L.A. Trans Woman Murdered While Knocking on Door for Help
Police believe that Deshawnda Sanchez was fleeing from a robbery when she was shot to death, but have not yet ruled out a hate crime.
Mitch Kellaway
www.advocate.com/crime/2014/12/05/la-trans-woman-murdered-while-knocking-door-help
Tyler Oakley Can't Even Handle 'Teens React To Tyler Oakley'
Tyler Oakley, beloved YouTube star, recently got some real talk about what all the teens are saying about him when “Teens React To Tyler Oakley” went viral on Sunday. Naturally, Tyler responded with a reaction video of him reacting to the teens reacting… you got that?
Tyler nervously watched the video, posted by the popular Fine Bros, with whom Tyler is good friends. To his relief, the teens were all about him (for the most part, at least). One teen even declared Tyler her “spirit animal.”
Sounds about right.
Follow HuffPost Teen on 
Twitter | 
Instagram | 
Tumblr | 
Pheed |
HRC Mourns the Death of Deshawnda Sanchez
Deshawnda, who friends called “Tata,” is the twelfth transgender woman, and the eleventh transgender woman of color murdered in the United States since June.
HRC.org
www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-mourns-the-death-of-deshawnda-sanchez?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
PHOTOS: “Peter Pan Live” Was So Light In Its Loafers It Floated Off To Never Never Land
Short of Divine playing the role of Peter, we aren’t sure Peter Pan could get any gayer than last night’s live telecast. Unfortunately, that ended up being our favorite aspect of the very long, very tedious show.
Need proof?
Well for starters, Allison Williams makes a very cute lesbian.
Christopher Walken’s eyebrows deserve their own credit. Each of them. 
And how about that line he repeats with all the pirates — “A hook for every boy and a boy on every hook.” Calm down, sailors.
And these pirates look a bit too elated doing a side shuffle.
Then there’s Tiger Lilly and her band of native twinks.
Edit: band of flexible native twinks. Where are the female natives, by the way?
And for even more smooth faces and pouty lips, there’s the lost boys.
There’s gotta be a porn out there that starts like this.
Yeah, there definitely is.
They’re even into light bondage.
And then there’s the native twinks vs. the lost boy twinks, which really just speaks for itself.
So basically…
Dan Tracer
Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1649
DIRTY 30: A new docu-series about HIV
UNNECESSARY CENSORSHIP: Jimmy Kimmel’s weekly tribute to the FCC
EUROTIX: Are You Strong Enough?
SPIDER POOL: The tragical history tour of the infamous Hollywood ruin (nsfw)
For more recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.
Kyler Geoffroy
www.towleroad.com/2014/12/towleroad-guide-to-the-tube-1649.html
LGBT Misconceptions
Ten of the misconceptions about the LGBT community.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuJ6CI0mgLY&feature=youtube_gdata
Hot Sheet: From Trevor to Marco
Our top 10 entertainment and events highlights this week include Trevor Live L.A., Fleetwood Mac, Julianne Moore, and the stunning new Netflix series Marco Polo.
Advocate.com Editors
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/hot-sheet/2014/12/05/hot-sheet-trevor-marco
An Open Letter to the HRC
July 13, 2013
February 16, 2014
December 5, 2014
Dear Human Rights Campaign,
Where is the outrage?
Do something. At the very least, say something. I started to send this letter after Zimmerman was acquitted after killing unarmed Trayvon; I started again to send this letter after a grand jury declared a mistrial in Michael Dunn’s killing of unarmed Jordan Davis; and now, the non indictment after Darren Wilson’s killing of unarmed Michael Brown. This whole exercise has become a sickening exposition of this country’s ongoing and escalating brazen racial terrorism — a perverse, unending mad-lib of innocent Black murders met with White impunity:
“__________________ (unarmed black man’s name) was shot and killed by ________________________ (white police officer’s/ or white private citizen’s name) and was ____________________ (not charged, not indicted, acquitted [circle one]) and walks free. “
And that’s not even mentioning Akai Gurley who was killed “accidentally” by an officer in a Brooklyn stairwell; and that’s not even mentioning the killing of Tamir Rice in Cleveland with his toy gun. And that’s not even mentioning Eric Garner who was choked to death in Staten Island over loose cigarettes. And that’s not even mentioning all the names of the Black and Brown innocents whom we don’t know. Because presumably, for every name that is publicized, there are many more names of innocents that aren’t and never will be. It seems callous and blind to celebrate gains in marriage equality on one hand while in the very same moment, the civil rights of a major section of the LGBTQ community are being grossly violated. The Human Rights Campaign’s visible, vocal support would be momentous in bolstering the sustained national critique and reinforcing the “in the streets” protests that are happening all around the nation. Our civil rights are under attack.
Especially given the 2012 Gallup’s recent finding that non-whites are disproportionally more likely to identify as LGBTQ, I’d expect that our leading “equality” organizations would take an aggressive stance and wield the voice of its expansive membership; and lend its expansive legal networks, political cache, and financial resources to the struggle to change the “Stand Your Ground” law and other flawed legislation like it.
The HRC should be just as vocal in its dissent about racial injustice as it is in celebrating the coming out of celebrities. If we are ever going to overcome the artificial divide between the African-American community and the LGBTQ community (which have been overlapping communities with common goals and the shared dream of equal citizenship in this country from Bayard Rustin onward) now is the time to fortify and publicly announce that solidarity. Imagine the power in knowing that a hate crime committed against a Black person would necessarily incur the scrutiny and political response of the entire LGBTQ community, and conversely that a crime committed against a LGBTQ person would necessarily incur the scrutiny and political response of the entire Black community.
What does it matter if we can marry or be openly ourselves if the children raised from our unions cannot be protected? The repeated judicial and legislative failure to hold individuals and institutions accountable for the value of Black lives represents not just an attack on Black and Brown people, but is an attack on LGBTQ people. HRC should take immediate action to defend and affirm the members of its community. If it really is one struggle — one civil rights movement — then let it truly be ONE movement. Let’s stand together on all fronts. We must speak up for each other. I’m urging HRC to please…. do something.
It is not enough to ACT UP, but we must ACT UP all the time.
Respectfully,
Dee Rees
Sam Smith Leads 2015 Grammy Nominees
Openly gay singer ties Beyoncé for most nominations; Sia and Brandy Clark also score big.
HRC.org
www.hrc.org/blog/entry/sam-smith-leads-2015-grammy-nominees?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Putin Claims Russia Has No Issue With Gay People, You’re Nuts For Thinking So
While meeting with civil rights leaders this week, Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia has absolutely no issue with gay people, and that any accusations of homophobia against his country are fabrications concocted by the West.
“Russia recognizes and does not infringe on the rights of non-traditional sexual orientation,” Putin said.
He went on to say that his country’s record of homophobia as reported by the international media is simply inaccurate. Russia loves and respects gay people. Don’t believe the hype.
“It is a label attached to the Russian Federation by other countries,” Putin alleged. “Especially by those which have criminal responsibility for people of non-traditional sexual orientation.”
Putin may claim this to be true, but these truly horrifying videos of violence against LGBT people in Russia don’t lie.
He continued: “[Homosexuality] is not the choice of our society, but those are people whose rights are not cut. [It’s not our] intention to persecute people of whatever non-traditional orientation.”
Evidently Putin doesn’t recall the more than 30 people who were arrested during last year’s Gay Pride celebration in Moscow for no apparent reason.
Or the four Dutch tourists who were arrested and banned from the country for three years for filming a documentary about gay rights in Russia.
Or the arrests of more than a dozen gay rights activists who dared to wave rainbow flags and sing the national anthem during this year’s Winter Olympics.
Oh yeah, then there was that whole “homosexual propaganda” bill The Russian State Duma passed by a vote of 434-0 in June 2013.
“We are not punishing anyone,” Putin babbled, “but traditional family, healthy nation — those are our choices. One does not exclude the other, and one does not affect the other. I believe, a balanced approach like this is absolutely correct.”
Related stories:
Putin Says Rainbow Flags OK At Olympics, Gays Not Discriminated Against In Russia
Russia Claims Its Anti-Gay Law Doesn’t Discriminate “Based On Sexual Orientation”
Putin Still Denies Gay Discrimination Is Happening In Russia
Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Graham Gremore
You must be 18 years old or older to chat
