Tag Archives: Ghana

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: November 1, 2019

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: November 1, 2019

NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW — U.S. HOUSE PASSES RESOLUTION TO FORMALIZE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO TRUMP: The House voted Thursday 232-196 to adopt the resolution. “We come here to do the work, make the future better for our children, for America’s future,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) told reporters. “We take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and that’s what we cannot ignore and will not ignore when the president’s behavior indicates that that investigation, that inquiry, is necessary.” More from NPR.  

No one is above the law, including the President. This is an important step in the impeachment inquiry of serious allegations of conduct that compromises national security, the constitutional process, and the integrity of our electoral framework. t.co/CvsZMWKGkB

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) October 31, 2019

2,000+ PARENTS AND ADVOCATES SIGN LETTER SUPPORTING TRANS YOUTH AMID DANGEROUS RHETORIC IN TEXAS: Following abhorrent anti-trans remarks from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the Human Rights Campaign and 2,000+ parents, families and advocates joined an open letter to Sen. Cruz, condemning his harmful language and supporting the rights of trans youth to access medically recommended care. In the letter, they write: “As parents of transgender and non-binary children, we’ve become all-too-familiar with the danger that can come if a child is unable to express their deeply-held gender identity…the nation’s leading medical organizations…have made clear that access to gender-affirming care is essential to well-being.” More from the Dallas Morning News.

  •  Stand united for transgender children — parents/caregivers of transgender and non-binary children interested can sign onto the letter here

FRIDAY FEATURE — MOTHER JONES GOES INSIDE SHEILA BYNUM-COLEMAN’S CAMPAIGN TO UNSEAT ANTI-LGBTQ VA HOUSE SPEAKER KIRK COX: “I’m running against the most powerful Republican in the state of Virginia, and this election is going to impact people’s lives,” said Bynum-Coleman (@sheilaforva). “When I knock on people’s doors and they tell me they need me to win, that’s not something I take lightly. That’s big to me.” More from Matt Cohen (@Matt_D_Cohen) at Mother Jones

HRC HONORS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH 2019: As communities across the U.S. gather to honor Native American Heritage Month, we must center the lives and stories of LGBTQ and two-spirit Native American people at the heart of our movement. More from HRC

HRC MARKS NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH TO SUPPORT LGBTQ YOUTH: National Adoption Month is a nationwide initiative to raise awareness about the need for permanent families for children and youth awaiting adoption in the U.S. foster care system. More from HRC

THREE THINGS LGBTQ PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW AS ACA OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGINS TODAY: The open enrollment period for 2020 health insurance through the Affordable Care Act runs through December 15. More from HRC

GET CULTURED – Entertainment, arts and sports news!

VIDA’S TANYA SARACHO (@TanyaSaracho) & POSE’S MJ RODRIGUEZ  (@MjRodriguez7) ON CHANGING THE LGBTQ NARRATIVE IN MEDIA: “Immigrant and brown members of the LGBTQIA+ community have often been left out of not only the celebrations, of the commissions, but of the narrative in the media, in the industry, in this country. Of me being up here, I think the tide is changing,” Saracho told Variety. More from Variety.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

ANTI-LGBTQ U.S. ACTIVISTS ORGANIZE CONFERENCE IN GHANA: This week, the World Congress of Families is holding a regional conference in Accra, Ghana, where U.S. anti-LGBTQ activists will advance their dangerous vision of the so-called “natural family.HRC condemns efforts by the World Congress of Families to further endanger LGBTQ people, women and others in Ghana and throughout the world. More from HRC.

UGANDAN DOCTOR UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR ALLEGED ASSAULT OF LGBTQ PATIENT: Members of the Ugandan LGBTQ community say they risk physical attacks in their daily lives, particularly in the context of a recent spate of targeted murders and other violence in the country, and routinely encounter harassment and prejudice in employment, housing and healthcare. More from The Guardian

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
The Advocate shares a thoughtful piece on lessons a gay dad learned from being a parent

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

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Anti-LGBTQ U.S. Activists Organize Conference in Ghana

Anti-LGBTQ U.S. Activists Organize Conference in Ghana

Post submitted by HRC Global Senior Manager Taylor N. T. Brown

This week, the World Congress of Families will hold a regional conference in Accra, Ghana, where U.S. anti-LGBTQ activists will advance their dangerous vision of the so-called “natural family.” As a part of these efforts, the World Congress of Families plans to advocate for adoption of public policies supporting so-called “conversion therapy” and an understanding of LGBTQ people as “deviant,” while attacking sex education and women’s rights in Ghana. Through this work, the World Congress of Families continues its campaign to export hate and thwart the work of local advocates to end violence and discrimation against LGBTQ people across West Africa.

The World Congress of Families is an anti-LGBTQ organization based in the U.S. with strong ties to the religious right. The organization, designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, promotes a disturbing and radically distorted depiction of LGBTQ people. It has a long history of exporting its anti-LGBTQ narrative to many parts of Africa, often by framing LGBTQ people and the protection of their human rights as somehow foreign and un-African, a fundamentally inaccurate characterization.

In 2015, HRC published a report exposing the World Congress of Families past anti-LGBTQ efforts over the years. In Russia, the World Congress of Families pushed adoption of the so called “Gay Propaganda” Law and promoted similar laws in Lithuania and other countries. Across Africa, the World Congress of Families enabled and promoted legislation to further criminalize LGBTQ people, including in Nigeria and Uganda.

At this week’s conference in Ghana, some of the World Congress of Families’ most prominent U.S. figures will take the stage, including:

  • Sharon Slater, President of Family Watch International: Slater has spread the horrific depiction of LGBTQ people as pre-disposed to committing crimes against children. In 2012, she called on activists in Nigeria to oppose efforts by international institutions to support the decriminalization of LGBTQ people. In 2019, Slater characterized sex education as an attack on family values.
  • Brian Brown, President of the World Congress of Families: Brown has long organized against LGBTQ communities, promoted harmful laws and emboldened other hate groups and extremists. Recently, Brown boasted about his close relationship with autocratic Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and met with activists in Tbilisi, Georgia, to praise their confrontations with LGBTQ people.

HRC condemns efforts by the World Congress of Families to further endanger LGBTQ people, women and others in Ghana and throughout the world. We urge allies to help us shine a spotlight on the group’s hateful agenda and hold the World Congress of Families accountable by sharing news on social media about the group’s harmful messages and amplifying the positive work of local LGBTQ communities and their allies.

For more information about HRC’s work around the world, visit hrc.org/Global.

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