Angela D Giampolo

April 09, 2018 | The Legal Intelligencer

Late on Friday, March 23, the Trump administration announced a new-ish ban on transgender people serving in the military. But in reality, there's not much difference between this one and the ban he announced via twitter back in summer 2017.

By Angela D. Giampolo

5 minute read

December 08, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

It's been over three years since Kevin Harrigan, Philip Williams and Kathryn Knott bashed a gay couple, Andrew Haught and Zachary Hesse, in Center City Philadelphia on Sept. 11, 2014. At the time, there was outrage that such an attack could occur in Philadelphia, a place where LGBTQ people are supposed to feel safe in a city considered the most LGBTQ-friendly in the country by the Human Rights Campaign.

By Angela D. Giampolo

6 minute read

November 13, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

Earlier this summer in Matal v. Tam (formerly Lee v. Tam), the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) struck down the restriction on the registration of marks that “disparage” under Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. Section 1052(a).

By Angela D. Giampolo

6 minute read

October 09, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

In April 2017, for the first time ever, a full panel of circuit court judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago ruled that discrimination against employees for sexual orientation was against Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, stating that discrimination based on orientation falls under the discrimination based on sex.

By Angela D. Giampolo

6 minute read

September 08, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

In recent years, when the terms "LGBTQ" and "small business" are discussed in the media, it's usually in response to a small but vocal minority demanding religious freedom to refuse service to members of the LGBTQ community, and the legal battles that follow. However, perhaps there are more important discussions revolving around business and the LGBTQ community—the discussion of the power LGBTQ-owned businesses have in further equality.

By Angela D. Giampolo

5 minute read

August 04, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

If it makes dollars, it makes sense and it's no secret that diversity in the ­workplace is good for business. Studies have shown that a diverse, welcoming environment results in better teamwork, greater innovation and more resourceful problem solving thanks to the variety of experiences employees bring to the table.

By Angela D. Giampolo

10 minute read

July 07, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

On the final day of the term, June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of the Colorado baker, Jack Phillips, who refuses to make cakes for same-sex weddings on the basis of his ­religious beliefs. Unfortunately, we are going to have to wait to see if "religious freedom" includes the freedom to discriminate as the case will likely not be argued until late in the next session, which begins in October.

By Angela D. Giampolo

6 minute read

June 12, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

In the wake of Memorial Day weekend, I got to thinking about our LGBTQ ­members of the armed services. For 17 years, Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) forcibly closeted tens of thousands of military service men and women. Originally designed as a compromise between lawmakers and military personnel who wanted the ban on LGBTQ service members lifted and those who didn't, the reality of DADT encouraged an environment where discrimination and prejudice festered, and those most hurt by it had no recourse because they faced dishonorable discharge. Over the lifespan of DADT, more than 14,000 service members were given discharges due to their sexual orientation. The Sept. 20, 2011, repeal of DADT, however, lifted that ­albatross from the necks of our LGBTQ service members, allowing them to live authentically both in and out of uniform. Now we have a military that accepts any qualified person willing to serve and with the daily reminder of the dangers at our country's doorstep, better late than never.

By Angela D. Giampolo

13 minute read

May 09, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

LGBTQ equality has been an ­important topic in the United States for the last several years, and the strides we've made to improve our laws and our lives in the last few years have been impressive. We may still have a way to go in changing laws and minds but as bad as it is in the United States, in other parts of the world, it's much, much worse.

By Angela D. Giampolo

10 minute read

April 07, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

On Feb. 24, 2004, President George W. Bush announced that he ­supported a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, declaring it was the only way to protect the status of marriage between man and woman, which he called "the most fundamental institution of civilization."

By Angela D. Giampolo

8 minute read