Subject: RE: Please read: The GOP's Latest Desparate Attack Against LGBT Americans
From: "Brinster, Jeremy" <[email-masked]>
To: "Jefferson, Deshundra" <[email-masked]>, RR2 <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]>, "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>, "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>, "Helmstetter, TJ" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2016 12:33:09 -0700

a few edits in green

From: Jefferson, Deshundra
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 3:18 PM
To: RR2
Cc: Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric; Helmstetter, TJ
Subject: FW: Please read: The GOP's Latest Desparate Attack Against LGBT Americans

This is ready for research.

From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 1:13 PM
To: Meloy, Sean; Helmstetter, TJ
Cc: Jefferson, Deshundra; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Subject: RE: Please read: The GOP's Latest Desparate Attack Against LGBT Americans

Yup. For national hits it should come from our national spokespeople, the Chair, myself, Mark, but we can also use the Chairs of the councils/caucuses. I think it's good to have a diversity of voices.

[SigDems]<http://www.democrats.org/>Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]> - @MiraLuisDC<https://www.twitter.com/MiraLuisDC>

From: Meloy, Sean
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 1:07 PM
To: Helmstetter, TJ
Cc: Miranda, Luis; Jefferson, Deshundra; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Subject: Re: Please read: The GOP's Latest Desparate Attack Against LGBT Americans

I think that would be great. Will flag for him.

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 29, 2016, at 1:04 PM, Helmstetter, TJ <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:
The last two times we sent an LGBT hit to the national list you used your name and Mark's name but I think that's a great idea.

From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 1:03 PM
To: Helmstetter, TJ; Meloy, Sean; Jefferson, Deshundra; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Subject: RE: Please read: The GOP's Latest Desparate Attack Against LGBT Americans

I'm good with it but should we have it come from Earl?

<http://www.democrats.org/>Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]> - @MiraLuisDC<https://www.twitter.com/MiraLuisDC>

From: Helmstetter, TJ
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 12:39 PM
To: Meloy, Sean; Jefferson, Deshundra; Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Subject: RE: Please read: The GOP's Latest Desparate Attack Against LGBT Americans

Yes good point

From: Meloy, Sean
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 12:38 PM
To: Jefferson, Deshundra; Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Cc: Helmstetter, TJ
Subject: RE: Please read: The GOP's Latest Desparate Attack Against LGBT Americans

An edit b/c the amendment was passed early yesterday and is in the bill now. And do we want to mention that it is President Obama's Executive order?

Sean Meloy | LGBT Engagement Director
Democratic National Committee
O: (202) 572-5482
@MeloySM<https://twitter.com/MeloySM> | @LGBT_ Dems<https://twitter.com/lgbt_dems> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/lgbtdemocrats>
Sign Up for the LGBT Democrats Newsletter HERE<https://my.democrats.org/page/signup/join-the-lgbt-democrats-email-list>

From: Jefferson, Deshundra
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 12:30 PM
To: Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Cc: Helmstetter, TJ; Meloy, Sean
Subject: Please read: The GOP's Latest Desparate Attack Against LGBT Americans

Here they go again. The Republican Party's ugly, divisive campaign against the LGBT community continues with a new round of attacks designed to legalize discrimination. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed a law earlier this week allowing therapists to reject LGBT patients. Now Congressional Republicans are joining in on the act.

Republican Rep. Steve Russell (OK-5) introduced an amendment, happily passed by the House Armed Services Committee's Republican majority, that would carve out exemptions in an executive order that protects employees of federal contractors against anti-LGBT discrimination. Meanwhile, Republican efforts to roll out their anti-LGBT "First Amendment Defense Act" continue.

"Taxpayer dollars shouldn't be used to fund bigotry, and these types of 'right-to-discriminate' laws have nothing to do with so-called religious liberty. They are squarely aimed at reducing the rights of LGBT Americans. It's just another example of the Republican Party's long history of using wedge issues to further divide our nation. I think they will be sorely disappointed at the polls this fall when voters reject the Party of Trump for their hateful, divisive policies," said DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda.

Here's a round-up of the GOP's latest, desperate attacks against the LGBT community:

LGBT groups gird for battle against religious-based legislation in Congress<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/04/29/lgbt-groups-gird-for-battle-against-religious-based-legislation-they-say-could-erase-their-rights/>
The Washington Post // Lisa Rein and Karoun Demirjian
The country's largest LGBT rights group on Thursday went to battle against a religious-based amendment tacked onto the annual defense policy bill that advocates say would strip away gay rights in federal contracting. The Human Rights Campaign called it the first legislation to pass a congressional committee that would roll back expanded rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people at the federal level since the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry.

The predictable reason why anti-LGBT bills become law<https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/04/29/the-predictable-reason-why-anti-lgbt-bills-become-law/>
The Washington Post // Jonathan Capehart
The cavalcade of crazy ginned up by folks fearful of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans was predictable. That far-right conservatives have been wigged out ever since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage last June is not surprising. Nor is the move by states to pass so-called religious freedom laws. Nor is the push to deny transgender people the dignity of using the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

The imaginary predator in America's transgender bathroom war<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/04/28/transgender-bathroom-bills-discrimination/32594395/>
USA Today // Alia E. Dastagir
The bathroom is a bastion of segregation. It's where we sort people. Civil rights battles have been fought there before - over blacks, over women, over people with disabilities. Now, with North Carolina and Mississippi passing laws that ban transgender Americans from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, another battle has begun.

A Controversial Therapy Law in Tennessee<http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/04/tennessee-haslam-counseling-law/480270/>
The Atlantic // Matt Ford
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed legislation Wednesday that allows counselors and therapists to turn away clients based on the practitioners' "sincerely held principles," a move criticized by professional organizations and LGBT-rights groups alike.

Push for Equality Act renewed as states pass anti-LGBT laws<https://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/04/28/lawmakers-renew-push-for-equality-act-amid-passage-of-state-anti-lgbt-laws/>
Washington Blade // Chris Johnson
Amid consternation over the newly enacted state laws enabling discrimination against LGBT people, congressional lawmakers have renewed their push for comprehensive LGBT non-discrimination legislation at the federal level. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who's gay and lead sponsor of the Equality Act, along with congressional Democrats during a news conference on Capitol Hill called for a hearing on the legislation in the House Judiciary Committee.

###

<http://www.democrats.org/>Deshundra Jefferson, Southern Regional Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]> | (202) 863-8112