WATCH: Smoldering Transgender Model Laith Ashley Steals The Marco Marco Runway Show

Last week, strapping models in skivvies and stars of RuPaul‘s Drag Race collided at the Marco Marco runway show, creating an intoxicating orgy of flesh and fetish.

Related: Watch the 2015 Marco Marco: Collection Three Runway Presentation

While the highlights were many, transgender model Laith Ashley proved to be the most sought-after manflesh of the night, sending the crowd into overdrive wearing nothing but skimpy shorts.

Watch the complete show below (Laith’s moment starts at 27:10.)

h/t: Attitude

www.queerty.com/watch-smoldering-transgender-model-laith-ashley-steals-marco-marco-runway-show-20161028?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Equality House Riddled with Bullets, Defaced with Anti-Gay Graffiti

Equality House, the famous rainbow-emblazoned house across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church’s headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, has been attacked with anti-gay graffiti and bullets.

“Fuk fags” was spray-painted on the side of the house and seven bullet-holes were found in what is the latest attack on Equality House.

Actions taken and threats made against Equality House have reportedly reached a new zenith this year, the third year that Equality House has existed since being opened in 2013.

Recently, an individual who claimed to be a member of the KKK made anti-LGBT threats and a feces and urine were found in Equality House’s resource center.

NBC OUT reports on this latest attack and the uptick in targeted action against the house: 

Aaron Jackson, president of Planting Peace and founder of the Equality House, was inside at the time the house was vandalized on Sunday with spray-paint. He was awoken at around 1:12 a.m. when he heard loud noises coming from outside. He called the police, and once they had arrived, they found the anti-gay slurs on the house. A few days later, seven bullet holes were found on the same side of the home.

This, unfortunately, is just the latest in a recent string of vandalism against Equality House.

“The Equality House has been a target for acts of hate and intolerance that reflect the same experiences our LGBT family face every day,” Jackson said. “Planting Peace frequently receives hate mail and even death threats, but over the past three months we have seen an increase in physical acts of vandalism and violence. While it may seem shocking to some, it’s a heartbreaking reality.”

Recently, Planting Peace made history by launching the first pride flag into space.

[Photos via Aaron Jackson/NBC OUT]

The post Equality House Riddled with Bullets, Defaced with Anti-Gay Graffiti appeared first on Towleroad.

Equality House Riddled with Bullets, Defaced with Anti-Gay Graffiti

#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: October 28, 2016

COUNTDOWN and #turnOUT: 11 days until Election Day and new polling shows Hillary Clinton pulling ahead with a strong lead in North Carolina and Virginia, and closing the gap in Georgia and Iowa. Helping make the difference: North Carolina has more than 255,800 LGBTQ voters, Virginia has 188,900, Georgia has 269,900 and Iowa has 67,100.

HILLARY CLINTON LAYS OUT BOLD PLAN TO COMBAT BULLYING IN SCHOOLS: Today, Hillary Clinton announced her “Better than Bullying” initiative, which aims to provide students, families and educators with resources to combat the epidemic of bullying in our nation’s schools. The effort calls for $500 million in funding for states and includes explicit policies protecting and providing resources for LGBTQ students and their families. LGBTQ students, and especially trans youth, disproportionately face bullying in schools, and Clinton’s plan calls for comprehensive measures to address bullying on the basis of  sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and religion. The plan allows states to tailor their policies and programs based upon local communities’ needs. More from HRC.

• An HRC Foundation survey of 10,000 LGBTQ youth in 2012 found that three-quarters of transgender students feel unsafe in school settings. It also found that LGBTQ youth are about twice as likely as non-LGBTQ youth to be excluded for being different (48 percent), to be verbally harassed (51 percent) or physically attacked (17 percent) at school.

RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER EXCORIATES STATE OFFICIAL OVER  “PREPOSTEROUS” CLAIM THAT HB2 HASN’T HURT NC ECONOMY: In a blistering editorial yesterday, the Raleigh News & Observer suggests that state Commerce Secretary John Skvarla needs a reality check after asserting that the discriminatory HB2 law hasn’t led to job or economic losses. Characterizing Skvarla’s clearly political comments as among the most “preposterous, downright fanciful” of the election season, the N&O also noted the obvious: Governor Pat McCrory’s HB2 has “cost the state thousands of jobs and millions of dollars. And the losses of jobs and economic impact from huge events will continue until it is repealed.” Business leaders aren’t buying what McCrory sent Skvarla to sell, the editorial board said. Here’s the N&O’s reality check for McCrory and Skvarla: “HB2 isn’t just some political gaffe on the part of Republicans who apparently could care less what it’s done to the state’s reputation. It is a certifiable disaster and the consequences from it are only going to get worse.”

• #turnOUT in North Carolina: Yesterday HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) joined HRC volunteers and gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper in Asheville to encourage supporters to vote early and rally #TurnOUT NC supporters in the Tar Heel State. He will continue to campaign today with Cooper, and for other pro-equality North Carolina candidates including State Senator Josh Stein, who is running for Attorney General. More from Asheville’s Citizen-Times.

• Despicable – NC Republicans try to remove 100-year-old woman from voting rolls: The Nation’s Ari Berman (@AriBerman) reports that just before early voting began in North Carolina, Republicans tried to boot Grace Bell Hardison, a 100-year-old African-American woman and regular voter, off the voting rolls in the town where she’s lived all her life. The effort was dropped after an outcry over the GOP’s targeting of Hardison and other Black and Democratic voters. Read more here.

The NC #LGBTQ voting bloc will play a pivotal role in this election. We must #turnOUT the pro-equality vote t.co/vmimD26H91 pic.twitter.com/7Yjs2CKHFA

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) October 27, 2016

TRANS TEEN FIGHTING FOR HIS RIGHTS PENS OP-ED IN WAPO: In a powerful op-ed in The Washington Post, Gavin Grimm, the transgender teen who sued his Virginia School District over its refusal to grant him access to the boys’ restroom, shares his heartbreaking story of being discriminated against in his school, and humiliated by an institution where he should feel the most safe. The Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled in Grimm’s favor earlier this year. The school district has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s ruling. The Supreme Court of the United States could announce they will hear the case shortly. Read the full piece here.

HILLARY CLINTON AND FLOTUS IN NC: Hillary Clinton continued to be a vocal champion of LGBTQ equality, telling supporters at a campaign rally with Michelle Obama in North Carolina yesterday that “if you believe everyone deserves to be treated equally no matter who they are or who they love, you’ve got to turn out.” At the same rally, First Lady Michelle Obama voiced her support for gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper — a pro-equality champion who would repeal the discriminatory HB2 — and issued a powerful call to #turnOUT and vote. Watch Clinton and FLOTUS here.

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Two former contestants on “Bachelor Australia” found love in a way the show didn’t intend — with each other. Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon confirmed their relationship this week by posting on Instagram. Cue the warm-fuzzies! More from BuzzFeed.

ORLANDO MAGIC CREATES HEARTWARMING TRIBUTE TO PULSE: This week, the Orlando Magic dedicated their 2016-17 season opener to the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. The tribute included a performance of the song “Forty-Nine Times” and the raising of a #49 banner inscribed with the names of those who lost their lives that terrible night. Get out your tissues and watch here.

Our Opening Night is dedicated to the Pulse victims. Please join us in a moment of silence. #OrlandoUnited pic.twitter.com/Ta0g2TUXqO

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) October 26, 2016

WORLD BANK APPOINTS CLIFTON CORTEZ AS FIRST-EVER SENIOR ADVISOR ON SOGI ISSUES: The World Bank announced today that Clifton Cortez will serve as the organization’s first-ever Advisor on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) issues. In the newly- created senior position, Cortez will be responsible for promoting LGBTQ inclusion throughout the work of the World Bank. In a release, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said, “Discrimination against any group is not only morally wrong, it stands in the way of sustained, balanced, and inclusive economic growth.” More from HRC.

A CASE FOR THE “Q”: TIME’S Katy Steinmetz (@katysteinmetz) discusses the rise of the use of “LGBTQ” as opposed to “LGBT” by major advocacy and news organizations. “Queer” is a word with a complicated modern history — both used in a defiant chant originated by LGBTQ rights activists more than a quarter century ago to confront bigotry, and hijacked by hate-mongers doubling down on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. More from TIME.

WEDDING BELLS IN GIBRALTAR: The British territory of Gibraltar passed marriage equality with unanimous, cross-party support. Gibraltar is a largely Catholic country off the coast of Spain. More from Gay Star News.

READING RAINBOW

The Huffington Post talks to one trans woman about her reason for campaigning for Hillary Clinton… The New York Times reviewed a revived play with LGBTQ themes, and the progress since its original run… Steven Petrow (@StevenPetrow) writes for The Washington Post about Trump’s failing polling with LGBTQ voters…

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to A.M. Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-october-28-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

PHOTOS: Life Is One Giant Gay Fiesta In Buenos Aires

www.gaycities.com/photos/337-fiesta-jolie/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Pulse Nightclub Victim’s Mother Stars in Powerful Ad for Hillary Clinton: WATCH

Christine Leinonen, the mother of Orlando shooting victim Christopher Leinonen, who offered a powerful speech at the Democratic Convention about her son’s life and the need for common sense gun laws, speaks out in a new video from HRC for Hillary Clinton.

Christopher was killed with his boyfriend Juan Ramon Guerrero and 47 others at the Pulse nightclub massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in the nation’s history.

Juan Ramon Guerrero and his boyfriend Christopher Leinonen. Both were killed at Pulse nightclub.

Says Leinonen in the ad:

“This is definitely a mother’s worse nightmare, something that you would never have even imagined. Christopher and Juan’s love was like Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately they died together.”

She adds:

“He had the kind of personality that brought people together – all people. and that’s why he supported Hillary Clinton. He was impressed with her as a leader. She wants to bring everybody to the table. We have to continue moving forward as an inclusive society. If you love a gay person, if you know someone who is gay and you really truly love them, I don’t know how you could justify a vote for Donald Trump.”

Leinonen concludes by asking people to cast a vote for Christopher and give him a voice.

Watch:

The post Pulse Nightclub Victim’s Mother Stars in Powerful Ad for Hillary Clinton: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Pulse Nightclub Victim’s Mother Stars in Powerful Ad for Hillary Clinton: WATCH

Queer Fashion Week in Oakland Gets It Right

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/10/28/queer-fashion-week-oakland-gets-it-right

Utah School System Sued For Oppressing Gay Students: VIDEO

Equality Utah and three parents and their children have filed suit against the Utah State Board of Education for “anti-gay school laws.”

According to the lawsuit, Utah schools subject homosexual students to harassment and bullying, censor their speech, violate their right to association and won’t even let them mention gay issues in a positive way.” It argues that “anti-gay school laws” and regulations in Utah “expressly prohibit speech that ‘advocat[es] homosexuality’ in public school classrooms and student clubs.”

Additionally, it claims that the state “refused to protect a gender nonconforming student from bullying and harassment.”

RELATED: Football Players Angry About Gay Classmate on Homecoming Court Said He Should Kill Himself – VIDEO

The plaintiffs include a male high school student who was bullied and prohibited from talking about his uncle’s same-sex marriage at school, a female student who was punished for holding hands with a girl and a 7-year-old gender nonconforming student who was teased and beaten by his classmates, reports AllGov.com.

The lawsuit provides some specific allegations:

“Even the parents of other students harassed John [Doe] and called him names,” the complaint states. It continues: When John’s mother was dropping him off for picture day early in the school year, she heard a group of parents saying that she was ‘turning him into a faggot’ by allowing John to wear dresses to school. His mother reported the incident to the principal, but he said that there was nothing he could do if she did not know the names of the parents and could not prove what they had said.”

Other students held the boy’s hand to a hot metal slide, giving him second-degree burns, his mother says.

James Doe, a high school student, was bullied, robbed and harassed at school, and when given a class assignment to write and discuss a family history, he was prohibited from talking about his uncle, who is married to another man. “(T)he teacher told James that if he wanted to do his report about his uncle, he would need to do the oral presentation after class, in a one-on-one presentation to the teacher with no other students present,” according to the complaint.

Equality Utah executive director Troy Williams said:

“These are some of the last remaining anti-LGBT laws that are currently being enforced in the country, and they’re especially odious, because they explicitly apply to school classes on every subject. These laws send a message that our lives are shameful and must be hidden and censored. They create a deadly culture of silence and non-acceptance, causing harms that can never fully be undone. The time has come to end the stigma and strike down this shameful law.”

The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction and punitive damages on 14 counts of civil rights violations, including violations of the First, Fifth and 14th Amendments, for students and teachers, and violations of equal access to education and of Title IX.

State and county officials have not yet commented on the case.

Watch Equality Utah’s A Mormon mom’s story of unconditional love for her transgender son below.

The post Utah School System Sued For Oppressing Gay Students: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Utah School System Sued For Oppressing Gay Students: VIDEO

17 Monsters Who Came Out of the Closet

Film, literature, and fiction has several notable supernatural LGBT characters who lived and loved openly.

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/10/28/17-monsters-who-came-out-closet