civil rights - In year of firsts, Virginia’s Roem and transgender advocates see progress

Ryan Persaud
WTOP

Credit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMg8kUrnMk

please press:  wtop.com

North Carolina - A year after the HB2 repeal, NC transgender students battle discrimination

Danielle Chemtob
The Daily Tar Heel

Sir Walter Raleigh, looking fabulous

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Sir_Walter_Raleigh_Statue_LGBT_Rights.JPG

please press:  www.dailytarheel.com

lead story - Pakistan Passes Historic Transgender Rights Bill

Sasha Ingber
NPR

satellite view of Pakistan

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Indus.A2002274.0610.1km.jpg

please press:  www.npr.org

Donald Trump - WILL DONALD TRUMP PUT RUDY OUT OF HIS MISERY?

Tina Nguyen
Vanity Fair

Credit:  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9f6Kc3WFsTVoaGDD5x2omDa0NEM6IiNCzuYfiI_8vyGlJ8o6u_u9JOUbyc4w7-IKMfhkX10lY9Qt9sKA0QlTg0L5qzkMG1Vf-fAO65PLBwBvu7RawZR0jL5MxxAbpl5qusGESYNmMQZc/s1600/rudy's-nine-eleven-420.jpg

please press:  www.vanityfair.com

Nigeria - Watch trailer for new Nigerian gay-themed movie

Chidumga Izuzu
pulse.ng

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Nigeria_linguistic_1979.jpg

please press:  www.pulse.ng 

civil rights - Diana Tourjee is the GLAAD Award-Winning Trans Journalist America Needs

Chris Thomas
Out

Credit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHeS0sLlKWs&list=PLDC2TClXeBRCMfAbO34ULKg_OuGygGOyn

please press:  www.out.com

California - California voter guide contains vile anti-trans screed

Trudy Ring
Advocate

Credit:  https://i.pinimg.com/originals/75/da/86/75da86618948fb7a09cab8089a4562ee.jpg

please press:  www.advocate.com

ezs note: Californians - Look, I don't give a flying fart if you vote for Mickey Mouse - just DON'T vote for Trump lovin' Don J. Grundmann.  He's a lunatic.  He's a fraud.  Just like someone else we know...

lead story - Britain’s Appalling Transgender ‘Debate’

Jennifer Finney Boylan
The New York Times

London (Westminster), UK

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Hdr_parliament.jpg

please press:  www.nytimes.com

Donald Trump - McCain doesn't want Trump at funeral, friends tell White House

Rebecca Shabad
NBC News

Credit:  https://i.pinimg.com/originals/df/d3/21/dfd32164d52764daf835a31d4f802a9c.jpg

please press:  www.nbcnews.com

Australia - Deloitte LGBTI Leaders List highlights the work still to be done

David Simmons
Business News Australia

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Deloitte_Logo.png

please press:  www.businessnewsaus.com.au

civil rights - Civil rights groups wary of Trump's latest faith-based initiative

Julie Moreau
NBC

Credit:  http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/8250f3560cf8dddd6eda5be63aa4f2b5b907bcf8/c=0-23-4098-3104&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/2015/09/19/Phoenix/Phoenix/635782295754687840-bensonCOLORAA--Trump-and-Pope-09-20-15-copy.jpg

please press:  www.nbcnews.com

Louisiana - Louisiana House rejects effort to study issues of incarcerated women

Mark Ballard
The Advocate

The Cowardly Lion

(currently 'serving' in the Louisiana House)

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/The_Wizard_of_Oz_Bert_Lahr_1939.jpg

please press:  www.theadvocate.com

lead story - Another Transgender Woman Killed in Pakistan

Saroop Ijaj
Human Rights Watch

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Murder_Rio.JPG

 please press:  www.hrw.org

Donald Trump - Oliver North and the Creation of Donald Trump

Jonathan Chait
New York

Oliver North

Credit:  https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/americandad/images/8/86/Ollie_north%27.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100326224723

please press:  nymag.com

UK - Labour: Row over inclusion of trans women in all-women shortlists

Press
BBC

old Labour Party symbol (UK)

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Oldlabour2.png

please press:  www.bbc.com

civil rights - Healthcare Difficulties Persist for Transgender Americans, Despite Increased Insurance Access

Brad Kutner
WVTF

Christine McGinn, MD

Credit:  https://transfigurations.org.uk/stories/mcginn.jpg

please press:  wvtf.org

Virginia - Danica Roem to Speak at Democrats' LGBTQ Gala

Trudy Ring
Advocate

Del. Danica Roem

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/2017.07.26_Protest_Trans_Military_Ban%2C_White_House%2C_Washington_DC_USA_7684_%2836056856301%29_%28cropped%29.jpg

please press:  

lead story - Kim Petras Wants You To Concentrate On Her Music, Not Her Transgender Identity

Noah Michaelson
HuffPost

Bubblegum pop (music genre) 

Credit:  http://www.sunriseyoga.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/chewinggum.png

please press:  www.huffingtonpost.com

Donald Trump - Rudy Giuliani: Cohen might have paid other women for Trump 'if necessary'

Veronica Stracqualursi
CNN

a bevy of Trump's beauties

('winner' gets a blindfold so she doesn't have to look at him)

Credit:  http://www.idontgetit.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/photo-beauty-contests.jpeg

please press:  www.cnn.com   

Switzerland - As countries tighten transgender protections, will Switzerland follow?

Jessica Davis Plüss
swissinfo.ch

Gotthard Rail Tunnel, Switzerland (1882)

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Gotthard_Er%C3%B6ffnungszug_Bellinzona.jpg 

please press:  www.swissinfo.ch

civil rights - Letter of Concern on the Nomination of Sharon Gustafson to Serve as General Counsel of the EEOC

Ma'ayan Anafi
The Leadership Conference

Credit:  http://epmgaa.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2014/05/14/he_Leadership_Conference_on_Civil_and_Human_Rights_t750x550.jpg?d885fc46c41745b3b5de550c70336c1b382931d2

please press:  civilrights.org

Maryland - UMD’s Health Center is fighting back against Trump’s anti-LGBT agenda

Nate Rogers
The Diamondback

University of Maryland

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Glenn_L._Martin_Institute_of_Technology_at_UMCP%2C_2007.jpg

please press:  www.dbknews.com

main story - Transgender mayor ousted in small Collin County town election

Lauren McGaughy
The Dallas Morning News

Credit:  https://www.dmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/new-hope-texas-town.jpg

please press:  www.dallasnews.com

China - Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

Javier C. Hernández, Zoe Mou
The New York Times

Terracotta Army, China (abt. 210 BCE)

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Terracotta_pmorgan.jpg

please press:  www.nytimes.com

civil rights - El Cajon Gym Sued Over Alleged Discrimination Against Transgender Woman

Toni McAllister
Times of San Diego

El Cajon, CA

Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/El_cajon.jpg

please press:  timesofsandiego.com

Missouri - West Middle School hosts its first TEDx talks

Roger McKinney
Columbia Daily Tribune

Totality of solar eclipse as seen from Columbia, MO

(August 22, 2017)

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Total_solar_eclipse_as_seen_from_Columbia%2C_MO.png

please press:  www.columbiatribune.com

lead story - Laverne Cox: ‘Planned Parenthood Is A Welcoming Place For Transgender People’

Alanna Vagianos
HuffPost

Laverne Cox

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Laverne_Cox_by_Sachyn_Mital_cropped.jpg

please press:  www.huffingtonpost.com

Tulare, California

estimated transgender population:  364*
(rounded down)

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/Veterans_Memorial_Building_Tulare%2C_CA.jpg

ezs note:  Among its many honors, Tulare, California has the distinct honor of Honorable Mention in the California Sustainability Index.  Congratulations, Tulare!  Next time, I'm sure you'll get the big prize!

*Credit:  http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/How-Many-Adults-Identify-as-Transgender-in-the-United-States.pdf  

Donald Trump - Why is Trump surrounded by cocky, unqualified and kooky men?

Richard Wolffe
The Guardian

Credit:  https://logicfreezone.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/trump-relatable.jpg

please press:  www.theguardian.com

Lebanon - Gay rights come to the fore as Lebanon prepares to vote

Tamara Qiblawi
CNN

Kadisha (Qadisha) Valley, Lebanon

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Qadisha.jpg

please press: www.cnn.com

civil rights - Polling Transgender Politics: Civil Rights on Mass. Ballot this November, We Deserve Better

Nicole Lashomb
Rainbow Times

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Respect_and_Equality_for_All_Trans_People_%284764133272%29_%282%29.jpg

please press:  www.therainbowtimesmass.com

Colorado - State Senate renews Colorado Civil Rights Commission

Peter Roper
The Pueblo Chieftain

Colorado Senate Chamber

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/ColoradoStateCapitolSenateChamber_gobeirne.jpg

please press:  www.chieftain.com

lead story - How Dallas became the headquarters for the black transgender community

Lauren McGaughy
The Dallas Morning News

Dallas County Courthouse

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Dallas_County_Courthouse_-_Old_Red.jpg

please press:  www.dallasnews.com   

Donald Trump - Trump Adds Clinton Impeachment Lawyer, Bracing for a Fight on Multiple Fronts

Matt Apuzzo, Michael S. Schmidt
The New York Times

Credit:  https://canitellyouthetruth.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/hand-caught-in-cookie-jar1.jpg

please press:  www.nytimes.com

ezs note:  Here's a priceless gem from the article by Apuzzo and Schmidt in The New York Times:  

Mr. Flood is arriving from the Washington law firm Williams & Connolly, which specializes in trial work, particularly in high-profile cases. Among its clients are Hillary Clinton, who relied on the firm during the F.B.I. investigation into her use of a private email server.  (italics mine)

To my conservative friends:  Uh, when he was campaigning, didn't Trump say he would never sully his fingers the same way 'Crooked Hillary' did?  Oh, well, so it goes.  And so Trump lies, lies, lies.  

Malawi - Malawi police arrest man suspected of being gay in Mzuzu, charged with 'gross indecency'

Judith Moyo
Nyasa Times

Malawi team

Credit:  https://i0.wp.com/sportsmalawi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Champs-Bullets.jpg

please press:  

civil rights - New Hampshire’s legislature just passed a bipartisan bill protecting transgender people

German Lopez
Vox

Credit:  https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9d/b2/0c/9db20c22de869d9014e8de3c4f7dee14.jpg

please press:  www.vox.com

Texas - Alleged 'gay panic defense' in Texas murder trial stuns advocates

Julie Compton
NBC News

Credit:  http://jaysays.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/gaypanic.png

please press:  www.nbcnews.com

lead story - Transgender woman 'raped at men's prison' hours after judge blocked move

Tom Barnes
Independent

Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility

Cañon City, CO

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Deputy_Warden%27s_House.JPG

please press:  www.independent.co.uk

Donald Trump - Yes, Donald Trump Is Making White People More Hateful

Joshua Holland
The Nation.

Credit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWBPzbckuWs

please press:  www.thenation.com

Indonesia - Indonesian man and transgender woman could be caned 100 times for ‘having gay sex’

Josh Jackman
Pink News

Aceh province, Indonesia

please press:  www.pinknews.co.uk  

civil rights - “I Structured My Entire Life Around Serving My Country”

Mark Joseph Stern
Slate

Credit:  https://media.defense.gov/2013/May/13/2000050463/-1/-1/0/130508-F-VP913-003.JPG

please press:  slate.com

Indiana - COLUMN: "A Fantastic Woman" is anything but

Chris Forrester
IDS

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/A_Fantastic_Woman.png

please press:  www.idsnews.com

lead story - New documents suggest Trump administration rigged military panel on transgender ban

Zack Ford
ThinkProgress

US House of Representatives

Credit:  http://www.absolutely-unbelievable.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/congress-furlough.jpg

please press:  thinkprogress.org

Donald Trump - President Trump lied more than 3,000 times in 466 days

Chris Cillizza
CNN

Credit:  http://ocdlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/liar.jpg

please press:  www.cnn.com

Turkey - Turkish fashion industry begins to flourish, opens up to transgender community

Staff
Al-Arabiya

Istanbul, Turkey

Credit:  http://javancamp.com/img/mf/2013/09/%D8%AA%D8%B1%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%84-3.jpg

please press:  english.alarabiya.net

civil rights - Trump’s War on Trans Americans Is About to Face a Counterattack

Mark Joseph Stern
Slate

Credit:  http://www.westsidespirit.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=NP&Date=20170727&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=170729941&Ref=AR?q=100

please press:  slate.com

Rhode Island - Transgender advocates protest ‘transphobic lecture’ at St Pius V Church in Providence

Steve Ahlquist
UpriseRI

Providence, RI

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Textronside_from_college_hill.jpg

please press:  upriseri.com

lead story - Transgender patients sue Wisconsin for not covering their surgeries

Avery Anapol
The Hill

Credit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQsMD9JKWL8

please press:  thehill.com

Donald Trump - The 57 most outlandish, outrageous and offensive lines from Trump's Michigan rally

Chris Cillizza
CNN

Credit:  http://blogforarizona.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Cartoon_44.jpg

please press:  www.cnn.com

Brazil - Out and Equal attends LGBT tourism, diversity conference in Brazil

Felipe Alface
Washington Blade

São Paulo, Brazil

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Passagem_da_Tocha_Ol%C3%ADmpica_em_SP_%2828605512140%29.jpg

please press:  www.washingtonblade.com