Dad Scared Of Book Turning Kids Into Cross-Dressers

Our sympathies go out to the children of Lee Markham, a transphobic parent in Michigan.

Markham is causing a fuss about the book “Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress,” a children’s book about a boy who wears a dress and paints his nails. The book teaches kids to resist bullying and to feel comfortable being true to themselves.

Markham’s complaints are the usual idiot blah-blah-blah: boys in dresses are abnormal, Christians are being oppressed because they’re not being allowed to oppress others, the book is going to turn children into cross-dressers. You know, the same sort of ranting and raving that makes life unpleasant for LGBT students everywhere. Christ, what a moron this guy is.

He has a kid in a third-grade class that read the book. “If any of those kids weren’t thinking about wearing dresses, now they are,” Markham said.

Related: Two Stories Of Trans Kids And Their Amazing Families Show The Best Of Parenting

But according to the school, they added the book to the class after students asked questions about different ways that people dress. So the students were already thinking about the topic, and refusing to address it would have been more disruptive than providing a simple explanation.

The Superintendent of schools had a pretty great response: the book is staying.

Related: This Kid’s Rap About Transgender Acceptance Is Just Plain Perfect

In addition to harboring a cruel attitude regarding transgender people, Markham is also a dummy who doesn’t know what he’s talking about (shocker): “His First Amendment right to his freedom of religion wasn’t addressed at all,” Markham complained about his son having access to the book. “Instead another way of life is just put right in front of him. I just wonder who’s gonna correct all the damage that was done.”

Well, we’re just going to take a wild guess here, but we suspect that a therapist will be needed to correct the damage that Lee Markham is doing to his son by being an ignorant bigot who can’t accept that there are people who are different from him in the world.

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Will Tyler Oakley And Korey Kuhl Win Tonight’s “Amazing Race” Finale? #TeamTylerAndKorey

The fabulously out gay team of social media star Tyler Oakley and former Queerty editor Korey Kuhl have crushed the competition and are the team to beat as we round the corner for the final lap of The Amazing Race season 28.

The finale airs tonight, May 13, at 8pm on CBS, and fans can cheer this dynamic duo to the finish line with the hashtag #TeamTylerAndKorey throughout the episode.

To celebrate their placement among the final three teams, the guys took a moment to catch their breath and answer questions from fans, as well as dish on the details of the race throughout the season, with a recent video post to Oakley’s YouTube channel.

Arguments in Dubi, the glamour of gold swimsuits, and audition pains… it’s all the video below.

Watch Below:

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Seattle Man Who Robbed Grindr Hook-Up Shoots Himself After Eight-Hour Standoff With Police

A Seattle man who robbed a man he met on Grindr later shot himself after an eight-hour standoff with police.

Registered sex offender Alik Lebedev (41) has been charged with first-degree armed robbery after he went to his victim’s home on Roy Street, Seattle on March 25th. The victim told Lebedev he wasn’t interested once they met in person. However, he later changed his mind and asked Lebedev back to his condominium. The victim was waiting in bed when Lebedev arrived. Lebedev then threatened the man with a handgun and stole cash, two watches and a credit card.

Describing the robbery as “sophisticated,” prosecutors said that before he left, Lebedev took the victim’s phone, removed the SIM card, wiped his prints from a credit card he left behind and forced the victim to delete the messages they’d exchanged.

RELATED: Gay Man Robbed and Tortured by Couple He Met on Grindr

However, according to the Seattle Times, the victim saved a drinking glass Lebedev used from which detectives were able to take DNA and fingerprints.

When detectives tried to serve a search warrant at Lebedev’s home on Monday, he barricaded himself in the home and threatened to shoot police or himself. Following an eight-hour standoff, Lebedev shot himself in the chest.

Bomb squad just arrived to Queen Anne stand off. We’re still live on t.co/tTE34RpUFj pic.twitter.com/GcnQ2IznLf

— Nick McGurk (@NickKIRO7) May 9, 2016

Stand off with man & teenage child in Queen Anne at 4th/Galer. Police say he is robbery suspect and won’t come out. pic.twitter.com/pODcWdkXoO

— Nick McGurk (@NickKIRO7) May 9, 2016

Medic takes robbery suspect, who was in standoff with police since 615, to Harborview w/self-inflicted gunshot wound pic.twitter.com/AlSS5voeaH

— Nick McGurk (@NickKIRO7) May 9, 2016

Lebedev has previously served two years in prison for trying to solicit sex and sending pornographic photos and videos to a police officer who was posing as a 14-year-old boy. He was also was arrested in 2000, when he was caught using a stolen car and trying to steal jewellry at a Seattle mall.

Lebedev is currently in hospital.

(Image via homefacts.com)

The post Seattle Man Who Robbed Grindr Hook-Up Shoots Himself After Eight-Hour Standoff With Police appeared first on Towleroad.

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New Obamacare Rule Prohibits Discrimination Against Transgender Patients

Following on the heels of an order late Thursday that declared transgender students across the nation must be allowed to use school bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity, the Obama administration on Friday issued a “final rule” under Obamacare that bans discrimination against transgender patients.

BuzzFeed reports: 

Transgender people must be provided transition-related services and cannot be denied health care by providers or professionals who receive federal funding, according to a final rule announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The rule specifically bans the denial of coverage or health care itself on the basis of gender identity.

The rule, which comprises several regulations, was formed under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which includes first-of-its-kind civil rights protections in health care for several classes of people — including a ban on discrimination on the basis of sex.

ICYMI: Here is the Obama Administration’s Sweeping Transgender Guidance for Schools: READ IT

The new rule concludes that anti-transgender discrimination is sex-based discrimination. The rule also does not provide a ‘religious freedom’ exemption:

During a comment period last fall, some groups requested that “the rule should exempt faith-based providers from providing particular services, such as services related to gender transition, that are inconsistent with their religious beliefs,” the rule says.

However, it continues, federal officials “decided against including a blanket religious exemption,” instead noting that existing federal laws that protect religious freedom were already sufficient.

And while the new rule does not explicitly ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, such a ban could be not far off:

In a press release Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services said its civil rights office will “evaluate complaints that allege sex discrimination related to an individual’s sexual orientation to determine if they involve the sorts of stereotyping that can be addressed under 1557. HHS supports prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination as a matter of policy and will continue to monitor legal developments on this issue.”

The post New Obamacare Rule Prohibits Discrimination Against Transgender Patients appeared first on Towleroad.

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Alan Grayson Rips GOP ‘Cisgender Bigots’ Over NC Anti-LGBT Bathroom Law in House Floor Speech: WATCH

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) took to the House floor on Friday and delivered a rip-roaring presentation against the “bigots” in North Carolina and their anti-LGBT bathroom bill HB 2.

The speech was also historic and groundbreaking, according to the office of the U.S. House Communications Director, which informed Towleroad that it is the first time the word “cisgender” has ever been used on the House floor.

Grayson started out his speech with a history lesson about Christine Jorgensen, the first person to become widely known in the U.S. for having gender reassignment surgery.

“Now, I have to tell you, i don’t know exactly where she went when she had to go. I don’t know exactly whether she went into a men’s room or ladies room, but here’s the interesting thing. Even though this is something new under the sun, even though America never had to address this issue before, no one ever even bothered to ask. I don’t remember anybody saying, ‘Christine Jorgensen, she ought to go to the men’s room, she was born a male.’ Or for that matter, ‘Christine Jorgensen, she identifies as a female, she should go to the ladies room’. Isn’t it odd that America in the 1950’s seems to show — seems to have shown a lot more maturity than America is showing today with our great bathroom controversy right now.”

Grayson went on:

“Now we have a whole new problem. Now, thanks to Republicans, bigots, in North Carolina, we have a law that would require Christine Jorgensen to go to the men’s room. Think about that. Think about that. In fact, the natural consequence of that law is what i’m about to show you right here.”

Grayson then pulled out this poster:

And Grayson was just getting going:

“So you folks in North Carolina who are obsessed with where the transgendered go to the bathroom, this is the result you’ve come up with. People who self-identify as women, people who look like women, people who act like women, they somehow are being driven into the men’s room. And the same thing is true of transgendered who identify as men. You’re going to force people who look like men, act like men, you’re going to force them into a ladies room. My god, what’s wrong with you?”

Grayson continued:

“That doesn’t make any sense at all. Now, let me tell you something. If I had been, back in the day, growing up in New York, and Christine Jorgensen happened to walk into the men’s room, never happened, but let’s say it did. I would have thought, that’s odd, but I wouldn’t have said a word about it. I wouldn’t have gone over to her and said, ‘excuse me, i don’t think you’re supposed to be here.’ On the contrary, I would have made an appropriate mental note, assume she probably found herself in the wrong men’s room and would have let it go.

“I would not have felt any fear. I would not have felt hatred. I would not have felt anything that would indicate to me that somehow i should discriminate against this person. I would have thought it was odd. What this law does is guarantee that experience or worse. Have people who identify and look and dress and act like women, forced to go into a men’s room. That people identify and look and act and dress like men forced to go into a ladies room. Are you nuts?”

Grayson then reminded everyone of real bathroom creepers like former Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig, and of the civil rights movement.

“And I’m wondering how do you even enforce a law like this? What are we going to do, have to give saliva samples every time we go to the bathroom to see what gender we were born with? Bear in mind, there’s a law against loitering. Law against wide stances in a bathroom. A Republican senator learned that a few years ago. There’s a law against disorderly conduct. There’s a law against voyeurism. There’s a law against indecent exposure. In fact, in a really bad situation, there are laws against assault and even rape. So why do we need a law to dictate that people who identify as men have to go to the ladies room and people with identify as ladies have to go to the mens room. We had laws like that once. We used to say that we didn’t want white people to have to be uncomfortable going to the bathroom with black people.”

He also pointed out the real gender issues in the nation with this poster:

Said Grayson:

“Now, if we did actually want to deal with real problems, we could deal with this one. A little boy and a little girl both looking into their diapers. And the caption is, ‘oh, that explains the difference in our wages.’ Now, if we want to talk about gender in America in the early 21st century, we could start with that. Why is it that women still make only 79 cents for every dollar that a man makes in countless occupations and professions even today? Why is that? You want to get to the heart of what’s really going on between the sexes in America today, why don’t we do something to address that problem?”

Finally, Grayson concluded:

“But getting back to this North Carolina law, there is a deep legal principle that this law offends. It offends me, it offends a lot of people with a good conscience. And that deep legal principle is this. It goes by four letters. MYOB. That’s an even higher law than the law that was passed by the North Carolina legislature. M.y.o.b. Mind your own business.”

Watch:

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HRC Staff Meets With Secretary Clinton about HIV & AIDS Policy

Yesterday, I joined a group of HIV & AIDS advocates for a high-profile meeting with presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

In my role as Senior Program Specialist for HIV Prevention & Health Equity, I was excited and honored to attend this meeting. Ever since joining HRC three years ago, I have worked with my colleagues to educate LGBTQ people and allies about the current realities of HIV through a number of new programs and projects.

Joined by top campaign advisers John Podesta and Maya Harris, Secretary Clinton sat down with us for over an hour, talking through the ins and outs of HIV and health policy with humor, grace and compassion. Not only did she make clear that ending the HIV epidemic would be a top priority in a Clinton Administration, but she also made several commitments, such as improving the Affordable Care Act, expanding access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, preserving discretionary programs like the Ryan White HIV and AIDS Program and taking part in a national, anti-stigma campaign. The meeting was humbling and inspiring.

Toward the end of the meeting, Secretary Clinton expressed that people living with and affected by HIV have been the catalyst for much of the progress we’ve enjoyed over the past 35 years, and that we’re the ones who will help bring this epidemic to a close once and for all. I agree with long-time AIDS activist Peter Staley who said it’s the job of the people to hold our elected officials accountable.

As a young, Black gay man who has seen far too many of his friends contract HIV in the past few years, I am proud to be a part of this change.

HRC is committed to working with our allies, partners, members, and supporters to end the HIV epidemic and the stigma surrounding HIV. For more about our work, click here.

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New Hampshire Senate Passes Bill to Protect LGBTQ Youth from ‘Conversion Therapy’

Last night, the New Hampshire Senate passed a bill to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practices of so-called “conversion therapy.” House Bill 1661 prohibits licensed mental health providers from providing “conversion therapy” to individuals below the age of eighteen. The bill must now pass a conference committee. If signed into law, New Hampshire will become the seventh jurisdiction to enact a law protecting youth from “conversion therapy”—and the second to do so this year.

California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington, D.C. currently have laws that protect LGBTQ minors from “conversion therapy” and more than 20 states introduced similar legislation this year. Following an executive action from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, New York is also adopting regulations to protect youth from “conversion therapy.”

Last month, the Vermont legislature passed a bill to protect LGBTQ youth from these abusive practices, which the governor is expected to sign into law.

In February, HRC, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)​ and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a historic federal consumer fraud complaint against a major provider of “conversion therapy,” urging the Federal Trade Commission to take enforcement action against the organization and all practitioners engaging in similar fraudulent advertising and business practices.

“Conversion therapy,” sometimes referred to as “sexual orientation change efforts” or “reparative therapy,” is a range of practices that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. These practices are based on the false premise that being LGBTQ is a mental illness that needs to be cured, a theory that has been rejected by every major medical and mental health organization for decades.

There is no credible evidence that “conversion therapy” can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. To the contrary, research has clearly shown that these practices pose devastating health risks for LGBTQ young people. Use of these dangerous practices lead to depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicidal behavior, which is why they are universally criticized by the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and American Medical Association.

NCLR and HRC have partnered with state equality groups across the nation to pass state legislation to end this dangerous practice.​

More information on the lies and dangers of efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity can be found here.

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Catholic School Embraces and Accepts Openly Transgender Teacher

This week, the Sisters of Mercy and Mercy High School in San Francisco announced their decision to support and accept teacher Gabriel Stein-Bodenhiemer after he publicly came out as transgender.

“This is significant for us; we did not take this lightly,” Sister Laura Reicks, president of the 16-state region of the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community, told The San Francisco Chronicle. “We feel because of our values, the choice was this, but that didn’t mean it was easy.”

There is no official policy regarding transgender individuals in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, though doctrinal teachings clearly equate birth anatomy with gender. The Vatican’s Extraordinary Synod, convened in October 2014, debated several issues related to LGBT inclusion but did not address questions regarding transgender church members. While the experience of transgender Catholics varies depending on their communities, in September 2015, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, responsible for enforcing Catholic doctrine, did not permit a transgender man in Spain to serve as a godfather effectively barring transgender Catholics from serving as a baptismal sponsors.

In San Francisco, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has long been known for his combative language against LGBT people, characterizing same-sex attraction as “self-destructive,” speaking out against employment protections, and calling marriage equality “harmful to individuals and society as a whole.” He supports a Constitutional amendment that would ban marriage equality. Documents presented to teachers today by the archdiocese characterized LGBT sexual relationships as “gravely evil.”

While HRC will continue to hold Archbishop Cordileone accountable for his continued exclusion and rejection of LGBT Catholics, we are appreciative of his decision to not interfere with the Sisters of Mercy decision to stick to their principles and ideals in supporting Mr. Stein-Bodenheimer’s ongoing employment at Mercy High School.

“We have not had any other teachers ask for any kind of coming out before,” Reicks continued. “This is just our way of continuing to live out what our founders of Sisters of Mercy had always said, that regardless of what type of prejudice or feeling in society, we have to take a higher road and look at the person and how we can be supportive of each person.”

HRC applauds Mr. Stein-Bodenheimer’s courage to live openly and authentically and thanks his colleagues for exemplifying the principles of justice and inclusion, which are core to the Catholic Faith and so often ignored by many.

To learn more about LGBT equality in the Catholic Church, click here.

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