Ted Cruz Still in Denial: Polls Show Support for Marriage Equality
During a live interview last week, Republican Senator Ted Cruz sat down with Yahoo’s Katie Couric to discuss everything from his bid for the White House, to his stance on environmental issues, Obamacare — and nationwide marriage equality, of course.
HRC.org
Elderly Man Receives Father’s Day Card 26 Years Late From Gay Son Who Died Of AIDS
Father’s Day was nearly three weeks ago, but Dwayne Schrock only recently received a card from his son, Dwayne Jr. Oh, and it was 26 years late.
The year was 1989 when Dwayne Jr. wrote to his dad, and their relationship wasn’t exactly rock-solid.
Schrock didn’t approve of his son being gay, opting to be largely absent from his life as Dwayne Jr.’s health deteriorated due to AIDS-related illness.
The card bounced around the nooks and crannies of the U.S. Postal Service, continuing its bizarre journey well past Dwayne Jr. died in 1995.
And while it’s not exactly poetry, the message couldn’t be clearer — Dwayne Jr. wanted to bridge the gap with his father:
Dear Dad,
We haven’t been in touch for quite a while. I’m doing fine, and am very happy in Richmond. I’d like to hear from you. Have a happy Father’s Day.
Love,
Dwayne
Now 87 years old, Dwayne is appreciative of the long-lost note.
“I still kind of tear up when I think about it,” he told ABC News.
Schrock said that before his son died, he had asked him “if he made peace with God because I want to see him in heaven.”
While we can’t say much to meeting in heaven, we hope Schrock has made his own peace with the son he loved.
Watch the news clip below:
Dan Tracer
Mike Huckabee Thinks America Is Worse than Sodom After ‘Extreme Court’ Ruling on Gay Marriage: VIDEO
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee just can’t keep his blowhole shut about the Supreme Court’s ruling extending marriage equality to all 50 states, telling a Georgia church crowd over the weekend:
1975, the wife of evangelist Billy Graham said that ‘if God does not bring his judgment upon this land, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah,’ She said that 40 years ago. What would she say today if she was still alive? When the Supreme Court just two weeks ago, or as I call them, the Extreme Court, made the most radical decision when it comes to the definition of marriage, it truly was a remarkable day in which they did not vote for equality of something, they voted for the redefinition of something.
Huckabee went on to criticize President Obama for becoming the “chief cheerleader” for same-sex marriage.
Watch Huckabee’s remarks below:
[via Right Wing Watch]
The post Mike Huckabee Thinks America Is Worse than Sodom After ‘Extreme Court’ Ruling on Gay Marriage: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.
Kyler Geoffroy
Mike Huckabee Thinks America Is Worse than Sodom After ‘Extreme Court’ Ruling on Gay Marriage: VIDEO
WATCH: His Boyfriend Died in the Closet
A year after Andy Goodling’s boyfriend died, he is telling their story in a YouTube video, hoping to inspire others to be out and proud.
Dawn Ennis
www.advocate.com/families/2015/07/09/watch-his-boyfriend-died-closet
'Coming Out Cards' Provide The Perfect Response For A Newly Out Loved One
Coming out is never easy.
However, for individuals who have never loved or been close to a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) community, knowing how to respond to someone’s coming out can also be challenging.
For this reason, queer teen John Hansen began making “Coming Out Cards” — free eCards that can be sent to a newly out member of the LGBT community as a small gesture of support and compassion. The cards are often tongue-in-cheek, adding a lighthearted air to what can be one of the most difficult times of a queer person’s life.
“Coming out is often isolating, and continuing a dialogue with someone who has recently come out can make them feel much more comfortable and confident,” Hansen told The Huffington Post. “It can make such a huge difference to remind them that you’re listening, that you understand and that you’re there for them. I hope these eCards will do exactly that.”
The Huffington Post chatted further with Hansen this week about the “Coming Out Cards” and the impact he hopes they achieve. Check out the interview, as well as the cards themselves, below.
Why did you decide to create these “Coming Out Cards”?
John Hansen: For a while now, I’ve noticed that there are greeting cards for almost every occasion, yet very few geared specifically towards coming out. And so, about a month ago, I decided to change that. Because I’m not much of a designer, a big part of the eCards for me has always been the message — I wanted the cards to feel fun and positive and conversational all at once, so that they’d read like a friend’s dorky text.
Why do you think this resource is so important for the queer community?
The eCards certainly won’t change everything — one of the many pressing issues facing the queer community is acceptance, and it’s brave LGBTQIA+ people across the world who are fighting to make acceptance the norm. But my hope is that these cards will help in that “after coming out” stage, both by putting a smile on a queer person’s face and by letting them breathe deeply because they know they truly are supported.
In your opinion, why are affirmations of support crucial to the healthy lives of queer people?
Though not every queer person will need an affirmation of support, I do think that — especially in the beginning stages of the process — many people are still deeply uncertain about how their sexuality or gender will affect their relationships, and little affirmations of support can help remind them that it’s going to be okay. Coming out is often isolating, and continuing a dialogue with someone who has recently come out can make them feel much more comfortable and confident. You honestly don’t know what’s going through their mind — they might still be insecure about their sexuality or gender, for example, or they might have had bad coming out experiences in the past and are worried that this one will also turn sour. It can make such a huge difference to remind them that you’re listening, that you understand and that you’re there for them. I hope these eCards will do exactly that.
What do you hope to see from this project in the future?
I’d really love for the cards to reach the right people — by which I mean queer people who might find them funny, yeah, but also others who are supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community but who aren’t quite sure how to express it. I hope these cards will bridge the gap for anyone who is struggling to convey their admiration for a loved one who has recently come out.
Want to see more “Coming Out Cards”? Head here.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
HRC Global Hosts Briefing on Capitol Hill to Discuss Human Rights Concerns in Egypt
On July 8, HRC hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill about human rights concerns in Egypt from the perspective of civil society, the media and the LGBT community.
HRC.org
Which Presidential Candidates Still Think There’s Wiggle Room To Get Rid Of Marriage Equality?
Kim Davis hijacking the law
In the two weeks since the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages must be recognized across the nation, there have been troubling (if not unsurprising) cases of government workers at the local level intervening with the law based on their own personal religious beliefs. Is this what the right means by “religious freedom?”
It’s easy to get angry at these people, like Kim Davis in Kentucky, who believe they somehow have the authority to negate the highest court in the land simply because they think a fictional character from 2,000 years ago would have turned his wine back into water if he ever found out gay people were getting hitched.
But while Kim Davis and her ilk are certainly a problem, they aren’t The problem. Up the ranks of power, a more troubling trend appears.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, both members of the not-so-exclusive club of 2016 Republican presidential candidates, are both pushing for a constitutional amendment that would let states ban same-sex marriage.
While the chances of it succeeding are abysmally low, they’re pouring fuel into the flames of homophobia. And they know it.
In 1967, the state of Virginia called an expert witness to argue against the merits of interracial marriage in the landmark Loving v. Virginia case.
Albert Gordon, author of Intermarriage: Interfaith, Interracial, Interethnic (tip: don’t ever read it) testified that interracial marriages, “hold no promise for a bright and happy future for mankind” and “bequeath to the progeny of those marriages more psychological problems than the parents have a right to bequeath to them.”
His obvious hogwash was unconvincing to the court and now reads as unmistakably offensive, just as Scott Walker, Ted Cruz and anyone holding a position of power who still thinks there’s room to go back on marriage equality will be seen for what they are: sore losers and bigots.
Marco Rubio, who admittedly disagrees with the court’s ruling, has the modicum of decency to speak like an adult even though things didn’t go his way.
“I don’t support a constitutional amendment. I don’t believe the federal government should be in the marriage regulation business,” the Florida senator told reporters after a speech at the Cedar Rapids Country Club in Iowa.
“We can continue to disagree with it. Perhaps a future court will change that decision, in much the same way as it’s changed other decisions in the past. But my opinion is unchanged, that marriage should continue to be defined as one man and one woman. The decision is what it is, and that’s what we’ll live under.”
Of course, a future court won’t change that decision, but the faster these so-called Christians swallow their reality pills, the better off we will all be as a nation — bigots included.
Dan Tracer
The OXD Mirror: The Carry Nation Re-works Andy Butler
BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / TAD HAES
Andy Butler feat. Richard Kennedy: ‘You Can Shine (The Carry Nation Remix)’
Andy Butler, the mastermind behind the acclaimed house and new disco ensemble Hercules And Love Affair, released ‘You Can Shine’ earlier this year, which features the sophisticated vocal work of queer singer Richard Kennedy. For this release, Butler commissioned fellow Brooklyn gay nightlife stars The Carry Nation (Will Automagic and Nita Aviance) to create a deeper, darker version of the original.
The Carry Nation’s remix brings in their signature underground sound, filled with tribal percussions and expressive drums, a more introspective pace and expansive progression. This is a track that will likely become an iconic piece from the current dance scene in Brooklyn for future generations.
OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD) curates and recommends music events to the gay community in NYC—in an effort to move the focus of the nightlife scene beyond the promoter and venue and to the music itself. OXD’s goal is to educate, entertain, engage and empower the gay audience to reclaim their ability to question and experience the unknown. The OXD Mirror will serve to showcase tunes that are definitely off-the-beaten-path but rightfully deserve the attention of the gay ear.
Follow us on Spotify! Subscribe to our ‘As Seen on Towleroad Playlist to listen to tracks posted from past weeks. For more information on OXD, check out our website and accompanying blog at www.occupythedisco.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: @OccupyTheDisco.
The post The OXD Mirror: The Carry Nation Re-works Andy Butler appeared first on Towleroad.
Occupy the Disco
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