Trump Adds to Collection of Anti-LGBTQ Cabinet Nominees With Rick Perry Nomination

Today, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would nominate Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy.  Perry brings with him a long history of opposing LGBTQ equality, both as Governor of Texas and a former candidate for president.

As a candidate for president, Perry not only consistently opposed LGBTQ equality, but he’s used his opposition to LGBTQ rights as a campaign issue against other candidates. Perry released a notorious campaign ad in 2011 saying there was something “wrong” with our country when “…gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.”

Prior to that, Perry has long opposed marriage equality. Perry supported a ballot measure to ban marriage equality in Texas, supported a federal constitutional amendment banning marriage equality nationwide, and has attacked judges who have ruled against marriage bans. He even defied a Department of Defense rule that granted LGB service members access to spousal benefits.

As Governor, Rick Perry suggested that Texans who supported marriage equality should move to California, telling NPR, “If, you know, you want to live in a state that has high taxes, high regulations, that is favorable toward smoking marijuana and gay marriage, move to California.”

Perry also defended then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s right to discriminate law — putting LGBTQ people at risk of discrimination and costing the state millions of dollars. And just like Mike Pence, Rick Perry also attacked the Obama Administration for fighting for LGBTQ equality abroad.

Click here to read more about the troubling anti-LGBTQ records of three other Trump nominees: Representative Tom Price, Ben Carson and Senator Jeff Sessions.

www.hrc.org/blog/trump-adds-to-collection-of-anti-lgbtq-cabinet-nominees-with-rick-perry-nom?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

YouTuber’s dramatic revelation: “I have two boyfriends”

In the age of global political intrigue and impending climate catastrophe, some news still manages to shock, to rattle the very foundation of what we think we know.

This is not one of those stories.

Actually, this all seems a bit silly. But perhaps we all need a little silly.

Either way, YouTuber Kenny Moffitt is taking his revelations seriously, because as any vlogger worth his weight in bitcoin knows, “The point of vlogging is to share my life with you and that gets sort of difficult when I keep secrets which I don’t want to which I’ve been doing. So, I’m no longer single…and I figured today we could do the boyfriend tag…”

Dramatic pause.

“…with my two boyfriends.”

Watch the earth-shattering revelation, featuring boyfriends Jacob and Kyle, below:

But wait, theres, more.

How will Kenny’s parents react to these unconventional developments? Will there be drama? Raised voices? Threats of being cut off from the family?

Actually, Mom and Dad seem pretty cool and unfazed with it all, which is perhaps the most encouraging thing about this story:

We’ll update this post as the story develops.

h/t Towleroad

www.queerty.com/youtubers-dramatic-revelation-two-boyfriends-20161213?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Shemar Moore Explains Why He Continues to Discuss Gay Rumors – VIDEO

Actor, model and producer Shemar Moore is once again addressing rumors that he is gay.

In an interview with BET, the Criminal Minds alum was asked why he frequently refutes rumors about his sexuality on social media.

Said Moore,

I just think it’s all silly. If you’re gay, you’re gay. I’m not, and I know that and I’m very comfortable with who I am and I love women. I’ve dated plenty of them. If you think I’m gay, send your girlfriend over to my house for the weekend and see what happens. For real. You can call that arrogant if you want to. I just call it confident. You can call me whatever you want, but you don’t know me.

I have fans that are gay, men that come up to me, and they’re inspired by me, or they like me as an entertainer, and when they want to give me a hug or take pictures with me, what, am I supposed to not put my arm around them or stand next to them, and if the man next to me in the picture is gay, that makes me gay? That’s just simpleminded ignorance, and I don’t play that.

Rumors about Moore being gay date back at least to 2007. 

In July, this Instagram again started chatter about whether Moore is in the closet.

He responded with this video.

[Top photo via IG]

The post Shemar Moore Explains Why He Continues to Discuss Gay Rumors – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Shemar Moore Explains Why He Continues to Discuss Gay Rumors – VIDEO

HRC and Human Rights First Host Advocates and Allies Event 2016

On December 12, the Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights First once again joined forces for their second annual reception, in cooperation with the Council for Global Equality, to mark U.N. Human Rights Day.

The event, “Advocates and Allies in the Global Equality Movement,” brought together more than 100 LGBTQ advocates, government officials, scholars and other experts to honor Caleb Orozco, a gay Belizean advocate, and Olena Hloba, a Ukrainian mother who co-founded an LGBTQ allies organization to support her openly gay son and other LGBTQ Ukrainians.

Orozco has become well known in LGBTQ advocacy circles for his lawsuit which brought down the “anti-sodomy” law in his country. He filed suit against his government in 2010, arguing that Belize’s colonial-era law criminalizing homosexuality was unconstitutional. This past summer, after nearly six years of litigation, Belize’s Supreme Court agreed, overturning the law and requiring the Criminal Code be amended to allow consensual same-sex activity.

HRC’s JoDee Winterhof, Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs, introduced Caleb and praised him for his bravery and leadership. “He is the kind of advocate who stands up to taunts and threats,” she said. “Even as his name has in some circles become a pejorative for ‘gay.’ He is an advocate who decided he ‘would not be silent anymore.’”

In his acceptance speech, Orozco said “LGBT Belizeans find a way, many times invisible, to resist oppression and violence. We are not only victims, but survivors and we resist. We will not be silenced.”

Hloba is the mother of a gay Ukrainian activist, Bogdan Hloba, and is the executive director of Fulcrum, a Ukrainian LGBTQ advocacy organization. She co-founded Tergo, a support group for parents and friends of LGBTQ Ukrainians. In an interview with the Washington Blade in 2014, Hloba said she spent eight years “suffering” after she discovered that her then-teenage son was gay. “Eight years of suffering and research is just a waste of precious time,” said Globa. She decided to instead use her energy to make a difference for LGBTQ Ukrainians.

“I am deeply thankful for this award,” Hloba said. “It’s great encouragement as I continue this hard work. I’m determined to use it as a key to open the doors that are still closed for our children…as I continue to knock on doors and work for equality for my son and for all LGBTQI people in Ukraine.”

Elisa Massimino, the President and CEO of Human Rights First, closed the event, pledging to “reaffirm our commitment to standing with frontline activists around the world. We will continue to champion equality, and we will demand that our government defend the human rights of LGBT people.” She urged everyone in the room to recommit to that cause as a new president and administration take power in the U.S.

“Together, we can create stronger, more inclusive communities, here at home and around the world,” she concluded.

HRC was honored to co-host this event with Human Rights First and we look forward to continuing to build relationships with advocates and allies to help expand LGBTQ equality around the world. Learn more about HRC Global here.

Photo c/o: Erick A. Andrade, Drade Photography & Films

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-and-human-rights-first-host-advocates-and-allies-event-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

HIV 101: How is HIV Transmitted?

Everyone has questions when they find out they are positive. In this series of posts, here are several of the most common, plus straightforward answers to help you navigate this new life of yours.

www.advocate.com/together-we-know/2016/12/13/hiv-101-how-hiv-transmitted

Shemar Moore addresses those pesky gay rumors

www.queerty.com/shemar-moore-addresses-pesky-gay-rumors-20161213?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Hazing, Ghost Ship, Ricky Martin, Oscar Wilde, Trump Assassination, Bruno Mars: HOT LINKS

HEIL TRUMP. Republicans give control of state-run radio to Donald Trump: “A radical change to that system is now coming — and it looks like one that Vladi­mir Putin and Qatar’s emir might well admire. An amendment quietly inserted into the annual National Defense Authorization Act by Republican House leaders would abolish the broadcasting board and place VOA, RFE/RL and other international news and information operations under the direct control of a chief executive appointed by the president. The new executive would hire and fire senior media personnel and manage their budgets.”

GHOST SHIP. Three trans women are among 36 dead in Oakland fire: “The trans women identified as being among the victims of the fire were Cash Askew, 22, an Oakland guitar player in a goth-pop duo named Them Are Us Too; Feral Pines, 29, a musician active in the Oakland and the San Francisco Bay area’s artist scene; and Em Bohlka, 33, a poet with a master’s degree in literature who, among other things, had worked as a barista while writing poetry and practicing photography.”

ALEX JONES. Conspiracy theorist says plan to kill Trump is on Obama’s desk: “The CIA, according to Jones, plans to use the pretext of Russian interference in the election to justify an assassination attempt against Trump, a plan that Jones said is currently on the desk of President Obama and waiting for his approval.”

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. New hazing policy bans players dressing like women: “The Associated Press reports that the policy forbids teams from ‘requiring, coercing or encouraging’ players to undergo certain hazing rituals which include ‘dressing up as women or wearing costumes that may be offensive to individuals based on their race, sex, nationality, age, sexual orientation, gender identify or other characteristic.’”

MANCHESTER. Napoleons, the city’s oldest gay nightclub, is up for sale: “The popular city centre hotspot, on Bloom Street, is on the market for £800,000. Current owners, Anne and Melvin Taylor, have run the club for almost 30 years, after buying it from Frank Foo Foo Lammar in December 1972, while working there.”

OSCAR WILDE. Portrait to go on display for first time in 100 years. “A full-length portrait of a young, dapper and confident Oscar Wilde, painted as a wedding present for his doomed marriage to Constance, is to be exhibited in the UK for the first time. Tate Britain announced that the painting, which has been in Los Angeles since the 1920s, is to be a star of its 2017 show, Queer British Art 1861-1967.”

Oscar #Wilde sold this portrait to pay legal fees while awaiting trial for ‘gross indecency’. See it on display in #QueerBritishArt in 2017 pic.twitter.com/8LtrRc64Pc

— Tate (@Tate) December 13, 2016

WE ARE FAMILY. Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef and the kids went to see Star Wars.

GAY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE. From Carmack.

BRUNO MARS. His Carpool Karaoke teaser.

TOO HOT FOR TUESDAY. Victor.

The post Hazing, Ghost Ship, Ricky Martin, Oscar Wilde, Trump Assassination, Bruno Mars: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

Hazing, Ghost Ship, Ricky Martin, Oscar Wilde, Trump Assassination, Bruno Mars: HOT LINKS

叶姉妹が成宮寛貴にエールか　セクシュアリティは「全ての人にとって神聖」とメッセージ
性に対してオープンな考えを持つ叶恭子さん、「人間にとってセクシュアリティはパーソナルなもの」とコメント。

もっと見る: エンタメ, 社会, 叶姉妹, 叶恭子, 成宮寛貴, セクシュアリティ, アウティング, Lgbt, Japan Lgbt, ライフスタイル, Lifestyle, Japan News

www.huffingtonpost.jp/2016/12/13/kano-sisters-talks-about-sexuality_n_13597570.html

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: December 13, 2016

ALERT: HRC CALLS ON SENATORS TO ENSURE THAT SECRETARY OF STATE PICK TILLERSON IS COMMITTED TO GLOBAL LGBTQ EQUALITY: On news this morning confirming President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) repeated his call for senators to ensure the ExxonMobil CEO is committed to LGBTQ equality, especially given his close ties to Russia. “ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson’s nomination raises critical questions as to how a Trump administration plans to protect LGBTQ employees and contractors affiliated with the State Department, and ultimately whether it will continue American efforts to advance equality through U.S. foreign policy,” Griffin said. “Will Trump and Tillerson take on brutal dictators like Putin who have inspired attacks against LGBTQ people? Will they assist LGBTQ Muslim refugees fleeing death from ISIS? For millions of people around the globe, their position on these and other issues are a matter of life and death. These are among the questions that Senators — Democrats and Republicans alike — must ask.”

LEADING ANTI-LGBTQ ACTIVIST LAUNCHES EFFORT TO EXPORT HATE ABROAD: Infamous anti-LGBTQ leader Brian Brown is now launching an international anti-equality group designed to export his losing U.S. hate campaign abroad. Brown is the new president of the World Congress of Families (WCF) and leader of the National Organizer for Marriage (NOM), both designated by The Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-LGBTQ hate groups. Since 2007, NOM’s efforts to block U.S. momentum for marriage equality have failed. Brown for years has been publicly supporting anti-LGBTQ movements in countries including France, Russia, Australia, Spain, Mexico, Kenya and Trinidad and Tobago. “These exporters of hate are in a desperate search to find any foothold for their message and mission of discrimination,” said Jean Freedberg, Deputy Director of HRC Global. “No new organization can turn the tide and stop the momentum towards basic dignity and human rights for LGBTQ people around the world, but this new group reinforces the need for all of us to remain vigilant in the face of emboldened hate.” More from HRC.

REMEMBERING THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB TRAGEDY SIX MONTHS LATER: Yesterday marked the six-month anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, which took the lives of 49 innocent LGBTQ people and allies, most of them from the Latinx community. For too long, a toxic combination of anti-LGBTQ hate and easy access to guns has put LGBTQ people at disproportionate risk of violence and murder. The Orlando community gathered at Pulse on Monday for a vigil honoring the lives lost. More from The Orlando Sentinel.

●The Orlando Sentinel publishes a powerful account of the last day of four Pulse victims, Juan Guerrero and his boyfriend, Drew Leinonen; Shane Tomlinson; and Peter “Ommy” Gonzalez Cruz. Read the piece here.

●Also yesterday, Orlando officials launched a Safe Places Initiative, a voluntary program in which participating businesses and other establishments designate themselves as places that will report anti-LGBTQ incidents, and provide safe spaces for victims of harassment or threats.  More from WMFE.

●And Orlando’s LGBT Center distributed grants totaling nearly $30,000 to nearby businesses affected by the tragedy. Read about it here. 

Today marks 6 months since the #Orlando tragedy that claimed 49 innocent lives. It is time to #StoptheHate. t.co/foV600W9pj pic.twitter.com/QJp7Rr8618

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) December 12, 2016

TUESDAY TWEET: Raymond Braun (@RaymondBraun), recently named Financial Times’ #1 young LGBTQ leader, shared this powerful tweet honoring the 49 lives lost in the Pulse Nightclub tragedy.

Please continue to raise up and honor the 49 people who lost their lives in Orlando six months ago today. pic.twitter.com/BRlwUvgfuI

— Raymond Braun (@raymondbraun) December 12, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY LATEST TO CANCEL NC EVENTS OVER STATE’S ANTI-LGBTQ LAW: Michael Cooper (@CoopNYTimes) of The New York Times reports that the San Francisco Symphony announced it has canceled a two April concerts in North Carolina to protest the state’s discrminatory HB2 law, joining a “growing list of luminaries who have shunned the state: rockers such as Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr; athletes, including the N.B.A., which moved its All ­Star Game to New Orleans; and other classical musicians, like the violinist Itzhak Perlman.” Read more here.

CHEROKEE NATION RECOGNIZES MARRIAGE EQUALITY: On Friday, Cherokee Nation Attorney General Todd Hembree issued an opinion that found unconstitutional the tribe’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples. Hembree wrote, “The Constitution affords these rights to all Cherokee citizens, regardless of sexual orientation and the Cherokee Nation, or any subdivision, must recognize validly issued civil unions, same-sex marriages, and same-sex domestic partnerships from other jurisdictions.” More from CNN.

“The right to marry without the freedom to marry the person of one’s choice is no right at all.” ������������������������������������ t.co/Ecjtt2f2tc

— Simon Curtis (@simoncurtis) December 10, 2016

TEXAS REP. PRE-FILES BILL TO BAN SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: The measure, filed yesterday by Texas State Representative Celia Israel in advance of the 2017 legislative session, would ban the dangerous practice of so-called “conversion therapy” for minors. Israel recently sat down with The Huffington Post to talk about her efforts to protect Texas’ LGBTQ youth. Read the full text of the bill here.

TRANSGENDER ATHLETE GRANTED REFUGEE STATUS: When Adebayo Katiiti traveled to Canada from Uganda to swim in the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics Championships, he had no idea it would become permanent. Read his powerful story in The Edmonton Journal.

NEW ZEALAND’S PRIME MINISTER NOW SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY: New Zealand’s newly-elected Prime Minister Bill English, who as a Member of Parliament twice voted against marriage equality bills, says he now supports them.  More from Pink News.

READING RAINBOW

BuzzFeed shares 20 powerful moments in 2016 for the transgender community, including HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride’s (@SarahEMcBride) history-making speech at the DNC… HRC reports on the Morehouse School of Medicine’s efforts to teach their students about transgender patient needs… Pink News updates about the Israeli citizenship process for same-sex couples… The Washington Blade shares a beautiful same-sex engagement at at Chicago Bulls basketball game…

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!

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