I have been personally discriminated from military service from my local MEPS office in Indianapolis, Indiana. I am a bisexual man and i have applied for the military , I was turned away for self injury from bullying and cyber bullying when i was 14 and was based on something that happened 10 years ago and they had let someone in who had also self injured. I was never offered a second chance and permanently denied. I even offered to pay for some medical services , the main medical personal personally said they would never let me in even if i had proof saying i was okay. i had spent over 400 dollars in medical expenses and they denied me or even to reimburse me for my money. Please help me get justice and to let me do the one thing I've wanted to do since i was 4 years old. i dont want to sue i dont want money, i just want to join the military and serve the country i love and am being deined from doing. I believe in doing the right thing and second chances so please help me get mine and the justice i have been denied of for more than 4 years

Tennessee has stepparent and grandparent visitation laws, but none for other significant family members of minor children. When a marriage fails or a family member dies, it’s the children who suffer most and largely in silence. Let’s tell the Tennessee legislature it’s time to protect children’s emotional ties to ALL family members. Tennessee tiene leyes de visita para padrastros y abuelos, pero ninguna ley para los otros familiares significativos de los niños menores. Cuando un matrimonio fracasa o muere un familiar, son los niños que mayormente sufren en silencio. Digámosle a la legislatura de Tennessee, que ya es tiempo de proteger los lazos familiares emocionales de los niños tienen con todos los miembros de su familia

Right-wing legislators in North Carolina have outdone themselves again. They’ve passed bills to restrict women’s health care rights, cut benefits drastically for unemployed workers and reject expanding health care for low-income families. Now, they’re taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act and are trying to ram through the most restrictive voter suppression bill in the United States—HB 589. This bill would devastate voter rights for North Carolinians. It would shorten early voting periods, impose restrictive voter ID requirements, eliminate same-day voter registration, purge voter rolls more often and prevent counties from extending poll hours in the case of long lines. But it doesn’t stop there. It also would raise political contribution limits, reduce the amount of information donors from out of state are required to provide and make it easier for voter suppression groups, like True the Vote, to intimidate and challenge voters at the polls. This bill would be a disaster for North Carolina. Tell your lawmakers to oppose it.

Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Register of Wills Bruce Hanes has decided to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. We support his decision to be the first official in PA to issue marriage licenses. He is sure to get blowback from the far-right. Please send him a message of support. Here is his news release: For the first time since I took office in January 2008, a same sex couple contacted me last week indicating their intention of applying for a marriage license in Montgomery County. In the ensuing days, my solicitor, Michael Clarke, and I, in conjunction with county solicitor Ray McGarry, studied every aspect of the law, including recent Supreme Court decisions and statements by the Pennsylvania Attorney General. Based upon the advice of Mr. Clarke, my own analysis of the law and mindful of the Attorney General’s belief that Pennsylvania’s marriage laws are unconstitutional, I decided to come down on the right side of history and the law, and was prepared to issue a license to the couple. However, the women for reasons of their own decided this morning not to seek the marriage license at this time. When I took the oath of office 19 months ago, I swore to uphold the U.S. and the Pennsylvania Constitutions. Article 1 Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, aptly entitled “Inherent rights of mankind,” says “all men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent and indefeasible rights, among which is “pursuing their own happiness.” Article 1, Section 26 of the Constitution says, “Neither the Commonwealth nor any political subdivision thereof shall deny to any person the enjoyment of any civil right, nor discriminate against any person in the exercise of any civil right.” Furthermore, Article 1 Section 28 says, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because of the sex of the individual.” Had the couple sought the license today, I would have issued it and wished them all the freedom, independence, happiness and rights that our Commonwealth’s Constitution purports to grant to them.

The Supreme Court just made a major decision that impacts voting rights for every American. In striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act -- but leaving Section 5 untouched -- there is no longer a mechanism in place to prevent states with a history of voter disenfranchisement from enacting such laws. In the last few years Republicans have dramatically stepped up their efforts to limit voting access. They’ve passed restrictive voter ID laws, cutting back early-voting hours, and eliminating same-day voter registration. The list goes on. While this is a setback, it is by no means the end of the game. The Supreme Court's decision gives Congress complete authority to ensure no person is denied the right to vote. Stand with us who are fighting to protect the right to vote for every American.

President Obama has suggested that he is interested in recruiting former NYC police Commissionser, Ray Kelly, author of Stop and Frisk to the post of Head of Homeland Security despite Kelly's record of racially profiling approx. 480,000 Black and Latino dark-skinned individuals.

In California, hundreds of prisoners have been held in solitary for more than a decade – some for infractions as trivial as reading Machiavelli's "The Prince." Gabriel Reyes describes the pain of being isolated for at least 22 hours a day for the last 16 years: “Unless you have lived it, you cannot imagine what it feels like to be by yourself, between four cold walls, with little concept of time...It is a living tomb...I have not been allowed physical contact with any of my loved ones since 1995...I feel helpless and hopeless. In short, I am being psychologically tortured.” It's a practice so cruel that a United Nations torture rapporteur called for an international ban on the practice except in rare occasions. That’s why over 30,000 prisoners in California began a hunger strike – the biggest the state has ever seen. They’re refusing food to protest prisoners being held for decades in solitary and to push for other changes to improve their basic conditions. California Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard has tried to dismiss the strikers and refuses to negotiate. And to add insult to injury, the hunger strikers are now facing retaliation – their lawyers are being restricted from visiting and the strikers are being punished. But the media continues to write about the hunger strike and we can help keep the pressure on Secretary Beard by signing the petition.

This petition urges Senator Lisa Boscola to support the bill for marriage equality in the Pennsylvania State Legislature

62 Democrats in the PA General Assembly now support Marriage Equality. Unfortunately, Rep. Tom Calatagirone is not one of them. Please sign my petition and tell Rep. Caltagirone to support full civil rights for same-sex couples in PA.

The Midwest Coalition for Human Rights, a coalition of 56 organizations, on behalf of itself and parents, students, teachers, community members, and the many civil society organizations, sent a Letter of Allegation to United Nations asking that they investigate and prevent human rights violations in Chicago. Tell the United Nations to take action to investigate and prevent human rights violations in Chicago by signing your name to the Letter of Allegation to the United Nations. A copy of the Letter of Allegation can be found at:https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6lql1l92m986s7/Letter%20of%20Allegation.docx

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed a historic milestone in July, garnering all Democrats and three Republican votes to pass from the Senate Judiciary committee to the floor in a 15-7 vote. Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid is committed to putting the legislation on the floor. With the bill poised to face the floor, there remain but three uncommitted Democrats, Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Sen. BIll Nelson of Florida and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The time is now for these Democrats to join their colleagues across the aisle and take a strong stand in support of Federal legislation affirming all Americans deserve the Freedom to Work, no matter who they are, or who they love.

Mrs. Viola Reovan-Muhammad is speaking out about her experiences of oppression & harassment while employed at St. Vincent's Medical Center under her direct supervisor, Ms. Helen Krisinsky. The treatment Mrs. Reovan-Muhammad received were not isolated incidents; there are many others who have fallen victim to the discriminatory practices of St. Vincent's Medical Center. Institutionalized oppression and internal conflicts will inevitably have a negative impact on patient care. Mrs. Reovan-Muhammad started this petition not just for herself but for the employees and patients who remain at St. Vincent's Medical Center, and those to come - this petition is dedicated to them!