Sean Spicer Holds Press Briefing Amid Allegations of White House Cover-Up on Flynn: WATCH LIVE

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer holds a press briefing at 1 pm following a morning news conference in which Rep. Elijah Cummings told Spicer “C’mon man” for his lame attempts to excuse the Trump administration from responsibility over Flynn’s actions during the transition.

Also expect grilling on the first 100 days, NAFTA, Trumpcare, tax reform, and everything else Trump is failing at.

The post Sean Spicer Holds Press Briefing Amid Allegations of White House Cover-Up on Flynn: WATCH LIVE appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Spicer Holds Press Briefing Amid Allegations of White House Cover-Up on Flynn: WATCH LIVE

TN Lawmakers Vote to Undermine Protections for Women & LGBTQ People in Effort to Challenge Marriage

HRC condemned a vote by the Tennessee Senate passing HB 1111 — a measure that could undermine certain protections under state law for women and LGBTQ people in a shameful effort to challenge the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision on marriage equality. The bill now heads to Governor Bill Haslam’s desk.

The measure would require that courts and agencies apply a so-called “natural” meaning interpretation of gendered statutory language, including those involving the rights of husbands and wives. This unconstitutional proposal would be in direct conflict with state and federal law that requires gender-specific words be interpreted as gender-inclusive.

“In a shameful haste to undermine marriage equality, the Tennessee State Legislature is opening a Pandora’s box of harmful consequences that could impact more than just the LGBTQ community,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “This measure would no doubt result in multiple, expensive legal challenges, forcing the state to divert crucial resources that need to be focused on other truly important issues. Governor Bill Haslam must protect the state from the fallout and veto this bill.”

The measure could have both intended and unintended consequences. For example, a woman may not be able to place her wife’s name on the birth certificate of their child. In court proceedings, a married opposite-sex couple could be entitled to confidential communications, but not a married same-sex couple. The measure could even prohibit surrogacy for same-sex couples.

It could have consequences beyond the LGBTQ community as well. It would impact state constitutional protections for women by prohibiting state courts from reading the term “man” to also include “woman.” The Tennessee law requiring no “man’s” services or property be taken without consent or compensation, for example, could suddenly be interpreted to exclude women from these same protections.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery issued an opinion stating the proposed bill could create conflict with current state laws.

HRC has been working in partnership with the Tennessee Equality Project, ACLU of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition in working to stop this legislation from becoming law.

www.hrc.org/blog/Tennesse-lawmakers-vote-to-undermine-protections-for-lgbtq-people?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

GLAAD: Gov. Haslam must veto dangerous 'LGBTQ Erasure Bill'

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-gov-haslam-must-veto-dangerous-lgbtq-erasure-bill

14 Dos and Don'ts of Fire Island (From ‘Fire Island’s Cast)

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2017/4/27/14-dos-and-donts-fire-island-fire-islands-cast

Katy Perry fans are furious that she collaborated with homophobic rappers
The Twitter denizens are pretty upset.

www.queerty.com/katy-perry-fans-furious-collaborated-homophobic-rappers-20170427?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Chayviss ‘Chay’ Reed Is Ninth Transgender Woman Of Color Murdered This Year

Chayviss “Chay” Reed became the ninth transgender woman of color murdered this year after being fatally shot Friday in Miami, WPLG Local10 reports.

Originally misgendered by police, Reed, 28, was killed in Miami-Dade County’s West Little River neighborhood, the station reports. Police are offering a $3,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Currently, Refinery29 reports, the motive and suspect are still unknown.

Anyone with information regarding the homicide of Chayviss Reed is urged to contact @MDCrimeStoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477). pic.twitter.com/bZdrjzgcn6

— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) April 21, 2017

The eight victims before Reed are:

1. Mesha Caldwell, 41, killed in Mississippi on Jan 4
2. Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, 28, killed in South Dakota on Jan. 6.
3. Jojo Striker, 23, killed in Ohio on Feb. 8.
4. Jaquarrius Holland, 18, killed in Louisiana on Feb. 19 .
5. Tiara Richmond, 24, killed in Illinois on Feb. 21.
6. Chyna Doll Dupree, 31, was killed in Louisiana on Feb. 25.
7. Ciara McElveen, 21, was killed in Louisiana on Feb. 27.
8. Alphonza Watson, 38, was killed in Baltimore on March 22.

While these numbers are staggering, 2016 remains the deadliest year on record for transgender people, GLAAD reports. Twenty-seven transgender people were killed in 2016, up from 21 in 2015. That number does not count, however, those whose deaths were not reported or who were misgendered by police, the media or family.

Sadly, however, the violence transgender members of our community face is not new. According to a study undertaken by the Human Rights Campaign and Trans People of Color Coalition, transgender woman are 4.3 times more likely to be murdered compared to their cisgender counterparts, and that’s just a conservative estimate, the study says.

Transgender people of color are also disproportionately affected by violence. From 2013 to 2015, at least 87 percent of the 53 known transgender people murdered were people of color. 39 were African American and 6 were Latinx, according to the study.

This violence sometimes comes from those whose job it is to prevent it. According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality, of the transgender people who interacted with police who knew or thought they knew that they were transgender, 58 percent of the respondents said they experienced some form of mistreatment, ranging from verbal to sexual assault. 57 percent also said that they would feel uncomfortable asking the police for help if they needed it.

While these names and number are heartbreaking, the HRC and TPOCC study calls for action to stop even more deaths.

“There is no simple answer to stopping violence against transgender people and there are many barriers to overcome. But that cannot — and must not — be an excuse for inaction.”

Photo is from Photo from Reed’s Facebook page.

The post Chayviss ‘Chay’ Reed Is Ninth Transgender Woman Of Color Murdered This Year appeared first on Towleroad.

Chayviss ‘Chay’ Reed Is Ninth Transgender Woman Of Color Murdered This Year

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: April 27, 2017

CONGRESS TO REINTRODUCE EQUALITY ACT ON TUESDAY: Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) plan to reintroduce the Equality Act on Tuesday morning, The Washington Blade reports. The Equality Act provides basic protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, access to public spaces, housing, education, jury service, credit and federal funding. “LGBTQ people face unfair and unjust discrimination just because of who they are, with few explicit legal protections in place,” said HRC Government Affairs Director David Stacy. “As lawmakers in states around the country target LGBTQ people for discrimination, it is even more critical that Congress pass a clear federal law to ensure LGBTQ people are fully protected by our nation’s civil rights laws.” More from The Washington Blade.

23 NATIONS SIGN STATEMENT CALLING ON RUSSIA TO INVESTIGATE HORRORS IN CHECHNYA: Twenty-three nations, including the United States, signed a statement calling on Russian authorities to investigate recent reports by a Russian newspaper and LGBTQ advocates in the country that Chechen police have been detaining, torturing and killing gay men. The signing nations are: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay. HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex  Tillerson, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and members of the White House National Security Council encouraging them, “to make clear to your Russian counterparts that such lawless detentions, arrests, torture and murders are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” HRC is working closely with the Russian LGBT Network, which asserts that as many as 20 men may have been killed in the attacks in the Russian republic. Read the statement here.

THANKFUL THURSDAY: Paris Police Officer Xavier Jugelé, 37, was killed last week by a gunman who opened fire on police officers on the Champs-Élysées. This week, his husband, Etienne Cardiles, delivered a powerful, poetic eulogy, describing Xavier’s love of music and film, his efforts to perfect his English and his “life of joy and laughter, in which love and tolerance were your uncontested masters.” He closed his remarks saying, “You lived like a star, you leave like a star.” Watch on Channel 4 News.

To live “a life full of joy & laughter,” devoid of hate… how we all wish to be remembered. Thank you Xavier Jugelé for your service. t.co/hDXBx83k0j

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) April 26, 2017

ALL EYES ON TENNESSEE AS LEGISLATORS CONSIDER BILL TO ERASE LGBTQ PEOPLE FROM THE LAW: Seventeen anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced this session, and the Tennessee legislature will hold hearings on two this week that attempt to undermine the impact of the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling.  The measures would require that courts and federal agencies apply a plain meaning interpretation of gendered statutory language, including those involving the rights of husbands and wives. This would exclude many same-sex spouses from protection, because courts could not interpret “husband” or “wife” to mean “spouse” under the law. More on these discriminatory efforts at HRC.

ANTI-LGBTQ ADOPTION BILL HEADS TO ALABAMA GOVERNOR’S DESK:  A bill that would enshrine discrimination into Alabama law by allowing some state-licensed adoption and agencies to reject qualified prospective LGBTQ adoptive parents based on the agency’s religious beliefs is headed to the desk of Governor Kay Ivey. HRC is calling on the governor to veto this discriminatory measure. More from ThinkProgress and Romper.

Live in #Alabama? We need your help TODAY! Call @GovernorKayIvey today and tell her NOT to sign anti-#LGBTQ #HB24 → 866-532-1193 pic.twitter.com/veJyvpvLsj

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) April 26, 2017

HEY – IT’S #NOMOORE TIME AGAIN: Disgraced former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is running for the U.S. Senate, after resigning from the state’s Supreme Court. In September, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary suspended Moore from the bench for the remainder of his term, due to his unethical and extralegal actions surrounding marriage equality. Eva Kendrick, state director of HRC Alabama, told the Associated Press that Moore is seeking “to capitalize on the name recognition he gained for harming LGBTQ people in our state.” Said Kendrick: “Roy Moore was removed — twice — from the Alabama Supreme Court for unethical behavior; rarely does an elected official become more ethical when they are elevated to a higher office.” HRC Alabama initiated the #NoMoore campaign to remove Moore from the bench for his blatant legal and ethical failings. #NoMoore from AL.com.

TRANS CANDIDATES FOR MPLS CITY COUNCIL SEEK PARTY ENDORSEMENTS: Phillipe Cunningham and Andrea Jenkins are vying for a Minneapolis City Council, and are seeking endorsements from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Cunningham, a trans man, was in a neck-in-neck battle with the incumbent of Ward 4 before the local Democratic convention adjourned without an official endorsement. Jenkins, a trans woman, will seek the endorsement for Ward 8 on April 29. More from The Minneapolis Post.

HRC EXPANDS TEXAS FIELD ORGANIZING TEAM: HRC Texas is bringing on two new organizers to fight back against anti-LGBTQ legislation, expanding the state team to five. HRC is monitoring a slew of anti-LGBTQ legistation in Texas, including HB 3859, a bill that would allow sweeping discrimination by foster care and adoption agencies against potential parents based on the agencies’ religious beliefs, and HB 2899, an anti-transgender bill that would remove protections ensuring that transgender people can access restroom facilities consistent with their gender identity. More from HRC.

• HRC is also concerned with lawmakers’ apparent strategy to add discriminatory amendments to otherwise benign legislation. A Texas ride-sharing bill that included an amendment defining “sex” as “the physical condition of being male or female,” passed last week — and Lyft and Uber are calling out the discriminatory action. Both companies have affirmed that their nondiscrimination policies, which protect people based on gender identity, will not change. More from The Texas Tribune.

HEARTLESS — SD SOUP KITCHEN REFUSES TO SERVE TRANSGENDER WOMAN: Isabella Red Cloud was kicked off the premises of a local soup kitchen because she was wearing a dress. The director of the church that houses the soup kitchen told The Argus Leader that they routinely turn away transgender women. South Dakota does not have nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people. More from Mic.

30 IRANIAN MEN ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF SAME-SEX SEXUAL ACTIVITY: The men were shot at, beaten and arrested on suspicion that they are LGBTQ. Iran is one of at least 72 countries around the world that criminalize same-sex sexual activity. More from Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees.

READING RAINBOW

Reuters interviews Dessai Scott, a transgender survivor of sex trafficking, and shares the harrowing statistics surrounding the transgender community and sex trafficking; Capitol Hill Times previews the world’s largest transgender film festival; The Boston Globe explores a Provincetown camp for LGBTQ youth; OutSports previews the 11 LGBT Nights at MLB games happening this summer;

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-april-27-2017?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Russian Journalist Who Exposed the Torture of Gay Men in Chechnya is in Hiding Following Death Threats: VIDEO

A Russian journalist who broke the story regarding Chechnya’s recent crackdown on gay and bisexual men is in hiding following a number of death threats.

Earlier this month, it was reported that police in Chechnya had been arresting gay and bisexual men, at least three of whom had been killed.

On April 14th, Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that there is no credible information about the reported detentions, torture, and murders.

RELATED: President of Chechnya Intends to Eliminate All Gay Men There by Ramadan

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov (right) accused human rights groups of spreading lies about his country. However, evidence suggests that there are at least six concentration camps in Chechnya for gay and bisexual men.

In an interview, Elena Milashina, a journalist with the Russian-language Novaya Gazeta newspaper, said she has vacated her home and now plans to leave Russia after Muslim clerics in Chechnya calling for “retribution” against her and other journalists.

Via CNN:

The editorial board of Novaya Gazeta released a statement calling the sermon “an incitement to massacre journalists.” Shortly afterwards, the newspaper received two envelopes filled with white powder.

“We still don’t know what the powder is. We have asked the security forces to check it,” Milashina told CNN. “But all of us, including me, consider this situation is very serious.”

…

The Kremlin says it has no confirmation of any gay men in Chechnya suffering abuse.

But the reports have clearly struck a nerve. Local Chechen television has broadcast footage of Muslim clerics condemning what they called “women’s gossip” and “lies” in newspaper reports.

In a country where journalists are routinely beaten up or even killed for their work, the clerics’ remarks have been taken as a worrying development.

Leaders including Hillary Clinton and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley have called for action on the situation in Chechnya.

Yesterday, Marco Rubio – who is calling for Donald Trump to sign an executive order allowing for widespread discrimination against LGBT people – told the Senate: “We should never, ever tolerate human rights violations against any person for their political views, their religious beliefs, or their sexual orientation.”

Watch a Human Rights First/Russian Speaking American LGBT Association report featuring personal accounts from survivors of the gay concentration camps in Chechnya.

The post Russian Journalist Who Exposed the Torture of Gay Men in Chechnya is in Hiding Following Death Threats: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Russian Journalist Who Exposed the Torture of Gay Men in Chechnya is in Hiding Following Death Threats: VIDEO