WATCH: Lesbian Teacher Sues Los Angeles School District for Discrimination

Teacher Cathy Figel is suing the Los Angeles Unified School District for discriminating against her because she’s a lesbian, reports Los Angeles TV station KCAL. She is suing for $12 million.

Figel retired this year after teaching physical education at Marina del Rey Middle School for 13 years. She says the LAUSD failed to provide her with a “working environment free from discrimination and harassment,” according to KCAL. The lawsuit alleges Figel was “subjected to anti-gay language, anti-gay graffiti scrawled in her work area, verbal anti-gay slurs by students, vandalism to her car and even physical violence by a student.”

Figel says she left her position when she couldn’t tolerate antigay comments and vandalism any longer. She claims that school administrators ignored her repeated requests for help and told her to stay in the closet around students.

“I was supervising the locker room, and it was something to the effect of, you know, gotta watch that lesbian is looking at us,” Figel told the station. “I’m an adult, an authority figure. And I’m being exposed to it. What do you think is the occurrence that’s happening to the children?”

“I’m not like, oh, this is my chance for something extra. But I don’t want to wake up one day and find out a child’s been harmed because nothing ever changed,” she said.

The school district released a brief statement after news broke of Figel’s lawsuit.

“The district is committed to ensuring a hostile-free work environment for all employees. The district does not agree with the allegations or characterization of its actions, and is, therefore, vigorously defending this lawsuit.”

Watch below as KCAL reports on Figel’s case.

Bil Browning

www.advocate.com/women/2015/11/13/watch-lesbian-teacher-sues-los-angeles-school-district-discrimination

Protesters Confront Caitlyn Jenner: 'You're An Insult To Trans People'

Caitlyn Jenner met face-to-face with protesters who called her “an insult to trans people.” 

Jenner was chosen to speak at the Chicago House Speaker Series luncheon for the Chicago House, which helps those affected by HIV/AIDS in the LGBT community, on Thursday.

Some, however, were unhappy about Jenner being the keynote speaker. A group of protesters stood outside to challenge the former Olympian. In the video above, one protester says to Jenner: “You are an insult to trans people, you are an insult to women. You have no right to represent us.”

The video shows Jenner approaching one protestor, seemingly attempting to diffuse the situation and telling her she loves her.  

“The chaos outside was a great contrast to the uplifting atmosphere inside where Caitlyn had just given her speech,” Chicago radio host 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.”

A Facebook page created for the protest, which has since been deleted, highlighted Jenner’s celebrity status a reason for her being a poor representation of the trans community. According to Towleroad, the page read: 

Who, you may ask, did they select to speak on the issues facing trans people and especially trans women in our city? Caitlyn Jenner. Caitlyn Jenner, who lives in a mansion and has a net worth of millions of dollars, while the average trans person has a 41 percent chance of experiencing homelessness [sic] and a nearly 50 percent chance of living off less than $10k per year … 

If you think Chicago House’s shameless pandering to the trans community for mediocre representation, embodied by 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, is an insult and a disgrace, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Meet us in the lobby Thursday to tell Chicago House, Caitlyn Jenner, and all her supporters that Caitlyn Jenner doesn’t represent trans people! Stand up and say: #IAintCait!”

A rep for Jenner was not immediately available for comment. 

Also on HuffPost: 

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BBC presenter Evan Davis: I’m too old for fatherhood

Evan Davis, the gay presenter of the BBC show, Newsnight, has said that he considers himself too old to consider fatherhood, reports the Daily Mail.

The 53-year-old radio and TV presenter met his partner, landscape architect Guillaume Baltz, 48, in 2002. They have been in a civil partnership for the past two years.

‘We’re probably too old to think about children — maybe 20 years ago, if we were younger, it would be different.

‘There’s much more around in terms of gay parenting now than there was when I was about 35, but what can we do now?’

Instead of children, Evans said that he and his husband considered themselves daddies to their two-year-old dog, Mr Whippy.

‘I don’t tend to think of him as a child substitute, but we always say to each other, “Is he a child substitute?” and people joke about it.

‘I love my dog like I’m sure parents love kids, but it feels like a slightly different field.

‘We’re very aware he’s not a child. We do refer to ourselves as daddy but that’s about it. He’s never going to talk; he’s always going to stay at the mental age of two. But he’s so lovely.’

Gay people have been able to adopt in the UK since 2005 and it’s not uncommon for people in their late 40s or early 50s to foster or adopt.

One man who thinks Davis may be prematurely ruling out fatherhood is gay author Rupert Smith, aged 55, who told Gay Star News.

‘I became a father at 53 – something I never thought would happen – and it’s been the most rewarding experience of my life. I hope to be able to give my son at least 30 years of good parenting.

‘There’s no upper age limit for adopting, as long as you’re healthy.’

Earlier this year, the UK Government issued figures showing that adoptions by LGBT families had reached a record high, with numbers growing year-on-year since the change in the law in 2005.

Besides adoption, surrogacy is another option for same-sex couples. The UK’s most high-profile gay parents are probably Elton John and husband David Furnish, who were 63 and 48 respectively when they became fathers to their eldest son, Zachary.

The post BBC presenter Evan Davis: I’m too old for fatherhood appeared first on Gay Star News.

David Hudson

www.gaystarnews.com/article/bbc-presenter-evan-davis-im-too-old-for-fatherhood/

Ahead of Congressional Forum on Violence Against Transgender People, HRC & TPOCC Release Report

Human Rights Campaign and the Trans People of Color Coalition issue call to action in response to violent deaths of transgender people
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/ahead-of-congressional-forum-on-violence-against-transgender-people-hrc-tpo?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Which Is More “Unnatural” — Homosexuality Or Homophobia?

We’ve asked online comedian, voice actor and chest hair model Sam Kalidi to create a new meme each week for Queerty readers. This week he investigates the ongoing homophobia in less-evolved parts of the world. Sam looks forward to all your hate mail. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and at your local glory hole.

Two male lions Panthera leo lying side by side, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/_ibZyAx6_C0/which-is-more-unnatural-homosexuality-or-homophobia-20151113

Friday Morning News Feed: Jihadi John, Mitt Romney, Google Car, Flesh + Fantasy

SYRIAN STRIKE: The U.S. launched a drone strike Thursday aimed at taking out ‘Jihadi John’, the man seen in the ISIS beheading videos. “Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the strike took place around the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital. ..In a statement in front of 10 Downing Street on Friday morning, British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was not certain that Emwazi had been killed in an operation that the prime minister described as ‘a combined effort’ between U.S. and U.K. security forces. ‘If this strike was successful, and we still await confirmation of that, it will be a strike at the heart of ISIL,’ Cameron said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.”

2016 ELECTION: Some in GOP so worried that nominee will be Trump or Carson they have another idea: “According to other Republicans, some in the party establishment are so desperate to change the dynamic that they are talking anew about drafting Romney — despite his insistence that he will not run again. Friends have mapped out a strategy for a late entry to pick up delegates and vie for the nomination in a convention fight, according to the Republicans who were briefed on the talks, though Romney has shown no indication of reviving his interest.”

TICKETS: Google’s self-driving car was pulled over in Mountain View, California for driving too slowly. Photog: “We talked to the driver, apparently MVPD doesn’t get NEVs and pulled them over to ask why they were all going so slow.” Google FAQ: “The cars drive conservatively. For example, they pause 1.5 seconds after the light turns green at an intersection because many accidents happen during this time.”

SPACE: Unknown space junk set to collide with Earth today: “The object is believed to be a discarded rocket body and will likely enter Earth’s atmosphere from above the Indian Ocean around 11:49 local time or 1:19 a.m. E.T., according to the European Space Agency.  In preparation for the object’s entry, there is a no-fly zone order and no fishing will be allowed in the “Southern sea area” on Nov. 13, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense said in a statement earlier this week.”

FILM: Oh look, Ben Carson is a fan of Kirk Cameron’s holiday masterpiece.

Ben Carson, film critic. pic.twitter.com/7iiwG8fjpm

— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) November 10, 2015

MAJOR BETRAYAL: Tom Cruise pissed over Leah Remini’s Scientology tell-all: ‘Leah is what the church calls a Suppressive Person, so she’s evil in his mind,’ the source said. ‘He wipes the memory of any SP out of his mind.’

SURROGACY: There are only four Northern White Rhinos left in existence, but scientists have a plan to rebuild the species. Good luck!

IMMIGRATION: President Obama denounced Donald Trump’s deportation plan: “The notion that we’re going to deport 11, 12 million people from this country — first of all, I have no idea where Mr. Trump thinks the money’s going to come from,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. “It would cost us hundreds of billions of dollars to execute that.”

ADVERTISING: This holiday ad for British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has gone viral and will give you the Christmas feels: “Sainsbury’s will be selling the book in stores for £3 and a Mog soft toy will be available for £10, with all profits from both items going to Save the Children’s work to improve child literacy in the UK.”

KYLIE MINOGUE: Speaking of Christmas, Kylie just dropped her Kylie Christmas album today, along with this video:

FRIDAY FLESH: 22-year-old fashion model Hugo Mayhew:

The post Friday Morning News Feed: Jihadi John, Mitt Romney, Google Car, Flesh + Fantasy appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Friday Morning News Feed: Jihadi John, Mitt Romney, Google Car, Flesh + Fantasy

World’s top rugby referee Nigel Owens: I considered chemical castration

Nowadays, Nigel Owens is generally regarded as the top referee in the world of rugby. The Welshman had the honor of officiating over the recent Rugby World Cup Final in London, becoming the first openly gay man to do so.

He came out in 2007 and has talked in the past about the weight that was lifted from his shoulders when he decided to be open about his sexuality.

However, he wasn’t always so at ease. In an interview with CNN he has said that he went as far as considering undergoing chemical castration – hormone treatment to quell his sexual desires – in an effort to not be gay.

‘I didn’t want to be gay,’ he said in the interview. ‘I actually went to the doctor at one stage to see if I could be chemically castrated in any way, if it would get rid of me being gay.

‘Looking back at that it was a horrific thing that one would have to do but that’s what I was going through at the time.

‘It was only when my Mum came to see me in hospital when I tried to take my own life and she told me: “If you try to do anything like this again then you take me and Dad with you because we don’t want to live our lives without you.”

‘I was an only child. I sat up in bed that night and I cried. I thought to myself that I need to grow up here. That’s when I accepted who I was and that was the biggest challenge of my life over with.

Gareth Thomas became the first leading rugby player to come out in 2009. The fellow Welshman captained his national team and played for his country on 100 occasions. This year, two other rugby players in Britain – Keegan Hirst and Sam Stanley – also came out as gay.

Owens said that other people have yet to come out simply because they haven’t yet accepted themselves.

‘A lot of people are struggling with who they are. They can’t tell other people they’re gay because they’re fighting it themselves. That’s one of the reasons a lot of people are not out in sport yet.’

Earlier this month, Owens won an award for ‘Sports Person of the Decade’ from UK LGBT advocacy organization, Stonewall.

‘Times have changed a lot from that dark night when I was worrying about if I could carry on with my refereeing or being myself.

‘Everybody knows who I am as far as my sexuality is concerned and when everybody at the World Rugby Awards stands up and applauds me that says a lot.’

I really am shocked but truly humbled & honoured to have won the @stonewalluk sportsperson of the decade. #Proud pic.twitter.com/Vzkxzo9Crb

— Nigel Owens (@Nigelrefowens) November 5, 2015

H/T: CNN

The post World’s top rugby referee Nigel Owens: I considered chemical castration appeared first on Gay Star News.

David Hudson

www.gaystarnews.com/article/worlds-top-rugby-referee-nigel-owens-i-considered-chemical-castration/

Young Man Seeks Advice For Obsession With Bigger Guys, Can’t Get Enough Belly

A young man recently wrote into advice columnist Pamela Stephenson Connolly at The Guardian seeking advice on a fetish that he fears will make others think he is a “disgusting freak.”

“I’m a gay man in my early 20s and, for as long as I can remember, my tastes have differed from the norm,” the letter begins. “I have a fetish for bigger guys and I’ve even wanted to gain weight myself to satisfy this.”

Related: Science Confirms The Bigger The Belly, The Better The Lover

The letter continues: “I realize the stigma around obesity and its health implications, and my struggle with this has led me to hide myself away. I fear that others will see me as a disgusting freak.”

Of course, chubby chasing is nothing new. Lots of guys are attracted to heavier men and with good reason. A 2014 study found that guys with bigger bellies lasted an average of 7.3 minutes longer in the sack. And let’s not forget last summer’s “dad bod” phenomenon. 

“Don’t let the zeitgeist spoil your pleasure,” Connolly, a psychotherapist who specialized in sexual disorders, replies. “You are fortunate that you do not need a ‘ripped’ partner in order to become aroused.”

Related: Beer Bellies Are Now Officially Considered Sexy. You’re Welcome!

“Body-worship is extremely common,” she continues. “It occurs in many forms, with a great deal of cultural variation, and is usually the result of tastes and triggers that begin to form quite normally in childhood. Despite the current fashion for preferring well-toned men, there are plenty of fleshier men around who would love to know that you desired them.”

Connolly goes on to say that being attracted bigger guys does not make a person a “disgusting freak.”

“Each of us has a unique design for arousal and sexual connection,” she concludes, “and yours is far from ‘freakish.’ Please yourself, and be proud.”

Related: Muscle Man Explains Why “Fat Sex” Is The Best Sex And Chubby Chasing Is “As Good As It Gets”

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/tSbPZPA9tnY/young-man-seeks-advice-for-obsession-with-bigger-guys-cant-get-enough-belly-20151113

Caitlyn Jenner Confronted by Protesters: ‘You Are an Insult to Trans Women’ – WATCH

Caitlyn Jenner confronted protesters who were attacking her outside a keynote speech she gave at a luncheon for 1000 people at the Hilton Chicago on Thursday for Chicago House.

“You are an insult to trans people, you are an insult to women. You have no right to represent us,” the protesters shouted through a bullhorn outside the event (see bottom video).

Chicago House describes itself as “the Midwest’s oldest provider of housing for those impacted by HIV/AIDS and/or LGBTQ marginalization” and “home to the nation’s most comprehensive social service and support programs for transgender individuals, the TransLife Center.”

The Chicago House’s Speaker Series is an annual fundraising event. Jenner was asked to discuss her coming out experience as a transgender woman.

When Jenner emerged from the event she got an earful from protesters gathered at the entrance, unhappy that Jenner had been asked to represent the trans community. Jenner had a brief exchange with activist Monica James.

Watch:

The Chicago Tribune reports:

“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,” said Monica James, 43, of Englewood, who held a sign that read, “Liberation not miss-representation.”

“She can’t speak to those struggles,” James said. “It defaces the real truth behind transitioning.”

…When Jenner left the hotel, she stopped to talk briefly with James while ignoring the people who crowded around her trying to take selfies. James said she was a community activist and could not find a job because of her gender and race.

“I would love to see you have a job,” Jenner told James. “I love you.”

Activists had organized the protest via Facebook, on a page now taken down, writing:

“Who, you may ask, did they select to speak on the issues facing trans people and especially trans women in our city? Caitlyn Jenner. Caitlyn Jenner, who lives in a mansion and has a net worth of millions of dollars, while the average trans person has a 41 percent chance of experienceing homelessness [sic] and a nearly 50 percent chance of living off less than $10k per year.

Caitlyn Jenner, who said in a segment on her hit new reality TV series I Am Cait, regarding people who rely on social services to get by: ‘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.”

If you think Chicago House’s shameless pandering to the trans community for mediocre representation, embodied by 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, is an insult and a disgrace, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Meet us in the lobby Thursday to tell Chicago House, Caitlyn Jenner, and all her supporters that Caitlyn Jenner doesn’t represent trans people! Stand up and say: #IAintCait!”

Watch another report on the protest with more footage:

The post Caitlyn Jenner Confronted by Protesters: ‘You Are an Insult to Trans Women’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Caitlyn Jenner Confronted by Protesters: ‘You Are an Insult to Trans Women’ – WATCH