LGBTQ Policy Journal

A growing number of people have sought asylum in the United States with claims based on sexual orientation discrimination, reflecting expanding notions of identity-based rights and protections. These claims have been successful for many applicants, and have undoubtedly yielded positive and life-changing individual results. As sexual orientation claims become a fixture in U.S. asylum law, […]

What’s that, you say? A social-justice event that is like the Grammy’s for the music industry, but for die-hard civil justice fans who love the gays! And I get to attend? Lead the way. Friday, October 27 was the 18th Annual GLAD Spirit of Justice Award Dinner. What. A. Night! As I mingled with over […]

The complex issues surrounding gender and sexuality are gradually entering mainstream discourse, as highlighted by recent examples of the Belgian fashion model Hanne Gaby Odiele revealing that she is intersex, National Geographic publishing a special issue entitled ‘Gender Revolution,’ and protests against the Trump administration’s withdrawal of guidance requiring schools to treat trans students according […]

When our first-born declared that she was gender queer within days of turning 16, I had no idea that for months Elizabeth had been in the throes of an intense and painful internal struggle. Raised by two women, Elizabeth had come out as pansexual the year before, an announcement that had barely made a ripple […]

In a place that prices social currency through inclusion, I was surprised to hear cynicism sprinkled atop confusion from my staked-out study spot on the HKS campus. But here, sandwiched between office hours and problem sets, I again heard discussion of HKS’ new gender neutral bathrooms float through the halls. “I just don’t get ‘gender […]

Abstract: The decision to advocate for the inclusion of the term “gender identity” in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act has been criticized by some scholars and activists as a mistake in strategy for the transgender movement. Hate crimes laws, and the federal hate crimes law in particular, have been […]

At the time of this writing, The Danish Girl was in theaters and was engendering a great deal of conversation. This is but one example of the recent uptick in popular culture references to transgender issues. Other examples include Laverne Cox’s character on Orange is the New Black, Jeffrey Tambor’s role in Transparent, and the […]

Over the last few years, health departments, community based organizations, AIDS service organizations, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been promoting PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, to prevent new HIV infections. Numerous scientific studies support the optimism over PrEP’s ability to dramatically curb new HIV infections, with higher than 90% success rates […]

Galen Baughman is an Open Society Foundations Soros Justice Fellow working to end the practice of civilly committing youth as sexually violent predators. Starting when he was still just a teenager, Galen was imprisoned for nine years, including four and a half years in solitary confinement. Today, he brings his experiences to audiences around the […]

The below interview is with Dr. Eunice Avilés, one of the panelists participating in the LGBTQ Policy Journal’s event next Tuesday, February 16, 2016: Mala Mala Film Screening and Trans* Inclusive Policy Discussion. We ask Dr. Avilés some questions about her work and remaining challenges for creating innovative policy solutions for the trans community. Dr. Eunice Avilés […]

I had the pleasure to sit down with Elysia Chandler, who recently authored the City of Cambridge’s first report on healthcare for LGBTQ seniors in Cambridge.  In 2014, Elysia and the Cambridge GLBT Commission began assessing how the policies and practices of healthcare organizations in Cambridge support the needs of LGBTQ seniors.  Released late last […]

The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, otherwise known as HERO, comes to a vote today during the city’s local elections. While the provisions of the bill itself are not solely focused on LGBT rights – but rather on categorical discrimination broadly – the protections it offers on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity have […]