HRC Calls on Governor Scott to Extend Voter Registration Deadline

Today, HRC President Chad Griffin called on Florida Governor Rick Scott to extend the state’s voter registration deadline to give all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Matthew the opportunity to vote in the 2016 elections. Last week, Governor Rick Scott rejected a requests to extend Florida’s voter-registration deadline, and yesterday a lawsuit was filed seeking an extension. Florida is home to 20 million voters, including at least 550,000 LGBTQ adults, and tens of thousands have been displaced over the last week due to the storm.

“Tens of millions of Americans throughout the Southeast have been impacted by this horrific storm and our first priority should be their safety and well-being,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin. “But we are also concerned that tens of thousands of Floridians may be denied the right to vote because of the storm. Florida is home to at least 550,000 LGBTQ adults and come November they deserve to have their voices heard at the ballot box. Governor Scott should work to ensure that the state of Florida accommodates the countless voters unable to register through no fault of their own.”

Florida’s voter registration deadline is tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11^th. An analysis of voter registration numbers in Florida done by TargetSmart, a progressive data and analytics firm, found that in 2012, 63,152 voters registered in the last eight days before the deadline. On the last day to register, nearly 30,000 Floridians registered. On Election Day, President Obama carried Florida by only 74,309 votes.

The Human Rights Campaign encourages donations to the American Red Cross to support Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts. To donate, visit: www.redcross.org/donate/donation

www.hrc.org/blog/HRC-calls-on-governor-scott-to-extend-voter-registration-deadline?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Convention of the Unconventional at GaymerX (Photos)

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/10/10/convention-unconventional-gaymerx-photos

A Little Something Slick and Sinister (Photos)

www.advocate.com/books/2016/10/10/little-something-slick-and-sinister-photos

PHOTOS: The Best Memes From Last Night’s Depressing Presidential Debate

Well, the reviews are in and it seems everyone agrees that last night’s presidential debate was depressing AF.

Related: “Go F_k Yourself” And 11 Other Tweets Nailing Donald Trump’s Epically Nasty Debate Performance

Basically, for 93 minutes straight Donald Trump spewed complete nonsense at the American people, downplaying the whole “grab ’em by the pussy” scandal, inviting Bill Clinton’s alleged former mistresses to sit in the audience, accusing Hillary Clinton of being a fraud, bullying women, and laughing in the face of a 12-year-old rape victim, then calling her the devil, then saying her heart is “filled with hate,” before finally threatening to use to the power of the Oval Office to jail her if he is elected president.

All the while, Madam President, er, Secretary Clinton sat quietly with daggers in her eyes and let Mr. Trump continue digging his own grave while her poll numbers skyrocketed. (She’s now leading him by double digits.)

Related: Donald Trump Is Only Interested In Grabbing Women, Insists He’s Never Had A Gay Thought In His Life

It was a deeply depressing, deeply upsetting, deeply unnerving event on many levels and it left us wishing we could just fast forward to November 9 when this whole shit show is finally over with. But at least some creative meme makers were able to find humor in it all. Thank god.

Scroll down for some of our favorite memes from last night’s presidential debacle…

www.queerty.com/photos-best-memes-last-nights-depressing-presidential-debate-20161010?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Donald Trump Is Only Interested In Grabbing Women, Insists He’s Never Had A Gay Thought In His Life

Donald Trump has never had a gay thought in his life. Never ever ever! Not once. Not a single time. Believe him.

In newly unearthed audio from a past interview with class act Howard Stern, the flailing GOP presidential candidate/self-proclaimed pussy grabber/debate loser talks at length about his total, 100 percent lack of interest in having gay sex.

Related: “Go F_k Yourself” And 11 Other Tweets Nailing Donald Trump’s Epically Nasty Debate Performance

The comments, obtained by CNN, were made during a 2010 interview and came shortly after Trump praises golf star Tiger Woods for not being gay and for having many, many mistresses.

During the discussion, Trump voluntarily brings up a man Stern had interviewed who said he wasn’t gay even though he had experimented with “one or two” other men.

“You said, ‘Anybody who has had one or two events with a man is gay’,” Trump says.

“Absolutely. Absolutely, you know it and I know it,” Stern responds. “How many events have you had with a man?”

“Zero!” Trump quickly denies. “Not even a thought.”

“You’re a real man,” Stern congratulates.

Related: Now Trump Fans Are Attacking Anderson Cooper As Biased Because–Well, You Know

“In other words,” Trump insists, “with all that I’ve had, I’ve never had a thought. There’s never been a big thought process, you know… Never even, like, a thought. In other words, let’s put it this way, during the event there’s never a thought of Jimmy or Ronald or any of that, no. No thoughts.”

Listen to the disgusting clip below. Or don’t.

www.queerty.com/donald-trump-interested-grabbing-women-insists-hes-never-gay-thought-life-20161010?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Keith Olbermann to ‘Führer Trump’: ‘You Killed a Part of Our Democracy’ – WATCH

Keith Olbermann explored the dangerous consequences of Donald Trump’s vow to jail Hillary Clinton if elected president.

“Make no mistake what you heard,” Olbermann said, Trump’s threats against Clinton during the second presidential debate make it clear that what Trump is really seeking in this election is to become dictator of the United States America.

RELATED – Keith Olbermann Wonders If Trump Is a Traitor: ‘Are You Loyal to the United States of America?’

“The kind of presidency you want already exists. It is called a Putin-style dictatorship,” Olbermann remarked. “And the kind of America you want to lead, Trump, is not the America we live in now. This other America already exists. It is called Russia.”

He added,

“You killed a part of our democracy. When you threatened to jail one of your political opponents, you have threatened to jail all of your political opponents. It is by itself the outskirts of a Russian pseudo-democracy in which the very act of opposition to the ruler becomes a crime, or worse yet, it becomes a reason to fabricate evidence of an extant crime against the opponent. It is dictatorship.”

“And the power you seek might still carry the title president, but with the threat of the legal power of the United States of American being brought down on your opponents you might as well be Chancellor Trump, or Chairman trump, or Protector Trump, or Generalissimo Trump, or Führer Trump.”

The post Keith Olbermann to ‘Führer Trump’: ‘You Killed a Part of Our Democracy’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Keith Olbermann to ‘Führer Trump’: ‘You Killed a Part of Our Democracy’ – WATCH

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Actress Sara Ramirez Comes Out as Bisexual

Actress Sara Ramirez, best known for her role as Dr. Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy, came out as bisexual in a speech at the True Colors Fund 40 to None Summit. The 40 to None Summit is a two-day event addressing LGBT youth homelessness across the country which brings together advocates, service providers, funders, government officials, and young people.

#40ToNoneSummit #SpeakingMyTruth! Will post full video of speech soon! #ThankYou @TrueColorsFund #WomanOfColor #Bisexual #Queer #Immigrant pic.twitter.com/1q8JmKih9I

— Sara Ramirez (@SaraRamirez) October 8, 2016

Said Ramirez in the speech:

“So many of our youth experiencing homelessness are youth whose lives touch on many intersections – whether they be gender identity, gender expression, race, class, sexual orientation, religion, citizenship status. And, because of the intersections that exist in my own life: Woman, multi-racial woman, woman of color, queer, bisexual, Mexican-Irish American, immigrant, and raised by families heavily rooted in Catholicism on both my Mexican & Irish sides, I am deeply invested in projects that allow our youth’s voices to be heard, and that support our youth in owning their own complex narratives so that we can show up for them in the ways they need us to.”

Watch Ramirez “speak her truth” in the video from the 40 to None Summit:

The post ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Actress Sara Ramirez Comes Out as Bisexual appeared first on Towleroad.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Actress Sara Ramirez Comes Out as Bisexual

Warren Beatty Speaks About Transgender Son for First Time: ‘He’s My Hero’

Actor Warren Beatty has spoken out about his transgender son Stephen Ira for the first time in a new profile in Vanity Fair.

pic.twitter.com/N7gMLuSyjj

— Stephen Ira (@supermattachine) July 21, 2016

Stephen Ira came out as transgender in 2009 and gay in 2011. Beatty and Stephen’s mother, actress Annette Bening, were criticized at the time for being silent on the issue publicly.

Beatty praises Stephen in the new VF profile:

“He’s a revolutionary, a genius, and my hero, as are all my children,” Beatty says when asked about Stephen.

With his children growing up and two of them now out of the house, “there’s something about the empty nest that makes you say, ‘Well, maybe I should go out and make a movie.’ It’s like Cocteau said [quoting the French poet Paul Valery], ‘A poem is never finished, it’s only abandoned.’ And that’s the way it is with movies—like children. You continue to work on them, and work on them, but then you have to let them go.”

Stephen is co-editor of Vetch: A Magazine of Trans Poetry & Poetics, and an activist.

The post Warren Beatty Speaks About Transgender Son for First Time: ‘He’s My Hero’ appeared first on Towleroad.

Warren Beatty Speaks About Transgender Son for First Time: ‘He’s My Hero’

Every Vote Counts – Join Us to Help Get Out the Vote (Week of Oct. 10)

Every day between now and Election Day on November 8, HRC members and supporters will be coming together to get out the vote at phone banking events across the country. Each time these volunteers pick up the phone, they are working to guarantee that pro-LGBTQ equality voters will make their voices heard at the ballot box just 4 weeks from now.

If you’ve been wondering how you can have an impact on the election – aside from casting your own vote on Election Day – this is your opportunity. Join us and fellow volunteers at an upcoming phone banking event!

Every week from now until Election Day, we will post an updated list of scheduled phone banks. Be sure to check out HRC’s Blog for these and other volunteer opportunities across the country. Click here to volunteer or see below for information on how to reach out directly to an organizer in your community.

Please join us at this critical moment in our history. Let’s seize the opportunity to build on the momentum for full LGBTQ equality that we’ve seen over the past eight years, and make sure we don’t allow anti-equality forces to undermine our historic progress.

Please reach out to the coordinator in your city if you have any questions:

DC – [email protected]

Monday 10/10: 5p-8:30p EST (1640 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036)
Tuesday 10/11: 5p-8:30p EST (1640 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036)
Wednesday 10/12: 7p-9p EST (1640 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036)
Thursday 10/13: 5p-8:30p EST (1640 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036)
Saturday 10/15: 12p-4p EST (1640 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC 20036)

HOUSTON (contact: [email protected])

Monday 10/10: 5p-9p CST (405 Main St, Houston, TX 77002)
Tuesday 10/11: 11a-2p/5p-9p CST (405 Main St, Houston, TX 77002)
Wednesday 10/12: 11a-2p CST (405 Main St, Houston, TX 77002)
Thursday 10/13: 11a-2p CST (405 Main St, Houston, TX 77002)
Saturday 10/15: 12p-3p/3p-6p CST (405 Main St, Houston, TX 77002)

NEW YORK (contact: [email protected])

Tuesday 10/11:6p-9p EST (525 W 120th St, New York, NY 10027)
Tuesday 10/11: 6p-9p EST (463 7th Ave, New York, NY 10018)
Wednesday 10/12: 6p-9p EST (463 7th Ave, New York, NY 10018)
Thursday 10/13: 6p-9p EST (463 7th Ave, New York, NY 10018)
Saturday 10/15: 10a-4p EST (208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011)

BOSTON​ (contact: [email protected])

Tuesday 10/11: 5:30p-8:30p EST (711 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02111)
Wednesday 10/12: 5:30p-8:30p EST (711 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02111)
Thursday 10/13: 5:30p-8:30p EST (711 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02111)
Saturday 10/15: 11a-3p EST (209 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02116)

Palm Springs– Paulina Angel ([email protected])

Monday 10/10: 4p-7p PT (119 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262)
Tuesday 10/11: 4p-7p PT (119 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262)
Wednesday 10/12: 4p-7p PT (119 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262)
Thursday 10/13: 4p-7p PT (119 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262)
Friday 10/14: 4p-7p PT (119 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262)
Saturday 10/15: 11a-3p PT (119 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262)

Austin (contact: [email protected])

Tuesday 10/11: 3p-8:30p CST (3007 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78705)
Wednesday 10/12: 3p-8:30p CST (3007 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78705)
Thursday 10/13: 3p-8:30p CST (3007 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78705)
Saturday 10/15: 2p-5p CST (3007 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78705)

Cleveland

Tuesday 10/11: 5:30p-8:30p EST (2829 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115)
Thursday 10/13: 5:30p-8:30p EST (2829 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115)

www.hrc.org/blog/every-vote-counts-join-us-to-help-get-out-the-vote-week-of-oct.-10?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Members of Congress Celebrate Perfect Score on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard

www.hrc.org/blog/members-of-congress-celebrate-perfect-score-on-hrcs-congressional-scorecard?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed