San Francisco: First openly Gay US ambassador dies
NBC News and the Associated Press reported on August 13 that James Hormel, the first openly Gay US ambassador, has died at age 88. Hormel was a philanthropist, funding human rights organizations and AIDS research. He served in the Clinton administration from June 1999 to 2000, but not without facing hatred and hardship. The process of his nomination was "strenuous, arduous, insulting... [and] full of antagonism," Hormel said at a book signing in West Hollywood in 2012. Although he was never appointed by a Senate vote, Hormel believes he paved the way for others, and most honoring him now – Bill and Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, and Nancy Pelosi included – seem to agree.

Illinois: Hobby Lobby will pay for anti-Trans discrimination
LGBTQ Nation reported August 13 on an Illinois court's ruling that Christian-owned retail chain Hobby Lobby discriminated against one of its workers because of her status as a Transgender woman. Meggan Sommerville was barred from using the women's restroom at Hobby Lobby for nearly ten years of her employment there. According to the court, Hobby Lobby "repeatedly changed its precondition" for limiting Sommerville to the men's restroom, "violat[ing] both Article 2 and Article 5," which each outlaw gender discrimination and discrimination in the access of public accommodations and facilities. Hobby Lobby will pay Sommerville $220,000 in damages, or possibly more if the commission so decides.