49 LGBT People and Allies Honor Orlando Shooting Victims with Prideful Memories: #RestInPride
In a new video campaign called #RestInPride, Rumer Willis, Greg Louganis, Candis Cayne, Bruce Vilanch, Wilson Cruz, and 49 members and allies of the LGBT community pay tribute to the victims of the Orlando shooting by talking about their most “prideful” memories.
Watch:
The post 49 LGBT People and Allies Honor Orlando Shooting Victims with Prideful Memories: #RestInPride appeared first on Towleroad.
#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: June 23, 2016
#NoBillNoBreak: DEMOCRATS STAGE SIT-IN ON HOUSE FLOOR FIGHTING FOR COMMON-SENSE GUN LAWS: In the wake of the Orlando tragedy — the nation’s deadliest mass shooting — more than 80 House and Senate Democrats joined Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Katherine Clark (D-MA) and David Cicilline (D-RI) to stage a sit-in on the House floor Wednesday to try to force a vote on common-sense gun violence prevention policies. Roddy Flynn, executive director of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus told Politico, “…the members wearing rainbow ribbons, these were provided by the LGBT Caucus to be sure as the debate goes in we’re always remember the community and identity the victims were celebrating when they died.” The move comes on the heels of last week’s 15-hour filibuster by Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to force a Senate vote on these measures. Senate Democrats pushed two bills to vote — one to strengthen background checks and another to prevent suspected terrorists from obtaining weapons. HRC supported both bills, which were voted down. As of this morning, the House sit-in was still ongoing.
NORTH CAROLINIANS RALLY AGAINST HATE, DEMAND REPEAL OF HB2: Yesterday, the coalition organizations of TurnOUT! North Carolina (NC), HRC, Equality North Carolina, the ACLU and the Campaign for Southern Equality hosted a “Rally Against Hate” in Raleigh demanding lawmakers repeal HB2, North Carolina’s anti-LGBTQ law. Leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly have stated that they plan to end this year’s Short Session around June 30, leaving them less than two weeks to repeal HB2. Following the horrific Orlando massacre, hundreds of North Carolinians turned out to stand determined to defeat the hate and bigotry that motivated the attack.
“A COALITION OF US’S”: DUSTIN LANCE BLACK’S MOVING ESSAY ON ORLANDO: Dustin Lance Black, screenwriter of the award-winning film Milk, penned a powerful essay following the tragedy in Orlando. He calls for the LGBTQ community to build a “coalition of us’s” in the fight against hatred and the gun violence it inspires. Black recalls that Harvey Milk had the help and support of a broad coalition when he became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. He asks that the LGBTQ community join into a similar coalition again in the fight against gun violence: “It will, unfortunately, be a long road to eradicate the lies and hatred that inspire people to target our brothers and sisters, our children, parents, and our loved ones, but it must be traveled together. As Harvey Milk taught us long ago, in a ‘coalition of the us’s’ we have the political power to disarm hatred.”
ROY COOPER DEFENDS NC SCHOOL DISTRICT’S NEW TRANSGENDER POLICY: Transgender students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system will have their names and pronouns honored beginning next school year, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced on Monday. This change will also allow transgender students to use the restroom and locker room that corresponds to their gender identity, as well as have the correct name listed in yearbooks and graduation ceremonies. While the school system is merely following the Departments of Justice and Education’s guidance on transgender students, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory predictably claimed that they were “purposely breaking state law.” His Democratic rival Roy Cooper’s campaign pointed out that this “was a perfect example of why HB2 is harmful to our state.”
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MOVES TO PROTECT LGBT PATIENTS: Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services published regulations revising the Conditions of Participation for Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals to include explicit protections of LGBT patients. Specifically, these regulations create a new CoP standard that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex (including gender identity) and sexual orientation. The proposed new CoP standard contains three parts: a prohibition not to discriminate; a requirement to establish and implement a written policy prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (gender identity), sexual orientation, age, or disability; and inform each patient of their rights under this provision and provide information on how to file a complaint. These explicit protections are a landmark step towards ending the stark health disparities facing the LGBT community today.
BUFFALO AREA SCHOOL IMPLEMENTS LGBTQ “SAFE ZONES”: Health Sciences Charter School in Buffalo, N.Y. has implemented LGBTQ “safe zones” in an effort to encourage conversations about gender and sexuality without fear or judgment. The goal is to eliminate homophobia by creating a secure environment for LGBTQ students and faculty.
CHICAGO APPROVES TRANSGENDER RIGHTS REVISION TO CITY ORDINANCE: Chicago’s transgender residents will now be able to use the public bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity, with the city’s aldermen passing a revision to their human rights ordinance on Wednesday. The revision closes a legal loophole in the existing ordinance that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says could have “inadvertently” allowed places of public accommodation to discriminate against transgender people. More from Talking Points Memo.
THE AIDS EPIDEMIC IS DEVASTATING THE SOUTH: An Ebony piece discusses the erasure of black and brown people from the HIV & AIDs epidemic in the 1980’s, a deeply problematic cherry-picking of history that has continued to devastate pockets of the LGBTQ community for decades. LGBTQ people of color experience far higher rates of the disease today, and black gay and bisexual men living in the South are particularly affected. The piece also highlights activists’ efforts around this issue, such as the pioneering work led by HRC’s HIV & AIDS Project Fellow Marvell L. Terry II.
BREXIT THREATENS LGBTQ RIGHTS: As Britain heads to the polls today to vote on whether to leave the European Union, many senior lawyers are concerned that a vote to leave could have both immediate and longer-term consequences for LGBTQ citizens. Protections from employment discrimination, for example, which are based on a human rights frameworks that originated in the European Union rulings and regulations, could be in jeopardy. More from BuzzFeed.
AUSTRIA COULD BE ADDING A THIRD GENDER TO ITS PASSPORTS: An intersex person from Austria is suing their local registry office for the right to identify themselves as intersex on their passport. The case is requesting that the passport be labeled with “X” or “Inter” instead of the two current options, male or female. The plaintiff’s lawyer says, “There is no single paragraph in the Austrian legal system that stipulates that there are only two genders… it is only written in the civil registry that a gender should be entered.” More from The Local.at
READING RAINBOW
NerdWallet outlines how to take action against LGBTQ housing discrimination; Huffington Post covers the protest by LGBTQ, Muslim and Latinx advocates that took place outside Trump Towers, described as “the largest protest of its kind”; Michigan Live interviews State Rep. Jeremy Moss about his viral tweets on Orlando and homophobia in his statehouse; Italy’s high court has upheld a ruling that will make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt children; and Bustle provides nine sassy responses to marriage equality haters.
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-23-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
PHOTOS: Dads, Lads, Leather, Fur, and Loads of Fun
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/6/23/photos-dads-lads-leather-fur-and-loads-fun
River Viiperi Proves Why Bath Time Is So Much Fun
River Viiperi is no stranger to letting strangers into his intimate surrounds.
The 24-year-old model treats his Instagram account like a vaudevillian striptease, always enticing, never crescendoing.
For that, you’d have to take a look at his alleged full-frontals.
For his latest act, Viiperi chose to explore the subtle art of soap bubbles.
The form! The finesse!
Check it out below:
And here’s a smattering of his previous forays into teasing the masses:
feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/TODZMb6zNoc/river-viiperi-proves-bath-time-much-fun-20160623
Transgender Woman Makes ‘The LGBT Case For Guns’ In The New York Times
The gun control debate has been inflamed in the wake of the Orlando attack, but LGBT gun group Pink Pistols spokeswoman Nicki Stallard thinks some LGBTs have it all wrong.
Writing in The New York Times, Stallard makes some interesting points about why LGBT people should be in favor of the Second Amendment:
I’m not the only one who thinks the L.G.B.T. movement is making a mistake by lining up behind gun control measures. In the days since Orlando, Facebook membership in my pro-gun L.G.B.T. group, Pink Pistols, has quadrupled, from around 1,500 to more than 6,500, and new chapters are starting across the country. Gun stores are reporting a spike in sales to L.G.B.T. buyers, and gun trainers are reaching out, offering free training or discounts.
These are people who understand that if you’re gay or transgender, you can’t simply hope that laws will protect you. They won’t. And you can’t rely on the police. Orlando is proof you could bleed to death in the time it takes for them to stop the shooter.
She also wonders if more lives would’ve been saved if more people in Pulse nightclub were armed:
I used to have reservations about people carrying guns in bars. But 12 states allow concealed carry in bars, and I haven’t heard any reports of increased violence in those places. Now I can’t help wondering how many victims in Orlando might have been saved if a few people inside the nightclub had had concealed carry permits, and been able to fight back.
Apparently, sometimes even the mere presence of a gun can scare off potential bashers:
Just last week, Tom G. Palmer, now a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, wrote in an op-ed article in The New York Daily News about an episode in his 20s when he flashed his pistol at a group of men who were threatening to kill him because he was gay — and they retreated.
This is definitely a timely – and sensitive – issue, and we’re intrigued by the different perspective Stallard brings. Read the entire piece here, and feel free to share your thoughts below.
We know you’ll have them.
Ben Affleck, NRA, Provincetown Shark, Nick Jonas, Freddie Gray, SCOTUS Immigration: NEWS
SCOTUS. 4-4 deadlock dooms Obama’s immigration policy: “The U.S. Supreme Court split 4-4 Thursday over a challenge to President Obama’s immigration policy, a result that prevents the administration from putting the program into effect during the rest of him term.Announced in late 2014, it would shield more than four million people from deportation. But lower courts blocked its implementation after Texas and 25 other states sued, claiming the president had no power to order the changes.”
BALTIMORE. Officer found not guilty in Freddie Gray case: “Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., 46, had faced the most serious charges of any of the six officers indicted in Gray’s death last April, including a charge of second-degree murder. Goodson was also acquitted of three counts of manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office.”
PLUTO. Planet probably has liquid water ocean: “Our model shows that recent geological activity on Pluto can be driven just from phase changes in the ice—no tides or exotic materials or unusual processes are required.”
TMZ. Camera footage supports claim by purported lover of Orlando shooter: “Sources at the Ambassador Hotel tell TMZ, Mateen was seen on camera footage recorded December 14, 2015 around 11 PM. We’re told the video bolsters the claims of the heavily disguised man who told Univision he met up with Mateen 15-20 times at the hotel between November and December.”
NICK JONAS. OUT Magazine’s Editor at Large rips singer for speaking at Stonewall vigil: “Nick, we have our own heros, and you don’t come close and never will. This would have been a shining opportunity to step quietly to the side, and let us be. There are so many beautiful, heart wrenching, and hilarious things in the gay world and none of them have anything to do with you, Nick Jonas.”
PETITION. Nearly 200 artists and music executives demand Congress end gun violence: “With the help of leading gun-violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety, editors reached out to those we cover in the music industry, and asked for their support and their signatures to help seek a sane and safe end to gun violence. Within minutes, Joan Jett was the first to sign on. Lady Gaga shortly followed. Within hours, and then in a matter of just a few days, nearly 200 top artists and executives—pop stars (including Grimmie’s friend Selena Gomez), rappers, rock gods, legends, Broadway heroes, even two Beatles and Yoko Ono—lent their voices to the chorus of Americans looking to our political leaders for change. Billboard, artists and music-industry executives join so many members of the House and Senate this week proudly advocating for common-sense gun safety.”
NO GO. Pennsylvania judge dismisses lawsuit against gay couple for in-ground pool fence: “In his decision, Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Sommer voiced concerns about the lawsuit’s motivation, saying the couple had been subjected to anti-gay slurs and vandalism and suggesting that the dispute smacked of ‘selective enforcement.’”
FRONT PAGE. Paul Ryan is NRA’s Li’l lapdog.
A look at tomorrow’s front page…
NRA’S LI’L LAPDOG: @SpeakerRyan rolls over again t.co/zVLxOWsIJK pic.twitter.com/DX8sQjxqiH— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) June 23, 2016
DEFLATEGATE. Ben Affleck goes on semi-drunken rant about Tom Brady and the NFL.
PROVINCETOWN. Man films Great White shark seal attack at Race Point Beach.
SEEING COLOR. Colorblind brothers are overwhelmed seeing colors for the first time after receiving pair of EnChroma glasses. “Our sons Jimmy and Jace are colorblind. We bought Jim a pair of EnChroma glasses which lets people who are colorblind see colors the same way we do. Please watch this special amazing moment! It brought us all to tears!”
THIRSTY THURSDAY. International go-go boy and finance student Sam Ghafooripoor.
The post Ben Affleck, NRA, Provincetown Shark, Nick Jonas, Freddie Gray, SCOTUS Immigration: NEWS appeared first on Towleroad.
Robin Hood, Merry Men Reimagined as Gay ‘Burly Men in the Woods’
Hero, anti-hero, thief, archer, gorgeous and… gay?
In a new comic book series by Oni Press, the legendary swordsman known for his good looks and for robbing from the rich to give to the poor, as well as his Merry Men friends are a bunch of burly gay guys in the woods. That’s according to a new interpretation of the English folklore by openly gay writer Robert Rodi, and with art by Jackie Lewis.
In Rodi’s version of the story, Robin Hood is an outlaw because he’s gay. Newsarama, a website dedicated to the comic book industry explains:
Set in the 12th century, Merry Men centers on Robert Godwin – a.k.a. Robin Hood – who is discovered to be romantically involved with King Ricard, and quickly banished by Prince John as part of a new law criminalizing homosexuality. Godwin and his friends come to live in Sherwood Forest and are comfortable with their lives in hiding until a mysterious stranger comes asking for help against the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Rodi got the idea when, a few years back, he came across the is-he-is-he-not discussion about Robin Hood’s sexuality on the internet. He looked into it and found academic studies on the subject, as he explained to Panels, another website dedicated to the industry:
There was some discussion, based on a few papers by a few academics, that possibly the origins of the Robin Hood story were rooted in sexual outlawry — that the historical figures who inspired the legend of Robin and his merry men, were people who were ejected from society and forced to live in nature because of their homosexual practices.
He explained his process to IGN:
I did quite a bit of reading and research—a lot of which is reflected in the “Queer History of England” text feature that’s included in each issue of Merry Men. The simple fact is, there’s not a lot of original source material, for two reasons: first, in the medieval period, same-sex activity was seen as a behavior, not an expression of identity. In other words, there were—in modern terms—gay acts, but not gay people. (“Homosexual” is a much later term.) That was the official view, anyway; my personal feeling is that the people engaged in that behavior probably felt very differently. That’s how I’m treating them in Merry Men; though even there, some of the cast are exclusively gay, and some are less so.
Merry Men, by Robert Rodi, Jackie Lewis, and Marissa Louise is on sale now.
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Nico Tortorella Speaks Out About Reaction to News of His Sexual ‘Fluidity’
Yesterday, news emerged that Nico Tortorella considers himself sexually “fluid” which brought the actor, who stars in TV Land’s Younger with Sutton Foster, a lot of new fans.
Tortorella responded to the reaction:
well that escalated quickly.
— Nico Tortorella (@_NicoTortorella) June 23, 2016
He also posted a message to Instagram: “call me whatever you want, just call me.”
The post Nico Tortorella Speaks Out About Reaction to News of His Sexual ‘Fluidity’ appeared first on Towleroad.
Twitter celebrates Pride with #LoveIsLove
Photo Credit: Twitter
Twitter is celebrating Pride Month for users of the platform as well as the company’s own employees.
On June 2, Twitter announced that it would be activating its rainbow heart emoji for all of June for anyone who tweets the hashtags #LoveIsLove, #Pride2016, or #LoveWins.
Many prominent users on social media have tweeted the hashtags, including The White House.
“When all Americans are treated equal, we are all more free.” —@POTUS #Pride2016 pic.twitter.com/LWkysr8yER
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 9, 2016
The heaviest use of the hashtags came in the wake of the shooting in Orlando. Twitter has shared a map showing the growth of the #LoveIsLove hashtag in the hours following news of the shooting.
There has never been a more urgent time for love. #LoveIsLove pic.twitter.com/9qsEqoumAL
— TwitterOpen (@TwitterOpen) June 13, 2016
#LoveIsLove #WeAreOrlando #Pride2016 pic.twitter.com/0rZis6gKQP
— GLAAD (@glaad) June 19, 2016
However, LGBT advocacy goes further than a hashtag at Twitter. In a blog post on Monday, Lead of TwitterOpen Jim Halloran stated, “At Twitter, Pride is also a celebration of love for people of every gender, orientation, and identity. Twitter is where inclusion lives, empowering these diverse voices and communities to express themselves and connect.”
Pride Month is a celebration of love for every gender, orientation and identity. Share the love with #LoveIsLove t.co/JMnFRIuXYA
— TwitterOpen (@TwitterOpen) June 20, 2016
According to the blog post, Twitter stands up for the LGBT community by partnering with nonprofit organizations, providing equal healthcare benefits to LGBTQ employees, not hosting blood drives as long as the FDA’s restriction on gay men is in effect, and fighting against discriminatory “religious freedom bills.”
You can celebrate Pride, too, by tweeting #LoveIsLove, #Pride2016, or #LoveWins on Twitter.
Orlando Concert Raises More Than $700K for Victims, Survivors, and Families
GLAAD
The “All is One Orlando Unity Concert”, headlined by Imagine Dragons and Nate Ruess, raised over 700,000 dollars for the victims, families, survivors, and other community programs affected by the recent tragedy at Pulse. Held at Hard Rock Live Orlando on June 22, thousands of concert goers showed up to stand in solidarity with the Orlando LGBT community. The concert, hosted by GLAAD, The Ally Coalition, iHeart Media, and The One Orlando Fund also featured emcee Joey Fatone and special guest, Samantha Ronson. The One Orlando Fund, which was created in the wake of the June 12’s tragedy, received 100% of all money raised at the concert.
Imagine Dragons and Nate Ruess helped spread the news of the concert on their social media accounts, tweeting and instagramming photos leading up to their performances, asking fans to support through ticket purchases and donations. Ruess added on his Instagram photo, “It’s with a heavy heart that this event is being put on, but hopefully your proceeds … along with our songs, can help make a much needed impact.” Through ticket sales and donations, the concert raised over 700,000 dollars for the One Orlando Fund, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the families and organizations affected in Orlando.
A photo posted by Nate Ruess (@nateruess) on
help us spread the word… pic.twitter.com/SHfgFOrT7M
— Imagine Dragons (@Imaginedragons) June 17, 2016
Nate Ruess opened the concert to cheering fans who were in attendance to make an impact like the singer had hoped. Together, Ruess and the audience sang their support of the victims and families. Imagine Dragons, with their sharp rhythms and beats rocked the venue over the cheers and voices of those in attendance. Between the tickets and donations, the One Orlando Fund was able to raise proceeds for their continued effort of promoting safety, allegiance, and support for the Orlando LGBT community.
www.glaad.org/blog/orlando-concert-raises-more-700k-victims-survivors-and-families
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