• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Film/TV/Stream
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Tech/Science
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • U.S. House gives Biden a win with massive bill on climate change, drug prices
  • Robert De Niro pays tribute to ‘wonderful’ Anne Heche
  • Trump lawyer in June said classified material had been returned -NY Times

Two Firsts Among Nonbinary Election Wins; Texas Religious Businesses Step Closer to Legal Discrimination; Michigan Effort Fails To Extend LGBTQ Rights

Brian Bell November 3, 2021 Leave a Comment

nonbinary election
Thu Nguyen

Nonbinary Candidates Make History

Tuesday’s elections produced multiple victories for LGBTQ candidates in local elections across the nation, including historic wins for nonbinary election candidates.

Thu Nguyen became the first nonbinary person ever elected to office in the state of Massachusetts. They claimed a seat on the Worchester City Council with a fourth place finish, garnering 10% of the vote. According to the Washington Blade, Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee, is best known for their work with the Southeast Asian Coalition, which aids communities through small business support, advocacy and addressing food insecurity.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Thu Nguyen (@votethu)

Xander Orenstein also made history, becoming the first nonbinary candidate ever elected to a judicial position in the nation’s history. They ran unopposed in the Allegheny County Magisterial District Court race in Pennsylvania after narrowly defeating the incumbent in a May primary.

Nguyen and Orenstein’s victories bring the total of out nonbinary elected officials in the U.S. to 11. “Their victory proves voters look beyond gender identity and will elect leaders with the qualifications and drive to improve people’s lives,” said LGBTQ Victory Fund CEO Annise Parker.

Federal Judge Approves Of Religious Businesses’ LGBTQ Discrimination

A ruling from a federal judge in Texas cleared the way for businesses with “sincerely held religious beliefs” to discriminate against LGBTQ employees despite a Supreme Court ruling that preserved LGBTQ civil rights protections.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Conner issued the ruling Sunday, claiming that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment granted religious businesses exemption from the protections extended to LGBTQ people under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the Dallas Morning News, the decision covers both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

The ruling comes as Christian health care company Braidwood Management and Bear Creek Bible Church filed suit against the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission challenging the protections established by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County last year. Braidwood doesn’t provide employee benefits to workers in same-sex relationships and doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages, a policy that conflicts with the Bostock ruling.

O’Conner’s undermining of the Bostock decision now paves the way for religious business owners to fire LGBTQ employees simply for their identity, refuse to hire LGBTQ applicants based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and withhold employee benefits for LGBTQ workers by claiming their existence goes against their religious views.

Michigan Supreme Court Nixes LGBTQ Anti-Discrimination Initiative

A push to extend Michigan’s civil rights law to include protections for LGBTQ communities is dead after the Michigan Supreme Court declined to offer an opinion on a dispute between organizers and state officials regarding petition signatures.

Advocacy group Fair and Equal Michigan asked the court to weigh in after the state’s Board of State Canvassers declined to certify the organization’s petition on the basis that it didn’t meet the required amount of signatures. According to the Detroit Metro Times, the Michigan Bureau of Elections rejected the group’s petition in July claiming that its 299,000 signatures fell short of requirements by about 40,000 signatures. Fair and Equal Michigan accused the elections bureau of invalidating legitimate signatures that brought them below requirements.

Read our statement in full following today's disappointing decision by the Michigan Supreme Court to not hear our case. We are proud of the support we have built for our cause and will continue to push for equal rights in the courts in the legislature. #mileg pic.twitter.com/2bUsEP2JiA

— Fair and Equal MI (@FairandEqualMI) November 2, 2021

“After 38 years of lawmakers ignoring us, we set out to collect and leverage citizen signatures to compel lawmakers to finally come to the table and negotiate – and for that we succeeded,” said Trevor Thomas, Fair and Equal Michigan co-chair.

Despite the defeat, there is another case set for arguments at the Michigan Supreme Court where Attorney General Dana Nessel will argue for civil rights protections based on sexual orientation. “While we are disappointed that the court won’t act to recognize legally-valid signatures thrown out by the state, it’s clear the best opportunity to achieve LGBTQ equal rights in Michigan is to place full focus on Attorney General Dana Nessel’s historic case currently before the Michigan Supreme Court,” said Thomas.

Nonbinary Election: Previously on Towleroad

Topics: News, towleroad More Posts About: Elections, homophobia, Michigan, Nonbinary, Texas

Related Posts
  • Upcoming Feature Lets ‘The Sims 4’ Players Customize Sims Sexual Orientation
  • Challenging Tunisian society’s homophobia through theatre
  • Texas Republicans’ Platform Calls Your LGBTQ Life an “Abnormal Lifestyle Choice”; Declares Biden Election Illegitimate, Despite Evidence;
  • Robert De Niro pays tribute to ‘wonderful’ Anne Heche

    Robert De Niro pays tribute to ‘wonderful’ Anne Heche

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Robert De Niro has hailed Anne Heche as a “wonderful actress”. The Hollywood icon starred alongside the actress in the 1997 political satire ‘Wag the Dog’, and he’s paid a glowing …Read More »
  • Trump lawyer in June said classified material had been returned -NY Times

    Trump lawyer in June said classified material had been returned -NY Times

    Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A lawyer for former U.S. President Donald Trump signed a statement in June that said all classified material held in boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence had been returned to the government, …Read More »
  • I want to spread positivity, says Billy Porter

    I want to spread positivity, says Billy Porter

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Billy Porter wants to spread positivity through his work. The award-winning star insists there’s “no room for fear” in his life and he believes the entertainment industry can even help to …Read More »
  • J&J to end global sales of talc-based baby powder

    J&J to end global sales of talc-based baby powder

    Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson will stop selling talc-based baby powder globally in 2023, the drugmaker said on Thursday, more than two years after it ended U.S. sales of a product that drew …Read More »
Previous Post: « Kristen Stewart Engaged: DC Comics Gets Police Protection; Kal Penn; Dan Levy’s ‘Big Brunch:’ Entertainment Roundup
Next Post: Pope names first woman to lead Vatican governorate »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Russian propagandists claim Moscow has been ‘studying’ Mar-a-Lago nuclear documents ‘for a while’

    Russian propagandists claim Moscow has been ‘studying’ Mar-a-Lago nuclear documents ‘for a while’

  • Southern Baptists say they face U.S. federal probe after sex abuse claims

    Southern Baptists say they face U.S. federal probe after sex abuse claims

  • FBI sought nuclear documents in search of Trump’s home -Washington Post

    FBI sought nuclear documents in search of Trump’s home -Washington Post

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y’know

  • Ellen Has Not Contacted Ex-Lover Anne Heche Following Fiery Crash Into LA Home

    Ellen Has Not Contacted Ex-Lover Anne Heche Following Fiery Crash Into LA Home

  • Pete Davidson Proposed to Kim Kardashian Before Their Breakup

    Pete Davidson Proposed to Kim Kardashian Before Their Breakup

  • New bombshell book on Trump reveals he wanted to be treated like Hitler: ‘Totally loyal’

    New bombshell book on Trump reveals he wanted to be treated like Hitler: ‘Totally loyal’

RSS Partner Links

  • Cara Delevingne Celebrates 30th Birthday with Star-Studded Boat Day Including Margot Robbie & More (Photos)
  • Commercial Vault: When Lauren Bacall sold us on the “deep-brewed flavah” of High Point coffee
  • Dick Slip + Armie Hammer's Tats + Trump Messes Up Defense + AGs vs. Don't Say Gay + MORE! — 12-PACK
  • Open Post: Hosted By The Dogs Who Ate A Winning $8 Lotto Ticket
  • Taylor Swift Is Eligible For An Oscar For Her Short Film “All Too Well”
  • Rihanna Wears Over-Sized Thigh High Boots During Late Night Outing with A$AP Rocky
  • Saturday Round-Up: Anne Heche dies; Ellen reaction; “The Prom” couple; Greg Berlanti & more!

Most Recent

  • U.S. House gives Biden a win with massive bill on climate change, drug prices

    U.S. House gives Biden a win with massive bill on climate change, drug prices

  • Robert De Niro pays tribute to ‘wonderful’ Anne Heche

    Robert De Niro pays tribute to ‘wonderful’ Anne Heche

  • Trump lawyer in June said classified material had been returned -NY Times

    Trump lawyer in June said classified material had been returned -NY Times

  • I want to spread positivity, says Billy Porter

    I want to spread positivity, says Billy Porter

  • J&J to end global sales of talc-based baby powder

    J&J to end global sales of talc-based baby powder

  • Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda slams unauthorised production

    Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda slams unauthorised production

  • ‘It’s really irritating’: Madonna’s son David Banda wears her clothes ‘better’ than her

    ‘It’s really irritating’: Madonna’s son David Banda wears her clothes ‘better’ than her

  • Analysis: U.S. move to negotiate drug prices a rare defeat for Big Pharma

    Analysis: U.S. move to negotiate drug prices a rare defeat for Big Pharma

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2022 · Log in

×