Lance Bass talks Finding Prince Charming, Pride, expressions of love and more

www.glaad.org/blog/lance-bass-talks-finding-prince-charming-pride-expressions-love-and-more

Watch This Queer Black Poet Dismantle Racist Myth That 'All Lives Matter' (Video)

“Ask if your comfort means that ’round the corner a man is dead because a cop mistook his body for a gun,” says spoken word artist Danez Smith. 

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/7/21/watch-queer-black-poet-dismantle-racist-myth-all-lives-matter-video

That Awkward Moment When Ted Cruz Is Your Enemy's Enemy

Liberals must refrain from the urge to cheer on the Texas senator for standing up to Trump.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/7/21/awkward-moment-when-ted-cruz-your-enemys-enemy

Florida Principal Calls for Death to Gays After Seeing Outsports’ Cyd Zeigler Kissing Husband

A principal at a Florida school responded to a picture of OutSports editor Cyd Zeigler kissing his husband by calling for gay people to “be put to death”, just hours after the massacre at the Orlando gay nightclub Pulse.

Zeigler shared the photo of him and husband Dan Pinar kissing on Facebook “in the hope of reminding my personal network of the love in the world.”

Shortly thereafter, Steve Kenney, a principal at Center Academy in Pinellas Park, Florida, posted a comment on the photo saying, “sick.”

He then went on to post a passage from Leviticus calling for gays to be put to death.

As the above screenshot indicates, this post came just one day after the murder of 49 people at Pulse.

It was after receiving this threatening comment that Zeigler cliked onto Kenney’s page and realized he was a principal, a fact that stunned him:

I wondered how an educator of young minds — a school principal — could not only think such terrible things about gay people, but go a step further and post them on a stranger’s loving photo only hours after the massacre.

I am a frequent and outspoken advocate for disenfranchised young people — someone who cares deeply about making sure that every kid feels included regardless of sexual orientation (or anything else that makes them different from the mainstream). As such, the insensitivity of this school principal was beyond my ability to grasp.

To make matters worse, Kenney’s school, a non-religious institution, caters to special-needs students, who Zeigler writes, “aren’t just impressionable, they are some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

Zeigler reached out to Center Academy CEO Andrew Hicks to inform him of Kenney’s posts. Though Kenney deleted his posts and promised not to make any such anti-gay comments online in the future, the school repeatedly ignored Zeigler’s follow-ups asking to open a dialogue at the school to discuss anti-LGBT hate. That led Zeigler to call Kenney and Hicks out.

Says Zeigler,

What bothers me most is my concern that, without education about inclusion and a community of watchdog administrators and parents encouraging tolerance, Kenney’s expressed bigotry could seep into choices he is making for his school. […]

I want the parents and administration to be very aware of this issue. I want them to be the eyes and ears on the ground watching Kenney’s decisions. I want them to make sure that every LGBT student in that school feels included, and that programs are set up in Center Academy to ensure that Kenney’s statements about gay people being “sick” don’t dictate school policy or programs.

I want Kenney to introduce an LGBT speaker at a school assembly. I want Kenney to shake the hand of a gay athlete sharing her story with the athletic department.

[Top photo via Facebook]

The post Florida Principal Calls for Death to Gays After Seeing Outsports’ Cyd Zeigler Kissing Husband appeared first on Towleroad.

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Mister Wallace Shows the World How an ‘It Girl’ Moves: WATCH

Mister Wallace, a Brooklyn-based queer rapper with a new EP called “Faggot”, is not here for your limitations.

He whickers musically through his upbeat new video “It Girl” in a rapid-fire sequence of gender-fluid looks ranging from salvage yard hustler to Empire State siren — a naughty tease with moves that seduce.

Said Mister Wallace to The Fader:

“It became clear to me that before I could realize any dream of being a successful artist, I was more likely to become world famous for being gunned down by a racist cop under the protection of the law. I started to imagine how my image would be used by the media to perpetuate this horrific narrative to younger people and it sent me over the edge. ‘It Girl’ became my anthem and it kept me alive at a time when lovers and employers felt my blackness and my queerness had gone too far from what’s acceptable to mainstream society. My hope is that this song, my truth, gives you LIFE and inspires you to appreciate the lives of those who look and feel like me.”

The clip was directed by Ahmed Ibrahim and shot in 10 hours with a budget of $400.

Of his inspirations, Mister Wallace told Towleroad: “I’m really inspired by the model Shaun D Ross. His use of his body in fashion modeling and runway modeling shows true perseverance in the face of unrealistic beauty expectations. He also vogues down!”

Added Ibrahim to Fader: “We made this video for those who still find glamor and dignity even in their worst conditions.”

Enjoy:

Listen to his full EP below:

The post Mister Wallace Shows the World How an ‘It Girl’ Moves: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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Milo Yiannopoulos in Talks for Reality TV Show, Movie Following Twitter Ban – WATCH

Homocon Milo Yiannopoulos says he is in talks to have his own reality TV show and movie after being banned from Twitter earlier this week.

Twitter made the decision to ban Yiannopoulos after he harassed Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones with racist Tweets.

Via The Hollywood Reporter: 

“I have a couple of deals on the table I’m thinking about,” Yiannopoulos said. “We are currently considering a reality show, we are currently considering a feature-length movie.”

The right-wing firebrand wouldn’t reveal details of either project, but said that there will be video cameras aboard his bus during his “Dangerous Faggot” tour, where he preaches conservatism on college campuses. His next tour kicks off in September and will take him to 26 campuses.

PREVIOUSLY: ‘Gays for Trump’ Homocon Milo Yiannopoulos Banned Permanently from Twitter for Racist Tweets at Leslie Jones

Yiannopoulos, who also writes for right-wing site Breitbart, said that Twitter’s decision to ban him was politically motivated and hinted that Jones was playing the victim:

“We all get this stuff, but only some people play it for currency, use it as a weapon,” he said. “I want to crack jokes about people. That is my right.”

If Twitter changed course and decided to allow Yiannopoulos to re-join, Yiannopoulos said, “I may deign to return.”

Yiannopoulos has been garnering attention at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland after he hosted a “Gays for Trump” party that was a startling celebration of anti-Islamist bigotry.

RELATED: There Was a ‘Gays for Trump’ Party at the RNC and It Was Absolutely Insane – VIDEOS, PHOTOS

Yiannopoulos was also in the news on Wednesday after a confrontation took place between producers of The Daily Show and an attendee of his “Gays for Trump” party. The Daily Show was interviewing one such gay for Trump and a fellow Republican decided to record the recording of the interview, believing The Daily Show would “slice and dice” the young man’s words into something embarrassing. More via THR:

“The Daily Show likes to slice and dice,” Yiannopoulos said, adding that he presumed their agenda was to suggest that “gay conservatives are broken, self-loathing weirdos.”

“What we did was turn the camera on them,” he said. “All’s we wanted to do was look at what The Daily Show ends up broadcasting and look at what actually happened and let people judge for themselves.”

Watch Yiannopoulos’ Facebook Live interview with THR, below.

The post Milo Yiannopoulos in Talks for Reality TV Show, Movie Following Twitter Ban – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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What You Need to Know About the Anti-LGBTQ Alliance Defending Freedom

The so-called Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — the nation’s largest anti-LGBTQ legal group — has thousands of lawyers working to pass hateful, discriminatory laws throughout the country. The Washington Post today reported on new emails which reveal ADF authored Mississippi’s notorious HB1523 law, which has given license to almost any individual or organization to discriminate against LGBTQ people. The law, which has been temporarily blocked while LGBTQ civil rights lawyer Robbie Kaplan fights it in court, is one of the worst and most aggressive anti-equality laws in the nation.

Here are five things you need to know about the dangerous Alliance Defending Freedom:

1) Pushes Aggressively Anti-Transgender Message
After the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights ruled that an Illinois high school broke non-discrimination laws after refusing to grant a transgender student access to the restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity, the Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit against the DOE.

“ADF is arguing that the school district’s restroom policy and its locker room agreement with DOE violate the students’ constitutional privacy rights as well as the federal law known as Title IX,” the ADF explained. “ADF is also arguing that DOE’s action—redefining ‘sex’ to including ‘gender identity’ and telling schools that they must let males use the girls’ facilities, and vice versa—is illegal.”

2) Has Large Budget to Help Export Hate Worldwide
The Alliance Defending Freedom has an annual budget of more than $54 million, according to the Washington Blade. It is active in 31 countries around the globe aiding anti-LGBTQ forces in favor of criminalization laws, such as keeping laws in place that put people in jail for partaking in consensual same-sex sexual relations and defending existing anti-sodomy and anti-homosexuality laws.

3) Doesn’t Believe in Women’s Rights, Either
For years the Alliance Defending Freedom has attacked and tried to defund Planned Parenthood. The anti-choice group panders to the public with false claims such as Planned Parenthood sells “baby body parts” and that its primary purpose is to perform abortions.

4) Defends Bullying
As schools work to prevent harmful bullying – particularly against LGBTQ youth – the Alliance Defending Freedom has defended the bullies by targeting school districts for teaching tolerance. Preaching disgraced anti-LGBTQ myths, the ADF tried to block “efforts to indoctrinate our society into supporting homosexual behavior.”

5) Backs Religious Freedom Restoration Acts and Anti-LGBTQ Business Owners
Religious Freedom Restoration Acts have been used to justify discrimination and bigotry. The Alliance Defending Freedom states on its site that it “advocates for your right to freely live out your faith,” AKA it supports those who discriminate against the LGBTQ community under the guise of personal religious beliefs. While rejecting equal rights for LGBTQ people, the ADF also claims that the separation of church and state is a “false understanding of the First Amendment.”

www.hrc.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-anti-lgbtq-alliance-defending-freedom?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Pharmacists Work to Support LGBTQ Patients

Post submitted by Jennifer L. Mathews, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wegmans School of Pharmacy, St. John Fisher College. Mathews recently worked with HRC Foundation on  two resources: “Providing LGBTQ-Inclusive Care and Services At Your Pharmacy” and “The LGBTQ Patient’s Guide to Pharmacy Care.”

Over the past decade, we have seen many positive changes related to the pharmacist’s role in patient-centered care and the beginnings of conversations and training specifically related to care for LGBTQ patients.  However, most pharmacists still receive little or no formal education on LGBTQ patients.

Pharmacists are on the front lines of providing quality, affirming care, which is why training is so important. Within the Wegmans School of Pharmacy we begin this early, in the first year of the program. Students are introduced to terminology and provided with opportunities to interact with LGBTQ patients in an environment that allows them to ask questions and receive feedback from the very patients they may encounter later in their careers. We provide similar training for our community preceptors, the pharmacists who provide the hands-on training for our students out in the pharmacies.  However, this represents a small fraction of the pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists across the country.

A recent paper that evaluated LGBTQ health education in pharmacy school curricula found that less than half of the schools that responded reported having LGBTQ content in the required curriculum. When these topics were covered most programs had one to three hours allotted within the curriculum and the topics most frequently taught were HIV and STIs. Most programs reported that little faculty development was provided for teaching LGBTQ health content.

To help reach all the pharmacists who did not receive LGBTQ competency training in their pharmacy programs, I took a sabbatical last fall to work with HRC Foundation’s Health and Aging program to develop a resource guide for pharmacists and pharmacy staff on providing LGBTQ inclusive care and services. The guide provides information on creating a welcoming environment within the pharmacy setting as well and highlights healthcare barriers and disparities within the LGBTQ patient population.

Pharmacists have a unique role within the healthcare system as one of the most accessible providers.  However, many patients don’t always recognize the important role that a pharmacist can play as a partner in their healthcare.  That is why I worked with HRC to also develop a consumer guide to help LGBTQ patients utilize their pharmacists as a resource in navigating the healthcare system, proper use of medications and information on preventative care.

Pharmacists who provide affirming care to LGBTQ patients will naturally encourage an open dialogue with their patients.  I hope these guides help pharmacists and patients to foster a relationship to ensure the best possible health outcomes. 

www.hrc.org/blog/pharmacists-work-to-support-lgbtq-patients?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: July 21, 2016

TONIGHT AT THE RNC: DON’S NEXT CON: If last night was any indication, watch for Donald Trump to try to (falsely) rebrand himself as an ally to the LGBTQ community. Here’s the reality — Trump opposes marriage equality; endorses Kim Davis-style discrimination; defends vile laws like HB2 in North Carolina; will appoint an anti-LGBTQ Supreme Court justice; campaigns with leaders of hate groups; and spews hatred toward anybody he considers different. Trump’s decision to put an anti-equality candidate like Mike Pence on the ticket only confirms what a disaster he would be for the community and what a grave threat the Trump-Pence ticket poses to LGBTQ equality.

• As Pence accepted the VEEP nomination, The Daily Beast noted that his support for so-called “conversion therapy” means that “for the first time in our presidential history, a major party candidate and a major party support child abuse, even child torture, as part of their platform.”
• A new survey illustrates how out of step the Republican Party is with its own members – only 37 percent want a presidential candidate who opposes marriage equality.
• In an editorial titled “GOP’s Anti-LGBTQ Platform Will Make America Less Great Again,” the NJ.com editorial board rips the GOP for disregarding the power of the LGBTQ vote; Gawker puts the platform in context with the party’s history.
• Television star Montel Williams blasted the GOP on CNN yesterday for shutting out minorities, including members of the LGBTQ community. More from Media Matters.

DUKE AND NC STATE HOOPS COACHES DENOUNCE DISCRIMINATORY HB2 AS EMBARRASSING, APPALLING:  Legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is taking the men’s U.S. Olympic basketball team to Brazil, and NC State coach Mark Gottfried are strongly condemning NC Gov. Pat McCrory’s discriminatory HB2 law as embarrassing, frustrating and appalling. Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils recently had to adjust their schedule when the University of Albany team backed out of a game in NC because of HB2. “I’m against any law that allows discrimination, whether that’s based on race, gender, sexual orientation,” Gottfried told USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t understand how someone can support this.” Said Krzyzewski: “It’s an embarrassing bill.” Read more here.

POWERFUL VIDEO FEATURES PROUD DADS OF TRANSGENDER CHILDREN: The HRC Foundation released a first-of-its-kind web video exclusively featuring fathers of transgender children describing their experiences. The video highlights the fear and hurt their families face due to anti-transgender prejudice and policies. In an emotional op-ed in TIME Magazine, one of the fathers, Wayne Maines, writes about his recent decision to leave the Republican Party due to its anti-trans positions, “I worry because […] some Republican politicians have decided that it’s good politics to target a vulnerable group of people that includes my daughter.” Watch the Dads for Transgender Equality video here.

OUTRAGEOUS — SCHOOL DISTRICT ALLEGEDLY FORCED TRANS STUDENT TO WEAR GREEN BRACELET: A transgender boy in Wisconsin has filed a federal lawsuit against the Kenosha Unified School District for denying him access to the boys restroom. School staff and security were instructed to prevent the student from using the boys restroom. The suit alleges that the district also proposed he and other transgender students to wear green bracelets identifying them as transgender. This gross violation of rights goes against the Departments of Education and Justice’s guidance directing public schools to allow transgender students to use facilities that correspond with their gender identity. “Everything about this is troubling,” HRC President Chad Griffin tweeted. “Trans students should be supported, not targeted & mistreated, in our schools.” More from WISN.

• Meanwhile in Maryland: A transgender boy has also filed a federal lawsuit asserting that he’s not able to join the school soccer team because school officials are preventing him from using the boys locker room. More from ThinkProgress.

HRC MOURNS US REP. MARK TAKAI, D-HI: HRC President Chad Griffin: “[We are] saddened to learn of the death of Rep. Mark Takai, a champion of LGBTQ equality. Our hearts go out to his family.” Takai, 49, a first-term Member of Congress, died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  He leaves behind his wife, Sami Takai, their children Matthew, 14, and Kaila, 13, and parents Erik and Naomi.

ELTON JOHN PLEDGES MILLIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL FIGHT AGAINST AIDS: At the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa, Elton John announced that the Elton John AIDS Foundation has joined the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to create a $10 million AIDS fund to provide relief for LGBTQ people living under homophobic regimes. Recipients of the fund’s first grants are the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and the Global Forum on MSM & HIV. Read more here.

PENTAGON DETAILS RULES FOR TRANS MILITARY PERSONNEL: The Pentagon has issued new protocol for service members undergoing transition-related care. More from Military.com.

LGBTQ SPENDING POWER NEARS $1 TRILLION: New analysis shows that LGBTQ Americans have the estimated purchasing power of $917 billion, according to the LGBTQ marketing agency Witeck Communications. More from Bloomberg.

READING RAINBOW

NBC News reports how Third Eye Blind trolled the RNC to speak out on LGBTQ rights; HRC shares LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books; National Catholic Reporter meets the first openly-LGBTQ United Methodist bishop; Queerty points out seven anti-LGBTQ moments from vice presidential nominee Mike Pence; Advocate flies into Comic-Con 2016 with an official LGBTQ guide; Campus Reform introduces the second annual summit for LGBTQ seniors, “Gay and Gray”; Variety announces that the Nickelodeon show “Loud House” will feature a married same-sex couple; and The Tennessean chronicles how the Nashville Fire Department swiftly took action when a fire EMS chief spread anti-LGBTQ hatred.  

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-july-21-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed