These hot & heavy parties vie for Best of GayCities 2018. Vote till you drop!
GayCities nominated the best events/parties across the globe. Check out which one you want to go to and vote for your fave.
Daily Archives: November 19, 2018
Down At The Twilight Zone
Down At The Twilight Zone
Viv Lynch posted a photo:
by Harold Offeh.
“Located in a club-like setting, scheduled sessions will evoke narratives of the Twilight Zone (a famous Toronto nightclub) through captivating interviews, old-school playlists, back-in-the-day dance moves, vintage fashion, midnight singing and dawn storytelling. Open and accessible to all, this 12-hour participatory investigation will hover in the uncertain space between the imagined and the real. By adopting a playful persona who will act as our “interactive host” for this evening of time travel, Offeh himself will be central in positioning the complex relationships of place, race, community and memory which are at the core of this artwork.”
This was the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance performance.
Justin Trudeau Grilled About Bigoted GOP Push to Remove LGBTQ Protections from North American Trade Deal
Justin Trudeau Grilled About Bigoted GOP Push to Remove LGBTQ Protections from North American Trade Deal
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was questioned on Sunday about a group of 40 GOP bigots who are pushing to have a provision that ensures LGBTQ workers are protected from discrimination removed from a new North American trade pact between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
The letter, signed by a veritable ‘who’s who’ of anti-LGBTQ Republicans, urges Trump to reject the agreement unless the protections for LGBTQ people are removed, saying that “a trade agreement is no place for the adoption of social policy” and said the U.S. “has the right to decide when, whether and how to tackle issues of civil rights, protected classes and workplace rights.”
Adds the letter: “It is especially inappropriate and insulting to our sovereignty to needlessly submit to social policies which the United States Congress has so far explicitly refused to accept.”
The letter argues that keeping the provision would not allow the administration to rescind Obama-era protections for LGBTQ workers that Republicans have been working diligently to trash.
Trudeau told reporters that “he is not going to negotiate in public when asked how far he would go to keep the provision in the agreement” according to the Toronto Star.
He added: “We got to a good agreement that I think represents Canadian values, Canadian approach, but also values that are broadly shared amongst citizens of our three countries. In any trade deal, there are going to be people who would like this or like that or not want this or not want that.”
Politico reports: ‘The LGBT provisions were a Canadian priority — part of the so-called progressive trade agenda championed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and described as a “big win” by his government. And the Trudeau government already is less than enthusiastic about entering the agreement while steel tariffs remain in place. Canada’s ambassador to Washington joked in a recent interview with POLITICO that the country might sign the pact with a “bag over its head.” It’s unclear whether the LGBT clauses even have real teeth. Both Canada and the U.S. agree it wouldn’t require a new law. But it’s unprecedented language in a U.S. trade agreement.’
The post Justin Trudeau Grilled About Bigoted GOP Push to Remove LGBTQ Protections from North American Trade Deal appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Meet HRC Foundation’s 2019 Youth Ambassadors
Meet HRC Foundation’s 2019 Youth Ambassadors
The HRC Foundation’s Youth Well-Being Project is pleased to announce the 2019 class of HRC Youth Ambassadors: Ace Auker; Zimar Batista; Sean Bender-Prouty; Makayla Humphrey; Sameer Jha; Jacob Kanter; Jonathan Leggette; Zoey Luna; Sam Moehlig; Ashton Mota; Seth Owen; Avi Pacheco; Gia Parr; Savannah Skyler; and Nicole Talbot.
As Youth Ambassadors, these LGBTQ advocates will represent the HRC Foundation, adding their voices and experiences to raise awareness about the most pressing concerns facing LGBTQ youth and our programs that promote well-being for LGBTQ youth, including All Children – All Families, Welcoming Schools and Youth and Campus Engagement, as well as our annual Time to THRIVE Conference in February 2019.
Eight members of the cohort will begin their first year as Youth Ambassadors: Auker, Moehlig, Mota, Owen, Pacheco, Parr, Skyler and Talbot. Batista, Bender-Prouty, Humphrey, Jha, Kanter, Leggette and Luna were named Youth Ambassadors in 2018.
As HRC Foundation’s Director of Youth Well-Being Project and Time to THRIVE Conference Chair Dr. Vinnie Pompei explains, “This program is designed to amplify the important voices of teens and young adults, and engage them in helping HRC Foundation improve the lives of LGBTQ youth at home, at school, at work and beyond. These youth have real and meaningful contributions to make to HRC’s work and to their communities.”
For more information on the HRC Foundation’s Youth Ambassadors Program, contact Pompei.
Ace Auker (they/them/theirs)
Lutz, Florida
Brianna “Ace” Auker is a 16-year-old non-binary and bisexual individual. Ace is most commonly known for their “loud” personality and welcoming demeanor, which is often helpful during their various volunteer and extracurricular activities. While their queerness is a huge part of their being, Ace has also developed a deep love for the metaphysical, using it as an outlet for self-improvement and discovery. Within their community, Ace is typically found speaking at various committee hearings and discussing policy changes when they are not working on projects at school. Much of their work in Florida has been dedicated to inclusive education, better mental health services and a fair, truthful juvenile justice system. As a Youth Ambassador, they hope to provide support and resources to LGBTQ youth struggling with mental illness, while simultaneously acting as a liaison between conflicting groups–whether at a local school affair or in a heated political argument.
Zimar Batista (he/him/his)
College Park, Maryland
Zimar Batista Reyes is originally from Coral Springs, Florida, but was raised in the Dominican Republic for more than 16 years. Zimar left everything behind for freedom and ignored his family members and his lovely mother to be who he always was. Ever since he came out, Zimar has dedicated his work since high school, and now in college, to the Full-Spectrum Organization, advocating for LGBTQ rights. He knows that it is not easy to tell people about your identity because you are afraid of how others are going to react. It takes courage and bravery to come out and share with the world who you are. In 2017, Zimar became the first gay student ambassador at Marymount University. Now Zimar is a junior at American University, pursuing a career in the field of Public Service with the long-term goal of becoming a foreign service officer.
Sean Bender-Prouty (they/them/theirs)
Arlington, Virginia
Sean Bender-Prouty is a transgender 14-year-old from Arlington, Virginia. They faced bullying and struggled with their mental health after coming out as trans in 2015. Sean’s goals are to make mental health treatment LGBTQ friendly after facing discrimination in the system. Sean was the first openly LGBTQ person to attend their middle school, the first openly transgender page in the Senate of Virginia and is an advocate for change. They are dissatisfied with youth representation in the media and started a magazine last year for LGBTQ teenagers. Sean was with Gender Spectrum on their youth council for two years and is now an HRC Youth Ambassador. They are hoping to share their story on a broader platform to spread the message that we all deserve love and acceptance.
Makayla Humphrey (she/her/hers)
Lancaster, Texas
Makayla, 17, came out to her parents at the early age of 10 years old. She has faced very little adversity with her sexuality, primarily because of the support of her mother. Makayla wants to encourage people to talk about their sexual orientation and has helped many of her friends come out to their families. She has played basketball since the age of 10. Playing high school basketball as a lesbian athlete caused problems with both the team and the coaches, who treated her differently based on her sexual orientation. Makayla attends Jarvis Christian College and is involved in Sister 2 Sister and Kolorblok, two non-profit organizations that help inner city youth and the less fortunate.
Sameer Jha (he/him/his and they/them/theirs)
Fremont, California
After being bullied throughout elementary and middle school, at age 14, Sameer founded The Empathy Alliance to make schools safer for LGBTQ youth. A nonprofit that started with one school in one city has now grown into a national entity that has reached millions of people across America with a message of love and empathy. Sameer educates on LGBTQ issues through workshops, op-eds, keynotes, radio shows and panels throughout the year. In addition to HRC, Sameer has collaborated on special projects with organizations like GLAAD, Trikone, GSA Network, Gender Spectrum, ACLU, Anti-Defamation League and Frameline Films. As the first person to come out in his local Indian and Pakistani community, Sameer has worked hard to challenge the negative stereotypes of LGBTQ people held by many immigrants. Sameer is a congressional silver medalist, GLSEN national student council member and Tyler Clementi Foundation youth ambassador. He recently made the “30 under 30” list for international activists and was named one of 10 trans youth activists of color changing America. Sameer has authored a new book, Read This, Save Lives: A Teacher’s Guide to Creating Safer Classrooms for LGBTQ+ Students, providing a youth perspective on how educators can make schools more inclusive.
Jacob Kanter (he/him/his)
Atlanta, Georgia
Jacob grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. After being bullied and eventually assaulted for his identity, and living out of fear of reprisal, he now hopes that one day he can be someone who can help similarly situated individuals with their problems while emphasizing the need for a greater understanding of mental health, isolation and acceptance while dealing with LGBTQ populations. He is a recent graduate of Emory University where he majored in political science and women’s gender and sexuality studies. Jacob is now working as a paralegal in Atlanta before attending graduate school, where he hopes to pursue a joint J.D./M.S.W. degree.
Jonathan Leggette (he/him/his and they/them/theirs)
Olympia, Washington
Jonathan Leggette is an enthusiastic, unapologetic, non-binary, queer, intersex person of color. He is an undergraduate student at the Evergreen State College, studying marine biology and anthropology. Outside of academics, Jonathan works as a peer advisor in the Trans and Queer Center on campus. Off campus, they are are a driven and innovative, intersectional, intersex activist who has traveled across the U.S. raising intersex awareness on college campuses and at conferences ranging from Creating Change in Philadelphia to Rutgers University. He works with interACT Youth to advocate for intersex youth and fight against medically unnecessary surgeries that are performed on babies and children. Jonathan makes sure to keep intersectionality and equity at the center of all of his work inside and outside of the classroom.
Zoey Luna (she/her/hers)
Downey, California
Zoey was born in Lynwood, California, where she was picked on during elementary school by both peers and staff. Her mom, Ofelia, was the only person she knew who accepted her completely from the moment she came out. Now, Zoey shares her authentic self through film, starring in documentaries and television shows that focus on the journey of a modern trans person, such us as “Laverne Cox Presents the T Word,” “Raising Zoey” and “15: A Quinceañera Story.” Zoey feels that being transgender is difficult but a gift; she has the power to share her voice all over the world but also has a huge responsibility to be a voice for her community members. She hopes her work demonstrates that she has more to deal with than her gender identity, and she aims to focus on sharing more aspects of her life and identity in her work.
Sam Moehlig (he/him/his)
San Diego, California
Sam Moehlig is a San Diego native and a youth leader in the transgender community. He has learned to overcome not only the challenges of being trans, but also growing up with a disability, having been born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Sam serves as a youth ambassador for TransFamily Support Services in San Diego, and he is often the first trans youth that others talk to when they come out. Sam works with many youth and their parents, guiding them on their gender journeys. His transition is the subject of the Emmy Award-winning documentary “A Transgender Teen’s Journey: Sam’s Story.” Sam is a competitive gymnast and a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Sam is committed to educating folks on acceptance and equality for all.
Ashton Mota (he/him/his)
Lowell, Massachusetts
Ashton Mota is a 14-year-old Black Dominican-American student who came out to his mother and school community as transgender two years ago. Ever since, he has advocated for his rights to use his preferred name, play on the boy’s basketball team, use the bathroom and locker room he feels the safest in and be his authentic self. Ashton began his advocacy by speaking publicly at GLSEN Massachusetts’ Spring conference about his experience. Today, he is his school’s GSA’s founder and president and the co-chair of the Northeast Region Safe Schools Program. Ashton is also a strong supporter of the campaign ‘Yes on 3,’ Freedom for All Massachusetts. He and his mother have been supporting the campaign by speaking about the ballot this past election and how it would have impacted families like his. Ashton seeks to create strong communities, but most importantly, to maintain them. He believes that together, we can create an environment that will help foster love, acceptance and partnership among our LGBTQ youth. Ashton is committed to creating strong partnerships, building allyships and continuing to demonstrate that we are strong–that we are resilient.
Seth Owen (he/him/his)
Washington, D.C.
Seth Owen is a student at Georgetown University and is originally from Jacksonville, Florida. When his parents found out that he was gay, they sent him to “conversion therapy.” Eventually, because of his difference in religious beliefs, they forced Seth to move out. As he couch-surfed with friends and mentors, the story of his struggle to afford college became public. Seth appeared on the Ellen Show with Ellen DeGeneres where he shared his story of being his authentic self and receiving funds to start a scholarship. He has since started the Unbroken Horizons Scholarship Foundation to provide a way for others like him to attend post-secondary institutions.
Avi Pacheco (he/him/his or she/her/hers)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Avi Newlyn Pacheco is an LGBTQ youth leader and drag artist originally from San Diego, California. He was a 16 year old starting his junior year in high school when his mother passed on September 4th, 2013. Around the same time, Avi was outed as a gay male and relocated to Hawaii where he was taken in by a transgender drag artist who mentored him and sparked the beginning of his passions for the LGBTQ community. Avi has experienced volunteering for numerous Pride events, advocating for HIV and AIDS prevention and working in Hawaii’s queer club scene. One of his most notable contributions was volunteering with Life Foundation and assisting in the creation of the Beauty Blossom Workshop, a sisterhood group aimed at uniting and educating transgender youth across Hawaii. Today, Avi resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, and remains a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community through public speaking.
Gia Parr (she/her/hers)
New Fairfield, Connecticut
Gia is a 15-year-old high school sophomore, high honors student and athlete. She was the first to come out as transgender at her middle school after transitioning from male to female before the start of eighth grade. To let her classmates know, she and her parents sent a letter to the entire middle school. The response was overwhelmingly positive and supportive. It’s a story Gia has shared in national media — People magazine, the New York Times and the Megyn Kelly Today Show — and in person as a founding Champion of The GenderCool Project, a national storytelling campaign that focuses on who transgender youth are rather than what they are. A founding member of her middle school’s GSA club and a member of the high school Peace Project, Gia is shifting the conversation around gender by being a model of positivity and achievement. By being her authentic self, she gives others permission to be theirs.
Savannah Skyler (she/her/hers)
Eagle Mountain, Utah
Savannah, 14, is the oldest of five. Savannah is known for her courageous story of coming out. A video of her speaking at church about being a lesbian went viral when her microphone was silenced. It became an instant inspiration worldwide. She hopes to spread awareness and create change within religious and LGBTQ intersecting communities. Savannah works with Encircle, a local LGBTQ center, PFLAG and local PRIDE fests. She has spoken at and been involved with LoveLoud. Savannah has written articles for both Out magazine and Project Contrast. She has had roles in several documentaries shedding light on the Mormon and LGBTQ intersections, including “Believer,” “Room to Grow” and “Savannah.” Savannah’s future goals are to continue advocating for LGBTQ humans, to find an amazing partner, to become an animator, to get involved in politics and to adopt dog babies.
Nicole Talbot (she/her/hers)
Beverly, Massachusetts
Nicole Talbot is a 16-year-old musical theater actress with Broadway aspirations. She is an Actor’s Equity Candidate (EMC) with 35 professional and community theater productions to her credit. Nicole transitioned to living authentically as female in February 2015. She is a passionate advocate for transgender youth and for the rights of transgender people in her home state and nationally. She was recently featured in documentaries produced by NowThis and them. She was also featured in several campaign promotional videos for Freedom for All Americans to advance non-discrimination protections in Massachusetts. She performed the National Anthem in front of 19,000 Boston Bruins fans for the NHL’s “Hockey is for Everyone” campaign and is a finalist to perform with the Bruins for the 2018-2019 season. Nicole is a founding Champion of the GenderCool Project which is a national campaign designed to change the narrative about transgender youth to focus on who they are instead of what they are. Nicole has conducted countless media interviews for many major national outlets including the New York Times and Megyn Kelly Today. Nicole loves musical theater, shopping and hanging out with friends. She transitioned when she was 13 with an extremely supportive mother and an unsupportive father. Through her journey, Nicole has done the best she can to make the country a better place for the LGBTQ community.
www.hrc.org/blog/meet-hrc-foundations-youth-ambassadors?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Memers burn Trump for suggesting California wildfires could have been prevented by raking leaves
Memers burn Trump for suggesting California wildfires could have been prevented by raking leaves
Donald Trump suggested California’s wildfires could have been prevented if only people had done more “raking and cleaning”.
True confessions: Straight dudes share honest accounts of their first gay experiences
Bill Maher, Osama Bin Laden, Raking Leaves, Garth Greenwell, Michael Bloomberg, Ryan Phillippe: HOT LINKS
Bill Maher, Osama Bin Laden, Raking Leaves, Garth Greenwell, Michael Bloomberg, Ryan Phillippe: HOT LINKS
AUTHORITARIANISM. John Oliver takes a deep dive into a troubling trend. “The world is dabbling with something very dangerous right now, and America needs to be careful. And look, I know democracy can be, often by design, frustrating. Checks and balances can be irritating and slow, and might not deliver the outcome you wanted. But removing them opens the door to something much worse.”
BILL MAHER. HBO host mocks those who mourn Stan Lee, blames comic books for getting Trump elected.
MAJOR. Joe Biden adopts German Shepherd from Delaware Humane Society.
WILDFIRES. Idiot says people raking their leaves will prevent wildfires.
OSAMA BIN LADEN. Trump mocks military officers and Navy Seals who killed Bin Laden.
Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did. I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center. President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2018
….We no longer pay Pakistan the $Billions because they would take our money and do nothing for us, Bin Laden being a prime example, Afghanistan being another. They were just one of many countries that take from the United States without giving anything in return. That’s ENDING!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2018
BROOKLYN. Chuck Schumer’s lesbian daughter marries: “Alison Schumer, the younger of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s two daughters, married Elizabeth Weiland on Sunday in Brooklyn, with the couple posing for wedding photos on a bridge over the toxic Gowanus Canal.” NYT announcement…
INTERIORS. John Derian’s home in Provincetown.
UTAH. LGBTQ Advocates push to ban gay conversion therapy.
MASSACHUSETTS. Couple looks back 15 years after historic marriage equality ruling: ‘Compton, 69, a retired dentist, and Wilson, 74, a retired businessman, were two of 14 plaintiffs in the landmark 2003 case Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. Advocates say the case paved the way for the Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which 12 years later guaranteed same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide.’
MIGRANT CARAVAN. 7 same-sex couples from splinter group of LGBT migrants marry at border. “The wedding is the latest news from the 5,000-strong caravan which has made its way north across Central America. The group has already trekked hundreds of miles in a bid to escape poverty, violence and discrimination in their home countries and start new lives in the US.”
Congrats to Erick and Pedro! The first LGBT couple of 7 from the migrant caravan to get married today. pic.twitter.com/6t3Snt6jZV
— Sarah Kinosian (@skinosian) November 18, 2018
GARTH GREENWELL. The Frog King.
MONEY PROBLEMS. Michael Bloomberg donates $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins University for financial aid: ‘This will make admissions at Hopkins forever need-blind; finances will never again factor into decisions. The school will be able to offer more generous levels of financial aid, replacing loans for many students with scholarship grants. It will ease the burden of debt for many graduates. And it will make the campus more socioeconomically diverse.’
BEACH BOD OF THE DAY. Ryan Phillippe.
GYM FAIL OF THE DAY. Don’t try to change clothes on a treadmill.
ECHO OF THE DAY. The Inchindown oil tanks in Invergordon, Scotland.
MIRROR MOVES. Andrei Azzai.
The post Bill Maher, Osama Bin Laden, Raking Leaves, Garth Greenwell, Michael Bloomberg, Ryan Phillippe: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Secretary Perdue’s Attack on LGBTQ Kids is Inexcusable
Secretary Perdue’s Attack on LGBTQ Kids is Inexcusable
Today, HRC sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in response to news that the Trump-Pence White House and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue are attacking LGBTQ youth by pressuring the national 4-H youth organization to rescind a policy welcoming LGBTQ participants.
The request demands “any and all records, including but not limited to letters, memos, emails, text messages, phone records, budget requests or estimates, and other documents related to the Trump administration pushing the national 4-H youth organization to withdraw a policy welcoming LGBTQ members.”
On Sunday, the Des Moines Register reported that the move, made by Heidi Green, then chief-of-staff to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, eventually led to the firing of Iowa 4-H Director John-Paul Chaisson-Cárdenas for vigorously defending the LGBTQ-inclusive policy. Chaisson-Cardenas is the first statewide Latino director in the organization’s history.
“For over a century, the national 4-H youth program has taught tens of millions of children the importance of character and community,” said HRC HRC Senior Vice President, Policy and Political Affairs, JoDee Winterhof. “This latest action by the Trump-Pence Administration is an unnecessary and cruel attack on LGBTQ youth that seeks to destroy community rather than create it. It is unconscionable that the anti-LGBTQ discrimination under this president has now inexplicably expanded into the Department of Agriculture. We are determined to get answers on how this came about and demand that Congress protect LGBTQ youth from this callous attack.”
The national 4-H (“head, heart, hands, and health”) youth program was created by Congress through the 1914 Smith-Lever Act, formalizing regional programs that began in the Midwest to teach character and community to young people. Since then, tens of millions of young people in America have participated in 4-H, learning invaluable life skills and developing a strong civic interest that benefits themselves and their communities.
Transgender actor and director Jake Graf highlights anti-LGBTQ cyberbullying and says #HaltTheHate in Transgender Awareness Week film
Transgender actor and director Jake Graf highlights anti-LGBTQ cyberbullying and says #HaltTheHate in Transgender Awareness Week film
Photo Credit: Jake Graf/Twitter
GLAAD and Logo partnered with director and actor Jake Graf to debut his film ‘Bully’ during Transgender Awareness Week. Graf released the film in the U.S. following news reports of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposal aimed at eliminating protections for transgender Americans. The proposal sparked trans people and allies to share personal stories and discrimination they have faced using #WontBeErased.
“Whether the bully is in the White House or behind a computer screen, LGBTQ people around the world must stand together to support one another and fight back,” said Graf.
An award winning director, writer and actor, Graf currently appears in the new film Colette, starring Keira Knightley, and has also appeared in The Danish Girl, Headspace, and several UK television dramas. One of the most visible transgender men in the UK, Graf speaks on LGBTQ issues across news and social media with his wife, Captain Hannah Winterbourne, a transgender woman.
‘Bully’ features real messages and tweets received by the actors. The film stars singer and model Jaimie Wilson, YouTube creator Riyadh Khalaf, model and gender capitalist Rain Dove, Fiona Dawson, co-director of award winning documentary TransMilitary, actor Sade Giliberti and actor and activist Devin Lowe.
“There is a misconception that online bullying is less harmful and toxic than IRL, but the statistics tell us that’s clearly not the case,” Graf said. “Online bullies are cowards hiding behind a keyboard, but their sustained attacks can push vulnerable young people to seriously harm themselves, or worse. It’s not only important to learn to switch off, block and report cyber bullies, but to remember that online bullies have often also been the victims of bullying and use the internet as a way to make themselves feel better. We need to break this cycle, and put an end to online bullying for good.”
Graf continued: “I really hope that thousands of online bullies see this film and stop even for a second to consider what they’re doing before possibly irreversibly changing someone’s life with some hastily typed words. Maybe just take a moment to consider how you would feel if someone said them to you, and write something kind instead.”
Watch the #HaltTheHate PSA below and check out Graf’s other film ‘Listen’ which features the stories of trans youth played by young trans actors.
November 19, 2018
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