Michigan Court Insults Trans Women, Punishes Gym for Pro-LGBT Policy
An appeals court declares trans women aren’t really women but “men who self-identify as women.”
Monthly Archives: August 2018
Trump Calls on Jeff Sessions to Stop the Mueller Probe
Trump Calls on Jeff Sessions to Stop the Mueller Probe
It’s apparent that Donald Trump is feeling the encroaching Muller probe closing in on his campaign. In a series of tweets, Trump called on Jeff Sessions to put a stop to the investigation. Trump first quoted Alan Dershowitz.
Tweeted Trump, quoting Dershowitz: “FBI Agent Peter Strzok (on the Mueller team) should have recused himself on day one. He was out to STOP THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP. He needed an insurance policy. Those are illegal, improper goals, trying to influence the Election. He should never, ever been allowed to………….remain in the FBI while he himself was being investigated. This is a real issue. It won’t go into a Mueller Report because Mueller is going to protect these guys. Mueller has an interest in creating the illusion of objectivity around his investigation.” ALAN DERSHOWITZ….”
“FBI Agent Peter Strzok (on the Mueller team) should have recused himself on day one. He was out to STOP THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP. He needed an insurance policy. Those are illegal, improper goals, trying to influence the Election. He should never, ever been allowed to……..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
…..remain in the FBI while he himself was being investigated. This is a real issue. It won’t go into a Mueller Report because Mueller is going to protect these guys. Mueller has an interest in creating the illusion of objectivity around his investigation.” ALAN DERSHOWITZ….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
Trump then called on Sessions to stop the investigation: “..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!”
..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
The post Trump Calls on Jeff Sessions to Stop the Mueller Probe appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Trump Calls on Jeff Sessions to Stop the Mueller Probe ‘Right Now’
#AM_Equality Tipsheet: August 01, 2018
#AM_Equality Tipsheet: August 01, 2018
MEET WESTON, JUST THE KIND OF KID WHO HOUSE REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO HARM WITH THEIR ANTI-LGBTQ CHILD WELFARE AMENDMENT: NBC’s Julie Compton (@julieallmighty) reports that Weston Charles-Gallo entered the foster care system at age 14 after facing abuse from his parents for being gay. After several placements, he found his forever family with two dads and six siblings. But a discriminatory, anti-LGBTQ “license to discriminate” amendment to the FY 2019 funding bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education could make it harder for youth like Weston to find a loving home. More from NBC.
- The Williams Institute recently released data that same-sex couples are more likely to raise adopted or foster youth. Read the full study here.
SENATORS HARRIS (D-CA) AND CARPER (D-DE) INTRODUCE CENSUS EQUALITY ACT TO ADD SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY QUESTIONS TO SURVEY: Said HRC Government Affairs Director David Stacy. “It’s absolutely critical that we have the hard data needed to find solutions and address the unique challenges Americans face based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Census and American Community Survey are crucial tools to meet these needs.” More from Chris Johnson (@chrisjohnson82) at The Washington Blade and from Bustle.
WHAT WE’RE READING WEDNESDAY FROM HRC’S BRIANA ESCAMILLA ON TRUMP SCOTUS NOMINEE BRETT KAVANAUGH: Escamilla, HRC’s Nevada state director, writes, “Kavanaugh poses a real and direct threat to the well-being and safety of Nevada’s LGBT community. His track record leaves no room for doubt that he would radically undermine LGBT equality, reproductive rights and access to affordable health care.” More from The Las Vegas Sun.
.@HRC members and supporters teamed up with @NARAL for an advocacy night to #StopKavanaugh. pic.twitter.com/05cYVG2ITq
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) August 1, 2018
HRC ENDORSES MADELEINE DEAN FOR U.S. HOUSE FOR PENNSYLVANIA’S 4TH DISTRICT: “State Rep. Madeleine Dean is a proven leader who will stand up for Pennsylvania’s working families in Congress,” said HRC Pennsylvania State Director Allison VanKuiken. “In the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Madeleine Dean has worked to advance fairness and equality.” More from HRC.
HORRIFYING — TRANS WOMAN ASSAULTED IN PORTLAND: Keara Mosby, 25, was walking with friends when allegedly punched by Timothy Emmett Walsh, who spewed anti-LGBTQ slurs. He has been arrested. Brandon Voss (@BrandonVoss) reports that “earlier this month a man in Portland was caught on camera harassing a married lesbian couple. A trans woman in Portland, Gigi Pierce, was fatally shot in May.” More from NewNowNext.
HRC JOINS CHORUS OF ADVOCACY GROUPS CALLING ON CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS TO RESOLVE CRISIS OF FAMILY SEPARATION AT THE BORDER: Read the letter here.
HRC ON THE GROUND, DOUBLING STAFF, IN WISCONSIN: More from Wisconsin Gazette.
ICYMI — HRC PANEL DISCUSSION FOR MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH MONTH: The event was livestreamed on HRC’s Facebook.
Thanks to everyone who joined us at @HRC HQ tonight for a panel discussion on #MinorityMentalHealth Month, bringing awareness to the mental health experiences of minority and marginalized communities. t.co/p4YNx0JNER pic.twitter.com/qrw2m3UykS
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) August 1, 2018
NEW DATA SHOWS HEALTH DISPARITIES BETWEEN LGBQ AND NON-LGBQ YOUTH: The study from Northwestern Medicine did not include data based on gender identity. More from Advocate.
NATIONALS’ PITCHER SEAN DOOLITTLE CALLS OUT ANTI-LGBTQ RHETORIC BY FELLOW MLB PLAYERS: Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) tweeted, “It’s been a tough couple of weeks for baseball on twitter. It sucks to see racist and homophobic language coming from inside our league — a league I’m so proud to be a part of that I’ve worked really hard to make a more accepting and inclusive place for all our fans to enjoy.” More from NBC Sports.
GET INSPIRED — NEW HRC VIDEO ASKS FAITH VOTERS AT THE RECENT WILD GOOSE FESTIVAL ABOUT THE POWER OF VOTING: Watch here.
“God is love. He loves everybody. There has to be an intersectionality of love for neighbor. If love for neighbor is missing, you’re dealing with a lawless society.”
Love your neighbor. Vote this November. �� t.co/JHpdNpaaIg pic.twitter.com/p41ppfPMdc
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) July 31, 2018
GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS
LATIN AMERICAN ASYLUM SEEKERS LIVE IN FEAR OF TRUMP-PENCE IMMIGRATION POLICIES: Advocates report that requests by many Latinx LGBTQ asylum seekers are being rejected. More from Al Día.
SWEDISH ARMY LAUNCHES AD CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT LGBTQ EQUALITY: More from Hornet.
READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
KUTV interviews local LGBTQ activist Lilan Bowden; The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on how local enforcement agencies protect LGBTQ people riding in taxis or ride-shares; Playbill profiles Sir Ian McKellen; The Georgia Voice previews the upcoming Gay Games in Paris; BuzzFeed catches up with Nathan Mathis, whose video protesting Roy Moore on behalf of his gay daughter went viral
Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC (www.hrc.org) and not authorized by any candidate or committee.
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-august-01-2018?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Royals and celebrities join forces at 2018 International AIDS Conference
Royals and celebrities join forces at 2018 International AIDS Conference
Photo Credit: Getty Images
The 22nd International AIDS Conference, held this week in Amsterdam, Netherlands, reaffirmed the necessity of global involvement and advocacy in the struggle against the virus. The star-studded event featured several prominent celebrities turned AIDS activists giving speeches solidifying their support for finding a cure.
Delivering some of the ceremonial opening remarks was Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive director. In his speech he included the disproportionate opportunities in lieu of diversity efforts, which ultimately slows down the pace toward meeting goals for 2020. Sidibé’s wake-up call echoed the needs for inclusion for everyone in the HIV prevention crisis.
Newly-married Prince Harry, whose organization Sentebale provides HIV education, HIV prevention tools, and HIV advocacy platforms to eradicate the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. Giving a speech at the Conference, Prince Harry reaffirmed his pledge to destigmatizing the disease.
Along with Sir Elton John, the Prince announced a new billion-dollar campaign, called the MenStar Coalition, that focuses on “tackling the root cause of this problem–the lack of awareness of HIV prevention amongst hard-to-reach young men.” The “global partnership” will include partners like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Actress and former GLAAD Media Award recipient of the Vanguard Award (2006), Charlize Theron, also attended the conference in Amsterdam to continue her longtime fight against HIV/AIDS and the stigmas that come with it.
When speaking on the global viewpoint of HIV/AIDS, Theron said, “We have come a long way as a global community from that moral panic that defined early stages of this epidemic.” Another royal made an appearance at this year’s conference as well. Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau lent her voice and presence to the conference, and even took part in the Towards Zero Together march during that time.
One major way the Conference pledged to fight was in its decree of the Amsterdam Affirmation, a nine step statement asserting the global commitment to supporting programming, promoting inclusion and amplifying voices to ensure that the most vulnerable and marginalized are not left behind in the HIV response. The Affirmation serves as a rallying cry aiming to show support and solidarity to those most affected by the virus, even on a micro level.
According to the International AIDS Society, female populations, gay men, and marginalized and minority populations are all much more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS due to factors like gender inequalities, lack of education and resources, and lack of legislative protections.
July 30, 2018
www.glaad.org/blog/royals-and-celebrities-join-forces-2018-international-aids-conference
Housing Matters – Pride in London 2018 – DMS2127 – OJD127R
Housing Matters – Pride in London 2018 – DMS2127 – OJD127R
Waterford_Man posted a photo:
Trafalgar Square
Thanks for all the views, please check out my other photos and albums.
Mental Health in LGBTQ Communities of Color
Mental Health in LGBTQ Communities of Color
Eddie Murphy’s Blisteringly Antigay Comedy Act Scarred Guy Branum
Eddie Murphy’s Blisteringly Antigay Comedy Act Scarred Guy Branum
In an excerpt from his new memoir, out comedian Guy Branum recalls the damage wrought by a stand-up special.
www.advocate.com/books/2018/8/01/eddie-murphys-blisteringly-antigay-comedy-act-scarred-guy-branum
No Surprise, a Leading Anti-LGBT Hate Group is Behind Justice Department’s ‘Religious Liberty Task Force’
No Surprise, a Leading Anti-LGBT Hate Group is Behind Justice Department’s ‘Religious Liberty Task Force’
The anti-LGBT hate group Alliance Defending Freedom is behind the Justice Department’s new “Religious Liberty Task Force” announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week. The task force is intended to implement and enforce anti-LGBTQ Trump policies that would allow people to discriminate based on religious beliefs.
RELATED: Jeff Sessions Announces ‘Religious Liberty Task Force’ to Implement and Enforce Anti-LGBTQ Trump Policies: WATCH
Media Matters reports: “Such discrimination is a major part of the mission of anti-LGBTQ legal powerhouse Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), and the announcement was followed by a panel that included a major ADF client and was moderated by an ADF staff alumna. Coupled with ADF’s involvement in the announcement, the new task force demonstrates the influence of the group’s extreme anti-LGBTQ views on the administration.”
They add: ‘ADF was one of the first to break the news of the July 30 “Religious Liberty Summit” in which the task force was announced, noting that the event would feature a panel including the group’s client Jack Phillips, a Christian baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple and who took his case to the Supreme Court in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commision. ADF’s news release, however, did not mention that the panel’s moderator, DOJ media affairs specialist Kerri Kupec, worked at ADF for four yearsbefore joining DOJ in January. During his remarks, Sessions said that the DOJ had “been holding listening sessions” with “religious groups across America,” which ADF has acknowledged it has been involved with in the past. Extreme anti-LGBTQ group Liberty Counsel has already praised the announcement of the task force. The Trump-Pence administration has shown a coziness with extreme anti-LGBTQ groups and with ADF, in particular. Sessions’ DOJ issued an unusual brief on behalf of Phillips before oral arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop, and ADF alumni and allies have been hired by various agencies and nominated for federal judgeships.’
The Human Rights Campaign denounced the DOJ. Said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow: “This taxpayer funded task force is yet another example of the Trump-Pence White House and Jeff Sessions sanctioning discrimination against LGBTQ people. Over the last 18 months, Donald Trump, Mike Pence and Jeff Sessions have engaged in a brazen campaign to erode and limit the rights of LGBTQ people in the name of religion. The Attorney General standing shoulder-to-shoulder this morning with anti-LGBTQ extremists tells you everything you need to know about what today’s announcement was really all about.”
GLAAD’s President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis blasted the task force: “Though freedom of religion is a core American value, religious exemptions from adhering to non-discrimination protections are not. Sessions’ announcement today is yet another example of the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ agenda as they seek to weave protections for those seeking anti-LGBTQ religious exemptions into the government.”
As did the Democratic National Committee in a press release: “From supporting the right to refuse service to same-sex couples to banning military service by transgender individuals to removing mentions of LGBTQ issues from the White House website, Attorney General Sessions’ creation of a Religious Liberty Task Force is just the latest assault in this administration’s continued campaign against LGBTQ people and our civil rights. By creating this task force, Sessions is establishing a unit dedicated to undermining LGBTQ rights and giving anti-LGBTQ far-right extremists like task force head Jesse Panuccio a taxpayer-funded platform to push their anti-equality agenda. Rather than ensuring every person has equal protections and opportunities, Sessions is shamefully doubling down on bigotry. This action is further proof that Republicans continue to push forward an agenda completely out of step with the American people and our values. Democrats will continue to focus on how to improve opportunity for all Americans regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or income.”
The post No Surprise, a Leading Anti-LGBT Hate Group is Behind Justice Department’s ‘Religious Liberty Task Force’ appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
2018-05-19_16-30-41_ILCE-6500_DSC08983_DxO
2018-05-19_16-30-41_ILCE-6500_DSC08983_DxO
miguel.discart posted a photo:
Pride.be – Pride 2018 – Your Local Power
Feeling free and at home in your neighborhood, town or city. Be and show yourself in the streets. Holding hands with the person you love and smiling at each other in public. Our personal lives occur in the public space. Considering the approaching communal elections, everyone (youngsters, seniors, families, couples and all people – no matter what gender or orientation) asks the local politicians: How do you make a difference? What do you do to improve diversity in our everyday life? Where the rain makes way for the sun, we will walk proudly under the rainbow!
We will all be heading to the voting booths for the local elections on 14th of October. Deciding which circle to colour in is an important decision. A conscious decision can lead to a better living environment in your city or municipality.
And we’re not just talking about the redesign of the local park, the policies in the municipal school, or the proper functioning of the local Public Centre for Social Welfare. Your local municipal or city administration can also make a real difference and turn the place where you live into a true rainbow bubble, if that’s what you’d like, of course.
So it’s no wonder that this year’s Pride is focusing on the local elections. Belgian Pride is putting the municipalities and cities in the limelight in 2018, or better yet, at the end of the rainbow! We want the slogan ‘Your Local Power!’ to encourage municipal and city administrations to enact explicit, integrated local LGBTI+ policies.
Municipalities and cities can and must make the difference. They must accept responsibility for the well-being of all their residents. Flying the rainbow flag at the local government offices during the Pride period is a symbol of this. This is also a way that the municipality or city can show their solidarity with the LGBTI+ community. This symbolic gesture is not an infringement on neutrality. On the contrary, we can only actively work on ending all forms of discrimination once there is recognition for diversity and inclusion.
Policy-makers can make the lives of many citizens that much rosier by taking both small and large actions: by introducing a diversity charter in sports clubs, by making information on gender and sexuality available at the local libraries, by providing logistical and financial support to local associations, testimonials, and courses in the municipal education system, by holding a queer film festival in the local movie theatre or cultural centre, by holding LGBTI+ actions in community centres and youth centres, by providing information on what to do if you are the victim or witness of discrimination, by offering space for intimacy and (LGBTI+) sexuality in assisted-living centres, by training local police precincts and municipal officials, by including Equal Opportunity as an explicit competence within the city administration, etc.
The list of things that cities and municipalities can do is endless. Plus, many of these actions are very easy to implement. Sometimes, your local administration only needs a little boost, and you can give them that boost in the voting booth on 14th of October. A good local administration meets the needs and requirements of all residents. What does the LGBTI+ community in your city or municipality need?
You can already send the politicians a signal that is loud and clear on Saturday, the 19th of May. Make your wishes heard during the Belgian Pride.
We hope to see you there! Everyone is welcome!
( Chaque annee la Pride attire des dizaines de milliers de visiteurs vers la capitale et colore Bruxelles aux couleurs de l’arc-en-ciel. Il y a aussi le PrideVillage et le PridePodium autour de la Bourse.
Pride.be n’est pas seulement la plus grande fete de Bruxelles, mais c’est aussi un evenement avec un message politique. Avec cette manifestation, nous essayons d’obtenir plus d’egalite de droits pour tout le monde et surtout pour la communaute lesbigaytrans. )
Museum of Sex Hosts TropiC*nt, a Queer Afro-Latinx Paradise (Photos)
Museum of Sex Hosts TropiC*nt, a Queer Afro-Latinx Paradise (Photos)
www.advocate.com/photography/2018/8/01/museum-sex-hosts-tropicnt-queer-afro-latinx-paradise-photos
