September 26, 2016
Articles by Kate Kendell, Esq.
August 24, 2016
Right-Wing Media in Frenzy over NCLR’s #RuralPride Summits
We all know that LGBTQ people are everywhere, which is why NCLR launched our #RuralPride Campaign, which includes holding day-long summits in rural regions across the country to help LGBTQ folks connect with federal agencies, national organizations, and one another. For the past two years, we have worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and…July 22, 2016
Harnessing Our Outrage
“…Later that night I held an atlas in my lap ran my fingers across the whole world and whispered where does it hurt? it answered everywhere everywhere everywhere” —Warsan Shire Two days after a sniper killed five Dallas police officers, this poem, by expat Somali poet Warsan Shire, who came to world’s attention when…February 26, 2016
Alex’s Story: A Triumph of Courage, Authenticity, and Hope
When I first heard the story of what was happening to Alex in St. George, Utah a few years ago, I could not believe it. I’m from Utah, and I know it can be tough for LGBT kids there, but I had no idea that charlatans could torture and keep prisoner a young girl based on…December 17, 2015
Trump and the Déjà Vu of Our Shameful History
When leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested that we respond to the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., by barring Muslims from entering the U.S., most Americans, even many in the Republican Party, were rightly appalled if not completely surprised. Trump’s preposterous and shocking pronouncements are, at this point, predictable. But what is truly…November 10, 2015
I Quit: I’m Leaving the Mormon Church
I just did something I thought I would never do. I resigned my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) and asked that my name be removed from the records. Even at the height of church involvement in the passage of Proposition 8 in California, I never seriously considered removing…September 29, 2015
When Religion Does Right
The past 10 days have been filled with a lot of religion. Ten days ago, I spoke at the International Affirmation Conference, the LGBT Mormon gathering in Provo, Utah. And last week it was 24/7 Pope Francis. Both of these events left me a bit unmoored. The church of my childhood, the Mormon church, and…August 6, 2015
We Still Need the Voting Rights Act
I turned 18 in 1978 and voted in my first presidential election in 1980. Jimmy Carter was on his way, sadly, to being a one-term president. It wasn’t until 1992 that the candidate I voted for won the White House. That was the year Bill Clinton won, and I still remember the raucous party held…July 20, 2015
My Family. Race. And The Work Ahead
I don’t know about you, but the past three weeks have been a whirlwind. The June 26th U.S. Supreme Court ruling acknowledging our freedom to marry is a new high water mark for our movement. As this new reality settles in, I feel a profound gratitude to be here as a witness. It is the…July 1, 2015