Four Major Employers Join 40 Others Opposing State-Based Anti-Transgender Legislation

Four Major Employers Join 40 Others Opposing State-Based Anti-Transgender Legislation

Written by: 

Nick Morrow, [email protected], 865-386-8244
Angela Dallara, [email protected], 646-430-3925

On the eve of Idaho potentially becoming the first state in the nation this year to pass a law specifically targeting transgender people, Chobani, GoDaddy, Hewlett Packard Inc. and Verizon today joined more than 40 major employers in a previously released open letter, calling for lawmakers in states across the country to oppose bills that target LGBTQ people, and transgender children in particular. These business leaders stress the importance of fairness and opportunity for their customers, their employees and their employees’ families. This letter was released earlier this month, but has been updated with these new, additional business signers.

The signers note, “We are deeply concerned by the bills being introduced in state houses across the country that single out LGBTQ individuals – many specifically targeting transgender youth – for exclusion or differential treatment. Laws that would affect access to medical care for transgender people, parental rights, social and family services, student sports, or access to public facilities such as restrooms, unnecessarily and uncharitably single out already marginalized groups for additional disadvantage. They seek to put the authority of state government behind discrimination and promote mistreatment of a targeted LBGTQ population.”

“Businesses succeed when they are innovative, welcoming and open to all,” said Alphonso David, President of the Human Rights Campaign. “Harmful legislation —  especially the torrent of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country —  deeply affect businesses’ ability to recruit and provide opportunities to their customers and employees. Right now, we are asking Governor Little of Idaho to veto two anti-transgender bills, which were — amid this global pandemic — shockingly considered and passed by the legislature. This type of legislation would harm transgender people in Idaho, and affect the state’s reputation and ability to recruit and retain talent and investment. There is widespread corporate and public opposition to anti-LGBTQ legislation. It’s simple: businesses and voters writ large do not want anti-LGBTQ discrimination in their states and communities, particularly in these trying times.”

“America’s business community has consistently taken a strong stand opposing legislation that discriminates against LGBTQ workers and customers,” said Kasey Suffredini, Freedom for All Americans CEO and National Campaign Director. “Business leaders understand that discrimination is bad for business, and their economic competitiveness relies on fair and inclusive work environments for their employees. This is more important than ever in the midst of a national public health crisis that is threatening millions of Americans’ economic security. In this moment, state lawmakers should be focused on passing laws to protect Americans’ livelihoods, not threatening to pass laws that discriminate, jeopardizing future state economic development and risking driving business away. We’re proud of the business leaders who signed this letter. They know how important it is for them to speak up when their team members and their families are threatened by misguided policies.”

The letter was released by America Competes (a program of Freedom for All Americans) and the Human Rights Campaign. Here is a full list of companies that have signed on to the letter: 

AEO Inc.

Airbnb

Amalgamated Bank

Amazon

American Airlines

Apple

Asana, Inc.

AT&T

Bayer US LLC

Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc.

Boehringer Ingelheim USA

Capital One

Corning Incorporated

Chobani 

CSAA Insurance Group

Dow Inc.

Dropbox Inc.

Eastern Bank

Google

GoDaddy

Hewlett Packard Inc.

Hilton

IBM

IKEA North America Services, LLC

Instacart

Levi Strauss & Co.

Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

Lyft, Inc.

Marriott International, Inc.

MassMutual

Microsoft

Mobilize

Nike, Inc.

PayPal

Salesforce

SunLife

Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, including member companies Danone North America; Mars, Incorporated; Nestlé USA; and Unilever United States

TechNet

Trillium Asset Management

Uber

Unilever United States

Verizon

www.hrc.org/blog/four-major-employers-join-40-others-opposing-state-based-anti-transgender-l?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

FDA “continuing to reevaluate” ban on blood from gay men, bisexual men, and other LGBTQ people as senators and celebrities join GLAAD in calling for an end to the ban

FDA “continuing to reevaluate” ban on blood from gay men, bisexual men, and other LGBTQ people as senators and celebrities join GLAAD in calling for an end to the ban

Shutterstock

On Friday, GLAAD responded to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after it has stated that it will not be lifting the ban on gay men, bisexual men, and other LGBTQ people from donating blood during the COVID-19 crisis.

In a statement to the Washington Blade last week, a spokesperson from the FDA stated: “At this time, FDA’s recommendations regarding blood donor deferral for men who have sex with men have not changed, but we will continue to reevaluate the situation as the outbreak progresses.”

The spokesperson continued, “FDA is aware there has been a dramatic reduction in blood and plasma donations around the country. The agency is working with the blood banking and source plasma industries to encourage healthy people who wish to help to donate blood. People who donate blood are like those people working in a critical infrastructure industry.”

“As the U.S. Surgeon General expresses clear urgency for Americans to donate blood, the FDA is choosing to uphold a laughable and discriminatory policy that hinders so many healthy Americans from doing so,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “There are thousands of healthy gay and bisexual men, as well as other LGBTQ people that this policy affects, who are willing and wanting to donate blood during this time. By relying on stigma rather than science, the FDA is not just harming members of the LGBTQ community, but all Americans.”

On Thursday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin led a group of Senators, including Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and more, in releasing a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn that raises concerns about the FDA’s discriminatory blood donation policies and urges the administration to make the necessary changes to help save lives.

In the letter, the Senators write: “We write to express our concern with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) discriminatory blood donor deferral policy for men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly in the midst of a nationwide shortage of donated blood and blood products spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. We must take every possible step to secure our nation’s blood supply in this critical time, and in order to do so, we need to shift away from antiquated and stigmatizing donation policies to ones that are scientifically sound, based on individual risk, and inclusive of all potential healthy blood donors.”

The Senators conclude, “In light of this shortage, we urge you to swiftly update blood donor deferral policies in favor of ones that are grounded in science, are based on individual risk factors, do not unfairly single out one group of individuals, and allow all healthy Americans to donate. We strongly encourage you to consider this critical solution as you work to develop a comprehensive response to the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure that Americans have access to life-saving blood transfusions.”

Read the full letter here.

Last week, GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis spoke out about the ban following the White House Coronavirus Task Force press conference, in which U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams urged healthy Americans to give blood during the COVID-19 crisis.

The antiquated ban that still prevents gay and bisexual men, and men who have sex with men from donating blood must be immediately lifted by the @US_FDA. t.co/cPpHLEbTAF

— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) March 19, 2020

Last week, GLAAD also launched a petition urging the FDA to lift the ban, which has now garnered over 10,000 signatures. Celebrities Sam Smith and Michelle Visage both helped to share GLAAD’s petition on social media. Click here to sign the petition.

As it currently stands, the FDA enforces that men who have sex with men cannot donate blood unless they have abstained from sex for 12 months. This policy also affects other members of the LGBTQ population, as well as women who have sex with men who have sex with men.

Leading medical organizations have debunked the ban for years. The American Public Health Association has stated that the current ban “is not based in science but appears to be modeled after other countries’ choices and fears.” The American Red Cross has also spoken out, noting that “blood donation eligibility should not be determined by methods that are based upon sexual orientation.”

A 2014 study by the Williams Institute estimated that if the ban were to be lifted, an additional 360,000 men would likely donate, which could help save the lives of more than a million people.

March 27, 2020

www.glaad.org/blog/fda-continuing-reevaluate-ban-blood-gay-men-bisexual-men-and-other-lgbtq-people-senators-and

Grindr sale finalized for $600 million

Grindr sale finalized for $600 million

Earlier this month we reported that Kunlun Tech, the Chinese gaming company that’s owned Grindr since 2016, would sell the popular gay dating app in the near future, with the sale price said to be set at a staggering $608.5 million. (We’d love to know how they negotiated that last $500k, because $608 million is clearly not enough.)

Well, that future is now! Forbes reported Thursday that the deal has gone through.

The move came just four years after Kunlun bought the app from its original creator, Joel Simkhai. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a government watchdog group, ordered Kunlun to sell off a majority stake in the company last year. With various apps and social media sites under increased scrutiny for sharing user information, the US government deemed Grindr a security threat with the potential to share all kinds of private information including HIV status, personal messages and photos, and sexual orientation.

Related: New report uncovers more bad news for Grindr… and its users

The identities of the buyers remain unknown — come on guys, no pic no chat — though sources told Reuters one of the investors is James Lu, a Chinese tech mogul. Lu has not commented on the possible sale.

A company called San Vicente Acquisition Partners was set up to make the purchase and allow the buyers to stay anonymous.

Grindr sports more than 4.5 million users and posted record-high revenue in 2019. Nevertheless, the app has come under fire for numerous allegations, including racial insensitivity, leaking user information, and not doing enough to prevent catfishing or other harassment of users.

www.queerty.com/grindr-sale-finalized-600-million-20200327?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29