It is entirely possible that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is deliberately taking a page from Bonnie Raitt, to “give them something to talk about,” but from reaction to the campaign’s new Trump-Pence logo, it’s probably unlikely.
After news broke yesterday that the relatively unknown Gov. Mike Pence had been tapped as the billionaire mogul’s running mate, the Internet was flush with blog posts, Facebook posts and tweets examining Pence’s record on a host of issues (he’s notoriously anti-LGBT).
And then, the Trump campaign released its official logo, with an unfortunately-placed “T” and “P,” and all hell broke loose.
And still others pointed out that the logo is a bit homoerotic — ironic considering the flak that both Trump and Pence have received from some LGBT groups.
Christian reality TV star Susie Meister had the best rejoinder, referencing Pence’s support for Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That act, signed into law by Pence, allows people to refuse goods and services to LGBT people or same-sex couples if their religious beliefs oppose homosexuality.
Let's hope the new Trump Pence logo doesn't expect an evangelical baker to make it a cake
The U.S. Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into Smith College, accusing the all-women's school in Northampton, Massachusetts, of violating federal laws against sex-based discrimination by allowing transgender women to enroll.
The investigation marks the first time the Trump administration has targeted school admissions policies as part of its broader crackdown on transgender rights. Previously, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights had focused primarily on transgender athletes competing on female sports teams and transgender restroom access.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has proposed a new rule that would allow federally funded shelters and temporary housing providers to discriminate based on gender.
Under the proposal, homeless shelters and other housing providers could bar transgender people from single-sex facilities that do not match their assigned sex at birth.
The rule removes all references to "gender" and "gender identity" from HUD regulations, replacing them with "sex," as defined by an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last year. The order states that federal agencies will recognize only a person's assigned sex at birth on government-issued documents and for purposes of accessing government services or housing options.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke, of the U.S. District Court of Oregon, issued a preliminary injunction on April 29 blocking the placement of transgender women in men's prisons and ordering the Oregon Department of Corrections to conduct individualized safety assessments for transgender inmates -- directly conflicting with President Donald Trump's executive order requiring inmates to be housed according to their assigned sex at birth.
The case stems from a class-action lawsuit brought by two prisoners on behalf of current and future transgender inmates, accusing the state of failing to protect transgender women from sexual and physical violence by housing them in men's prisons.
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