Bill de Blasio Says Indiana Anti-Gay Law Is ‘Doomed to Failure’

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio discussed a controversial Indiana religious freedom law recently, telling reporters that it is “deeply disturbing” and “doomed to failure,” according to observer.com.

Following the lead of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mr. de Blasio also said he would ban non-essential city travel to Indiana.

“It’s a deeply disturbing reality right now in Indiana and I hope before it’s too late, they turn back,” said Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, at an unrelated press conference in Brooklyn.

He said that the law, which critics say will allow businesses to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, will backfire on the Republican-led state.

“Absolutely, I will instruct all New York City agencies to prohibit any non-essential travel to the State of Indiana,” he continued.

“This proposal [in] Indiana really undercuts decades and decades of progress on human rights and civil rights in this country. The notion that a government would allow a version of discrimination undercuts so much of what we fought for.”

“I also know it’s doomed to failure,” he added.

More here:

http://observer.com/2015/03/bill-de-blasio-says-indiana-religious-law-doomed-to-failure/#ixzz3W1NVsY65

http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-yorks-cuomo-bans-state-funded-travel-to-indiana-1427849308

USA Today Sports Writer Says NCAA Should Pull Out Of Indiana

Nancy Armour was a sports writer for Associated Press prior to becoming a sports columnist for USA Today.

In a recent article, Armour states:

“The NCAA should be applauded for swiftly and strongly expressing its disapproval of Indiana’s new law that cloaks discrimination in ‘religious freedom.’

“But it can’t stop there.

“It is too late to pull this year’s Final Four from Indianapolis, given it is next weekend and there’s no other city that would have an arena and several thousand hotel rooms available. But the NCAA can – and should – tell Indiana lawmakers that their prejudice and mean-spiritedness has cost the state the privilege of hosting any other collegiate sporting event.”

Supreme Court Rules Firing A Mom Because She’s Breastfeeding Is Not Sex Discrimination

According to the ACLU, a Nationwide Insurance worker alleged that she was denied a place to pump breast milk when she returned to work from maternity leave. When she protested, the woman – Angela Ames – was coerced into resigning by her supervisor, who told her she should “just go home and be with your babies”.

Last week, the Supreme Court sent her the same message – go home – rejecting her petition for a review of the dismissal of her case. The denial of her petition effectively means the end of the line for her case.

The courts dismissed Angela’s case saying that she didn’t take sufficient steps to complain internally before writing her letter of resignation – even though her own supervisor was the one who handed her the pen and dictated what to write – and therefore, she wasn’t really fired. The courts found it irrelevant that Angela was supposed to take these additional steps while engorged and waiting for a pumping room that her employer told her wouldn’t be available for several days, according to the ACLU.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/supreme-court-lets-stand-ruling-that-firing-woman-for-breastfeeding-not-sexist-because-men-can-lactate/

New Lawsuit Against McDonald’s

According to sources, a group of minority fast food workers accused McDonald’s Corp. of violating their civil rights in a new lawsuit between the Fight For 15 movement and the Oak Brook, Ill.-based multinational.

Backed by the Service Employees International Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, ten workers filed a federal complaint in Virginia today against McDonald’s and one of its 2,500 independent owner-operators, a franchisee company called Soweva.

Were people fired for being black?

The workers, nine of whom are black, say Soweva managers told them they needed to “get the ghetto out of the store” and fired them after hiring a string of white employees in 2014. McDonald’s corporate headquarters failed to correct the alleged discrimination and should be held liable as well, the complaint said.

The complaint, which also alleges instances of sexual harassment, seeks damages under Title VII of 1964’s Civil Rights Act.

It comes at a time when McDonald’s is facing increased exposure to labor complaints and lawsuits. By naming McDonald’s Corp.in the complaint, these legal actions challenge the legitimacy of McDonald’s’ contractual agreement with franchisees, which stipulates that McDonald’s Corp. can’t be held liable for any labor law violations committed in their restaurants.

Most Don’t Know: There Is No Federal Law Against Anti-LGBT Discrimination

Most people aren’t aware that in many states in the U.S., a person can be fired for being gay. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not cover sexual orientation. There is no federal statute addressing employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, has been continually shot down by Congress.

An LGBT employment non-discrimination law may be on its way as Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon is looking to pass landmark legislation regarding the rights of the LGBT community.

Now, Merkely is expanding the bill to further prevent discrimination against LGBT Americans not just in employment but also with regard to public accommodations, housing, jury service and financial transactions.

Video By The Lip TV.

Ebola Discrimination?

The new United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein expressed alarm on Thursday over anti-African prejudices arising from the Ebola crisis, warning against what he described as ill-conceived quarantine enforcements and discriminatory travel restrictions.

The high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein expressed concern about their budget as well.

“I have to say I am shocked, shocked that just six weeks into the job I am already having to look at making cuts because of our current financial situation,” he said in his first news conference since formally taking over the job on Sept. 1st.

At a time when the United States and Europe are growing increasingly alarmed about the spread of Ebola from West Africa and seeking ways to minimize it, Mr. Zeid protested against restrictive actions, including criminal penalties, that he said could have the opposite effect.

“Only a response that is built on respect for human rights will be successful in quashing the epidemic,” he said.

“We must also beware of ‘us’ and ‘them,’ a mentality that locks people into rigid identity groups and reduces all Africans — or all West Africans, or some smaller, national or local group — to a stereotype.”

As the global response to the crisis accelerates, he said, “it is also vital that every person struck down with Ebola be treated with dignity, not stigmatized or cast out.”

Pat Robertson: LGBT Advocates Are Terrorists

It seems like some far-right pundits can mix immigration, Muslim terrorists, and Ebola. Why not mix gays and terrorists?

Here Minister Pat Robertson mixes the two.

Secular Talk video.