Kathy Griffin: Anderson Cooper Is ‘Spineless Heiress’
The comedian slams her former friend after he denounced her controversial photo shoot.
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2017/10/24/kathy-griffin-anderson-cooper-spineless-heiress
Monthly Archives: October 2017
“Flash” star Keiynan Lonsdale says he didn’t plan on coming out for at least six decades
“Flash” star Keiynan Lonsdale says he didn’t plan on coming out for at least six decades
“I never had any plans to come out until I was like in my 80s,” Lonsdale says. “Until then I’d just live a nice sad life.”
Man Shouts ‘Trump is Treason’, Throws Down Russian Flag as President Arrives at Capitol: WATCH
Man Shouts ‘Trump is Treason’, Throws Down Russian Flag as President Arrives at Capitol: WATCH
A protester at the U.S. Capitol threw down Russian flags and shouted “Trump is treason” as the president arrived for a meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday afternoon.
Watch:
WATCH: Protester shouts “Trump is treason” after the president arrives for lunch with GOP. t.co/CFl8yhNCcM
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 24, 2017
The post Man Shouts ‘Trump is Treason’, Throws Down Russian Flag as President Arrives at Capitol: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Man Shouts ‘Trump is Treason’, Throws Down Russian Flag as President Arrives at Capitol: WATCH
MPs Demand Right To Veto UK’s Exit From Single Market
MPs Demand Right To Veto UK’s Exit From Single Market
A cross-party group of MPs have called for parliament to be given the power to veto the UK’s exit from the single market.
Conservative MP Anna Soubry and Labour MPs Stephen Kinnock and Heidi Alexander joined forces on Tuesday to ask for a Commons debate be held on whether parliament should have to approve the UK’s exit from the the European Economic Area (EEA)
The EEA treaty, signed in 1994, extends the single market beyond the current 28 EU members to non-EU states Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland.
The government has argued that the UK will automatically leave the EEA when it leaves the EU in March 2019.
But speaking to the backbench business committee, which allocates some Commons debates, Kinnock said this was wrong.
“There is a very strong legal school of opinion which takes the opposite view and believes it’s necessary for the UK to trigger departure from EEA as a separate parallel process to Brexit,” he said.
The EEA agreement, signed by Britain, states that to legally leave, a country must trigger article 127 of the treaty at least 12 months in advance of quitting.
Pro-Remain MPs hope there is no Commons majority to leave the single market and will be able to force the government into a so-called soft Brexit.
Even a victory in a non-binding vote asking parliament be given a right to veto leaving the EEA would increase pressure on Theresa May.
The bid for a debate is backed by Conservative, Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem and SNP MPs.
The motion that would be debated and voted on, perhaps as soon as November 6, states:
That this House recognises that to exit the European Economic Area (EEA) the United Kingdom must trigger Article 127 of the EEA Agreement, and that this House calls on the government to give Members of this House a binding Parliamentary vote on the triggering of Article 127 of the EEA Agreement and continued British membership of the (EEA).
Alexander told the parliamentary committee that allocates time for debates there was a concern government would trigger article 127 by the “backdoor” using its EU Withdrawal Bill.
“The governments position is moving towards a state where will see the formal notification of the UK leaving the EEA,” she predicted.
“To coincide with leaving the EU at then end of March 2019, this might be something government is considering doing in early months of next year to comply with that.”
Soubry said “bizarrely” there had been few Commons debates on the “nuts and bolts” of Brexit despite it being “the most important topic in decades”.
“Without that I think it is not only bad for democracy, I think it is bad for Brexit, because it’s not seen to involve people,” she said.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/mps-demand-right-to-veto-uks-exit-from-single-market_uk_59ef452ae4b07cf8380c71ed
85 Gorgeous Photos of Honolulu Pride, Part 1
85 Gorgeous Photos of Honolulu Pride, Part 1
www.advocate.com/pride/2017/10/24/85-gorgeous-photos-honolulu-pride-part-1
Pride Night at Jersey Boys
Pride Night at Jersey Boys
StateTheatreNJ posted a photo:
On October 14, 2017 we had our first Pride Night of the season at our Broadway Series Opener – Jersey Boys!
Photos by Nancy Swolensky
Judge accused of offering discount to straight man in exchange for gay sex
Conservative ‘Cakeshop Squad’ Sings Ridiculous Anti-Gay ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ Cover Outside Capitol: WATCH
Conservative ‘Cakeshop Squad’ Sings Ridiculous Anti-Gay ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ Cover Outside Capitol: WATCH
Anti-gay activist group Public Advocate of the United States last Wednesday presented an all-singing all-dancing rally outside the Capitol building in support of anti-LGBT bakers the Masterpiece Cakeshop.
The case against Masterpiece Cakeshop – which earlier this year refused service to a gay couple – is due to be heard at the U.S. Supreme Court on December 5th.
RELATED: Trump Administration Sides with Anti-Gay Baker in Case Before SCOTUS
In a move certain to influence SCOTUS judges, the Free Cake Baker Squad performed “a country parody song CAKEY BREAKY HEART to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s Achy Breaky Heart, do a 2 step line dance and hold signs that say ‘Free The Cake Baker’ to promote the religious liberty of all Christians in the federal case now before the Supreme Court,” said Public Advocate President Eugene Delgaudio.
The catchy lyrics include:
You can say my work / Didn’t rock your world, / You can take your business / Someplace else,
You can tell your friends / Don’t buy a cake from him / And write and post / A bad review on Yelp.
But don’t sue my shop, / My Masterpiece Cakeshop, / ‘Cause I wouldn’t make / A wedding cake for men,
‘Cause if you sue my shop, / My Masterpiece Cakeshop, / I may never bake / Another cake again.
Have a look at the stirring rendition below.
The post Conservative ‘Cakeshop Squad’ Sings Ridiculous Anti-Gay ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ Cover Outside Capitol: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
For Mental Illness, Halloween Is Still A Costume Drama
For Mental Illness, Halloween Is Still A Costume Drama
There was a time when the most popular Halloween costumes were confined to the folk lore of vampire bats and ghosts. This was undoubtedly the popular culture at a time when “horror literature” was based on novels such as Mary Shelley’s Frankensteinand Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Although much of this is still with us in the Trick of Treating of today, the past 50 years have a taken a more sinister turn.
With the release of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest in the 1970s, mental illness appeared to become an object of fear. There with no good reason for this sea change. The image of the “mental patient” restrained with a straightjacket seemed to become a stereotype of “madness”. It seemed to be that the more graphic the portrayal, the more likely was the transformation into a Halloween costume. We only need look at fictional characters such as Normal Bates in Psycho, Michael Myers in Halloween, Jack Torrance in The Shining and Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs to see that both images and words have been translated into Halloween costumes and their descriptions. Mental illness had been carried into a very dark place indeed. Playing to the popular culture of the day is of huge concern if it continues to sweep stigma along with it.
In 2013, a large department store came under pressure to withdraw its “mental patient” costume for Halloween. As an apology for selling the costume, it did withdraw the costume from sale and also donated £25,000 to a mental health charity. You would have thought that would be the end of it, but far from it.
This month, I drew attention to the sale of a “psychotic nympho” Halloween costume resembling a straightjacket and another called “Psycho nurse Sally” whose “treatment is to drive her patients insane”. These costumes undoubtedly portrayed an ignorance towards those with severe mental illness, which remains seriously misunderstood by the public. Just over a week ago, an online petition was launched to ask the company in question to stop selling these costumes. One that has now gained nearly 8,000 signatures.
Yet, the same company continues to sell a “Psycho Wig”, with the description: “This psycho is out of rehab and has come especially this Halloween to plan something crazy with his friends and family. See if they want to be a part of your crazy psychotic plan!” Perhaps the most distasteful of all is the promotional video for the “Psycho Ward” costume of a muzzled man in a bright orange “psychiatric ward jumpsuit”, appearing to make several abnormal movements to appear frightening. The joke is obviously on them for misspelling the word as “phyco”.
Lobbying to persuade one company to stop selling a particular type of costume is a start, but a wider focus is needed to stop the perpetuation of mental illness as something to be feared and parodied. The same “psychotic nympho costume” can be found for sale at other online outlets. In fact, the source of these costumes appears to be a “Hells Asylum” range of “monster costumes” such as “sexy straightjacket” and “nurse delirium”. I wonder if the manufacturers have spent time with someone who has delirium and how terrifying it is for the person who has this mental disorder?
The facts about mental illness and violence fly in the face of public misconception. Although over a third of the public think people with a mental health problem are likely to be violent, people with severe mental illnesses are more likely to be victims, rather than perpetrators, of violent crime. Most violent crimes and homicides crimes and homicides are committed by people who do not have a mental illness. If anything, people with mental health problems are more dangerous to themselves than they are to others. Yet, news stories about mental illness all too commonly report it in the context of violence.
As we approach Halloween, the image of mental illness behind a straightjacket or mask should be confined to the refuse bin of history. It should not be an annual occurrence that vaporises into the cached web pages of tomorrow; only to return the following year.
If Halloween is going to be fun for all, let’s make mental illness more understandable to all. I certainly hope to see that in my lifetime.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-tony-rao-/for-mental-illness-hallow_b_18351958.html
Tip Sheet: Respectfully Covering HIV and AIDS
Tip Sheet: Respectfully Covering HIV and AIDS
NEW YORK – Please consider the following guidelines when covering stories about HIV and AIDS. The reality of HIV and AIDS has evolved in the United States since it was first brought to the public consciousness in the 1980s. Last week, Georgia State Representative Betty Price made the disturbing, misinformed suggestion that people living with HIV and AIDS should be quarantined. Price’s remark illustrates the miseducation and stigma that continues to surround this topic, as well as the need to get the story right about HIV and AIDS in this country.
This style guide will help you avoid common mistakes and prevent the stigmatization of people who are living with, or affected by, HIV.
DON’T use “HIV/AIDS.” This implies that the two are the same or interchangeable, and they’re not. Everyone who has AIDS has HIV, but not everyone with HIV develops AIDS.
DO use “HIV and AIDS” or “HIV or AIDS,” as applicable in the context of your story.
AVOID reducing people to their HIV status.
DON’T use the term “HIV positive person.”
DO use “person living with HIV.”
AVOID using terms such as “terminal illness,” and “fatal illness,” as well as sensationalistic words such as “scourge” or “plague.” This is not accurate, due to advances in treatment. HIV and AIDS can be more accurately described as a “life-threatening disease when not treated.”
DO emphasize that the life expectancy of people living with HIV and AIDS has increased significantly.
DO report the fact that the Center for Disease Control has recently recognized that when individual’s HIV viral count is undetectable, it is virtually impossible for them to transmit HIV to a sexual partner.
DON’T use the term “high-risk group” as it is often used to stigmatize LGBTQ populations. HIV transmission is not exclusive to any one sexual orientation. Instead, it is better to say that a person is engaging in a “known risk factor” such as sex without a condom or using unsterile needles.
AVOID terms that directly or indirectly pit LGBTQ people against others at risk for HIV. For example, references to “the general population” typically are used to suggest that LGBTQ people should be considered separate and apart from broader prevention and treatment strategies.
AVOID the use of derogatory and stigmatizing terms such as “drug addict” or “drug abuser.”
DO use “person who injects drugs.”
DON’T use “intravenous drug user,” which may often not be accurate because drugs can also be injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly.
DON’T use the terms “unprotected sex” or “unsafe sex.” Instead be as specific as possible such as “engaged in sex without a condom.”
DO use “safer sex” to describe choices that are made to reduce or minimize the possibility of HIV transmission.
DON’T use “safe sex,” as it implies there is zero risk.
DON’T say “death from AIDS” or a person “died of AIDS,” as this is inaccurate. AIDS is a syndrome, that is, a group of illnesses resulting from the weakening of a person’s immune system. It is better to say a person has died of complications from having AIDS or an AIDS related illness.
DO include voices of people living with HIV and AIDS. Hearing from people living with HIV and AIDS, not just caregivers and researchers is critically important.
DO include information about assets and support structures that exist for those living with HIV. Access to healthcare and education about the virus makes living with HIV easier.
ALSO identify when communities do not have access to these assets, and why they do not have access to these assets.
About GLAAD: GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBTQ community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBTQ people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.
About AIDS United: AIDS United’s mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant-making, capacity building, formative research and policy. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV/AIDS care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV/AIDS-related policy for U.S. populations and communities most impacted by the epidemic. To date, our strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $104 million to local communities, and have leveraged more than $117 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to HIV prevention, access to care, capacity building, harm reduction and advocacy. aidsunited.org.
October 24, 2017
www.glaad.org/blog/tip-sheet-respectfully-covering-hiv-and-aids
