George Takei's Connection to Hiroshima

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/5/30/george-takeis-connection-hiroshima

Trans Filmmakers Tell History of 'Camp Trans'

It’s important to remember the moments and people who defined the transgender movement over the years, show these filmmakers.

www.advocate.com/film/2016/5/30/trans-filmmakers-tell-history-camp-trans

PHOTOS: Brazil’s Entire Male Gymnastics Team Scores 11 Out Of 10 On The Hotness Scale

Male gymnasts. What’s not to love? They’re brave. They’re buff. They’re bendable. And in Brazil, every single one of them is hot. No, seriously. Every. Single. One.

Related: PHOTOS: Can We Talk About How Insanely Hot The U.S. Gymnastics Team Is?

The 2016 Summer Olympics kick off in Rio on August 5, and after seeing some of these guy’s Instagram pages, it looks like we may have to brush up on our Portuguese.

Scroll down for a deep dive into some of their Instagram photos…

A photo posted by Arthur Nory (@arthurnory) on Apr 23, 2016 at 9:05am PDT

A photo posted by Fellipe Arakawa (@fellipe_arakawa) on Mar 8, 2016 at 2:48pm PST

A photo posted by Sérgio Sasaki (@sergiosasaki) on May 14, 2016 at 10:23am PDT

A photo posted by Fellipe Arakawa (@fellipe_arakawa) on Jan 25, 2016 at 1:48pm PST

A photo posted by Angelo Assumpção (@angelo_assumpcao) on Apr 7, 2016 at 2:38pm PDT

A photo posted by Sérgio Sasaki (@sergiosasaki) on Apr 15, 2016 at 12:34pm PDT

A photo posted by Fellipe Arakawa (@fellipe_arakawa) on Apr 23, 2015 at 5:09pm PDT

A photo posted by Leonardo Souza (@leomatheus_) on May 25, 2016 at 11:42am PDT

A photo posted by Arthur Nory (@arthurnory) on Mar 16, 2016 at 7:59am PDT

A photo posted by Angelo Assumpção (@angelo_assumpcao) on Jan 27, 2016 at 9:41am PST

A photo posted by Sérgio Sasaki (@sergiosasaki) on Mar 19, 2016 at 3:55am PDT

A photo posted by Fellipe Arakawa (@fellipe_arakawa) on Oct 9, 2015 at 8:15am PDT

A photo posted by Fellipe Arakawa (@fellipe_arakawa) on Sep 2, 2015 at 10:15am PDT

A photo posted by Sérgio Sasaki (@sergiosasaki) on Mar 20, 2016 at 10:04am PDT

A photo posted by Fellipe Arakawa (@fellipe_arakawa) on Jul 23, 2014 at 12:32pm PDT

h/t: Buzzfeed

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Australian PM Promises Public Vote On Same-Sex Marriage By End of 2016: VIDEO

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated that he expects a plebiscite on same-sex marriage to take place before the end of this year.

In what is seen as his strongest commitment yet on the timing of the vote, Turnbull said “we will hold it as soon as possible after the [general] election. Given that the election is on 2 July, we do have ample time between then and the end of the year. So I would expect it to be held this calendar year.”

‘Malcolm Turnbull expects marriage equality plebiscite by year’s end.’ An expensive and wholly unnecessary policy. t.co/MrxhGa5kJr

— HumanRightsLawCentre (@rightsagenda) May 30, 2016

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Turnbull added:

“But it will be held as soon as practical, as obviously legislation has got to pass through the Parliament so all I can do is give you my commitment to hold a plebiscite as soon as we can and it will be a very straightforward question and we will be asking the Australian people whether they support the definition of marriage being extended to include couples of the same sex.”

RELATED: Catholic Church Pressured CEOS from Qantas, SBS, Other Firms to Drop Support for Marriage Equality in Australia

Turnbull’s comments are a u-turn from reports earlier this year that he failed to endorse a statement made by Attorney General George Brandis that the plebiscite will be held this year.

@Paul_Karp My take on your Turnbull gay marriage plebiscite article…
t.co/oQQcQKoZLz pic.twitter.com/TwT5MzVMPT

— John Ditchburn (@john_inkcinct) May 30, 2016

Last week, Daniel Andres, the Premier of Victoria, Australia apologized for laws which convicted thousands of gay men of buggery, gross indecency and loitering for homosexual purposes before homosexuality was decriminalized in 1980. Turnbull has come in for much criticism for the decision to not allow lawmakers a free vote on the issue, thereby costing the taxpayer an estimated AUS$500 million ($380 million) – or AUS$6 ($4.50) per vote – to hold the plebiscite.

Watch Australian Marriage Equality‘s “What’s It All About” video below.

(Image via AustralianMarriageEquality.org)

The post Australian PM Promises Public Vote On Same-Sex Marriage By End of 2016: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

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University Of North Carolina Reverses On Complying With HB2

The University of North Carolina system will not enforce discrimination against transgender students or employees.

The post University Of North Carolina Reverses On Complying With HB2 appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/05/30/3783114/unc-hb2/

What It’s Like To Be Autistic And Gay

There’s a lovely essay up by Euan Burns (above) about his experience coming out of the closet as gay, and then later coming to terms with his place on the Autism spectrum. It’s probably a testament to how far LGBT equality has come that his homosexuality was no big deal — it was disability that presented the real challenge.

As a kid, he writes, he had the usual challenges that kids with Asperger’s often face: social awkwardness, difficulty understanding subtext, attention to unusual details. And one of the most unusual details that he was fixating on, he realized as a teen, was boys. Other guys his age were into women, and he felt even more of an outsider. “The other boys in school gained an overriding interest in girls, while I felt increasingly curious about boys,” he writes. “I remained largely apart.”

College was difficult, and he had to leave for a while. It was then that he came across the symptoms of Autism, and realized that they described him. But he rejected the diagnosis; instead of identifying as gay and disabled, he identified just as gay.

Euan writes:

Knowing that autism was the cause of that failure didn’t make me hate myself less—it just made me hate autism. I met once with the disability service at university, after I was allowed back in, and it refused any offers of accommodations. After that, I decided I would never mention my autism, never even think about it. It was merely a problem to be overcome. Even relatively accurate depictions of autism emphasized the otherness and tragedy of its “sufferers.” No-one wants to think of themselves that way. Besides, perhaps I wasn’t autistic after all? Maybe it was just a delusion, an excuse? I resolved to forget about it, move forward, and repair my life.

Things started to change for Euan when he met other Autistic people. Here and there, be began to see that the traits that he saw as liabilities were actually normal behaviors — for him. “Autistic people are everywhere. We may not be putting on parades, yet, but we’re not hiding,” he writes.

Check out his full essay for a fascinating peek into his story.

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10 Badges To Collect Before Receiving Your ‘Gay Card’

A new era of scouting could be upon us. Yes, the Boy Scouts of America now accepts gay scouts and scout leaders (woo! progress), but no, that’s not what we’re talking about.

Imagine a world where gay life itself was a sort of structured hierarchy, which let’s be real, isn’t so far from the truth. That’s what blogger David Quantic did when he worked with illustrator William O. Tyler to come up with this fabulous (and oddly comprehensive) list of badges in a gay scouting parallel universe.

We can only assume you get your diamond-encrusted gay card upon completion:

Dave Quantic is a comedy writer and comic creator in LA. In his free time he likes to go to Cheesecake with Drake. Read more at davidquantic.com.

William O. Tyler is an illustrator, puppeteer and film critic living deliciously in Southern California.

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