Op-ed: Open the Doors of LDS Church to LGBTQ Community

This week in The Huffington Post, Fred Krager, President of Rights Equal Rights, penned a powerful op-ed detailing the suicide epidemic among young LGBTQ Mormons that has unfolded since the church banned married same-sex couples and their children.

Krager writes that in the 10 months since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) adopted the policy, 32 Mormon teens have taken their own lives. An estimated 125,000 Mormons have resigned from the church since the anti-LGBTQ measure was passed.

In the shocking and heartbreaking piece, published just after last week’s National Suicide Prevention Week, Krager calls on church leaders to reverse the measure during their upcoming Semiannual General Conference in Salt Lake City and welcome members of the LGBTQ community and their families.

“There’s an easy fix for the First Presidency and the 12 Mormon Apostles,” Krager said. “Open your doors to all members of the LGBTQ community and their families just like you did for African Americans 40 years ago.”

In 1978, the Church, with a simple statement, lifted its 150-year-old policy banning African Americans from the church.

The state of Utah, home to the LDS Church and half of its active members, consistently has one of the highest attempted suicide rates in the country.

In the coming months, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation will be releasing Coming Home to the Latter-day Saints Church and to Self, its fifth guide in the Coming Home series. The new guide will feature personal stories of LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ Mormons of good conscious who are working to lead their Church toward a more welcoming stance, one that embraces and accepts LGBTQ people as God’s children. To learn more, visit www.hrc.org/religion.

HRC is committed to working with our Mormon allies, partners, members, and supporters to combat suicide and support LGBTQ youth. To learn more about supporting LGBTQ youth in their homes, schools and communities, visit www.hrc.org/youth.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. If you’re a young person and need to talk to someone, call The Trevor Project’s 24-hour crisis hotline for youth at 1-866-488-7386.

www.hrc.org/blog/op-ed-open-the-doors-of-lds-church-to-lgbtq-community?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

HRC’s Sarah McBride Discusses What it Means to be an American at New York Fashion Week

I certainly never thought I’d walk the runway at a professional fashion show.  I’ve always been a policy wonk, but when Opening Ceremony approached me about participating in their creative idea for this year’s New York Fashion Week, I decided to jump out of my comfort zone and onto the catwalk.

The concept was simple, but still a unique departure from the traditional fashion show set up. Opening Ceremony, and its lead designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lin, decided that amidst the toxic conversation that permeates our current political discourse, they would use their platform to host a “Pageant of the People,” celebrating the diversity of America and discussing some of the issues at the forefront of the presidential race.  

In addition to the 30 or so models who walked the runway, I joined with several prominent women, including Rashida Jones, Natasha Lyonne, Aubrey Plaza, Rowan Blanchard and Whoopi Goldberg, to answer questions pageant-style from the evening’s hosts Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein.  Over the course of the evening, these women discussed refugees, immigration, and feminism, among other issues.  

Me with the other non-model participants in Opening Ceremony’s Pageant of the People

Admittedly I was nervous. I was a bit of a fish out of water and, all through rehearsals, imagined that I would be the person – that person – who trips on my dress while on the runway.

Fortunately, I made it through the walk and met Carrie and Fred mid-stage for my question. Fred asked me, “What does it mean to be an American?” I answered:

“To me, being an American is an action, it’s an ideal to strive. It’s being part of this constantly perfection union that with each generation expands our still-too-limited understanding of ‘We the People.’ Four years ago, I came out as transgender and, at the time, I worried that my dreams and my identity were mutually exclusive. But things are changing. And we must never be a country that says there’s only one way to love, only way to look, and only way to live. We must be a country where everyone has the freedom to live openly and equally. A country that says that you can be gay, you can be trans, you can be a woman, you can be black, you can be Muslim, you can be anything that this society says is mutually exclusive with dreaming big dreams, that you can be any and all of those things and still be seen, still be valued, and still be respected as the equal humans we all are.”

 

At New York Fashion Week, Fred Armisen asked HRC’s Sarah McBride what it means to be an American. Check out Sarah’s response.

A video posted by Human Rights Campaign (@humanrightscampaign) on Sep 15, 2016 at 3:52pm PDT

And that is what the work of HRC and the movement for LGBTQ equality is about. It’s about making sure that we pursue this ideal and build a country where every person can live their lives to the fullest.

This isn’t my typical speaking opportunity, but I believe in transgender visibility and hoped to utilize the moment to underscore that trans people are part of the beauty of America, worthy of support and celebration.

For HRC’s transgender visibility resource guide, visit www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-visibility-guide.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrcs-sarah-mcbride-discusses-what-it-means-to-be-an-american-at-new-york-fa?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Sandra Bland's Family Reaches $1.9 Million Wrongful Death Settlement

Bland was found dead in her Texas jail cell after being arrested for failing to properly use her turn signal. 

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/9/15/sandra-blands-family-reaches-19-million-wrongful-death-settlement

'Daily Show' Host Trevor Noah Rips Donald Trump to Shreds (Video)

“You know who came from Syria? The iPhone came from Syria Mr. Donald Trump.”

www.advocate.com/comedy/2016/9/15/daily-show-host-trevor-noah-rips-donald-trump-shreds-video

GOP Lawmakers Who Met With Caitlyn Jenner Won’t Reveal Their Identities?

Poor Caitlyn Jenner had a humiliating sit-down with some of her gross friends this week — this time a group of Republicans barely willing to be seen in public with her.

Jenner was in Washington on behalf of the American Unity Fund, a group that believes against all evidence that Republicans can be persuaded to support LGBT equality. As we’ve seen, the only time the GOP supports queers is if the politician discovers they have a gay family member, is outed in a sex scandal, or meets a queer person with money. So at least two of those conditions were satisfied by Caitlyn’s visit.

Among those present was Florida (of course) representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, whose son is trans. “Caitlyn is going to continue this outreach and I think it’s a positive message of love and outreach.” Ileana said later.

The other lawmakers who were present scuttled away like cockroaches before they could be identified. When pressed, Ileana refused to say who else was there.

Of course, if it’s a message of “love and outreach” that Caitlyn and Ileana are after, they’ll have a tough time making their case to the party that killed tens of thousands of queer people through the HIV epidemic; that did everything in its power to stop same-sex couples from having even basic rights, and whose party to this day still supports abusive “ex-gay” torture camps.

If only there was a party that actually stood on the side of equality and due process and justice for all. If only.

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/kkIbRN3bDDo/gop-lawmakers-met-caitlyn-jenner-wont-reveal-identities-20160915

Caitlyn Jenner Met GOP Congressmen to Talk LGBT Issues, But Only 1 of Them Wants to Be Identified

On Wednesday, Caitlyn Jenner went to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to talk to Republican lawmakers about issues of concern to the LGBT community. While a number of representatives reportedly met with Jenner, only one has come forward admitting they met with the transgender activist.

Jenner shared a photo of her trip to Washington on Instagram, showing her and Republican gay rights activist Margaret Hoover in front of the Capitol building. She captioned the photo, “Big day at Capitol Hill. @m_hoov and I got to chat with a few #Republican reps about #LGBT issues. It’s a time for change!”

Jenner and Hoover were taking meetings in coordination with billionaire Paul Singer’s conservative LGBT rights Super PAC American Unity Fund. Hoover is the president of American Unity Fund.

Among those with whom Jenner and Hoover met was South Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who became a co-sponsor of the Equality Act last Friday. Ros-Lehtinen was the only Republican congress member who as of this posting has come forward as saying they met with Jenner. Ros-Lehtinen has a transgender son, Rodrigo.

Ros-Lehtinen shared photos of her meeting with Jenner and Hoover on Twitter, writing, “Met @Caitlyn_Jenner about her gender transition story + how we can help #trans Americans live as their true selves.”

Met @Caitlyn_Jenner about her gender transition story + how we can help #trans Americans live as their true selves pic.twitter.com/794OloW0P0

— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) September 15, 2016

Spoke w @Caitlyn_Jenner @AmericanUnity @zackarydrucker @TransEquality abt impt of inclusive policies 4 #LGBT cmty pic.twitter.com/dQuBPWYrVc

— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) September 15, 2016

According to CNN, Ros-Lehtinen was not willing to identify any of the other Republican congressmen whom Jenner met with:

“She talked about her faith and her journey and how the Republican Party should be open to hearing these kinds of stories,” Ros-Lehtinen said after the meeting, noting that LGBT issues can be difficult for those in her party. “Caitlyn is going to continue this outreach and I think it’s a positive message of love and outreach.”

The Florida Republican told reporters other GOP members attended the meeting with Jenner, but she declined to identify who they were, saying she wasn’t sure they wanted to discuss the session.

The post Caitlyn Jenner Met GOP Congressmen to Talk LGBT Issues, But Only 1 of Them Wants to Be Identified appeared first on Towleroad.

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Lady Gaga Reveals the Personal Meaning Behind Her New Album, ‘Joanne’ – LISTEN

Lady Gaga has revealed that her upcoming album will be titled Joanne and is slated for an October 21 release.

Gaga made the announcement on social media and during an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1. She says she hopes to have her first solo album since Artpop completed within the next 48 hours. Tick tock.

PREVIOUSLY – Lady Gaga Lets It All Hang Out at First ‘Perfect Illusion’ Performance in London as New Remix Drops: WATCH

Gaga also revealed the very personal meaning of the album’s title, as Rolling Stone reports: 

Gaga also said that Joanne was named for her late aunt, whose death from lupus at age 19 left a lasting wound on the singer’s father’s family (Gaga’s middle name is also Joanne). Gaga called the album’s title track “the true heart and soul of the record” and of the album as a whole added, “As I returned to my home life and spending time with my friends and family and getting out of the mainstream limelight for a minute, the experiences of our family and our challenges that make us who we are. It’s everything about Joanne … it’s all the toughness of the pain of losing her that made us all strong and made us who we are. She is the woman of my past who is becoming and helping me bring more of my honest woman self into the future.”

Listen to the interview below.

The post Lady Gaga Reveals the Personal Meaning Behind Her New Album, ‘Joanne’ – LISTEN appeared first on Towleroad.

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Man Found Guilty in ‘Dallas BBQ’ Attack Sentenced to 9 Years 

Bayna-Lekheim El-Amin, 42, the man at the center of a brutal attack in a New York restaurant in 2015, was sentenced on Thursday to nine years in prison and three years post-release supervision.

El-Amin was found guilty in May of attempted assault in the first degree and assault in the second degree for an attack on a gay couple at Dallas BBQ in Chelsea.

The couple who El-Amin attacked were Jonathan Snipes, 33, and, Ethan York-Adams, 26. The pair have since split.

Video of the attack went viral almost immediately after it surfaced. And though the incident was initially construed as an anti-gay hate crime, additional footage revealed that Snipes had earlier in the evening assaulted El-Amin with a “light purse.” After that altercation ended, there was an interlude before El-Amin retaliated by hitting Snipes over the head with a chair.

Gay City News reports on Thursday’s sentencing:

“The jury rejected your claim of self-defense,” said Arlene Goldberg, the judge who heard the case in Manhattan Supreme Court, on September 15. “That you did not cause serious physical injury to them was only a matter of luck.” […]

“The case boils down to this defendant took it too far,” said Leah Saxtein, the prosecutor on the case, during the sentencing. “He decided to get revenge… He used a dangerous instrument to strike them in the most vulnerable part of the human body.”

As news of the incident played out in the media, what was first thought to be an anti-gay hate crime was reinterpreted by some as underscoring a dangerous message about race:

On May 27 of this year, Robb Stone, an artist who now lives in Los Angeles, posted a Facebook picture of Snipes and York-Adams with lengthy text that described them “a pair of Privileged assholes.” Within 10 days, the post had 569 shares and 769 likes.

Ultimately, the view became that El-Amin was facing multiple felony charges because Snipes and York-Adams were white and El-Amin was black.

RELATED – New Footage of ‘Gay Bashing’ at NYC’s Dallas BBQ Raises Questions: WATCH

The judge disagreed with this interpretation, saying, “I know that you want to cast this, your supporters as well, as an issue about race. I don’t see it that way… When you picked up that chair that was a criminal act that cannot be excused.”

During the sentencing, El-Amin referred to Snipes and York-Adams as “drunk white men who felt they were entitled to swing on me.”

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