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Alabama woman works to help returning citizens rebuild their lives; Marist polls: Harris leads Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin; they're tied in Pennsylvania; UAW contract negotiations at VW focus on healthcare, safety, wages; NC dentists warn of crisis due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

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The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Report: Illinois LGBT Laws Could be Weakened

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Friday, February 10, 2017   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Despite advances in recognizing and protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, a new report has found that transgender people face serious risks in most states.

The report looked at laws and policies in every state and the District of Columbia that affect LGBT people in five areas, including discrimination, health and safety, and adoption.

Naomi Goldberg, policy and research director for the Movement Advancement Project, said the results show legal protections based on gender identity lag far behind protections based on sexual orientation.

"In most places, transgender people lack even the most basic protections - in employment, in housing, in accessing an identity document, to being protected at school," she said. "The list goes on."

Illinois and 11 other states are ranked high for having gender-identity protections in place, but states surrounding Illinois, including Missouri and Wisconsin, have some of the lowest ratings.

Goldberg noted that rights already secured in Illinois could be in jeopardy. A draft executive order circulated by the Trump administration last week would create a so-called "religious freedom" exemption from LGBT anti-discrimination laws, giving service providers what Goldberg called "a license to discriminate."

"This could mean that providers of those services could discriminate based on their view of what marriage should be," she said, "and their view of sort of the immutability of sex and gender."

If adopted as written, she said, that executive order would open the door to a wide range of harms to the entire LGBT community.

The report is online at lgbtmap.org.


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