Retired Army General Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden's pick to lead the Pentagon, said on Tuesday that he supported a plan to overturn a ban on transgender service members.
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WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - When a U.S. appeals court declared that Florida could make it harder for convicted felons to vote - a ruling decried by civil rights activists - the impact of President Donald Trump’s conservative judicial appointments was plain to see.
The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was divided 6-4 in the September ruling, with five Trump appointees in the majority. It reversed a decision by a federal judge who found that the Republican-governed state’s effort to require felons after their sentences are completed to pay fines, restitution and legal fees before they could cast ballots violated their voting rights under the U.S. Constitution.
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LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Norway’s parliament outlawed hate speech against transgender people on Tuesday, expanding its penal code which has protected gay and lesbian people since 1981.
People found guilty of hate speech face a fine or up to a year in jail for private remarks, and a maximum of three years in jail for public comments, according to the penal code.
“I’m very relieved actually, because (the lack of legal protection) has been an eyesore for trans people for many, many years,” said Birna Rorslett, vice president of the Association of Transgender People in Norway.
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NEW YORK, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Tech firms SAP and IBM said on Thursday they had redrawn their human resources policies after last year’s Black Lives Matter protests, improving recruitment and acting to address issues of race more openly in the workplace.
Executives from the two companies told the Reuters Next conference the social upheaval sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a U.S. policeman had spilled into the workplace, challenging prevailing ideas about workplace discrimination.
“We learned that we talked about diversity and inclusion in a broad sense, but we didn’t really talk enough and directly about race,” said Obed Louissaint, senior vice president, transformation and culture, at IBM.
Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will take the stage at U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony in Washington next week alongside others in what his transition team said would showcase a diverse America.