Read the “shocking” interview Ellen gave 20 years ago: “Yep, I’m Gay”
TIME: So, for the record, are you yourself gay?

www.queerty.com/read-shocking-interview-ellen-gave-20-years-ago-yep-im-gay-20170414?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

‘Kill the Gays’ Pastor Kevin Swanson Rips ‘Beauty and the Beast’ for Promoting ‘Interspecies Breeding’

Pastor Kevin Swanson — you remember him, the friend of Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and Bobby Jindal who held a “kill the gays” presidential forum — is up in arms over Beauty and the Beast because it features a gay character and promotes “interspecies breeding,” Right Wing Watch reports:

“Christians, I don’t believe, can allow for this,” Swanson stated. “Humans are made in the image of God. Humans are assigned a spouse which happens to be a member of the opposite sex. Friends, God’s law forbids it … Christians should not allow for this, man. We cannot allow for humans to interbreed with other species. It’s just wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s confusion, it’s unnatural.”

“We are in some of the most radical, most anti-biblical, the most immoral, the most unethical, the most wicked sexual environment that the world has ever known, right now,” he warned.

Listen:

The post ‘Kill the Gays’ Pastor Kevin Swanson Rips ‘Beauty and the Beast’ for Promoting ‘Interspecies Breeding’ appeared first on Towleroad.

‘Kill the Gays’ Pastor Kevin Swanson Rips ‘Beauty and the Beast’ for Promoting ‘Interspecies Breeding’

CBS Stands by Decision to Broadcast Outing of Transgender ‘Survivor’ Contestant Zeke Smith

Since Wednesday night’s Survivor: Game Changers episode aired, CBS has been accused of exploiting transgender contestant Zeke Smith by broadcasting his outing by fellow contestant Jeff Varner.

CBS released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter standing by its decision to broadcast the episode:

“After the tribal council scene in last night’s Survivor was filmed, we consulted with Zeke Smith and with GLAAD in advance of the broadcast, including the issue of how Zeke would tell his story after the episode aired. This is his second consecutive season on Survivor. From his first season through the current edition, we have always been guided by the principle that this is his story to tell, and it remains so. We support how [host] Jeff Probst and the producers handled a very sensitive situation and marvel at the grace Zeke exhibited under extraordinary circumstances. We have also respect for how Jeff Varner has expressed remorse for his mistake, both in the episode and in his subsequent dialogue with the media. In the end, we believe this episode, accompanied by Zeke’s own remarkable writing and speaking on the subject, has provided an unexpected but important dialogue about acceptance and treating transgender people with respect.”

RELATED: ‘Survivor’ Contestant Outs Fellow Contestant as Transgender at Shocking Tribal Council: WATCH 

Smith told Julie Chen on The Talk that he had “unprecedented autonomy” in telling his story (as transcribed by Jezebel):

“I love Survivor and I was drawn to apply to Survivor because of the integrity in the storytelling. And when I first applied, I didn’t tell casting that I was trans. That was developed later in our relationship. And I had a chat with Jeff Probst in which we agreed if, how, and when I’m gonna talk about this part of my life—it’s gonna be up to me, as opposed to being outed by a fellow contestant being the exception.

“But in the aftermath of being outed, I’ve been granted unprecedented autonomy in how I wanted to tell my story. We started having conversations all the way back in Fiji nine months ago about the care with which this episode was going to be handled. I came to Jeff and asked if I could write a personal essay about what happened and he immediately said yes. And I was really proud of how I responded. And I wanted the world to see how much I’d grown and I also thought by showing what happened, maybe it wouldn’t happen to someone else and something good could come of it.”

GLAAD had worked with Smith and CBS “for several months” leading up to the airing of the episode.

Said GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program director Nick Adams:

“Zeke Smith, and transgender people like him, are not deceiving anyone by being their authentic selves, and it is dangerous and unacceptable to out a transgender person. It is heartening, however, to see the strong support for Zeke from the other people in his tribe. Moments like this prove that when people from all walks of life get to know a transgender person, they accept us for who we are.”

The post CBS Stands by Decision to Broadcast Outing of Transgender ‘Survivor’ Contestant Zeke Smith appeared first on Towleroad.

CBS Stands by Decision to Broadcast Outing of Transgender ‘Survivor’ Contestant Zeke Smith

Talking About STDs Can Be Awkward, But it Doesn’t Have to Be

Post Submitted by the National Alliance Of State & Territorial Aids Directors (NASTAD)

In the spring of 2016, Connecticut College hosted TEDx Talks, and one of the speakers, Ella Dawson, delivered a speech of epic proportions. In her TEDx Talk, Ella discussed her experiences living with genital herpes.

In her speech, Ella said one of the worst aspects of living with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) is the stigma she faces. To help combat that stigma, Ella decided long ago that she would be intentionally vocal about her STD status as a way to invite open and honest conversations about what it means to be a person living with an easily treatable but widely misunderstood STD.

Unfortunately, talking about issues pertaining to sex and sexuality is often easier said than done, especially when attempting to do so with important people in our lives. Talking about STDs to your sexual partners and your healthcare provider is critical to maintaining good sexual health. Check out the list below for suggestions on how to make these conversations a little less awkward and a lot more empowering:

With Sexual Partners:

• Do your homework and learn more about STDs before having the conversation.
• Avoid having the conversation in the “heat of the moment” to allow for more clarity, honesty and focus.
• Frame the conversation around a desire to maintain your sexual health and your partner’s. In doing so, avoid using stigmatizing and potentially hurtful language such as referring to someone without an STD as “being clean.”
• Propose getting tested together as a way to both gauge your partner’s reaction and to help build and maintain trust. You could also propose getting treated together if you and/or your partner is diagnosed with an STD.

With Healthcare Providers:

• Write down notes and questions beforehand to help you stay on track since many healthcare interactions are less than 20 minutes long.
• Tell your provider about the type of sex you’re having, and be as forthcoming as possible. Rest assured that anything you say to your provider should be kept 100 percent confidential.
• Ask you provider which HIV/STD prevention methods may be right for you. If you are interested in Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), then be sure to ask your provider about them and the best way to access the right medications.
• Look for opportunities to build a rapport with your provider, but do not be afraid of changing providers if your needs are ultimately not being met.  

While these tips will help you get started talking about STDs, do keep in mind that no two conversations will likely be the same. Be flexible, and if you can, try to keep it light-hearted! Tense or serious conversations rarely benefit anyone. Ella’s more vocal approach may or may not be your cup of tea, but even so, we could all benefit from having more conversations about these extremely common medical conditions.

Marcel Byrd is the Racial and Gender Justice Fellow at NASTAD. Blake Rowley is Senior Manager for Health Equity.

Additional Resources from NASTAD:

• WellVersed – A tool that empowers Black men to have honest conversations with their providers and encourages providers to better understand the myriad barriers to engaging and accessing healthcare for Black men.
• His Health – A similar resource designed to engage and dynamically educate healthcare providers via the use of Continuing Medical Education Credits/Continuing Nursing Units on issues of HIV, holistic health care, cultural responsiveness, and program innovation for providing care to Black men.

This post is not a substitute for sound medical advice — and the examples throughout it don’t cover every situation! We encourage you to seek out additional resources from other community advocates and, most importantly, talk to a knowledgeable healthcare provider before making any medical decisions.

www.hrc.org/blog/talking-about-stds-can-be-awkward-but-it-doesnt-have-to-be?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

The Disastrous Consequences of Defunding Planned Parenthood

Defunding the organization would greatly reduce access to health care, endangering women and children, writes Reay Earhart.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/4/14/disastrous-consequences-defunding-planned-parenthood

No, We Can't Just Wait for Conservatives to Die

Many assumed that the march of time would take care of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny. If only it were that simple.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/4/14/no-we-cant-just-wait-conservatives-die

りぃな: 地方×LGBT×仕事
LGBT当事者が抱える仕事にまつわる悩み。状況を打破しようと、企業と学生の交流イベントが広がっている。

もっと見る: 社会, ｌｇｂｔ, ｌｇｂｔ ｒｉｇｈｔｓ, ｌｇｂｔ ｙｏｕｔｈ, 名古屋, 経営者, 中小企業, 多様性, Japan News

www.huffingtonpost.jp/riina/lgbt_5_b_15953646.html