Donald Trump Praises RNC Crowd for Cheering His Call to Protect LGBTQ People: WATCH

In his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president at tonight’s GOP convention in Cleveland, Donald Trump warned of the threat of “brutal Islamic terrorism” and used the massacre in Orlando to pivot to a mention of the LGBTQ community:

“Only weeks ago, in Orlando, Florida, 49 wonderful Americans were savagely murdered by an Islamic terrorist. This time, the terrorist targeted our LGBTQ community. As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology. Believe me.”

When the crowd got to their feet to cheer Trump’s statement, he went off script and praised them:

“And I have to say as a Republican it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said. Thank you.”

Trump: “I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens” t.co/8d8LKNLQhc pic.twitter.com/8orxzXAOVw

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 22, 2016

Sadly, LGBTQ people face more of a threat from the Republican Party itself.

The GOP platform includes provisions supporting state laws to restrict transgender rights on bathroom use, and support of conversion therapy for gay people. It also says “that ‘natural marriage’ between a man and a woman is most likely to result in offspring who do not become drug-addicted or otherwise damaged.” The platform calls for overturning the SCOTUS marriage decision and makes references to appointing judges ‘who respect traditional family values.’”

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Peter Thiel Tells RNC He’s ‘Proud to Be Gay’; GOP Platform Says That He Shouldn’t Be

Paypal billionaire Peter Thiel made some remarks about the culture wars tonight during his Republican Convention Speech and announced to the crowd that he is a gay Republican.

READ THIS: Peter Thiel: Billionaire RNC Speaker, Gay Man, and Guest of Neo-Fascist

But first he insulted transgender people:

“Now we’re told that the great debate is who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?”

Unclear if he’s saying “who cares?”— as in the fight over bathroom legislation is dumb— or “who cares?” as in he’s for transgender rights.

— Towleroad (@tlrd) July 22, 2016

And then he moved on to make an historic announcement (for a Republican convention), and notable because the GOP platform supports conversion therapy for gay people, among other hateful planks:

“I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all, I am proud to be an American.”

The platform includes provisions supporting state laws to restrict transgender rights on bathroom use, and support of conversion therapy for gay people. It also says “that ‘natural marriage’ between a man and a woman is most likely to result in offspring who do not become drug-addicted or otherwise damaged.” The platform calls for overturning the SCOTUS marriage decision and makes references to appointing judges ‘who respect traditional family values.’”

RELATED: 2016 GOP Platform Lays It Bare: Today’s Republican Party is an Anti-LGBT Hate Group

Added Thiel:

“I don’t pretend to agree with every plank in our party’s platform but fake culture wars only distract us from our country’s decline, and nobody in this campaign is being honest about it but Donald Trump.”

Watch:

Here’s the crowd’s reaction to Thiel’s ‘gay’ announcement:

A view from the floor of #RNCinCLE as @peterthiel says he’s proud to be gay. pic.twitter.com/IvgesNPSWT

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) July 22, 2016

However, it made American Family Association spokeshater Bryan Fischer very sad indeed:

The would-be First Family is all in for the anti-family LGBT agenda. May God help us. #GOPinCLE t.co/Z5P8bG7nii

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanJFischer) July 22, 2016

The post Peter Thiel Tells RNC He’s ‘Proud to Be Gay’; GOP Platform Says That He Shouldn’t Be appeared first on Towleroad.

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Clinton's VP Possibilities and Their LGBT Rights Records

The short list includes strong and middling supporters, plus an unknown quantity.

www.advocate.com/election/2016/7/21/clintons-vp-possibilities-and-their-lgbt-rights-records

Charles Kinsey Proves Black Men Don't Have the Option to De-Escalate

Charles Kinsey of North Miami has become the rare living proof that black men can do everything right when it comes to encounters with police, and still end up hospitalized — or worse. 

www.advocate.com/race/2016/7/21/charles-kinsey-proves-black-men-dont-have-option-de-escalate

Donald Trump's One Sore Point: Money, Says Comedian (Video)

Donald Trump doesn’t mind being called anything but bad with money, comic Jeff Ross tell Jimmy Kimmel. 

www.advocate.com/comedy/2016/7/21/donald-trumps-one-sore-point-money-says-comedian-video

Rocky Horror Picture Show, Green Wristbands, Milky Way Galaxy, Nazi Salute, #TrumpYourself: NEWS

TELEVISION. New trailer for The Rocky Horror Picture show remake on Fox.

007. Idris Elba says he thinks he’s too old to play James Bond. 

SPLURGE. Would you pay $2,000 for a Cronut? 

LOW MORALE. Some Republicans assembled for the RNC in Cleveland are somewhat less than enthusiastic about their nominee. 

WISCONSIN. Transgender student sues school district for discrimination: “The lawsuit, filed by the Transgender Law Center, alleges that guidance counselors were instructed to issue green wristbands* to transgender students at the school to make it easier to monitor their bathroom use. It also claims that Whitaker has been denied access to the boys’ restroom and that staff were directed to monitor him and report him to administrators if he used the boys’ restroom. Teachers also intentionally used his female birth name.” (*emphasis added)

TELEVISION. Wentworth Miller is gearing up for the reboot of Prison Break. 

YOUTUBE. Vlogger Sam Collins comes out as transgender: “’I felt like I was trapped in my body. It’s a very confusing thing,’ he admits, revealing that from ages 12 to 15 ‘I was just very, very depressed and very negative.’”

ROYAL TIES. Prince Harry and Elton John urge redoubling of fight HIV/AIDS in Africa: “The 31-year-old royal, evoking the memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, told delegates in Durban: ‘When my mother held the hands of a man dying of Aids in an east London hospital, no one imagined a quarter of a century later HIV-positive people would live full, healthy, loving lives.’”

#TRUMPYOURSELF. Hillary Clinton launches website where you can turn yourself into a meme using awful things Donald Trump has said about people like you: “The #TrumpYourself app lets you plug in a profile picture and “discover what @realDonaldTrump thinks about you.” It’s hosted through Clinton’s website, and is available to use with a donation to her campaign. The result is a potpourri of familiar phrases: “loser,” “hater,” “loser hater,” a line about Diet Coke and more.”

Introducing #TrumpYourself: Discover what @realDonaldTrump thinks about people like you. t.co/cSY7ozT4tr pic.twitter.com/KvVt2tGwFd

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 21, 2016

MILKY WAY GALAXY. “An enormous X-shaped structure made of stars” is reportedly at the heart of the Milky Way, scientists say: “The WISE image of the Milky Way bulge shows that the X-shaped nature of the Milky Way bulge is self-evident and irrefutable.”

ICYMI. Laura Ingraham gives what looks an awful lot like a Nazi salute at the RNC last night.

FOREIGN POLICY. Former UN Ambassador John Bolton (R) says Trump should take back his remarks about NATO.

ANIMALS. Superfluous adorableness because 2016.

Hero Carries Huge Dog In A Bag On The Subway To Cheer Everyone Up t.co/Rx0Ylq1QjI … (photo: @alexromano) pic.twitter.com/xn4OEkYdoW

— Gothamist (@Gothamist) July 21, 2016

TECH. Edward Snowden designs iPhone case that can detect snooping: “It’s called an ‘introspection engine,’ and it can sniff out the government-surveillance signals Snowden is famous for revealing.”

THURSDAY THIRST. Marlon Mckenzie.

The post Rocky Horror Picture Show, Green Wristbands, Milky Way Galaxy, Nazi Salute, #TrumpYourself: NEWS appeared first on Towleroad.

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LGBT People Won't Miss Roger Ailes, Who Resigned at Fox News

The powerful head of the right-wing cable news station is leaving amid sexual harrassment charges.

www.advocate.com/media/2016/7/21/lgbt-people-wont-miss-roger-ailes-who-resigned-fox-news