Iranian man documents harrowing experience of trying to get back into the U.S. after Muslim ban

Donald Trump threw the nation into absolute chaos over the weekend when he signed an Executive Order effectively banning Muslims from entering the United States. During the ordeal, an Iranian man on a gay cruise took to Facebook to share his fears that he would be denied reentry into the U.S. when his ship docked.

Related: Trump tries to ban Muslim refugees except those who work for Trump; gets shot down by judge

Maysam Sodagari was on an annual gay cruise with stops in Mexico and Haiti when the Executive Order was abruptly signed. Though he has a green card to be in the U.S., he immediately began to worry he would be sent back to Iran, where homosexuality is punishable with whippings and death. He took to Facebook to express his concern:

He followed that up a short while later with anther post:

LGBTQNation writes:

While Sodagari has a valid green card to live in the US, there was confusion this weekend regarding green card holders. At first the Department of Homeland Security interpreted the executive order as not applicable to green card holders, but was then overruled by the White House. A judge then issued an injunction on removals of people who hold valid visas.

Adding to the confusion, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus at first said the executive order “doesn’t affect” green card holders, and then later said “Of course” it affects green card holders, according to CNN.

Currently, green card holders are allowed to re-enter the US but must undergo a secondary screening upon arrival.

After the ship docked and passengers began de-boarding, Sodagari seemed to run into some trouble. He documented the entire experience on Facebook…

Related: We should stand with Muslim refugees. We’ve been through this hell ourselves

www.queerty.com/iranian-man-documents-harrowing-experience-trying-get-back-u-s-muslim-ban-20170130?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Thailand Considers Opening World’s First LGBT-Only Prison

Thailand’s government is considering opening the world’s first prison designed exclusively for LGBT inmates.

Under a policy in place since 1993, LGBT prisoners are already separated from other inmates.

The Associated Press reports that in many Thai prisons LGBT prisoners mix with other inmates by day but sleep in their own quarters.

RELATED: Bangkok to Hold First Gay Pride in 11 Years

Watcharavit Vachiralerphum, the warden at Pattaya Remand in resort city Pattaya, said “If we didn’t separate them, people could start fighting over partners to sleep with. It could,” he added “lead to rape, sexual assault, and the spread of disease.”

Thailand considers building prison for LGBT inmates, expanding on policy of separating jailed sexual minorities. t.co/zoeJ3WDn5U

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 29, 2017

Sentenced to nine years for forgery, Chawalit Chankiew, agrees:

“There are people that discriminate against gays.

“If I happen to sleep next to someone who hates gay people, I wouldn’t know it unless they show it. What if they hurt me one day?”

Plans are now afoot for a separate LGBT facility on the outskirts of Bangkok. The idea was first proposed as a measure to keep LGBT people safe, but it stalled over concern that it would keep inmates far from their families.

Jean-Sebastian Blanc, an expert on prisons at the Switzerland-based Association for the Prevention of Torture, said:

“Building and reallocating an entire prison facility for LGBT prisoners is as a matter of fact a measure of segregation.

“There is a significant difference between a public health policy aiming at preventing transmissible diseases and segregating a segment of the population on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

In 2010, officials in Italy announced plans for a prison catering to transgender women. However, the Ministry of Justice scuppered that plan over concerns that a special jail was a form of discrimination.

In Turkey, activists are attacking a proposed “pink prison” over concerns that inmates there could face worse conditions than regular inmates because of anti-gay stigma.

The post Thailand Considers Opening World’s First LGBT-Only Prison appeared first on Towleroad.

Thailand Considers Opening World’s First LGBT-Only Prison

All Evidence Points to Trump Having Zero Plans to Battle HIV

The future is uncertain for the Office of National AIDS Policy — as well as millions of lives.

www.advocate.com/hiv-aids/2017/1/30/all-evidence-points-trump-having-zero-plans-battle-hiv

This Muslim-hating gay Muslim man calls Donald Trump “Daddy”

Ahmet Demirici (not his real name) is a 20-something, gay, Muslim man originally from Turkey but living in the U.S. He recently graduated with an MA in International Relations and is now looking for work, with his eye on joining the U.S. Army Reserve. He’s also an unapologetic Trump supporter.

Wait… What?

In a truly bizarre new interview with the Independent Australia of all places, Demirici, who says he prefers to date white Republican men and whose favorite media outlets are Breitbart News, the Daily Caller, and Fox News, explains why he supports an administration that absolutely does not share the same feelings towards him.

Related: LGBTQ Trump supporters complain about being “excommunicated” by peers

“I come from an Islamic background, yes, and my parents and entire family self-identify as Muslim, true,” he says. “I believe in and love God, and hope for salvation through good deeds.”

He calls Trump’s inauguration speech, particularly the part where he mentioned wiping out Islamic terrorists, “amazing” and a demonstration of “pure power,” bringing “tears to my eyes.”

“The confidence to say such a thing! The audacity! Whether someone believes in a religion or is an atheist, it’s still hard to listen to that phrase without sensing the strength and power of the man who could make such a claim in front of the world.”

Hmmm. We’re not sure the rest of the world, let alone the majority of Americans, see it quite the same what, but we digress.

Demirici says he supports Trump’s unconstitutional Muslim ban because “I know a lot of people who should not be here,” adding that “my family came here at great cost to escape Islamism, and I’m not going to sit here idly while the West becomes Islamized and turns into the very shithole we escaped thanks to liberals.”

“Yes, I hate Islamists,” he continues. “You can quote me on that, too. I. Hate. Muslims. I hate Islamists with a passion. I think the U.S. Government is justified in finding them and tracking them down.”

OK! We got it! You hate all people who belong to the same religion as your family. Let’s move on…

Related: Hello from across the aisle: Meet Emma, a transgender woman who voted for Trump

As for the threat to LGBTQ rights posed by Donald Trump and Mike Pence, Demirici, naturally, isn’t too concerned about all that.

“We are already equal under the law,” he says. “What right do white cis heterosexual men have that I don’t? … Donald Trump himself has said gay marriage is here to stay. What more must the man say? He is even in favor of tranny bathrooms, which is even too left for me.”

He adds: “Now, gay rights is a right-wing cause here, because only the Right wants to protect us from Islamism and the left is obsessed with disarming us.”

Oh, and as for Trump’s cabinet, which is, so far, made up almost entirely rich, white, heterosexual males, Demirici says people need to stop being “racist and deplorable” and look a little more closely.

“Donald Trump is a pragmatic man who has chosen only the best for his cabinet, without considering race (in my opinion),” he says. “Ben Carson (black) and Peter Thiel (gay), Nikki Haley (Indian) and Kellyanne Conway (female) are all examples of this merit-based diversity.”

“I am happy about the cabinet picks,” he concludes. “Daddy won’t let us down.”

Related: Tweets From ISIS: The Everyday Threats Of Being Gay And Muslim In A Hostile World

www.queerty.com/muslim-hating-gay-muslim-man-calls-donald-trump-daddy-20170130?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Super Bowl Draws Focus to Texas and Its Impending Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill

Texas is yet another state whose GOP-led legislature has moved to pass a so-called “bathroom bill,” termed the “Privacy Protection Act” or Senate Bill 6, that would enforce gender policing in the use of public facilities. While this fad has arisen recently in various states, the process in Texas has undergone greater scrutiny of late given that Houston is set to host the Super Bowl a week from now.

The similar HB2 bill in North Carolina last year drew widespread condemnation and prompted both the NBA and NCAA to cancel events that had been scheduled in the state. Local business groups now fear that the same reaction could lead to several high-profile sporting events in Texas suffering the same fate, including the NCAA women’s and men’s Final Four championship events, the former slated for this spring in Dallas and the latter in San Antonio next year.

Reuters reports:

The cost of the so-called “bathroom bill,” which bars transgender people from using restrooms that match their gender identity, could run as high as $8.5 billion and result in a loss of 185,000 jobs in the first year alone, according to the Texas Association of Business, a conservative group that is the state’s leading employer organization.

“It would be a blot on the reputation of the state of Texas, which many of us have been working to change,” said Annise Parker, who as Houston’s mayor from 2010 to 2016 was the first openly lesbian candidate elected to lead a major U.S. city. Parker, who served as mayor when Houston won hosting duties for Super Bowl LI to be played on Feb. 5, said by just filing the measure, which opponents decry as discriminatory, there has been damage to the image of the state that serves as headquarters for more than 50 Fortune 500 companies ranging from Exxon Mobil to grocer Whole Foods.

The effort to approve the bill has been championed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who has dismissed opponents’ concerns about economic repercussions, and is expected to pass in the Texas Senate. However, the picture is less clear in the House of Representatives, whose Speaker Joe Straus has expressed hesitation about any legislative acts that could damage the sizeable Texas economy.

The post Super Bowl Draws Focus to Texas and Its Impending Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill appeared first on Towleroad.

Super Bowl Draws Focus to Texas and Its Impending Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill

The Magnificence of the Muscle Bear (Photos)

www.advocate.com/photography/2017/1/30/magnificence-muscle-bear-photos

Muslim 'Moonlight' Star Calls for Religious Acceptance at SAG Awards

Mahershala Ali’s acceptance speech at the Screen Actors Guild Awards was a tearful response to Trump’s immigration ban.

www.advocate.com/film/2017/1/29/muslim-moonlight-star-calls-religious-acceptance-sag-awards

Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali Delivers Emotional SAG Awards Speech About Muslim Faith, Persecution: WATCH

Mahershala Ali delivered an incredible SAG Awards acceptance speech, highlighting his Muslim faith and the themes of Moonlight to convey a powerful message about persecution and acceptance.

Moonlight highlights three parts of a young gay man’s life. Ali plays Juan, a drug dealer who becomes a father figure to the central character Chiron as he tries to evade bullies.

“I think what I’ve learned working on Moonlight is we see what happens when you persecute people,” said Ali. “They fold into themselves. What I was so grateful about in having the opportunity to play Juan was playing a gentleman who saw a young man folding into himself as a result of the persecution of his community, and taking that opportunity to uplift him and tell him that he mattered. And tell him that he was okay. And accept him. And I hope we do a better job of that.”

“When we get caught up in the minutia, in the details that make us all different, I think there’s two ways of seeing that.,” he added. “There’s an opportunity to see the texture of that person, the characteristics that make them unique. And then there’s the opportunity to go to war about it. And to say that that person is different than me, and I don’t like you, so let’s battle.”

Ali then made a resonant point about religion:

“My mother is an ordained minister. I’m a Muslim. She didn’t do backflips when I called her to tell her when I converted seventeen years ago. But I tell you know, you put things to the side. I’m able to see her. She’s able to see me. We love each other. The love has grown. And that stuff is minutia. It’s not that important.”

Watch:

The post Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali Delivers Emotional SAG Awards Speech About Muslim Faith, Persecution: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali Delivers Emotional SAG Awards Speech About Muslim Faith, Persecution: WATCH

#SAGAwards honor Lily Tomlin; Sarah Paulson, 'Moonlight's' Mahershala Ali and more pick up awards

www.glaad.org/blog/sagawards-honor-lily-tomlin-sarah-paulson-moonlights-mahershala-ali-and-more-pick-awards

Tens of Thousands Across U.S. Protest President Trump's Refugee and Travel Bans (Video)

Crowds gathered at airports and in dozens of cities nationwide to voice their opposition to the executive orders that barred entry into the U.S. by people from seven Muslim-majority nations. 

www.advocate.com/politics/2017/1/29/tens-thousands-across-us-protest-president-trumps-refugee-and-travel-bans-video