Kentucky County Wants To Fire Kim Davis, Clerk Who Won’t Issue Marriage Licenses To Same-Sex Couples

The Rowan County Attorney requested that the state government charge Rowan County clerk Kim Davis with misconduct, a step that could help eventually oust her from her position, ThinkProgress reported Friday.

Her attorneys have asked the Supreme court for an emergency order that would protect her from being fired until her lawsuit against Gov. Steve Beshear (D) wraps up. With this lawsuit, Davis hopes to prove that Beshear’s order that she help facilitate same-sex weddings despite her religious beliefs violates her right to “religious freedom.”

Although Davis is employed by the people of Kentucky — and one of the duties of her job is the granting of marriage licenses — Davis argues that her civil rights protect her from being fired over nonperformance. Davis has suggested that the state should revise the requirements that force her to sign her name on all licenses; a request the lower-court judge has rejected.

Related: Christian Government Clerk Hijacks The Law, And It’s All Caught On Tape

ThinkProgress notes that since Davis is an elected official, it’s very difficult to fire her. The Attorney General’s request to file misdemeanor official misconduct charges against her would begin a long, tortuous process, and she could only be kicked out of her job if the state legislature votes to impeach her.

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Q9LD4HxSaQo/kentucky-county-wants-to-fire-kim-davis-clerk-who-wont-issue-marriage-licenses-to-same-sex-couples-20150831

5 HIV-Positive Men Give Advice to Their Former Selves

Here are words of wisdom on surviving and thriving for those newly diagnosed with HIV.

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Tyler Curry

www.advocate.com/health/hiv-aids/2015/08/31/5-hiv-positive-men-give-advice-their-former-selves

Anti-gay Kentucky clerk once accidentally married trans man

The Kentucky county clerk at the center of a standoff with courts over issuing licenses to gay couple once accidentally granted one to a transgender man and pansexual woman.

Rowan County clerk Kim Davis has refused to issue any marriage licenses since the Supreme Court ruling on 26 June and disobeyed an order from the state governor to comply with the decision.

She has since been sued by four gay couples, who she said could drive to a neighboring county to obtain a license.

Davis, an elected official and Apostolic Christian, most recently filed an emergency appeal with a federal judge asking for ‘asylum for her conscience.’

But it has emerged that she once granted a marriage license to an LGBTI couple without even knowing it.

Transgender man and Iraq veteran Camryn Colen said she granted him and his pansexual wife Alexis a marriage license in February without asking to see his birth certificate, which still identifies him as female.

‘She saw just a straight couple in love, and she should see everybody like that,’ he told the Courier-Journal.

‘She shouldn’t just see straight couples like that.’

Camryn added: ‘Technically, they granted a same-sex couple a marriage license before it was even legal.’

The couple said wanted to speak out when Davis first started refusing licenses in June but were concerned about the safety of their 6-month-old daughter.

‘Stuff has just escalated and gotten ridiculous, and we decided that we were going to come forward with it,’ Alexis said.

The post Anti-gay Kentucky clerk once accidentally married trans man appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/australia-port-hedland-becomes-latest-council-to-recognize-gay-couples/

Miley Cyrus Closes VMAs With Performance Featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race Queens; Releases New Album

Miley Cyrus might not have brought much of a wardrobe to the MTV Video Music Awards, but she definitely delivered in other areas. Returning to the show that thrust her onto pop culture’s radar after her twerk-tastic performance with Robin Thicke two years ago, Cyrus came with guns blazing as she hosted last night’s awards ceremony. Her arsenal consisted of pasties, a backstage nip slip, plenty of f-bombs and a performance with some of the queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Introduced by the LGBT youth who were featured in Happy Hippie Foundation’s InstaPride campaign, Miley closed out the show with a performance of “Dooo It!” — an ode to her love of marijuana. As she chanted, “Yeah, I smoke pot. Yeah, I love peace. But, I don’t give a f*ck. I ain’t no hippie,” she was joined on stage by 30 drag queens, the majority of them from previous seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race including Shangela, Alyssa Edwards, Laganja Estranja, Pearl, Willam and current reigning queen, Violet Chachki.

There was plenty of prancing and hair whipping to go around during the five-minute performance. Combine that with the brightly colored costumes and phallic-like rockets that shot out confetti from between Miley’s legs, and it was a performance that had all the pomp and pageantry you’d come to expect from a drag show.

Watch the video below. Can you spot your favorite RuPaul’s Drag Race queen in the clip?

“Dooo It!” is from Cyrus’s surprise new album, Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz, which the singer announced was available as a free download at the end of the show.

Condragulations, Miley. Shantay, you slay!

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Z9AGO76rSUI/miley-cyrus-closes-vmas-with-performance-featuring-rupauls-drag-race-queens-releases-new-album-20150831

The Log Cabin Republicans' Uncertain Future

The Log Cabin Republicans strive for legitimacy within a party that worked tirelessly against marriage equality. Can they replicate past successes battling “religious freedom” in red states?

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Peter DelVecchio

www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/2015/08/31/log-cabin-republicans-uncertain-future

Australia town of Port Hedland recognizes gay couples

The mining town of Port Hedland has become the latest local government in Australia to formally recognize gay couples.

Councilors on Wednesday (26 August) night voted 6-2 to establish a relationship declaration register for all couples, irrespective of gender.

The register mirrors that of the City of Vincent, the only other municipality in the state of Western Australia to recognize same-sex unions.

‘Tonight was a significant step forward for equality,’ Mayor Kelly Howlett said in a statement.

‘I am proud of our progressive council which is leading the way and doing what it can do to recognize all relationships – same-sex and heterosexual.’

Gay marriage is banned in Australia under federal law and Prime Minister Tony Abbott has repeatedly blocked reform.

Gay couples living in the state can now sign a declaration of their relationship, which will recorded in the register.

‘While it’s not equivalent to same sex marriage it is a formal recognition of the relationship,’ Howlett said.

She told ABC that it did not confer legal rights like marriage, but ‘may be used in legal proceedings that involve interpretation or application of legislative provisions… particularly around wills, medical treatment and burials.’

The City of Sydney, City of Melbourne and Yarra City Council also have relationship declaration programs.

The post Australia town of Port Hedland recognizes gay couples appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/australia-town-of-port-hedland-recognizes-gay-couples/

University of Tennessee asks students to use gender-neutral pronouns ze and hir

The University of Tennessee is asking its students to use gender-neutral pronouns to create a more trans-inclusive environment.

Instead of the binary pronouns he and she, students at the Knoxville school are encouraged to refer to each other as they, them,their (used as singular), ze, hir, hirs, and xe, xem, xyr.

Donna Braquet, director of the university’s Pride Center, advised freshman to ask the preferred pronouns as well as names during introductions.

‘With the new semester beginning and an influx of new students on campus, it is important to participate in making our campus welcoming and inclusive for all. One way to do that is to use a student’s chosen name and their correct pronouns,’ she wrote in a blog post.

‘We should not assume someone’s gender by their appearance, nor by what is listed on a roster or in student information systems. Transgender people and people who do not identity within the gender binary may use a different name than their legal name and pronouns of their gender identity, rather than the pronouns of the sex they were assigned at birth.’

In June, the University of California (UC) announced that it would include six gender options on its application forms: male, female, trans male/trans man, trans female/trans woman, gender queer/gender non-conforming and different identity.

‘UC is working hard to ensure our campuses model inclusiveness and understanding,’ said the school’s president, Janet Napolitano.

‘I’m proud of the work we’ve done so far, but it doesn’t stop there – we must continue to look at where we can improve so everyone at UC feels respected and supported.’

The post University of Tennessee asks students to use gender-neutral pronouns ze and hir appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/university-of-tennessee-asks-students-to-use-gender-neutral-pronouns-ze-and-hir/

The Moment at the VMAs When Kanye West Announced He’s Running For President in 2020: WATCH

Kanye West’s acceptance speech for the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards was one of the most bizarre and memorable televised moments in recent memory.

West spoke of his infamous 2009 VMA interruption and his subsequent reevaluation of the incident after becoming a father, his distaste for award shows, his vow to “die for the art and for what I believe in,” and the fact that he smoked a little something before getting on the stage to “take the edge off.”

Oh and he also announced he’s running for president in 2020. Mic drop.

Kanye’s full speech can be read here.

The post The Moment at the VMAs When Kanye West Announced He’s Running For President in 2020: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

The Moment at the VMAs When Kanye West Announced He’s Running For President in 2020: WATCH