Michelangelo Signorile Has an Unexpected Encounter with the ‘Faggot’-Hating Alt-Right

After tweeting last week that Jimmy Fallon should be ashamed of himself for normalizing hate and bigotry with his fluffy interview of Donald Trump, LGBT activist and journalist Michelangelo Signorile became an online target for the alt-right, the white supremacist group of crazies that make up the base of Trump’s support.

In an onslaught of homophobic tweets laced with the slur “faggot”, members of the alt-right went after Signorile in the harshest terms possible.

@MSignorile I’m sure losing the respect of a faggot is causing him to lose sleep at night. Faggot

— Deplorable Garrett (@zzGarrett) September 16, 2016

@MSignorile well, you’re a faggot, but we let you run your mouth, so why not Trump?

— Gallant Gallstone (@Supreme_Mentor) September 16, 2016

As Signorile notes, at least one of his Twitter trolls invoked ISIS’ horrific killing of gay people as a possible “solution for freaks like u.”

Photo via Michelangelo Signorile

Some more of the hatred Signorile received, as he recounts in his new post: 

Someone named “Ceasar” said, “Harvey Milk would have disowned you. You’re an embarrassment to faggots everywhere.” “DN” wrote “massive homo” with an arrow pointed at my name. “Deplorable Navy Vet” (@MrMrwhitefolks) commanded me to, “Grow up faggot and get over it.” “AR Sniper” said, “Any male who uses the term ‘normalizing of hate’ = fag.”

That alt-right white supremacists hate LGBT people might not be terribly surprising. However, it is nonetheless noteworthy given the campaign of misdirection that Trump has conducted this election cycle on the subject of LGBT rights. Signorile explains:

The anger and animus toward LGBT people from these Trump supporters – many of them young – belies the idiotic and dangerous media narrative that posits Trump as “more accepting of gay issues” than other Republicans. (To these Trump supporters, any mention Trump makes of “LGBTQ people” is acceptable, laughable pandering to win the election, as he wink-winks and nudge-nudges to them, as he has on other issues, from deportation to birtherism.) Some of the alt-right anti-LGBT haters’ imagery is bizarre, frightening and fascinating at once. “Animal Cracker,” whose timeline includes tweets mocking gender neutral bathrooms and inclusiveness of LGBT people, has as his Twitter background (depicted at the top of this post) a swatstika in the colors of the rainbow flag, emblazoned within a circle of Jewish stars, all resting in the middle of of a rainbow confederate flag.

Within hours of sharing his post about the alt-right homophobes, those very same homophobes again came out of the wood work to prove the point that Signorile made.

[Top photo via Michelangelo Signorile]

The post Michelangelo Signorile Has an Unexpected Encounter with the ‘Faggot’-Hating Alt-Right appeared first on Towleroad.

Michelangelo Signorile Has an Unexpected Encounter with the ‘Faggot’-Hating Alt-Right

Botswana to Deport Anti-LGBTQ American Pastor; American Anti-LGBTQ Group to Visit Kenya and Mexico

American Pastor Steven Anderson said he believes the government of Botswana should kill lesbians and gays while doing a radio interview on Tuesday during a trip to Botswana.

President Ian Khama of Botswana ordered the arrest and deportation of Anderson and denounced the pastor’s hate speech, according to Reuters. President Khama said Anderson had been on a visa watch list but had managed to slip into the country before border posts were alerted. Almost 3,000 people signed a Change.org petition to get Botswana’s government to ban Anderson from entering the country.

Earlier today, HRC President Chad Griffing tweeted, this is an example of “American anti-LGBTQ extremists exporting their hate abroad. Such vile bigotry has no place here or around the world.”

Anderson is a pastor at the Arizona-based Faithful Word Baptist Church, which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has designated as a hate group. He is a Holocaust denier who has called for gay people to be executed. In the aftermath of the Orlando Pulse nightclub tragedy in June, Anderson equated LGBTQ people to “perverts and pedophiles” and praised their murders.

South Africa’s government banned Anderson from the country last week after LGBTQ activists and allies met with the government’s home minister and the country’s human rights commission. Anderson labeled the home minister “wicked” in a video recording after the minister met with LGBTQ activists.

Anderson’s visit to Botswana and failed attempt to visit South Africa is part of a broader pattern of American extremists who have traveled the world sowing hatred toward the LGBTQ community, much like they have done in the U.S.

The Advocate recently reported that Brian Brown, former head of the National Organization for Marriage and the new president of the World Congress of Families (WCF), will be attending an anti-marriage equality march in Mexico City over the weekend. This march follows several others that were organized in Mexico earlier this month. In addition, WCF is scheduled to co-host a regional conference in Nairobi, Kenya later this week with the Kenyan government and others.

The WCF is an influential American organization involved in the export of hate around the world. It has been designated a hate group by SPLC.

HRC stands with LGBTQ communities around the globe, including in Botswana, Kenya, Mexico, and South Africa, in condemning voices of hate from anti-LGBTQ Americans who are taking their harmful rhetoric abroad.

To learn more about the export of hate, click here. Read more about HRC Global’s work here.

www.hrc.org/blog/botswana-to-deport-anti-lgbtq-american-pastor-american-anti-lgbtq-group-to?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Joint Statement on Gov. Pat McCrory’s Lie About HB2

HRC President Chad Griffin, ENC Executive Director Chris Sgro, and transgender advocate Candis Cox issued the following joint statement in response to a false statement made by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory during Rotary Club remarks in Charlotte today.

“Word for word, Governor McCrory lied to North Carolinians today. In the wake of HB2’s passage six months ago, we hand-delivered a letter from more than 100 CEOs and business leaders urging Governor McCrory to repeal the bill, and we warned Governor McCrory about the damage he had set in motion. During the meeting, we asked him to fix the problem he created and to work with us on a constructive path forward to repealing HB2. We also asked him to meet with LGBTQ North Carolinians, which he has still not done. Instead of working with us, Governor McCrory has attacked us publicly and has continued to falsely characterize our conversation. North Carolinians deserve better. We told the governor that if he didn’t fix the disaster he created, that he alone would be responsible for tarnishing the reputation of the state and killing jobs. We urged him to consult other Republican governors that have gone through similar battles but who did the right thing, including Governors Deal and  Daugaard.”

McCrory — who refused to allow cameras into the meeting earlier this year with Griffin, Sgro and Cox — has made ever-evolving statements about what occurred at this meeting over the last six months. But, speaking to the Rotary Club in Charlotte, NC today, Governor McCrory offered an entirely fictional account of the meeting and HRC President Chad Griffin’s remarks.

www.hrc.org/blog/joint-statement-on-gov.-pat-mccrorys-lie-about-hb2?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

HRC Partners with Pride Events Around the Globe

This summer, HRC proudly partnered with five pride events around the world. Building on relationships established with innovators at HRC’s inaugural Global Innovative Advocacy Summit this past spring, HRC sponsored Prides in Lithuania, Jamaica, Uganda, Nepal and Vietnam.

Kicking off the pride season in June, HRC joined nearly 2,000 LGBTQ community members and allies at Baltic Pride 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania, an annual celebration that brings together the LGBTQ and allied community from the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. HRC participated in the International Baltic Pride 2016 Human Rights Conference organized by LGL, Lithuania’s national LGBT organization. At the conference, HRC Global Coordinator Ashley Fowler spoke on a panel moderated by global innovator and LGL Policy Coordinator Tomas Raskevičius about how HRC leveraged its knowledge and experience to help advance the marriage equality movement in both Ireland and Australia. Additionally, Judy Shepard, who has served on the HRC Board of Directors since 2001, and her husband Dennis, spoke at a Baltic Pride event entitled “Pride Voices” about the tragic loss of their son Matthew Shepard.

HRC also partnered with Pride JA in Jamaica to support their weeklong LGBTQ pride celebration. Hosted by J-FLAG, the most influential LGBTQ rights advocacy organization in Jamaica, Pride JA featured events ranging from a family picnic to a black tie gala. Jaevion Nelson of J–Flag attended HRC’s inaugural Global Innovative Advocacy Summit in March.

That same week, HRC also proudly sponsored Uganda Pride’s opening reception for the second year in a row and sent materials to Uganda for the pride celebration. Following an unexpected police raid and threats from Uganda’s Minister of Ethics, Simon Lokodo, organizers decided to postpone the official pride march. HRC immediately declared its solidarity with LGBTQ activists and allies in Uganda and condemned the unwarranted police raid and threats from Minister Lokodo.

Continuing in August, at the invitation of the U.S. State Department, HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse spent a week in several cities in Nepal supporting the ongoing efforts of LGBTQ Nepali activists and allies in the government, media and political parties. While in Nepal, Rouse was able to share experiences from the American LGBTQ movement and ideas on how advocates can work to secure the rights guaranteed in the country’s new constitution. The trip ended with Rouse marching at the head of the annual Gaijatra Nepal Pride Parade alongside a former Nepali first lady and member of parliament Hisila Yami, U.S. Ambassador Alaina Teplitz, LGBTQ activists such as HRC Global innovator Manisha Dhakal of Blue Diamond Society – the country’s oldest and largest LGBTQ rights organization. which organized the parade – and allies.

Finally, HRC Global provided support for Vietnam’s fifth annual LGBTQ pride celebration, Viet Pride 2016. Thirty-three different events were held peacefully throughout Vietnam leading up to the annual pride parade and bike ride in Hanoi. HRC’s partnership with Viet Pride further strengthened HRC’s earlier work in the region. In June, HRC partnered with the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, to host a global equality summit focused on workplace inclusion and the relationship between the business and LGBTQ communities.

HRC recognizes that pride serves an important role in community building and raising the visibility of LGBTQ movements around the world. Noting the persecution that many LGBTQ communities face when organizing Pride events, HRC applauds the efforts of activists abroad who use pride as a platform to increase support for the LGBTQ community in their region.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-partners-with-pride-events-around-the-globe?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

ACLU Sues Kim Davis and Her County for $233K in Legal Fees

The organization says because it prevailed in the suit over Davis’s refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, it’s entitled to recoup costs. But Davis’s lawyer says she was the winner.

www.advocate.com/marriage-equality/2016/9/20/aclu-sues-kim-davis-and-her-county-233k-legal-fees

What's Pepe the Frog? Rachel Maddow Explains (Video)

His fans will repulse you.

www.advocate.com/race/2016/9/20/whats-pepe-frog-rachel-maddow-explains-video

The New James Corden Apple Music Commercial Is Soul-Bendingly Bad

Too meta for its own good, the new ad for Apple Music is so busy making sure you realize it knows that it’s terrible that it forgets not to actually be terrible.

Related: James Corden Fell In Love With A BuzzFeed Try Guy At The Emmys Last Night

You’ll see what we mean when you see the “extended cut” of the commercial below, a two-minute spot featuring comedian James Corden pitching Apple executives terrible ideas for the terrible commercial you’re watching, which paradoxically makes the whole thing — “boom” — twice as terrible.

Related: James Corden Channels His Inner Beyonce In Hysterical Lemonade Parody

It features him dressed up as Bowie, Slash, The Spice Girls, and Pharrell, much to the feigned chagrin of the supposed Apple execs, and to the genuine chagrin of whoever happens to be watching the commercial.

That’s about to be you:

Bowie.
Slash.
Spice Girls.
Pharrell.
And… @JKCorden
See the Extended Cut now. #Emmyst.co/jOT9o5HK28 pic.twitter.com/IbFvHuCUHR

— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) September 19, 2016

www.queerty.com/new-james-corden-apple-music-commercial-soul-bendingly-bad-20160920?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

A Terrorist Who Doesn’t Like Gays–What Will They Think Of Next?

Ahmad Khan Rahami

The man believed to be responsible for bombings in New York and New Jersey hated gay people and American culture, according to the mother of his young daughter.

Related: Texas Pride Event Called Off After Threats Of Violence

Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, was captured on Monday after a shootout with police when the owner of a bar in New Jersey discovered him sleeping in the doorway of his establishment. He has been charged with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The mother of his young daughter, identified only as Maria by Fox News, said Rahami, her high school sweetheart, did not pay child support and that she had not seen him in two years. She added that he often railed against Western culture, saying there weren’t any gay people in Afghanistan. He is reportedly a U.S. citizen but made trips back to Afghanistan often to see family, according to the mother of his child.

“I never thought he would do something like this,” she said through tears. “I think he was brainwashed.”

His father told police in 2014 that he believed his son might be involved in terrorism, The New York Times reports, prompting a review by federal agents. He spoke with FBI agents just after his son was arrested for stabbing another one of his sons, leading to a criminal investigation. An official claims that he made the comment out of anger and later recanted.

Rahami was not indicted for stabbing his brother, Nasim Rahami, nor for a charge of possession of a knife and possession of a firearm “with a purpose to use it unlawfully against the person or property of Nasim Rahami,” Daily Mail reports.

Related: The Internet Responds To The Orlando Tragedy

Authorities found a notebook on Rahami, pierced with a bullet hole and covered in blood, expressing opinions sympathetic to jihadist causes, according to a law enforcement official who agreed to speak to The New York Times about the investigation only on the condition of anonymity.

www.queerty.com/terrorist-doesnt-like-gays-will-think-next-20160920?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

BBC’s ‘Eastenders’ Axes First Trans Actor To Play a Trans Character on a UK Soap: VIDEO

BBC’s Eastenders has axed Riley Carter Millington, the first ever transgender actor to play a transgender character in a continuing role on a UK soap.

Last October, it was announced that Millington would play the role of Stacey Slater’s long-lost half brother Kyle.

Millington was one of nine cast members let go by the show’s producer Sean O’Connor.

Riley Carter-Millington becomes the NINTH star to leave the soap! @MrRileyCarter1 #EastEnders t.co/Vk3SXNc9Qx

— EastEnders Spy (@EastEnders_Spy) September 14, 2016

Speaking with Metro.co.uk, Millington said:

“When I landed a six-month contract at EastEnders it was a dream come true.

“For that to be extended to a year was something I never expected.

“However, as the time comes for Kyle to depart Walford I am looking forward to taking on new roles and who knows, Kyle may find his way back to Walford one day.”

While it’s not yet known how Kyle will leave the show, it’s expected that bisexual character Steven Beale will be somehow involved.

Though leaving EastEnders, Millington has just landed a role in stage production Safe, which will explore the issue of homeless and at rick LGBT youth in the UK.

“EastEnders” star Riley Carter Millington to head the cast of SAFE: SAFE, a powerful new verbatim theatre pie… t.co/GyUaMgIdMb

— LondonTheatre1 (@LondonTheatre1) September 19, 2016

Watch Kyle reveal his identity to Stacey below.

(Image via Twitter)

The post BBC’s ‘Eastenders’ Axes First Trans Actor To Play a Trans Character on a UK Soap: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

BBC’s ‘Eastenders’ Axes First Trans Actor To Play a Trans Character on a UK Soap: VIDEO

Jared Leto to Star in and Produce New Biopic About Andy Warhol

Jared Leto is set to star in and produce an adaptation of pop artist and provocateur Andy Wahol’s life titled simply, Warhol.

The Guardian reports: 

The screenplay comes from Boardwalk Empire creator Terrence Winter, whose credits also include The Wolf of Wall Street and 50 Cent drama Get Rich or Die Tryin’. He will use Victor Bockris’s 1989 book Warhol: The Biography as inspiration, with Leto acquiring rights.

Warhol shot to fame in the 1960s with his unique take on American consumerism and quickly became a fixture in the New York club scene. He was also openly gay at a time when homosexuality wasn’t readily accepted. Amid his success, he suffered from hypochondria and was the victim of an attempted murder in 1968.

There is no word currently as to whether Leto considered casting a gay male actor in the titular role or whether his involvement as producer was predicated upon him starring in the film.

Leto recently remarked that he doesn’t think gay male actors in Hollywood get the same opportunities that straight ones do: “Not for a single second. I don’t know if that’s offensive or not, but that’s my thought right now. It shouldn’t be that way…I think that this is still a very conservative business.”

Leto won an Academy Award for playing a transgender woman in 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club. Despite the accolades he received for his performance, many criticized Leto for taking the role in the first place, saying that it should have gone to a trans actor.

Recently, Matt Bomer came under heavy public scrutiny once it was announced that he would play a transgender woman in the upcoming film Anything, from executive producer Mark Ruffalo. Many activists in the trans community said casting cisgender men to play transgender women leads to harmful stereotypes about transgender women and also leads to increased violence against transgender women.

[Top photos via Wikimedia Commons, Instagram]

The post Jared Leto to Star in and Produce New Biopic About Andy Warhol appeared first on Towleroad.

Jared Leto to Star in and Produce New Biopic About Andy Warhol