Love Trumps Hate
Daily Archives: June 9, 2016
President Obama Endorses Hillary: 'I'm With Her'
President Obama Endorses Hillary: 'I'm With Her'
A day after Hillary Clinton became the presumptive Democratic nominee, President Obama has endorsed her.
www.advocate.com/election/2016/6/09/president-obama-endorses-hillary-im-her
BREAKING: Woman Suspected Of Planting Bomb That Exploded In Target Bathroom
BREAKING: Woman Suspected Of Planting Bomb That Exploded In Target Bathroom
It appears people upset with Target over its new trans-inclusive bathroom policy could be upping their ante.
Instead of merely marching up and down the aisles waving Bibles in the air and condemning the discount department store to hell, someone has planted a bomb in the bathroom.
Yes, you read that correctly. Someone has literally blown up the bathroom… and all in a possible effort to “keep children safe.”
Related: Crazed Mother Of 12 Warns Target Customers The Devil Wants To Rape Their Children In Must-See Video
A small bomb was detonated in the women’s bathroom at a Target store in Evanston yesterday at around 4 p.m. Officials are looking into whether the attack is connected to the company’s recent policy change that allows transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice.
According to commander Joe Dugan, no one was inside the bathroom at the time of the explosion. There were no injuries and only minor damage.
After reviewing store security camera video, police took a 44-year-old woman into custody this morning. They are calling her a “person of interest” in the crime, though no charges have been filed yet.
“The detectives are not currently looking for any known additional suspects and (at) this point there is no indication that the incident is related to any policies that the Target store has in place,” a press release reads.
Related: Antigay Street Preachers Film Themselves Terrorizing Shoppers At Target Stores Across The Nation
h/t: Chicago Tribune
‘Real O’Neals’ Star Noah Galvin: Colton Haynes’ Coming Out Was “P*ssy Bullsh*t”
‘Real O’Neals’ Star Noah Galvin: Colton Haynes’ Coming Out Was “P*ssy Bullsh*t”
The Real O’Neals had definitely been one of this spring’s breakout TV comedies. Now that the ABC sitcom — about the everyday foibles of a Catholic family after their middle son comes out as gay — has been picked up for a second season, star Noah Galvin is well on his way to becoming one of the most unabashedly opinionated young actors in Hollywood. In an interview with New York Magazine’s Vulture.com, the out and loud 22-year-old reads everyone from Eric Stonestreet to Bryan Singer for filth.
Clearly some of Real O’Neals executive producer Dan Savage’s unapologetic candor has rubbed off on Galvin. He makes no bones about the fact that being out has cost him at least 1 role.
“People in L.A., producers and casting directors, are not the most creative. … So when they see me play this character, they’re like, Oh, he’s really good at playing the funny gay kid. That’s what he does. Let’s have him do more of that! …
“One producer who watches our show was like, But he’s too gay. It was horrible. It made me feel so shitty.”
From there the dish just gets dishier and the shade gets shadier. Galvin has no patience for L.A.’s vapid, closeted actors or the party boys of WeHo. And his description of Hollywood’s gay network is priceless: “Bryan Singer likes to invite little boys over to his pool and diddle them in the fucking dark of night.”
Meanwhile he calls Colton Haynes “the worst” for talking about coming out while never actually saying that he’s gay:
“That’s not coming out. That’s fucking pussy bullshit. That’s like, enough people assume that I sleep with men, so I’m just going to slightly confirm the fact that I’ve sucked a dick or two. That’s not doing anything for the little gays but giving them more masturbation material.”
Related: Colton Haynes Opens Up Honestly About His Sexuality And His Health
He also cops to throwing Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet under the bus more than once: “He’s playing a caricature of a caricature of a stereotype of stereotype on Modern Family. And he’s a straight man in real life. And as hilarious as that character is, there’s a lack of authenticity.”
All gossip aside, probably one of the most interesting parts of the interview is when Galvin talks about the way he performs his character’s gayness. He describes the “ebb and flow” of Kenny’s flamboyance in terms of code switching, comparing it to the way he performs his own gender and sexuality in real life: “It depends on who you’re with. If I’m with a bunch of gays, I’m going to be like, Yas queen! Yas, yas, yas! But when I’m with my brothers and we’re wrestling, I’m going to bro out. And I want Kenny to be that.”
‘Britney and the Beast’ Brings Your Gay Gaston Fantasies to Life – WATCH
‘Britney and the Beast’ Brings Your Gay Gaston Fantasies to Life – WATCH
Todrick Hall is no stranger to musical mash-ups, especially ones involving Disney.
The singer/choreographer/YouTuber is back with another infectious confection, Britney and the Beast, which, as you might guess, mashes up Britney Spears singles with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
RELATED – Todrick Hall Flies Off to Neverland With A Magical Katy Perry Mash-Up: WATCH
The timing for the release of Britney and the Beast is just right, as the teaser trailer for the live-action Beauty and the Beast recently became the most viewed trailer in history, racking up around 92 million views in 24 hours.
In Hall’s video, he stars as the Beast and Gaston is ripped and brought to life like you’ve probably never seen him before (we’re still waiting to see what Luke Evans does with the role). Bear lovers will be sad to learn that every last inch of this Gaston is not covered in hair.
This Gaston is also a little…gayer than the original.
But just barely.
Watch, below.
For a companion piece of sorts, watch Hall’s take on the iconic Disney song “Belle” which sees Bell take a stroll through WeHo.
Also check out Hall’s Cinderoncé and Spell Block Tango mash-ups for even more musical fan fiction.
The post ‘Britney and the Beast’ Brings Your Gay Gaston Fantasies to Life – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
After Meeting with Obama, Bernie Sanders Vows to Work With Clinton to Defeat Trump: WATCH
After Meeting with Obama, Bernie Sanders Vows to Work With Clinton to Defeat Trump: WATCH
Senator Bernie Sanders spoke with the press after meeting with President Obama at the White House on Thursday, saying he would do whatever he can to work with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump in November.
He vowed to continue campaigning ahead of the DC primary on Tuesday and said he will take his platform ideas to the convention, but seemed to suggest he will not contest the actual nomination.
“I look forward to meeting with her in the near future to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump,” he said after the meeting.
While Sanders vowed to compete in next week’s primary, he promised to carry only his platform to the Democratic convention this summer.
“These are some of the issues that many millions of Americans have supported during my campaign,” Sanders said. “These are the issues that we’ll take to the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia at the end of July.”
Sanders also thanked Obama and Vice President Biden for not putting their “thumb on the scales” during the Democratic primary, though offered no review of his hour-and-a-half-long meeting with Obama.
Watch video, below.
You can read Sanders’ full remarks, via TIME, below:
Thank you all. Let me begin by thanking President Obama and thanking Vice President Biden for the degree of the impartiality they established during the course of this entire process.
What they said at the beginning is that they would not put their thumbs on the scale, and in fact, they kept their word, and I appreciate that very, very much.
Our campaign has been about building a movement, which brings working people and young people in to the political process to create a government which represents all of us and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors. We will continue doing everything that we can to oppose the drift which currently exists toward an oligarchic form of society, where a handful of billionaires exercise enormous power over our political, economic and media life.
This is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. We should not be having millions of senior citizens and disabled veterans struggling to put food on the table, because of inadequate Social Security benefits.
We should not have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on Earth. We should not be having Americans in inner cities, in rural communities, on Native American reservations who have life expectancies lower than many people in Third World countries.
We should not be having many of our young people leaving college deeply in debt. We should not be having in this great country an infrastructures which is crumbling when we have millions of workers prepared to rebuild that infrastructure and in the midst of all of that, we should not be having a situation where Wall Street, corporate America and billionaires are failing to pay their fair share of taxes.
These are some of the issues that many millions of Americans have supported during my campaign. These are the issues that we will take to the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia at the end of July.
Donald Trump would clearly, to my mind and I think the majority of Americans, be a disaster as president of the United States. It is unbelievable to me, and I say this with all sincerity, that the Republican Party would have a candidate for president, who in the year 2016 makes bigotry and discrimination the cornerstone of his campaign.
In my view, the American people will not vote for or tolerate a candidate who insults Mexicans and Latinos, who insults Muslims, who insults African-Americans and women. Needless to say, I am going to do everything in my power and I will work as hard as I can to make sure that Donald Trump does not become president of the United States.
I will, of course, be competing in the D.C. primary which will be held next Tuesday. This is the last primary of the Democratic nominating process. The major point that I will be making to the citizens of the District of Columbia is that I am strongly in favor of D.C. statehood.
The state of Vermont, which I represent, has about the same number of residents that Washington, D.C. has except we have two United States senator and one Congressman with full rights while D.C. does not. That does not make any sense.
Also, I look forward to the full counting of the votes in California, which I suspect will show a much closer vote than the current vote tally. I spoke briefly to Secretary Clinton on Tuesday night and I congratulated her on her very strong campaign. I look forward to meeting with her in the near future to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump and create a government which represents all of us and not just the one percent.
Thank you very much.
The post After Meeting with Obama, Bernie Sanders Vows to Work With Clinton to Defeat Trump: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Troye Sivan Inspires Transgender Fan to Come Out, Prompting a Dad’s Perfect Response
Troye Sivan Inspires Transgender Fan to Come Out, Prompting a Dad’s Perfect Response
One of Troye Sivan’s fans came out to his dad as transgender and got the best response ever.
He tweeted screenshots of the heartwarming coming out conversation, and thanked the South African pop star, saying, “I just came out to my dad and i think i have the best dad in the world ?? thank u @troyesivan this is because of you.”
In the inspiring conversation, the father asks the son what name he should start calling him: “Gotcha. Evan. Changed it in contacts to Citizen Evan.”
Then he says “Love you forever, buddy. It’s nice to finally meet my son. Because even though I didn’t know it, you’ll always have been and always will be my son. Off to work so go do what real men do and destroy gender roles and paint your nails; I know I am. I went for blue today to match my tie and I’m digging it”
Sivan retweeted Evan’s tweet and that quickly went viral, with more than 23,000 retweets and almost 48,000 likes.
i just came out to my dad and i think i have the best dad in the world ?? thank u @troyesivan this is because of you pic.twitter.com/DAAob16hZF
— evan (@inlovetroye) June 1, 2016
With over 4 million YouTube subscribers and almost a quarter of a billion views, actor and singer-songwriter Troye Sivan reaches a massive audience of kids and young adults.
In 2014, his debut album, Tryxe (EP), opened at #5 on the Billboard 200 chart, and at #1 on the iTunes store in 55 countries. He also received a Teen Choice Award in the “Choice Web Collaboration” category for the video “The ‘Boyfriend’ Tag” with fellow YouTuber Tyler Oakley on the same year, and he was named one of the 25 Most Influential Teens by Time Magazine, next to Malala Yousafzai and Malia and Sasha Obama.
He came out on YouTube in 2013 on a video that has had almost 7 million views:
Back in March, Sivan helped another fan come out to her mother on stage during a concert in Washington D.C.
(h/t attitude)
The post Troye Sivan Inspires Transgender Fan to Come Out, Prompting a Dad’s Perfect Response appeared first on Towleroad.
Starbucks Stands Up for Equality and Transgender Rights
Starbucks Stands Up for Equality and Transgender Rights
While state legislatures across the nation have doubled down on discrimination, businesses across the nation, including Starbucks, have stood up for the transgender community.
Starbucks has been a leader in the fight for equal treatment for the LGBTQ community, including by speaking out against North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is one of more than 200 leading CEOs and business leaders from across the country that have signed onto an open letter calling on North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and the North Carolina General Assembly to repeal radical provisions on HB2.
Moreover, Lucy Helm, Starbucks EVP, general counsel and secretary, Law & Corporate Affairs and chair of the Starbucks Inclusion Council, recently sent a public letter to Starbucks employees explaining why it was vital for the Fortune 500 Company to speak out against discrimination and reinforced the company’s long term commitment to creating a welcoming space for all.
“Consistent with our Mission and Values, and our long-standing policies and principles, Starbucks opposes any legislation or other similar policy initiatives at the municipal, state or national level that would have a discriminatory impact,” Lucy Helm shared. “This includes recent legislation that discriminates against the LGBT community, as stated in a recent letter released by the Human Rights Campaign and Equality North Carolina and signed by numerous CEOs, including Howard Schultz. In our stores, we continue to welcome partners and customers to use Starbucks facilities that correspond to their gender identity.”
For those people whose gender identity or innate sense of their own gender doesn’t match with that assigned to them at birth, workplace discrimination is a common experience. While the North Carolina legislature is promoting discrimination, employers like Starbucks are leading the way to provide inclusive policies and practices for transgender employees. Watch HRC Foundation’s Starting the Conversation for Transgender Inclusion for information about how your employer can help.
Starbucks has been a longtime advocate for the LGBTQ community. Starbucks has been a vocal supporter of marriage equality and even filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013 and signed onto The People’s Brief last year.
Starbucks received a 100 on HRC Foundation’s 2016 Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBTQ employees. HRC also rated Starbucks as one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.”
Read the piece from Starbucks in full here. To learn more about the transgender community, click here.
For more information about transgender inclusion in the workplace, click here.
HRC Shares Global Community’s Disappointment in 2016 Declaration on Ending AIDS
HRC Shares Global Community’s Disappointment in 2016 Declaration on Ending AIDS
Yesterday, HRC joined more than 150 civil society advocates and organizations in expressing our shared disappointment in the recently adopted 2016 Political Declaration on Ending AIDS. While the international community has made significant progress toward ending the global HIV and AIDS epidemic, particularly with respect to mother-to-child transmission, we will not end the epidemic by ignoring the key populations most affected by it, including gay and bisexual men and transgender women.
The 2016 Declaration was adopted this week during the United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS. According to UN News Centre, the High-Level meeting brings together government officials, people living with HIV, and other members of civil society to build on previous commitments and to put the world on an accelerated path to ending the epidemic by 2030. But key populations have been excluded from the very beginning, as advocacy organizations representing gay and bisexual men, transgender women, sex workers, and other marginalized communities were barred from attending the meeting by certain Member States, including Russia.
Led by the International Council Of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), the joint letter from civil society groups makes clear that “we are especially outraged with language [in the Declaration that] highlights victimization and blames key populations [for the epidemic] and fuels discrimination.” The letter also puts forward what the signatories believe to be a positive vision for ending the AIDS epidemic, including the need to protect and uphold human rights.
“The 2016 Declaration, while a step in the right direction, is not the bold, forward-looking document we need at this critical juncture,” said Noël Gordon Jr., HRC Senior Program Specialist for HIV Prevention and Health Equity. Gordon attended the meeting as one of several Private Sector Advisers to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. “We are especially grateful to U.S. Ambassadors Deborah Birx and Sarah Mendelson for explaining to the General Assembly why it is imperative that every country leave no one behind in the global fight to end HIV and AIDS.” The U.S. government backed up its words on Thursday with a newly announced $100 million Key Populations Investment Fund to expand access to proven HIV prevention and treatment services for key populations.
#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: June 9, 2016
#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: June 9, 2016
REPS. MALONEY AND HOYER BLAST SPEAKER RYAN OVER DISCRIMINATORY HOUSE RULE CHANGE: Yesterday, in a powerful op-ed in The Washington Post, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) called out House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) for pledging to change House rules to specifically make it more difficult for members to add pro-LGBTQ amendments to legislation. Ryan proposed the rule change after his leadership team used shameful, rule-flouting maneuvers to kill an amendment from Maloney that would have ensured that taxpayer money could not be used to discriminate against LGBTQ workers. On Wednesday, Ryan took these plans to restrict amendments a step further by asking members at a closed-door GOP conference to weigh in. The Rules Committee then said it would not allow a vote on Maloney’s amendment. In their op-ed, Maloney and Hoyer wrote on these shameful tactics: “The open process Ryan had promised was hindering House Republicans’ long-standing opposition to [LGBTQ] equality… Republican leaders now might bend the rules in order to advance discrimination.” Read the full piece in The Washington Post.
NPR TELLS STORY OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S LGBTQ RIGHTS EVOLUTION: As the White House hosts its annual Pride Month celebration today, NPR takes a look at President Obama’s evolution on LGBTQ rights. Those who closely advised the president on LGBTQ issues say that while he may have seemed slow to change, his push to reverse public and political opinion over the course of his eight years in office was actually the result of “careful groundwork.” From his campaign to end the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law to his advocacy behind marriage equality, President Obama has come to prove himself as the most pro-LGBTQ president in history. More from NPR.
US INTEL DIRECTOR CLAPPER SPEAKS FOR TRANSGENDER RIGHTS: U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper took a stand for transgender rights yesterday during the Fifth Annual Intelligence Community Pride Summit. At Defense Intelligence Agency headquarters in DC, Clapper thanked LGBTQ advocates for their efforts and reminded the audience of work ahead: “When I consider the injustices still experienced, highlighted for example by the ongoing national debate over the rights of transgender Americans, I know, yet still, our work is not done.” FBI Director James Comey, who also spoke at the summit, said: “Diversity enriches not just the FBI, not just the intelligence community, but our country as a whole.” More from ABC News.
- Department of Defense also celebrates Pride, says Don’t Ask Don’t Tell based on “flawed logic”: At the Department of Defense’s LGBTQ Pride Month event yesterday, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus asserted that the military has only gotten stronger since the repeal of DADT. His remarks come at a time when advocates are also urging the military to move more swiftly in removing its ban on transgender service. Army Undersecretary Patrick J. Murphy echoed Carter’s sentiments: “Throughout our history, brave LGBT soldiers… have served and fought for our nation. Their readiness and willingness to serve has made our military stronger and our nation safer.”
MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN ALABAMA UPHELD IN ONE FINAL RULING: Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Callie Granade issued a permanent injunction barring the state of Alabama from enforcing any laws that block same-sex couples’ right to marry. According to The Associated Press, Judge Granade said “the Alabama Supreme Court’s willingness to issue decisions conflicting with the U.S. Supreme Court demonstrate the need for permanent action.” This comes after months of resistance to marriage equality in Alabama, most notably by the State Supreme Court’s currently suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore who, with order after order, defied federal rulings affirming same-sex couples constitutional right to marry.
CHICAGO ADVANCES TRANS-INCLUSIVE ORDINANCE SUPPORTED BY FILMMAKER LILLY WACHOWSKI: The Chicago City Council’s Committee on Human Relations has advanced an amendment to its city ordinance that would expand its definition of “sex” to include gender identity. The amendment would prohibit public places including hotels, restaurants and grocery stores from requiring patrons to show “government-issued identification” to gain entry into facilities “private in nature.” Filmmaker Lilly Wachowski, who came out as transgender earlier this year, testified in favor of the amendment, telling the committee that discriminatory thinking “is institutionalized — be it in the form of TSA security scan, gender bathroom, locker room or changing room. But, we are here. We exist. And I implore you at this moment to please recognize us.”
PROMINENT HONDURAN LGBTQ ACTIVIST MURDERED: The body of Rene Martinez, a 40-year-old LGBTQ rights activist and member of the country’s ruling National Party, was found in the city of San Pedro Sula. Martinez, who was kidnapped last week, had apparently been strangled, officials said. Martinez was the president of a LGBTQ advocacy organization in San Pedro Sula. The U.S. Embassy in Honduras condemned the “apparent murder” of Martinez in “the strongest terms” and called for a “full and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the death.” More from The Washington Blade.
NEW RESOURCE WEBSITE FOR LESBIAN BUSINESS OWNERS: New research shows that only 1.2 percent of businesses in the US are lesbian-owned. The Lesbian Business Community is looking to change that, creating the first and only online resource for lesbian business owners. More from Curve Magazine.
- For more businesses supporting equality, check out HRC’s Storify for more companies speaking out in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month here.
- Mark It Proud is working to solve a unique problem, a lack of greeting cards for LGBTQ people. The idea came about when co-founder Daniel Malen got married and guests said they couldn’t find same-sex couple greeting cards.
TIME TO PULL OUT THE POPCORN: If you’re looking for a new show to marathon in anticipation of Pride, check out Entertainment Tonight’s list of 13 reality series that changed LGBTQ life. Among the must-sees — Ellen Page’s Gaycation and HRC Youth Ambassador Jazz Jennings’ I Am Jazz.
RAISE THE FLAG: Last night, the City Council of Clifton, New Jersey voted to raise the rainbow flag alongside the U.S. flag at City Hall in honor of LGBTQ pride month. The flag raising ceremony is scheduled for June 25, the anniversary of marriage equality. More from NJ.com.
READING RAINBOW
The New York Times explores the relationship between online media and the trans community; Elle shares Hillary Clinton’s emotional new campaign video, “History Made”; Erie Reader profiles a local trans advocate; BuzzFeed breaks down talks at the United Nations to create an LGBTI Rights Officer; NBC News talks to Air Force cadets about life after “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; and Erasing 76 Crimes lays out the nations in which same-sex activity is punishable by death.
Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to A.M. Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!
www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-june-9-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
