From Gay Nazis to ‘We’re Here, We’re Queer’: A Century of Arguing About Gay Pride

By Laurie Marhoefer, Assistant Professor of History, University of Washington. This month, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will join gay pride marches in cities big and small. In many cities, pride marches are controversial. In some – like Moscow – they are even banned. But for many people in North America, parts of…

Photo: A kiss at the local Gay Pride march in Milan, on June 7 2008. Picture by Giovanni Dall’Orto.

The post From Gay Nazis to ‘We’re Here, We’re Queer’: A Century of Arguing About Gay Pride appeared first on Towleroad.

From Gay Nazis to ‘We’re Here, We’re Queer’: A Century of Arguing About Gay Pride

Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ushers in broad discrimination against LGBTQ people in Mississippi

www.glaad.org/blog/fifth-us-circuit-court-appeals-ushers-broad-discrimination-against-lgbtq-people-mississippi

Seth Meyers Rips Mitch McConnell and the ‘Breathlessly Cruel’ Trumpcare Bill: WATCH

Seth Meyers took apart Senate Republicans on Trumpcare and the “breathtakingly cynical process to produce a breathtakingly cruel bill” last night in his Closer Look segment, setting it up with a list of Trump’s promises like the border wall and statements about wealthy people in his cabinet.

Said Meyers:

“And that truly seems to be the operating ethos of the Trump era, a president who campaigned on populist rhetoric but whose policy would cause needless suffering for low- and middle-income people.”

“There are some Republicans who claim at least that they are against throwing people off of Medicaid like this, so what happened to those Republicans,” Meyers asked. “Well they didn’t even know what was in the bill until it was revealed today because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was basically writing it himself behind closed doors, and nobody’s ever doing anything good behind closed doors. If your teenage son was locked in his bedroom this long, you wouldn’t say, ‘Hey buddy! Are you doing extra credit homework in there?’”

Meyers added:

“The process for writing this bill was so secretive that even the people who were supposed to be writing it had no idea what was in it.”

Meyers then pointed out Senator Mike Lee, who was named as one of 13 senators in the working group to develop the healthcare bill, but admitted to his constituents in a video earlier this week that he hadn’t seen the bill.

Meyers also mocked Senator John McCain’s sassy backtalk to reporters who were asking about the bill, but saved his heaviest fire for McConnell, and his response to Chuck Schumer’s request to review the bill:

“I think ‘we’ll have ample opportunity to read and amend the bill’ is the longest euphemism I’ve ever heard for ‘go f**k yourself.’”

As well as the Majority Leader’s hypocrisy:

“Republicans can hate Obamacare, but they cannot argue that it wasn’t far more open, transparent and inclusive than the process the Republicans are using now…What we’re seeing right now is a breathtakingly cynical process to produce a breathtakingly cruel bill.”

Watch:

The post Seth Meyers Rips Mitch McConnell and the ‘Breathlessly Cruel’ Trumpcare Bill: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Seth Meyers Rips Mitch McConnell and the ‘Breathlessly Cruel’ Trumpcare Bill: WATCH

#Unite4TheFight: Here’s Why LGBTQ Americans and Allies Are Standing with Planned Parenthood

As Congress moves closer to gutting the Affordable Care Act, access to Planned Parenthood health centers are hanging in the balance. Here’s why that would have a devastating impact for LGBTQ Americans — and why today, HRC and Planned Parenthood are joining forces on a Digital Day of Action. Join us and #Unite4TheFight!

As many as 23 million people will lose health insurance if Trump and his allies in Congress succeed in destroying the Affordable Care Act. Not only that — they are seeking to “defund” Planned Parenthood in the process by barring Medicaid recipients — low-income individuals — from accessing Planned Parenthood health centers across the nation. That would have catastrophic impact on LGBTQ people who disproportionately rely on Planned Parenthood to access birth control, educational resources, and preventive health services, including HIV testing, and transition-related care.

“We provide safe, affordable care without judgment or stigma to 2.5 million people each year, including more than 4.2 million tests and treatments for STIs and more than 650,000 HIV tests,”said Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards in an email to HRC supporters this morning.  “And we are proud to be one of the country’s largest providers of health care to transgender people.”

Planned Parenthood health centers are often the only culturally-competent healthcare available, especially in rural and isolated areas. Planned Parenthood is the only provider where transgender and gender non-conforming individuals can receive care and feel safe disclosing their gender identity in these places.

The effort to strip Planned Parenthood of vital federal funding in the Senate bill would have devastating effects for LGBTQ people, particularly transgender people, who rely on the organization for care.

That’s why today, Planned Parenthood is joining forces with HRC to make this a Digital Day of Action. Now is the time to stand with Planned Parenthood and the millions of LGBTQ Americans, women, and other marginilized communities who rely on our health center doctors, nurses and staff for quality, affirming care.

HRC President Chad Griffin and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards will join forces on a #Unite4theFight Twitter Swap Friday afternoon from 2-3pm ET. Follow along as they trade Twitter accounts @HRC & @PPact — and join in using the hashtag #Unite4theFight.

You can also text “HRC PP” to 30644 and we’ll connect you directly to your Senators’ offices so you can tell them that you stand with HRC & Planned Parenthood in opposing cuts to critical health care services that the LGBTQ community relies on. Congress is moving quick so we have no choice but to be even quicker – let’s light up their phones today!

www.hrc.org/blog/unite4thefight-heres-why-lgbtq-americans-and-allies-are-standing-with-plann?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

15 Reminders That Pride Is Also About Sex

www.advocate.com/sexy-beast/2017/6/23/15-reminders-pride-also-about-sex

Ted Cruz Could Be About To Derail ‘Blood Money’ Obamacare Repeal: VIDEO

Ted Cruz (above) and three other conservative GOP lawmakers have indicated that they will not vote for the current Senate leadership’s healthcare bill as written.

The GOP can only lose two members of their 52-senator caucus in order to pass Trumpcare. In a 50-50 outcome, Vice President Mike Pence would provide the tie-breaking vote.

RELATED: Donald Trump Clucks After House GOP Passes Trumpcare Bill That Will Devastate Millions of Americans: WATCH

According to CNN, in a joint statement Cruz, Paul Rand, Ron Johnson and Mike Lee said:

“Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor.

“There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current healthcare system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs.”

A horrific metaphor for Trumpcare: this disabled woman literally being ripped from her wheelchair. #StopTrumpcare pic.twitter.com/F5kmz8rnCv

— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) June 22, 2017

In a separate statement, Cruz added that in its current format, the bill “does not do nearly enough to lower premiums.”

“That should be the central issue for Republicans,” Cruz added, “repealing Obamacare and making healthcare more affordable. Because of this, I cannot support it as currently drafted, and I do not believe it has the votes to pass the Senate.”

Trumpcare 2.0 throws millions off healthcare, cuts Medicaid & weakens protections for pre-existing conditions. Just as bad as the House bill

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 22, 2017

A number of other GOP senators have not committed to voting for the new healthcare bill unveiled by Republican leaders on Thursday morning.

Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi expressed some disappointment that the new bill bears too many similarities to Obamacare. “We’re dealing with reality and getting to 50,” he stated.

While Senator John McCain (right) generally praised the bill, he added that he still needed more time to study it before deciding if he’d support it.

Senator Dean Heller expressed “serious concerns…about the bill’s impact on the Nevadans who depend on Medicaid.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that the Congressional Budget Office scoring of the bill won’t be released until next week.

Elizabeth Warren has called Trumpcare “blood money” tax cuts for the wealthy.

Watch Warren, Bernie Sanders and react to the bill below.

The post Ted Cruz Could Be About To Derail ‘Blood Money’ Obamacare Repeal: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Ted Cruz Could Be About To Derail ‘Blood Money’ Obamacare Repeal: VIDEO

This Is Why the NRA Is Silent on Philando Castile’s Death

The national gun lobby with a vise grip on Congress is a deeply racist institution, writes Amanda Kerri.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/6/23/why-nra-silent-philando-castiles-death