Nine Dallas men beaten, raped, and smeared with feces inside den of torture
At least one victim says he was urinated on before being smeared in feces. Another was reportedly raped with an object.

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Melissa Etheridge Announced to Perform at WorldPride Closing Ceremony in Times Square

NYC Pride, the official host of WorldPride 2019 and Stonewall 50, announced  further details about NYC Pride’s WorldPride Closing Ceremony.

This final celebration of Pride on Sunday, June 30th from 7 – 10pm in NYC’s iconic Times Square will be a free event for all to attend and more updates will be shared as we have them.

The evening will provide a full slate of influential speakers and global musical talents who represent the cultural diversity, tenacity, and grace of the LGBTQIA+ community. One of the renowned artists slated to perform is Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Etheridge.

“I am thrilled to perform at the WorldPride Closing Ceremony while commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising,” said Etheridge in a statement. “That night, Times Square will serve as a home to a multitude of LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies on a truly momentous evening of love, pride, and community – capping what I’m sure will be an extraordinary month of celebrations.”

The official lineup for the WorldPride Closing Ceremony will be announced in February. WorldPride 2019 and Stonewall 50 will be comprised of more than 25 different events for LGBTQIA+ and allied people of all ages, during the full month of June. Throughout the course of the celebration, all WorldPride events will ladder up to the foundational theme, “Millions of Moments of Pride.” Join New York City, and the world, this June as we honor the past, celebrate our differences and march together for our future. For more information, visit: www.worldpride.org.

The post Melissa Etheridge Announced to Perform at WorldPride Closing Ceremony in Times Square appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Melissa Etheridge Announced to Perform at WorldPride Closing Ceremony in Times Square

Alarming New Reports of Anti-LGBTQ Violence in Chechnya

HRC is sounding the alarm on reports of renewed persecution against LGBTQ Chechens. Approximately 40 people have been detained and two killed in a “new wave of persecution” that started at the end of 2018, according to a statement from the Russian LGBT Network.

“Nearly two years after reports first surfaced of anti-LGBTQ violence and killings in Chechnya, we are once again hearing disturbing accounts of state-sanctioned detentions and abuse,” HRC Global Director Ty Cobb said. “We have repeatedly called on the Trump-Pence White House to speak out and help bring an end to this persecution, but instead the White House has largely ignored the actions of the Russian-backed regime in Chechnya.”

According to reports from the Russian LGBT Network, which has helped more than 140 people escape Chechnya since the crackdown began in 2017, law enforcement officers have detained individuals suspected of being LGBTQ in Argun, a city more than a dozen miles outside the Chechen capital.

“The local police makes every effort to prevent victims from leaving the region or applying to the courts in the future,” Igor Kochetkov, an advocate with the network, said in a statement. “They take away documents, they threaten the victims with the criminal proceedings against them or their close ones, and they force them to sign empty forms.”

On April 1, 2017, Novaya Gazeta, a Russian independent media outlet, first broke the news that Chechen authorities had rounded up and detained in secret prisons more than 100 men who were suspected of being gay or bisexual.

Chechen leaders have denied these accusations, going so far as to deny the very existence of LGBTQ people in Chechnya — a claim the Russian government astonishingly repeated. Nonetheless, there have been numerous verified reports of torture and at least three and possibly as many as 20 men have been killed.

In June 2018, HRC joined a survivor of the brutal crackdown and Kimahli Powell, executive director of Rainbow Railroad, to meet with White House and State Department officials to address the ongoing crimes against humanity occurring in Chechnya and to share the survivor’s story.

“They beat us because we are gay,” the survivor told HRC. “They believe we are supposed to die and that we shouldn’t be allowed to live. People like us shouldn’t exist.”

In December, a report released by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), detailed the systematic torture, abuse and murder of LGBTQ people in Chechnya, stating that there is “overwhelming evidence that there have been grave violations of the rights of LGBTI persons in the Chechen Republic.” The OSCE report also calls on Russia to establish a special investigative committee to “undertake an effective, impartial and transparent investigation of the allegations” and “bring to justice the alleged perpetrators.”

From working with Congress to activating our membership and raising up our voices together, HRC continues to send a message to the Trump administration and the world that we have our #EyesOnChechnya and these crimes against humanity must stop.

“Human rights violators in Chechnya must be held accountable and be brought to justice,” Cobb said. “Lives are hanging in the balance.”

For more information about the situation in Chechnya and how you can help, click here.

www.hrc.org/blog/alarming-new-reports-of-anti-lgbtq-violence-in-chechnya?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

BREXIT Defeated In Overwhelming Historic Margin: WATCH

Members of the United Kingdom’s Parliament voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject  Theresa May’s Brexit deal, the heaviest defeat in British politics, according to the The Guardian.

It leaves her political future uncertain at this time. Her opposition Jeremy Corbyn has issued a vote of no confidence.

Some speculate a reunification movement to foment around it.

Watch May’s and Corbyn’s addresses below.

The post BREXIT Defeated In Overwhelming Historic Margin: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Theresa May’s BREXIT Deal Defeated By Overwhelming Historic Margin: WATCH

You Heard it Here First: Plenty of Fish Employees Share Their Best Expert Dating Advice

As Plenty of Fish employees, we’ve pretty well seen and heard it all when it comes to dating. We completely understand dating can be stressful at times and very rewarding at others! But sometimes, especially at the start of a new year, you need a little boost in morale; so today we put our heads […]

The post You Heard it Here First: Plenty of Fish Employees Share Their Best Expert Dating Advice appeared first on PlentyOfFish Blog.

You Heard it Here First: Plenty of Fish Employees Share Their Best Expert Dating Advice

HISTORIC: NY Legislature Passes Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act & Ban on Conversion Therapy

HRC celebrated the historic passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) in New York as well as legislation protecting LGBTQ youth in the state from the dangerous and debunked practice of so-called “conversion therapy.” GENDA would solidify existing law by explicitly adding gender identity and expression to the New York Human Rights Law. The bill has passed the New York Assembly 11 times, and today marks the first time it has passed both chambers. Both bills will now head to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s desk to be signed.

Today’s passage of GENDA is the culmination of efforts that reach back for over a decade. In 2016, Governor Cuomo directed the New York State Division of Human Rights to adopt regulations, consistent with state case law interpreting the meaning of ‘sex,’ to make it clear that transgender people are protected from discrimination and harassment under the state’s Human Rights Law. Additionally, the bill adds protections on the basis of gender identity to the state’s hate crimes law. The passage and signing of GENDA will explicitly codify these protections into law once and for all. With the passage of legislation banning conversion therapy, New York joins 14 states and the District of Columbia in protecting LGBTQ youth from this dangerous practice.

For several election cycles,  HRC has worked on the ground in New York to elect pro-equality legislators up and down the ballot, all across the state, leading to a pro-equality majority in both houses of the legislature and today’s historic action in Albany.

“Today’s historic action in New York is the result of years of hard work and it is a vivid illustration of the importance of electing pro-equality lawmakers,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Due to the efforts of countless advocates and leaders, transgender New Yorkers will now be explicitly protected from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and LGBTQ youth will be protected from the dangerous, debunked practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy.’ This is a monumental day for fairness and equality across the Empire State.”

“With today’s vote, it is now clear that the Empire State will soon take its rightful place among the growing number of states that explicitly protect transgender residents and visitors from discrimination,” said HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride. “No person should face discrimination because of their gender identity and no young person should be subjected to the abusive practice known as ‘conversion therapy.’ The advancement of both GENDA and protections for LGBTQ youth against ‘conversion therapy’ on the same day sends a powerful message to LGBTQ young people across New York that they are seen, loved and will soon be protected — we thank transgender advocates from across the state for their years of work, Senator Hoylman and Assemblymembers Gottfried and Glick for their ongoing leadership on these critical issues, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, a longtime and strong supporter of equality.”

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo prohibited so-called “conversion therapy” in New York by executive order in 2016, and the legislation passed today will permanently protect youth from the practice under state law. There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. To the contrary, research has clearly shown that these practices pose devastating health risks for LGBTQ young people such as depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicidal behavior. The harmful practice is condemned by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association and American Medical Association.

14 states and the District of Columbia currently have laws protecting youth from this abusive practice: Connecticut, California, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii and New Hampshire.

HRC has partnered with the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and state equality groups across the nation to pass state legislation ending conversion therapy. More information on the lies and dangers of efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity can be found here.

www.hrc.org/blog/historic-ny-legislature-passes-gender-expression-non-discrimination-act-ban?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed