Public News Service

A new online resource helps LGBTQ+ couples navigate advance planning decisions (Felix/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock)

End-of-life decisions made easier for LGBTQ+ people with new online toolkit

LGBTQ+ Americans are twice as likely to experience discrimination in health care, including as they age, according to a new survey from the Kaiser …

The Equality Act builds on the 2020 Supreme Court ruling that the Civil Rights Act prohibits anti-LGBTQ discrimination in employment. (nito/Adobe Stock)

Equality Act Reintroduced in Congress

NEW YORK - A bill to update federal civil-rights laws to include comprehensive protections for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or …

In 29 states, LGBTQ people can still be evicted, denied health care or turned away from businesses because of their sexual orientation. (Yakobchuk Olena/Adobe Stock)

Rights Advocates See New Hope for Equality Act

NEW YORK -- A new report suggests a bill often promoted as expanding rights for LGBTQ people could benefit a wide spectrum of racial and religious min…

Religious exemptions are most often used by employers to discriminate against LGBTQ people. (beavera/Adobe Stock)

New Rule Gives Federal Contractors Broad Right to Discriminate

NEW YORK -- The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a new rule that dramatically expands a federal contractor's ability to claim a religious …

Some LGBTQ protections can be secured quickly by executive orders and policy changes. (ink drop/Adobe Stock)

LGBTQ Advocates List Priorities for New Administration

ALBANY, N.Y. - An independent think tank has released a list of ten actions it says the incoming Biden administration could take to support equal …

Like prisons and jails, immigration detention centers are potential hotspots for the spread of COVID-19. (Antwon McMullen/Adobe Stock)

LGBT Immigrant Detainees at Heightened Risk

NEW YORK -- Immigrants held in crowded Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers are extremely vulnerable to the spread of infectious dise…

The Supreme Court ruled that firing a person for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is discrimination based on sex. (renaschild/Adobe Stock)

Supreme Court Ruling Called Huge Victory for LGBT Rights

NEW YORK -- The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers are protected from employment discrimination by …

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include six active-duty military members and two potential enlistees. (Bumble Dee/Adobe Stock)

Pentagon Must Show Trans Ban Documents

New York - The Pentagon can't hide documents it relied upon to justify its ban on transgender people serving openly in the military. That's the …

Robert M. Pennoyer, now and at age 19, on the U.S.S. Pensacola at Iwo Jima in 1944 (Courtesy: Robert M. Pennoyer)

WWII Veteran: Ignorance, Indifference Greatest Threats to America

NEW YORK – Seventy-four years after he saw the flag raised on Iwo Jima, a World War II veteran has an Independence Day message for America: The …

Half of all young people living with HIV do not know they are infected. (pxhere)

Minority Youths Bearing Biggest Impact of HIV

NEW YORK – Wednesday was National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day, and this year the focus is on HIV-related health disparities and barriers …

Estimates of the number of transgender personnel in the U.S. military range from a few thousand to 15,500. (pxhere)

Supreme Court Decision Allows Transgender Military Ban

NEW YORK - The U.S. Supreme Court has lifted injunctions preventing the Trump administration from implementing its ban on transgender personnel …

The proposed gender definition would eliminate federal recognition of an estimated 1.4 million transgender Americans. (Andrea Sears)

Advocates Vow to Fight Proposed HHS Transgender Policy

NEW YORK - Advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people say a policy being considered by the Trump administration would …

The Supreme Court ruling focused narrowly on bias against religion expressed during the Colorado Civil Rights Commission process. (MarkThomas/Pixabay)

Supreme Court Rules for Baker in Wedding Cake Case

NEW YORK – Civil rights advocates fear the Supreme Court's ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case will encourage more attempted discrimination …

Advocates say allowing religious-based discrimination against LGBT people puts civil rights laws at risk. (BhaktiCreative/Pixabay)

Groups Call Supreme Court Case a Threat to Civil Rights

NEW YORK -- A national coalition of organizations says a case coming before the U.S. Supreme Court poses a major risk to civil rights. Next week…

Ruling on Transgender in Military Called “Complete Victory”

NEW YORK - Advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights are praising a federal court ruling blocking President Donald Trump's ban on …

In April, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects gay employees from discrimination. (fsHH/Pixabay)

Appeals Court Takes Up Gay Discrimination Case

NEW YORK - Does the Civil Rights Act protect from discrimination based on sexual orientation? That's the question a federal appeals court in New York …

Lawsuit Challenges Transgender Military Ban

NEW YORK – Civil rights organizations have filed lawsuits to block President Trump's ban on military service by transgender people from going in…

Under U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department argues the Civil Rights Act doesn�t cover sexual orientation. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Justice Department Says Gay Workers Not Protected

NEW YORK – The U.S. Justice Department says federal civil rights law doesn't protect lesbians and gay men from workplace discrimination…

Eighteen other countries allow transgender people to serve openly in the military. (Dustin Perry)

Trump Transgender Ban Sparks Protest

NEW YORK – New Yorkers took to the streets Wednesday to protest President Trump's announcement that transgender people will not be allowed to se…

There are 2.7 million LGBT Americans aged 50 and older. (U.S. Department of the Interior/Flickr)

Report Shows Challenges for Older LGBT Adults

NEW YORK – With LGBT Pride celebrations just around the corner, a new report shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults are …

Thirty-one states have low or negative ratings for protection of transgender rights. (PROtorbakhopper/Flickr)

Report Finds Transgender People at Greater Risk

NEW YORK – Despite advances in recognizing and protecting the rights of LGBT Americans, a new report finds that transgender people face serious …

More than 80 percent of LGBT people live in states with laws that criminalize HIV status. (Geralt/Pixabay)<br />

Report Highlights Outdated HIV Criminalization Laws

NEW YORK – Today is World AIDS Day and a new report shows that most Americans live in states where outdated laws still can criminalize HIV posit…

LGBT rights have come a long way over the past 40 years. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Post-Election, What Lies Ahead for LGBT Rights?

NEW YORK – There could be some trouble for LGBT rights during the Trump presidency. Donald Trump has said he would like to overturn national …

Melissa Sklarz is the first transgender New York delegate to a Democratic National Convention. (MSklarz)

Transgender New Yorker Part of Growing DNC Diversity

NEW YORK — The diversity of delegates to the Democratic National Convention stands in sharp contrast to last week's Republican Convention in Cle…

Twelve percent of transgender people were harassed, attacked or sexually assaulted in public bathrooms in the past year. (Fairness.org)

Trans Rights Commercial to Air During RNC

NEW YORK – A national television ad depicting transgender discrimination is set to air on Fox News during the Republican National Convention nex…

Ten transgender people were murdered in the U.S. in the first five months of 2016. (Quinn Dombrowski/<br />Flickr)

NY’s LGBT Community Marches in Solidarity with Orlando

NEW YORK - In shock and defiance over the mass killing in a Florida gay nightclub, New York's LGBT community marched in solidarity with Orlando on …

Gov. Cuomo pledged $200 million to fight AIDS in the 2016-17 budget. (GovernorAndrewCuomo/Flickr)

HIV/AIDS Funding Short in State Budget

NEW YORK - The new state budget falls far short of funds promised to fight HIV/AIDS in New York, according to advocates. Last year on World AIDS …

An estimated 20 percent of young people in juvenile detention are LGBT. (Eugene Peretz/Flickr)

Report: Criminal Justice System Failing LGBT People

NEW YORK - The criminal justice system is failing LGBT Americans, according to a report released today. Less than four percent of the population …

In 2013, only 48 percent of HIV+ 13- to 24-year-olds had suppressed viral loads. (PAHO/flickr.com)

Cuomo says Access to HIV Treatment Critical for Youth

NEW YORK - Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants minors to be able to get treatment for HIV without parental consent. Under current state law, people younger than …

Conversion therapy has been banned in California, Illinois, New Jersey and Oregon. (Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons)

Cuomo Bans Conversion Therapy in NY

NEW YORK - Governor Cuomo on Saturday broke new ground by announcing regulations to effectively ban so-called "conversion therapy" in New York State…

Andrew Cuomo is the first governor in the country to issue statewide regulations banning discrimination based on gender identity. Credit: Pat Arnow/Wikimedia Commons

Transgender New Yorkers Get Protection from Discrimination

NEW YORK – Gov. Andrew Cuomo has moved to ban harassment and discrimination against transgender people in New York. The governor announced …

Rising numbers of new syphilis cases across New York has led to speculation about the causes for the outbreak. Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New York Officials Speculate on Rapid Spread of Syphilis

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syphilis cases are on the rise in New York, with a 160 percent increase between 2010 and 2014, according to state health …

At $750 a pill, treatment with Daraprim rose to more than $300,000 a year. Credit: Ladyheart/morguefile.com

LGBT Advocates Call for Investigation of Drug Price Rise

WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign wants to know if the 5,000 percent increase in the price of a potentially life-saving drug is illegal…

New York State Fair "Pride Day" Seen as Controversial to Some

ALBANY, N.Y. - A celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride kicks off for the first time at New York's state fair Friday. Since Gov…

PHOTO: Transgender immigrants often end up in isolation cells because they are 13 times more likely to be sexually assaulted while being held in immigration detention. Photo credit: Andrew Bardwell/Flickr.

LGBTQ Immigrant Detention Termed "Fundamentally Unsafe"

NEW YORK - Fundamentally unsafe, that's how New York immigrant advocates describe daily life for people in detention who identify as gay, lesbian or …

PHOTO: The Obama administration has called for a ban on conversion therapy, the widely discredited practice of using psychology to try to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Photo credit: Tony Webster/CC.

White House Calls to End LGBT 'Conversion Therapy' Give States a Boost

NEW YORK - The Obama administration has called for a ban on "conversion therapy" - the practice of using psychology to try to change a person's sexual…

PHOTO: More than 15 percent of New Yorkers live below the poverty line, and a new report finds lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender women are among those most at risk. Photo credit: morguefile.com/arashdeep

Report Finds LGBT Women Face Higher Risk of Poverty

NEW YORK - More than 15 percent of New Yorkers live in poverty, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender women are among those most at risk…

Photo: Children at Five Towns Early Learning Center on Long Island where

High Cost of Raising Kids: Thousands More on LI for Child Care

NEW YORK - It will cost middle-income families nearly a quarter of a million dollars to raise a child, according to the latest report from the USDA …

GRAPHIC: Stickers with an anti-bullying message are distributed by Long Island Gay & Lesbian Youth, which trains school personnel in how to comply with NY�s one-year-old Dignity For All Students Act. Advocates look to renew their anti-bullying activities when school starts up soon. Courtesy LIGALY.

Back to School, Not Back to Fear: Hope For NY Kids

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - As the new school year approaches, some students may be apprehensive - despite the start of year two under the state's Dignity …

PHOTO: As marriage equality gains momentum thanks to Supreme Court rulings, adoption by LGBT families and individuals lags behind. But advocates feel a corner has been turned. Courtesy HelpUsAdopt.org

Marriage Equality Advances; LGBT Adoption – Not So Much

NEW YORK - Two Supreme Court rulings have advanced the cause of marriage equality, and 13 states plus the District of Columbia now allow same-sex …

PHOTO: Maryann Sinclair Slusky of Long Island Wins. Credit Long Island Wins

Major “Support” for Immigration Reform: Includes Same-Sex Couples

NEW YORK CITY - Just one day after the United States Senate took a critical vote to keep the immigration reform debate moving forward, a new poll has …

PHOTO: Caroline Edgerton is among dozens of people receiving financial assistance from HelpUsAdopt.org. The grant enabled her to adopt Logan. Courtesy HelpUsAdopt.org

Making Mother’s Day – By Making Adoption Affordable

NEW YORK - When the fertility clinic and all else fails, adoption can seem like the answer - except that it's not, in too many sad cases. Adoption …

National Effort "Empowers" Poor: $33 Million Boost from United Way NYC

NEW YORK - Nonprofits and grant-makers from New York and the nation have been banding together for the past year to help those most in need. As of …

Anti-Bullying Lesson for NY Schoolkids

NEW YORK - When Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, visits Beacon High School in New York City today, she'll bring with her a …

Decision Day for New York Marriage Equality

ALBANY, N.Y. - New Yorkers should know by the end of the day today where the Empire State stands on the issue of gay marriage. The governor's …

Who Wants to Help Homeless NY Teens?

NEW YORK - Youth homelessness around the state, and especially on Long Island, is a problem being worsened by the recession and funding cutbacks…

Reason to Celebrate for 2.9 Million New Yorkers

NEW YORK - Social Security turns 75 this weekend. That's a cause for celebration for 2.9 million New Yorkers, many of whom rely on the program to put …

Cost of Adoption at All-Time High: Help for NY Families

NEW YORK - With rules that vary from state to state and country to country, adopting a child can now cost $40,000 or more. And with no federal …

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PNS Daily Newscast: Afternoon Update - September 18, 2024

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NY: LGBTQIA+ Issues