lgbt rights

October 31, 2017 - Political observers are keeping a close eye on Virginia's governor's race for signals about next year's midterms. But it's not the only critical seat up for grabs in November's off-year elections. Here are seven key races, state and local, to watch across the South.

July 14, 2017 - Eight justices who had previously dismissed a challenge to same-sex spousal benefits recently changed their minds. Some have argued they were riding a change in political tides, but there may be more to the story than a nationwide conservative swing.

June 2, 2017 - Among the corporate sponsors of this year's Conservative Leadership Conference organized by the Art Pope-founded Civitas Institute are Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Duke Energy.

March 10, 2017 - Transgender women — and especially trans women of color — face disproportionate violence, with at least seven murders in the U.S. so far this year. Most of these occurred in the South, where state hate crime laws don't cover gender identity, and where lawmakers are stirring up transphobia with so-called "bathroom bills."

January 27, 2017 - On transgender rights, immigrant protections, minimum wage increases and more, Southern cities are facing escalating efforts by state and federal officials to block local progress.

January 6, 2017 - Passed last March, North Carolina's discriminatory HB2 "bathroom bill" has inflicted major economic damage on the state, costing it more than half a billion dollars as businesses, athletics organizations, film companies and conferences have canceled expansions and events in protest. Here's the latest tally of that lost revenue.

November 18, 2016 - House Bill 2 took center stage in North Carolina's elections as candidates were targeted based on their stance on the controversial "bathroom bill." In six state contests, including the still-unsettled governors race, the law may have determined the winner.