Historic Confirmation As Eric Fanning Becomes First Openly-Gay Secretary of the U.S. Army

Historic Confirmation As Eric Fanning Becomes First Openly-Gay Secretary of the U.S. Army

Today HRC praised the Senate for confirming Eric Fanning to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Army. Fanning is the first openly-gay leader of a U.S. military service, and is now the highest-ranking, Senate-confirmed openly-LGBT appointed official.

Fanning was nominated by President Barack Obama in September, and the nomination was reported by the Senate Armed Services Committee in March. Until today, Fanning’s nomination had been blocked by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) over his unrelated concern regarding potential transfer of Guantanamo detainees.

“Eric Fanning’s historic confirmation today as Secretary of the U.S. Army is a demonstration of the continued progress towards fairness and equality in our nation’s armed forces,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Eric Fanning has spent his career serving this nation with tireless dedication, skill and ability, and as secretary he will bring that same commitment to the men and women of the U.S. Army.”

Fanning’s nomination comes just five years after the historic end of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) law that prohibited qualified LGB Americans from serving in the U.S. armed forces. His confirmation comes as the military is preparing to move forward to lift the ban on transgender service in the military.

www.hrc.org/blog/eric-fanning-is-the-first-openly-gay-secretary-of-the-us-army?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Mexico’s President Proposes Nationwide Marriage Equality on IDAHOT

Mexico’s President Proposes Nationwide Marriage Equality on IDAHOT

Today, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto submitted an official proposal to Congress which would allow nationwide marriage equality in Mexico.

President Nieto announced on Twitter his support for “the right to get married without any form of discrimination.” This proposal is the latest action in a series of pro-equality efforts in Mexico.

In June, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. Even though this ruling marked a pivotal moment in the Mexican equality movement, it did not invalidate any of the state laws. While marriage equality is the law of the land in eight Mexican states and the Federal District of Mexico City, marriage equality continues to be denied to same-sex couples in 23 of Mexico’s states. This means that same-sex couples living in states without marriage equality still need to each seek legal recourse.

President Nieto overlaid the Twitter avatars for both the presidency and his personal account with the rainbow flag to reinforce his solidarity with the LGBTQ community and to honor the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT). As the world celebrates the incredible progress of the LGBTQ community over the past year, President Nieto’s proposal demonstrates the important work that lies ahead as the struggle for global equality continues.

www.hrc.org/blog/mexicos-president-proposes-nationwide-marriage-equality-on-idahot?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

HRC Praises Tenure of Outgoing AIDS United CEO Michael Kaplan

HRC Praises Tenure of Outgoing AIDS United CEO Michael Kaplan

Yesterday, Robert “Bobby” Hilliard, Jr. MD, Chair of the AIDS United Board of Trustees, announced that AIDS United President & CEO Michael Kaplan would be stepping down from his role at the end of next month. AIDS United works to end the HIV & AIDS epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant making, capacity building, policy/advocacy, technical assistance and formative research. 

Kaplan took the helm of AIDS United three and a half years ago, building on a long and distinguished career that began when he tested positive for HIV in 1992 at the age of 23. During his tenure, Kaplan helped grow the organization in several areas, increasing its reach and impact to more than 100 organizations and countless people living with and affected by HIV, particularly in the Deep South.

HRC and AIDS United have partnered together on several policy and programmatic initiatives focused on ending the HIV & AIDS epidemic in the U.S., including AIDSWatch and the creation of What Do I Do? A Handbook to Understanding Health & HIV. HRC thanks Michael for his tireless advocacy and looks forward to continuing our work with AIDS United in the future.

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.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-praises-tenure-of-outgoing-aids-united-ceo-michael-kaplan?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

PHOTOS: Can We Make 87-Year-Old ‘Baddiewinkle’ The Patron Saint Of ‘Not Giving A F*ck’?

PHOTOS: Can We Make 87-Year-Old ‘Baddiewinkle’ The Patron Saint Of ‘Not Giving A F*ck’?

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Flip through the 24-hour news networks and you’ll get an awfully grim view of the world. We sure can take ourselves pretty seriously.

But you know who doesn’t seem so caught up in all the nonsense? Baddiewinkle, a.k.a. Helen Ruth Van Winkle.

Winkle is an impressive 87 years old, but not a damn thing could possibly get in her way of being the most fabulous thing on the planet.

She’s also amassed an Instagram following of nearly 2 million people, which just goes to show how infectious her bold, colorful freak-flag-flying attitude is.

Check out a sampling below, and you may want to subscribe to inject your photo feed with some much-needed life:

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A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

A photo posted by @baddiewinkle on

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Woman Seduces Gay Best Friend, Wonders “Is He Still Gay?”

Woman Seduces Gay Best Friend, Wonders “Is He Still Gay?”

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A young woman slept with her gay best friend. Now she says she’s in love with him and wonders if maybe she can turn him straight. So she’s seeking counsel from advice columnist Dear Prudence.

“I had a really big crush on this guy back in eighth grade,” the woman’s letter begins. “He told me he was gay, and we’ve been best friends ever since. My parents know he’s gay, so we don’t have to follow rules I would normally have to follow if I had a guy over.”

Related: Bisexual Man Seeks Help After Wife Forces Him Back Into The Closet, Denying Him The D

The woman says she and her GBF recently started messing around with one another.

“Recently he has started kissing me, and he feels me up sometimes too,” she explains. “I asked him what was going on, and he said he was just curious. I thought it was weird that he would be curious about what a girl felt like if he was attracted to guys, but I didn’t say anything else.”

After a few heavy petting sessions, the two had sex. Now she wonders if maybe he’s not gay anymore.

“I asked him if this meant he wasn’t really gay, and he said ‘No,’ that he was still just curious, that it felt good but he was still only attracted to guys,” she says. “I feel he may not really be gay at all because I look nothing like a guy, and he had to have been attracted to me in order to do it, right?”

Related: Man Discovers Naughty Videos Of His Boyfriend Online, Suffers Emotional Breakdown

She continues: “I don’t know what to do. I love him, and he says that he loves me too but just wants to stay friends but that he also would like to have sex again. I would like to do that again and again and again, but it’s because I love him so much.”

“What makes someone gay?” she wonders. “And can you be gay but still have sex with someone who is not gay? I am really confused right now.”

In her response, Prudence wastes no time bringing the young woman back down to reality.

“I think his being gay is a red herring,” she says. “What’s more important is that he’s made it clear that while he’d like to have sex with you again, he’s not interested in dating you or reciprocating your romantic feelings.”

Related: ADVICE: What Do You Do When You’re Expected To Be A Dead Friend’s Beard?

“Whatever his sexuality ends up being,” the tough love continues, “it sounds like he’s more interested in treating you like a fun experiment than someone whose feelings he’ll take into consideration before doing whatever he feels like doing.”

Prudence’s final piece of advice: “Tell him … exactly how you feel about him and that you don’t want to be something he explores out of curiosity. The worst thing you could do right now is hide your feelings, continue to sleep with him, and hope that something magically changes and he suddenly starts to love you in the way you want to be loved.”

What do you think? Do you agree with Prudence’s advice? Sound off in the comments section below.

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Justin Timberlake ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling!’ – MUSIC VIDEO

Justin Timberlake ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling!’ – MUSIC VIDEO

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Justin Timberlake is back with a new music video for his song “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” a celebration of shaking off your troubles and busting a move.

In the video, J.T. gets down in and around what appears to be L.A. while also showcasing a variety of different civilians getting down to his beat. The video closes with Timberlake performing in formation with the lay people (a move that kind of reminds me of the opening number in 2001’s Get Over It.)

It also ends with this adorable moment:

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Watch the video, below.

And catch the opening number of “Love Will Keep Us Together” from Get Over It  to see if you agree with me, here.

The post Justin Timberlake ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling!’ – MUSIC VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.



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