BREAKING: Aaron Schock Is Back On Instagram After 83 Weeks

Breaking news, everyone! Former Republican state congressman from Illinois and Downton Abbey superfan Aaron Schock is back on Instagram after a year-and-a-half hiatus.

Related: In Rare Interview, Aaron Schock Says He’s Done With Politics. Shirtless Selfies? TBD.

The 35-year-old, totally-not-gay-100-percent-heterosexual, watersports-loving ex-lawmaker has been laying low for over a year now after resigning from the Illinois House of Representatives in March 2015 amid allegations of misusing campaign donations and taxpayer money to pay for things like lavish office renovations, luxury travel expenses, and tickets to Katy Perry concerts.

After relinquishing his seat, Schock’s once very active social media accounts went completely dark. He stopped posting daily updates about his life on Twitter or sharing half-naked pictures of himself on Instagram. He also stopped posing shirtless on Men’s magazine covers, making public appearances, or granting interviews to media outlets.

Related: Aaron Schock Spotted Sipping Cocktails With Another Man At Romantic DC Hot Spot

In fact, one of the only times Schock has been seen in recent months was back in April when he was spotted sipping a fruity cocktail by candlelight with an attractive male companion at a romantic D.C. waterfront restaurant. Other than that, he and his turquoise belt have been totally M.I.A.

Until now.

Related: Are You Ready For An Aaron Schock-Inspired Gay Skin Flick?

On Tuesday, Mr. Schock made his hotly anticipated return to Instagram after 83 long weeks away by posting this:

It’s a far cry from some of the stuff he used to post, which included things like this:

And this:

And this:

But, hey, maybe he wants to take things slow?

At the start of this year, we predicted Colton Haynes would come out of the closet (he did), Kim Davis would fall into obscurity (she has), Donald Trump would go down in flames (he currently is), and Hillary Clinton would be elected the next President of the United States (we remain cautiously optimistic). We also predicted that Aaron Schock would mount a comeback.

Could this be the start of a brand new Schock era? Only time will tell. And you know we’ll keep you posted.

Related: Colton Haynes, Aaron Shock & Hillary Clinton: Six Predictions For 2016

www.queerty.com/breaking-aaron-schock-back-instagram-83-weeks-20161019?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Gay Man Kicked Out of Texas Megachurch after Abandoning ‘Ex-Gay’ Conversion Therapy – WATCH

A gay Texas man has revealed that a megachurch removed his membership after he refused to continue to take part in an “ex-gay” program.

Jason Thomas says that when he first started attending Watermark Community Church around five years ago, the pastor was “open and authentic about his life and ‘struggles with sin.’” In an open letter published in The Dallas Morning News, Thomas writes that the pastor and the church “instilled a sense of comfort within me because of all the things I was hiding about myself.”

He made the decision to come out as gay and attend the church’s program aimed to change “perceived” sexual orientation. However, when Thomas disengaged from the programs after recognizing the damage it causes, he received a letter from the church  stating that he was “no longer a member of our body at Watermark.” The letter also “lovingly, but firmly” called Thomas “back to repentance.”

Earlier this month, Thomas published the 2015 letter on Facebook. In the same post he wrote:

You say our “sin” is not unique, but you treat us in a unique manner; this is unacceptable behavior. We are actual people that have actual feelings.

Here we are a year later and you are still doing to others what you did to me. You are tarnishing the name of God to Christians and non-Christians alike; you should be ashamed of yourselves! Do not forget, Jesus was a angry with people just like you who said certain groups of people were not worthy to be followers of Him.

Thank you for removing yourself from my life! I am who God made me to be. I cannot change my sexual orientation and nor would I want to. I now have internal peace and happiness unlike ever before.

RELATED – Texas ‘Ex-Gay’ Group Defends Billboard Promoting Reparative Therapy: VIDEO

Thomas told WUSA9.com:

“I just don’t think that they are aware of the impact this is having on people’s lives. I don’t want to go to war with the church, I don’t want to go to battle with them. I don’t want to say negative things about them. I just want them to recognize that they can do a better job at loving people.”

A statement from Watermark reads in part: “Like any member whose beliefs move away from the core commitments, biblical convictions, and values of Watermark, it became appropriate to formally change his membership status. However, we continue to express to him that he is loved and is always welcome to attend Watermark.”

Watermark Church also reportedly told Thomas to break up with his boyfriend, which he refused to do.

Watch a report via Fox 4 below.

The post Gay Man Kicked Out of Texas Megachurch after Abandoning ‘Ex-Gay’ Conversion Therapy – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Gay Man Kicked Out of Texas Megachurch after Abandoning ‘Ex-Gay’ Conversion Therapy – WATCH

HRC Holds Back-to-Back LGBTQ Workplace Inclusion Summits in Alabama

Last week, HRC Alabama hosted back-to-back LGBTQ Workplace Inclusion Summits in Huntsville and Birmingham. Attendees representing area businesses explored the business and economic development case for LGBTQ equality.

For the Huntsville summit, Deena Fidas, the Director of HRC’s Workplace Equality Program, opened with discussion on the history and impact of the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The CEI is HRC’s national survey and benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBTQ employees. In the 2016 CEI report, 407 major businesses — spanning nearly every industry and geography — earned a top score of 100 percent and the distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.” The Huntsville Workplace Inclusion Summit reviewed the CEI and the corresponding business case for inclusion highlighting the business drivers for equality including the talent imperative for recruiting and retaining employees, full employee employee engagement and productivity and access to fair-minded consumers and investors.

After the learning session on the CEI, Fidas facilitated a panel discussion that included Wayne Hutchens, Assistant Vice President of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for AT&T Alabama, Steve Kester, State & Local Government Affairs at Apple, and Dr. Deborah Barnhart, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The panel kicked off with a viewing of  AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson’s speech given to the company’s employee network groups discussing the Black Lives Matter movement which highlights the ever growing business commitment to social justice issues.

The panelists discussed Stephenson’s speech and how the tone of an inclusive environment is set at the top with strong leadership striving for diversity and inclusion. The panelists also shared insight into the evolution of the conversation on LGBTQ inclusion in Alabama, the “talent” case for inclusion, what it really means for employees to bring their full selves to work and how that case benefits a business or organization. Fidas used a first-person story of a former colleague who transitioned in the workplace to illustrate lessons learned from that experience and the power of creating workplaces that welcome everyone’s authentic self.

The next day, HRC headed to Birmingham where the first Alabama LGBTQ Workplace Inclusion Summit was held last year with Federal Club Council member, Fergus Tuohy, and Federal Club member, Katherine Bland, serving as event co-chairs.

In Birmingham, Fidas moderated a panel of experts from Alabama Power, Apple, BBVA Compass and S.S. Nesbitt & Co. who shared their experiences and first-hand learning with inclusion. The panel included executives Jonathan Porter, Vice President of the Birmingham Division for Alabama Power, Steve Kester, State & Local Government Affairs at Apple, Melodi Morrissette, Community Relations of the East Division for BBVA Compass, and Forrest Cook, Senior Human Resources and Benefits Consultant for S.S. Nesbitt & Co. The panelists shared lessons learned from the journey of diversity and inclusion efforts at their respective companies, how to tackle the conversations of current news – whether it’s anti-LGBT legislation, violence against transgender Americans, or the Black Lives Matter movement – and the road to success in implementing LGBTQ public policy initiatives. 

After the panel discussion on each day, attendees participated in interactive sessions on how to make the business case for equality and explored the challenges, opportunities and tools for change. The conference ended with one-on-one meetings for companies and municipalities to learn more about the business and economic development case for equality.

Pictured above: Deena Fidas at HRC’s Alabama Workplace Summit

For more information and resources on LGBTQ workplace inclusion visit: www.hrc.org/workplace

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-holds-back-to-back-lgbtq-workplace-inclusion-summits-in-alabama?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

VIDEO: Out Christian rocker Trey Pearson urges us to go purple for #SpiritDay

www.glaad.org/blog/video-out-christian-rocker-trey-pearson-urges-us-go-purple-spiritday

Alabama's High Court Homophobe Refuses to Clean Out His Deak

After being suspended for fighting marriage equality, former Alabama chief justice Roy Moore is digging in his heels.

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/10/19/alabamas-high-court-homophobe-refuses-clean-out-his-deak

“Heterosexual AIDS” Just Another Liberal Lie, Says “Family Talk” Host James Dobson

Hey, look, if you’re a moron who believes nonsense and you’re in denial about reality, why not claim that there’s no such thing as heterosexual people with AIDS? Sure, that requires the wholesale erasure of tens of millions of people, particularly people of color. But what does that matter to you if you are a moron?

A moron, for example, like James Dobson, who has never believed a true or accurate or compassionate thing in his life. This human-shaped pile of garbage brought to life by an evil witch  just broadcast a speech claiming that AIDS doesn’t really impact straight people, and campus rape isn’t really a problem.

The claim came from Dennis Prager, another idiot talking head, who gave a speech to a group of similarly monstrous creeps at the Western Conservative Summit last summer. According to Prager’s speech: “AIDS does discriminate. It happens to attack in America—and I emphasize in America— overwhelmingly, gay men and intravenous drug users and his partners. You know the group least likely to get AIDS? Gay women. So it can’t be homophobic to say the truth.”

That is grammatically weird, but more importantly, insane. Yes, men who have sex with men are more likely to practice behaviors that increase the risk of transmission. What exactly is Prager’s point, though? That gay men deserve what they get? (And that lesbians are the chosen people?) You could also point out that South Asian men are more likely to have heart disease… so what? Some populations are more at risk, and that’s that.

This is, of course, a typical tactic for conservatives and Republicans: if it’s not a problem that impacts you, then it must not be a real problem.

Fortunately, while there may not be a cure for HIV yet, there is a cure for the scourge of people like Dennis Prager and James Dobson. You can just turn off the radio.

www.queerty.com/heterosexual-aids-just-another-liberal-lie-says-family-talk-host-james-dobson-20161019?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Germany Has a Larger LGBT Population Than Any Country in Europe

A new survey has found that Germany has the the largest LGBT population of any country in Europe.

More specifically, the survey found that the percentage of Germany’s population that identifies as LGBT is higher than any other nation in Europe.

Put together by firm Dalia Research, the new survey attempted to outmaneuver traditional problems that have prevented census-takers and statisticians from getting a precise snapshot of what Europe’s LGBT and non-heterosexual population look like.

As Dalia points out, census information on individuals’ sexuality is both hard to come by, not standardized in terms of questions asked (it varies from country to country) and also incredibly sensitive.

“Most country censuses don’t ask sexual orientation questions, and the surveys that do attempt to accurately quantify the LGBT population can be stymied by the personal nature of the topic,” the researchers note, adding that, “Even when surveys do collect information about LGBT demographics in a certain region or country, it is difficult to compare the results because responses are very sensitive to how the questions are phrased and what answer options are offered.”

Given those obstacles, Dalia decided to have participants answer questions anonymously about how they identify using web-enabled devices as opposed to asking the questions in face-to-face or phone interviews.

The questions the survey asked were:

1) “Do you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender?”  [Yes / No / Prefer not to say]

2) “Which of the following options best describes your current sexual orientation?” *  [Only heterosexual / Mostly heterosexual, sometimes homosexual / Equally heterosexual and homosexual / Mostly homosexual, sometimes heterosexual / Only homosexual / Asexual / Prefer not to say]

The second question was based loosely on the Kinsey scale.

Here were the results:

The results show that 5.9% of Europeans identify as LGBT when asked directly, ranging from 7.4% in Germany to 1.5% in Hungary. However, when we give respondents the opportunity to select a sexual orientation somewhere on the Kinsey scale, we found that the share of people who identify as not only heterosexual is nearly twice as high (10%) as the percent who identify as LGBT from the yes/no question (5.9%).

The survey also found that more women than men in Europe identify as LGBT, that younger Europeans are more likely to identify as not exclusively as heterosexual — “16% of Europeans between the ages of 14 and 29, compared to 7.5% between 30 and 65” — and that young Europeans are more likely to identify as LGBT (which is not the same thing as identifying as not-heterosexual). Spain and the UK saw particularly high percentages of young people who identify as LGBT — 12% in the UK and 14% in Spain. Germany still had the highest overall LGBT population however, when all age categories were factored in.

You can read more about the survey here.

The post Germany Has a Larger LGBT Population Than Any Country in Europe appeared first on Towleroad.

Germany Has a Larger LGBT Population Than Any Country in Europe

Jim Obergefell Leads #HRCTwitterTakeover Ahead of Final Presidential Debate

Today at 3:30 PM ET,  marriage equality plaintiff Jim Obergefell will take over HRC’s Twitter account to discuss the significance of presidential nominations to the Supreme Court and why Hillary Clinton is the best choice for the LGBTQ community.

After the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor in 2013 struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, longtime HRC member Jim Obergefell and his now late husband John Arthur filed a lawsuit to obtain legal recognition of their marriage by their home state of Ohio.

Jim, who fought for recognition of his marriage to John in Ohio so he could be listed on his death certificate, joined plaintiffs from Ohio and other Sixth Circuit states: Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. His co-plaintiffs included David Michener & William Herbert Ives and Robert Grunn (Obergefell v. Katich); Nicole Yorksmith & Pamela Yorksmith, Joseph J. Vitale & Robert Talmas, Brittani Henry & Brittni Rogers and Kelly Noe & Kelly McCraken (Henry v. Wymyslo); Gregory Bourke & Michael DeLeon, Randell Johnson & Paul Campion, Jimmy Meade & Luther Barlowe, Kimberly Franklin & Tamera Boyd (Bourke v. Beshear); Maurice Blanchard & Dominique James and Timothy Love & Lawrence Ysunza (Love v. Beshear); Joy “Johno” Espejo & Matthew Mansell, Kellie Miller & Vanessa DeVillez, Sergeant Ijpe DeKoe & Thomas Kostura, and Valeria Tanco & Sophia Jesty (Tanco v. Haslam); and April DeBoer & Jayne Rowse (DeBoer v. Snyder).

After Jim’s #HRCTwitterTakeover, join @HRC for a #turnOUT tweet up about why we must #turnOUT the pro-equality and how important the equality vote is on Election Day. The LGBTQ voting bloc will play a pivotal role in the presidential, senatorial and other down-ballot races.There are 9.4 million LGBTQ voters in the United States. Turnout among LGBTQ voters is also reliably high. This bloc was also a crucial piece of the puzzle for President Obama’s victory: in the last election, President Obama received 76 percent of all LGB votes, according to national exit polls. In total, roughly 6 million LGB voters cast a ballot in 2012 — an election President Obama won by just under 5 million votes. Polling this year showed Secretary Clinton’s support among LGBTQ voters is running even higher than President Obama (for example, this May poll showing 84 percent). This mean that in key battleground states, LGBTQ people could make all the difference this election.

www.hrc.org/blog/jim-obergefell-leads-hrctwittertakeover-ahead-of-final-presidential-debate?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed