#LoveYourNeighbor: Jeremy Encourages His Community to Keep an Open Mind

#LoveYourNeighbor: Jeremy Encourages His Community to Keep an Open Mind

An employee of MAC Cosmetics, customers were shocked — and bothered — to see Jeremy, a gay male, working for a business that sells makeup. So bothered, in fact, that they took up a petition to attempt to have him removed from his job.

Undeterred by the bigotry he has faced in his hometown, Jeremy encourages people to open up and have conversations with one another in HRC’s new #LoveYourNeighbor campaign, a video storytelling series focused on sharing the stories of LGBTQ and allied people in Tupelo, Mississippi.

“The only way for us to actually come together is if we understand each other,” Jeremy said. “Not that we necessarily agree, but that I see you humanly.”

Sharing personal stories is a powerful tool to change hearts and minds, and helps create new advocates for equality. Jeremy hopes that members of his community make the effort to step outside of their comfort zones and expose themselves to people who aren’t exactly like them.

“Looking toward the future for Tupelo, Mississippi and Mississippi as a whole, I would like to see more inclusiveness,” Jeremy said. “We don’t see the world as it is, but we see the world as we are…You have to broaden your horizons.”

As for MAC? The cosmetics company, which has a diverse and all-encompassing staff, refused to back down to hatemongers and threw its full support behind Jeremy. He still works at MAC to this day.

On Tuesday, March 7, the #LoveYourNeighbor campaign will culminate with a town hall discussion in Tupelo featuring all seven videos of the participants. You can learn more about the town hall here.

In 2014, HRC launched Project One America, a comprehensive multi-year effort to dramatically expand LGBTQ equality in the South through permanent campaigns in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas.

www.hrc.org/blog/loveyourneighbor-jeremy-encourages-his-community-to-keep-an-open-mind?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

So, the first steamy gay scene from C.W.’s “Riverdale” is here. Curious?

So, the first steamy gay scene from C.W.’s “Riverdale” is here. Curious?

In a relatively short time period, the C.W’s new Riverdale series has covered lots of ground.

There’s been a shirtless, pronouncedly muscular walk brought to you by J.K. Apa. (Contractually obligated, as work un-friendly blog Fleshbot reports.)

And now, gay character Kevin Kline (Casey Cott) has his first gay kiss in the Archie series. It’s a good one.

In the fourth episode, which aired this week, viewers were privy to a gay kiss between Joaquin (Rob Raco) and Cott’s character.

Related: Archie’s Resident Gay, Kevin Keller, Gets His Own Young-Adult Novel

It’s short but re-watchable, so get to it. One Million Moms is gonna be so pissed.

Here you go:

h/t: Fleshbot 

www.queerty.com/first-steamy-gay-scene-c-w-s-riverdale-curious-20170217?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

NBA Stands up for Equality, Warns Texas Lawmakers Anti-LGBTQ Bills Could Affect All-Star Game Bids

NBA Stands up for Equality, Warns Texas Lawmakers Anti-LGBTQ Bills Could Affect All-Star Game Bids

Today, HRC hailed comments from the National Basketball Association, warning Texas lawmakers that any legislative attack on LGBTQ people would factor into a decision as to where big-ticket games, such as the All-Star Game, would be played. The NBA joins the NFL in issuing a warning to lawmakers in Texas, after the National Football League cautioned last week that anti-LGBTQ legislation such as Texas’ SB 6 could affect Texas cities’ future bids for the Super Bowl.

“The NBA’s commitment to the safety, dignity and worth of its players, employees and fans is clear. It’s time for Texas to make the same commitment,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs. “This weekend the city of New Orleans will celebrate an All-Star Weekend originally slated for Charlotte. Is that the kind of loss Texas lawmakers want to see? We hope that Texas lawmakers will heed this warning better than their North Carolinian counterparts did. Bills such as SB 6 are discriminatory, costly and wrong, and we are glad to see that the NBA and the NFL continue to stand on the side of equality and fairness.”

In July of 2016, the NBA pulled its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, NC after North Carolina specifically because lawmakers refused to repeal the harmful, discriminatory HB2. Despite the NBA’s repeated warnings that it would have to consider moving the high-profile game out of the state if the anti-LGBTQ law was not repealed, the state’s General Assembly neglected to act to repeal HB2. The 2017 All-Star Game will be played this weekend in New Orleans.

In a statement, an NBA spokesperson said, “ensuring the environment where those who participate and attend are treated fairly and equally,” is a key factor in the league’s decision-making process when selecting sites for the All-Star Game and others. Last week, the NFL issued a similar statement, saying, “If a proposal that is discriminatory or inconsistent with our values were to become law there, that would certainly be a factor considered when thinking about awarding future events.”

SB 6 is a discriminatory, anti-transgender bill. ​The bill would overturn non-discrimination ordinances currently providing critical protections in several major Texas cities; further, it would force state agencies, municipalities, public schools and public universities to discriminate against transgender people. By making it illegal for transgender people in Texas to be afforded access to facilities consistent with their identity, it opens them up to increased discrimination and harassment as they simply live their everyday lives. It also exposes Texas to tremendous risk of the kind of financial, legal, and political blowback that North Carolina has continued to reckon with after the passage of HB2.​

www.hrc.org/blog/nba-warns-texas-lawmakers-anti-lgbtq-bills-could-affect-game-bids?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Here’s what Steve Bannon really thinks about gays. It’s not good.

Here’s what Steve Bannon really thinks about gays. It’s not good.

“We don’t want to be mean to gays; we want to expose them when they’re being bullies.”

That’s the gist of a decidedly unhuggy Buzzfeed story examining Steve Bannon’s views on homosexuality, in which a Breitbart writer claims Trump’s chief strategist “isn’t out to promote a socially conservative agenda on homosexuality… but he does have an interest in attacking LGBT-rights advocates as a way of attacking the left.”

But Bannon’s and Breitbart’s criteria for when gays are “bullies” is uncomfortably far-reaching.

Related: 10 Most Antigay Headlines Overseen By Trump’s Top Advisor, Steve Bannon

Still, Bannon reportedly remained on the sidelines while Trump debated signing an anti-LGBTQ executive order. At the urging of Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Gary Cohn, Trump eventually announced he’d preserve Obama’s orders that protect against job discrimination towards LGBT people.

And Bannon has remained on the sidelines as a strategy. (The same can’t be said for transgender rights, which Breitbart regularly opposes in the harshest of ways.)

“I don’t think [Bannon] has very strong views on the question at all … I mean gay rights broadly,” says Thomas Williams, Breitbart’s editor in Rome.

“Probably pushed to it, he would probably say I think it’s gone too far, but he never pushes it, he never vocalizes it — it’s just not on the top 10 list of things that he cares about….

It’s just not one of the issues where he’s going to go to the mat. Regardless of his personal inclination on the issue … you have to pick your battles and it’s just not worth it.”

According to close confidant Benjamin Harnwell:

“I’d say that Steve Bannon … [is] always looking internationally to people that he can work with where there is mutual common interest. He was interested in amplifying the voice of a leading conservative…. I don’t think he wants to wade into (infights).”

Another contributor, the Catholic conservative activist Austin Ruse, says Breitbart’s stance is to attack LGBTQ activists (who they’ve branded the “Big Gay Hate Machine“), but not to get into fights about homosexuality itself:

“The thing about Breitbart and LGBT — and this was discussed — we don’t want to be mean to gays; we want to expose them when they’re being bullies.”

“The big mission at Breitbart is to change the liberal narrative… (not) going after gays per se.”

If their strategy still eludes you, here’s an example.

The very first story Ruse pitched to Bannon centered on Matthew Shepard, who, after his brutal murder in 1998, remains a symbol of antigay violence.

Related: Trump’s Campaign Staff May Be The Most Homophobic Ever

The pitch: Shepard, who was tied to a fence and beaten to death, wasn’t the victim “The Big Gay Hate Machine” wants you to believe he was.

Bannon rewarded the story idea with his highest praise: “HUGE.”

In the published post, Ruse claims “almost everything you think you know about the Matthew Shepard narrative is false.”

Leaning heavily on a sketchy book verging on publication, Ruse insisted Shepard had had sex with one of his killers, and was murdered due to a drug-related skirmish.

He claims the “victim” narrative was dreamed up by “the gay establishment,” and says “the agenda of the sexual left lives on lies.”

According to Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, a progressive media advocacy group:

“When it comes to issues of anti-Muslim sentiment there’s no confusion it’s 100% clear, but where LGBT issues come up, it’s a bit murkier.”

He says that while the site consistently suggests “gay culture is icky and gross and weird,” it’s “not picking up big policy fights” over homosexuality.

“When it comes to gay rights, they seem to have internalized [conservatives’] own defeat.”

In fact, Bannon could even invoke gay rights issues if it helps bolster one of his pet issues, such as stopping immigration.

As Buzzfeed points out, at the very last minute, some language was tacked onto an executive order that aimed to limit refugees entrance into U.S. from seven Muslin countries:

“The United States should not admit … those who would oppress Americans of any race, gender, or sexual orientation.”

In fact, gay Republican activist Chris Barron, a Breitbart contributor and leader of GOProud, a gay convervative group, consider’s Bannon an ally to the gay community:

“I’m not concerned about Bannon at all,” he says, clearly not representing the larger LGBTQ community.

www.queerty.com/heres-steve-bannon-really-thinks-gays-not-good-20170217?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Kate McKinnon, Chulos, Monopoly, Las Vegas, Adam Lambert, Taco Bell, Mark Zuckerberg: HOT LINKS

Kate McKinnon, Chulos, Monopoly, Las Vegas, Adam Lambert, Taco Bell, Mark Zuckerberg: HOT LINKS

FEEL GOOD. Kids go wild when teachers get engaged.

UNSTABLE. Democrats raise questions about Trump’s mental health.

GOODBYE. Hasbro has retired another Monopoly piece.

warrenFLOWERS FOR ELIZABETH. Elizabeth Warren got a nice Valentine’s Day gift earlier this week: “Tracy Morgan, a psychoanalyst in New York, was watching television last week when Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was silenced during the final debate over Senator Jeff Sessions’ confirmation as attorney general….So, in a show of support, Morgan decided to send Warren flowers for Valentine’s Day…She posted her intentions on Facebook, and several people cosigned on the idea, prompting a friend to suggest crowdfunding the idea…The site raised $1,595 from 61 people in three days..”

MICHAEL FLYNN. FBI not expected to pursue charges.

snl_clintonSEEING DOUBLE. Hillary Clinton dined with Kate McKinnon before seeing Sunset Boulevard on Broadway: “Lots of laughter emanated from their table.”

SEX AND THE CITY. Miranda and Carrie had a reunion.

ISTANBUL. Rescue of puppy from well after 10 days rivets Turks.

hardawayTIM HARDAWAY. From pariah to LGBT advocate: “When I said what I said … I still cringe at it when I think about it, and still hurts me deep inside that I said something like that because I gave people an opportunity to hurt people,” the Chicago native said in a recent phone interview. “That wasn’t right … each and every day when I talk to kids today and they bring it up to me or somebody brings it up to me, I say that was a very big mistake on my part. It hurts me to this day, what I said, and you know what? It’s going to hurt me for the rest of my life, because I’m not that type of person. I feel bad about it and I’m always going to feel bad about it.”

UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON. Swastika note threatening gays found on campus. “UMW president Troy Paino released a video statement Thursday evening condemning the flier and ensuring the community that the school is doing everything in its power to investigate.”

Found by a friend on the board outside of Lee
Will we stay silent UMW? Or should we continue being proud of exposed differences?@UMaryWash pic.twitter.com/0d3qssLK5a

— Ahad Shahid (@shahid_ahad) February 5, 2017

LAS VEGAS. Two men hit intentionally by vehicle in gay bar parking lot: “Police say that they believe that the men were involved in an altercation inside the bar before they were struck in the parking lot.”

chulosCHULOS. Boy Culture heads to the underwear show.

DON’T FALL FOR IT. The gay friend argument: “The false notion that bigotry is magically cured by passing acquaintance with a member of a marginalized community is often referred to as the “friend argument.” Hypothetically, let’s say that a co-worker gets called out for having bigoted beliefs — like that Asians are bad drivers or that gay men are inherently promiscuous. After having his viewpoints criticized, the individual might claim, “I can’t be racist; I have Asian friends,” or “I’m not a bigot; my brother is gay!” It’s a fallacy, but a surprisingly effective one: A 2016 study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal showed that when a person is viewed as having a more diverse friend group, others are less likely to view their actions as motivated by bias toward minorities.

FACEBOOK. Mark Zuckerberg has global ambitions and you can read about them here.

ONE MILLION MOMS. They’re upset Taco Bell used the word “hell” in a commercial.

HOME DELIVERY. Amazon’s drone game is getting very Hunger Games.

ADAM LAMBERT AND SAM SMITH? Were they romantic?

GLUTEN FREE? Man promises to eat a picture of Jason Segel every day.

FRIDAY FLASH. Alex Lo.

Instagram Photo

 

Instagram Photo

 

Instagram Photo

 

Instagram Photo

The post Kate McKinnon, Chulos, Monopoly, Las Vegas, Adam Lambert, Taco Bell, Mark Zuckerberg: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.


Kate McKinnon, Chulos, Monopoly, Las Vegas, Adam Lambert, Taco Bell, Mark Zuckerberg: HOT LINKS

Scott Pruitt, another addition to Trump’s anti-LGBTQ administration

Scott Pruitt, another addition to Trump’s anti-LGBTQ administration

This afternoon, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt was officially confirmed to be the next Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. With this confirmation, you can add Pruitt to the list of anti-LGBTQ politicians inside the Trump Administration.

In fact, Scott Pruitt has been one of the main players in the anti-transgender movement with his fight against the Obama Administration’s guidance on transgender rights in our schools. History tells us that Pruitt is willing to govern by an ideological agenda rather than by the U.S. Constitution.

Regardless of Scott Pruitt’s qualifications for this position, or lack thereof, it is vital that the media remain aware of how out of touch this new government is with reality.

The Pruitt Record: On the Frontlines Against Transgender Equality

Pruitt Told Anti-LGBTQ Activist Tony Perkins That The Obama Administration’s Guidance On Transgender Equality Is “So Objectionable And So Violative Of Common Sense.” [Audio] (Comments begin at 28:25.)

In a Letter to the Obama Administration, Pruitt Claimed the New Guidance on Transgender Students was an “Overreach.” “We believe that your actions today are unlawful and that they represent the most egregious administrative overreach to date. You have taken a public policy issue that must, by our constitutional design, be worked out in the laboratory of democracy and enforced it on all people. And you have done so through a misuse of the spending power.” [Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General, [5.13.16]

Following His Letter, Pruitt Joined a Lawsuit Seeking to Block the Guidance for Transgender Students. “Pruitt, on the state’s behalf, joined 10 other states on Wednesday in filing a lawsuit to block implementation of Obama administration guidance on school policy regarding transgender students’ use of restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities typically separated by gender. The lawsuit was filed the day after legislation addressing the issue failed in a House of Representatives committee. On Thursday, the House passed by unanimous consent a resolution supporting Pruitt’s lawsuit against what it calls a ‘blatant example of federal government and executive power overreach.’” [Tulsa World, 5.26.16]

 

 

February 17, 2017
Issues: 
Tags: 

www.glaad.org/blog/scott-pruitt-another-addition-trump%E2%80%99s-anti-lgbtq-administration

Dr Christian Jessen – Why Digital Pride is so important

Dr Christian Jessen – Why Digital Pride is so important
Dr Christian Jessen - Why Digital Pride is so important

TV Doctor Christian Jesson talks about the meaning of Pride, social media and the importance of Digital Pride to the wider LGBTI community.

FInd out more about Digital Pride at digitalpride.com

Follow Digital Pride: twitter.com/digi_pride
Follow Gay Star News: twitter.com/gaystarnews
Follow Saara Aalto: twitter.com/DoctorChristian

———————————————————–

Song: Get Up
Artist: Nicolai Heidlas
Social links:
www.youtube.com/user/Vercitty

www.facebook.com/Nicolai-Heid

WATCH: When Fox News is furious with Trump, you know times are strange

WATCH: When Fox News is furious with Trump, you know times are strange

As the dust settles from what was without a doubt the strangest presidential press conference in recorded history on Thursday, many are still aghast that President Trump used the forum to take his attacks on the media to the next level. In particular, the president singled out CNN as being full of “anger and hatred” as well calling the network by his new catch phrase: “fake news.”

Out Fox News anchor Shepard Smith was having none of it:

It’s crazy what we’re watching every day. It’s absolutely crazy. He keeps repeating ridiculous throwaway lines that are not true at all and sort of avoiding this issue of Russia as if we’re some kind of fools for asking the question. Really? Your opposition was hacked, and the Russians were responsible for it, and your people were on the phone with Russia on the same day it was happening, and we’re fools for asking the questions?

No, sir. We’re not fools for asking these questions. And we demand to know the answer to this question. You owe this to the American people. Your supporters will support you either way. If your people were on the phone with her, what were they saying? We have a right to know. We absolutely do.

And that you call us “fake news” and put us down like children for asking these questions on behalf of the American people is inconsequential. The people deserve that answer at very least.

Watch below:

Assuming Trump keeps up with his schedule of watching as much television as he possibly can, we’ve got to wonder whether comments like Shep’s (and so many others) will actually penetrate his reality bubble.

It’s not exactly comforting that Trump had this to say about his performance on Twitter:

Thank you for all of the nice statements on the Press Conference yesterday. Rush Limbaugh said one of greatest ever. Fake media not happy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

Oh, well as long as Rush liked it…

www.queerty.com/watch-fox-news-furious-trump-know-times-strange-20170217?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29