National PTA Joins 11 Other Child Welfare Groups Calling Out State Bills Attacking Trans Youth

National PTA Joins 11 Other Child Welfare Groups Calling Out State Bills Attacking Trans Youth

This week, the National PTA joined 11 other child welfare organizations to call out state bills that would discriminate against transgender children.

“We, as organizations committed to serving the best interests of all youth, are deeply alarmed at the flurry of bills introduced in state legislatures around the country this year that would directly harm transgender people, and particularly transgender students,” the letter states. “These appalling proposals would compromise the safety and wellbeing of the young people we all have the duty and obligation to support and protect.”

HRC is currently tracking more than 130 anti-LGBTQ legislative proposals in 30 states. For more information on state legislation, visit hrc.im/2017legislature

Transgender young people face significant discrimination and bullying. Last year, North Carolina adopted the infamous HB2, legislation that required discrimination against transgender people, including in public schools. Seventy-five percent of transgender students report feeling unsafe in school, and, tragically, more than 50 percent of transgender youth report attempting suicide at least once in their lifetime.

The American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; the American Counseling Association; the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO; the American School Counselor Association; the Association of Title IX Administrators; the Child Welfare League of America; the National Association of School Psychologists; the National Association of Secondary School Principals; the National Association of Social Workers; and the National Education Association have all signed the letter.

Read the full letter here.

www.hrc.org/blog/national-pta-joins-11-other-child-welfare-groups-calling-out-state-bills-at?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Facebook Killer, Theresa May, Gerrit Lansing, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Horse vs Alligator: HOT LINKS

Facebook Killer, Theresa May, Gerrit Lansing, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Horse vs Alligator: HOT LINKS

FACEBOOK KILLER. Steve Stephens shot and killed himself after police chase: “Erie police have confirmed the suicide in Erie on Tuesday of Steve Stephens, the Cleveland resident suspected of fatally shooting a Cleveland man on Sunday and posting video of the slaying on Facebook. Stephens died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while driving a white Ford Fusion near Buffalo Road and Downing Avenue around 11:10 a.m., police said.”

Steve Stephens was spotted this morning by PSP members in Erie County. After a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself.

— PA State Police (@PAStatePolice) April 18, 2017

UK. Theresa May calls for special election in June: “It is with strong conviction that I believe it is necessary to secure a strong and stable leadership this country needs.”

Syria TrumpTAX DAY. The IRS on Donald Trump’s refusal: “Nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information. The IRS stresses that audits of tax returns are based on the information contained on the taxpayer’s return and the underlying tax law—nothing else. The audit process is handled by career, nonpartisan civil servants, and we have processes in place to safeguard the exam process.”

SHATTERED. New book is postmortem account of Clinton campaign: “Based on interviews with more than 100 unnamed sources from within Clinton’s orbit—each account given under the condition that the tales would be told only after the final ballot was counted—the 480-page report relays the behind-the-scenes drama behind many of the Clinton campaign’s most embarrassing blunders and unforced errors. More damning than any anecdote of petty infighting or a deadly devotion to data, however, is the book’s verdict on the main reason for Clinton’s loss: Clinton herself.”

AWKWARD. CNN’s Alisyn Camerota asks Georgia house candidate Jon Ossoff when he’ll propose to his girlfriend.

CHROMA KEY GRANDMATatiana Subbotina, a 62-year-old retiree from Saint Petersburg, Russia, has become a YouTube star after learning how to use a green screen.

NJ. Cop fired for being gay will get $750K and his job back: “Matthew Stanislao was reportedly fired from the police department as patrol officer in October 2014 and filed the lawsuit a week later claiming a hostile work environment. Stanislao alleged that his colleagues made derogatory comments and made lewd gestures referring to his sexuality and that he was never recognized for his service, according to the report.

SIGN OF THE TIMES. Cameron Crowe profiles Harry Styles for Rolling Stone. “With an artist like Prince,” he says, “all you wanted to do was know more. And that mystery – it’s why those people are so magical! Like, fuck, I don’t know what Prince eats for breakfast. That mystery  …  it’s just what I like.”

Instagram Photo

 

BAD FOR TOURISM. Trump slump is real: “One study forecasts a 10.6 million decline in visitors this year and next. The drop — nearly 7% of expected travelers — will cost the U.S. economy more than $18 billion and about 107,000 jobs, according to Tourism Economics, a forecasting firm used by the industry. More than half of the lost business will be caused by reduced travel from Canada and Mexico. But experts say they are concerned about tourism declines from the U.K. and western Europe as well.”

GERRIT LANSING. Top GOP strategist got $1 million payout from company he co-founded that collected online donations to GOP: “Republican operatives representing multiple GOP presidential and Senate campaigns said that Lansing pushed them to use the company he co-founded, Revv, to collect their online donations after he was hired for the top RNC job — and that he used the fact that the RNC was using his platform as a selling point. Lansing was subsequently named to a top role in Trump’s White House. The controversy puts White House press secretary Sean Spicer in an awkward spot. As the RNC’s chief strategist, Spicer denied to POLITICO in mid-2016 that Lansing had any financial stake in Revv.”

Melissa McCarthy Sean SpicerDROWSY SPICE. Sean Spicer never sees Melissa McCarthy’s impressions of him because he’s sleeping.

PENNSYLVANIA. Common-law marriages of same-sex couples must be recognized: “Years after one of the partners died, a state appeals court on Monday ruled that a same-sex couple had a legitimate common-law marriage decades before same-sex marriage became legal in Pennsylvania. The Superior Court ruling means that as the surviving partner, Michael Hunter has the same legal rights, including shared property rights, that any other widow or widower would have following their spouse’s death.”

PRINCE HARRY. I saw a shrink about the death of my mother: “It was 20 years of not thinking about it and two years of total chaos.”

FACETIME SESSION. Lady Gaga chats with Prince William about mental health (starts at 1:50).

 

A STAR IS BORN. First still from the remake starring Lady Gaga.

Instagram Photo

 

DICKLATTE. The Instagram barista with a special talent.

Instagram Photo

 

DON’T TREAD ON ME. Horse attacks an alligator.

TOO HOT TUESDAY. Iddo.

Instagram Photo

 

Instagram Photo

 

Instagram Photo

 

Instagram Photo

The post Facebook Killer, Theresa May, Gerrit Lansing, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Horse vs Alligator: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.


Facebook Killer, Theresa May, Gerrit Lansing, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Horse vs Alligator: HOT LINKS

Inexcusable: HRC & Equality NC Speak Out on NCAA’s Decision to Reward NC with Championship Games

Inexcusable: HRC & Equality NC Speak Out on NCAA’s Decision to Reward NC with Championship Games

HRC and Equality NC condemned the NCAA’s decision to reward North Carolina with championship games despite discrimination against LGBTQ people that remains enshrined in state law with HB 142. Because the NCAA Board of Governors requires all bids to include a completed non-discrimination questionnaire, HRC has also submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to North Carolina public universities for all materials related to their bids for NCAA events.

“The NCAA has fallen ‘hook, line, and sinker’ for this ‘bait and switch’ sham ‘deal’ doubling down on discrimination,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs. “Even worse, the NCAA has inexcusably gone back on its promise to ensure all championship games are held in locations that are safe, respectful, and free of discrimination. By rewarding North Carolina with championship games, the NCAA has undermined its credibility and is sending a dangerous message to lawmakers across the country who are targeting LGBTQ people with discriminatory state legislation. In addition to protecting the broader LGBTQ community, the NCAA needs to clearly state how they will be protecting their student athletes, personnel and fans.”

“How can LGBTQ people  — especially members of the transgender community  — be safe and free from discrimination, much less protected against mistreatment or harassment with the sham fake repeal of HB2?” said Equality NC Executive Director Chris Sgro. “The unfortunate reality is they cannot. HB 142 was a cheap political trick that did nothing to alleviate the concerns the NCAA initially outlined when it pulled games from the Tar Heel state last year, and even adds new forms of discrimination to North Carolina’s laws. It is unthinkable that the NCAA would abandon its commitment to LGBTQ fans, players, and administrators by falling for this trick.”

HRC has submitted FOIA requests to North Carolina public universities, requesting all communications related to their bid requests for NCAA events — including all materials related to the non-discrimination questionnaires required by the NCAA Board of Governors to host NCAA events. Under HB 142, North Carolina universities are prohibited from ensuring LGBTQ participants and spectators are protected from discrimination during university events.

HB 142 is not an HB2 repeal, and replaces one discriminatory, anti-transgender, bathroom bill with another. It bans local LGBTQ non-discrimination protections statewide through 2020, and substitutes the previous anti-transgender bathroom provisions with a new provision that forbids state agencies, public universities, primary and secondary schools, and cities from adopting policies ensuring transgender people have access to restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

While the NCAA has fallen for the sham HB2 “deal” doubling down on discrimination, an ever-growing chorus of states and cities are not fooled by North Carolina’s new anti-LGBTQ law. Municipalities that have banned taxpayer-funded travel to North Carolina include California; Washington state; Minnesota; New York City; Los Angeles; Chicago; San Francisco; Seattle; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Ore.; Baltimore; Atlanta; Oakland, Calif.; Cincinnati; Salt Lake City; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Santa Fe, N.M.; Portland, Maine; Palm Springs, Calif.; Burlington, Vt.; and Wilton Manors, Fla.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

Equality NC is a statewide organization working to secure equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer North Carolinians. For more information, please visit www.equalitync.org

www.hrc.org/blog/inexcusable-hrc-equality-nc-speak-out-on-ncaas-decision-to-reward-nc?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Elizabeth Warren: ‘People are Going to Keep Demanding’ Donald Trump Release His Taxes – WATCH

Elizabeth Warren: ‘People are Going to Keep Demanding’ Donald Trump Release His Taxes – WATCH

trump warren tax day

Elizabeth Warren, like everybody else, wants to see what’s inside Donald Trump’s taxes.

She had this to say on tax day:

“The issue is not over. He promised during the campaign that he would reveal his taxes. In fact, how many clips have you got here? He would reveal them after this, he would reveal them after that. Oh then he’d put it off. I’ll tell you this. I think people are going to keep demanding it.”

Added Warren:

“Why is it the case that people at the very top should get a bunch of tax breaks, should be able to hide their business dealings when everybody else pays, everybody else gets out there and makes our roads and bridges work, makes our schools work. Let’s see what Donald Trump is up to.”

Watch:

Elizabeth Warren rips Trump on his taxes to @NBCNews: “The issue is not over. He promised during the campaign he would reveal his taxes.” pic.twitter.com/czdlRN31o1

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 18, 2017

The post Elizabeth Warren: ‘People are Going to Keep Demanding’ Donald Trump Release His Taxes – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.


Elizabeth Warren: ‘People are Going to Keep Demanding’ Donald Trump Release His Taxes – WATCH

Second Immune Cell Found to Harbor HIV During Treatment

Second Immune Cell Found to Harbor HIV During Treatment

The challenge of finding a cure for AIDS may have gotten harder. Scientists have discovered another cell in the body where HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — hides from therapy designed to suppress it to undetectable levels in the blood. The cells — called macrophages — are part of the immune system and are…

The post Second Immune Cell Found to Harbor HIV During Treatment appeared first on Towleroad.


Second Immune Cell Found to Harbor HIV During Treatment