Nyle Dimarco Explains Why He’s Voting For Hillary

“If you’re still listening to my voice, please know that there are a lot of people out there without one. Among the 50 million Americans living with disabilities, many don’t have the ability to work, to travel, or to do countless other things you might take for granted.”

Related: “America’s Next Top Model” Hottie Comes Out As “Sexually Fluid”

That’s Dancing With the Stars winner Nyle DiMarco in a powerful new ad for Hillary Clinton, which finds the ever-charming 27-year-old deaf model discussing the presidential candidate’s commitment to helping the millions of Americans with disabilities.

Watch:

www.queerty.com/nyle-dimarco-explains-hes-voting-hillary-20160922?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Protests Over Police Shootings Rock Charlotte for Second Night

A second night of protests in Charlotte over the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott turned violent on Wednesday night as a man was shot near a hotel when demonstrators tried to follow riot police into a hotel lobby, the Washington Post reports:

The man, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital with injuries that medics said were “life-threatening.” Officials announced on Twitter that the man had died, then later tweeted that he was on “life support.” No other information was given.

The Scott shooting was the second fatal shooting of a black man by law enforcement this week. In Tulsa, Terence Crutcher was shot, unarmed, as he was pulled over by police.

Officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowd:

The WaPo adds:

To date, law enforcement officials have fatally shot 706 people this year, 163 of them black men, according to a Washington Post database tracking fatal police shootings. A growing divide in public rhetoric over that toll has been stoked by a summer of high-profile deaths captured on social media and the deadly assaults on police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. The latest encounters come as the presidential race has tightened, and both candidates have offered positions and solutions.

At a news conference Wednesday, Charlotte police insisted that Scott had a gun and was posing an “imminent deadly threat” when officers shot him outside an apartment complex near the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Scott’s family, however, said he was unarmed when he was killed and was instead reading a book in his car while waiting to pick up his child from school — a detail that quickly went viral on social media and was seized upon by protesters here.

Governor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard.

More regional response unit vehicles just arrived @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/FVPPzIMPlu

— Blake Hanson (@BlakeWSOC9) September 22, 2016

Donald Trump, in a shift from his typical support of law enforcement, questioned the shooting of Crutcher in Tulsa earlier in the week, but the comments appeared to be a politically motivated attempt to reach black voters, The Hill reports:

The comments were startling coming from Trump, who has often professed vigorous support for law enforcement while portraying himself as the “law and order” candidate in the presidential race. He received the endorsement of a major police union last week.

But his remarks also came amid an apparent effort by the Republican nominee to improve his standing with black voters….

…

Referring to the killing of Crutcher, Trump commented: “I watched the shooting, in part, in Tulsa, and that man was hands up. That man went to the car, hands up, put his hands on the car.

“To me, it looked like he did everything you’re supposed to do,” Trump added. “The young officer — I don’t know what she was thinking. But I’m very, very troubled by that.”

Referring to the female police officer who shot Crutcher, Trump added: “Did she get scared? Was she choking? What happened? People that do that — maybe they can’t be doing what they’re doing.”

The post Protests Over Police Shootings Rock Charlotte for Second Night appeared first on Towleroad.

Protests Over Police Shootings Rock Charlotte for Second Night

British Govt Says It Is ‘Committed’ to Pardoning 49,000+ Gay Men Convicted of Gross Indecency

The British government says it is “committed” to an ‘Alan Turing law’ that would pardon at least 49,000 gay men who were convicted under gross indecency crimes before homosexuality was decriminalized in 1967.

The BBC reports:

World War Two code-breaker Turing was pardoned in 2013, decades after he was convicted of gross indecency in 1952. A government spokesman said it was “committed” to the proposal.

“This government is committed to introducing posthumous pardons for people with certain historical sexual offence convictions who would be innocent of any crime now,” the spokesman said.

“We will bring forward our proposals in due course.”

Efforts to pardon gay men convicted under the laws gained steam after the release of recent movies about Turing like The Imitation Game.

The Independent reports:

Speaking to The Independent, Rachel Barnes, Mr Turing’s great-niece said she had been “disappointed that there had been no progress” since she and others had originally launched a petition in 2015 to extend her great-uncle’s pardon to all men convicted under the historic laws. “I will give my backing towards any progress,” she added.

“It’s something the family of Alan Turing have always, always backed and we really do want justice for everybody who was affected by the anti-gay laws. I am very pleased to hear the current administration will give it their backing.”

Following a screening of The Imitation Game in London last year, actor Stephen Fry told The Hollywood Reporter that Turing’s pardon was only the start of what should be done to honor Turing.

“Should Alan Turing have been pardoned just because he was a genius, when somewhere between 50 to 70 thousand other men were imprisoned, chemically castrated, had their lives ruined or indeed committed suicide because of the laws under which Turing suffered? There is a general feeling that perhaps if he should be pardoned, then perhaps so should all of those men, whose names were ruined in their lifetime, but who still have families.” He continued, “It was a nasty, malicious and horrific law and one that allowed so much blackmail and so much misery and so much distress. Turing stands as a figure symbolic to his own age in the way that Oscar Wilde was, who suffered under a more but similar one.”

[Benedict] Cumberbatch, who played Turing in The Imitation Game, agreed with Fry: “Alan Turing was not only prosecuted, but quite arguably persuaded to end his own life early, by a society who called him a criminal for simply seeking out the love he deserved, as all human beings do. 60 years later, that same government claimed to ‘forgive’ him by pardoning him. I find this deplorable, because Turing’s actions did not warrant forgiveness — theirs did — and the 49,000 other prosecuted men deserve the same.”

Turing’s family brought a petition for the pardons to the British government last year.

The post British Govt Says It Is ‘Committed’ to Pardoning 49,000+ Gay Men Convicted of Gross Indecency appeared first on Towleroad.

British Govt Says It Is ‘Committed’ to Pardoning 49,000+ Gay Men Convicted of Gross Indecency

Gay Grad Lance Sanderson Sues High School for Being Refused Permission to Bring a Boy To Prom

Lance Sanderson, 19, is suing his former Tennessee high school for being refused permission last year to bring another male to his homecoming dance.

Lance Sanderson is suing Christian Brothers High School (CBHS) in Memphis, Tennessee, arguing that the school unlawfully discriminated against him on the basis of his sexual orientation.

In a Change.org petition last September, Sanderson wrote:

I’ve been out since my freshman year of high school, and I’ve been a great student as well as a photographer for most of my school’s events. When I first started to float the idea of bringing a same-sex date to homecoming, I was told that my school doesn’t discriminate by a school official.

But when that school official left over the summer, I was met with harsh opposition by my school. One administrator told me that even though some people interpreted Pope Francis’s teachings on the issue as meaning they should support same-sex couples, these people are, “not the authority to which Christian Brothers High School is accountable.” And now my school is making daily announcements across the whole school, saying that students can’t bring same-sex dates from other schools…

I just want to bring a date of my choice to homecoming like the rest of my friends and classmates. I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m just asking for respect, and the chance to make my last homecoming a truly memorable experience.

RELATED: Christian Town Official Attacks Gay Teen Denied Homecoming Date: WATCH

Despite the petition having close to 28,000 signatures to date, Sanderson skipped the dance. Days later he was sent home from school for a “cooling off” period. When he returned, he was called derogatory names by other students and eventually opted to complete his senior year at home.

Sanderson is seeking up to $1 million from CBHS citing breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent training and a violation under Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments, NBC reports.

Proud to stand by Lance Sanderson and his family in pursuit of justice and equality. t.co/9t93xa1Vsm

— Howard Manis (@ManisLawFirm) September 21, 2016

Howard Manis, one of Sanderson’s lawyers, said that because the school receives federal funding and also potentially state funding, it is “responsible for following the letter of the law under Title IX.”

He added:

“As a private school, CBHS held itself out to be nondiscriminatory with regard to sexual orientation. In our eyes, it seems very clear those were hollow words. They were not interested in treating [Sanderson] the same as other students.”

Now a college freshman at DePaul University, Sanderson said “I hope they don’t do this to anyone else in the future and that other schools that try to abide by similar philosophies don’t do this to their students. I really don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through this year.”

Watch a FOX report from last year below.

(Image via Twitter)

Sanderson sent the following letter to the school’s administration after being suspended last year:

Dear CBHS Administration,

Today I arrived at school around 6:30am. I sat down to complete my assignments for the classes I planned on attending today. At 7:30am, I was speaking to a teacher when an administrator walked into the room and told me to gather my books and come to the office.

When I arrived at the office I was told that the administration “had 890 other students to worry about” and could not deal with me. I was told to go home for the week. I said goodbye to a few teachers and students, then drove home.

I am hurt by this exclusion. It goes against the Lasallian value of brotherhood that the school is supposed to stand for. You won’t let me dance with my date and you won’t let me go to class now either. I had hoped that today would be one for positive conversation going forward. Instead, I was sent home.

I haven’t done anything wrong and haven’t hurt anybody. I want to be welcomed back to the school building today and I want this mean-spirited semi-suspension ended, so that I can do my classwork like anybody else.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote from a Birmingham jail cell: “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Sincerely,
Lance Sanderson

The post Gay Grad Lance Sanderson Sues High School for Being Refused Permission to Bring a Boy To Prom appeared first on Towleroad.

Gay Grad Lance Sanderson Sues High School for Being Refused Permission to Bring a Boy To Prom

Five Bisexual Women Who Aren’t Afraid to Live Their Truth

In honor of Bisexual Awareness Week, we recognize those who have come out openly as bisexual, sharing their true and authentic selves with the world.  

Here are five openly bisexual women continue to break down barriers:

Oregon Governor Kate Brown:  Kate Brown made history last year  when she was sworn in as the United States’ first openly bisexual governor. A longtime advocate of equality for all, Brown broke down barriers Brown as Oregon’s second female governor and Oregon’s first female senate majority leader.

Evan Rachel Wood: Last year, openly bisexual actress Evan Rachel Wood tweeted shocking stats from HRC’s report on bisexual health. In a powerful video released in June, Wood once again opened up about the many issues, stereotypes and misconceptions facing the bisexual community, including her own struggles.

Amandla Stenberg:  During a Snapchat takeover for Teen Vogue in January, actress Amandla Stenberg came out as bisexual. Stenberg is perhaps best known for her role as Rue in the Hunger Games, for which she was nominated for a 2013 NAACP Images Award. “It’s a really, really hard thing to be silenced and it’s deeply bruising to fight against your identity and to mold yourselves into shapes that you just shouldn’t be in,” she said. “As someone who identifies as a black bisexual woman, I’ve been through it and it hurts and it’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable.”

Bella Thorne: Actress Bella Thorne came out in August during an exchange with a fan on Twitter. By coming out publicly, she is raising visibility about bisexuality to a younger generation, including to her 6 million Twitter followers. “Aww thank you for all the accepting tweets from everyone. I love you guys️ #pride,” she tweeted to her fans later that day.

Anna Paquin: While she came out publicly in 2010, actress Anna Paquin has frequently spoken openly about being bisexual. Paquin continues to serve as a powerful role model for LGBTQ youth, frequently discussing her the issues facing the bisexual community.

Coming out – whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or allied – matters. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. Beyond that, our stories can be powerful to each other.

Whether it’s for the first time ever or the first time today, the experience of coming out and living openly covers the full spectrum of human emotion — from fear to euphoria. Coming out — whether it is as LGBTQ or allied — is a deeply personal journey for each individual.

Learn more about coming out at HRC’s Coming Out Center

www.hrc.org/blog/five-bisexual-women-who-arent-afraid-to-live-their-truth?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

10 Things to Know About Moisés Kaufman

Learn more about the acclaimed playwright and director, who today receives the National Medal of Arts from President Obama.

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/9/22/10-things-know-about-moises-kaufman

LGBT Africans Maintain Their Identity Through Style

African immigrants regularly hear that being LGBT is somehow”un-African.” A new photo project by Mikael Owunna explores how these first- and second-generation immigrants thumb their noses at that notion.

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/9/22/lgbt-africans-maintain-their-identity-through-style

The Osos (Bears) of Mexico

www.advocate.com/photography/2016/9/22/osos-bears-mexico

The Most Important Thing You Can Do Right Now

Register to vote like your life depends on it. Oh, right, it does.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/9/22/most-important-thing-you-can-do-right-now