Latest LGBTQ+ News Stories from the month of August

In the month of August, there have been two important wins regarding the LGBTQ+ community in the news. That’s why I urge everyone to vote by either by mail or at the polls. No one should choose between making their voices heard and risking their own health. Three months ago, the Supreme Court ruled that lesbian, gay, and transgender people are protected from workplace discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Here’s a date for everyone to remember: November 4. Why is that day important, you ask? It’s because the day after the presidential election is over, the Supreme Court will decide if a Catholic agency based out of Pennsylvania can reject same-sex parents from adopting children. Here are a couple of recent news stories you might have not been aware of.

A historic win for Gavin Grimm

Last Wednesday, a Virginia federal appeals court sided with Gavin Grimm in a bathroom case after a five year battle over restroom policies. They ruled that Grimm is protected under a federal law barring sex discrimination in education. Grimm, who’s now a college student, sued Gloucester County in 2015 when he was a sophomore and denied access to the boys’ restrooms.

Two-year-old is granted U.S. citizenship

On August 28, a federal court in Atlanta ruled that a two-year-old girl born in England through a surrogate is a U.S. citizen, defying the Trump administration’s state department. Simone Mize-Gregg was born in 2018 in London. Her parents, Derek Mize and Jonathan Gregg, both American citizens, were married three years earlier. While preparing their 2019 taxes, the couple needed to a social security number in order to claim their daughter as a dependent. Previously, she was denied U.S. citizenship because her birth was out of wedlock and her biological parents weren’t married. It’s unclear if the State Department will appeal the ruling.

The presidential election is about two months away. Re-electing President Trump will put LGBTQ+ people and rights at risk and in danger. Not only that, but overturn the marriage equality ruling from 2015 and implement discriminatory legislation. He’s not the right person to lead this country. It’s important that everyone votes either by mail or in person at the polls. Support candidates and politicians on social media who are on the right side of history. Your voice matters, important, and is needed. Just because these two important rulings have been victorious for both individuals mentioned in this story, it doesn’t mean our work is done. We won’t stop until all LGBTQ+ people are protected from discrimination of all form, treated equally, and with respect. Too many of them are dying and/or harassed on a regular basis. Love conquers over hate every time.

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