Protesters: Caitlyn Jenner Doesn't Represent Trans People

Caitlyn Jenner, leaving a speaking engagement in Chicago today, encountered some angry protesters who called her “an insult to trans people” and “an insult to women.”

Jenner gave a luncheon address at a Hilton hotel as part of a fundraising event for Chicago House, a nonprofit that was established in the 1980s to provide housing and case management to people with HIV or AIDS and expanded in 2013 with the TransLife Center, a program offering supportive housing and social services to transgender people, regardless of HIV status.

But protesters said Jenner was not an appropriate representative for transgender people, given that she is a wealthy white woman and has made some disparaging comments about people who receive public assistance. They also accused Chicago House of marginalizing tras people of color.

“Make the services and make this movement and this plea for trans tolerance intentional and direct for the people who are facing the violence every day on the streets, the people who are being discriminated against on the basis of their gender and their race at the same time,” protester Monica James told the Chicago Tribune. “She can’t speak to those struggles. It defaces the real truth behind transitioning.” James held a sign reading, “Liberation not miss-representation.”

James briefly spoke with Jenner, talking about her struggles to find employment. Jenner responded, “I would love to see you have a job. I love you,” then was escorted to a van by her security team, the Tribune reports.

“I understand her saying that and having her perspective, but that’s just one perspective,” James told the paper. “Now we’re asking them to come and get the rest of our perspectives and then make a comprehensive package of how we’re going to try to merge these people into mainstream society with equal rights and equal benefits.”

Organizers of the protest, dubbed “I Ain’t Cait,” set up a Facebook page to draw participants to the demonstration and included a quote from Jenner on her reality TV series I Am Cait, regarding users of social services: “You don’t want people to get totally dependent on it. That’s when they get into trouble. ‘Why should I work? You know, I’ve got a few bucks, I’ve got my room paid for.’”

The page described Jenner as “a clueless rich white woman who thinks disenfranchised trans women of color should just pluck themselves up off the street and stop being so lazy.” A protester at the event could be heard calling her “an insult to trans people” and “an insult to women,” according to Entertainment Tonight.

Those who attended the speech defended Jenner. “The chaos outside was a great contrast to the uplifting atmosphere inside, where Caitlyn had just given her speech,” Chicago radio personality Showbiz Shelly told ET. “I thought she handled the situation with poise. By confronting the protesters in the way she did, she emphasized the themes she talked about in her speech. To be respectful, be brave, and stand up for what you believe in.”

Inside the Hilton, Jenner had “a rapt audience that cheered, laughed and was quiet as if on cue,” the Tribune reports. “Jenner talked about throwing herself into sports so she did not have to face her gender identity struggle, raising her family despite that struggle and living life after she finally decided to transition.”

Candis Cayne, Jenny Boylan, Kate Bornstein, who have appeared on I Am Cait, were in attendance, as was trans MMA fighter Fallon Fox, who met Jenner for the first time and sat next to her, ET reports. A source also told ET that the event was being filmed for the show.

Chicago House CEO Stan Sloan told the Tribune that Jenner’s appearance would help bring attention to transgender issues, but he granted that she is a controversial figure with some learning to do. “She’s a lightning rod,” Sloan said. “You can’t have that level of fame without having some kind of controversial notoriety that goes with it. The important part is to help her to grow and to help her evolve so that she can be the best representative possible for the communities we serve.”

Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/transgender/2015/11/12/protesters-caitlyn-jenner-doesnt-represent-trans-people

Steve Grand thanks fans with new live, acoustic version of his song We Are the Night

Steve Grand thanked his fans for their staunch support on Thursday (12 November) by releasing a video of a live acoustic version of his song We Are the Night from his All-American Boy album.

Grand recorded the song at the YouTube space in Los Angeles as a thank you to his fans for their support since he burst onto the music scene in July 2013 with his video for All-American Boy which went viral on YouTube.

He also reflected on his journey since then in a Facebook post:

‘I am grateful for not only all the enriching experiences your support has brought me, but also for the challenges I have grown from. I am the person I am today because of those experiences and those challenges, and (though I have not always been able to say this honestly) I am at a point where I know I would not have it any other way. Because what choice do we have anyways?

‘Among many other things, in these last two years I’ve learned that life moves fast, and as my very wise Grandma Kay has said since I was little, it’s so important to “be flexible.” Things probably will never turn out exactly as you expect them to (they haven’t for me), but that is okay. Accept your past as it is, learn from it, and move on.

‘Forgiving those that have wronged you (including, and possibly most importantly, yourself) does not mean you have to forget.

‘Most importantly, learn to stop anticipating a “point of arrival.” This expectation will only lead to disappointment. Keep moving and loving and dreaming. Look forward more than behind you, but be present wherever you are on your journey more often than not.’

The post Steve Grand thanks fans with new live, acoustic version of his song We Are the Night appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/steve-grand-thanks-fans-with-new-live-acoustic-version-of-his-song-we-are-the-night/

Northern Ireland Mayor: Youth Should Pray to Cure ‘Being Gay’ – VIDEO

A Northern Ireland deputy mayor has been urged to stand down after he suggested gay people can be cured through prayer.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) member and Deputy Mayor of Derry and Strabane Thomas Kerrigan made the comments after his party again blocked legislation for same-sex marriage. A majority of Members of the Legislative Assembly voted in favor of the measure. However, a blocking mechanism allowed the DUP to put an end to the legislation.

RELATED: Northern Ireland Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Same-Sex Marriage In Wake of Neighboring Irish Referendum Vote

Kerrigan said that young people who do not attend church are leaving themselves open to “being gay” and to drug and alcohol abuse. If “people relied more on prayer,” he added, “it could cure a lot of these problems”.

Malachai O’Hara, Health and Wellbeing Manager with the Rainbow Project, said:

“This isn’t the first time a member of the DUP has made these kind of comments, so it would be useful if the party clarified if this is the party policy.

“He needs to withdraw his remarks and apologize for the offensive they have caused.”

A DUP spokesman said the party “does not have any [same-sex marriage] policy nor have we any plans to adopt such a policy in the future.”

In 2008, DUP member Iris Robinson made controversial remarks supporting “ex-gay” therapy.

Watch a BBC report on the campaign for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.

[Photo via Twitter]

The post Northern Ireland Mayor: Youth Should Pray to Cure ‘Being Gay’ – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Michael Fitzgerald

Northern Ireland Mayor: Youth Should Pray to Cure ‘Being Gay’ – VIDEO

PHOTOS: The Beard Moment

Christopher Harrity

www.advocate.com/photography/2015/11/12/photos-beard-moment

Glad to Be Gay With Money, Where Do You Fit in?

Photo:Guillaume Paumier/ Flickr

Profligate spender or pink penny pincher, where do you fit in?

Are gays really better with money?

Numerous studies report that in general LGBT Americans earn more and carry less debt than the general population. But does this mean we are actually better with money?

By David Rae, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

Statistics can be tricky. On the one hand, you may have seen some of the studies that say “Gays are better with money” (Prudential, Census Bureau, Experian). On the other, there are polls that show that the LGBT community has lower income and lower levels of education (Gallup). Who is right? And can these studies even draw a useful conclusion from the data?

When it comes to being gay, there really is no such thing as ‘average’; there’s just way too much diversity among us for that to be remotely possible. But with any statistical monetary median there are people who rise above while others fall below. For every uber-earner owner like David Geffen, Elton John or Tim Cook in our A-list cities, there are thousands of homeless LGBT youth struggling across this great country.

However, there is a significant urban and educated gay cohort that is more affluent than their urban and educated straight brethren of the same age. (Somebody’s got to pay the armies of personal trainers who deliver all the 6-packs running around, right?) As a gay man in Southern California, I definitely enjoy many advantages when it comes to finances (beyond personally being a financial planner and having a fiscally responsible husband), while at the same time face the same challenges prevalent to our community.

Fiscal potential
It’s no secret that the stereotypical ‘gay’ professions — in media, the arts, design, beauty and other creative endeavors — have the potential to pay extremely well. However it must be said that most gay individuals, as with most individuals period, have ‘regular’ jobs in decidedly less glamourous professions. So where’s the gay advantage when it comes to money?

– Years of being discriminated against, and not be afforded the protections and benefits of marriage may have forced you to be proactive and take control of your finances. This may increase your odds of actually implementing a comprehensive financial plan with proper estate planning.

– As a community we are also more likely to be educated, have dual-income households, and less likely to have kids. DINK (double income no kids) couples are a financial planners dream, let me tell you. A gay couple with no children will have way more disposable income compared to a family with several children, even if both parents are working. (Estimates say it costs at least $245,000 to raise a middle class child. And if he/she goes to medical school, you can count on doubling that.)

Paying the gay way
I’ve noted before our community faces its own financial challenges.

Keeping up with the Gay Joneses can leave even the biggest earners among us with empty pockets. One of my previous posts “Are your Gay Friend Making you poor?” generated a response ranging from hate mail to “OMG this is so spot on.”

But the stereotypical ‘gay lifestyle’ can be a budget buster. A consumer frenzy of first class vacations, ultra-luxury cars and fancy clothes can easily get you off track financially and have you living from paycheck to paycheck, however large. And don’t get me started on the cost of gyms, Botox, plastic surgery and a million other ways we “stay young” and “healthy”.

Furthermore, high earning LGBT person also tends to live in higher cost metropolitan areas, thereby increasing many costs of living. Housing dollars go a whole lot further in Kansas, then L.A., San Fran or NYC.

Finally, for those who do choose to have a family, adoption or surrogacy can be quite expensive even before any child rearing costs enter the picture.

Redefining success
In my opinion, making more income, and having less debt than the general population doesn’t necessarily make you better at handling money. True, generating tons of dough makes you successful on the job front and having less debt is an excellent thing, but neither makes you a fiscal whiz kid either. Nor do these things mean you are rich or even financially secure for that matter.

Ask yourself who’s in worse shape, a factory worker with $20,000 in credit card debt or a movie star with a $20 million dollar mortgage? For instance, I’d be willing to bet Lindsay Lohan has been more successful making money than the vast majority of people reading this piece, yet she’s currently broke because her fiscal chops — or those she hired to look after her affairs — were not up to snuff. I’d also be willing to bet that because of this, the vast majority of people reading this piece are in better financial shape than she is.

So what is important? Repeat after me: Becoming a successful money maestro means developing a specific plan for your specific situation to reach your personal financial goals.

One of our journeys as a gay community is to claim our self-respect and assert our place in the world. On a personal level, an excellent way to put your self-respect in action is to take control of your finances and make your own world more secure and a lot more welcoming.

DAVID RAE, CFP®, AIF® is a Los Angeles-based retirement planning specialist with Trilogy Financial Services, a firm managing over $3 billion of client assets. He has been helping people reach their financial goals for over a decade. Follow him onTwitter @davidraecfp or via his website at www.davidraefp.com

Securities and advisory services offered through National Planning Corporation(NPC), Member FINRA,SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor. Trilogy and NPC are separate and unrelated entities.

— 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/4b760732/sc/38/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0Cdavid0Erae0Cglad0Eto0Ebe0Egay0Ewith0Emoney0Ib0I85379240Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices/story01.htm

Jennifer Lawrence says Kim Davis ‘makes me embarrassed to be from Kentucky’

Jennifer Lawrence has one thing in common with controversial Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis: both are from Kentucky.

But the Oscar winning actress feels like Davis and her fight against issuing marriage licenses same-sex couples based on religious grounds has given their home state a bad name.

Lawrence refers to Davis as ‘lady who makes me embarrassed to be from Kentucky’ in a new Vogue magazine cover story.

The day in September that Lawrence was being interviewed by Vogue, Davis was released from a jail in Kentucky after spending six days  behind bars. She had defied a federal judge’s order that she not stand in the way of marriage licenses being issued.

‘Don’t even say her name in this house,’ Lawrence said. ‘All those people holding their crucifixes, which may as well be pitchforks, thinking they’re fighting the good fight. I grew up in Kentucky. I know how they are.’

The Hunger Games franchise star adds that she was raised a Republican but is turned off by the conservative political party’s stance on social issues.

‘I just can’t imagine supporting a party that doesn’t support women’s basic rights,’ she says. ‘It’s 2015 and gay people can get married and we think that we’ve come so far, so, yay! But have we? I don’t want to stay quiet about that stuff.’

The post Jennifer Lawrence says Kim Davis ‘makes me embarrassed to be from Kentucky’ appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/jennifer-lawrence-says-kim-davis-makes-me-embarrassed-to-be-from-kentucky/

Utah Adoption Case Highlights Need for the Equality Act

Today, HRC responded to reports that a juvenile court judge in Utah has ordered a child removed from the home of her married foster parents because they are a same-sex couple.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/utah-adoption-case-highlights-need-for-the-equality-act?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

News: Beirut, Dustin Lance Black, ‘Kill the Gays’, Ryan Gosling, Ab Fab

TERROR: Suicide bomber kills at least 41 in twin explosions in Beirut. ISIS claims responsibility: “A would-be suicide bomber who survived the attack told investigators he was an ISIS recruit, a Lebanese security source said. The man, a Lebanese national from Tripoli, Lebanon, was taken into custody after the blasts. He told authorities that he and three other attackers arrived in Lebanon from Syria two days ago, the source said. Lebanese intelligence believes the bombers could be part of a cell dispatched to Beirut by ISIS leadership, the source said, but investigators are still working to verify the surviving suspect’s claim. The three other bombers were killed in the explosions.”

OLYMPICS: Dustin Lance Black gives up alcohol in solidarity with fiance Tom Daley who is training for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.

DUGGARS: Jessa Duggar chose a very unique name for her child. 

MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE: Why is the media ignoring the fact that Ted Cruz attended “Kill the Gays” pastor’s rally? “It’s 2015 and much of the media seem to accept, still, that LGBT people can be talked about this way at an event attended by presidential candidates and that it’s not news. They view it as par for the course, religious conservatives doing what they do. It’s as if they have blinders on. Indeed, if Ted Cruz — or Huckabee or Jindal — attended an event at which the host hinted at mass murder of Jews, African-Americans or any other group it would be a massive media story. He’d be forced to answer questions about it, at debates (and it didn’t come up at the last debate), in press conferences and in interviews non-stop. He’d be pressured to condemn both the comments and the pastor — as when John McCain had to dump Pastor John Hagee in 2008 because of his ugly comments about Catholics — or he’d face the consequences.”

CELEBRITIES: Happy Birthday to Ryan Gosling who turns 35 today. 

EGYPT: Researchers say there may be an undiscovered tomb at the Great Pyramid of Giza. Still no sign of grain storage.

TELEVISION: Zoe Kazan to star in Lena Dunham’s new HBO show Max: “Max is described as raucous comedy set in 1963 about the struggles of second-wave feminism, centered on ambitious magazine writer Maxine Woodruff.”

POP: Justin Bieber says he relates to Amy Winehouse and her struggles: ““People see the glam and the amazing stuff, but they don’t know the other side. This life can rip you apart. I watched the Amy Winehouse documentary on the plane and I had tears in my eyes because I could see what the media was doing to her, how they were treating her.”

ADVERTISING: Bloomingdale’s holiday catalogue got a little rape-y.

POLLS: Hillary Clinton gains ground on Bernie Sanders in new national poll: “The poll was based on a random sample of 1,495 adults nationwide, including 1,259 who identified themselves as registered voters. It was conducted by both landline and cellphone between November 6-10, two weeks after the vice president announced his decision not to run. Among the 418 respondents who identified themselves as Democratic Primary voters, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by 19 points, 52 to 33 percent. The poll has a 6 point margin of error.”

NYC: Study finds 1 in 5 adults has mental health problems.

DAHLING: Ab Fab the Movie has wrapped production.

Time for the Bolly, sweedie! That’s a wrap on .@AbFabMovie for me! A glorious glitter storm of a caper! #abfabmovie pic.twitter.com/gcEVJizISC

— Richard Arnold (@RichardAArnold) November 10, 2015

The post News: Beirut, Dustin Lance Black, ‘Kill the Gays’, Ryan Gosling, Ab Fab appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

News: Beirut, Dustin Lance Black, ‘Kill the Gays’, Ryan Gosling, Ab Fab