Texas AG: Obama Guidelines Allow Trans Students to Flip-Flop Between Genders
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton went on Fox News to explain why his state, along with 10 others, is suing the Obama administration over a trans student guidance.
Daily Archives: May 27, 2016
Vladimir Putin Backs Out of Meeting with Elton John To Discuss Gay Rights
Vladimir Putin Backs Out of Meeting with Elton John To Discuss Gay Rights
Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed out of a scheduled meeting with Sir Elton John to discuss what John has called Russia’s “ridiculous” anti-gay law.
That law, commonly referred to as the country’s anti-gay “propaganda” law, was passed in June of 2013 and bans the “promotion” of homosexuality to minors. The law has led to increased homophobic attacks in Russia as well as in former Soviet Republics still heavily influenced by Russian media.
The Hollywood Reporter reports:
…the Kremlin now claims that a scheduling conflict means there will be no meeting next Monday when John is due in Russia to play a concert at a top Moscow venue. […]
“We were in correspondence a couple of weeks ago, because there was an agreement that, if their schedules allow, this meeting could take place,” said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin.
“President Putin expressed readiness for this meeting. But this time, the meeting won’t take place, unfortunately – their schedules do not match up. But this does not mean that such a meeting won’t take place next time.”
As of this posting, John has yet to publicly respond to the news.
The meeting came about after John received a phone call from pranksters pretending to be Putin. John blasted those pranksters, saying, “Homophobia is never funny.” Putin actually did reach out to John and proposed a meeting.
The post Vladimir Putin Backs Out of Meeting with Elton John To Discuss Gay Rights appeared first on Towleroad.
‘Years and Years’ Lead Singer Olly Alexander Reacts to ‘Gay Music’ Label
‘Years and Years’ Lead Singer Olly Alexander Reacts to ‘Gay Music’ Label
Labels are confusing.
Olly Alexander, openly gay frontman of British electropop group Years & Years questioned the labeling of the group’s music as “GAY” music by a store in Germany.
@yearsandyears @alexander_olly i didn’t know your genre was gay pic.twitter.com/vPOnJkTPT8
— theresa (@bareIyhuman) May 26, 2016
The 25-year-old singer and keyboard player retweeted a photo taken by a fan, which showed his album in the ‘GAY’ section of a music shop, and didn’t seem too thrilled about it: “um ok let’s talk about this,” he added, and the hashtag #gaymusic started trending.
Even though he loves “being gay,” he questioned the store’s classification: “can u really label a sound or style of music ‘gay,’” he asked.
if u think my music is gay that’s cool i love being gay and i love my gay music but can u really label a sound or style of music “gay”
— Olly Alexander (@alexander_olly) May 26, 2016
A few minutes later, the singer tweeted that “being gay is the best!” and the jokes started happening.
me and my gay ass love gay music and being gay is the best ! Bye h8rs!
— Olly Alexander (@alexander_olly) May 26, 2016
@alexander_olly I’m gay for your music
— matty (@Truman_Black) May 26, 2016
@alexander_olly I love saying I love being gay
— Troye Sivan (@troyesivan) May 26, 2016
.@alexander_olly but is your song gonna be a top or a bottom?
— ADAM LAMBERT (@adamlambert) May 26, 2016
If you need a refresher, Years & Years’ songs King and Shine reached #1 and #2 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.
(Top image of Olly Alexander via Twitter)
The post ‘Years and Years’ Lead Singer Olly Alexander Reacts to ‘Gay Music’ Label appeared first on Towleroad.
Boy George Explains Those Rumors He Slept with Prince: WATCH
Boy George Explains Those Rumors He Slept with Prince: WATCH
Boy George made an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show this week and she asked him about rumors she had heard that he had slept with Prince, though the truth about the rumors was hashed out last year.
George explained again:
“I was doing The Voice last year and we were competing to get these kids on our team. And one of the other judges said, ‘oh, I’ve sang with Prince’ and I said ‘oh I slept with him.’ Of course that’s not true, at all. And then I changed it and said, ‘well I slept with a poster of him under me.’”
Williams and George also covered his childhood and whether he has always had a ‘flamboyant’ personality, if he’s tired of the song “Karma Chameleon”, how his mom acknowledged his sexuality, his sobriety, who he’s dating, and Celebrity Apprentice.
The post Boy George Explains Those Rumors He Slept with Prince: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Michigan Republicans Scramble To Prove Their Anti-Transgender Credentials
Michigan Republicans Scramble To Prove Their Anti-Transgender Credentials
Michigan’s anti-transgender response: a bill that won’t advance and a polite letter.
The post Michigan Republicans Scramble To Prove Their Anti-Transgender Credentials appeared first on ThinkProgress.
thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/05/27/3782671/michigan-transgender-response/
Indiana Lawmakers Announce Summer Study Session on Non-Discrimination Protections
Indiana Lawmakers Announce Summer Study Session on Non-Discrimination Protections
On Wednesday, Indiana lawmakers announced that after failing to pass commonsense protections for LGBT people during this year’s legislative session that ended in March, they have assigned the issue to a summer study committee to delve deeper into the issue of whether the state’s civil rights law should include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Earlier this year, lawmakers failed to advance two bills that would have extended protections to LGBT people. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Timothy Lanane and Republican Senator Rob Alting both introduced legislation to amend the state’s existing non-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity.Unfortunately, both bills failed to gain the legislative support necessary to become law. An incredible 70 percent of Hoosiers support passing state LGBT non-discrimination protections.
While a study is not necessary or required in Indiana to pass a fully inclusive non-discrimination bill, it is a common practice for controversial issues that the legislature is seriously considering and a step toward aiding Indiana’s damaged reputation after the legislature passed a highly contentious religious refusal law last year. The law triggered widespread outrage, damaging both the state’s reputation and its business climate.
After demands from fair-minded Hoosiers and Indiana-based businesses to “fix” the disastrous law, Pence signed legislation trying to limit the damage by attempting to clarify that the RFRA could not be used to opt out of certain non-discrimination protections. That legislation, however, did not add protections on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity to the state’s civil rights laws.
The state is still suffering from the fallout. In January, the Indianapolis Star reported that damage from the battle over the law is lingering, particularly in the tourism industry. Another survey rated Indianapolis the second worst convention city in the nation, citing, in part, “bad publicity that might deter meeting planners from picking a city.”
HRC urges the legislature to do the right thing and pass fully inclusive state non-discrimination protections when it reconvenes next year.
Ken Paxton’s Extreme Anti-Trans Motivations
Ken Paxton’s Extreme Anti-Trans Motivations
According to a report by the Texas Tribune, Attorney General Ken Paxton spent about two weeks trying to identify a school board that would implement anti-transgender student policies allowing him to sue the federal government. At least two districts were approached, including Wichita Falls, which after an hourlong conversation chose not to pass the anti-trans policy requested by Paxton.
Paxton is willing to go incredible lengths to target transgender students in an ugly, politically motivated lawsuit, even as he faces three felony fraud charges,” said Jay Brown, HRC Communications Director. “The Department of Education’s guidance was requested by educators across the country and simply ensures all students — including transgender students — can go to school without fear of bullying, harassment or isolation. But now these students have their own lawmakers attacking them.”
Paxton currently faces three felony fraud indictments for violating state securities laws, civil fraud charges, and a separate investigation from the Texas State Bar for encouraging clerks to ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling on nationwide marriage equality.
On Wednesday, Paxton filed a federal lawsuit with government officials in 10 other states, aiming to block federal nondiscrimination protections for transgender people.
In the suit, Paxton is seeking to undo crucial and historic non-discrimination advancements the federal government has implemented for transgender people in recent years. Specifically, the lawsuit attacks guidance from the U.S. Department of Education which explains that schools are obligated under federal law to protect transgender students from discrimination challenges guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with regards to transgender employees, and seeks to undermine the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s determination that transgender employees are covered by federal employment nondiscrimination law.
National organizations representing almost 5 million educators, pediatricians, counselors and other child welfare providers have urged lawmakers like Paxton to stop their political attacks on transgender youth. These organizations include the American Federation of Teachers, the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Counseling Association; the National Association of School Psychologists and the National Education Association.
www.hrc.org/blog/ken-paxtons-extreme-anti-trans-motivations?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
The GLAAD Wrap: 'It Got Better' returns, first trailer for HBO's 'Suited,' 'Free CeCe' to premiere at LA Film Festival
The GLAAD Wrap: 'It Got Better' returns, first trailer for HBO's 'Suited,' 'Free CeCe' to premiere at LA Film Festival
Photo Credit: Free CeCe
Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBT-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.
1) Documentary Free CeCe, produced by Laverne Cox, will have its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 2. The film follows the story of CeCe McDonald, a trans woman who was attacked in an act of anti-trans violence and was then incarcerated in a men’s prison for defending herself. Narrative web series Her Story and Brothers will also screen at the fest. Tickets are on sale now.
2) Carrie-Anne Moss will be reprising her role as attorney Jeri Hogarth from Marvel’s Jessica Jones in the upcoming series Iron Fist. Moss’ character will help the show’s lead, Danny Rand, figure out more about his past as he begins fighting crime in New York. In other TV news, Whoopi Goldberg will produce the upcoming reality series from Oxygen, Strut, which follows the models from one of the first trans modeling agencies in the world.
3) Documentary web series It Got Better returns with a third season featuring celebrities like Adam Lambert, Wanda Sykes, Sir Ian McKellen, EJ Johnson, and Candis Cayne. The show focuses on the personal accounts of notable LGBT figures in hopes of helping others in their journey to self-acceptance. Previous seasons have included Jane Lynch, Jason Collins, Laverne Cox, George Takei and more.
4) HBO has released a trailer for their upcoming documentary Suited, produced by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner. The film focuses on the customers of Bindle & Keep, a tailoring company in Brooklyn that caters to the LGBT community.
5) Terry Blas, author of digital comics Briar Hollow and You Say Latino, has a new project – autobiographical comic Ghetto Swirl. The series will deal with issues of race, sexual orientation, and religion growing up in the Bronx. DC Comics has revamped some of its characters in its new series, DC Universe: Rebirth, and in Vol. 1, it was revealed that Aqualad, otherwise known as Jackson Hyde, is gay.
6) The new web series J.M. Nells has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance their first season. The vlog-style series from the creator of Letters to Quentin focuses on Jane, a lesbian playwright who is trying to get her show together in New York City, but she doesn’t realize that she is an awful writer. You can find out more at the J.M. Nells Indiegogo page.
May 27, 2016
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11 Uncanny Gay And Bisexual X-Men
11 Uncanny Gay And Bisexual X-Men
As people who are hated by society because they are born different, the X-Men have long been admired as one of geekdom’s most powerful LGBT allegories.
Related: 98 Characters In The Marvel Universe That Were Gay Before Anderson Cooper
However, several out and proud queer characters have joined the ranks of Marvel’s merry mutants throughout the years.
With X-Men: Age of Apocalypse now out, we figured this was the perfect time to look at some of our favorite gay and bi guys who have roamed the halls at Xavier’s School for the Gifted.
1. Northstar
Jean-Paul Beaubier may have the power to produce concussive blasts and light bursts as well as move at superhuman speeds, but it’s his ability to break down social barriers that has been the most impressive. The character was the first gay superhero to come out in a mainstream comic book (1992’s Alpha Flight #106) and he made history again 20 years later when he tied the knot with his husband, Kyle, in first same-sex wedding to take place in the Marvel Universe. (Astonishing X-Men #51).
2. Iceman
After being confronted by his time-displaced younger self, founding X-Men member Bobby Drake finally admitted (in Uncanny X-Men #600) what many readers had suspected for years – he is gay. Oh, and he thinks his teammate, Angel, is hot too.
3. Anole
During his time at Xavier’s School for the Gifted, Victor Borkowski learned to hone his chameleon-like abilities, which included blending with his surroundings, and developed a close platonic relationship with his mentor/teacher, Northstar.
4. Shatterstar
Because he’s a genetically programmed machine-like gladiator from the distant future, Shatterstar has often struggled to understand human emotions, but he eventually embraced his bisexuality and developed a romantic relationship with fellow mutant Rictor.
5. Rictor
Julio Esteban is a mutant with the ability to produce powerful seismic waves. However, he and his X-Factor teammate Shatterstar made waves of a different kind when the two shared a kiss in X-Factor #45 in 2009. The couple’s same-sex smooch was the first guy-on-guy lip lock in a mainstream comic book.
6. Colossus
In the Marvel Comics “Ultimate” universe, the metallic-skinned Russian mutant was an even bigger badass than his counterpart in mainstream continuity – and he just happened to be gay as well.
7. James Howlett
One of many alternate universe versions of Wolverine, this iteration of the fan-favorite mutant had a steamy romance with the god Hercules and traveled throughout dimensions hunting down evil versions of Professor Xavier.
8. Beast
A key character in the Marvel series Exiles, this parallel-Earth version of the original X-Men was also the lover of The Avengers’ powerhouse Wonder Man.
9. Bloke
Unfortunately, Mickey Tork’s superhuman strength wasn’t enough to keep him among the living. His tour of duty as a member of X-Force was cut short when he was killed in action on his first mission.
10. Morph
Benjamin Deeds was recruited by Emma Frost and Magik to join the X-Men after he exhibited his powers during a pro-mutant rally on his college campus. Since then, he’s learned to control his mutant abilities which allow him to take on the appearance and voice of anyone he wishes.
11. Daken
In addition to possessing powers similar to those of his father, Wolverine, Daken has the mutant ability to project pheromones that make him irresistible to both men and women.
feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Vy6JtEe5BN0/11-uncanny-gay-bisexual-x-men-20160527
Nick Jonas Is Not Ugly In His New Film ‘Careful What You Wish For’
Nick Jonas Is Not Ugly In His New Film ‘Careful What You Wish For’
Noted LGBTQ ally and gay sex symbol Nick Jonas has a new movie coming out soon about losing his boyish innocence to an older, more experienced person.
No — he’s not in King Cobra.
Jonas may be playing straight for a change in Careful What You Wish For, but that doesn’t mean he can’t give all audiences a little something to smile about.
Here’s just a sampling of the 23-year-old looking cute as ever in shots from the recently released preview:
You can watch the trailer for the film, which comes out June 10, below:
