Following A Wholly Unethical Post, The Whole Universe Is Angry At Gawker

Last night, Gawker posted a long and sordid tale about the CFO of a major mass media company, an emotionally troubled porn star/hustler, and an attempted hookup gone horribly awry. No stranger to controversy — the site courts notoriety with the same vengeance it pursues clicks — the company is probably surprised by the vehemence with which the Internet is crying foul.

Related: Angry Ex Threw A Brick Through Gay Gawker Honcho Nick Denton’s Window

Minutes after the piece was posted, the criticisms started to fly, accusing the gossip site’s publisher Nick Denton and the story’s author Jordan Sargent of blackmail, gay-shaming and gleefully outing a married man with three kids — a professional who isn’t exactly a public figure.

Re/Code’s Kara Swisher:

An appalling act of gay shaming disguised as a story — thought we were way past this crap #ughnick: t.co/qkTvS6dOxz

— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) July 17, 2015

The Intercept journalist Glenn Greenwald:

The dilemma of wanting to make a few points about the repugnant Gawker story & their “justification” but not wanting to give it attention… — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 17, 2015

ESPN’s Michelle Beadle:

Smells like someone just took a huge @Gawker in here. ????

— Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) July 17, 2015

Honestly, it’s difficult to find someone who isn’t weighing in on the scandal on Twitter, and voices coming out in defense of the article are few and far between (and are mostly Gawker’s staffers.)

Gawker Editor-in-Chief Max Read:

given the chance gawker will always report on married c-suite executives of major media companies fucking around on their wives — max read (@max_read) July 17, 2015

Although even some Gawker’s writers seem to be similarly appalled by the story, such as senior writer Adam Weinstein:

I had no part in this. I would not have chosen to run it as is. t.co/kHOz1YA87S

— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) July 17, 2015

We recommend skipping the Gawker story altogether and rooting around the Internet for commentary about the post instead. It’s easy to find (there’s tons) and most of it is far more entertaining than the post itself, which is a bummer. (We at Queerty will be sure to closely read the reviews before buying our next hustler. It’s so hard to find good help nowadays.)

Many commentators are wondering whether Sargent’s post  — which comes on the heels of a high-profile lawsuit involving an alarmingly unsexy Hulk Hogan sex tape — will completely undo Gawker Media. As “cbabgeae” commented beneath Sargent’s post, “Jordan basically admitted to being accessory after the fact to a felony, helping to blackmail and extort someone… Basically, if [the CFO] sues, Gawker is finished, as are all of its writers, since he can probably make a good claim for individual liability too.”

Derek de Koff

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Parishioners Back Gay Pastor After Michigan Methodists Force Him to Resign: VIDEO

Rev. Benjamin Hutchison, a pastor at Cassopolis United Methodist Church in western Michigan who since taking over in 2013 had quadrupled the congregation and made the church financially solvent, resigned this week after church leaders discovered he is gay and said they would fire him.

Rev. John Boley of Kalamazoo, the United Methodist Church’s district superintendent, called Hutchison to a meeting, and asked him if he was gay and had a partner.

Said Hutchison to MLive: “He asked me if I did and I said yes. By that evening at 7:00 I resigned under the condition of immediate termination. If I wouldn’t have resigned, they would have fired me.”

The church’s parishioners love Hutchison and many are deciding to leave the church, WOOD reports:

Most of the church’s parishioners are now defending Hutchison. They said they have known since the start that he was gay and they don’t mind. They even posted signs and set up a display inside the church meant to symbolize their loss. Some are even leaving the church.

“I’ve taken my last step into this church and down after 70 years, and 17 people in my family are quitting also. I think this is the death knell for this church,” former parishioner Glenyce Haggin said.

Hutchison is currently engaged and plans to marry his partner Friday afternoon at the Cass County courthouse.

Watch a report from WOOD, below:

The post Parishioners Back Gay Pastor After Michigan Methodists Force Him to Resign: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Parishioners Back Gay Pastor After Michigan Methodists Force Him to Resign: VIDEO

Black Lesbian Says N.Y. Cop Choked Her, Then Charged Her with Assault

Officer Salvator Aquino has come under police investigation, while the Brooklyn district attorney separately considers hate crime charges.

read more

Mitch Kellaway

www.advocate.com/hate-crimes/2015/07/17/black-lesbian-says-ny-cop-choked-her-then-charged-her-assault

Traveler Removed From Flight After Telling Anti-Gay Texas Governor To 'Go To Hell'

A man waiting to board a flight got bumped after he confronted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) about his stance against gay marriage. 

The passenger confronted Abbott at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Tuesday as the governor was waiting to board an Austin-bound flight with his family and staff. 

The unnamed 32-year-old walked up to Abbott, shook his hand and then said, “I hope you [expletive] go to hell because of your stance on gay marriage,” Abbott Communications Director Matt Hirsch told the Austin American-Statesman. 

After state troopers traveling with the governor asked the man to back away, he said to the governor, “I’m going to see you on the plane.”

The man’s name was checked and cleared against the Joint Terrorism Task Force database and the Port Authority police’s database, according to the Dallas Morning News. He was placed on a flight the following morning. 

After the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on gay marriage last month, Abbott said the court had “abandoned its role as an impartial judicial arbiter and has become an unelected nine-member legislature.”

The governor also issued a directive aimed at preserving what he called “Texans’ religious liberties.” His opposition to the Supreme Court’s decision was echoed by other state officials.  

However, Texas did begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the ruling. 

— 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.

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Miley Cyrus posts pic of Taylor Swift as a lesbian, Taylor responds in the best way

We’re not entirely sure why, but Miley Cyrus posted a face swap of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift on her Instagram yesterday (16 July).

The Instagram reads: ‘If you faceswap Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, they look like a cute lesbian couple.’

@fuckjerry

A photo posted by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on Jul 15, 2015 at 4:10am PDT

Then Taylor wrote on the picture, with just three words:

Amazing.

Taylor’s been great on social media recently. Just last week, she made an out teen’s life by giving him advice on what to wear on his Tumblr.

Earlier this year, a pastor accused her of turning kids gay with her music and pro-LGBTI views.

The post Miley Cyrus posts pic of Taylor Swift as a lesbian, Taylor responds in the best way appeared first on Gay Star News.

Joe Morgan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/miley-cyrus-posts-pic-of-taylor-swift-as-a-lesbian-taylor-responds-in-the-best-way/

Jeb Bush Supports State-By-State Approach to Extending Non-Discrimination Protections to LGBT Americans

Speaking to staffers at a San Francisco tech startup yesterday, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush signaled his support for a state-by-state approach to extending non-discrimination protections to LGBT citizens.

TIME reports:

An employee who identified himself to Bush as being gay asked about Bush’s position on legislation to ban discrimination of LGBT Americans. “I don’t think you should be discriminated because of your sexual orientation. Period. Over and out,” he replied.

Bush continued: “The fact that there wasn’t a law doesn’t necessarily mean you would have been discriminated against.” He added that in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, the country must work to carefully balance the rights of those seeking to marry and the religious beliefs of those who oppose those unions.

Citing the frequently-used example by religious freedom advocates, Bush said that in the case of a florist approached by a gay couple, “you should be obligated to sell them flowers, doing otherwise would be discriminatory.” But he said that the objecting florist should not be required to participate in the wedding, a fine line that he hopes will appeal to all sides of the debate.

When the employee followed up to ask specifically whether he would support anti-discrimination laws for LGBT Americans for their housing and employment—the next target for gay rights marriage advocates—Bush said he would at the state level.

“I think this should be done state-by-state, I totally agree with that,” he said.

Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on marriage last month, Bush issued the following statement:

“Guided by my faith, I believe in traditional marriage.  I believe the Supreme Court should have allowed the states to make this decision.  I also believe that we should love our neighbor and respect others, including those making lifetime commitments.  In a country as diverse as ours, good people who have opposing views should be able to live side by side.  It is now crucial that as a country we protect religious freedom and the right of conscience and also not discriminate.”

The post Jeb Bush Supports State-By-State Approach to Extending Non-Discrimination Protections to LGBT Americans appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

Jeb Bush Supports State-By-State Approach to Extending Non-Discrimination Protections to LGBT Americans

Meet Two Of The First Gay Dads To Foster-To-Adopt In Florida

In this installment of the Huffington Post Gay Voices RaiseAChild.US “Let Love Define Family™” series, contributing writer David Humiston is inspired by two foster and adoptive dads in Tallahassee, Florida, and shares their story.

Inspiration is a living thing. In the act of making ordinary people do extraordinary things, it gets passed on. Those inspired become those that inspire and, in this way, one candle is used to light another.

Couples like Daniel Nurse and his husband, Casanova, a thirtysomething couple from Tallahassee, Florida, are inspiring. Together since 2006 and married on Valentine’s Day of this year, Danny has taken on the Florida House Judiciary Committee (testimony against anti-gay adoption, i.e., Bill 7111), biased caseworkers and even an attorney who initially (and illegally) refused to represent them during adoption proceedings, and have successfully adopted three beautiful children into their loving home. The process was not easy for them, and they admit to moments of difficulty and even self-doubt. However, they persevered and can say that they were among the first same-sex couples to foster-to-adopt in Tallahassee. Daniel, already from a family familiar with the beautiful rewards of adoption, related to me that he was inspired to take his first steps by the annual CBS television special, “A Home for the Holidays.”

In 2010, Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals struck down a 1977 law banning adoption by gay parents, declaring it unconstitutional. Danny and Cas were among the very first to subsequently apply for fostering. 

Their first adoption placement, a precious girl, was challenging. The family struggled to adapt and parent, as any family would, and the young girl placed in their care blossomed, but was ultimately reunited with her birth mother. The experience made them wiser, perhaps more patient, but no less eager to try again. And so they did, with two adorable and, as Danny says, “amazing” boys. Sadly though, neither child ended up staying with them for the long haul, but Danny and Cas remained positive and persistent.

Determination has paid off, and they have now successfully adopted three children through the foster-to-adopt program. Two boys, Neijal and Cameron — both 4 — and Ava Rose, who is only 22 months old. The children have brought more joy and meaning into Danny and Cas’s life. 

Cas’s family, long apprehensive and unaccepting of his sexuality, have even been won over by the children, and family meetings have engendered deeper respect, love and understanding. Cas’s father, the children’s “Paw-Paw,” was instantly smitten upon meeting them and insisted on showing his love by cooking them a “hearty meal,” as Cas puts it. That meeting, and those that followed, were “critical in mending many years of misunderstanding and misperceptions about my husband’s life, and gay life in general,” says Cas.

Danny and Cas are happy. They are optimistic. They know that struggles are likely to come their way, but it is nothing they aren’t willing to face together. In Daniel’s words, they “may face issues, ridicule, embarrassment, but it is all worth it to be able to give back and provide a loving and committed family for those that would not otherwise have one.” This is a common theme among foster-to-adopt families, perhaps even more so among same-sex couples who have faced struggles for the opportunity to raise children. Nonetheless, this family is a heartening inspiration for all of us to reflect upon. Their candle of inspiration will, hopefully, be used to inspire the flame of other candles yet to be.

RaiseAChild.US is the nationwide leader in the recruitment and support of LGBT and all prospective parents interested in building families through fostering and adoption to meet the needs of the 400,000 children in the foster care system. RaiseAChild.US recruits, educates and nurtures supportive relationships equally with all prospective foster and adoptive parents while partnering with agencies to improve the process of advancing foster children to safe, loving and permanent homes. For information about how you can become a foster or adoptive parent, please visit www.RaiseAChild.US.

— 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.

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84% of Filipinos oppose gay marriage

More than 8 in 10 Filipinos oppose gay marriage, according to a survey conducted in May.

A massive 70% of respondents said they ‘strongly disagree’ with gay marriage being legalized in the Catholic-majority country, according to the poll conducted by Laylo Research Strategies for The Standard newspaper.

Only 4% said they ‘strongly agree’ with gay marriage. The rest of the respondents ‘somewhat disagree’ (14%) and ‘somewhat agree’ (12%) with a possible reform in the country’s marriage laws.

Opposition was strongest in Central/Northern Luzon and among well-to-do respondents.

Those from urban areas were most likely to ‘strongly agree’ with gay marriage, but that proportion still only stood at 7%.

The majority of responses to the survey on social media supported the findings.

‘Getting wed is not just an event,’ wrote one Facebook user.

‘It’s a sacred act. People should respect its sanctity. I am not against the gay and lesbian people. But I am against the Same-sex Marriage. If you respect God, you need to respect his ways.’

Another said: ‘We can offer our respect to LGBT Community, but we can’t offer the Church their marriage. We’ll be insulting God if we let that happen.’

The survey also found that 8% of Philippines had had same-sex relations, 12% of males and 5% of females.

From 8-18 May, 1,500 adults from all regions of the Philippines were polled for the survey, which has a margin of error of 2.6%.

See the full results below:

The post 84% of Filipinos oppose gay marriage appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/84-of-filipinos-oppose-gay-marriage/