in September at The Grove, an AIDS memorial. The dedication, commitment and support set in motion by the original organizers resulted in passage of legislation spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 making The Grove this nation’s sole federally-designated National AIDS Memorial.
info: aidsmemorial.org.
On Oct. 10, PBS will feature on its POV series, “From This Day Forward,” an intimate, honest and inspiring feature documentary about director Sharon Shattuck’s experiences as the daughter of a transgender father and a mother who remain committed to their marriage.
info: pov.org. pbs.org.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a motion to intervene in a case challenging a section of the Affordable Care Act that prohibits healthcare entities from discriminating based on race, national origin, sex, age or disability. The lawsuit, Franciscan Alliance v. Burwell, was filed by a group of states and religiously affiliated healthcare organizations who are suing the federal government.
info: aclu.org.
GLAAD launched the official countdown to Spirit Day, observed on Oct. 20, a campaign working to advance acceptance of LGBT youth.
info: glaad.org.
Equality Florida announced the launch of a new, statewide initiative to shift the culture so that each of Florida’s 67 school districts adopts comprehensive and nationally recognized best practices for meeting the needs of LGBTQ students, and in doing so, build a model that can be replicated nationwide.
info: eqfl.org.
Unique Pizza and Subs Corporation has announced that they have signed a deal with New York City based Christopher Street LLC which was created because there was a clear void in the LGBT community that was not being properly serviced, its president said.
info: christopherstproducts.com.
Quitza, a non-profit where users from all over the world support each other while quitting smoking using Quitza’s custom made social support network, combines the social support with real-time progress tracking technologies where users earn awards when they reach milestones throughout their quit. These are then shared with the community for further support. The organization is trying to raise awareness of the higher rate of smoking in the LGBT community.
info: quitza.com/awareness/lgbt.
The Point Foundation honored “Good Morning America” Anchor Robin Roberts with the Point Courage Award at the organization’s annual Point Honors Los Angeles gala on Oct. 1.
info: pointfoundation.org.
Imprisoned whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who ended her hunger strike last month, has secured assurances from the Army that she will receive the medically-prescribed treatment for her gender dysphoria. The treatment will begin with the surgery that was recommended by her psychologist last April.
info: aclu.org.
In mid-September, a transgender man prohibited from changing his legal name because of his immigration classification has sued Indiana state officials, including Republican Gov. Mike Pence who is vying for U.S. vice president in the upcoming election.
info: transgenderlawcenter.org. maldef.org.