#AM_Equality Tipsheet: April 13, 2017

HRC CALLS ON SENATORS TO DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND – #STOPMARKGREEN: In a new video, HRC exposes Mark Green, Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of the Army, for what he is: a dangerously anti-LGBTQ politician who encouraged the state of Tennessee to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the Supreme Court ruled in Oberfell v. Hodges, characterized being transgender as a “disease,” and supports license to discriminate laws that target LGBTQ people. In his first public statement since being nominated, Green attempted to dismiss his disgraceful attacks against the LGBTQ community as just “politics.” Our service members deserve better. HRC is urging senators to stand up and #StopMarkGreen. Check out the video here, and read the latest news coverage on Green’s disqualifying record at HRC.

HRC TO TRUMP — TAKE ACTION TO STOP ANTI-LGBTQ VIOLENCE IN RUSSIA, PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS AT HOME AND ABROAD: According to numerous media outlets and human rights organizations across the globe, authorities in the Russian republic of Chechnya have been rounding up dozens of men on the suspicion of being gay. They have been humiliated, tortured, placed in detention and killed. HRC is urging the White House to take immediate action to stop the persecution of LGBTQ people in Russia. For more about the atrocities, and steps being taken by HRC and other rights organizations to address the crisis, read this report at NBC.

ALABAMA SENATE COMMITTEE ADVANCES SHAMEFUL ANTI-LGBTQ CHILD WELFARE BILL: Yesterday, HRC Alabama called out the Alabama Senate Health Committee for advancing the anti-LGBTQ bill H.B. 24, and renewed its call for the full Senate to defeat this proposal. The bill would allow taxpayer-funded adoption and foster care agencies to reject qualified prospective LGBTQ adoptive or foster parents based on the agency’s religious beliefs. The measure has already passed the Alabama House. Said HRC Alabama’s Eva Kendrick: “This bill is a solution in search of a problem, and the consequences it may bring — such as political and economic fallout similar to what we’ve witnessed in North Carolina after it passed anti-LGBTQ legislation — are potentially disastrous for the state. Alabama has a chance at a fresh start after more than a year of political scandals; it should not create a new, unnecessary scandal by targeting LGBTQ people.”

.@HRC calls on AL Senate to reject bill allowing child welfare agencies to discriminate against #LGBTQ parents t.co/RRhzqlzbFC

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) April 12, 2017

CALIFORNIA JOINS STATES AND CITIES BARRING STATE-FUNDED TRAVEL TO NC: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra yesterday announced that the state will continue to prohibit state-funded and state-sponsored travel and expenditures to North Carolina based on that state’s discriminatory laws, joining an ever-growing chorus of cities and states not fooled by NC’s anti-LGBTQ law. Cities and states now barring travel to NC by government employees include: Minnesota; New York City; Washington, DC; San Francisco; Seattle; Portland, OR; Atlanta; Baltimore; Burlington, VT, Los Angeles; Oakland; Santa Fe; Cincinnati; Salt Lake City; Palm Springs, CA; West Palm Beach; Portland, ME; and Wilton Manors, FL.

OUTED ON NATIONAL TELEVISION — TRANSGENDER  “SURVIVOR” CONTESTANT TELLS HIS STORY: In a piece for the Hollywood Reporter, Zeke Smith opens up about being outed by fellow contestant Jeff Varner during last night’s episode of Survivor, and about his own personal journey. He had this to say about Varner: “I don’t believe Varner hates trans people, just as I don’t believe conservative politicians who attack trans people actually care where we use the bathroom. For both, trans people make easy targets for those looking to invoke prejudice in order to win votes..” Read his powerful story here.

WATCH: DOVE CELEBRATES TRANSGENDER MOM IN NEW AD: Shea, a transgender mom and grad student, is one of several moms being featured a groundbreaking new ad that’s part of Dove’s #RealMoms campaign. “There’s no one right way to do it all,” Shea says of parenthood. Read more via the Los Angeles Blade.

“There’s no one right way to do it all,” says Shea, a trans mom featured in a groundbreaking #RealMoms ad campaign t.co/e63BAi671y

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) April 12, 2017

THE FALKLAND ISLANDS LEGALIZES MARRIAGE EQUALITY: The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly has voted overwhelmingly in favor of marriage equality. “It does not matter whether they are a same sex couple or not and the law now reflects the Falkland Islands’ tradition of being an open, tolerant and respectful community,” said the spokesperson for the islands, located just off the southern coast of Argentina. Find out more via GT.

Marriage equality comes to the Falkland Islands! #LoveWins t.co/cFXx185jKa

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) April 12, 2017

ONE MAN’S STORY OF THE DANGEROUS, DEBUNKED PRACTICE OF “PRAYING THE GAY AWAY”: In a powerful piece for the Springfield (Missouri) News-Leader, reporter Jackie Rehwald (@JackieRehwaldNL) tells the story of Caleb Marshall, who spent nine horrible months in a church-based, so-called “conversion therapy” program that tried to change his sexual orientation. “What I got from the therapy was not a new sexuality. I got really good at lying,” Marshall, now 20, told Rehwald. “And I got a really great case of chronic depression that I’ve been through and still am going through therapy to handle.” Today he’s a math and psychology double major at Missouri State University, and plays cello for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Read his harrowing, and inspiring, story here.

HRC’s #AskTheGays NAMED FINALIST IN SHORTY AWARDS: Just days after the horrific shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Donald Trump had the audacity to pander to LGBTQ voters by challenging his skeptics to “ask the gays” about where he stood on LGBTQ equality. HRC answered. Using the hashtag #AskTheGays, countless took to social media to call out Trump and Mike Pence on their anti-LGBTQ records. More on the campaign and the Shorty Awards here.

READING RAINBOW

The Atlantic asks, “Should acting prizes be gender-neutral?”; Washington Blade reports that the haphazardly planned White House Easter Egg Roll is unlikely to include an LGBTQ presence as in years past; Vice interviews Jennifer Boylan about her new book Long Black Veil; Knoxville News Sentinel shares Chandler Frumin’s story about coming out and finding acceptance from her family and the University of Tennessee rowing team.

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-13-2017?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

In Case You Missed This Ridiculous Trump ‘Chocolate Cake’ Interview by Maria Bartiromo: WATCH

Didn’t get a chance to post this yesterday, but it’s hard to pin down the most ridiculous thing about this interview FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo did with Donald Trump about his strikes on Syria and dinner with Chinese President Xi at Mar-A-Lago.

Is it the giddy sycophantic edge-of-her-chair delivery of questions from Bartiromo or her giggling that Trump is praising her for having “treated him so good for so long?”

Is it Donald’s enthusiasm for being able to tell President Xi “during dessert” as he was “enjoying” the “most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen” that he was pounding the sh*t out of a foreign country with “59 Tomahawk missiles…”all of which hit, all of which hit.”

Is it Bartiromo’s breathless agreement about the power of the missiles: “unmanned!”

Is it Donald’s inability to remember the country he’s just pounded the sh*t out of? Iraq?

Is it Donald’s admission that he didn’t want Xi to go home after a beautiful dessert and learn that “the guy you just had dinner with attacked” another country?

Is it Bartiromo’s dizzy response: “How did he react?”

Watch the Gossip Girls go at it:

.@POTUS tells @MariaBartiromo he told President Xi about the Missile strikes over “the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake.” pic.twitter.com/vPLu7ZhxbR

— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) April 12, 2017

The post In Case You Missed This Ridiculous Trump ‘Chocolate Cake’ Interview by Maria Bartiromo: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

In Case You Missed This Ridiculous Trump ‘Chocolate Cake’ Interview by Maria Bartiromo: WATCH

Danger Lies Behind Title of Anti-LGBTQ Child Welfare Bill

Before leaving town for a two-week recess, anti-LGBTQ members of Congress gave notice that undermining LGBTQ families may be next on their agenda with the reintroduction of the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act.

Currently, there are over 405,000 children in foster care in the U.S., and roughly 100,000 are in need of a permanent, adoptive home. The legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) would allow adoption or foster care providers to refuse service on the basis of their personal religious objections—the consequences of which would be disastrous for some of America’s most vulnerable kids. Opening the door to discrimination, like this legislation does, would add to the inequality and prejudice LGBTQ families experience and would shrink the pool of qualified foster and adoptive families.

The primary purpose of the legislation is to shamefully block LGBTQ individuals or same-sex couples from adopting or fostering a child, but the ripple effect of its provisions extend far beyond our community. If passed into law, this bill would allow a religiously affiliated adoption agency to deny service to a non-Christian, straight couple. A single parent seeking to foster a child in need could be turned away just because they are not married. Under the guise of religion, the bill allows children to be used as pawns, losing the opportunity to have a forever family for the sake of political expediency. Taxpayer funds should not be used to discriminate, and must not be allowed to strip away hope from the thousands of children who need loving homes.   

HRC has alerted our friends in Congress about the dangers of this legislation, and we are working closely with them to prevent it from advancing.

www.hrc.org/blog/danger-lies-behind-title-of-anti-lgbtq-child-welfare-bill?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision

www.advocate.com/art/2017/4/13/passion-christ-gay-vision

‘Survivor’ Contestant Outs Fellow Contestant as Transgender at Tribal Council: WATCH [SPOILERS]

SPOILERS

Things got personal, and upsetting, at Tribal Council on last night’s Survivor: Game Changers when one player, who was under fire, outed another as transgender, not just to his fellow players, but to millions of viewers.

“Why haven’t you told everyone you’re transgender,” said Jeff Varner to Zeke Smith. “What I’m showing is a deception.”

“But that’s personal!”, the other players protested, some in tears.

“That’s dirty Jeff,” said one.

Replied Varner: “I argue for the rights of transgender people every day in the state of North Carolina. I would never say or do anything to hurt anyone here!”

When Varner became upset and realized what he’d done, host Jeff Probst asked: Is it starting to hit you the gravity, that you didn’t just tell six people? You told millions of people! Is that what’s happening? You’re realizing now that…”

Said Varner: “Jeff I assumed that everyone in his world knew, so that’s my ignorance. I thought he was just deceiving these people. It never dawned on me that no one knew.”

Watch:

Smith penned a lengthy response to his outing for The Hollywood Reporter about being trans, applying to be on the show, and how he feels about Varner:

I looked to Varner, now the one hunched and quivering, and contemplated the backlash he would face. When he said what he said, he changed both of our lives forever. When he pulled me in for a hug, I felt compelled to reciprocate, both as a sign that I was willing to forgive him and that the shots he had fired missed.

But, if we’re being perfectly honest with one another, I’ve struggled with that forgiveness in the months following. I can’t foresee us sipping martinis together in Fire Island. While I can reconcile the personal slight of him outing me, I continue to be troubled by his willingness to deploy such a dangerous stereotype on a global platform.

But forgiveness does not require friendship. Forgiveness does not require forgetting or excusing his actions. Forgiveness requires hope. Hope that he understands the injury he caused and does not inflict it upon others. Hope that whatever torments his soul will plague him no more. I have hope for Jeff Varner. I just choose to hope from afar, thank you very much.

The post ‘Survivor’ Contestant Outs Fellow Contestant as Transgender at Tribal Council: WATCH [SPOILERS] appeared first on Towleroad.

‘Survivor’ Contestant Outs Fellow Contestant as Transgender at Shocking Tribal Council: WATCH [SPOILERS]

The Saints and Sinners of Ronaldo Gutierrez (Photos)

www.advocate.com/photography/2017/4/13/saints-and-sinners-ronaldo-gutierrez-photos