skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MA: LGBTQIA+ Issues

In 2023, the Vatican's doctrinal office announced that transgender people could potentially be baptized in the Catholic church and serve as godparents but noted any baptisms should not risk

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Queer churches in MA and nationwide offer all identities safe, sacred spaces

By Sara Youngblood Gregory for Yes! Magazine.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for Commonwealth News Service reporting for the YES! Media-Public …

play audio
There were 45 book challenges in Massachusetts in 2022 affecting 57 titles, however no books have been banned in the state, according to the American Library Association. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br />
Legislation aims to classify book bans as federal civil rights violations

New federal legislation would classify discriminatory book bans as violations of federal civil rights law. The Books Save Lives Act would ensure …

play audio

Democratic lawmakers are calling for term limits to ensure each president has the opportunity to appoint the same number of Supreme Court justices each term, in an effort to make the high court more democratically representative. (Adobe Stock)
MA Lawmakers Call for Expansion of U.S. Supreme Court

Massachusetts lawmakers in Congress are calling for an expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court due to what they said are "ethical lapses" and "partisan …

play audio
One in 30 teens ages 13 to 17 experience some form of homelessness without a parent or guardian during a year. (Taylor Pecko-Reid/Flickr)
"Path to Help" Campaign: Resources for Homeless MA Youth

BOSTON -- The holidays can be a tough time for many young people who have aged out of foster care or don't have a stable home situation, and …

play audio

About 70 percent of Massachusetts voters supported preserving the state's transgender nondiscrimination law. (katlove/pixabay)
Election Showed Strong Support for LGBTQ Rights

BOSTON – Voter approval of Question 3 on the Massachusetts ballot was a victory for transgender rights in the Bay State. Approval of the …

play audio
A study found no increase in criminal incidents in public restrooms from gender nondiscrimination laws. (evitaochel/pixabay)
Study Finds No Threat in Transgender Bathroom Access

BOSTON – A study released Wednesday found including gender identity in nondiscrimination laws does not increase privacy or safety violations in …

play audio

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, on the steps of the Supreme Court, told the crowd,
Dems Sound Off on Supreme Court Replacement

BOSTON – A fight is already brewing over the replacement for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement this week…

play audio
The cake shop owner argued he should not be forced to create a cake for a wedding that violates his religious beliefs. (twinklelacsamana/Pixabay)
Advocates Fear More Discrimination After Supreme Court Ruling

BOSTON – Civil rights advocates fear the Supreme Court's ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case will encourage more attempted discrimination ag…

play audio

Activists vow to protest the Trump administration's plan to defund Planned Parenthood as they did in 2017. (Linda Barr)
Trump Attempts Gag Rule On Reproductive Health (Again)

BOSTON – If President Donald Trump's new effort succeeds to impose a so-called gag rule on family planning centers, access to women's health …

play audio
As many as 1 in 10 current or recent college students face homelessness as they struggle to pay student debt and living expenses, research shows. (andrew_t8/Pixabay)
Studying While Hungry, Homeless: Educators Float Solutions

BOSTON – Studying while hungry – many college students struggle to get enough to eat because they lack money to buy food. At Worcester …

play audio

Advocates for LGBT people fear a proposal to create a Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at the Dept. of Health and Human Services would mean more discrimination. (gagnonm1993/Pixabay)
Critics Call HHS Proposal "License to Discriminate"

BOSTON — LGBT Americans face a patchwork of civil rights protections from state-to-state, and their advocates say a potential new government …

play audio
Transgender people in Massachusetts say now is the time to double-down on state LGBTQ protections, as the Trump administration is moving to repeal them at the federal level. (Freedom For All Americans).
Trump Rolls On, Rolling Back LGBTQ Protections

BOSTON -- The Trump administration has been wasting no time when it comes to rolling back protections for the gay community, and Bay State advocates …

play audio

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021