Category: FAMILY

Biden Dedicated Docket Unfair for Asylum Seekers

May 28, 2021

CGRS Concerned Biden Policies Will Undermine Fairness, Endanger Refugee Families The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) is deeply concerned by today’s announcement that the Biden administration will begin fast-tracking asylum cases for certain families seeking refuge. By establishing a “dedicated docket” for asylum-seeking families, the administration will sacrifice fairness in the name of … More Biden Dedicated Docket Unfair for Asylum Seekers

U.S. Expands Birthright Citizenship of Babies Born Abroad to Same-Sex Couples

May 20, 2021

In a historic update to exisiting policy, the U.S. State Department made the decision to recognize U.S. citizenship of babies born abroad to same-sex married couples, regardless of whether an American parent is biologically related. More from HuffPost.   In a victory for LGBTQ rights, the State Department updated its policy to recognize the U.S. … More U.S. Expands Birthright Citizenship of Babies Born Abroad to Same-Sex Couples

Garland Must Act Now to STOP Trump Policy Harm

April 30, 2021

This morning NPR aired a great story on how Trump’s Justice Department rulings continue to place domestic violence survivors and others at risk of deportation. The story features  Ms. A.B. (Matter of A-B-) and Cristina, one of the many women wrongly denied asylum due to these rulings. We are calling on A.G. Garland to vacate … More Garland Must Act Now to STOP Trump Policy Harm

Biden’s HUD to Enforce Fair Housing Act for LGBTQ People

February 11, 2021

HUD TO ENFORCE FAIR HOUSING ACT TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY HUD directive begins implementation of the policy set forth in Biden executive order to prevent and combat sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that it will administer and … More Biden’s HUD to Enforce Fair Housing Act for LGBTQ People

Day One: President Biden’s Historic Executive Orders for LGBTQ Rights

January 21, 2021

President Biden’s Historic EO for LGBTQ Rights Yesterday, President Biden issued Executive Orders impacting our LGBTQI communities. President Biden signed a sweeping executive order directing federal agencies to adopt a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including in federal employment, policies, programs, and services. This is the first day one executive order by a … More Day One: President Biden’s Historic Executive Orders for LGBTQ Rights

Pandemic reduces Heroes and Zeroes to a Reflection on 2020

December 21, 2020

Each Year I write a top 10 Heroes and Zeroes. This year it is very simple! Or should I say Pandemic worn down – renders it simple- The Heroes in each and every category are LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees and the Zeroes are Donald Trump,  his grifter family and each and every single Republican … More Pandemic reduces Heroes and Zeroes to a Reflection on 2020

Trump’s Parting Gift to Asylum Seekers is abject Hate and Revenge

December 10, 2020

“I think it is even worse. I think he knows that this could be the most revengeful parting gift he is capable of delivering to the human rights world and Americans who care!”  Melanie Nathan San Francisco, CA (December 10, 2020) – Today the Trump administration announced the publication of sweeping regulations that will make it virtually impossible … More Trump’s Parting Gift to Asylum Seekers is abject Hate and Revenge

Celebrating Human Rights Day calls for Complaint

December 10, 2020

In congratulating Bhutan’s Parliament for decriminalizing SOGI today, we call on all Nations who house draconian Colonial laws to do the same… The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a milestone document in the history of human rights, drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions … More Celebrating Human Rights Day calls for Complaint

Emergency Funding for LGBTQI Refugees and Asylum Seekers

December 7, 2020

EMERGENCY FUNDING: LGBTQI people are criminalized in over 70 countries around the world, of which over 30 are in Africa. This has resulted in persecution, ostracization and physical attacks by governments, community, and even family and friends. Resulting in the need  to exile from one’s own country to seek safety. The stories are many and overwhelmingly … More Emergency Funding for LGBTQI Refugees and Asylum Seekers

American Family Association Spreads Anti-Trans Hate with Pediatrician’s Help

December 4, 2020

I had the great displeasure of receiving an e-mail today from the American Family Association, a SPLC designated hate group that works, inter alia, not only to rob trans and all LGBTQI people of their rights, but also to demonize and ostracize, while propping up the rabid violence that results. It is this very type … More American Family Association Spreads Anti-Trans Hate with Pediatrician’s Help

Court Blocks Trump’s Illegal Border Expulsions of Children

November 18, 2020

District Court Blocks Administration’s Illegal Border Expulsions Washington, D.C. (November 18, 2020) – A district court today issued an order blocking application of the Trump administration’s “Title 42” order to all unaccompanied children, nationwide, in a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, Texas Civil Rights Project, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, and … More Court Blocks Trump’s Illegal Border Expulsions of Children

America Erupts

November 7, 2020

As Biden Harris Elected, Joy and Celebration ERUPTS in Streets across America Today Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the United Sates Presidency, running on the Democratic Party ticket. As multiple news outlets made the call, thousands of masked Americans, from big cities to small towns, took to the streets –  singing, dancing, and chanting. … More America Erupts

Over 120 LGBT Organizations Sign Letter to U.S. Senators Opposing Barrett SCOTUS Confirmation

October 23, 2020

Over 120 LGBTQI organizations signed the below letter addressed to all United States Senators, opposing the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) as the replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. African Human Rights Coalition is a proud signatory to the letter, noting the huge impact that … More Over 120 LGBT Organizations Sign Letter to U.S. Senators Opposing Barrett SCOTUS Confirmation

Help Stop Trump from Gutting our Asylum Laws

October 20, 2020

On September 23 the Trump administration proposed a cruel new rule that will gut due process and make it virtually impossible for asylum seekers to have their fair day in court. This rule places the odds so strongly against an asylum seeker its tantamount to an absolute denial of right!  This will have the effect of … More Help Stop Trump from Gutting our Asylum Laws

Trump’s Shemzag SCOTUS Pick is Unworthy of RBG Seat

September 25, 2020

“She the People” on Trump’s Supreme Court Pick:  “Amy Coney Barrett … is a detriment to our democracy.” The ONLY reason Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is not somersaulting in disgust in her grave is because she is not yet buried.  Today Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, one of the most profound American Jurists of all time, a … More Trump’s Shemzag SCOTUS Pick is Unworthy of RBG Seat

AHRC Greetings for a Shana Tova this Jewish New Year 5781

September 18, 2020

Rosh Hashana starts the Jewish New Year. It is a time for renewal and leading into the ‘Days of Awe’ it is a time for contemplation and atonement For many of us this has been an extremely difficult year and we wonder about our World: COVID-19 Over 30 million cases of the deadly Corona-Virus and … More AHRC Greetings for a Shana Tova this Jewish New Year 5781

The Million Moms Focus on Hating Hallmark is in Fact Loving Lesbians

August 7, 2020

One Million Moms, the vehemently anti-LGBTQI hate group, is at it again. They want you to boycott Hallmark for featuring lesbian couples on their wedding show, Wedding Every Weekend.. Their inconsequential boycotts, aimed at erasing anything queer, lesbian, gay, bi or trans, continues to serve to enhance our legitimacy and ongoing quest for equality. Yes, … More The Million Moms Focus on Hating Hallmark is in Fact Loving Lesbians

Preview Hateful New Film by American Family Association – And then Donate to those they Persecute

July 31, 2020

Please DONATE to African Human Rights Coalition (African HRC) (AHRC) www.AfricanHRC.org/donate – and the let the haters, American Family Association, know that their FILM spurred you to donate to those they persecute ….. The vehemently homophobic purveyors of conversion therapies, American Family Association will be spewing more anti-LGBTQ myth in their newest documentary, In His Image, … More Preview Hateful New Film by American Family Association – And then Donate to those they Persecute

Responding to Trump Killing Asylum

July 20, 2020

In his 2016 election campaign, Donald Trump claimed Mexico was offloading ‘rapists’ at the border. And he vowed his administration would no longer accept this. Four years later, his trajectory of scapegoating and lies has yielded the Department of Homeland Security and the Executive Office of Immigration Review’s new rule. This rule effectively destroys the asylum process … More Responding to Trump Killing Asylum

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Transit Ban as it Violates Asylum Law

July 6, 2020

San Francisco, CA (July 6, 2020) –A federal appeals court has upheld a block on the Trump administration’s attempt to make individuals who traveled through a third country on the way to the United States before arriving at the southern border ineligible for asylum, with very limited exceptions. The lawsuit, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Barr, … More Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Transit Ban as it Violates Asylum Law

Trump Loses in Federal Court as Deportation of Boy under Public Health Laws Halted

June 24, 2020

Federal Court Again Blocks Removal of Honduran Youth in First Challenge to Trump Administration’s Illegal Border Expulsion Order – Judge Says Trump Order Likely Unlawful A federal court has once again provisionally blocked the deportation of a Honduran boy in the first legal challenge to the Trump administration’s order restricting immigration at the border based on … More Trump Loses in Federal Court as Deportation of Boy under Public Health Laws Halted

More than 80,000 LGBT Dreamers

June 23, 2020

81,000 ‘Dreamers’ identify as LGBT and 39,000 have participated in DACA. As our country continues to push back against racial inequality and structural violence, this report highlights the importance of sound policy to preserve the health and safety of marginalized populations. Created in 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program allows undocumented immigrants … More More than 80,000 LGBT Dreamers

Remembering the Soweto Massacre – South Africa’s National Youth Day June 16

June 16, 2020

June 16th, 1976 seemed like just another regular coolish South African winter’s day. Frustrated by parking problems, I made my way into my law class at the mostly “white only” University of the Witwatersrand, (WITS). Little did I know where this day would lead: A fellow student ran into our class screaming that children were … More Remembering the Soweto Massacre – South Africa’s National Youth Day June 16

Egyptian Lesbian Arrested for Raising Rainbow Flag Dies by Suicide

June 14, 2020

In 2017 it was widely reported that Egyptian police arrested 57 people after they were allegedly seen raising rainbow flags at a concert in Cairo. They were reportedly detained for “promoting sexual deviancy”. Among them was the only woman arrested, a lesbian activist, Sara El Hegazy, who after finding refuge in Canada, according to media and Twitter … More Egyptian Lesbian Arrested for Raising Rainbow Flag Dies by Suicide

VOTE for Welcome – Campaigning for Candidates who will stand up for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

June 12, 2020

Since Trump began his 2016 presidential campaign he jhas made a concerted effort to attack immigrants. For almost 4 years, we have lived through constant attacks – most especially on asylum seekers, refugees, Muslims and People of Color, hardest hit by Trump’s xenophobic racist overt trajectory toward hateful policies. The 2020 elections are approaching and … More VOTE for Welcome – Campaigning for Candidates who will stand up for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

STOP Trump’s Wolf and Redfield from Exploiting COVID-19 Against Asylum Seekers and Children

May 27, 2020

Over 250 Organizations Call on Trump’s Wolf and Redfield to Stop Exploiting COVID-19 Against Asylum Seekers and Unaccompanied Children Today African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) participated, along with 250 organizations, as a signatory to a letter sent to DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and CDC (Center for Disease Control) urging the TRUMP administration to restore … More STOP Trump’s Wolf and Redfield from Exploiting COVID-19 Against Asylum Seekers and Children

VICTORY: South Carolina Lesbian Couple Case Moves Forward Challenging Foster Care Policy

May 8, 2020

VICTORY: South Carolina Lesbian Couple to Have Their Day in Court in Challenge to HHS and South Carolina Foster Care Policy. District court allows lawsuit to go forward challenging HHS waiver that permits a government-funded South Carolina foster care agency to reject applications from same-sex parents   A U.S. District Court today denied an effort by … More VICTORY: South Carolina Lesbian Couple Case Moves Forward Challenging Foster Care Policy

Fighting for Asylum Seeker Rights Against the Order – See letter to CDC’s Kyle McGowan

April 23, 2020

FORMAL COMMENT TO GOVERNMENT PORTAL OBJECTING TO CDC RULE IN LETTER BELOW Melanie Nathan: “African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC- African HRC) has submitted the following comment and objection to the CDC Rule change that is harming all asylum seekers, especially the most marginalized who make their way to the Southern Borders of the United States. … More Fighting for Asylum Seeker Rights Against the Order – See letter to CDC’s Kyle McGowan

Child Abuse Tends to Spike in Times of Crisis

April 23, 2020

Marin HHS sends warning on eve of Child Abuse Prevention Month Calls to Marin County’s child abuse and neglect hotlines has plunged since the start of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, raising concerns of specialists with the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). According to HHS’ Children and Family Services Division, calls to … More Child Abuse Tends to Spike in Times of Crisis

SONOMA Board of Supervisors Approves Eviction Defense Ordinance

March 25, 2020

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, which also serves as the Board of Commissioners for the Community Development Commission, today passed the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Ordinance, effective immediately for 60 days after the end of the local and public health emergency. The new ordinance aligns with the Governor’s Executive Order N-28-20 which authorized local jurisdictions … More SONOMA Board of Supervisors Approves Eviction Defense Ordinance