The GLAAD Wrap: Lily Tomlin to be honored by SAG, Daniel Franzese joins 'Conviction,' 'Gaycation' travels to Orlando

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-wrap-lily-tomlin-be-honored-sag-daniel-franzese-joins-conviction-gaycation-travels

Police Killing of Korryn Gaines Is 'Outrageous,' Says LGBT Org

The fact that nine black women were killed by police this year has one LGBT organization making a strong statement. 

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/8/05/police-killing-korryn-gaines-outrageous-says-lgbt-org

Lily Tomlin, Donald Trump, George Michael, Brazilian Model, TSA, DeRay Mckesson: HOT LINKS

TRUMP’S CABINET. Donald can’t name any women he’d put in it, aside from Ivanka: “I can tell you everybody would say, ‘Put Ivanka in, put Ivanka in,’ you know that, right?” Trump said. “She’s very popular, she’s done very well, and you know Ivanka very well. But there really are so many that are really talented people — like you, you’re so talented, but I don’t know if your viewers know that.”

DAVID DUKE. I’d be Trump’s biggest supporter in the Senate. “As a United States senator, nobody will be more supportive of his legislative agenda, his Supreme Court agenda than I will.”

2016 ELECTION. California GOP official resigns over Hillary ‘noose’ tweet. “An Inland Republican Party official resigned from his state government job Thursday, Aug. 4, a day after he sent tweets from the party’s official Twitter account that featured a menacing hangman and the words ‘I’m Ready for Hillary.’”

This was tweeted from the Riverside County GOP Twitter account @RPRC @HillaryClinton t.co/Ua52d9RmxO pic.twitter.com/aodh36H8Xg

— Jeff Horseman (@JeffHorseman) August 3, 2016

BATON ROUGE. Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson sues city over his arrest: “Mckesson was among nearly 200 protesters arrested in Baton Rouge following the July 5 shooting death of 37-year-old Alton Sterling. A class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court on behalf of Mckesson and two other arrested protesters, accuses the city and police officials of violating their civil rights and using excessive force.”

SAG. Lily Tomlin will be first openly gay person to receive Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. “Tomlin, who shot to movie fame in Nashville in 1975 and starred in 9 To 5 opposite Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, married Jane Wagner, her partner of 42 years, in 2013. She will be the 53rd recipient of the actors’ union’s highest honour, following in the footsteps of Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews and Elizabeth Taylor.”

PRAISE THE TSA. When they deserve it, like this time:

BUG BOUNTY. Catching fireflies for profit: “For over three decades, children across the U.S. spent their summers hunting fireflies #9, Issue #3, Page #18 | Earn Extra Money Catching Fireflies” href=”https://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=3562″>for profit. The Sigma Firefly Scientists’ Club, a subsidiary of the Sigma Chemical Company (now Sigma-Aldrich), paid kids a penny for each lightning bug they captured and returned to the company before quietly shuttering in the mid-1990s. Today, one of Sigma-Aldrich’s few remaining jars of desiccated firefly tails (lanterns) can be yours for the low, low price of 392USD. But what did they want all those fireflies for in the first place?”

APPLE. Company to hold first-ever bug bounty program: “While security has been a crucial part of its corporate narrative, Apple has quietly refused to pay for bug reports, at times frustrating security researchers who found it difficult to report flaws to the company. That changed today, as Apple’s head of security engineering and architecture, Ivan Krstic, announced to Black Hat attendees that Apple will begin offering cash bounties of up to $200,000 to researchers who discover vulnerabilities in its products.”

SLIP N SLIDE. Dog gets launched into lake.

FOOD THEFT. Internet chef says Burger King stole his Mac n Cheetos recipe: “If I could write an open letter to the fast food b—— I would tell them I love them and their artery clogging food, and if they want any help creating new exotic menu items to drop me a f—ing email.”

ADAM LAMBERT. George Michael’s “Faith”.

RED HOT IN RIO. Brazilian model Douglas Tavares.

The post Lily Tomlin, Donald Trump, George Michael, Brazilian Model, TSA, DeRay Mckesson: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

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Victim’s Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Houston Gay Bar Where He Was Murdered

The family of a man who was fatally shot outside a Houston gay bar last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the establishment’s owners.

Juan Carlo Ramirez (above), 22, was killed in a carjacking as he was leaving the popular F-Bar in the city’s Montrose gayborhood in the early morning hours of March 12, 2015.

The suit filed last month by Ramirez’s parents, Sergio Ramirez and Reinalda Rubio, alleges that owners Irwin Palchick and MK 202 Entertainment were negligent in failing to provide adequate security given that F-Bar is in a high-crime area.

Ramirez was carjacked as he was returning to his vehicle in the bar’s back parking lot, where his attackers had reportedly laid in wait. After Ramirez was shot, his friend “Chloe” ran back inside F-Bar to get help, but was kicked out by an employee, the lawsuit alleges. It would be 15 minutes before paramedics arrived, and Ramirez managed to walk 75 feet to near the bar’s entrance before collapsing.

“In January 2015 alone, just a few months before Juan died at F-Bar, there were one hundred and ninety-eight (198) thefts, robberies, and aggravated assaults in the area,” the suit states. “Club owners are well aware or should be aware of the security risks to their businesses and patrons. Despite these known risks, on the night Juan Carlos died, F-Bar did not have any security posted in the back of the club. F-Bar only had a doorman posted at the front entrance.”

Ramirez was one of two people shot in the same area that night, part of a violent crime wave that led to “Take Back Montrose” protests.

The suit seeks monetary damages of more than $1 million. Police later arrested two suspects, ages 15 and 16, and charged them with capital murder in Ramirez’s death.

The post Victim’s Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Houston Gay Bar Where He Was Murdered appeared first on Towleroad.

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Former CIA Chief Endorses Hillary, Says Trump Poses Threat to National Security

A former acting director of the CIA has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president and denounced Donald Trump as a threat to the United States’ national security.

In an op-ed for The New York Times, Michael J. Morell, who served as acting director of the CIA twice during the Obama administration and was at George W. Bush’s side on 9/11, says that while he has never made his politics public before, and has voted for and worked with both Republicans and Democrats, he is making his position clear this year because of the unique risk Donald Trump poses to the country.

Morell declared, “I will do everything I can to ensure that [Hillary Clinton] is elected as our 45th president.” Explaining his decision, he writes,

“Two strongly held beliefs have brought me to this decision. First, Mrs. Clinton is highly qualified to be commander in chief. I trust she will deliver on the most important duty of a president — keeping our nation safe. Second, Donald J. Trump is not only unqualified for the job, but he may well pose a threat to our national security.”

Morell worked with Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State. “I found her to be prepared, detail-oriented, thoughtful, inquisitive and willing to change her mind if presented with a compelling argument,” he says of Clinton. Seemingly aware of the media narrative that suggests Clinton puts political calculation above all else, Morell says,

“I never saw her bring politics into the Situation Room. In fact, I saw the opposite. When some wanted to delay the Bin Laden raid by one day because the White House Correspondents Dinner might be disrupted, she said, ‘Screw the White House Correspondents Dinner.’”

Morell also notes that Clinton was an early advocate for the raid against Bin Laden and suggested a policy on Syria that he believes would have prevented ISIS from taking a strong footing in that nation.

In assessing Trump, Morell suggests that the Republican nominee is dangerous because of his “need for self-aggrandizement, his overreaction to perceived slights, his tendency to make decisions based on intuition, his refusal to change his views based on new information, his routine carelessness with the facts, his unwillingness to listen to others and his lack of respect for the rule of law.”

Morell argues that Trump has already put America’s national security at risk by playing into the hands of Vladimir Putin. Trump has, in essence, become Putin’s puppet, according to Morell:

“President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was a career intelligence officer, trained to identify vulnerabilities in an individual and to exploit them. That is exactly what he did early in the primaries. Mr. Putin played upon Mr. Trump’s vulnerabilities by complimenting him. He responded just as Mr. Putin had calculated.”

RELATED – Donald Trump Tells Russia to Find Hillary Clinton’s 30,000 Missing Emails: WATCH

Morell sums up the Trump-Putin love affair thus: “In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.”

As for Trump’s proposed ‘Muslim ban’, Morell warns that it “plays into the hands of the jihadist narrative that our fight against terrorism is a war between religions”–to say nothing of it flying in the face of the principles that founded our nation.

Morell concludes, “My training as an intelligence officer taught me to call it as I see it. This is what I did for the CIA. This is what I am doing now. Our nation will be much safer with Hillary Clinton as president.”

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#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: August 5, 2016

UGANDAN POLICE RAID LGBTQ PRIDE EVENT: Yesterday, the Ugandan police raided a peaceful LGBTQ pride event in Kampala, the country’s capital. Police arrested several participants, who were subsequently released, including activists Frank Mugisha and Pepe Onziema of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). “The violent raid and arrest of LGBTQ leaders attending a Uganda Pride event is an affront to the universal freedom to peaceably assemble and to the basic dignity of LGBTQ Ugandans,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Ugandan authorities must stop targeting and persecuting LGBTQ people.” HRC has called for the police responsible for the raid to be held accountable for their violent actions.  Read more about longtime anti-LGBTQ Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and his discriminatory policies here. More from BuzzFeed.

HB2 HAMMERING NC SMALL BUSINESSES: In a sobering op-ed for the Charlotte News & Observer, Chris Armstrong, director of special initiatives at Small Business Majority, writes that the state’s discriminatory HB2 law is not just bad for LGBTQ people, it’s also bad for the state’s nearly 800,000 small businesses. He notes that the NBA’s decision to move its 2017 All Star game out of the state — an estimated loss of $100 million to NC — is just the latest blow caused by HB2. “Small-business owners keep North Carolina’s economy strong,” Armstrong writes, “but they can’t do that if they can’t keep talented employees and loyal customers — and HB2 is driving away both.” More from News & Observer. Meanwhile, Trump supporter NJ Gov. Chris Christie is just fine with HB2’s anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

• With marquee events like the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four on the line, The Houston Chronicle urges Texas lawmakers and voters to pay attention to the fallout over HB2.
• Citing HB2, the American Physical Society is canceling its 2018 conference scheduled for Charlotte. More from The Charlotte Observer.
• Troubling: Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools put trans student protections on hold in wake of Gavin Grimm SCOTUS decision: Superintendent Ann Clarke says the system has placed a temporary hold on a bullying prevention regulation giving transgender students access to restroom and locker room facilities corresponding to their gender identity. More here.

DON’T MISS HRC’s @SARAHEMCBRIDE TAKE DOWN CLINT EASTWOOD: Following Clint Eastwood’s defense of Donald Trump and his hateful policies, HRC’s Sarah McBride schooled the actor in a viral tweet storm. More from Attn:.

• Tim Kaine gives shout out to McBride: While campaigning in North Carolina, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Senator Tim Kaine referenced McBride’s history-making DNC speech — she’s the first transgender person to address a major party convention — and her reminder of the unfinished work in the fight for LGBTQ equality. More from Queerty and watch here.

ORLANDO SHOOTING INSPIRES GOP SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ PROTECTIONS: Nearly two dozen Republican officials in Central Florida have signed a non-binding resolution supporting efforts to “pass legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identification.” More from Orlando Sentinel.  

• Angel Colon thought he would never walk again after being shot six times at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, but he’s back on his feet and dancing. Get your tissues ready and watch at The Advocate.

THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE: Feminist-in-Chief Barack Obama used his birthday yesterday to give us a present — writing in Glamour about the future he hopes for his daughters and his commitment to making it a reality. Gender stereotypes, the President writes, “affect all of us, regardless of our gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.” Read the full piece here.

• And, just because, here’s a great reminder of what this President has done for the LGBTQ community.

FIRST OPENLY TRANS WOMAN TO PARTICIPATE IN OLYMPIC CEREMONY: Be sure to watch for Brazilian model Lea T. in tonight’s Olympic opening ceremony when she becomes the first openly-trans woman to participate in an Olympics opening ceremony. She told BBC Brazil,  “[T]he message is clear … include everyone, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, race or religion. We are all human beings and we are part of society. My role at the ceremony will help send this message.” More from CNN.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER COACH TO HOMOPHOBIC FANS — BOY BYE: Chicago Fire General Manager Nelson Rodriguez took to the field last weekend to announce that soccer fans who participate in homophobic chants or slurs will be ejected from the stadium. To the fans angry about the policy? “Go find another team to support,” Rodriguez said. More from Towleroad.

SAN FRANCISCO TO BE AN LGBTQ DATA DYNAMO: In July 2017, San Francisco will begin collecting voluntary data about the sexual orientation and gender identity of its residents in an effort to create more accessible and effective services for the LGBTQ community. More from San Francisco Bay Times.

HOUSE LGBT CAUCUS CALLS ON UKRAINE TO PROTECT PRIDE FESTIVAL: The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus has called on the Ukrainian government to ensure the safety of Pride celebrations in the city of Odessa this month. Caucus Co-Chair Rep. David Cicilline said the safety of participants is “of the utmost importance” to the committee. More from LGBT Weekly.

READING RAINBOW

Washington Blade examines whether anti-LGBTQ violence will overshadow the Olympics; The Huffington Post highlights a beautiful pro-LGBTQ mural; Houston Chronicle endorses Hillary Clinton for President of the United States; NBC speaks to Lesbians Who Tech founder about LGBTQ diversity in technology; Slate interviews two authors of LGBTQ children’s books; Star Observer explores the LGBTQ gaming community; and The Advocate discusses the challenges same-sex parents face when coming-out in the back-to-school season.

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-august-5-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Donald Gay Trump Twitter Account Has Everyone LOL’ing

In an election season that is so miserable you just want to hide under a rock, thank God for comedians mining the news to make us laugh in crazed relief. For example, the DonaldJGayTrump twitter account, which imagines how he’d tweet if he was a catty gay man.

For example: “Fantastic 2 tour w/ Gov mike_pence. GREAT Man. He’ll be a FANTASTIC VP. Loves Connie Britton. Not saying well have sex but like it’s there.”

Also: “ONLY baby boy I want to hold is Justin Bieber to my naked torso! hated baby at event yesterday- smelt like Britney Spears Curious fragrance!”

And our favorite: “President Obama will go down as WORST u.S. president! Michelle Obama fierce, should host SNL! Serving arms, hair, face, shoulders, ENSEMBLES”

What’s so hilarious — and maybe a little troubling — about this account is how it seems to accurately capture how many gays actually think, but with a horrible Trumpian twist. Like, yes, it actually would be amazing if Michelle Obama hosted SNL, and her ensembles are wonderful! (Also, she’s a brilliant lawyer and nonprofit head.)

Don’t tell anyone, but the secret identity of the account’s owner has leaked: it’s Matt Rogers, a gay comic and UCB performer. It’s remarkably similar to a Trump lip-sync video series, in which Trump’s terrible speeches are overdubbed with a fey lisp. Those are the work of actor Peter Serafinowicz, who is oddly enough also the voice of Darth Maul.

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/T7rvlREt6Rk/donald-gay-trump-twitter-account-everyone-loling-20160805

Expecting Your Sexting Partner To Keep Your Pics Private? Don’t, Study Says

Photo by Locketudor, CC 3.0.

A recent study suggests many may want to rethink their sexting practices.

It found that 73 percent of participants “reported discomfort with the unauthorized sharing of sexts beyond the intended recipients,” and that “of those who received sext photos, 23 percent reported sharing them with others.”

Of those who do share those images, they do so on average with more than three friends.

Related: Antigay Indiana Lawmaker Resigns After Sexting Entire Contacts List Proof Of His Adultery 

“That finding suggests that the real risk of sexting is the potential for nonconsensual sharing of sext messages,” said Justin Garcia, who led the study, “Sexting among singles in the USA: Prevalence of sending, receiving, and sharing sexual messages and images.

Garcia is a Ruth Halls Assistant Professor for Gender Studies and a research scientist at the Kinsey Institute.

The fact that privacy and sending nudes don’t go well together is something many celebrities and non-famous people alike have had to learn the hard way.

They examined sexting behavior among a national sample of 5,805 single adults between the ages of 21 and 75. Sexting was defined as “the transmission of sexual images and messages via cell phone or other electronic device.”

Related: Survey Asks If Sexting Is Cheating…It’s Complicated

“Of those surveyed, 21 percent, or nearly one in five people, reported sending sext messages, and 28 percent reported receiving sexually explicit text messages,” a press release accompanying the study’s findings reads. “Furthermore, 16 percent reported sending sexual photos and more than 23 percent reported receiving sexual photos. The study also found that most sexting happens between couples already in an established relationship, and of those who sent messages, 66 percent of men and 78 percent of women did so to flirt with a relationship partner.”

The practice appears to be more popular among men and younger generations.

“The study also found that sexting is more prominent among younger respondents — and men were 1.5 times more likely than women to send a sexy text,” the release reads.

“There has been a lot of public concern about sexting practices, but there hasn’t been enough research examining whether these concerns are justified, examining how people perceive and experience the relative costs and benefits of sexting,” Garcia said. “There has also been almost no research looking at sexting practices in large national samples like ours, assessing patterns across major demographic categories including age, gender and sexual orientation.”

Related: James Franco On His Half-Nude Selfies: “It’s What The People Want!”

This data should add to the conversations around sexting and privacy.

“It raises the question that if someone sends something to you with the presumption that it’s private and then you share it with others — which, when it comes to sexting, nearly one out of every four single Americans are doing, what do we want to consider that type of violation?” Garcia asks. “Is it just bad taste? Is it criminal?”

The study shows that women are more upset by sharing than men on average, and that men are more likely to share the images with others than are women.

“For some, sexting may lead to positive outcomes such as increased partner intimacy and satisfaction,” Garcia added. “For others, it may lead to negative outcomes such as lowered self-esteem or damage to reputation. But the real risk is not the sending of sexual messages and images per se, but rather the nonconsensual distribution of those materials to other parties. As sexting becomes more common and normative, we’re seeing a contemporary struggle as men and women attempt to reconcile digital eroticism with real-world consequences.”

Related: “Drag Race” Favorite Adore Delano Posts Steamy Nudes On Tumblr

A previous study out of Drexel University found that 88 percent of respondents said they had sexted at some point in their lives, with 82 percent having done so in the past year. They had a sample size of 870 heterosexual adults between the ages of 18 and 82.

In another study, college students reported that nearly half of their sexts were lies, with women lying during sexting twice as often as men.

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/KgTYSW_P0o8/expecting-sexting-partner-keep-pics-private-dont-study-says-20160805

Fairfax, Virginia Mayor Arrested for Exchanging Meth for Sex with Men

Richard ‘Scott’ Silverthorne (above left), the mayor of Fairfax, Virginia, was arrested on Thursday in an undercover sting for exchanging meth for sex with men, the Fairfax County Police Department reports:

In late July, the Organized Crime and Narcotics (OCN) Division received information about a possible distributor of methamphetamine and immediately began an investigative inquiry. Methamphetamine is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.  Based on information obtained during the investigation, a suspect was identified who was allegedly distributing methamphetamine through a website used to arrange for casual sexual encounters between men.

An undercover detective created a profile on this website and within a few days, the suspect made contact through the website. After the initial exchange, the suspect communicated via text messaging. During the course of communication, the suspect advised that he could provide methamphetamine for sexual encounters. Undercover detectives agreed to meet the suspect for a group sexual encounter in exchange for methamphetamine. The suspect arranged to bring methamphetamine along with other men to the engagement.

On Thursday, August 4, the Street Crimes Unit (part of the Organized Crime and Narcotics Division) met the suspect at the Crowne Plaza Hotel located at 1960 Chain Bridge Road in Tysons Corner. The initial suspect was identified as Richard “Scott” Silverthorne, 50, of Fairfax. Silverthorne provided methamphetamine to the undercover detectives and was subsequently arrested and charged with felony distribution of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Silverthorne holds the office of Mayor of the City of Fairfax, Virginia, and is also employed as a substitute teacher for the Fairfax County Public Schools.

RELATED: NYC Meth Dealer Used Grindr to Sell Drugs, Says NYPD

Two additional men were also arrested after they were identified as Silverthorne’s suppliers. They are Juan Jose Fernandez, 34, and Caustin Lee McLaughlin, 21, both of Maryland.

Silverthorne, who has been mayor since 2012,  has been undergoing treatment for cancer.

The post Fairfax, Virginia Mayor Arrested for Exchanging Meth for Sex with Men appeared first on Towleroad.

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Curious About What Happened Backstage at the DNC? Take a Look at This

Curious about backstage DNC action? Well, the Clinton campaign has just released a declassified behind-the-scenes look at the Democratic National Convention that reveals glimpses of the hobnobbing that took place.

The clip features Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Gabby Giffords, Elizabeth Warren offering some encouragement to Sarah Silverman, Meryl Streep making an arrival, Debra Messing preparing for her closeup, Al Franken, Tim Kaine, civil rights icon John Lewis, and lots of Presidents Obama and Clinton talking about the first woman presidential nominee.

Also Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom (with their clothes on).

Get ready for some Democratic feels:

The post Curious About What Happened Backstage at the DNC? Take a Look at This appeared first on Towleroad.

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