Former FAA Employee Sues, Alleging Antigay Discrimination

A gay man who formerly worked for the Federal Aviation Administration is suing the government agency for discrimination, and he hopes to make a larger point.

David Baldwin, who worked at the FAA’s control tower at Miami International Airport, filed suit last week in U.S. District Court in Florida, alleging he was passed over for promotions and subjected to a hostile environment because he’s gay, BuzzFeed reports. And he happens to be the man whose case led to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s ruling this summer that existing civil rights law’s ban on gender discrimination also bans discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Baldwin’s name was redacted from documents released by the EEOC at the time of the ruling, but he revealed his identity in an interview with the Washington Blade shortly thereafter. With his lawsuit, Baldwin hopes to expand the scope of the EEOC ruling, which is binding only on federal agencies and may be interpreted in different ways by various courts regarding other employers, BuzzFeed notes.

“While the decision by the EEOC in Baldwin v. Foxx was a giant step forward for extinguishing sexual orientation discrimination by allowing federal employees to pursue sexual orientation claim under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title VII, it was just a small step forward for nongovernment employees,” Lowell Kuvin, Baldwin’s lawyer, told BuzzFeed Monday. “The next logical step for Mr. Baldwin, who would like to see the protection of Title VII extended to nongovernment employees alleging sexual orientation discrimination, was to bring the issue to the federal courts.”

Protection against workplace discrimination stands to affect more people than marriage equality, Kuvin added. “There are more gay men and women who have jobs than same-sex couples who want to get married,” he told the site.

When the EEOC agreed that existing law covered sexual orientation discrimination, it gave Baldwin 90 days to bring a case in federal court. His suit, filed last Tuesday, names U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta as defendants.

It alleges that Baldwin’s supervisors and coworkers objected to mentions of his same-sex partner — for instance, that they attended Mardi Gras in New Orleans together and that Baldwin’s partner fixed his lunch every day. These remarks were called “inappropriate” and drew comments such as “We don’t need to hear about that gay stuff,” according to the suit. Employees in opposite-sex relationships mentioned their partners routinely, and no one complained, the document notes. It also says Baldwin was not selected for a permanent frontline management position at the tower, due to the fact that he’s gay.

Baldwin sought to resolve the matter without resulting to a lawsuit, Kuvin said, but the FAA did not respond. The suit seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and legal fees, among other relief, and Baldwin asks for a jury trial.

The FAA and the Department of Transportation did not respond to BuzzFeed’s requests for comment.

Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/politics/2015/10/19/former-faa-employee-sues-alleging-antigay-discrimination

Resolved Question: Why are homophobes obsessed with gays?
For example, trolls on YA relentlessly bombard the LGBT section with crazy questions and answers. What do they hope to accomplish by doing this?

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151019172232AAhvg68

Hot Chip Covers Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ – WATCH

British electronic duo Hot Chip have dropped a 7-minute studio version of their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 classic “Dancing in the Dark” which they previewed at Glastonbury and other festivals over the summer.

The video for the track, directed by Kieran Evans, features concert footage from a gig at NYC’s Webster Hall spliced with clips from ’80s television.

RELATED: Hot Chip Flashes Its ‘Huarache Lights’: VIDEO

The cover will lead off an EP the band is set to release this Friday which also features remixes of their tracks “Huarache Lights” and “Cry for You”.

Check out the track and video:

The post Hot Chip Covers Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Hot Chip Covers Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ – WATCH

Open Question: LGBT, are we superior to bigots?
Those of us who value true human equality. Those of who also regard ourselves as humanists

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151019164044AA6j5lX

NJ High School Teacher Accused of Rigging Race for Homecoming Queen to Favor Transgender Teen

A teacher at Trenton High School in New Jersey has been accused of rigging the vote for homecoming queen and ensuring that a transgender teen won the race.

However, according to one anonymous source who works at the school, the vote was rigged by students as part of a “practical joke” on the trans teen. Still, others say the as-yet unnamed teacher in charge of supervising the election was out to “make history” by throwing the election the teen’s way.

The Trentonian reports: 

“We are not bashing the [transgender teen]; how [she] chooses to live [her] life is not our issue,” Marie “Murf” Antionette [a parent of a student at the school] said. “But the teen is registered at the school as a male. So why was the teacher allowed to let this person compete with other females?” […]

Outraged parents said the school should have never allowed the transgender teen to be crowned queen because “it’s unfair to young females.” One parent said that while she’s accepting of all people regardless of what gender they identify with, allowing a transgender teen to be crowned queen sends a message to young girls that “they’re not good enough.” Another parent said there should have been a separate homecoming category for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Parents also expressed concern about how the event would affect young students who are not properly educated about sexuality.

“No one at the school dislikes the [transgender teen], but this teacher had an ulterior motive,” Antionette, whose 9th-grade child attends TCHS, said. “Students who were actually involved in the homecoming process said the teacher said she didn’t care if she lost her job, and that she wanted to make history. The teacher did not get permission from any administrator to do this.”

The newly elected homecoming king reportedly “refused” to walk with the homecoming queen.

One parent seemed more concerned for the transgender teen than the alleged election scandal, worrying that, if the vote was rigged as a joke, “it could be considered a hate crime”:

“If the student body fairly voted and decided that this is the new direction they’re heading, I’m good with that,” city activist Darren “Freedom” Green said. “The student body should have their voice, and the community should respect their voice. But if someone tainted the voting process, then we should have a problem with that. We should now use this situation as an opportunity to educate others. Respect should be like love: unconditional even in disagreements.”

The post NJ High School Teacher Accused of Rigging Race for Homecoming Queen to Favor Transgender Teen appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

NJ High School Teacher Accused of Rigging Race for Homecoming Queen to Favor Transgender Teen

HRC Head Denounces Antigay Bill's Lone Democratic Supporter

At an event in Chicago over the weekend, Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin had some choice words for a Windy City congressman who happens to be the only Democrat cosponsoring the anti-LGBT First Amendment Defense Act.

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski’s support of the bill is “an attack on our families … and his own constituents,” Griffin told the crowd at HRC’s Chicago gala Saturday night, Windy City Times reports. The legislation would prevent federal agencies from penalizing individuals, businesses, or organizations for taking actions based on religious or moral opposition to marriage equality, essentially providing a license to discriminate against same-sex couples.

If the bill becomes law, it will cause “a complete breakdown of protections” against discrimination, said Griffin (pictured above, left, with Lipinski at right).

Its passage would probably happen only if Republicans control both houses of Congress and the presidency. A nearly identical bill introduced in 2013 went nowhere. The new legislation has been endorsed by the Republican National Committee and some GOP presidential hopefuls.

At the gala, Griffin also noted that HRC’s federal legislative priority in the near future will be passing the Equality Act, a comprehensive bill that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, and a variety of other venues. It will likely be “the biggest legislative battle in the history of our movement,” he told the gathering.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel opened the event by noting the progress in LGBT rights since 1997, when Bill Clinton became the first sitting president to address an HRC gathering, Windy City Times reports. Other speakers at the event included marriage equality plaintiff Jim Obergefell and gay pro football player Michael Sam. Several local elected officials — but not Lipinski — were among the 650 guests.

Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/politics/2015/10/19/hrc-head-denounces-antigay-bills-lone-democratic-supporter

Come & Meet His Dancin' Feet: Lee Roy Reams at 54Below

I doubt anyone thinks that Applause, the 1970’s musical version of All About Eve, is a seminal work, certainly not one of those “ground-breakers” like Show Boat, Company or A Chorus Line. And yet to me, it was every bit as important as the complete canon of Rodgers and Hammerstein simply because of one member of the original cast: Lee Roy Reams.

Mr. Reams played Duane, Margo Channing’s hairdresser (Channing was the indomitable Lauren Bacall), and to a theatrically leaning pre-teen, Reams’s performance was a revelation, not because of his dancing abilities, which defied gravity, not because of his singing, his big Broadway belt bouncing off the last row of the Palace theater, but because he was playing an openly gay character on stage. His was the first portrayal of an open homosexual I had ever seen. I realized at that moment: if he can be proudly gay in front of 2,500 people at the Palace — I didn’t differentiate between him and the character; I was 11 — I can be fine with being gay myself. Quite a self-realization.

Remember, this was long before any gay characters were portrayed on TV (at least as far as I can remember) so his performance literally changed my life.

Over the years, as a personal and private tribute to this man, I have made it my business to see him perform in every show he was in: on, Off, and way Off-Broadway. I watched him mature from a young dancer to a dashing juvenile, a Broadway leading man, then a director and now a Cabaret Sensation.

I booked my tickets to his new show, “Lee Roy Reams Salutes His Leading Ladies” at 54Below the minute they went on sale, and it was unbridled pleasure seeing him recreate roles he’s played, looking and sounding exactly how I remembered him. But this was more than a cabaret act; this was a master class in musical comedy performance. This act should be required viewing for any young theatrically inclined performer who wants to tread the boards. No one can do it better. Maybe Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire, but they won’t be booked at the club anytime soon.

Reams burst onto the little stage singing “Star,” one of my favorite songs, and as all good opening numbers should, that song set the tone for the evening: he was going to take us on a musical journey introducing the striking list of leading ladies he’s had the pleasure of working with: Bacall, Ann Miller (the funniest), Gwen Verdon (my personal favorite), Tammy Grimes, Ethel Merman, Juliette Prowse, Celeste Holm and more.

Speaking of Celeste, it was clear that she was a bit prudish, for whenever Reams told her even a mildly risqué joke, she’d scrunch up her face like she was sucking a giant sour ball. Over the course of the evening, he asked the audience to “make a face for Celeste,” whenever he told an off-color anecdote. And there were plenty.

After a few seasons as a teenager in Summer Stock, Reams came to New York and booked his first audition out: Juliette Prowse‘s Nightclub Act. One night he was a bit tired at the second show in Vegas, and just when he was supposed to lift Ms. Prowse high above his head, he lost control and her legendary derriere ending up smack on his face, his two thumbs going right you-know-where. He made us all “make a face for Celeste.” Another story ended with Reams and Prowse naked in the same bed in a Las Vegas hotel suite, after which Reams belted out a medley from Sweet Charity. He sang “Big Spender” and all of Charity’s songs and blew the roof of the club. It was clear that Reams is a songwriter’s dream. Every lyric is delivered with the passion of a great artist, every melody soars to the rafters and melts hearts.

Reams spent a great deal of his career with Hello, Dolly, first playing Cornelius, then moving on to directing many productions including a famous revival with Carol Channing and now, he announced, he will be playing Dolly herself… er, himself… er, whatever…, in Florida. This gave him a chance to do the Dolly monologue (God bless Thorton Wilder) “Ephraim, let me go.” I’ve seen many Dollys, and his was right up there with the best. And when he launched into “Before the Parade Passes By,” the sold-out crowd jumped to their feet: a standing ovation mid-way through the show.

It was clear from all the stories that he loved his leading ladies and they loved him. He didn’t even have to tell the stories; all he had to do was mention a woman he had worked with, a Gwen or an Ethel, and you could see it in his eyes: how much he loved them, how much he respected them and what magic they’d created together. When Bacall was too petrified to go out on stage for the first invited run-through of Applause, (and no one in the cast had the guts to go up to her) it was Lee Roy who took her hand and said, “What’s to worry, Betty? The whole show is completely on your shoulders!”) She laughed and laughed and happily went on stage. The routine turned into her good luck charm and she never went on stage at the Palace without Lee Roy by her side.

Lee Roy also got a chance to perform some luscious ballads; he obviously has great taste in music. “It Had to Be You,” “Here’s That Rainy Day,” and a song cut from Dolly, “Love, Look in my Window,” where he sounded like, I kid you not, a young Barbra Streisand.

The show ended with a tribute to 42nd Street, another show with which he is intimately connected. Anyone who saw him dancing on that dime could never forget his performance, and thirty years later he re-created the entire show, singing “I Only Have Eyes For You,” “Young & Healthy,” “Dames,” “You’re Getting To Be A Habit,” “We’re In The Money,” “Lullaby Of Broadway,” and of course, the title song “42nd Street.” He sounded as strong vocally or — is it possible? — stronger. There must be a picture of an aging Billy Lawler backstage at the Majestic, because Lee Roy certainly isn’t getting a day older. Another standing ovation from the star-studded crowd who came to celebrate.

I had a wonderful time at the show. I’ve had a wonderful time at each show I was fortunate enough to see him in. And of course I’ll never forget that line from Applause when Margo Channing asks her hairdresser to accompany her on an evening out. Duane says he can’t, as he has a date. Margot retorts “That’s okay. Bring him along!” And I was changed forever.

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Open Question: I just want an answer </3?
So I’m a girl in the 8th grade and today at school I was talking to my friend and the fact that my grandma died of cancer before I was born and I will see her again someday in heaven when I die came up from me and my friend was saying “Just don’t be gay or bisexual and you will for sure probably go to heaven” and that God doesn’t want people to be LGBT+ and my friend knows I’m bisexual and every time I talk about the girls I’ve liked he makes a bad comment and also lets me know he’s not gay and doesn’t support it.. I respect if you don’t support it that’s your right but I told him that someone’s sexuality isn’t really their choice at least it isn’t for me, you’re probably just born that way but I’m tired of hearing all this negative religious stuff about LGBT and that God doesn’t accept them and you’re doing a sin which will you hold you back from going to Heaven.. I’m a Christian and when I hear things like that I just almost cry and it upsets me and sometimes it gets to me and I feel ashamed that I’m bi even though it’s not really a choice it just happens.. ya know? but I don’t really know any answers and when I earlier started realizing I was bi I felt good, had pride in it but now I just don’t know. I know God loves everybody but I’ve heard being gay is a sin and I don’t know if my bisexuality counts or will it just be bad if I get married to a female but I’m just confused and want a straight answer and I miss knowing/thinking that there’s nothing wrong with being LGBT ??

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151019144027AAI9PT5

HRC Trains North Dakota Activists to Advance Non-Discrimination Legislation

Last week, HRC hosted a training in Bismarck, North Dakota, for local and state LGBT activists to advance non-discrimination policies.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-trains-north-dakota-activists-to-advance-non-discrimination-legislation?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed