The NCLR team is growing in 2023! Help us welcome Lisa Oman and Rachel Berg. Rachel Berg (she/her) – Staff Attorney Rachel joined NCLR because of her passion for civil rights law and her concern for LGBTQ rights around the country, especially in states like her home state of Tennessee. Before NCLR, Rachel got her BA in Political Science at Vassar College, her Master of Science at the London School of Economics, and her J.D. at Fordham University School of Law. She has spent her career...
We will not sugarcoat this: the leak this week of a Supreme Court majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a ruling that would eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, is extremely alarming. It is also a wake-up call. While we do not know if the leaked opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will be the final one issued, it is nonetheless shocking to read a draft opinion showing just how extreme and dangerous the Court has become over the last decade. A...
This week, NCLR announced our new Senior Youth Policy Counsel (he/she/they and prefix Mx.) and we could not be more excited that the person filling this role is our own Danielle (Danny) King! Since our founding 45 years ago, NCLR has been at the forefront of protecting and advocating on behalf of LGBTQ youth, a value we cemented with the historic and groundbreaking creation of our Youth project in 1993. Danny’s new role with NCLR will continue this legacy of supporting the most...
In 2021, NCLR held a series of conversations about pressing issues in the LGBTQ movement with staff talking about what NCLR is doing to respond and what we see in the future. You can find out about those series of discussions (Forgotten LGBTQ Youth, 1st Amendment Rights vs. Anti-Discrimination, and The Modern Family) and watch full recordings of the conversations below. Forgotten LGBTQ YouthFirst Amendment Rights vs. Anti-DiscriminationModern Family PAST IN CONVERSATION DISCUSSIONS Forgotten...
At NCLR, we have been fighting to end the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy even before we launched our Born Perfect campaign in 2014. Since then, we have passed laws in 20 states and more than 100 localities protecting LGBTQ youth from this harmful practice. That’s why we are excited today to present Bobby’s Big Problem, co-created by Born Perfect and Enfranchisement Productions. This short film includes an all-star cast including Patton Oswalt, D’Arcy...
Today marks the five-year anniversary of the tragic shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL that took the lives of 49 mostly Black and Brown LGBTQ people who were out enjoying their night in what they considered a safe space. As a native Orlandoan, and someone who started going to Pulse when they first opened in 2004, I will never forget the feeling of shock, grief, and anger that coursed through my body when I first saw the news about the horrendous loss of life in a place I once...
On May 17, 2021, NCLR submitted comments on behalf of 14 LGBTQ and sexual health advocacy organizations encouraging the Biden Administration to adopt new regulations for the Title X family planning program. This critical federal program provides funding for health centers around the country that provide contraception, STI testing and other important health services to primarily low-income people, including many who are LGBTQ. The Trump administration had imposed harsh rules that drove Planned...
The spate of anti-transgender youth bills that are proliferating around the United States is insidious and incredibly harmful to the health and well-being of transgender youth in more than half of the country. NCLR Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon speaks about the dangers of these bills restricting medical care and sports access for transgender kids, and urges you to contact your legislators to strongly oppose them NOW! Imani also shares a message of hope and love to the transgender...
September 15 to October 15 represents Latinx Heritage Month, a time for many of us to acknowledge and celebrate our cultures, ancestry, and families. For those of us in the LGBTQ community, it is a time that we honor our LGBTQ Latinx ancestors who paved the way. Sylvia Rivera, José Sarria, and Gloria Anzaldúa are just a few examples of the brave LGBTQ trailblazers who fought for our lives to be better. In the last week of September, we held our annual Rural Pride Summit, an event that...
Rich Weissman and JD Horn first fell in love with NCLR in 2017, immediately impressed by the breadth and scope of the work and the sheer determination to create change. They have been serious NCLR fans ever since, hosting NCLR in their home in Palm Springs and providing meaningful financial support. When asked “why NCLR?” they are quick with a response. First, NCLR gets things done. They do not talk about what steps need to be taken to move our community forward; they take the steps and make...
