Kim Davis's Lawyer to Houston Mayor: 'Why Don't You Just Resign?'

Mat Staver, the lawyer who has been front and center in the controversy over Kentucky marriage licenses has some advice for out Houston Mayor Annise Parker: resign and let someone else do the job. 

Parker has vowed that in her remaining days in office, she will continue to fight for an equal rights ordinance that voters overwhelmingly rejected last week. And that is why Staver told a radio audience he believes it’s time for her to step aside, according to Right Wing Watch.

He said this without a hint of irony, given that Staver has rebuffed all suggestions that his client, Rowan County clerk Kim Davis, should resign from her elected position if she won’t do her job of issuing marriage licenses to everyone, including same-sex couples. 

Stare heads a right-wing conservative law firm which the Southern Poverty Law Center includes in its list of hate groups and extremists, Liberty Counsel. 

Staffer’s co-host on their “Faith and Freedom” radio program, Matt Barber — named this summer one of the 13 biggest trolls in media by The Advocate —  alleged the election results so upset Parker that she is now urging companies to boycott her own city.

That’s not exactly accurate. Parker told reporters last week: 

“I fear that this will have stained Houston’s reputation as a tolerant, welcoming, global city. I absolutely fear that there will be a direct economic backlash as a result of this ordinance going into defeat and that’s sad for Houston.”

But in reply to Barber’s point, Staver declared that Parker ought to simply resign and “let somebody else do” the job if she feels that she cannot represent the “taxpayers and citizens” that she was elected to serve:

“That is like a CEO of a company who says you need to boycott our company, stop buying products from our company because we have a policy that I, the CEO, don’t agree with even though the board of directors has ultimately voted for this policy, so stop patronizing our company. Well, you know what, if that’s what your feeling is, resign from the company. Mayor, if you want people to boycott Houston, why don’t you just resign and let somebody else who wants to run the mayor’s office and represent the city of Houston and all of the taxpayers and citizens of Houston? Why don’t you just let someone else do it because, frankly, you haven’t been doing a very good job.”

Listen to the radio program featuring Mat Staver and Matt Barber, below.

Dawn Ennis

www.advocate.com/politics/2015/11/10/kim-daviss-lawyer-houston-mayor-why-dont-you-just-resign

This Is What LGBT Life Is Like Around The World

As a gay couple in San Francisco, Jenni Chang and Lisa Dazols had a relatively easy time living the way they wanted. But outside the bubble of the Bay Area, what was life like for people still lacking basic rights? They set off on a world tour in search of “Supergays,” LGBT people who were doing something extraordinary in the world.

In 15 countries across Africa, Asia and South America — from India, recently home to the world’s first openly gay prince, to Argentina, the first country in Latin America to grant marriage equality — they found the inspiring stories and the courageous, resilient and proud Supergays they had been looking for.

See more on this topic at TED.com.

— 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/4b66dd6a/sc/38/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C110C10A0Clgbt0Elife0Earound0Ethe0Eworld0In0I85275560Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices/story01.htm

Cynthia Nixon: Homeless LGBTI youth doing sex work the ‘AIDS crisis of this generation’

Out actress Cynthia Nixon believes that the LGBTI movement is on the verge of an identity crisis.

‘We’ve come so far so fast after being on the outside for so long and now what?’ the Sex and the City alum told HuffPost Live on Tuesday (10 October).

But she does believe focus must be put on ‘how many LGBT kids we have living on the street and doing sex work I think that’s the AIDS crisis of this generation.’

She adds: ‘It’s kind of a secret crisis that we’ve got to do much better at even acknowledging.’

Nixon has an ally in out singer Miley Cyrus who spoke of the issue at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Vaguard Awards where she was honored over the weekend.

‘There are more than 1.6 million runaway or homeless young people in the US each year with 40 percent of homeless youth identifying as LGBTQ,’ Cyrus said as she accepted her award.

‘And in just Hollywood where we are all sitting royally with all of our food in front of us and all of these fancy-a– clothes … there are more than 6,100 homeless people under the age of 24 on the streets on any given day and more than one in four of these people have experienced hate crimes due to their race, sexual orientation or their gender identity.’

The post Cynthia Nixon: Homeless LGBTI youth doing sex work the ‘AIDS crisis of this generation’ appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/cynthia-nixon-homeless-lgbti-youth-doing-sex-work-the-aids-crisis-of-this-generation/

Trans Houstonians: 'It's Not About the Bathrooms'

The annulment of HERO — the proposed Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which would have protected LGBT people and 13 other minority classes from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations— still stings for the LGBT residents of the nation’s fourth-largest city. Many believe HERO was sunk by facetious claims from the opposition that the ordinance would have allowed sexual predators into public restrooms. While there has never been one documented case of a sex offender pretending to be transgender in order to enter a restroom and assault someone, the anti-trans myth persists.

Activist Vito Cammisano, known to some as the on-again, off-again partner of out football player Michael Sam, was inspired to travel to Houston after HERO’s defeat. Working with The Montrose Center, the city’s LGBT center, Cammisano filmed several trans people speaking about the bathroom argument. The trans men and women share their stories and collectively say that protection from discrimination is imperative and “It’s not about the bathrooms.” Watch below:

Neal Broverman

www.advocate.com/transgender/2015/11/10/trans-houstonians-its-not-about-bathrooms

As a Black Woman Once Persecuted By the Mormon Church, I Mourn With the LGBT Community
Celebration of Salt Lake City electing their first openly gay mayor has been cut short in the light of policy changes by the LDS church. The church will now exclude children (legal minors) of parents in a same sex relationships from being blessed or baptized.

For Mormons, baptism is a saving ordinance that is essentially for eternal salvation. Additionally, couples who are in same sex marriages will now considered apostates and will be required to face a church disciplinary council. The likely result of these councils will be excommunication from the church.

As I reflected on these changes to church policy, I was deeply saddened. What was most disheartening to me is that I am not shocked. My church has continued to move further and further from its theology in order to preserve more political and systematic agendas.

Delivering the gospel of Jesus Christ is only possible through a model of ministry. While the church has always been involved in cooperate affairs and economic ventures it has attempted to maintain its status as a church. Churches at their foundation operate as ministers, vehicles that deliver people to their healing, wholeness, liberation and salvation.

What churches don’t get to do is determine who enters the vehicle. It’s the churches job to drive us to our destination, not to dictate who is allowed to take the ride. The church is a mere servant of Christ, a tool, a vessel, a humble minister.

This isn’t the first time a servant has attempted to exclude someone from their salvation. Christ’s disciples attempted to keep children away from Christ during his earthly ministry, and how did Jesus respond?

“Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18: 16-17.

Because Christ is the one who paid the price it is he who gets to decide who he presents to God for judgement. He is the advocate with the Father. The church is the disciple of Christ, a mere servant, who must be corrected when he oversteps his position. I am saddened to see the church loosing sight once again of its position as a minister.

As a Black woman who was once denied my salvation by this church, I mourn with my LGBT brothers and sisters and their children. I see you, but more importantly Christ paid for you, and most importantly God knows and loves you. Your soul is of great worth, and your blessing will be made sure.

— 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/4b66526e/sc/38/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0Cmica0Emcgriggs0Cblack0Ewoman0Emormon0Echurch0Emourn0Elgbt0E0Ib0I8490A5240Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices/story01.htm

White House supports amending Civil Rights Act to include LGBTI protections

The White House has announced its ‘strong support’ of an effort to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act so that it will ban discrimination against someone on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest called the Equality Act ‘historic legislation that would advance the cause of equality for millions of Americans.’

Earnest also said during a press briefing: ‘We look forward to working with Congress to ensure that the legislative process produces a result that balances both the bedrock principles of civil rights . . . with the religious liberty that we hold dear in this country.’

The Obama administration’s endorsement of the proposed legislation comes a week after the high-profile defeat of Houston’s Equal Right’s Ordinance.

The federal amendment was introduced in the US Senate by Democratic senators Jeff Merkley, Tammy Baldwin and Cory Booker and in the US House of Representatives by Democratic representative David N. Cicilline.

While it remains to be seen if there is enough legislative support to move the amendment forward, The Human Right Campaign stated Tuesday that there is clear public support.

HRC polled 950 American voters on the subject over the summer and 78 percent were in support compared to 16 percent against.

States HRC President Chad Griffin: ‘The unfortunate reality is that, while LGBT Americans can legally get married, millions remain at risk of being fired or denied services for who they are or who they love because the majority of states still lack explicit, comprehensive non-discrimination protections.

‘By endorsing the Equality Act, the White House sent a strong message that it’s time to put the politics of discrimination behind us once and for all. Now it’s time for Congress to act. Everyone should be able to live free from fear of discrimination and have a fair chance to earn a living and provide for their families, including people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.’

The American Civil Liberties Union points out that LGBTI Americans in more than half the 50 US states can be turned away from jobs, housing and services with no clear, explicit protections under the law.

‘Women and communities of color still do not have protection against discrimination in all instances of federal funding or public accommodations,’ said the ACLU’s National Political Director Karin Johanson.

‘We hope that Congress will follow the President’s lead by giving the Equality Act a fair hearing and consideration in this Congress.’

The post White House supports amending Civil Rights Act to include LGBTI protections appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/white-house-supports-amending-civil-rights-act-to-include-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/

PHOTOS: Just Good, Wholesome Fun At Palm Springs Pride Last Weekend

Over 100,000 people turned out for the 29th annual Palm Springs Pride last weekend, which included a block party, festival, and parade, plus plenty of food and live entertainment. Folks of all ages and backgrounds united for three fun-filled days under the rainbow flag.

Scroll down for a peek at some of the weekend’s festivities, and enjoy the full gallery at GayCities…

Photo source: Desert Sun

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Q9cEDDHLnkU/photos-just-good-wholesome-fun-at-palm-springs-pride-last-weekend-20151110

News: Azealia Banks, Gay Marriage, Poppers, Pietro Boselli, ‘War and Peace’

TELEVISION: American Horror Story has been picked up for a 6th season, and Lady Gaga might return. What do you think next season’s theme will be?

CELEBRITIES BEHAVING BADLY: Azealia Banks is being investigated for assault on security guard: “Banks and her crew were partying at Break Room 86 in L.A. late last month when she allegedly became unruly and security told her to leave. As Banks approached the front door, security claims she tried pulling the fire alarm. A security guard grabbed Banks as she was messing with the fire control valves, and that’s when Banks and her crew jumped the guy.”

POTENT QUOTABLES: Ted Cruz thinks anyone who “doesn’t begin every day on his knees isn’t fit to be commander-in-chief.”

MOVIES: Jem and the Holograms did so poorly at the box office it was pulled from movie theaters after just two weeks. 

MUSIC: One Direction debuts new single “Love You Goodbye.” Bandmember Louis says, “‘Love You Goodbye’ is probably the most personal to me.”

GAY MARRIAGE: Gallup poll finds dramatic increase in number of married LGBT couples post-SCOTUS ruling legalizing gay marriage nationwide: “Overall, 3.9% of all Americans identify as LGBT, and 0.4% of all Americans are in a same-sex marriage. The latter figure is up from 0.3% before the ruling. Those figures can be used to estimate that there are now approximately 972,000 Americans in a same-sex marriage, up from approximately 780,000 before the ruling. Put differently, there are now approximately 486,000 same-sex marriages in the U.S., compared with approximately 390,000 four months ago.”

MODEL MAYHEM: Pietro Boselli makes an excellent lumberjack.

That is always more tiring than I remembered…

A photo posted by Pietro Boselli (@pietroboselli) on Nov 10, 2015 at 10:17am PST

SCIENCE: New study shows champagne could help prevent Alzheimers: “A compound found in the black grapes used to make a bottle of bubbly is said to prevent the onset of the brain diseases. ‘These exciting results illustrate for the first time that the moderate consumption of champagne has the potential to influence cognitive functioning, such as memory,’ Professor Jeremy Spencer said in a press release.”

ACTIVISM: Cynthia Nixon says LGBT homeless youth is “the AIDS crisis of this generation.”

HARRY POTTER: Daniel Radcliffe is just as excited as you are for the Harry Potter prequel: “Yes, I am very excited, but I’ve also been asked about it a lot, and I don’’t have any information to give, unfortunately. I’ve just seen the image and [Eddie] looks great.”

DOMESTIC TERRORISM: FBI uncovers skinhead plot to bomb black churches and Jewish synagogues intended to incite a race war.

IMPERIAL RUSSIA: Lush trailer debuts for BBC adaptation of Leo Tolstoy classic War and Peace.

The post News: Azealia Banks, Gay Marriage, Poppers, Pietro Boselli, ‘War and Peace’ appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

News: Azealia Banks, Gay Marriage, Poppers, Pietro Boselli, ‘War and Peace’