5 Ways Young LGBT People Can Get Involved in Politics
Over the past decade, the LGBT community has made significant strides toward full equality. We have leveraged the political process to achieve many of our important goals. These goals included passage of hate crimes legislation, the right to openly serve in the armed forces and marriage equality. Each of these fights was won because people got politically involved, either through executive order, legislative action or the courts.

Image provided under Creative Commons License CC0 and modified with a rainbow filter by the blog author.

While marriage equality was an important milestone for our people, we still have other important goals to achieve. In over half of the United States, it’s still perfectly legal to fire a person just for being LGBT. If you and your future partner want to adopt children, in many states you may have trouble finding an adoption agency that will support your desire to add to your family. In most states, you could legally be refused service in a store, not allowed to eat in a restaurant or kicked out of a hotel, just for being gay. Gaining equality in these important areas will require us to stay politically active.

As we fight for full equality, here are five ways young LGBT people can make a difference in politics.

1. Be out. If it’s safe for you to be out, be out. If it’s not safe for you to be out, you can be vocal about your political opinions. Being vocal is not as effective as being out, but it is a good start. People who know somebody LGBT have a much harder time voting against us. Your parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts, siblings and friends will have to think about how their vote affects you. If you are out to them, they are more likely to vote in a way that makes your life better.

2. Volunteer. Many political campaigns run on the power of committed volunteers. It’s easy to donate a few hours a week supporting candidates and causes that are important to us. You can connect with volunteer opportunities through your school’s political clubs (if your school has them), or you can reach out to the candidate or cause of your choice through social media. Not only does volunteering make a political difference, but it can help you develop important skills for your future career.

3. Attend a rally or protest. There’s nothing more exhilarating than being around thousands of people who believe in a cause. Politicians, business leaders and the public notice large groups of people gathering to make a statement. If you choose to attend this kind of gathering, be sure that you know what you’re getting into and have an exit strategy if the protest turns into something else. It may not be worth getting arrested and affecting your future career prospects — or, depending on the cause, it might be worth it.

4. Personally communicate with your elected officials. It’s easy to email your legislator, sign an online petition or post your opinion to social media, but the personal touch is far more effective. Legislators listen to people from their districts, and will take a personal note that crosses their desk much more seriously than a form letter. You can also pick up the phone and call their staff. My phone call to a state legislator allowed me the opportunity to testify against “conversion therapy” a few years ago. I was invited to share my experience because I shared my personal experience and not a form letter.

5. Vote – and encourage your friends to vote. Fewer than 25 percent of people under 30 voted in the 2014 midterm elections. Had every eligible young person registered to vote, and then shown up at the polling station, we would have a very different political landscape today. Younger voters are much more friendly to gay people and gay causes. If we want to achieve full equality, young people need to show up and vote!

Most young people can’t afford to make large donations to their candidate, and a $10,000 per plate for a fundraising dinner is out of reach for most of us. A lack of funds should not stop us from working hard to make a difference in our community. These five options are free and will help us achieve full equality.

— 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.

feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677065/s/4b14cc59/sc/38/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0Cklint0Ekendrick0Cfive0Eways0Eyoung0Elgbt0Epeop0Ib0I8394490A0Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices/story01.htm

Resolved Question: Conservative Christians, does this prove that lgbt people want to brain wash your kids?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ6LzEpuB4c they ban kid book because he gay

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151029095201AAX1jNo

In Debate, Carson Refuses to Take on Drug Company That Puts HIV Patients at Risk

It’s appalling that when given a chance, Ben Carson refused to say what everyone knows — that Turing needs to reverse the arbitrary and unconscionable 5,000 percent price increase of a lifesaving treatment for people living with HIV.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/in-debate-carson-refuses-to-take-on-drug-company-that-puts-hiv-patients-at?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Get Spooked With The Ultimate Cult Classic And Free HBO. For Free.

It’s just a jump to the left, and then a free midnight streaming of The Rocky Horror Picture Show to the right.

So if your version of Halloween mayhem is locking the door, lowering the blinds and pretending not to be home, now you can pass the time with a screening of the best damn thing to come out of 1975 (or was that Queen’s A Night At The Opera?) — Tim Curry slaying it as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Susan Sarandon discovering her bad side as Janet (dammit) and Peter Hinwood’s perfect gold booty shorts.

HBO Now, the standalone streaming service that lets you enjoy Justin Theroux’s bulge without having to deal with that pesky cable bill, will be live-streaming Rocky Horror at midnight eastern time on Saturday.

If you don’t have a subscription, you can log in with a free guest account that’s good for 30 days, more than enough time to binge watch all five seasons of Six Feet Under.

The event also lines up with the films 40th anniversary, and fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters and to think creatively about how they can translate the film’s iconic participation cues for social media.

So bust out the rice and prepare to yell at your TV screen.

Fans who want to participate can tag #RHPS40 on Twitter Halloween night and the @HBONOW handle will retweet the best posts throughout the night.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/rWzcs8CxI38/get-spooked-with-the-ultimate-cult-classic-and-free-hbo-for-free-20151029

Brad Pitt Channels Robert Redford for V Magazine

Brad Pitt is channeling the look and vibe of iconic Hollywood heartthrob Robert Redford on the cover of V Magazine.

The photo shoot with Inez and Vinoodh focuses on Redford’s 70s sex appeal. And the end result is pretty on point.

Pitt and Redford worked together on 2001’s Spy Game, a Cold War thriller about CIA operatives.

Check out a few more shots of Pitt going full Redford in V, below.

[h/t Paper Mag]

The post Brad Pitt Channels Robert Redford for V Magazine appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

www.towleroad.com/2015/10/brad-pitt-channels-robert-redford-for-v-magazine/

Paul Ryan Elected House Speaker

Wisconsin Republican and former vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan has just been elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, winning 236 votes on the House floor this morning, according to The New York Times. 

“Let’s be frank, the House is broken,” Ryan said in his speech accepting the position this morning. “We are not solving problems We are adding to them,” Ryan said adding that a new way of doing things is in order. “We are not settling scores. We are wiping the slate clean.”

At 45 years old, Ryan is the youngest person to hold the Speaker’s gavel since 1898, according to The New Civil Rights Movement. But he appeared ready to get to work shortly after his election, sending out this tweet from his newly updated Twitter account, which now reads @SpeakerRyan. 

Let’s do this. #SpeakerRyan pic.twitter.com/DRFtRFnpt0

— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) October 29, 2015

Ryan succeeds Ohio Rep. John Boehner, who is retiring, and is likely to be just as much an impediment to LGBT-supportive legislation as Boehner has been. 

Boehner has refused to bring antidiscrimination legislation to the House floor, despite the passage of such bills in the Senate. Ryan voted in favor of such legislation once — in 2007, when the version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act under consideration covered only sexual orientation, not gender identity. But Ryan’s vote came only after he tried to kill the bill by sending it back to committee.

He has since said he would probably vote for future antidiscrimination legislation, although he said he would need more information on the inclusion of gender identity. Also, although he voted against repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” he subsequently called the matter a settled issue and won’t try to reinstate the discriminatory policy.

Ryan’s vote on ENDA in 2007 led one right-wing activist to call him a “Trojan horse” for the “homosexual lobby,” but in reality Ryan’s record is solidly anti-LGBT. As speaker, he would not generally vote on or cosponsor legislation, but he would set the agenda for the House, and he most likely would not prioritize LGBT-supportive bills.

Ryan was initially reluctant to consider the speakership but last week decided he would run if Republicans would unify behind him in a race that was shaken up by California Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s unexpected withdrawal.

This story is developing. Check back for updates. 

Sunnivie Brydum

www.advocate.com/election/2015/10/29/paul-ryan-elected-house-speaker

Ballet Memphis Aims To Broaden The Conversation Around Dance In NYC

New York City’s Joyce Theater is playing host to a troupe of dancers whose work has already been hailed as “unorthodox, peculiar, fresh and large-spirited.”

Through Nov. 1, Ballet Memphis is presenting six original works that celebrate the diverse culture of Memphis, Tennessee and the surrounding Mississippi Delta for its first appearance in Manhattan since 2007. While this region is not typically associated with classical ballet, the individual works are aimed at “broadening the conversation about our art form,” Ballet Memphis founder and artistic director Dorothy Gunther Pugh said in a statement. 

“We think it’s essential to demonstrate how dance and movement furthers inclusion, curiosity and delight,” she said. 

Central to the troupe are out dancers Kendall Britt and Travis Bradley, who said that Ballet Memphis honors the heritage of its members by producing work that’s uniquely American and “primarily about the city and the culture of the city.”

Check out some stunning images of these performers, and more, in action below. Don’t miss Ballet Memphis at New York’s Joyce Theater through Nov. 1. 

Also on HuffPost: 

— 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.

feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677065/s/4b13ed12/sc/38/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C10A0C290Cballet0Ememphis0Enew0Eyork0In0I84199340Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices/story01.htm

Houstonian and Actor Matt Bomer Supports Houston Equal Rights Ordinance

With less than a week until Election Day, actor, HRC supporter and native Houstonian Matt Bomer has announced his support for the Houston Equality Rights Ordinance (HERO).
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/houstonian-and-actor-matt-bomer-supports-houston-equal-rights-ordinance?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Rentboy CEO Breaks Silence, Begs For Help On Facebook

Nearly three months after Homeland Security raided his company’s offices in Manhattan, arresting him and six others, the CEO of rentboy.com is finally breaking his silence.

Jeffrey Hurant and six of his employees were arrested and charged in late August with operating what attorney Kelly Currie called an “internet brothel.” If convicted, they each face a maximum of five years behind bars and fines up to $250,000.

Related: RentBoy CEO And Six Others Arrested In Prostitution Ring Bust

Since the raid, Hurant has been laying low. Until now. He just posted a desperate message on both Rentboy.com’s official Facebook page and his own his personal page, as well.

The message reads:

I realize that I have been very quiet on Facebook since my arrest on August 25th. I have been advised by legal counsel not to make any public statements about the case. As any of you who know me can guess, this hasn’t been easy for me.

This ordeal has been devastating for me, my family, my ex-employees and all the people my company has helped through the years. I am very grateful for all the support I have gotten from friends far and wide throughout the crisis. I count my blessings every day.

The brilliant team at Sher Tremonte, LLP has been working tirelessly preparing my defense. Even though I have not been proven guilty of committing any crime, the government has seized all the assets that I can use to defend myself, so I am here asking for your financial help to insure that this case has the best legal minds working on it.

Please consider donating to the www.rentboyfund.org/ Legal Defense Fund.

Hurant’s statement comes just days after Rentboy.com published a post on Craigslist advertising an office liquidation sale, in which the company is selling everything from furniture to office equipment to Rentboy.com memorabilia in an effort to raise money to pay for its mounting legal fees.

So far the company appears to have raised a little over $5,000 of a needed $250,000.

Related: Here’s Your Chance To Own A Piece Of Rentboy.com

h/t: Gay Star News

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/AKzcTLnK0UQ/rentboy-ceo-breaks-silence-begs-for-help-on-facebook-20151029

This Gay Former High School Football Player Has a Powerful Message for LGBT Youth

Gay former high school football player Harrison Wilkerson wants LGBT youth struggling with depression and anxiety to know they are not alone.

In a post published on OutSports, Wilkerson opens up about his own battle with depression and social anxiety in hopes that his story can help others. Though Wilkerson seemingly had it all in high school–student body president, varsity football player, loving family and friends–he was in turmoil, “coping with suicidal thoughts –something no one would have known just by looking at him from the outside.

Wilkerson grew up in a small town in North Carolina where “Every fall is consumed by football, every spring by baseball and every Sunday by church.” When he was younger, his passions were chiefly in the arts. But as he grew up, he took to sports, ultimately landing a spot as kicker on his high school’s football team. Though he excelled on the field, off the field he says something wasn’t “clicking”:

While all my teammates were talking about girls in the locker room I couldn’t have been more uncomfortable. I had no interest in the topic whatsoever. As a high school boy, this was not the norm, and a few guys began to notice. Not knowing the answer myself, I denied many times having any interest in guys, but the denials weren’t enough to quiet the questions. […]

Through that season I slipped into the darkest time of my life: Deep down I knew I was gay, and there was nothing I could do about it. I wanted so badly to be straight, but I knew there was no more denying who I was.

Unknown to anyone at the time, I struggled daily with anxiety and severe depression. I wrestled privately with suicidal thoughts for months. Bullying and harassment increased at school. People in passing cars screamed homophobic slurs at me. At one point another vehicle literally ran me off the road. All of it was because I was coming out of my cocoon, finding the need to be my truth. Yet simply because I was different, life was becoming a living hell. Loneliness took hold.

Wilkerson says that, “[O]ne of the darkest memories I have is sitting in my bedroom floor in the pitch black night crying out for God to please end my life.” Yet despite the immensity of his struggle, “No one at school knew I was having these thoughts.” Adding to the burden of his depression was Wilkerson’s feeling that it wasn’t “ok to be depressed.” This led him to become convinced he was alone.

Finally, Wilkerson reached a breaking point and could no longer deny who he was:

Eventually I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The day came when I was able to finally look myself in the mirror and say “I am gay.” I soon confided in one friend that I was in fact gay, like so many had suspected. From there my confidence grew. I began to tell my closest friends, then a few more. Eventually it became the worst-kept secret in town. […]

The more people I told, the better I felt. The truth did set me free.

Wilkerson stresses that the struggle for acceptance is still one being faced by LGBT today. His story happened only last year. He writes, “In 2014, loneliness nearly took my life.” It is the immediacy of that struggle which motivated Wilkerson to share his story,

“For a long time I have debated writing my story publicly. I don’t want to seem self-indulgent, or that I am sharing this for attention. However, I can’t live in fear any longer. I am willing to deal with people’s false assumptions if it means somewhere out there some kid knows it’s perfectly OK to not feel 100% all of the time. I am doing this piece because I can’t get another text, see another Facebook post, or read about another person in the news who ended their life because they had no one there for them.

We have to talk about mental health issues, the stigma that is associated with being depressed, or having anxiety, has to be eliminated. It is OK to be gay. This is literally a life or death issue. No you aren’t alone, and no you aren’t any different than the varsity football player who looks like he has it all together. We need to know that we are here for each other.”

Bravo, Harrison!

The post This Gay Former High School Football Player Has a Powerful Message for LGBT Youth appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

This Gay Former High School Football Player Has a Powerful Message for LGBT Youth