SOCIAL ACTION ALERT: Donald Trump and Mike Pence at the #NotOurValues Voters Summit

Today, at 3:30 p.m. EST Donald Trump will address the Family Research Council’s (FRC) “Voter Values Summit.” The FRC has been deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and has made the vilification of LGBTQ people its central mission. The Summit is condemned frequently for its inclusion of radically discriminatory participants and is an influential watering hole for anti-equality politicians to spew their hateful vitriol.

It’s fitting that Donald Trump will be the first Republican nominee for president to address the Summit since its inception in 2006. Trump’s bigotry is in lockstep with the FRC and its attendees. He’s embraced an anti-equality agenda from the start — opposing marriage equality and embracing laws that threaten LGBTQ people in their homes, schools and communities. Just last month, Trump’s campaign opened a field office across the street from Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

He further doubled down on his opposition to equality by putting Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on the ticket. Pence became a national disgrace in 2015, for his “license to discriminate” bill that could have allowed businesses to deny service to LGBTQ people.

Donald Trump has built his entire campaign on the values of hatred, division, and fear. But these values are at odds with the fair-minded majority of Americans who believe LGBTQ people should be treated equally under the law.

That’s why HRC is calling upon our online community of supporters to participate in coordinated social media engagement that speaks out against the far-right’s agenda of discrimination:

Join us for a Tweet Up during Trump’s remarks, today at 3:30 p.m. EST using the hashtags #NotOurValues and #VVS2016.

We’ve also unveiled a Snapchat filter geo-targeted for use of those protesting on the ground at the Summit.

Help us tell the world that hatred and discrimination against LGBTQ people may represent the values of Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and the hate groups that support them — but they’re certainly not ours.

www.hrc.org/blog/social-action-alert-donald-trump-and-mike-pence-at-the-notourvalues-voters?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Gay Bachelor Talks Candidly About Escort Past, X-Rated Videos (Video)

Robert Sepulveda, Jr. — the star of Logo’s Finding Prince Charming — is not running away from his earlier decisions and refuses to be shamed by them.

www.advocate.com/television/2016/9/09/gay-bachelor-talks-candidly-about-escort-past-x-rated-videos-video

Don't Snicker at Miss America's Lesbian Contestant

Yes, beauty pageants are troublesome. But put aside your cynicism and appreciate the progress of having an out Miss Missouri.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/9/09/dont-snicker-miss-americas-lesbian-contestant

Nyle DiMarco Opens Up About His Attraction To Men As He Gears Up For Chippendales Premiere

Nyle DiMarco will grace the cover of the October issue of Attitude magazine. The sexually “fluid” 27-year-old model soon-to-be Chippendales dancer talks about his experience growing up deaf and feeling attracted to both men and women.

“Growing up, I was never afraid to say that a guy was beautiful,” 27-year-old DiMarco says. “Women can say other women are beautiful, so why should it be any different? So, I was never really afraid to say that. I’ve always been that way, whether it’s male or female. You know, if they’re beautiful, they’re beautiful.”

Related: Nyle DiMarco To Join Las Vegas Chippendales

DiMarco also praises the deaf community for being especially open to diversity.

“I’m fortunate, because our [deaf] community is so small, which means that there is more diversity,” he says. “One of my best friends growing up is now a drag queen.”

He continues: “In the deaf community everybody accepts everybody else because that’s who you are, you’re part of that community and that’s our safe space. We’re comfortable with our identity, it’s something I’ve never been embarrassed about.”

Related: Nyle DiMarco Is ‘Very Single’; Wants A Lover With These Three Qualities

The issue hits newsstands next Wednesday, September 14. DiMarco is set to his the Chippendales stage in Las Vegas about a week later, on September 22.

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/WclEeAGce7U/nyle-dimarco-opens-attraction-men-gears-chippendales-premiere-20160909

Manny Pacquiao: “Comparing Gays To Animals Was A Mistake, BUT…”

Why are so many people so bad at saying the words “I’m sorry”? You might remember a few months back when boxer Manny Pacquiao compared gay couples to animals, because animals “know how to distinguish male from female.”

He also approvingly posted a Bible verse to bolster the case that gays should be put to death. Yikes.

Now he’s offered … well, not exactly an apology, but a something. A reporter asked him if he regretted the comments, and he said “Yes, but I’m not changing my position. It’s what the Bible says. But my mistake is just comparing them to animals. I’m just human; nobody’s perfect.”

Nobody’s perfect indeed! In addition to his boxing job, he’s also a senator in the Philippines and says that he might run for president. Ugh.

Obviously the problem here isn’t just that he compared gay people to animals, which really isn’t that terrible (we compare each other to animals all the time). It’s that he wants to hit people over the head with what he believes the Bible orders him to do. For a book that’s supposed to be all about blessing peacemakers, people sure do like to use it as a weapon.

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/qTS-AQu5Er8/manny-macquio-comparing-gays-animals-mistake-20160909

Tim Kaine Rips Mike Pence’s Praise of Vladimir Putin, Citing LGBT Persecution, Killing of Journalists, Foreign Invasion

In an interview on CBS This Morning Friday, Democratic VP nominee Tim Kaine was asked about remarks made by Republican VP nominee Mike Pence about Obama’s leadership.

Said Pence: “I think it’s inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country.”

Kaine blasted the remarks:

“What about invading other countries is leadership? What about running your economy into the ground is leadership? What about persecuting LGBT Russians is leadership? What about setting up journalists and imprisoning them and even killing them is leadership? There is a difference between dictatorship and leadership. And If you didn’t understand that you wouldn’t get out of a fifth grade civics exam if you don’t understand the difference between dictatorship and leadership.”

Added Kaine: “It also demonstrates just an irrational hostility toward President Obama that I just don’t get.”

Watch:

The post Tim Kaine Rips Mike Pence’s Praise of Vladimir Putin, Citing LGBT Persecution, Killing of Journalists, Foreign Invasion appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/9_aeOUq3HbA/

Manny Pacquiao: I Made a ‘Mistake’ by Comparing Gays to Animals But I Still Believe What it Says in Leviticus

TMZ caught up with pro boxer Manny Pacquiao who was promoting a November 5 fight with Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas, and asked Pacquiao about remarks he made in February calling gay people “worse than animals.”

As we reported:

Pacquiao then doubled down on his bigoted hate speech, posting a passage from the Bible (Leviticus) on Instagram that calls for gays to be put to death. Pacquiao cited the same passage of scripture back in 2012 when he condemned President Obama for supporting marriage equality. That led to Pacquiao being banned from The Grove for the first time. The Grove ultimately removed that ban because they believed he had been misquoted.

Pacquiao’s remarks got him dumped by Nike and banned from The Grove shopping area in L.A.

So, does Pacquiao have any regrets about the remarks, or has he changed his mind?

Said Pacquiao to TMZ: “I’m not changing my position from what the Bible says. My mistake is just comparing [gays] to animals. I’m just human. Nobody’s perfect.”

Watch:

The post Manny Pacquiao: I Made a ‘Mistake’ by Comparing Gays to Animals But I Still Believe What it Says in Leviticus appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/IAXXkwAUEws/

Indonesian Police Hope to Ban Grindr, Scruff, Adam4Adam and Other Gay Dating Apps

Indonesian police are hoping to ban gay dating apps such as Grindr, Scruff, and Adam4Adam after a pedophilia ring was found to have used gay apps to ‘pimp’ teenage boys.

AFP reports: 

It was the latest move by Indonesian authorities against homosexuals, who have faced a sudden backlash this year, with the government recently declaring there is “no room” in the country for the gay community in response to criticism from activists.

Authorities last week busted an online paedophile ring they said allegedly linked adult men to mostly teenage boys, and arrested three suspects. Police said they discovered Grindr on one of the suspects’ iPads, and believe he had used it to pimp boys.

Police are hoping the communications ministry will ban 18 apps in total.

RELATED: In Indonesia, Homophobes Say the Craziest Things

Previously, Indonesia banned gay emojis from messaging apps in the country.

Muslim activists have been pushing for a gay sex ban in the world’s largest majority Muslim country. A high court may soon rule on the petition put forth by those activists.

The post Indonesian Police Hope to Ban Grindr, Scruff, Adam4Adam and Other Gay Dating Apps appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/WXy3vTSnDYE/

First Openly LGBTQ Contestant to Compete in Miss America

Erin O’Flaherty will make history this Sunday as the first openly LGBTQ Miss America contestant.

“It was really hard. But ultimately I knew I had to do it,” O’Flaherty told USA Today about coming out at age 18. “My family was absolutely nothing but supportive, and I knew that when I decided to come out and when I was ready, it would be that way. So my coming out was actually much easier than millions of people.”

O’Flaherty volunteers with the Trevor Project and is including suicide prevention, an issue that continues to adversely affect LGBTQ youth, as part of her social platform for the competition.

“LGBT youth are actually up to eight times as likely to commit suicide as compared to their straight peers if they come from an unaccepting environment,” she said in an interview with Good Morning America. “So I’m really excited to partner with them and I hope it will be a great year of social change.”

According to a recent CDC survey of high school students, 43 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth seriously considered suicide during the previous 12 months, compared to 15 percent of heterosexual youth. Almost 30 percent had tried to take their own lives, compared to just six percent of heterosexual youth. That’s about three times the risk for considering suicide and more than four times the risk for a suicide attempt.

O’Flaherty, now 23, was crowned Miss Missouri in June.  

“It’s certainly making history and I’m not sure I set out to do that, but I am the first openly gay Miss Missouri and contestant to head to Miss America so I am excited about that. But, mainly, I’m excited to represent the LGBT community,” O’Flaherty told Good Morning America after her win in June.

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.

To learn more about supporting LGBTQ youth in their homes, schools and communities, visit www.hrc.org/youth.

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 at HRC’s Coming Out Center.

www.hrc.org/blog/first-openly-lgbtq-contestant-to-compete-in-miss-america-pageant?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Tale of Two Campaigns: Kaine to Headline HRC Event While Trump and Pence Court Hate Group

Today, HRC blasted the Trump-Pence campaign for courting anti-LGBTQ activists today and tomorrow at the so-called “Values Voter Summit” in Washington, D.C. In a marked contrast, the same weekend that Trump and Pence will address the gathering of the nation’s top anti-LGBTQ extremists, Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine is set to speak out for equality at the 20th annual HRC National Dinner across town on Saturday evening.

Trump and Pence will spend today and tomorrow morning courting votes from designated hate groups such as the American Family Association and activists organizing to defend North Carolina’s dangerous and vile HB2, which cost the state millions of dollars in economic damage and wrote discrimination into state law. The “Values Voter Summit” also includes promoters of right-to-discriminate laws like the one Pence signed in Indiana, devastating the state’s economy.

“This weekend couldn’t present a more powerful contrast about what’s at stake for the LGBTQ community in this election,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “While Tim Kaine is standing alongside the Human Rights Campaign in support of full equality for LGBTQ people here and across the globe, Donald Trump and Mike Pence will be across town courting support from the most notorious anti-LGBTQ extremists in the nation.”

HRC has also released a “Love Trumps Hate” snapchat filter that will be geo-targeted to the area near the Omni Shoreham, the “Values Voters Summit” host hotel. Trump is slated to speak at about 3 p.m. today and Pence at 11:35 a.m. Saturday.

Last month, on the two-month anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting that took the lives of 49 LGBTQ people and allies, Donald Trump courted anti-LGBTQ activists just 10 miles from the site of the tragedy in Orlando. Donald Trump has embraced an anti-LGBTQ agenda from the start — opposing marriage equality and endorsing laws that threaten the fundamental equality of LGBTQ people in their homes, schools and communities. He further doubled down on his opposition to equality by putting Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on the ticket. Pence became a national disgrace in 2015, for his “license to discriminate” bill that could have allowed businesses to deny service to LGBTQ people.

Over the last several months, Donald Trump has only burnished his anti-LGBTQ credentials. Recently, Trump was endorsed by James Dobson, who will also attend “Values Voter Summit” and founded two of the most notorious anti-equality organizations in the nation: Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council. Dobson linked the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., with “turning our back on God” and the “redefinition” of marriage.” Dobson has said that same-sex marriage is the “fall of Western civilization itself” and was part of a “master plan” for destruction of family. He even suggested marriage equality could lead to a “civil war.” Dobson has called Obama’s transgender student guidelines an effort to “sow chaos” and “impose tyranny.” Trump has also campaigned alongside Tony Perkins — the current leader of the Family Research Council, which sponsors “Values Voter Summit.” Perkins will also be speaking at the Summit.

In addition to Donald Trump’s own vile views and behavior, Trump Campaign CEO Steve Bannon has launched vile smears against transgender people while he worked for Breitbart News. Trump’s new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway is a former pollster for the National Organization for Marriage who once objected to the inclusion of openly LGBTQ people in the media, saying of one television show that featured a lesbian couple that people, “…don’t want their kids looking at a cartoon with a bunch of lesbian mothers.”

www.hrc.org/blog/tale-of-two-campaigns-kaine-to-headline-hrc-event-while-trump-and-pence-cou?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed