‘Religious Freedom’, Hillary +14, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Patient Zero, Gibraltar, Joe Walsh: HOT LINKS

DADDY. Bravo TV star / house flipper Jeff Lewis and partner Gage Edwards have a new baby girl.

LGBT RIGHTS. President Obama isn’t having Republican ‘religious freedom’ nonsense: “President Barack Obama is prepared to veto a crucial $600 billion annual defense spending bill if Republican lawmakers insist on including a controversial provision that would effectively void his executive orders banning anti-LGBT nondiscrimination. […] The Russell Amendment, named after its sponsor, Oklahoma GOP Rep. Steve Russell, would allow any religious-based entity that has a government contract to discriminate against LGBT people in what conservatives claim is an effort to expand ‘religious freedom.’”

POLLING. New national AP poll has Hillary up by 14: “Overall, the poll shows Clinton leading Trump nationally by a staggering 14 percentage points among likely voters, 51-37. While that is one of her largest margins among recent national surveys, most show the former secretary of state with a substantial national lead over the billionaire businessman. The AP-GfK poll finds that Clinton has secured the support of 90 percent of likely Democratic voters, and also has the backing of 15 percent of more moderate Republicans. Just 79 percent of all Republicans surveyed say they are voting for their party’s nominee.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY. When you really love Hillary. 

EVERYBODY COMES TO HOLLYWOOD. Donald Trump’s Hollywood star has been pretty thoroughly destroyed.

Video shows man smashing Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star with a sledgehammer. LAPD investigating incident t.co/ikn0IocAy1 pic.twitter.com/lLmUIXOclf

— ABC News (@ABC) October 26, 2016

JUST ‘CUZ. 10 galleries of Adam Lambert in photos. 

FOREIGN RELATIONS. Obama administration issues rule stating that contractors that administer foreign aid through USAID cannot discriminate against LGBT people: “’This rule means that any organization that contracts with USAID must ensure that all people can benefit from its federally funded programs,’ National Security Advisor Susan Rice said during an event Wednesday at American University in Washington. ‘It’s a major step towards ensuring that American assistance is provided in a fair and equitable manner.’ The rule does not apply to discrimination against LGBT people in employment, however.”

DC STATEHOOD. Beneficial for gay people? “‘I would say this is more relevant to LGBT people than it is to the average person because right now Congress can do whatever it wants,’ said Michael Brown, one of the city’s two shadow U.S. Senators. ‘Conservatives in Congress have attacked our gun laws and they’ve attacked gay people in our city as well,’ he said. ‘So if you want to secure things like LGBT equality you want to be in control of your own destiny as a state.’”

PATIENT ZERO. Researchers debunk myth that flight attendant brought HIV to New York in 1979: “In a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, researchers used genomic sequencing of blood samples from that era to go back in time and reconstruct the “family tree” of the virus in unprecedented detail. The findings are stunning, debunking many popular beliefs about the virus’s origins and spread and filling in holes about how it made its way to the United States.”

MARRIAGE EQUALITY. Gibraltar legalizes gay marriage: “Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar made the announcement via Twitter on Tuesday. ‘Chairman Felix Alvarez of Equality Rights Group Gibraltar (ERG) said, ‘Today is a happy and long-awaited day for many in Gibraltar. And Equality Rights Group extends a big thanks to all the LGBTI community and also to the very special people who have fought unfailingly alongside us.’”

JOE WALSH. Former Republican congressman threatens coup if Donald Trump doesn’t win.

On November 8th, I’m voting for Trump.

On November 9th, if Trump loses, I’m grabbing my musket.

You in?

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016

Oh and he previously said this [h/t Calvin]. The guy has a thing for muskets.

I told Thomas Jefferson that the government was forcing a grandmother to arrange flowers for a gay wedding. He said, “Grab your Musket!!!”

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) February 21, 2015

HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Pisut Liabprasert.

The post ‘Religious Freedom’, Hillary +14, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Patient Zero, Gibraltar, Joe Walsh: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

‘Religious Freedom’, Hillary +14, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Patient Zero, Gibraltar, Joe Walsh: HOT LINKS

Milo Yiannopoulos Takes Transphobia on Tour

The gay conservative troll has outlined an attack strategy against transgender people, whom he called “mentally ill,” among other pejoratives, on his college tour.

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/10/26/milo-yiannopoulos-takes-transphobia-tour

The Abba Virtual Reality Experience Nobody Asked For Is Coming Soon

Ahh, at last, an opportunity to experience Abba the way you’ve always wanted: surrounded by them like a trapped animal.

For reasons that no sane person will ever be able to comprehend, the guy who created American Idol is working on a virtual-reality “experience” that recycles old Abba material. Apparently members of the band are involved, and more details will be revealed in 2017. And … that’s all we know for now.

“We are exploring a new technological world, with virtual reality and artificial intelligence at the forefront, that will allow us to create new forms of entertainment and content we couldn’t have previously imagined,” said a PR company for producer Simon Fuller. Well, that’s a lot of nonsense, so who knows what he’s even talking about. How exactly is artificial intelligence involved? Is a robotic Benny Andersson going to be playing chess with us in 3D?

Related: ABBA Comes Together For Polish Gays

“Our fans around the world are always asking us to re-form and so I hope this new Abba creation will excite them as much as it excites me!” said a PR company for one of the Abba guys. It is probably a safe guess that when those fans asked them to re-form, they did not mean as “virtual reality and artificial intelligence.”

So what on Earth is this project going to be? Who knows. Maybe it’ll just be like a version of Mamma Mia that you strap to your face, and who wouldn’t want that?

www.queerty.com/abba-virtual-reality-experience-nobody-asked-coming-soon-20161026?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Pentatonix Gives ‘Hallelujah’ a Viral A Cappella Cover – WATCH

A cappella group Pentatonix have taken on Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah” in a new music video recently released.

The track comes off their third holiday album, A Pentatonic Christmas. The video for “Hallelujah” has amassed nearly 14 million views in 5 days.

Pentatonix is currently touring North America on the final leg of their 2016 Pentatonix World Tour, in support of their self-titled album, which was released in October 2015.

The post Pentatonix Gives ‘Hallelujah’ a Viral A Cappella Cover – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Pentatonix Gives ‘Hallelujah’ a Viral A Cappella Cover – WATCH

Jorge Ramos Puts American Racism And Xenophobia on Full Blast

Veteran journalist Jorge Ramos travels across the country exploring how hatred and intolerance have become center stage in the U.S. 

www.advocate.com/election/2016/10/25/jorge-ramos-puts-american-racism-and-xenophobia-full-blast

Deodorant Ad Perfectly Nails What’s Wrong With The Trans Bathroom Debate

Leave it to a deodorant company to get what so many elected officials in this country can’t quite wrap their heads around — that there is no “one way” to express gender.

And while right wing politicians and talking heads spend no shortage of time obsessing over how they, and most importantly their pure and innocent daughters, will feel should they ever cross paths with — gasp! — a transwoman washing her hands at the bathroom sink, they give little to no thought to what it can be like from the trans person’s perspective.

Related: Selfie Campaign Shows How Absurd It Is To Force Trans People To Use The Wrong Bathroom

Many businesses are adopting gender neutral bathrooms — and why not? It’s not like there are separate men’s/women’s bathrooms when you go over to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, and somehow the turkey gets carved just the same.

But until that becomes the norm (and perhaps it never will), there will be moments like the shockingly intimate one portrayed in the below ad, for Secret Deodorant of all things.

Related: Children’s Musician Has A Message For The Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill Folks

In the ad, the ever-lovely Karis Wilde (check out her Instagram if you’re in the mood for a good gag or twenty) plays Dana, a trans or genderqueer person debating her exit from a busy bathroom. Though she says nothing, we know exactly what’s going through her head — anxiety, some fear, perhaps shame.

Finally she takes a deep breath and with head held high, braves a world that is all too often cruel and callused. Text is superimposed that reads: “Stress test #8260 — Dana finds the courage to show there’s no wrong way to be a woman.”

“I always have moments of insecurity but I have conditioned myself to act unbothered,” Karis shared with Queerty when asked if the scene bears any resemblance to her daily life. “While shooting, I allowed myself to feel vulnerable. It terrified me how much I’ve stored all those emotions; I almost cried in the middle of taping.”

Watch below:

www.queerty.com/deodorant-ad-perfectly-nails-whats-wrong-trans-bathroom-debate-20161026?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Death of Boise State Student Raises Questions of Foul Play, Teen’s Gender Identity – VIDEO

The body of an 18-year-old Boise State student was found on the outskirts of Idaho City on Saturday.

The student, legally known as Sierra Bush but who was known by friends as Simon, was reported missing in late September. 

Bush’s body was discovered by an as-yet unknown individual who called 911 to alert authorities. Police are still looking to find out the identity of that caller.

Current reporting does not state definitively whether Bush was transgender. Bush’s family referred to Bush as ‘Sierra’ in their statement to the media. However, Bush’s preference to go by the name Simon suggests the student may have identified as male. Current reporting has gendered Bush as female.

The cause of Bush’s death is not yet known.

KTVB reports:

Sierra’s body was found in an outdoor location just south of Idaho City. Boise Police say they will work with the Boise County Coroner’s Office and the Boise County Sheriff’s Department to determine how she died.

Police have not said whether they suspect foul play in her death, or whether Bush left Boise of her own volition. But Boise Police Sgt. Justin Kendall said the case is being investigated as suspicious.

“Sierra’s disappearance has been suspicious from the beginning and this is a tragic discovery for everyone who knows her,” he said in a statement. “Every missing person’s case is initially investigated as being suspicious and Sierra was not the type to disappear without telling anyone. For weeks, our detectives have been following up on leads and our investigation is ongoing.”

KTVB spoke to Sierra’s longtime friend Samantha McGraw who says Sierra finds comfort in things that are familiar to her.

“I know that she would never run away and she didn’t have a need to or drive to,” McGraw tells KTVB.

She adds that the whole process of trying to find Sierra since she disappeared has been terrifying.

“It’s been heartbreaking not knowing and it’s even more heartbreaking now with us knowing where she is. And it’s been very hard,” McGraw said.

A statement from Simon’s family also misgendered him:

“Sierra was a happy and cheerful young lady. She had a 4.0 GPA her entire senior year and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.82 throughout high school.  She scored 1800 on the SAT. She sought out the Honors College at Boise State University and was accepted into the program. She applied for numerous scholarships and was awarded enough scholarship money, based on merit not financial need, that we only had to come up with approximately $500 for her tuition. She had joined the Creative Writing Club and the Beekeepers Club at BSU. Every indication was that she was thoroughly enjoying the start to her freshman year at BSU. When her mother last spoke to her Sierra was happy and in good spirits, there was not the slightest sign of any trouble whatsoever. Sierra was very talented individual and had so much to offer the world in her future years.

“We want to thank all of the people who helped look for Sierra and for the countless hours that they put into it.  We want to thank the law enforcement community and especially the Boise Police Department. There were many, many officers and detectives working very hard on Sierra’s case, most of which occurs out of sight and cannot be known while the investigation is ongoing. We hope and pray that the law enforcement community will be able to charge, prosecute and successfully convict the perpetrator or perpetrators who are responsible for this crime and bring them to justice.

“Sincerely, Bart and Mary Helen Green”

Boise State President Bob Kustra issued a statement as well, saying,

“The Boise State campus community joins me in grieving the loss of one of our students today. Sierra Bush, known by many on campus as Simon, was an active and involved engineering and Honors College student who left an indelible mark on many students, faculty and staff. It is difficult to lose any member of the Boise State family and our hearts go out to the Bush family and friends who are also mourning this loss. We stand ready to support those in need of services as well as to aid investigators in any way possible as they search for answers to this tragedy.”

The Boise State Gender Equity Facebook page posted this of Simon’s death.

If you have any knowledge of Bush’s disappearance or death please call Crime Stoppers at 343-COPS.

Watch a new report on Bush’s death, below.

The post Death of Boise State Student Raises Questions of Foul Play, Teen’s Gender Identity – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

[UPDATED] Death of Boise State Student Raises Questions of Foul Play – VIDEO

USAID Announces New Policy Prohibiting Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination in All Contracts

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has finalized a new non-discrimination policy that prohibits their contractors from discriminating against LGBTQ people in the services they provide overseas. USAID provides nearly $16 billion in foreign aid annually in more than 100 countries.

This new policy will be written into all USAID contracts, and will require contractors –both those based in the U.S. as well as abroad–not to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the way they provide services. However, the policy only extends to contractors and does include grantees, who are also major recipients of USAID funds. It also does not include employment decisions for USAID contractors and grantees who undertake projects around the world across a broad range of areas, including access to healthcare, housing, food security and education. HRC released a one-pager detailing this new policy.

“USAID has taken an important step in ensuring that people around the world who are being helped by U.S. taxpayer-funded programs are able to access them without fear of discrimination because of who they are or whom they love,” said David Stacy, HRC’s Director of Government Affairs. “This is a critical protection that can make a huge difference in the lives of LGBTQ people.”

Stacy added, “While this is a step forward, we ultimately hope to see all implementers across all U.S. foreign affairs agencies – including USAID – include non-discrimination policies that cover not only the services they provide, but also the people they hire. No organization supported by U.S. taxpayer dollars should turn anyone away because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

HRC’s Blueprint for Positive Change, released in 2015, specifically advocated for new non-discrimination measures that would ensure that USAID funding is not used to discriminate against LGBTQ people around the world.

The announcement comes the same day Ambassador Susan Rice, President Obama’s National Security Advisor will give a speech on protecting and promoting LGBTQ human rights around the world.

President Obama made clear in 2011 that the “struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States commitment to promoting human rights.” In his 2015 State of the Union address, President Obama explained that protecting individuals, including those who are LGBTQ, is in the national security interests of the U.S. His Administration has taken major steps to bend the arc of history towards justice for LGBTQ people everywhere, including this action, spearheaded by USAID Administrator Gayle Smith and Senior LGBT Coordinator Todd Larson.

• 20 countries now have marriage equality and in two countries same-sex marriage is legal in certain jurisdictions.

• But in up to 10 countries worldwide, same-sex activity is punishable by death, and 72 countries criminalize same-sex relationships.

• Hundreds of transgender individuals have been brutally murdered in the last year.

• In a growing number of countries, governments have sought to silence equality advocates and organizations with so-called “anti-propaganda” laws and legislation.

For more information on HRC Global, visit hrc.org/global.

www.hrc.org/blog/usaid-announces-new-policy-prohibiting-anti-lgbtq-discrimination-in-all-con?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed