Orgullo Gay: Big-Time Celebration at Mexico City LGBT Pride

It was colorful. It was political. It was flamboyant. It was touching. And I wouldn’t have expected anything less when about 100,000 people converged in the center of Mexico City on June 27, for the 37th edition of the Marcha por el Orgullo Gay, the annual Mexico City LGBT pride march and festival that grows in scope every year.

As one of the world’s largest cities and Mexico’s cultural, political and creative hub, Mexico City is good at making bold statements. And this is especially true when it comes to public events — including protests, parades, festivals and celebrations. A couple weeks ago I shared photos on my travel blog, LatinFlyer.com, from the Mexican edition of the World Naked Bike Ride, which attracted a few hundred participants who shed their clothing and cycled to protest vehicular traffic. But the Mexico City LGBT pride parade and festival is even bigger. It’s yet another example of Mexico City’s creative, progressive spirit. And this year, there was even more reason to celebrate: On June 3, the Supreme Court of Justice in Mexico ruled that the norms that used to ban same-sex marriages in Mexico are unconstitutional in all states across Mexico (Mexico City had already allowed same-sex marriages, but most other states in Mexico didn’t).

The Mexico City gay pride parade starts every year at the Angel de la Independencia, an iconic monument, with a show and lots of socializing among the participants. Some marchers wear extravagant costumes that range from drag queen to carnival finery. Others go for the sexy route, with minimal clothing possible. Still others carry signs with important messages — including criticism of the Catholic church’s stance against LGBT rights. Organized groups this year included employees of Banamex (one of Mexico’s largest banks) and Google, as well as Madres Lesbianas en Mexico (Lesbian Mothers in Mexico) and the first-ever participation of a group of LGBT deaf people. Ages ranged from kids with their families to teenagers to senior citizens (one especially energetic drag queen, dressed in traditional Mexican garb, proudly announced that he was 75 years old as we snapped his photograph).

The parade ran down the grand boulevard called Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo, one of the world’s largest city squares, located in the heart of Mexico City’s historic heart. Live music and festivities continued there throughout the afternoon, after which many revelers moved on to local bars and restaurants (it was super easy to find gay pride flags at gay-friendly establishments on a day like this).

If you’re thinking of attending and want to plan a Mexico vacation around LGBT pride, keep in mind that the Mexico City LGBT pride march usually takes place on the last Saturday of June.

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Vatican reserves 50 VIP Papal Audience seats for LGBTI travel group

The Vatican reserved 50 VIP Papal Audience tickets for a group of LGBTI Catholic pilgrims earlier this year, it has emerged.

The news has come to light in a report by Yahoo! Travel, which describes the New Ways Ministry‘s special journey from Florence to Rome via Assisi back in February.

The group were reportedly not publicly addressed by Pope Francis during the event.

The Maryland-based New Ways Ministry is led by a nun named Sister Jeannine Gramick, who’s been fighting for gay rights for more than four decades.

She told Yahoo! Travel: ‘Our 50 pilgrims, that included seven same-sex couples, were invited to special seats within 25 yards of Pope Francis at the papal audience on Ash Wednesday.’

‘Just as LGBT people, their families, and friends were welcomed to the Vatican, the SCOTUS decision on June 29 welcomes lesbian and gay couples into the civil family.’

The pilgrimage, which costs around $3,000 (£1,920 or 2,705 Euros) for all-inclusive attendance including flights, was called ‘Rebuild My Church: Pope Francis and St. Francis.’

Visit the official New Ways Ministry website for more information.

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Jamie Tabberer

www.gaystarnews.com/article/vatican-reserves-50-vip-papal-audience-seats-for-lgbti-travel-group/

Freedom Massachusetts Hits the Ground Running During National LGBT Pride Month

Things are heating up in the Bay State with the formal launch of Freedom Massachusetts last week.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/freedom-massachusetts-hits-the-ground-running-during-national-lgbt-pride-mo?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Franklin Graham And His Followers Have Epic Meltdowns Over Facebook Rainbow Filter

It can’t be easy being Franklin Graham.

Earlier this month, the antigay Evangelist preacher announced he was closing all his Wells Fargo bank accounts after learning the company was pro-gay. He then moved his coffers into the vaults of North Carolina-based BB&T, only to learn that it, too, was pro-gay. Oops.

(In theory, Graham is now also going to have to give up drinking Coke products, eating Ben & Jerry’s, flying Delta, watching Netflix, shopping at Sears, or using Tide detergent to wash his clothes since all of those companies voiced their support of SCOTUS’ ruling on marriage equality last week.)

Now, Billy’s elder, idiot son is really pissed. Again.

When the White House put a rainbow filter over its Facebook picture after SCOTUS’ historic ruling on Friday, Graham went into a veritable orgy of vitriol. In fact, he was so upset that he forgot how to use proper subject verb agreement when ranting on his Facebook wall.

First, he called the picture “outrageous,” then he said it was “a real slap in the face of the millions of Americans who do not support same-sex marriage and whose voice is [sic] being ignored.”

“God is the one who gave the rainbow, and it was associated with His judgement,” he added. “God sent a flood to wipe out the entire world because mankind had become so wicked and violent.”

Then he issued the following warning: “One day God is going to judge sin. All sin. Only those who are found righteous will be able to escape His judgement.”

Related: Southern Baptists Officially Declare “War” On Gay Marriage

The post has over 310,000 “likes,” 120,000 “shares,” and 42,000 comments.

Vickie Lockhart wrote, in all caps: “WITH THE CURRENT GENERATION UNABLE TO COLLECTIVELY FIGURE OUT HOW TO PROPERLY OPERATE UNDERWEAR… AND NOW WANTING TO PUT THEIR PRIVATES IN A HOLE ONLY POOPOO COMES OUT OF AND THEN LICK IT OFF… ASK YOUR DAD IF PERHAPS SOMEHOW WE HAVE FAILING AS PARENTS IN AMERICA.”

Stephanie Torres  added, “My problem here is not with gays…in fact, I have several very close friends who are! My problem however is with the president taking it upon himself to DISRESPECT those who are not in agreement with this decision! … Asinine jerk!”

And Tina Henry said: “The Lord must be sobbing for this earth. hate the sin love the sinners. All have sinned. Im sorry this world is so screwed up Lord.”

Colleen Foughty Wick confessed that she was “horrified” by the White House’s rainbow filter. Meanwhile, Crystal Simmons suggested someone “blow [the] capital house up.” And Kayla Waterman wrote, “Gays are disgusting!”

Rob Riley‘s comment that takes the top prize when he calmly corrected Graham’s notion that rainbows are created by God as a way of sharing his divine judgement:

“The rainbow is created due to the refraction of light through the water drops,” Riley wrote.

Amen.

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/6d1UCxzPxfQ/franklin-graham-and-his-followers-have-epic-meltdowns-over-facebook-rainbow-filter-20150701

Channing Tatum Busts A Move For ‘Vanity Fair’ – WATCH

Magic Mike XXL star Channing Tatum is being heralded as the first big movie star of his generation in the latest issue of Vanity Fair.

In a lengthy interview that explores the appeal and the mindset of America’s man-crush, Tatum talks about everything from fatherhood, his rise up the Hollywood food chain, and his experience making Magic Mike as well as his experience being the inspiration for Magic Mike.

On what XXL will give viewers that the original didn’t, Tatum says,

“I think this one is probably more what people wanted in the first film,” he told me. “We just couldn’t do it on the first movie. I think we all wanted there to be moments like that in the first film, but the reality of that world is not all giggles and fun. We had to let people understand that we knew the world, that it’s a real one, not savory at times, at least the one I was privy to.”

But would he ever do it again–strip, not as a joke, but for real?

“Well, we’re going to start a [Magic Mike] show in Vegas, and I’ll never say never,” he told me. “I wouldn’t mind going out there and doing it one more time. Or maybe twice. But, you know, every time I’ve put on a thong and am getting ready to walk onstage again, I’m like, ‘Why do I want to do this?’ It’s very uncomfortable to be in a thong in front of a thousand people.”

The actor who first garnered attention for his dance moves in the movie Step Up channels another famous dance icon, Gene Kelly, in his photo spread for the magazine. Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Tatum looks good in the rain, even if he isn’t singing.

In a behind the scenes interview during the shoot, Tatum also busted a few moves.

He then shared what it’s like to work on a project that requires so much nudity. While initially awkward, he says the discomfort quickly fades and you end up checking everyone out. He also added that there might have been some twerking on set.

Head over to Vanity Fair for the full interview.

The post Channing Tatum Busts A Move For ‘Vanity Fair’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Channing Tatum Busts A Move For ‘Vanity Fair’ – WATCH

Thomas Roberts Quits Hosting Miss USA Pageant Over Donald Trump's Anti-Mexican Rant

The out news anchor bowed out after NBC cut ties with Trump, following the billionaire’s claim that Mexicans are criminals and rapists.

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Mitch Kellaway

www.advocate.com/politics/2015/07/01/thomas-roberts-quits-hosting-miss-usa-pageant-over-donald-trumps-anti-mexican-ra

Deutsche Bank Address Transgender Inclusivity At Pride Panel
From Caitlyn Jenner to the hit Amazon show Transparent and Laverne Cox gracing the cover of TIME Magazine, transgender people have achieved an unprecedented level of visibility over the last year. However, this presence in the media hasn’t addressed how to create more employment opportunities for the community or created safer workplaces for everyday transgender people.

In the first event of its kind on Wall Street, Deutsche Bank explored the challenges and successes of the transgender community, and how to make workplaces more inclusive of transgender people at dbPride’s “Tackling the T: Being Transgender In Today’s World” on June 25th. The panelists included Alexandra Billings, an actress in Transparent, Angelica Ross, the founding CEO and Executive Director of TransTech Social Enterprises, and Chris Mosier, the first transgender man on Team USA and Executive Director of Go! Athletes, and was moderated by HuffPost Live producer Alex Berg.

Billings said that acknowledging the trans community is the first step. “You may not know it, but you’re working with us and that could mean we are still in stealth. It could mean we are terrified to come out,” Billings said. “You can make yourself known as an ally. You can say the word ‘transgender’ — you can actually say it. Because, you see, if we can’t see it, we can at least hear it,” she added.

Ross said that another way to be inclusive is to integrate transgender issues into employee training:

What you can do in a work environment is stop making trans or anything else as this special training, a special week. Integrate it into your regular trainings when you onboard people into the HR process… I’m glad to celebrate the achievements of my black community. I feel some kind of way doing that in a month. I feel some kind of way that it’s not celebrated all year long. So, if we’re going to get to this place, we have to fully integrate people in so it’s not just a special thing.

“Stop making special accommodations and start making places accessible for all people,” Mosier added.

In addition to workplace issues, the panel explored how transgender people of color face disproportionate violence, media representation and the success of the community. “We are incredibly grateful and humbled by all that attended. The eye-opening panel really enlightened all of us. This event really showed that we need to continue to push forward for the T in LGBT,” Jon Tilli, Co-Chair, Employee Engagement and Event Lead, dbPride, said.

As the LGBT community celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of marriage equality in all 50 states on Friday, many started looking forward to the next fight for the community. “We are thrilled that the Supreme Court has made this historic decision in favor of marriage equality and that our LGBT colleagues and friends now have equality in this fundamental aspect of life. Deutsche Bank is proud to be a long-term supporter of marriage equality and to have participated in an amicus brief in this case. We believe in a diverse and inclusive culture where all people are treated fairly,” Jacques Brand, CEO of North America, Deutsche Bank, said in a statement.

— 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.

www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-berg/deutsche-bank-address-transgender-inclusivity-at-pride-panel_b_7697832.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

This is what happened when a seven-year-old girl faced off with an anti-gay preacher

A seven-year-old girl has just shown more common sense and compassion than a fully grown adult.

Zea, who was being filmed by her dad Ryan Bowling, proudly held a little rainbow flag in her hand during a Community Festival in Ohio.

She stares a homophobic preacher down as he yelled religious nonsense, completely silent, an act of peace and protest.

‘The crowd was passionately on her side, right away, shockingly so. People cried, really. I honestly don’t know that I’ve ever seen that many people looking out for her at one time,’ her dad told Raw Story.

As she stayed strong, many people came up to high five her in her act of awesome. Number of people who were high-fiving the adult yelling in a young girl’s face? Zero.

The exchange was filmed a day after the US Supreme Court ruled same-sex couples should be allowed to marry across the country.

‘She’s just decent to people because they are people. She treats others fairly, because she wants to be treated fairly. That shouldn’t go viral, it should just be who we are to each other.’

The post This is what happened when a seven-year-old girl faced off with an anti-gay preacher appeared first on Gay Star News.

Joe Morgan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/this-is-what-happened-when-a-seven-year-old-girl-faced-off-with-an-anti-gay-preacher/

Jimmy Kimmel Guesses Whether Two People Are a Gay Couple or Just Friends: VIDEO

In a follow-up to his hilarious interviews with kids asking them to explain gay marriage, late night host Jimmy Kimmell decided to test his ability to guess whether same-sex pairs spotted on the street are a couple or merely friends.

The idea came from Kimmell’s excitement over the SCOTUS’ marriage ruling. Said Kimmell:

“For the past few days, every time I see two men or two women together I feel like I should congratulate them but I don’t because you don’t know if people are a couple or just friends. It’s a dilemma we all face. So tonight we thought we would take that dilemma and make dilemma-nade.”

Watch Kimmell guess, and see if you can correctly identify each pairing as ‘couple’ or ‘friends’ below:

The post Jimmy Kimmel Guesses Whether Two People Are a Gay Couple or Just Friends: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Jimmy Kimmel Guesses Whether Two People Are a Gay Couple or Just Friends: VIDEO