By:  Susan Oser
NFBPWC Advocacy Team LGBTQIA+ Lead

Organization of the Month: One Pulse Foundation

Why highlight?

The organization was created in honor of the victims of a terrible tragedy that occurred on June 12, 2016 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. 49 people were killed and at least 53 were wounded. It is a community of people whose purpose is to open hearts and minds to the violence that happens towards the LGBTQ+ community.

Source(s): https://onepulsefoundation.org/

FYI Positive LGBTQ+ for November:

• 11th Circuit Court Upholds Ruling Blocking Drag Ban In a major ruling released Wednesday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in the United States ruled that Florida's ban on drag will continue to be blocked from enforcement statewide.

Source(s): https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/11th-circuit-court-upholds-ruling?r=k9h1j&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) releases proposed enforcement guidance to protect LGBTQ+ workers from harassment. The new guidance, released on September 29th, was adopted by a 3-2 vote of the EEOC commissioners. It includes protections against harassment for LGBTQ+ workers and protections against harassment in virtual work environments.

Source(s): https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/eeoc-renews-bid-update-workplace-harassment-guidance-2023-09-29/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=d8c14ad0-d0c8-4902-97b1-00815b0a23f5

• The ‘first English-language trans novel’ adapted for stage. The International Theatre Program at the University of Rochester is launching its production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Orlando” this October. This production offers an exploration of identity and gender fluidity. It joins a trend of an increasing and intensifying interest in the eponymous novel by Virginia Woolf. Ruhl has described her play, which she wrote in 1998, as true to the story Woolf told in the 1928 book.

Source(s): https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/international-theatre-fall-production-orlando-568802/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=d8c14ad0-d0c8-4902-97b1-00815b0a23f5

The following is an overview of or anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the news:

• Ohio Republican Says Bathroom Ban Has Nothing to Do with Trans People. Only ten states ban transgender people from bathrooms. While most bans focus on K-12 schools, three states go beyond that and target adults in other places. Ohio may become the fourth if HB183 passes.

Source(s): https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/ohio-republican-says-bathroom-ban?r=k9h1j&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

• Federal Appeals Court allows Kentucky and Tennessee to enforce bans on medically necessary care for trans and non-binary youth. The Sixth Circuit Court upheld Kentucky’s and Tennessee’s bans on

medically necessary gender-affirming care on September 28th by a 2-1 vote. Lawyers for the families who brought the Tennessee challenge called the ruling a “devastating result for transgender youth and their families” and said they were “assessing [their] next steps” in defense of transgender rights.

Source(s): https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/appeals-court-upholds-tennessee-kentucky-bans-trans-care-minors-rcna118056

If you have any news or leads on anything related to LGBTQ+ news, issues, and organizations, please contact Sue Oser at soser@nfbpwc.org.