FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 1, 2019 Contact: Shannon Minter – 415-624-6071; Email sminter@nclrights.org “There is no justification for this intrusive and unworkable policy, which targets Caster based on racist and sexist stereotypes about how women ‘should’ look and behave.” (New York, N.Y.)— Today, in a divided 2-1 opinion, the international Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a proposed...
Our Voices
NCLR says NCAA “threw in the towel,” chose to “stand down in the face of discrimination” (April 4, 2017 San Francisco)—Today, the NCAA Board of Governors issued its position on recent revisions to North Carolina’s HB2, the controversial law that repealed local anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, rolled back civil rights protections for other groups, and imposed draconian restrictions on transgender people’s ability to use common restrooms in public spaces. In a press statement,...
(San Francisco, Nov. 9, 2016)—The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) responds to the 2016 Presidential election results. Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq.: “By a slim margin, this nation has elected a demagogue who trafficked in bigotry, stoked racist hatred and normalized misogyny. The election of Donald Trump as President threatens basic principles of human dignity and justice. Many of our most cherished values—inclusion, honoring difference, embracing equality,...
(New York, NY, August 9, 2016)—Athlete Ally, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and more than 20 leading LGBTQ organizations submitted a letter to the Big 12 Conference and its member schools urging it not to consider Brigham Young University (BYU) as a potential new conference member because of the school’s express policy of discriminating against same-sex couples and LGBTQ students. The Big 12 Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic conference...
(San Francisco, CA, June 24, 2016)—To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, Ropes & Gray will make a $100,000 donation to the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Ropes & Gray’s co-counsel in Obergefell. Ropes & Gray’s donation to NCLR has been funded through legal fees awarded to the firm by a federal court in Tennessee as part of the resolution of the case, which also awarded fees to NCLR and other firms...
(San Francisco, CA, September 15, 2015)—Today, USA Rugby and International Gay Rugby formed a partnership to help promote a diverse and inclusive environment for players, at all levels of rugby, and to end LGBTQ discrimination in all areas of the game. Statement from National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Sports Project Director Helen Carroll: “Ending LGBTQ discrimination in all sports has been one of NCLR’s core missions for 14 years. It’s thrilling to see USA Rugby and International Gay...
Authors hosting Google Hangout for school administrators, educators, and parents on August 12th (San Francisco, CA, August 3, 2015)—Today, five national organizations introduced Schools In Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools, a first-of-its-kind publication for school administrations, teachers, and parents about how to provide safe and supportive environments for all transgender students, kindergarten through twelfth grade. The lead authors are Asaf Orr, the...
(San Francisco, CA, December 9, 2014)—Today, during a meeting in Monaco, the 127th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to revise the IOC’s nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation. The nondiscrimination proposal was part of a larger series of reforms to the Olympic charter, known as Principle Six. “The IOC should be applauded for taking action to protect gay, lesbian, and bisexual Olympic athletes. However, we are disappointed that the revised policy does...
Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Bud Selig today announced a set of actions that will alter the lives of baseball players and the trajectory of MLB teams for future generations. The league has welcomed openly-gay former MLB player Billy Bean back into their fold with a position to work with the league to implement a program of greater inclusion for LGBTQ players in baseball. Billy, a hero to me and to all of us, has been appointed as MLB’s first Ambassador for Inclusion. Billy is...
Last week, I was in a room of about 100 LGBTQ sports advocates and stakeholders at the 3rd annual LGBTQ Sports Coalition Summit hosted by Nike. Formalized in 2013, the LGBTQ Sports Coalition consists of nonprofit members, engaged individuals, and affiliates dedicated to ending homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in sports by 2016. We held our first informal convening in 2012. The summit only had about 30 participants that first year. Now, our summit is over 100 strong, representing advocates...
