Tag Archives: USA

Thousands March To Protest Trump’s Presidential Victory

Less than 24 hours after it was called that Donald Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton to become the 45th President of the United States, demonstrators have been held in several US cities.

Many shouted the slogan “Not my president”. Others burned orange-haired effigies of the businessman.

In New York, thousands – including Lady Gaga – marched on Trump Tower, attacking Trump’s policies on immigration, gay rights and reproductive rights.

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Gaga, a prominent supporter of Clinton, was photographed protesting outside Trump Tower in New York City in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The star stood on a sanitation truck, holding a sign reading ‘Love trumps hate.’ A Trump Tower clock can be seen in the background.

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Thousands of people also poured into the streets of downtown Los Angeles, and hundreds of them later spilled onto the 101 Freeway, shutting down traffic as they forcefully denounced Trumps victory.

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In Chicago, crowds blocked the entrance to Trump Tower, chanting: “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascists USA”

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In Portland, Oregon, demonstrators temporarily closed an interstate highway.

In Washington DC, protesters held a candlelit vigil.

Demonstrations also took place in Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco, among other cities.

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Trump is due to meet current White House incumbent Barack Obama for talks aimed at ensuring a smooth transition.

Mr Obama – who had branded Mr Trump “unfit” for office and campaigned against him – urged all Americans to accept the result of Tuesday’s election.

We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country.”

Defeated Mrs Clinton also told supporters Mr Trump had to be given a “chance to lead”.

US Supreme Court to Hear Historic Same-sex Marriage Case Arguments Today

Today, the US Supreme Court begins hearing oral arguments in a ground-breaking case concerning marriage bans in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky, in the first large-scale Supreme Court action on the issue since a ruling in favour of equality during 2013’s United States v Windsor.

Oral argument before the Supreme Court will take only a few hours, and hinge on an important question: whether marriage equality for gays and lesbians is a new right, or whether it’s an aspect of the existing right to marry. The couples argue that the Supreme Court has already recognised marriage as a fundamental freedom, and states cannot impose arbitrary restrictions on that freedom.

The four states before the court argue that federal law has only recognised marriage as fundamental for straight couples — a claim that echoes the racist arguments against overturning interracial marriage laws in the 1960s.

The justices will hear the case just a few days after a new survey shows public support for marriage equality rising to new heights. A new Washington Post/ABC survey puts support at 61 percent to 35 percent opposed. That’s close to a complete reversal from just a decade ago.

A ruling is expected by the summer.

Ahead of the case, hundreds of amicus briefs have been filed by concerned parties – with President Obama’s administration urging the court to strike down bans on same-sex marriage, while Republicans in Congress urged the court not to.

However, in a sure-fire sign that Republicans don’t want to be seen on the wrong side of history in the case, just 57 out of the party’s 299 Members of Congress signed the brief, which argues states should be allowed to decide if gays are allowed to marry. In contrast, a brief from the Democrats in favour of equality was signed by 211 of the party’s 232 Members of Congress.

A number of leading employers have also urged the court to strike down the ban, with a number of corporate rivals have put their differences aside to sign a joint legal brief. Bitter rivals – including Microsoft, Apple and Google, Twitter and Facebook, eBay and Amazon – put their differences aside to sign on to the brief. Other iconic businesses to support same-sex marriage include Walt Disney, Coca-Cola, Nike, Visa, American Apparel, Verison, General Mills, Barnes & Noble.

Over Half of US LGBTs Scared to Be Out in the Workplace

53% of LGBT Americans have not told their work colleagues about their sexual persuasions, a new Human Rights Commission (HRC) poll has discovered. The revelation has made commentators wonder how liberal-minded the US really is despite the legalisation of same-sex marriage in a number of states.

About 25% of respondents said that they regularly heard casually homophobic comments while at work, such as ‘That’s really gay’. One in five had been so put off by the intolerance of their colleagues that they had been compelled to look for a new job. Over a third said that they had lied about their sexuality in case they attracted criticism or prejudice.

The poll, which was conducted during the early part of this year, questioned 806 LGBT and 879 non-LGBT people across the United States. In 2009, similar research showed that 51% of American gay and lesbian workers were in the closet. It would seem that, if things have changed at all, they have changed for the worse.

The results from the non-LGBT participants weren’t very encouraging either. Less than half of them reported feelings of discomfort when their gay and lesbian colleagues talked about their love lives, even though this is a topic that many straight workers discuss a lot of the time.

On the positive side, 81% didn’t think that LGBTs should have to conceal who they are at work. Furthermore, the HRC report found that many employers had instituted LGBT awareness programmes and offered support to their LGBT employees.

However, the director of HRC’s Workplace Equality initiative, Deena Fidas, doesn’t think this goes far enough: ‘It’s not enough to put in place inclusive policies. [We also need] training and accountability, and must be on the lookout for unconscious bias.’