Grindr, Tinder Upset Over AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s New STD Billboard — Should They Be?

Drivers in Los Angeles already have it pretty rough — they’re driving, in Los Angeles, after all.

But now on top of the traffic, the noise and the pollution, they also have their sexual health to worry about after passing by a new billboard erected by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

And maybe that’s a good thing?

The ad’s message, which depicts two couples in silhouette with the words “Tinder,” “chlamydia,” “Grindr,” and “gonorrhea” next to the text “freestdcheck.org” couldn’t be any clearer. A rise in hook-up culture contributes to a rise in STIs.

Related: Four Men Face Felony Sex Charges After Hookup With Grindr Teen

Are these apps at fault for their users’ actions by merely existing? No, but the connection remains.

Unsurprisingly, Tinder and Grindr aren’t too happy with the characterization, and Tinder actually sent a cease and desist letter to AHF to take down the ad.

“These unprovoked and wholly unsubstantiated accusations are made to irreparably damage Tinder’s reputation in an attempt to encourage others to take an HIV test by your organization,” Tinder attorney Jonathan Reichman said in a letter to the foundation.

Related: 12 Grindr Fails To Avoid If You Actually Want To Get Lucky This Weekend

Grindr quietly (by comparison) dropped AHF as a paid advertiser, saying, “We were surprised at the approach [the foundation] took, and paused the campaign in order to speak with them and assess our relationship.”

While AHF is by no means a knight in shining armor — they’re sex-negative attitude is well-documented — is there really any harm in reminding people to check their dipsticks?

Will fewer people use Grindr and Tinder as a result of the ad? (We think not.)

Related: AIDS Healthcare Foundation Pres. Calls Truvada A “Party Drug”, Refuels Debate Over PrEP Meds

“In many ways, location-based mobile dating apps are becoming a digital bathhouse for millennials wherein the next sexual encounter can literally just be a few feet away—as well as the next STD,” Whitney Engeran-Cordova, the foundation’s public health division director, said in a statement.

If we can’t admit how these apps are being used, and encourage smart behavior, should we even have them in the first place?

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/NLnrd_Cm01Q/grindr-tinder-upset-over-aids-healthcare-foundations-new-std-billboard-should-they-be-20150929

Right-Wing Extremist Calls For Global ‘Inquisition’ To End ‘Fag Problem’, Kill Gays: VIDEO

Right-wing Christian activist Theodore Shoebat posted a new video this past weekend in which he calls for a worldwide “inquisition” to end “homo-tyranny.”

Shoebat’s rant was spurred on by news that a doctor had been fired by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center “for repeatedly spreading anti-gay material to colleagues”, as Right Wing Watch reports. In his rambling monologue, Shoebat declared that he was not a fan of democracy (he likes “mo-narchy” better) and that the world has a “fag problem”:

“I’m sick and tired of the homo tyranny,” he said. “What the world needs is a collective law … What we need is the laws of God, the virtues of Heaven to become the law of the world. That is the bottom line. Do I believe in Christian world domination? Absolutely. I would be a liar if I said I didn’t. Do I believe in Christian supremacy? Absolutely. Do I believe in democracy? Hell no. Do I believe in some sort of a democratic socialist republic? Hell no. I believe in monarchy, I believe in Inquisitions, I believe we need to revive the system of the Middle Ages that we had; we had no fag problems, we didn’t have a lot of serial killers back in those days, we didn’t have frickin drug cartel problems, we had none of the crap. We didn’t have no fags asking to be married. None of that garbage.”

“It’s homo tyranny and it needs to be destroyed,” Shoebat continued, “Christian world domination needs to be established and homosexuality needs to be deemed as a crime. And the homos need to be told, hey, you gotta stop that and if they don’t stop that then, I’m sorry, we have an Inquisition and that Inquisition will enact the death penalty, as Scripture tells us.”

Watch the video below:

The post Right-Wing Extremist Calls For Global ‘Inquisition’ To End ‘Fag Problem’, Kill Gays: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Right-Wing Extremist Calls For Global ‘Inquisition’ To End ‘Fag Problem’, Kill Gays: VIDEO

WATCH: Matt Damon Explain Himself to Ellen

Matt Damon wants everyone to know he does not believe out gay actors should go back into the closet, nor did he ever say so. 

That’s one of the things the actor wanted to make clear while taping an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on her syndicated talk show Monday. DeGeneres — who invited Damon on her show to promote his new film, The Martian — asked him to address how his comments to the UK newspaper, The Guardian, which she said were “twisted around.” He says they were taken wildly out of context. 

“I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they’re a mystery,” said Damon. “And someone picked it up and said I said ‘Gay actors should get back in the closet.’ Which is like, it’s stupid.” The audience joined the actor in laughing at that misinterpretation; DeGeneres stayed cool and paid rapt attention. 

“It’s painful when things get said that you don’t believe,” Damon told DeGeneres. “You know what I mean? And then it gets represented that that’s what you believe. Because in the blogosphere, there’s no penalty for just taking the ball and running with it.”

As The Advocate reported, Damon told U.K. newspaper The Guardian that out actors “take a hit for being out,” specifically mentioning Rupert Everett, whose career sputtered after breaking out in the 1990s with My Best Friend’s Wedding. Though he seems sympathetic toward Everett, Damon thinks an aura of mystery makes actors more believable.

“I think it must be really hard for actors to be out publicly. But in terms of actors, I think you’re a better actor the less people know about you, period. And sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether you’re straight or gay, people shouldn’t know anything about your sexuality because that’s one of the mysteries that you should be able to play.”

The controversy may have received more play than usual as it came on the heels of another contentious statement from Damon, for which he half-heartedly apologized. 

As Mashable reported, producer Effie Brown, a black woman, made a comment on the season premiere of Project Greenlight that casting diversity was an important factor in choosing a director for the HBO show’s project; Damon shot back that picking the best candidate for the sake of the show — and the film they would be making within it — was the top priority. 

DeGeneres ended the brief conversation about the controversy by appearing to accept Damon’s clarification, adding, “And it shocks me that you and Ben are not gay,” she added as a final tension-breaker. “But. If you want to deny it and keep the mystery in your marriage … .”

Watch the clip from Ellen, below.

Dawn Ennis

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/9/29/watch-matt-damon-explain-himself-ellen

What the FDA Can Learn From Argentina's New Gay Blood Donation Policy
Last week, Argentina’s Health Ministry lifted its ban on gay blood donors in favor of an individualized risk assessment policy. The news comes at a time when the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing public comments on their own proposed policy change – to swap a lifetime deferral of men who have sex with men (MSM) for a 12-month deferral. If approved, the new American policy would then allow MSM to donate blood if they have abstained from same-sex sexual contact for the last year. Thus, the potential new American policy does not go nearly as far as Argentina’s complete overhaul of the blood donor deferral process.

However, the forthcoming potential shift in blood donation policy in the USA is a note worthy of excitement. The Williams Institute estimates that the 12-month deferral will add about 185,800 new likely blood donors and 317,000 pints of blood. With each pint of blood potentially saving up to three lives, the new deferral is certainly a great step towards removing bias from the donation process while also benefitting the people whom are affected most – recipients of blood transfusions.

That being said, the FDA has much to learn from our counterparts down south, as even though our new American policy will contribute to our blood supply, it remains grounded in stereotypes about HIV and sexual orientation. These stereotypes are damaging to both MSM and blood recipients, especially during blood shortages, which last occurred in 2014.

The FDA’s current policy of a lifetime deferral was adopted in 1983, during the HIV epidemic, out of fear of transmitting HIV to transfusion recipients. Much as our understanding of the virus has evolved, though, so have our methods for its detection. For that exact reason, the FDA screens all donated blood for HIV.

The current and potentially new FDA policies thus beg the question – what is unique about MSM that subjects them to additional scrutiny in the blood donation process?

Is it that the CDC estimates that gay and bisexual men comprise 57% of the HIV positive population and 63% of new HIV infections? This reasoning would make sense, but MSM are not the only group that is disproportionately susceptible. For example, African American individuals are eight times more likely than white people to be HIV positive and account for 44% of new adult and adolescent HIV infections. Does that mean that the FDA should defer African Americans for 12 months until they have remained abstinent? No – because that is racism and we know better.

But the FDA fails to apply that same logic to MSM, who also make up a very large group with such vast variations in sexual behavior and other HIV risk factors. It makes no sense to apply such a policy uniformly to such a diverse demographic.

Perhaps it is that MSM are unique in their prevalence of anal intercourse, the type of sex that presents the highest risk of HIV infection. Well, straight people have anal sex too – a lot of them. 44% of straight men and 36% of straight women report having anal intercourse at least once in their lifetimes.

A heterosexual person who has unprotected anal sex with multiple partners jumps to the front of the blood donation line, while a monogamous married gay man must remain abstinent for 12 months to be seen as equal in the eyes of the FDA. The skewed rationale behind the FDA’s deferral of MSM is a reminder of the double standards inflicted upon LGBTQ individuals in American society. In addition to failing to meet the blood needs of potential transfusion recipients, a policy like this can also take a negative toll on the deferred population. These discriminatory social policies adversely impact the wellbeing of the groups they target.

What’s the solution? The great news is that it has already been laid out and implemented around the world. Chile, Mexico, Spain, Italy, and now Argentina have shifted from damaging stereotypes to a more practical individualized risk assessment protocol. Now is a critical time for the FDA to learn from our peers around the world – American lives could depend on it.

— 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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At Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, HRC To Launch Groundbreaking Global Corporate Coalition

Consortium of 12 major businesses with 1.4 million employees across more than 190 countries commit to uphold LGBT workplace protections abroad
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/at-clinton-global-initiative-annual-meeting-hrc-to-launch-groundbreaking-gl?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

San Diego Kindergartner Expelled From School For Having Two Moms, Because Jesus

Across the street from Mt. Erie Baptist Church in San Diego is Mt. Erie Christian Academy, an elementary school whose student population has just decreased by one due to institutionalized homophobia.

The parents of a 5-year-old girl were recently notified that their daughter would no longer be able to attend the school, where she’d also gone to preschool and summer camp.

Why? Because this girl has the audacity to have two moms, a fact her parents Lashaune and Sheena say was already known throughout the church community.

Related: School Won’t Let Student Bring Another Boy To Homecoming Dance, Warns Him About Murderous Gays

“They told us, ‘oh this is not about your child,’ but it is about my child,” said Sheena, who asked that her last name not be used.

“If we knew from the beginning that this was unacceptable, they didn’t condone or believe in this, if it was such a big deal, we would have never started her off there,” she continued. “I would never put my child’s emotional wellbeing in an unstable setting like that.”

Just a few days before school was to start, Lashaune and Sheena were called into the school for a meeting with the pastor.

After a prayer, he broke the news.

“It was heartbreaking,” Sheena said. “I didn’t finish the conversation with them when they took us in the room because I just, I didn’t want to look at them any longer.  I just couldn’t believe that they did that.”

The school’s nondiscrimination policy was revised in June 2015, and now reads:

Mt. Erie Christian Academy is a religious, Bible-believing institution providing education in a distinct Christian environment, and it believes that its biblical role is to work in conjunction with the home to mold students to be Christ like. On those occasions in which the atmosphere or conduct within a particular home is counter to or in opposition to the biblical lifestyle that the school teaches, the school reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission of an applicant or to discontinue enrollment of a student. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, living in, condoning or supporting sexual immorality; practicing homosexual lifestyle or alternative gender identity; promoting such practices; or otherwise having the inability to support the moral principles of the school (Leviticus 20:13a; Romans 1:21-27; Matthew 19:4-6; I Corinthians 6:9-20).”

Current law gives private religious institutions, including schools, carte blanche to adopt and enforce any policy they claim is in line with their religious beliefs, including showing a 5-year-old the door because her parents are gay.

Related: Pastor To Gay High School Grads: “Congrats, But You’re Going To Hell!”

Some, like San Diego attorney Eugene Iredale, think that might change in the next five to ten years if a case like this were to be brought before the Supreme Court.

“Now the question is where do you draw the line?” Iredale said to local 10 News. “If you have a religion that believed in human sacrifice or amputation of the arm or the hand for theft, would we permit that in the interest of permitting the free practice of one’s religion? I don’t think so, and one could argue that psychologically… this is as devastating to the little 5-year-old girl as some of those other vicious practices.”

Meanwhile, Sheena and Lashuane’s daughter just wants her life back.

“I miss my friends. I miss my teachers,” she said.

Related: “Antigay Day” Held At Pittsburgh High School, “Lynch List” Circulated Among Students

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Xizjv_b41Zs/san-diego-kindergartner-expelled-from-school-for-having-two-moms-because-jesus-20150929

New Jersey Radio Producer Comes Out Live On Air: LISTEN

New Jersey radio producer Joe Votruba came out live on air on Friday during the Deminski & Doyle Show, which he produces. The off the cuff announcement caught radio hosts Jeff Deminski and Bill Doyle off guard.

Joe’s announcement came as the hosts and Joe were discussing whether it’s wise to be friends with your ex. During the chat, Joe said, “I can give you a story. This story has to come with an announcement first of all. I’m gay. But we’ll talk about that later.” From the show’s website:

We spent the hour debating whether or not it’s ever okay to remain friends with an ex. Joe chimed in with a story of his own, but he buried the lead. Little did we know that this was going to be the moment when Joe V decided to announce to the audience that he’s gay. We are so happy for him that he did, though!

After coming out, Joe took to social media to thank all those who offered him support and love after coming out on the air. Wrote Joe,

“While a lot of my friends and relatives were already aware of that fact that I’m gay, Friday afternoon was the first time I ever talked about that aspect of my life on the air. Your kind words in response have been so incredible and you are all truly amazing. I just want to say THANK YOU for your outpouring of love, support and acceptance. Stay hungry and stay free!”

Congratulations, Joe!

The post New Jersey Radio Producer Comes Out Live On Air: LISTEN appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

www.towleroad.com/2015/09/new-jersey-radio-producer-comes-out-live-on-air-listen/

WATCH: Kim Davis Is the Very Model of a Modern Fundamentalist

A new YouTube video from La Strega Entertainment honors the satirical legacy of composers Gilbert and Sullivan by skewering renegade Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’ anti-gay crusade. While the “Major General’s Song” from Pirates of Penzance is one of the most widely parodied songs from the duos catalog, director Richard Kraft brings out the best in performer Rena Strober as she sings about the current worst religious zealot in America.

Watch below as Strober and Kraft slay Davis’ hypocritical version of Christianity.

Bil Browning

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/9/29/watch-kim-davis-very-model-modern-fundamentalist

Azealia Banks Is the Donald Trump of Rap
Azealia Banks is a lovely young individual. She is tactful, helpful, thoughtful and intelligent. Wise beyond her 24 years, this rap artist has a keen sense of the history of oppression. She acts according to her conscience and, in so doing, is a beacon of light for women of color and for those in the LGBT community.

When Ms. Banks tweets an astute message on her Twitter account that compares the LGBT community to “gay white KKKs,” I think to myself: Wow, how helpful! This young woman has so much to teach us!

She writes that she wants to “spray a gay man in the face with pepper spray” and dreams that a gay man will “be murdered and stuffed under a truck somewhere soon.” How refreshing! Words like these are doing so much to advance women and the LGBT community.

When she re-defines “faggot” for her own purposes to avoid being defined homophobic, I must shout out, “Yes! Let’s make up our own individual meaning for every word! Then we will not be responsible for anything that comes out of our mouths! Yes!” Thank you! She is an armadillo! (Note: I have decided that “armadillo” now means “strong, brave woman,” so it is now an expression of admiration!)

This week, she told a 47-year-old British actress to “Botox those frown lines. Juvederm those lips. Get a tan. YIKES!” This young rapper is amazingly helpful to those artists who are older than herself. As a 50-year-old, I will follow Ms. Banks’ sharp, insightful advice in order to improve my own…

STOP! Wait a moment, I have to take my tongue out of my cheek.

I had originally planned to write a post about this bratty young woman and her outrageous, angry tantrums, but I attempted to take the high road instead. Ms. Banks thinks that she is somehow advancing the cause for women of color and bisexual women, so I wanted to be as kind and respectful as possible. But it is difficult to maintain positive thoughts toward someone so mean-spirited.

If Ms. Banks were to read this, I am sure that she would lump me into the category of “gay white male bloggers” and dismiss anything I have to say because of my “gay male misogyny.” So why bother? I am not famous or influential enough for her to attack me on Twitter anyway. She has started media feuds with dozens of celebrities in the past few years. She posts outrageous messages on social media to get noticed. Her insults advance her career. She is the Donald Trump of rap.

She has a Trump-sized ego. She believes that her use of the word “faggot” has ignited the entire gay male community into a manic frenzy. She credits herself with exposing our weaknesses. She assumes she has been given “so much power” because of the firestorm created when she barked “fucking faggot” at a flight attendant this past week. She has even stated that she “INVENTED femininity, OK?” Anything that is “fabulous, feminine and clever”? She owns “AWWWWWLLLLL of this. It’s mine.”

Media attention is not power. She did not invent anything. She does not “own” fabulous. There are many other women who are more fabulous, more clever.

Before this week, I did not know Azealia Banks from Iggy Azalea, or from an azalea plant. I would venture to say that many Americans have never heard her music. She is a minor celebrity with a big mouth. If she wants to be an activist, she might re-think her tactics because she is apparently alienating some her own fans.

It is a waste of time to write about why Ms. Bank’s rants are ignorant to the history of oppression that she believes she is relieving. She is too young. Too brash. Too full of herself. I am a college professor and I have worked with young people like this before. She knows everything and is not prepared to learn anything.

Maybe when she is 47 years old and some up-and-coming opportunist rails against an old and ugly Azealia Banks, maybe then she will see things from a different perspective. But that will be in the year 2038, so I will not hold my breath. In the meantime, we should not bother giving this young woman much attention. She is purposefully provocative in order to advance her career. We do not have to take the bait.

— 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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Virgin, AmEX, IBM, Google, EY and other global giants unite to fight LGBTI discrimination

Fourteen global companies have come together to create a business-led coalition to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusion around the world.

The launch of Open For Business will be announced today at The Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York – a four-day event taking place at the Sheraton New York.

The initiative is being supported by American Express, AT&T, Brunswick, EY, Google, IBM, LinkedIn, Linklaters, MasterCard, McKinsey & Company, Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Chartered, Thomson Reuters and Virgin Group.

The businesses argue that economies perform better and successful businesses thrive in societies that are open, diverse and inclusive. To back up their argument, they are issuing a report based on research carried out in the first half of 2015.

The report was produced, according to its executive summary, because, ‘The coalition identified the need for a stronger and more comprehensive evidence base that makes the business and economic case for LGB&T inclusion.’

The ‘Open For Business: the Economic and Business Case for LGB&T Inclusion’ report examines economic performance, business performance and individual performance. Key findings include:

• LGBTI discrimination often goes hand-in-hand with a culture of corrupt practices, a lack of openness and a weak civil society with poorly developed institutions.
• Companies that support inclusion and diversity are better able to compete for talented employees, and show higher rates of retention.
• LGBTI inclusion is associated with higher levels of innovation and more effective collaboration and teamwork.
• Individuals working in open, diverse, inclusive environments have higher levels of engagement and satisfaction, leading to greater productivity.
• Companies operating in countries with anti-LGBTO legislation face a variety of risks, including risks to employee safety and security, risks of non-compliance, and risks to brand and reputation.
• Companies not vocally supporting global LGB&T inclusion but promoting their diversity credentials at home may be accused of hypocrisy or ‘pink washing’.
• In a new survey of UK and US consumer attitudes, nearly half (47.5 percent) would support a boycott of companies working in countries that have anti-gay laws.
• More than half (52.5 percent) said they would be unlikely to support international development aid going to a country that has anti-gay laws.
• More than half (52 percent) would be unlikely to work for a company that does business in a country that has anti-gay laws
• More than half (51 percent) would be unlikely to go on vacation to a country that has anti-gay laws.

To follow up the report, members of the Open For Business coalition will hold global events over the coming 12 months to raise awareness of the business and economic case for LGB&T inclusion.

Randy Berry, US Department of State

One of the report’s forwards was written by Randy Berry, Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons, US Department of State. In a statement to announce the launch of Open For Business, he said:

‘Discriminatory laws are detrimental to business and economic development. They threaten the stability businesses desire, risk the safety of employees and jeopardize business interests all over the world.

‘Companies need to come together to promote policies and work environments that enable them to attract the best talent regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, it is the responsibility of all of us – government, civil society and business – to take a stand against discrimination and injustice.’

Joshua Graff, Senior Director at LinkedIn Europe, Middle East and Africa said, commenting on his firm’s involvement in the project, said, ‘We believe that a diverse workforce has a multitude of benefits for a business and for the individuals.

‘So anything that we can do to encourage diversity for our own team, our clients and our members around the globe is entirely in line with what we’re looking to accomplish. If you consider diversity specifically in terms of LGB&T rights, that’s why we’re part of Open For Business.’

Cynthia Marshall, SVP Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T said, ‘Diversity and inclusion have long been a part of AT&T’s culture and operations, and our experience supports the coalition’s finding that successful businesses thrive in diverse and inclusive societies.

‘We support laws that prohibit discrimination everywhere we do business, and we’re proud to be a part of this coalition.’

Open For Business describes itself as an informal coalition that has been developed ‘in dialogue with a number of civil society organizations,’ including the the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Kaleidoscope Trust, the Human Rights Campaign, Stonewall, Out Leadership and OUTstanding, among others.

The Kaleidoscope Trust‘s Executive Director, Felicity Daly, told Gay Star Business that she welcomed the launch of Open For Business.

‘While it has long been clear to the Trust and to our partners around the world that there is an economic cost to the criminalization and persecution of LGBT people, having solid evidence, supported by some of the largest companies in the world, helps us to make that case to governments everywhere.

‘We’re delighted that our Programme Manager, Alistair Stewart, was invited to work with Open for Business to ensure that the perspectives of our international partners are at the very center of this report and are central to the work of Open for Business.’

The post Virgin, AmEX, IBM, Google, EY and other global giants unite to fight LGBTI discrimination appeared first on Gay Star News.

David Hudson

www.gaystarnews.com/article/virgin-amex-ibm-google-ey-and-other-global-giants-unite-to-fight-lgbti-discrimination/