Wilson Cruz Shares Harrowing Story About Losing Aunt In Orlando Attack

The GLAAD Gala took place in San Francisco on September 8th, and one of its most memorable moments when actor Wilson Cruz took the stage to address the 500 guests in attendance.  “This city has seen so much loss through our history,” he said, and it’s not lost on me.”

Related: Wilson Cruz Still Cries When Remembering The Impact His ‘My So-Called Life’ Character Had On Gay Kids

During his subsequent 15-minute speech, Cruz related a highly personal story about losing his aunt, Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, in the Orlando massacre.  She was at the club to support her son Isaiah on Latin night, and died while shielding her son from the gunfire that ultimately killed 49 people and wounded 53 more.

“On June 12, I woke up that morning like many of you, I looked at my phone, and there it was,” Cruz said. “The horrific news of a massacre in Orlando at Latin Night, at Pulse.”

My phone rang and it was my mom calling to tell me that Izaya’s mom Brenda, my aunt, was shot and killed that night. She’d seen the man enter the club with his gun, and she shielded Izaya with her body, and she did what she said she would do: she protected her cub and sacrificed her life for her son.

We lost 49 people that one Sunday morning, that bloody Sunday morning. 49 individuals with their own stories. My family’s heart was broken. My heart was broken.”

Watch: 

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Donald Trump Falsely Claims Hillary Clinton Started ‘Birther’ Controversy, Admits Obama Was Born in US – WATCH

Donald Trump gave the shortest and perhaps most cowardly and disgusting press conference of the entire campaign this morning at the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C., falsely claiming that Hillary Clinton started the “birther” controversy which he stoked for years.

Trump then fled the stage as reporters tried to ask questions.

Said Trump:

“Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the ‘birther’ controversy. I finished. I finished it. You know what I mean. President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period. Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again.”

Donald Trump: “President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period.” t.co/1e54EY3AHL

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 16, 2016

Trump’s claim has been thoroughly debunked.

Read Politifact’s post HERE.

Writes the Washington Post: “There’s no evidence to support Trump’s repeated claim that Clinton “started” the birther movement and was one of the first to question Obama’s birth certificate. He could blame the actions of Clinton’s supporters during the 2008 primary or say the rumor has some Democratic roots. But there’s no evidence that she or her campaign questioned his birth certificate or his citizenship. Further, the campaign denounced isolated instances of Clinton’s staffers questioning whether Obama was Muslim.”

A few reactions from Trump’s presser:

A white man concluding that a black man is legitimate is the textbook definition of racism and white supremacy t.co/N7xkSRYSet

— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) September 16, 2016

On MSNBC, @RepJeffries called Trump a “racial arsonist.” That’s about as perfect a term as I’ve heard.

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) September 16, 2016

Sorry Trump, doesn’t work that way. You’re a racist. The birther campaign was racist. You led it. This does nothing but enflame more.

— Mike Signorile (@MSignorile) September 16, 2016

“It’s hard to imagine this is anything other than a political Rick roll.” — Jake Tapper just now after CNN cut away from Trump.

— Matt Viser (@mviser) September 16, 2016

Well done, @realDonaldTrump. You just replaced Birtherism with Birth-Of-Birtherism-Ism. #Dipshit

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 16, 2016

The post Donald Trump Falsely Claims Hillary Clinton Started ‘Birther’ Controversy, Admits Obama Was Born in US – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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Calvin Harris, Loch Ness Monster, Black Dremann, Steven Anderson, Paul Ryan, Dallas Pride: HOT LINKS

TAX RETURNS. Paul Ryan says Donald Trump should release his (but doesn’t say when): I know he is under an audit and he has got an opinion about when to release those. I will defer to him on that.”

PASTOR STEVEN ANDERSON. Botswana now wants homophobic pastor banned: “Representatives of the gay, lesbian and trans-gender community in Botswana will on Thursday meet Labour and Home Affairs minister Edwin Batshu to ask him to ban controversial homophobic US pastor Steven Anderson from entering the country. Anderson, who had a visit lined up for Botswana on September 25, was early this week banned from entering South Africa.”

DALLAS. Security stepped up around LGBT Pride Parade: “Security around this year’s Dallas Gay Pride parade has been stepped up in wake of last year’s wave of attacks on the LGBT community. To date, there have been 18 reported beatings and robberies and nearly a dozen more unreported. So far, police say no arrests have been made.”

NAVY LT CDR BLAKE DREMANN. Transgender service member promoted: “Flanked by the American, Navy and Senior Executive Service flags, wearing his male summer whites and surrounded by his parents, family, friends, admirals, officers and representatives from a number of advocacy groups, Dremann stood to attention at the front of the President’s Room at the Navy Memorial. ‘I couldn’t have asked for better people, a better place, or a better person to swear me in. I wouldn’t have changed a thing,’ Dremann told NBC OUT.”

SCOTLAND. Man claims he has photographed ‘Nessie’, the Loch Ness Monster. “Amateur photographer Ian Bremner, 58, was driving around the Highlands in search of red deer – but stumbled instead across the remarkable sight of what appears to be Nessie swimming in the calm waters of Loch Ness…Some of Mr Bremner’s friends think his picture actually shows three seals playing in the water.

NYC. Gang members confess to stomping and killing man because he was gay: “The last two members of a gang who fatally beat and stomped an 18-year-old Long Islander because they thought he was gay have confessed to the heinous crime and will go to prison, Queens authorities said Wednesday. Jonathan Echevarria, 22, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree manslaughter before Queens Supreme Court Justice Joseph Zayas. Judge Zayas said he’ll sentence Echevarria to 18 years in prison on Sept. 28. Nolis Ogando, 22, of Queens, pleaded guilty on Thursday to first-degree gang assault.”

MY WAY. Calvin Harris drops new track, with his own vocals. “The time [was] right. I like to sing on a song every two or three years or so. I just kind of thought it was a bit of a curve ball,” he said. “I kind of like the idea of just tracking something out without a celebrity guest feature, and I think the vocal works, so why not?”

FRIDAY FLASH. Toby Sandeman.

The post Calvin Harris, Loch Ness Monster, Black Dremann, Steven Anderson, Paul Ryan, Dallas Pride: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

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Watch LIVE: Trump Promises ‘Major Statement’ on Birther Issue

Donald Trump has promised he’ll give a major statement on the ‘birther’ issue at a press conference at the Trump International Hotel in D.C. this morning.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump refused to say whether he believes Obama was born in the United States:

In the interview, conducted late Wednesday aboard his private plane as it idled on the tarmac here, Trump suggested he is not eager to change his pitch or his positions even as he works to reach out to minority voters, many of whom are deeply offended by his long-refuted suggestion that Obama is not a U.S. citizen. Trump refused to say whether he believes Obama was born in Hawaii.

“I’ll answer that question at the right time,” Trump said. “I just don’t want to answer it yet.”

When asked whether his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, was accurate when she said recently that he now believes Obama was born in this country, Trump responded: “It’s okay. She’s allowed to speak what she thinks. I want to focus on jobs. I want to focus on other things.”

Also:

Late Thursday, campaign spokesman Jason Miller said in a statement that Trump no longer doubted Obama’s birth in Hawaii and had done “a great service to the President and the country” by prompting Obama to release his long-form birth certificate in 2011. But Miller also repeated the widely debunked claim that Clinton and her campaign had questioned Obama’s birthplace in 2008, which is false.

Politico reported:

Donald Trump passed up yet another opportunity to say he accepts the fact that President Barack Obama was born in the United States, promising to make a “major statement” on Friday morning in front of his latest hotel project and telling Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, “We have to keep the suspense going, OK?”

But he also blamed his opponent Hillary Clinton for raising doubts about Obama’s birthplace during the 2008 campaign, despite no evidence that she did so.

“I’m going to be making a major statement on this whole thing and what Hillary did,” Trump told Bartiromo. “But no, she is the one that started it and she was unable or incapable of finishing it. That’s the way it worked out. But I got him to release his birth certificate. So we will have a big statement and I hope you’re going to be watching.”

Clinton on Friday morning accused Trump of “feeding into the worst impulse” that still exists in America.

The President has responded to this nonsense:

I asked @POTUS about Trump camp acknowledging he was born in US. “I never had any doubt about where I was born ” pic.twitter.com/DpGJe4oiDO

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) September 16, 2016

The post Watch LIVE: Trump Promises ‘Major Statement’ on Birther Issue appeared first on Towleroad.

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#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: September 16, 2016

IN TODAY’S EDITION: HRC and EqualityNC endorse candidates for the NC General Assembly… Hillary Clinton stands up for LGBT teens and blasts McCrory on the campaign trail… First openly transgender service member promoted… Two confess in hate-fueled anti-gay murder case… Iowa football teams under investigation for using racist, anti-LGBTQ slurs…  

HRC AND ENC ENDORSE CANDIDATES FOR THE NC GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Yesterday, HRC and Equality NC (ENC) announced key state legislative endorsements for the fall election. HRC and ENC also committed to supporting the endorsements by launching TurnOut NC, a project to mobilize pro-equality voters and elect pro-equality leaders in Raleigh. The LGBTQ vote has the power to impact elections up and down the ticket in North Carolina. An estimated 331,000 LGBTQ adults of voting age live in the state — a substantial population given that the state was won in the last three presidential elections by an average margin of 180,500 votes. More on the endorsements from The News & Observer.

• This November, a growing and highly engaged LGBTQ voting bloc in North Carolina will play a pivotal role in the presidential, gubernatorial and other down ballot races. More from HRC on the power of NC’s pro-equality vote here.

LGBTQ voters have the power to decide elections up and down the ballot — that includes in North Carolina. t.co/yYrkv8bNRM

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) September 15, 2016

HILLARY CLINTON STANDS UP FOR LGBT TEENS & BLASTS MCCRORY ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: At a rally in Greensboro, N.C., Hillary Clinton told the crowd “I’m running for the LGBT teenager here in North Carolina who sees [Governor Pat McCrory] sign a bill legalizing discrimination and suddenly feels like a second-class citizen. And if anyone wonders what the costs of discrimination are, just ask the people and businesses of North Carolina. Look at what’s happening with the NCAA and the ACC. This is where bigotry leads and we cannot afford it. Not here. Not anywhere else in America.” Watch here.

• Food for thought, Gov. McCrory: McCrory’s discriminatory HB2 law has already hammered NC with an estimated combined cost of  $448 million in lost commerce and money spent to bring businesses back and to fight HB2. More here.

LOL OF THE WEEK: Check out The Civilist, a new podcast from The Washington Post’s Steven Petrow (@StevenPetrow) on LGBTQ rights and more. In yesterday’s episode, Mr. Manners himself took on Pat McCrory’s ridiculous assertion that anti-trans discrimination was “proper etiquette,” by laying out the history of bathroom etiquette. Listen here.

FIRST OPENLY TRANSGENDER SERVICE MEMBER PROMOTED: In a historic first, Navy Lt. Cdr. Blake Dremann became the first openly transgender service member to be promoted. He was officially promoted by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Amanda Simpson (@AmandaRSimpson), who is the first transgender presidential appointee, and the highest ranking transgender person in the Department of Defense. Dremann’s proud parents, David and Diane, traveled from St. Louis for the ceremony. More from NBC.

History made as Navy Lt. Cdr. Blake Dremann becomes first out trans service member to be promoted! t.co/DxCnPaImLK via @fionajdawson

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) September 15, 2016

ACT NOW: END AIDS COALITION LAUNCHES: A significant coalition of more than 20 HIV and AIDS advocacy organizations was announced Thursday at the US Conference on AIDS with the goal of ending AIDS in the United States.  ACT NOW: END AIDS will seek to ensure access to treatment for those living with HIV and expand access to preventative measures like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). It will also collaborate with other organizations to combat drivers of HIV like stigma, prejudice, and homelessness. “We look forward to working with ACT NOW in the crucial fight to achieve an AIDS-free generation in America,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. More from HRC.

TWO CONFESS IN HATE-FUELED ANTI-GAY MURDER CASE: This week, two more members of a gang confessed to fatally beating 18-year-old Anthony Collao in Woodhaven, N.Y., in 2011.  Jonathan Echevarria and Nolis Ogando were sentenced to 18 and eight years in prison, respectively. Four other gang members already confessed to the crime, and are in prison. More from New York Daily News.

IOWA FOOTBALL TEAMS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR USING RACIST AND ANTI-LGBTQ SLURS: Two Iowa high school football teams are being investigated for allegedly using racist and anti-LGBTQ slurs. One incident involves a player using racist slurs against an opposing player; the other involves team members using anti-gay slurs against a classmate who was named to the school’s homecoming court, including texting that the student should “kill himself, or go die.” More from USA Today.

READING RAINBOW

Fred Karger (@FredKarger) writes for The Huffington Post about the need for LGBTQ acceptance in the Mormon Church… Media Matters shares two new reports on poverty rates among the LGBTQ population… BuzzFeed shares the beautiful story of two gay Syrian refugees who reunited…

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-september-16-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

The GLAAD Wrap: New music from Against Me!, 'Nashville' casts Jen Richards, and more!

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-wrap-new-music-against-me-nashville-casts-jen-richards-and-more

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“We’ll Kill You With AIDS”: Referee Receives Death Threats After Returning To Football

He’s Spain’s only openly gay football referee, a job he temporarily left after being besieged with homophobic death threats in May.

Unfortunately, the situation has hardly improved since his return.

On Saturday, 21-year-old Jesús Tomillero was refereeing a game between Atlético Zabal and CD Lasalle in Andalusía’s second division when a Lasalle fan told him to “get off for being gay” after he awarded a penalty to the competing team.

Related: NBA Referee Called A “Fu**ing Faggot” By Player Comes Out To Combat Homophobia In Sports

Though the game was stopped and the heckler removed, the man still managed to yell “You fucking faggot!” at Tomillero before being escorted out.

Shortly after the match, the death threats on social media began pouring in.

“You son of a bitch,” read one. “You messed with the wrong club. We’ll kill you with Aids, you faggot.”

Another message featured a photo of handguns and bullets, and the caption, “Not long left to live, faggot.”

Related: Gay Soccer Ref Loses His Job After Being Called A Faggot

Talking to The Guardian, Tomillero said, “I go the first one about three o’clock yesterday afternoon. It said: ‘Reporting this was a mistake, Jesús. The boss has put a price on your head.’ There was a picture of a gun and a car and it said: ‘Get ready for what’s coming, faggot.’”

He’s stunned by the abuse.

I had a fit of nerves and didn’t know what to do. But we got into a taxi and went to the police. They’re investigating the case, not just here but all over Spain. There are police officers outside my house 24 hours a day, but I’m still afraid and I don’t know what could happen.”

“I’m going to keep on doing what I like doing, whatever it costs. But I am really, really scared.”

In May, Tomillero called it quits because the onslaught of abuse simply became too much to take.

Related: Gay Turkish Soccer Referee Wages High-Profile Legal Fight After Losing His Job

The worst offense was when a heckler shouted, “That’s that poof who was on the telly … You can stick the goal up your arse, you fucking poof.”

What hurt Tomillero more than the insult was the fact that the crowd laughed.

Three years ago, a survey concluded that Spain was the most accepting European country when it came to homosexuality, but prejudice is still a huge problem there

In fact, in Madrid there’s a homophobic attack every two days.

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