Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis has issued a statement commemorating this weekend’s International Transgender Day of Remembrance:

SOLIS: What began as an online project in 1999 to memorialize the murder of a transgender person will this year include hundreds of vigils and events throughout the country and around the world. I hope that this year’s commemoration will serve as an opportunity to shine a brighter light on both progress made and the challenges ahead.[...]

I am proud to say that the Department of Labor this year joined other executive branch agencies in updating its policy on equal employment opportunity and its policy on harassing conduct in the workplace to specifically prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity. And I am also proud that transgender individuals serve openly at the U.S. Department of Labor. [...]

On this day of remembrance, as we pause to reflect on the lives that have been lost, we renew our commitment to an America that celebrates and values every person.

The International Transgender Day of Remembrance (#TDOR) began in the late 1990′s to raise awareness about violence against transgender people. In just the first nine months of 2011, 116 individuals have been murdered worldwide just because they are transgender, and this is likely a low estimate due to under-reporting. That number is also already outdated, as another trans woman was murdered just last night in Hollywood.

Solis has been an outspoken advocate for LGBT equality. In April, the Department of Labor extended nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, and last year, Solis and her department recorded an “It Gets Better” video:

Earlier this year, we introduced you to the FAMiLY LEADER, the extreme anti-gay group in Iowa, and its leader, Bob Vander Plaats. Tomorrow, Vander Plaats is hosting a “Thanksgiving Family Forum” for presidential candidates.  If history is any guide, this event promises to be a veritable cornucopia of attacks on gays and women’s health care and a celebration of fringe social views.

Here’s a rundown of that history, just to remind you who and what Republicans presidential candidates choose to associate themselves with — something that definitely matters.

Vander Plaats — The Lowlights

• a Cedar Rapids Gazette columnist called last week’s Iowa State Senate  District 18 special election loss a “stinging rebuke” to Vander Plaats’ FAMiLY Leader
• Vander Plaats received national and local condemnation over his group’s “Marriage Vow” for 2012 candidates, which included language:
• suggesting that children were better off under slavery than they are under Obama (later removed after a national outcry)
• likening homosexuality to polygamy, adultery, or polyandry
• attacking gays as a public health risk
• saying homosexuality is a choice
• fomenting the non-existent “Sharia” threat to America
• banning pornography

• Top Iowa Republicans attacked Vander Plaats, saying his “credibility is waning to the point of no impact” and attacked the Marriage Vow as a “huge distraction”

• Vander Plaats said gays are a “public health risk” akin to smoking:
  

• Vander Plaats repeatedly suggested President Obama was born in Kenya and praised Donald Trump’s birther investigation:
  

• Vander Plaats erupted in laughter at a “faggot” joke, saying “that’s pretty good”:
  

• Vander Plaats’ group took millions in federal funds while decrying federal spending

• Vander Plaats’ political career has been marked by failure:
  • 2002: ran for the GOP gubernatorial nomination and lost.
  • 2006: ran for the GOP gubernational nomination again, dropped out during the primary, joined the GOP ticket as Jim Nussle’s running mate, and promptly lost again.
  • 2010: ran for the GOP gubernational nomination again and lost, again.

This local TV news report from Des Moines last night outlines most of the recent controversies facing Vander Plaats and his organization — and why his influence is on the wane. Check it out:

Stay tuned to ThinkProgress LGBT and our twitter feeds for live updates on tomorrow’s presidential forum in Iowa.

The Department of Health & Human Services has expanded its health insurance database to allow small business owners to locate plans that include same-sex partner coverage. Though employers may utilize the such plans, the Defense of Marriage Act still requires same-sex benefits to be unduly taxed, a burden the employer can choose to offset or leave to employees to cover.

Among the other searchable features of the new healthcare.gov is the ability to search by zip code, out-of-pocket limits, mental health coverage, and maternity coverage through over 2,700 coverage plans from 530 insurers.

Last July, Iowa’s FAMiLY Leader unveiled “The Marriage Vow: A Declaration of Dependence upon MARRIAGE and FAMILY,” a 14 bullet pledge presidential candidates will have to sign to secure any “future endorsement” from the organization and its influential leader, Bob Vander Plaats. The document asked candidates to vow “personal fidelity to my spouse,” claimed that same-sex marriage undermines the family, and contained a bizarre reference to slavery.

But during an appearance on MSNBC this morning, Vander Plaats brushed aside suggestions that Newt Gingrich’s multiple marriages and infidelities undermine social conservative beliefs. “He’s going to be transparent, he’s going to be humble, he’s going to come clean, he’s going to show a level of maturity that he’s learned from the situation and is ready to move on,” Vander Plaats told guest host Chris Cillizza, before suggesting that he forgives Gingrich for his marital sins:

VANDER PLAATS: Every candidate’s past is going to matter. But I believe for those of us who are social conservatives, people of faith, we also realize that the cornerstone at the hart of our faith is a thing called forgiveness. We all fall short, but we want to know, is he truly repentful, is he learned, is he ready to move on, is he more mature? And I believe he’s addressed this in a lot of situations and I think he will again on Saturday.

Watch it:

Vander Plaats was one of the first social conservative leaders to accept Gingrich’s apologies as he sought to consolidate Evangelical support in the run up to announcing his 2012 candidacy. The president of Iowa’s FAMiLY Leader assured the Los Angeles Times in March that Gingrich’s outreach has “won over pastors in the state,” adding “we also understand that we all fall short of the standards.”

But Vander Plaats’ “understanding” may have been influenced by more than the former speaker’s “open and transparent” approach. Last year, Gingrich offered his vocal support for Vander Plaats’ successful campaign to oust three of the nine Iowa Supreme Court justices who had unanimously ruled in favor of marriage equality and his associates bankrolled more than one-third of the $850,000 campaign to remove the justices. Gingrich also attended the FAMiLY Leader’s presidential forum on July 11th of this year, where he was asked if he was ready to commit to the group’s marriage pledge. Gingrich indicated that he was “gonna work with Bob and others to work through some things,” but has yet to publicly announce his support for the document.

Vander Plaats stood by his benefactor, telling the press that he was willing to overlook his marriage infidelities, while still insisting that gays and lesbians hurt the institution and “the family.” “This vow and this pledge is not intended to beat any person up, any candidate up for their past,” Vander Plaats said. “It’s about looking forward to the future and embracing the authenticity of one man, one woman marriage and its impact on the family.”