Confronted By Protester, Marco Rubio Insults Pulse Victims

A group of hero gays confronted that cowardly twerp Marco Rubio about how he has more respect for the rights of guns than the rights of gays, and we couldn’t be more proud.

Rubio was hosting some kind of town hall on Tuesday about helping the businesses that were impacted by the Pulse shooting. (Apparently business tends to be slow after a mass shooting in the neighborhood. Thanks, NRA.) But about 30 protesters, including a fellow named Dave Moran, kept shouting him down.

In particular, Moran accused Rubio of having a close relationship with the NRA and not doing anything to support LGBTs. Rubio, an NRA-sponsored Senator, voted against limiting the gigantic magazines that facilitate mass shootings.

He also had the gall to insult the victims of the Pulse shooting, claiming that he’s not a homophobe. “Quite frankly I respect all people,” he said, adding, “we probably have a disagreement on the definition of marriage.”

It takes some nerve to throw in a dig at the murdered LGBT people at an event centered on their massacre. The meaning of Rubio’s statement is clear: straight people are better than queers. Gays are inferior. Those people who died didn’t deserve equal protection, and they didn’t deserve due process.

The Pulse shooting is complicated and the shooter’s motivations defy simple explanation. But anti-LGBT violence is still widespread, and it’s facilitated by demeaning comments like those still being made by Marco Rubio.

The Republican party likes to pretend that they’re on our side because they say they’d fight the regimes that put homosexuals to death. But that’s a lie. Given the option, they’d be right there on the rooftops throwing us over if they could.

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After Being Asked About His Sexuality, This Man Was Sprayed With Aerosol And Set On Fire

This week, a 20-year-old man from Cleveland, England was approached by a group of men who asked about his sexuality, abruptly sprayed him with an aerosol can, and set him on fire.

Related: Sleeping Gay Couple Has Boiling Water Poured On Them In A Homophobic Attack

The incident occurred while he was wandering the grounds of a church, and the resultant attack led to the victim receiving skin grafts in order to repair the burnt flesh on his calves.

In the early morning, while he was walking past Stockton’s Holt Trinity Church on Yarm Lane, four thugs stopped him and began inquiring about his sexuality orientation.

Related: The Heartbreaking Story Of The Mother Who Died Saving Her Son In Orlando Attack

“He ignored them and continued onto Parliament Street,” said a Cleveland Police spokeswoman, talking to the Hartlepool Mail. “One of the men then approached him from behind and sprayed an aerosol can at the victims legs which he then set alight, causing burns to the victim’s calves.”

Related: Authorities Claim The Bastille Day Killer Was Bisexual

That man is described as in his early 20s, with short blonde hair and medium build. Metro reports “he was bare chested at the time of the assault and wearing jogging bottoms.”

According to the spokeswoman, “Officers are treating this as a homophobic hate crime and are asking anyone with information to come forward and call police on 101.”

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/XZYO1UR-pWk/asked-sexuality-man-sprayed-aerosol-set-fire-20160721

RNC So Gay: Male Escorts Rake It In and Craigslist Sees Surge in Hook-Up Ads

Cleveland has been teeming with gay sex ever since the Republican National Convention came to town, according to reports.

Among those making Cleveland extra gay this week are male prostitutes who are in high demand among older, allegedly heterosexual male Republican delegates.

The New York Post reports: 

“Business has been way better. I’ve seen 10 clients so far,” one male escort said.

“Most of them were first-timers. You could tell they were nervous, but once they became more comfortable, they seemed to be having a good time.”

Another escort said he had already earned $1,600 since Monday — over six times the amount he usually makes.

“I normally only make $200 to $300, but I’ve been seeing lots of guys in hotels downtown,” he said, noting the boom in business near the Quicken Loans Arena.

The clientele has included mostly married white men between the ages of 40 and 50, said another escort who’s seen eight johns so far.

One escort added that he wasn’t surprised by the surge in business, saying, “The Republicans have a lot of delegates in the closet, let’s put it that way.”

Also booming this week in Cleveland, is the traffic on Craigslist’s “men seeking men” personal ads. The Daily Dot reports: 

It seems like every man who’s in Cleveland for the RNC wants to have hot gayanal sex with another dude—or preferably, a giant man-on-man muscle orgy of conservative lobbyists in suits and ties (with maybe the butts cut out of the pants, though).

Many of the Craigslist ads were written in sado-masochistic language, with a particularly competitive streak running through them. Locals and attendees were ready to use, or be used, mercilessly.

“You are visiting. You can act like the true bitch bottom you really are and the folks back home will know nothing,” wrote one domineering top who posted two consecutive ads seeking to fill some “little RNC holes.”

Photo via Mic/Craigslist

And while male escorts and MSM are experiencing a windfall thanks to the RNC, female prostitutes aren’t so lucky, as The Post points out:

When contacted by The Post, females for hire said they’re making much less money than normal.

“Has business been better for me? Honestly, no,” one woman said before abruptly hanging up the phone.

And neither are Cleveland businesses in general. Via CBS News: 

Several blocks away, employees at newly opened Coastal Taco say the supposed Republican National Convention economic boom has been a bust.

“We’ve sent people home, take the night off,” said managing partner Erin Clyde. They staffed up and extended hours, which was apparently unnecessary.

“I mean it’s going to be great, it’s going to be this huge windfall, and you know it hasn’t been,” Clyde said. “In fact it’s been a little bit of a ghost town.”

Heightened security concerns and Donald Trump’s controversial candidacy turned away millions of dollars in corporate sponsorship. That meant fewer parties with rented-out restaurants, and less cash for businesses and employees.

[Craigslist photo via Mic]

The post RNC So Gay: Male Escorts Rake It In and Craigslist Sees Surge in Hook-Up Ads appeared first on Towleroad.

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FOX News Founder Roger Ailes Officially Resigns

Roger Ailes, the beleaguered head of FOX News, resigned on Thursday after it was widely reported earlier in the week that he was being ousted over allegations of sexual harassment. Those allegations were first brought by former anchor Gretchen Carlson and may have been corroborated by network star Megyn Kelly.

21st Century Fox issued a statement saying Rupert Murdoch will step in to fill Ailes’ shoes in the short term.

Via The Hollywood Reporter: 

The announcement said he’ll step down immediately, with Rupert Murdoch assuming the role of chairman and acting CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

Terms of the exit agreement have not been released, but Gabriel Sherman, New York magazine’s Ailes chronicler, reports that the embattled executive may get a massive $60 million payout to walk away. That sum is considerably more than the $40 million that sources tell THR that the 76-year-old owed on his current contract that originally extended into 2018.

Ailes’ exit marks the end of an era at Fox News Channel, the cable news landscape overall and at 21st Century Fox, where the news chief has enjoyed a long and close relationship with Rupert Murdoch. It was Murdoch’s idea to start a conservative cable news network more than 20 years ago, tapping Ailes, who shared Murdoch’s conservative ideology, to execute it.

From Murdoch’s official statement: 

“Roger Ailes has made a remarkable contribution to our company and our country.  Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years.

Fox News has given voice to those who were ignored by the traditional networks and has been one of the great commercial success stories of modern media.

It is always difficult to create a channel or a publication from the ground up and against seemingly entrenched monopolies.  To lead a flourishing news channel, and to build Fox Business, Roger has defied the odds.

The post FOX News Founder Roger Ailes Officially Resigns appeared first on Towleroad.

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NBA Pulls All-Star Game From Charlotte Because Of Anti-LGBT Law

The game was expected to bring $100 million to Charlotte.

The post NBA Pulls All-Star Game From Charlotte Because Of Anti-LGBT Law appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/sports/2016/07/21/3800824/nba-pulls-all-star-game-hb2/

NBA Stands up for LGBTQ Equality with All-Star Game Move, Citing Hostile Environment Created by HB2

Today, HRC and Equality NC, the statewide organization working to secure equal rights and justice for LGBTQ North Carolinians, hailed the NBA’s decision to stand up to North Carolina lawmakers who refused to repeal HB2 by pulling its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, NC. Despite the NBA’s repeated warnings that it would have to consider moving the high-profile game out of the state if the anti-LGBTQ law was not repealed, the state’s General Assembly shamefully adjourned after 100 days of inaction earlier this month.

“Today the NBA and Commissioner Silver sent a clear message that they won’t stand for discrimination against LGBTQ employees, players or fans,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The NBA repeatedly warned state lawmakers that their hateful HB2 law created an inhospitable environment for their 2017 All-Star Game and other events. Nevertheless, Governor McCrory, Senator Berger and Speaker Moore doubled down on HB2 and refused to undo their discriminatory and costly error in judgment. Every day that HB2 remains on the books, people across North Carolina are at risk of real harm. We appreciate the leadership of the NBA in standing up for equality and call once again on lawmakers to repeal this vile HB2 law.”

“North Carolina General Assembly leadership and Governor McCrory repeatedly ignored the warning bells as businesses, conferences and entertainers left the state. From the beginning, NBA leadership has been clear that HB2 creates an untenable situation and jeopardizes the safety and comfort of their fans. The withdraw of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte came as the NBA took a principled stand against the discriminatory HB2 and the failure to repeal HB2 by Senate Leader Berger, Speaker Moore and Governor McCrory,” said Equality NC Executive Director Chris Sgro. “When the City of Charlotte passed vital LGBT protections from discrimination last year, they made themselves a more competitive city for events like the All-Star Game. McCrory, Berger, and Moore have continued to put North Carolina in economic harm’s way with the worst anti-LGBT bill in the nation, despite the best efforts of Charlotte city leaders to keep the game. We applaud the NBA for its commitment to all fans, and hope that North Carolina’s leadership will heed this wakeup call and repeal HB2 before we suffer even more as a state.”

The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned its short session earlier this month after refusing to repeal HB2, and it is not scheduled to reconvene until January — leaving tens of thousands of people at risk for discrimination and harm over the months to come. Lawmakers made only one tweak to the deeply discriminatory law, restoring the right to sue in state court based on the limited number of characteristics that already were protected by state law. Despite widespread opposition to HB2, the General Assembly has been unwilling to even consider repealing the substance of the discriminatory law, including its ban on transgender people accessing restrooms consistent with their gender identity in government offices and schools, and its removal of municipalities’ ability to pass LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination laws and minimum wage ordinances.

The economic fallout from HB2 has also continued, as companies concerned with protecting their consumers and employees have moved conventions, trainings, operations, and productions out of state. Just yesterday, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called the bill “embarrassing” and North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said it “appalled” and “embarrassed” him.

In the nearly four months since Governor McCrory and state lawmakers rammed HB2 into law, the outcry has continued to grow:

• More than 200 major CEOs and business leaders signed an open letter calling for full repeal of HB2 — including many of North Carolina’s largest employers.
• Major film studios and corporations, from PayPal to Deutsche Bank, have stopped investments in the state because of the new law’s threat to employees and consumers. Conventions have withdrawn from the state, taking substantial revenue with them. Since the law has been in effect, the Tar Heel State has already taken a hit of at least $329.9 million in lost business, and in taxpayer money used to defend the measure — including funding Gov. Pat McCrory’s road trips to explain why he signed discrimination into law.
• Artists including Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Dead & Company, and Cyndi Lauper have spoken out.
• Under HB2, North Carolina cities also no longer qualify to host NCAA events because the organization announced it will no longer hold its events, including the Final Four, in cities that do not have LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination laws. And following the spirit of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order banning publicly funded, non-essential travel to North Carolina, Albany cancelled their Nov. 12 game against Duke.
• In May, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit in federal court, stating that HB2’s state-mandated discrimination against transgender people, including government workers and students, violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Violence Against Women Act of 2011.
• Joined by 68 major companies, HRC filed an amicus brief in support of DOJ’s effort to block some of the most egregious and discriminatory components of HB2.

www.hrc.org/blog/nba-stands-up-for-lgbtq-equality-with-all-star-game-move-citing-hostile-env?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Dump Trump: As RNC Convention Plays Out in Cleveland, HRC Unveils New Website

With the RNC Convention in its finalday, HRC has unveiled a new website detailing Donald Trump’s dangerous positions on issues of LGBTQ equality.

We have seen so much progress for the LGBTQ community under the leadership of President Barack Obama, and it all could be reversed by a Donald Trump presidency. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has attacked, belittled and maligned anyone and everyone he considers different.

Here are just a few ways that Donald Trump has threatened to roll back LGBTQ equality:

• Vowed to rescind marriage equality and — with a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court — pledged to appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices who would overturn last year’s historic ruling;

• Has vowed to sign the so-called “First Amendment Defense Act,” which would allow individuals, many businesses and nonprofit organizations to circumvent critical federal protections and blatantly discriminate against LGBTQ families;

• Would support anti-LGBTQ governors like North Carolina’s Pat McCrory or Indiana’s Mike Pence when they write discrimination into state law;

• Has pledged to repeal President Obama’s executive orders, which include protections for LGBTQ employees of federal contractors;

• Has verbally attacked women, immigrants, Muslims, people of color, people living with disabilities, asylum seekers and others for political gain.

What’s more, Trump’s record on LGBTQ equality stands in stark contrast with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has stood with the LGBTQ community, has pledged to protect our hard-fought protections and proposed the most robust LGBTQ equality agenda of anyone running for president.

In recent weeks, Donald Trump has reaffirmed his opposition to transgender equality, appeared alongside Tony Perkins — leader of SPLC-designated hate group the Family Research Council — and delusionally bragged about fictional support from the LGBTQ community in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. His false claims about his own support are belied by his own long record of opposing LGBTQ equality.

Now, Trump has doubled down on his anti-LGBTQ agenda by putting Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on the ticket. Pence became a national disgrace in 2015 for his “license to discriminate” bill that could have allowed businesses to deny service to LGBTQ people — and for subsequently defending the bill after an outcry from the business community and a majority of Hoosier voters. In a now notorious interview with ABC last year, Pence refused to answer eight separate times when asked whether businesses should be able to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

Pence’s discriminatory bill had enormous consequences for the business and economic health of Indiana after a flood of companies spoke out against his bill. Indianapolis’s nonprofit tourism agency estimated that in their city alone, Pence’s anti-LGBTQ bill cost up to 12 conventions and $60 million in lost revenue. Polling conducted by HRC after the 2015 fight found that 75 percent of Hoosiers said the debate was bad for the state’s economy and 70 percent of those surveyed said they opposed the law.

Today, Hoosiers have strongly negative feelings toward Pence. In a recent poll, only 40 percent approved of his job performance and 42 percent disapproved.

Visit www.hrc.org/dumptrump to learn more about why Donald Trump is unfit for the presidency.

www.hrc.org/blog/dump-trump-as-rnc-convention-plays-out-in-cleveland-hrc-unveils-new-website?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Meet 5 LGBTQ-Supportive Republican Members of Congress Who Skipped the Party’s Convention

There’s been much written about all of the prominent Republicans who skipped the party’s convention in Cleveland this week. Former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush aren’t there. The two most recent presidential nominees, Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain, aren’t there either.

Nearly two dozen senators have skipped out, as have many House members.

But why? Some are facing tough re-election bids in the fall and chose to stay home to focus on their own campaigns. Still others offered more candid rejections of Trump’s candidacy. “I’ve got to mow my lawn,” said Ariz. Sen. Jeff Flake, while Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse planned to watch Dumpster fires with his kids instead.

We know that several LGBTQ-supportive Republican public officials have also declined to attend the convention, though some have kept their reasons to themselves. Meet five of them:

1. Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk’s leadership on LGBTQ equality includes his co-sponsorship of the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing civil rights laws that ban discrimination in employment, housing, public spaces, education, credit, federal funding and jury service. He also co-sponsored the Safe Schools Improvement Act, which would help schools address bullying.

   Kirk, who was endorsed for re-election by HRC earlier this year, supported the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” voted for numerous HIV/AIDS funding measures, voted twice against the Federal Marriage Amendment that would have outlawed same-sex marriage, and served as the lead Republican co-sponsor of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act

   In June, Kirk rescinded his endorsement of Trump.

   “. . . I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for President regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party,” Kirk said.

   “After much consideration, I have concluded that Donald Trump has not demonstrated the temperament necessary to assume the greatest office in the world,” he said.

2. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker stood up for equality earlier this month when he signed into law bipartisan legislation extending crucial protections to the transgender community. State law already prohibited discrimination against transgender people in housing and employment, and the new law extends these same crucial protections to public accommodations, such as access to restaurants, malls, restrooms, and locker rooms.

   When asked why he was skipping the convention, Baker said, “I think I can be a lot more effective here than I would be there.”
    

3. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has a long history of supporting equal rights for the LGBTQ community. In 2011, over the course of a few weeks, he signed bills into law that codified prohibitions against discrimination in public accommodations and housing and expanded the state’s anti-discrimination laws in employment to cover gender identity or expression.

   In 2014, he signed legislation adding gender identity and expression to the state’s hate crimes law, and that same year, he announced he would oppose attempts to delay marriage equality in the state.

   Sandoval declined to give a reason for skipping the 2016 Republican National Convention.
    

4. Earlier this year, Illinois Rep. Bob Dold became the first Republican member of the House of Representatives to endorse the Equality Act. Dold also supports marriage equality and voted to uphold President Obama’s executive order on Discrimination Against LGBT Federal Contractors. In June of 2015, Dold joined 60 Republican members of the House to uphold President Obama’s executive order on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

   Dold, who was endorsed for re-election by HRC, says he is avoiding the convention because he does not support Donald Trump.

   “I am not going to be supportive of Donald Trump,” he said.” For me, it’s a very personal thing.”

   Dold was particularly offended when Trump said that Sen. John McCain, who was once captured as a prisoner of war, was not a war hero.

   “My uncle was the second one shot down,” Dold says. “He spent eight years and a day in a prison in Vietnam. So, if anybody wants to say that his service to our country is anything less than heroic is unacceptable.”

5. Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has long been a crucial Republican ally of equality and stands out as the first Republican member of Congress to support marriage equality.

   She earned a perfect score on the HRC Congressional Scorecard. As one of the leading voices on LGBT equality in Congress, she has been adamant in her support for LGBT young people, including her support of non-discrimination protections, anti-bullying and harassment policies, and her opposition to the shameful practice of so-called “conversion therapy.”

   Ros-Lehtinen did not share a reason for skipping the Republican National Convention but said previously that she would not vote for Donald Trump.

www.hrc.org/blog/meet-5-lgbtq-supportive-republican-members-of-congress-who-skipped-the-part?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

NBA says no to discrimination, moves 2017 All-Star game from North Carolina

www.glaad.org/blog/nba-says-no-discrimination-moves-2017-all-star-game-north-carolina