And the winners of the 2017 Queerties are…

The Queerties have arrived, that time of the year when readers of Queerty get a chance to vote for best of LGBTQ Media and Culture. In fact, you voted 300,000 times, a record turnout.

The winners of the 2017 Queerties have made a difference simply by entertaining in a queer friendly manner or by championing our cause, even when it’s not necessarily in the job description.

Ok, except for the “2^nd Worst Person in the World,” who can buzz off.

With no further ado…

1. Badass of the year: Michelle Obama

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winner: Michelle Obama 

Former first lady, style icon, working mom and all around badass.

Runners up:

Chuck Schumer

George Takei

Laverne Cox

Sarah McBride

Hillary Clinton

2.  2nd Worst Person In the World: Kellyanne Conway

Winner: Kellyanne Conway 

Presidential counsel, spokesliar, and model for crypt keeper chic.

Runners up:

Benham Brothers

Sean Spicer

Pat McCrory

Jennifer Boyle

Peter Thiel

3.  Social Media Maven: Max Emerson

Winner: Max Emerson 

Model, YouTuber, DNA jackpot winner and all-around media star

Runners up:

Ari Fitz

Miles Jai

Andre Hamann

Daniel Franzese

Arielle Scarcella

4. Queerty Crush: Pietro Boselli

Winner: Pietro Boselli 

Math teacher turned model

Runners up:

Nick Jonas

Laith Ashley

Nyle DiMarco

Jwan Yosef

Frank Ocean

Jussie Smollett

Nico Tortorella

 5. Hero Award: The Trevor Project

Winner: Trevor Project 

Non-profit devoted to educating and preventing suicide by LGBTQ youth

Runners up:

Larkin Street Youth Center

Los Angeles LGBT Center

GLAAD

NLGJA – Association of LGBTQ Journalists

GLSEN

6. Fashion­ista: Tom Ford

Winner: Tom Ford 

Designer, director, advocate

Runners up:

Joe Haller & Ian Hannula

Marc Jacobs

Zac Posen

Andrew Christian

Olivier Rousteing

7. Enter­tainer: RuPaul

Winner:  RuPaul 

Drag icon, actor, style maven, and Emmy Award-winning TV host

Runners up:

Madonna

James Corden

Sia

Ellen DeGeneres

Billy Eichner

Lady Gaga

Janelle Monae

8. YouTuber: Todrick Hall

Winner:  Todrick Hall 

Singer, broadway performer, all-around good guy

Runners up:

Raymond Braun

Sky Williams

RJ Aguiar

Ethan Hethcote

MarkE Miller

Rhodes Brothers

Davey Wavey

9. Top Jock: Tom Daley

Winner:  Tom Daley 

Olympic diver & sex symbol

Runners up:

Jordan Burroughs

Cory Moreno

Brian Anderson

Chris Mosier

Orlando Cruz

10.  Web Series: Go-Go Boy Interrupted

Winner:  Go-Go Boy Interrupted

Sit-com about gay life in Los Angeles

Runners up:

Hey Qween!

#Adulting

Couple-ish

The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo

The Feels

Feral

Fashion Photo RuView

11. Indie Movie: Hurricane Bianca

Winner: Hurricane Bianca 

Comedy about an outed teacher who becomes a drag queen

Runners up:

Beach Rats

God’s Own Country

Other People

King Cobra

Viva

Moonlight

Spa Night

12. TV Series: Stranger Things

Winner:  Stranger Things 

Sci-Fi series about a group of kids searching for a lost friend

Runners up:

Search Party

Transparent

Insecure

Orange is the New Black

The Leftovers

The Night Of

American Horror Story: Roanoke

13. Holly­wood Block­buster: Deadpool

Winner: Deadpool

Crazy comedy about a post-modern superhero

Runners up:

Rogue One

The Jungle Book

Sausage Party

La La Land

Arrival

14. Best Doc­umentary: I Am Not Your Negro

Winner: I Am Not Your Negro 

Film about the great queer, African-American author James Baldwin

The Trans List

Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?

Kiki

Strike a Pose

Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures

15. Closet Door Bust­down: Colton Haynes

Winner: Colton Haynes 

Actor, role model, heartthrob, survivor of anxiety disorder

Runners up:

Charlie Carver

Ingrid Nilsen

Cody Alan

Maria Munir

Brandon Davis

Lilly Wachowski

Waylon Smithers

16. Rising Diva: Bianca Del Rio

Winner: Bianca Del Rio 

Winner of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ season 6, star of ‘Hurricane Bianca’ & stand-up comedian. #NotTodaySatan

Runners up:

The Boulet Brothers

Katya

Alyssa Edwards

Bob The Drag Queen

Alaska

A special thanks to the sponsors of the 2017 Queerties: FX’s “Feud,” SKYY Vodka and the city of New Orleans

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Finland Clears Last Hurdle in Enacting Same-Sex Marriage Law

The Finnish parliament Friday voted down a petition that would have blocked a law to permit same-sex marriages, allowing it to come into effect as scheduled on March 1.

While Scandinavian neighbors Sweden and Norway, along with Iceland, had passed same-sex marriage legislation in 2009 and 2010 respectively, Finland took a more complicated path and did likewise only in 2014, with its conservative parties blocking the measure several times previously. A petition allowed the 2014 bill to go forward on a 101-90 vote, with a similar petition in opposition entitled “Genuine Marriage” now falling 120-48.

“That’s it! The parliament confirms same-sex marriage to be 100 percent certain from here to eternity. Happy weddings,” Green Party leader Ville Niinisto wrote on Twitter after the vote.

The Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muiznieks lauded the development, noted that 13 European countries had now embraced marriage equality, among 27 which provide for some form of same-sex registration of partnerships. These include Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom

The post Finland Clears Last Hurdle in Enacting Same-Sex Marriage Law appeared first on Towleroad.

Finland Clears Last Hurdle in Enacting Same-Sex Marriage Law

Two super hot models rescue seven children from freezing cold pond in NYC

Seven children fell through the ice of an freezing cold pond in Central Park. Luckily, two models were nearby to help, NBC New York reports.

Bennett Jonas of California and Ethan Turnbull of Australia are models signed with Soul Artist Management. They were skateboarding near the pond on Monday evening when they saw the kids, who had been dancing on top of the ice, fall through.

“I look over, I saw six heads just trying to get to the shore,” Jonas says. “The back one was probably a good 20 yards from dry land.”

Jonas immediately jumped into action and began pulling the children out of the frigid water, handing them over to Turnbu, who made sure they were placed back on solid ground.

“The last two at the end, the kid at the end was unconscious,” Turmbull said. “[Jonas] got him out, he was kind of out of breath, and [Jonas] threw him to me. I just kind of minded him until he came to.”

EMS arrived to provide first aid and brought the children to local hospitals to be treated for minor injuries, mostly hypothermia-related. Divers then went into the water to make sure no one else was in the pond.

“I was in this park for a reason tonight,” Jonas says. “I could’ve been anywhere right now but I was 100 yards away from kids who are drowning.”

Hear both men recount the harrowing experience below…

@ethanturnbull and I tonight went out to Skateboard around Central Park. Passing a frozen lake we saw a group of 6 kids go though the ice. We ran over and immediately we’re put in the toughest situation I think We will have to go through. 6 kids screaming for help being pulled down by each other, soaking backpacks and huge jackets. I had to make a decision to get in the middle of that or watch them drown. When I got about waist deep two of the kids jumped on top of me and pulled me under. I had to pick them both up and throw them to Ethan. I then grabbed a ladder and pulled the next 2 in. Behind them were two lifeless bodies that I knew I couldn’t get too. I swam out and grabbed the last two guys and was able to get them to shore and keep them alive. I feel humbled and grateful that God called me to be there tonight, I’m still shaking and am completely shook by what I experienced, but I’m alive and so are 6 other kids who got very lucky tonight.

A post shared by @bennett_jonas on Feb 20, 2017 at 8:39pm PST

‘Right place right time’ – Fortunate enough to have been in the position to help multiple younger generation New Yorker’s today. With out the help of my Buddy @bennett_jonas the outcome of this event would have been much different. Thanks to all the friends and family that have checked in ? NYC #helpingothers #nbc #nbc4ny @nbcnews @dailymail

A post shared by ??????????????E T H A N. T. ™ (@ethanturnbull) on Feb 20, 2017 at 8:47pm PST

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Jeff Sessions Battled Betsy DeVos, Won Trump’s Approval on EO Rescinding Transgender Protections: REPORT

A forthcoming executive order that will rescind President Obama’s directive to schools protecting transgender students from discrimination has sparked some heated infighting between Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, according to the New York Times.

DeVos initially resisted approving the order but had little choice once Trump signed on, according to the paper:

Mr. Sessions, who strongly opposes expanding gay, lesbian and transgender rights, fought Ms. DeVos on the issue and pressed her to relent because he could not go forward without her consent. The order must come from the Justice and Education Departments.

Mr. Trump sided with his attorney general, these Republicans said. And Ms. DeVos, faced with the choice of resigning or defying the president, has agreed to go along. The Justice Department declined to comment on Wednesday.

Though an official order from the administration was expected to be released as early as Wednesday, Mr. Sessions and Ms. DeVos were still disputing the final language.

The NYT obtained a draft of the order and says that confusion in the schools over how to implement Obama’s directive is cited as the reason for telling them to drop it.

Also:

The draft also contains language stating that schools must protect transgender students from bullying, a provision Ms. DeVos asked be included, one person with direct knowledge of the process said. “Schools must ensure that transgender students, like all students, are able to learn in a safe environment,” the letter says.

The EO could be coming as soon as today.

The post Jeff Sessions Battled Betsy DeVos, Won Trump’s Approval on EO Rescinding Transgender Protections: REPORT appeared first on Towleroad.

Jeff Sessions Battled Betsy DeVos, Won Trump’s Approval on EO Rescinding Transgender Protections: REPORT

Cate Blanchett performed Adele, Dusty Springfield at Stonewall benefit

Most queens dream of making it to Broadway, but apparently if you’re an Oscar-winning actress in a hit show on the Great White Way, all you want to do on your off days is lip-sync for your life at a historic drag dive.

On Monday night, the crowd at New York’s The Stonewall Inn’s Broadway Review drag show was treated to an extremely special guest.

Academy Award winner and Australian treasure Catherine Elise Blanchett graced the bar’s tiny stage alongside queens Elia J. Garlands and Margeaux Powell for a show benefitting Newtown Action Alliance, an organization that works “to bring about legislative and cultural changes that will reduce gun violence.”

The star of Broadway’s The Present did her best Dusty Springfield, lip-syncing to “You Don’t Own Me” in a slinky black tuxedo jacket and heels higher than a circuit queen on, well, Presidents Day. She returned to the stage later in a pink pussy hat to perform back-up on a parody protest version of Adele’s “Hello” with her co-stars.

h/t: Vulture

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LGBT Teen Suicide Attempts Fell with the Rise of Marriage Equality: STUDY

A link has been found between the legalization of gay marriage and a drop in the suicide rates of LGBT teenagers.

A study compiled by researchers from John Hopkins University, Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital and published this week in the journal Jama Pediatrics has determined that in US states where marriage equality was passed, the suicide rate among LGBT teenagers fell around 14%:

Julia Raifman, co-author of the research from Johns Hopkins University, said she hoped the research would help to draw wider attention to the scale of the issue among sexual minorities. “I would hope that policymakers and the public would consider the potential health implications of laws and policies affecting LGBT rights,” she added.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the second leading cause of death for those aged between 15 and 24, with suicide rates much higher among those who identify as sexual minorities than heterosexual students.

“This study was really motivated by evidence that there are large disparities across domains of health that affect LGBT adolescents,” said Raifman. “I was interested in whether larger structural issues were potentially leading to those disparities.”

The study made use of data from a long-running program run by the CDC known as the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which is collected on a biannual basis:

The team analysed figures from more than 760,000 students collected between 1999 and 2015, with data for states that passed a same-sex marriage law examined before and after the event – an approach, the researchers say, that took into account a host of differences existing between the states.

LGBT advocates and researchers said that the connection, although still tentative, made sense:

Ellen Kahn, director of the Children, Youth and Families Program at the Human Rights Campaign, said that the connection between mental health in young people and the social and political environment made sense. “When LGBTQ young people don’t feel safe, protected, or valued in their own community, when they don’t feel they can be fully out and authentic – that adds an emotional burden to bear,” she said.

This helps to explain how civil rights gains such as marriage equality have a knock-on effect on wider spheres of life beyond just those couples who do marry, although their positive outcomes by themselves are significant. Marriage equality is emblematic of broader societal acceptance as well as aspirational on a personal basis. This is why any attempts to roll back these gains should meet with resistance.

The post LGBT Teen Suicide Attempts Fell with the Rise of Marriage Equality: STUDY appeared first on Towleroad.

LGBT Teen Suicide Attempts Fell with the Rise of Marriage Equality: STUDY

“Io bullizzata perché etero”. La denuncia choc della campionessa del Nba
Bullizzata perché etero. Una colpa imperdonabile in un mondo “composto al 98% da donne omosessuali”. Che “a forza di confrontarsi con gli uomini, fin…

Continua a leggere: Gay Voices, Italia-Diritti, Nba, Candice Wiggins, Basket, Pallacanestro, Italy News

www.huffingtonpost.it/2017/02/22/bullismo-gay-campionessa-nba_n_14928324.html

Powerful HRC Foundation Video Features Proud Dads of Transgender Children Talking About Equality

HRC Foundation released a first-of-its-kind web video exclusively featuring fathers of transgender children describing their experiences. The video also highlights the fear and hurt their families face due to anti-transgender prejudice and policies.

The fathers highlighted in video include JR Ford of Washington, D.C.; Joe Ghartey of New York; Wayne Maines of Maine, whose family’s story was also featured in a recent best-selling book, “Becoming Nicole,” and Keith Thomas, of North Carolina, a state that lies at the center of the debate over transgender equality following passage of the discriminatory HB2. The dads discuss their families’ journeys and the hopes and fears they have for their transgender children.

“Supportive parents can make all the difference in the lives and wellbeing of transgender children,” said Jay Brown, HRC’s Communications Director. “As a transgender man blessed with loving parents, including an amazing father, I know first-hand the comfort and courage these fathers bring to their children. In a world that so often hurls insults and condones bullying, these dads exemplify love of family and a steadfast commitment to the health and safety of the children they cherish.”

“As more and more people realize the humanity and dignity of transgender people of all ages, the mean-spirited and dangerous attacks we have seen from anti-LGBTQ activists and some politicians will grow increasingly unpopular and unsustainable,” Brown continued.

In an op-ed published in conjunction with the Dads for Transgender Equality video, one of the fathers, Wayne Maines, says, “transgender children and adults are the strongest and most courageous people I have ever met, but I worry about my daughter’s future every day. I worry because, to this day, transgender people are denied the same rights as their peers. I worry because transgender people face significant fear and discrimination. […] I worry because some Republican politicians have decided that it’s good politics to target a vulnerable group of people that includes my daughter.”

The emotional video of four dads comes during the Republican National Convention, where, earlier this week, delegates adopted the most anti-LGBTQ platform in their party’s history, including a plank opposing the transgender equality. HRC has joined with several LGBTQ advocacy organizations to support a national ad campaign detailing the personal harm imposed by anti-transgender legislation. The ad will appear during both the Republican and Democratic conventions.

In 2015, the HRC Foundation released another moving video, Moms for Transgender Equality, featuring four mothers of transgender children sharing their stories and explaining how their transgender children have enriched their lives. The Moms for Transgender Equality video and companion videos were viewed more than 7.5 million times over various social media platforms.

Watch the Dads for Transgender Equality video below:
 

www.hrc.org/blog/powerful-new-hrc-foundation-video-features-proud-dads-of-transgender-childr?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

The Delicate Balance of Joan Crisol (Photos)

www.advocate.com/photography/2017/2/22/delicate-balance-joan-crisol-photos