Donald Trump: ‘LGBT Is Starting to Like Trump Very, Very Much’ – WATCH

On Thursday, Donald Trump again insisted that he would be better for the LGBT community as president than Hillary Clinton.

As ABC News reports, “Trump said the ‘LGBT community is starting to like Donald Trump very, very much lately,’ and claimed that his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, accepts donations from Middle East countries, which oppress LGBT citizens and women.”

Meanwhile, CBS News reports that what Trump actually said was, “LGBT is starting to like Donald Trump very much lately, I will tell you.”

Trump in Dallas on winning the Hispanic vote plus “LGBT is starting to like Donald Trump very much lately…” pic.twitter.com/JNrp87gL4T

— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) June 17, 2016

Referring to the Pulse shooting, Trump said,

“The LGBT community, these are people that had a place, this was a place of safety, this is a place where people fat safe. And if you think about it, the violation that took place, and that was allowed to take place, the violation that took place, and it’s due to weakness…”

Trump again tried to paint Clinton as bad for the LGBT community because The Clinton Foundation has accepted donations from countries where anti-gay violence exists. “As far as gays are concerned, think of it,” Trump said. “They throw gays off buildings. They kill them. Countries that contribute to her foundation. And she should give all that money back to all these countries.”

Watch videos of Trump at his rally in Texas, below.

The post Donald Trump: ‘LGBT Is Starting to Like Trump Very, Very Much’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/VAwlwH3pjeg/

Tel Aviv Gay Pride 2016 Review: Sexy Men, Gorgeous Views, and a Popping Party Scene

The 18th annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade recently took place with the participation of over 200,000 people from Israel and abroad, making it the largest ever in the Middle East. This year’s theme was “Women for Change” highlighting the role of women in the LGBTQ community. Among the people who marched at the parade were Tel Aviv Pride Ambassadors, Alan Cumming and Lea Delaria.

The gay pride started at Gan Meir Park and it snaked its way along Tel Aviv’s famous promenade and ended with an open-air beach party just across the street from David InterContinental where I was staying.

Watch the official video from Tel Aviv Pride 2016:

Since this is a gay pride parade, there were many beautiful drag queens, handsome men and women and gay-friendly people who made the event fun, colorful and special. I have visited Israel a few times but never during gay pride and I was happy to finally experience it this summer.

There were so many hot people at the parade. I’ve attended a number of pride parades in Barcelona, Cologne, Ibiza, Stockholm etc and nothing compares to the hotness level at Tel Aviv Pride!

The parade ended with a beach party at Charles Clore Park right across David InterContinental Hotel. I took a few photos as well from my room with the breathtaking view of the party in the park, the beach and the city. I loved that I can just walk to most of sights and parties from here.

What makes Tel Aviv Pride special? Besides it being the biggest in the Middle East, it also hosts a unique International LGBT film festival called TLV Fest. There were also many parties and events leading up to the pride parade like Water Park Party and after parties like the Offer Nissim concert. If you have friends who have visited Tel Aviv and told you about it’s non-stop party scene, it is all true and specially more so during pride week.

The Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ron Huldai said, “The Pride Parade has turned into one of the symbols of the City of Tel Aviv with hundreds of thousands of participants and tourists from all over the country and the world. I believe that Tel Aviv-Yafo, a city of tolerance, is a beacon to other cities in this issue”.

In 2012 Tel Aviv was selected the Best Gay City in the world by GayCities.com. Recently, Tel Aviv was named “The gayest city on earth” by the Boston Globe and ranked by CNN as “one of the world’s top gay honeymoon spots”. Tel Aviv is a really gay-friendly city with a lot of beautiful Israeli men and women as you can see from the photos!

Here are more photos and video from Instagram:

More tips for Tel Aviv Pride:

1. It’s pretty warm so always bring a bottle of water with you!
2. Buy tickets to the parties in advance and go early. They are almost always sold out and if you come late you will most likely wait in line for an hour or four.
3. If you want to explore the country during your stay, there are many gay bus tours and day trips around Israel organized by OutstandingTravel, an Israeli gay travel company.
4. Follow the hashtag #telavivpride or #tlvpride for more.

Will I like to go again next year? Hell yeah!

This post was written by DJ Yabis, a gay travel blogger from Dream Euro Trip. You can read also read about his 7-day itinerary in Israel if you’re planning to visit.

Photos by DJ Yabis and Burghard Mannhöfer

The post Tel Aviv Gay Pride 2016 Review: Sexy Men, Gorgeous Views, and a Popping Party Scene appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/-ICPCbTRD8Y/

Orlando Shooting Victim's Emotional Reunion With Officer Who Saved Him (Video)

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/6/17/orlando-shooting-victims-emotional-reunion-officer-who-saved-him-video

National GOP Cut LGBT People from Its Response to Orlando Shooting

The Republican Party cut out a reference to the LGBT identity of the Orlando victims in a revised press release.

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/6/17/national-gop-cut-lgbt-people-its-response-orlando-shooting

After Orlando, Benham Brothers Love Gays So Much They Want To Help Them Turn Straight With Jesus

This just in: The antigay Benham Brothers have done a complete 180 on their feelings about LGBTQ people after the massacre in Orlando. They no longer despise them. Instead, they love them. And mourn with them. And wish them all the best. At least according to a recent video they posted on Facebook.

“Our hearts are just broken for the families and for the victims, those who were killed in the gay bar, the gay club in Orlando, Florida,” David Benham say in the video. “You know, this is going to be politicized on both sides. It’s ridiculous! No one should ever be targeted like this, this ISIS plot. And clearly they’re targeting homosexual people.”

Related: Benham Brothers Fear “Poisonous Vine” Of Gayness Choking And Raping “Every Sphere Of America”

Jason then added: “Here’s the interesting thing. We, as Christians, believe that homosexuality is wrong, and the [Islamic extremists] they believe it is wrong. But our response is different. We’ve been going to gay Pride marches for the past decade, and we’re planning on going this year to the Charlotte gay Pride march. But we’re going to bring the love of Jesus, to people who need Jesus!”

“Look,” he continued, “these are our gay brothers and sisters, and we need to stand up for them now. That’s our Christian response.”

In other words: They’re going to be among those crazies holding signs that say things like ‘REPENT!’ and ‘Homo Sex Is Sin’ kicking their way down the street after the parade has passed through. Great.

Related: Charming Benham Twins Compare Themselves To ISIS Beheading Victims

Just in case you forgot, in the past, the twinsies have compared same-sex marriage to Nazi Germany and have taken part in countless antigay rallies and protests. And in recent months, they have been vocal supporters of Pat McCrory’s bathroom laws. Oh, and they once suggested giving out free baseball tickets to gay people could cure them of their homosexual desires.

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and see what the brothers have said about gay people in the not-so-distant past, shall we?

• In April 2016, the twinsies said gay people were filled with “rage and hate” and were “the vine of Sodom … [pervading] every sphere of society” with a “deadly poison” and “demanding participation.”
• A month before that, in March 2016, David Benham told a crowd he doesn’t want to live in a “bizarro world” where Christians can’t legally discriminate against LGBTQ people.
• In July 2015, just days after marriage equality became the law of the land, Jason Benham encouraged antigay activists to be like Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart by putting “blue face paint on” and battling to the death.
• Also in July 2015, the brothers published an op-ed saying Christians have been thrust into “the cross-hairs of the militant, secular agenda” and that they must fight back. “God created us and put us here on the earth for such a time as this!” they said. “So let’s stand to our feet on God’s side of the fence and embrace the fire that purifies our faith.”
• In September 2014, they said gay people were akin to ISIS, “[plotting] to silence the beliefs of Christians in this nation.”

But hey, all that’s in the past, right? Today they stand with their “gay brothers and sisters.” That is, until their “religious liberty” is threatened again.

Related: The World According To The Benham Brothers

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/cYt9funm3ho/orlando-benham-brothers-love-gays-much-want-help-turn-straight-jesus-20160617

Pat Robertson On Gays And Muslims: Let Them Kill Themselves

Pat Robertson finally broke his silence about the Pulse shooting, despite no one asking him. Previously, a satirical fake-news site had posted a story claiming Robertson said the Orlando shooting was punishment for marriage equality, although it was quickly proven false by Snopes. His actual statement, unfortunately, came out just as bad.

Robertson is clearly still stinging from the spanking handed down by the Supreme Court with their ruling on marriage equality. Not one to take defeat quietly, and of course never one to care about details, Robertson has once again come out swinging against liberals, homosexuals, Muslims, and pretty much anyone else he doesn’t like. In particular he grouped all Muslims them together with the shooter, because apparently all Muslims support that guy’s beliefs.

Granted, Robertson points out the (unfortunately true) fact that many predominantly Muslim countries still enforce laws against same-sex relations, but he then makes the jump to claim executing LGBT people “is a religious belief [of Muslims] … deeply ingrained in the people.” He is a master at the bait-and-switch: start with a little fact, and then add a bunch of hogwash behind it and fool people into thinking all of it is true.

Robertson has decided “The Left” favors two groups: The Muslims, and The Homosexuals. Supposedly with its two favorite groups not getting along, The Left is experiencing a crisis of conviction. The Muslims, well just one but all of them support the idea, murdered some Homosexuals, and now The Liberals have find a way to explain away this problem. Therefore, he believes the Orlando tragedy hurt the liberal agenda, and Robertson is licking his lips as he waits to watch The Left’s empire crumble. Robertson tell his audience that “The Left is having a dilemma of major proportions, and I think for those of us who disagree with some of their policies, the best thing to do is to sit on the sidelines and let them kill themselves.”

It is of course depressingly ironic to watch Robertson attempt to prove Muslims are to be feared because they are all extremists, while he is preaching an extremist view of Christianity. He didn’t endorse killing anyone directly, but he nonetheless suggests it is fine if they somehow all just, whoopsie, make each other be dead. When are the actors in Modern Family going to tell their bosses at ABC (which owns Freeform, the network that broadcasts Robertson’s The 700 Club) that the network needs to stop broadcasting hate speech? Pontificating is one thing, but now he’s talking about people deserving to die.

Most of Robertson’s other comments throughout the show are a mix of rambling nonsense and paranoia. He seems to have morphed into the crazy elderly uncle who spends all of Thanksgiving dinner talking about where Obama was really born and the existence of  The Free Masons.

But if you must, witness his statement for yourself in these two clips:

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/XdQF5cMQZSo/pat-robertson-gays-muslims-let-kill-20160617

Protestors and Parishioners Clash at Church of Pastor Who Praised Orlando Massacre: WATCH

Earlier this week, approximately 100 protestors gathered outside the church of the Sacramento pastor who praised the massacre at Orlando gay nightclub Pulse.

Pastor Roger Jimenez gained nationwide notoriety after uploading a sermon of his to YouTube on the Orlando massacre in which he equated gay people to pedophiles and said he wished more people had been slain.

Via The Washington Post:

“People say, like: ‘Well, aren’t you sad that 50 sodomites died?’ ” Jimenez said, referencing the initial death toll in Orlando, which authorities later clarified included 49 victims plus the gunman. “Here’s the problem with that. It’s like the equivalent of asking me — what if you asked me: ’Hey, are you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today?’

“Um, no, I think that’s great. I think that helps society. You know, I think Orlando, Fla., is a little safer tonight.”

He added: “The tragedy is that more of them didn’t die. The tragedy is — I’m kind of upset that he didn’t finish the job!”

Video of the sermon was removed by YouTube.

On Wednesday night, the parking lot of Jimenez’s Verity Baptist Church was filled with protestors who shouted “We are one pulse” and carried pride flags and pro-LGBT posters. The protesters showed up as parishioners were arriving for a Bible study group.

KCRA 3 reports:

It was supposed to be a silent protest, but dozens of people shouted and sang as parishioners, with Bibles in hand, tried to make their way through the crowd.

Yellow tape and Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies kept protesters back and didn’t allow them inside. […]

Jimenez briefly came outside but turned back around as protesters continued to shout.

“It’s one thing to personally say they don’t believe in homosexuals, but when they advocate the killing of people, it’s just wrong — it’s a crime,” protester Jesse McGuinn said.

It brought Carol Nolan to tears.

“Because it promotes hate,” Nolan said. “And if we don’t stop hating each other, we’re not gonna have a planet left.”

Watch news reports from KCRA 3 and CBS along with video of Jimenez’s hateful sermon, below.

The post Protestors and Parishioners Clash at Church of Pastor Who Praised Orlando Massacre: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/AgzBiwErj40/

Bernie Sanders, Comfort Dogs, Wicked, Meat Loaf, The Beehive, Kevin Keller: NEWS

2016 ELECTION. Bernie Sanders not yet ready to drop out: “The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly,” Sanders said. “And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time.” Weaver: Not currently lobbying superdelegates.

2016 ELECTION. GOP insiders think Trump should pick Newt Gingrich as running mate. “Gaining the most support were former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (13 percent), Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (9 percent), Ohio Gov. John Kasich (8 percent), former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (8 percent), Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (7 percent) and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions (7 percent).”

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Comfort dogs arrive in Orlando. “They had come to offer comfort to some of the victims of the attack, the families of those killed and the emergency medical workers, as well as anyone else in the city in need of some canine affection after the deadliest shooting in American history. The animals are part of the K-9 Comfort Dogs team, a program run by the Lutheran Church Charities, based in Northbrook, Ill. Founded in 2008, the team has comforted victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting.”

Comfort dogs sent to Florida to help those grieving after #Orlando nightclub massacre t.co/oyb6l7xuDD pic.twitter.com/c2IpaWP3rD

— ABC News (@abcnews) June 15, 2016

THE FIREPLACE. What happened when an Orthodox Jewish congregation went to a gay bar to mourn Orlando: “Approximately a dozen of us, wearing our kippot, or yarmulkes, went down as soon as the holiday ended. Some of the members of our group are gay, but most are not. We did not know what to expect. As we gathered outside, we saw one large, drunk man talking loudly and wildly. I wondered whether we were in the right place. Then my mother, who was with me, went up to a man who was standing on the side of the building. She told him why we were there. He broke down in tears and told us his cousin was killed at Pulse. He embraced us and invited us into the Fireplace.”

MONTANA. University of Montana at Missoula.

MINNEAPOLIS. Gay Pride pub crawl to benefit Orlando victims: “An event was scrambled together in fewer than 12 hours — a Minneapolis bar crawl connecting five gay establishments that have long served as safe havens for the community. On Friday night, hundreds are expected to walk the streets en masse showing solidarity for the 49 victims killed and 53 others injured when a gunman terrorized a Latin dance party at Pulse nightclub.”

ERASURE. RNC edits gays out of its Orlando statement: “In its original statement following the Orlando shootings, the Republican National Committee made an attempt to acknowledge that the attack specifically targeted LGBT Americans—a sad attempt, but an attempt nonetheless. But meh, who really cares about that aspect anyway? So they finally just edited gays out altogether.”

REGRETS. Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull invited anti-gay Imam to dinner. “The Australian newspaper reported Sheikh Alsuleiman had said in a sermon uploaded onto social media in 2013 that homosexual acts’are evil actions that bring upon evil outcomes to our society.’ Mr Turnbull today said he became aware of Alsuleiman’s comments during the course of the dinner when a journalist from The Australian contacted the Prime Minister’s media team. ”

BLOOD BAN. Lifting of curbs on gays donating blood are years away, according to experts. “Blood supply experts say the FDA will need to determine whether the move to a one-year waiting period for gay and bisexual men made the blood supply less, more or just as safe. That effort will take several years, and only then would the agency be able to consider relaxing its restrictions further, said Brian Custer, who has led a number of studies on the nation’s blood supply and is associate director of the Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI) in San Francisco.”

MEAT LOAF. On-stage collapse in Edmonton: “Music faded to silence as band members rushed to Meat Loaf’s side, as some members of the crowd can be heard shouting messages of support towards stage.”

Breaking: Fan video of musician #Meatloaf collapsing at a concert in Edmonton, AB. Taken by EMS. #yeg @ctvedmonton pic.twitter.com/znd9SUYlb2

— Sean Amato (@JSJamato) June 17, 2016

RIP. The creator of the beehive hairstyle has died. “Margaret Vinci Heldt, who became a hairstyling celebrity after she created the famous beehive hairdo in 1960, has died at age 98.”

FILM. Wicked to hit the big screen: “Musical lovers have finally gotten the long rumored news they’ve impatiently waited for: Wicked is officially a go! The film will be directed by Stephen Daldry and open on December 20, 2019 – a likely guaranteed holiday hit like Into the Woods and Les Miserables.”

POSTERIORS. Big Brother UK’s Alex Cannon (work-unfriendly).

JAVA. Dozens of whales stranded on Indonesian island: “More than 30 whales were stranded on the coast on Indonesia’s main island of Java and 10 of them have died, an official said Thursday. A mass rescue operation managed to pull most of the stranded whales into the deep sea, said Wahid Noor Azis, head of the local Fishery and Maritime management.”

Dozens of Whales Stranded in Indonesia’s Java Island, 10 Die t.co/mVNSPMeJsP @VOANews pic.twitter.com/Pzx0C0PEuh

— Jim Stevenson (@VOAStevenson) June 17, 2016

ARCHIE. Kevin Keller moves from Riverdale to NYC. “With the Archie renaissance in full swing, Kevin’s getting a series of his own again. Entitled Life With Kevin, it’s written and penciled by Parent, with inks from J. Bone. The series, which begins with a first issue that gets released June 22, is a self-contained story, separated from the shared universe of the Archie and Jughead reboots. It moves away from Kevin’s usual depiction as a teen in Riverdale, instead showing him as a young adult who’s just moved to New York City.”

ALABAMA. Progress?

View post on imgur.com

The post Bernie Sanders, Comfort Dogs, Wicked, Meat Loaf, The Beehive, Kevin Keller: NEWS appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/JdgflEHAv68/

Anti-Gay San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor Heckled at Orlando Vigil: ‘Shame On You!’ — WATCH

About a dozen LGBT activists protested anti-gay San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor’s appearance at a vigil for the victims of the Orlando terror attack on Thursday night.

“I’m here with you tonight to pray as we mark the loss and the hurt of so many innocent people,” Taylor said before she was interrupted by an audience member who shouted, “You’re part of the hurt!”

“Shame on you, Ivy Taylor!” another man yelled.

Taylor voted against the city’s 2013 ordinance prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination, later calling it a “waste of time.” The vigil marked her first appearance at an LGBT event since taking office.

The vigil was organized by San Antonio’s Pride Center, and plans for the protest drew mixed reactions prior to the event.

After the vigil, Taylor told KENS-TV: “Just because I may not agree on whatever, that doesn’t mean that I don’t believe that what happened was absolutely horrific, terrible and wrong.”

Asked whether she regrets any of her anti-LGBT votes, Taylor said: “I came here tonight to pray and not to talk politics.”

Watch KENS-TV’s report below.

The post Anti-Gay San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor Heckled at Orlando Vigil: ‘Shame On You!’ — WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/YKMakVfDW6w/