NEW YORK CITY: Thousands Rally In Times Square Against Iran Nuclear Deal

The Jerusalem Post reports:

An estimated 10,000 people turned out at New York's landmark Times Square on Wednesday in protest over the Iran nuclear deal signed last week. They urged the US Congress to reject the agreement brokered in Vienna to rein in Tehran's atomic program. Speakers at Wednesday's rally included New York's former governor George Pataki, Jerusalem Post senior contributing editor Caroline Glick, former Manhattan district attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, former congressman Allen West and Steven Emerson, founder of the Investigative Project on Terrorism. Pataki addressed the crowd, saying that "this isn't a bad deal, it's a God-awful deal, it must be rejected. Congress must do its job and stand up for the American people, stand up for our safety and say 'no' to this Iranian deal." Claiming that "we know what the outcome of this deal will be," Glick said that "our responsibility as free men and women is to stand up and ensure the security and continuity and strength and morality of the United States of America."

Attorney General Loretta Lynch Announces Full Federal Marriage Benefits Nationwide

"Following the Supreme Court’s historic decision in Obergefell that every couple has the same right to participate in the institution of marriage, whether the partners are of the same-sex or opposite sexes, I directed Justice Department staff to work with the agencies to ensure that the ruling be given full effect across the federal government. Thanks to their leadership and the quick work of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs, today I am proud to announce that the critical programs for veterans and elderly and disabled Americans, which previously could not give effect to the marriages of couples living in states that did not recognize those marriages, will now provide federal recognition for all marriages nationwide. The agencies are currently working towards providing guidance to implement this change in law.

"Just over a year ago, Attorney General Holder announced that agencies across the federal government had implemented the Supreme Court’s Windsor decision by treating married same-sex couples the same as married opposite-sex couples to the greatest extent possible under the law as it then stood. With the Supreme Court’s new ruling that the Constitution requires marriage equality, we have now taken the further step of ensuring that all federal benefits will be available equally to married couples in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US Territories. The department will continue to work across the administration to fulfill our commitment to equal treatment for all Americans, including equal access to the benefits of marriage that the Obergefell decision guarantees. - Attorney General Loretta Lynch, via White House press release.

Obama To Expand Overtime Coverage

Via USA Today:

The Obama administration is unveiling long-awaited new rules that would allow more workers to claim overtime pay. Currently, certain workers who make more than $23,660 cannot claim overtime; the new proposal would raise that threshold to $50,440 per year. "Right now, too many Americans are working long days for less pay than they deserve," President Obama writes in an op-ed for The Huffington Post. "That's partly because we've failed to update overtime regulations for years." The new Labor Department regulations would affect up to 5 million workers. Many workers who make more than $23,660 a year are exempted from overtime benefits because they are are designated as management or administrative personnel.

The National Retail Federation plans to fight the change.

Loretta Lynch Sworn In, Joins Twitter

US Embassy Celebrates Tel Aviv Pride

Tel Aviv Pride was yesterday and in the clip below US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro happily points out the gigantic rainbow flag adorning the US embassy.

Special US Envoy On LGBTI Rights Randy Berry To Begin Tour Of Latin America

Via White House press release:

Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry will travel to Chile from June 1 – 2, Argentina from June 3 – 4, Uruguay from June 4 – 5, Brazil from June 6 – 9, and the Dominican Republic from June 10 – 11 to discuss the human rights of LGBTI persons and other historically marginalized groups. During the 11 day visit, Special Envoy Berry will participate in LGBTI Pride Month activities and meet with government representatives, in addition to members of religious, business, academic, and civil society organizations.

Follow Berry on Twitter here. Below is his introduction clip.

Feds to Induct Gay Rights Pioneer Frank Kameny Into Labor Hall Of Honor

Via press release from the US Department of Labor:

Frank Kameny, who for decades fought to end discrimination in the federal workplace, will be honored by the U.S. Department of Labor in June with an induction to its Hall of Honor. Kameny's legacy as a civil rights leader has made a monumental difference in improving the lives of all workers all across America. A World War II veteran and Harvard-educated doctor of astronomy with the U.S. Army Map Service, Kameny was discharged and barred from federal government employment in 1958 after U.S. Civil Service Commission investigators asked if he was a homosexual.

Kameny fought the injustice, eventually taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied his petition in 1961. The setback led him to become a co-founder of the first gay rights organization in Washington, D.C., and began his tireless fight to force the nation's largest employer — the federal government — to end discrimination in its employment practices based on sexual orientation. "Frank Kameny was a groundbreaking leader in the LGBT civil rights movement. He fought tirelessly to live out his truth and to end workplace discrimination," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "At the Department of Labor we work every day to carry on his legacy and ensure that all workers, no matter who they are or who they love, have equal access to opportunity."

Kameny died at age 86 in 2011. Earlier Hall Of Honor inductees include Ted Kennedy, Bayard Rustin, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, and the 9/11 Rescue Workers. Kameny's ceremony will take place on June 23rd and the Labor Department suggests the Twitter hashtag #ThankFrank. (Tipped by JMG reader Jeremy)

Joe Biden Celebrates Ireland, Calls On More Nations To Improve LGBT Rights

Vice President Joe Biden today published an op-ed in the Advocate, the Washington Blade, and the Irish Times in which he celebrates Ireland's historic vote for same-sex marriage and calls on more nations to improve their own laws on LGBT rights. The White House provides us with the text:

Last weekend, more than 1.2 million Irish voters took a courageous stand for love and family when they overwhelmingly chose marriage equality. They recognized the fundamental truth that every person is entitled to dignity and respect, and that there can be no justification for the denigration or persecution of anyone because of who they love or who they are. I want to thank my good friends Taoiseach Enda Kenny, and Tanaiste Joan Burton, for their forceful leadership and eloquent advocacy on this critical issue.

I cannot improve upon the perfectly Irish statements they made following this historic vote, but I can echo the Taoiseach’s words when he described the Irish as “a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people,” and that their choice will be “heard loudly across the living world as a sound of pioneering leadership.” In 22 years, Ireland has gone from a nation where simply being LGBT was against the law. Now, it is a nation where the people resoundingly stand for equal rights.

And here in the United States, in just the past three years we’ve gone from six states recognizing marriage equality, to 37 states, comprising 224 million Americans. It’s about love. It’s about equality. It’s about dignity. It’s about our most cherished values. That’s what this is about – it’s all it’s ever been about.

There is still work to be done. There are still too many nations that deny people even the right to be safe from violence and severe discrimination, and too many states here in America that allow a person to be fired simply for being lesbian, gay, transgender or bisexual. But the progress is undeniable. As advocates in Ireland, the United States and around the world have proven time and again, where there’s passion and commitment, there is opportunity.

I continue to believe that in every corner of the world, people want to do the right thing. You should never underestimate the epiphanies that follow when a culture makes a breakthrough of conscience. But it takes leadership. It takes courageous individuals who are willing to step forward, to turn adversity into positive change, and to truly live the words of the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats: “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.”

US Denounces Gambian President Over Vow To "Slit The Throats" Of Gay Men

Several days ago Gambian President Yahya Jammeh vowed to "slit the throats" of gay men, adding, "If you are a man and want to marry another man in this country and we catch you, no one will ever set eyes on you again, and no white person can do anything about it." Yesterday US National Security Adviser Susan Rice denounced Jammeh.

“We condemn his comments, and note these threats come amid an alarming deterioration of the broader human rights situation in The Gambia,” Rice said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned about credible reports of torture, suspicious disappearances – including of two American citizens – and arbitrary detention at the government’s hands.” Rice made the remarks in a statement one day before the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia, saying the remarks from Gambia President Yahya Jammeh underscore the need for continued efforts “to seek a world in which no one lives in fear of violence or persecution because of who they are or whom they love.” Jemmeh, who’s been in power since 1994 and survived a coup attempt on December 30, issued a warning to gay men in the Wolof language during a recent rally in which he also threatened the political opposition, according to a translation of his remarks obtained by the international news agency Vice News.

In October 2014 Jammeh signed a bill which makes homosexual acts punishable by life in prison.

Bill Donohue: If Only All Christians Were Gay, Then Obama Would Have Their Back

"We know that President Obama is infinitely more sensitive to the concerns of Muslims than Christians. He cites Christians by name when he wants to blame them for some historical event, but he never mentions Muslims by name for their current slaughter of innocent Christians. His Secretary of State, John Kerry, is at one with him.

"Seven months ago, the Congress created a special envoy for religious minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia. The State Department job remains unfilled, and no one has been named to assume the post. By contrast, two months ago the State Department named Randy Berry, a homosexual who claims to be married, to the spanking new job as special envoy for the human rights of LGBT persons. Randy started two weeks ago.

"So why is it that the Middle East, which is home to the 21st century’s first genocide, commands less attention than the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons? Because the “religious minorities” that the special envoy post is supposed to address are mostly Christians. Too bad all Christians weren’t gay—then they would have a voice in the State Department." - Bill Donohue, writing for the Catholic League.

AG Eric Holder Lauds LGBT Triumphs In Goodbye Speech To Justice Department

Attorney General Eric Holder has left the building. But not before a press conference in which he righteously spiked the ball about the LGBT triumphs seen during his tenure. Moments ago the Department Of Justice joined in on Twitter by posting the above photo. Earlier today the DOJ posted the below recap of Holder's life and six years with the Obama administration. When the history books of this time in our movement are written, Eric Holder should have his own chapter. Maybe two.

Senate Finally Confirms Loretta Lynch

Cuba To Be Removed From Terrorism List

The Obama administration yesterday announced that Cuba will be removed from the list of nations that sponsor terrorism. Via the New York Times:

The decision to remove Cuba from the list is a crucial step in Mr. Obama’s effort to turn the page on a Cold War-era dispute. It followed a much-anticipated meeting between Mr. Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas meeting in Panama over the weekend, the first such formal session between the leaders of the two countries in more than a half-century. For more than 30 years, Cuba has been on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation shared only by Iran, Sudan and Syria. Cuba’s place on the list has long snarled its access to financial markets and, more recently, emerged as a sticking point in negotiations to reopen embassies that have officially been closed for five decades. Mr. Obama ordered a review of Cuba’s status in December, when he and Mr. Castro announced that their two nations had agreed to move toward normal relations.

As recently as two years ago the United States believed that Cuba harbored terrorists from Spain's Basque separatist movement and from Colombia's FARC guerrilla group. The Tea People, as always, are furious about the change in Cuba's status.

Quote Of The Day - Vivek Murthy

"Being gay is not a disorder. Being transgender is not a malady that requires a cure. Had I been Leelah Alcorn's physician, I would have told her exactly that. And that's the message I want other doctors, nurses, health professionals, and public health leaders to help get out to parents and children who may be confronting these issues." - Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, speaking today on a conference call about White House support for bans on "ex-gay" torture.

White House Posts YouTube Clip In Support Of "Ex-Gay" Torture Bans

Posted minutes ago to the official YouTube channel.

LGBT Groups Applaud Obama's Support For Laws That Ban "Ex-Gay" Torture

GLSEN

Studies conducted by major mental health organizations and personal testimony from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth have shown that conversion therapy can create dangerous and even life-threatening effects, including depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse and suicidal behavior. We are thrilled that President Obama will call for an end to the use of conversion therapy on minors. It is a harmful and discredited practice that uses rejection, shame and psychological abuse aimed at changing one’s sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Fifteen years ago, major medical, psychiatric and counseling associations rallied to GLSEN’s side to beat back attempts to force this insidious practice into our schools. We salute them for their pioneering stance and thank the President for his leadership in protecting youth from these damaging and misguided practices.

Truth Wins Out

"We are ecstatic that President Barack Obama spoke out against this harmful practice that psychologically terrorizes too many perfectly healthy LGBT youth and stigmatizes them as mentally ill,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “The President’s wise words gave momentum to efforts to prohibit fringe practitioners from traumatizing vulnerable LGBT adolescents and calling it therapy.” “President Obama’s expression of support shows that he really ‘gets it’ at a fundamental level,” said TWO’s Wayne Besen. “We are very fortunate to have a president who is dedicated to equality and ending the destructive practice of conversion therapy.”

Lambda Legal

In both California and New Jersey, Lambda Legal joined with regional and national organizations working with LGBT young people to advocate on behalf of the ultimately successful efforts in both states to enact legislation preventing licensed mental health providers from using therapies with minors that are demonstrably ineffective and can be deeply harmful, and we were part of the correspondingly successful efforts to defend these bans in court. We will continue to advocate on behalf of LGBT young people as other states likewise move to protect them from this preventable harm. These dangerous and damaging efforts to change sexual orientation and gender identity have wrecked lives. Tonight the President lent the full weight of his leadership to the work our community has been doing for years to protect young people and their families. He joins not only Lambda Legal and our sister organizations, but every leading medical and therapeutic organization, as they have unanimously and unequivocally recognized that LGBT people's identities should not be targeted for change.

BREAKING: White House Supports Bans On "Ex-Gay" Torture Of LGBT Youth

In December 2014 transgender teen Leelah Alcorn threw herself into traffic after writing a suicide note describing how her parents forced her to undergo "ex-gay" torture. Leelah's death brought national attention to "ex-gay" torture therapy and spawned a petition to the White House which demands a federal ban on such abuses. After receiving more than 120,000 signatures, tonight White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett responded on the petition site. An excerpt:

Conversion therapy generally refers to any practices by mental health providers that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.[1] Often, this practice is used on minors, who lack the legal authority to make their own medical and mental health decisions. We share your concern about its potentially devastating effects on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer youth.

When assessing the validity of conversion therapy, or other practices that seek to change an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation, it is as imperative to seek guidance from certified medical experts. The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm. As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.

Jarrett's message goes on to note that while a federal ban on "ex-gay" torture would require passage by Congress, the Obama administration would support such a bill.

Jarrett's response opens with this 2009 quote from President Obama:

“Tonight, somewhere in America, a young person, let's say a young man, will struggle to fall to sleep, wrestling alone with a secret he's held as long as he can remember. Soon, perhaps, he will decide it's time to let that secret out. What happens next depends on him, his family, as well as his friends and his teachers and his community. But it also depends on us -- on the kind of society we engender, the kind of future we build."

More from the New York Times:

In an interview on Wednesday, Ms. Jarrett said Mr. Obama was moved by the story of Ms. Alcorn’s suicide. But she said the problem went far beyond her. “It was tragic, but I will tell you, unfortunately she has a lot of company,” Ms. Jarrett said. “It’s not the story of one young person. It is the story of countless young people who have been subjected to this.” Mr. Obama will not explicitly call for a federal law banning therapists from using such therapies on their patients, but he is open to conversations with lawmakers in both parties, White House officials said on Wednesday. Instead, he will throw his support behind the efforts to ban the practice at the state level.

Obama's Executive Order On LGBT Workplace Discrimination Goes Into Effect

From the blog of the Labor Department Secretary Tom Perez:

Today, President Obama’s Executive Order on LGBT Workplace Discrimination goes into effect. It prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Because of this Executive Order, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people employed by federal contractors across the country will now receive new legal protections designed to ensure they are judged by the quality of their work, not who they are or whom they love.

As I said when the executive order was announced, this is a civil rights victory consistent with our founding principles. It will mean a more dynamic and inclusive workforce that captures the talents of more of our people. It advances the principle that we should be leaving no one on the sidelines, that America is strongest when it fields a full team.

Each year, federal contractors and subcontractors receive billions of taxpayer dollars to supply goods, provide services and perform construction work for government agencies. In return, they are held to a reasonable standard that they may not discriminate in hiring, firing, pay, promotion and other employment practices. Until today, it was discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability and status as a protected veteran that was prohibited. Now, in the first expansion since 1974, LGBT Americans enjoy these same protections.

Read the full announcement.

White House Slams Indiana

Justin Snow reports at Metro Weekly:

The White House voiced concerns Friday over a new religious freedom law in Indiana that could allow discrimination against LGBT people. White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed into law yesterday by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) has raised legitimate concerns among companies reconsidering doing business in the state and is not a step toward equality for all Americans.

“I have seen that there are a number of private businesses and nonprofit organizations that have said that the signing of this law prompts them to reconsider doing business in the state of Indiana,” Earnest said. “All those business and some of those who are considering having conventions in Indiana have raised concerns about whether all of their employees can count on being treated fairly in Indiana.

“I think that is a testament to the kind of reaction I think a lot of people all across the country had, which is that the signing of the bill doesn’t seem like it’s a step in the direction of equality and justice and liberty for all Americans. Again, that’s not just the view of the administration, I know that’s the view of the Republican mayor of Indianapolis and a whole host of nonprofit and private sector companies who have legitimate concerns about the impact of this legislation.”

It appears that this is first time that the Obama administration has spoken out on the recent wave of anti-LGBT legislation.

Federal Court Blocks Medical Leave For Married Gay Couples In Four States

Last night a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against a recently-issued Labor Department policy that grants family medical leave benefits to married same-sex couples in states that forbid same-sex marriage. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade:

In a 24-page decision, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, an appointee of George W. Bush, issued the preliminary injunction based on the threat of irreparable harm to Texas, which filed the lawsuit against the regulation. “The Court finds that Plaintiffs have demonstrated that irreparable injury would occur,” O’Connor writes. “For example, the Final Rule would require Texas agencies to recognize out-of-state same-sex unions as marriages in violation of Texas Family Code § 6.204(c)(2), which expressly prohibits state agencies from ‘giving effect to a . . . right or claim to any legal protection, benefit, or responsibility asserted as a result of a marriage between persons of the same sex or a civil union in this state or in any other jurisdiction.’…Defendants’ argument that the Final Rule only affects the states in their capacity as employers does not take into account the clear and expansive language of the text. Accordingly, Plaintiffs have met their burden under this factor.”

The suit was filed last week by Texas AG Ken Paxton and was followed by thrilled press releases from anti-gay hate groups. Yesterday Louisiana AG Buddy Caldwell announced that he had joined the suit. Read the ruling.