Arkansas High Court Blocks Fayetteville’s LGBTQ Rights Law
The city can’t enforce its law while its case against the state’s ban on such protections proceeds, the Arkansas Supreme Court rules.
www.advocate.com/politics/2019/1/31/arkansas-high-court-blocks-fayettevilles-lgbtq-rights-law
Jussie Smollett, Howard Schultz, Trevor Noah, One of Slava Mogutin’s Hot Boys, and How A Historic LA Coffee Shop Turned Into A Gathering Place For The Political Left, and More: HOT LINKS
DISCOVER IT FOR YOURSELF If you haven’t seen it yet catch Star Trek: Discovery tonight for the third episode of season two.
Last week’s episode felt like a throwback but tonight we’re supposed to get Spock!
TREVOR NOAH Talks to Howard Schultz about his 2020 Bid
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz considers a 2020 run and Mark Zuckerberg plans to merge Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
PERSONS OF INTEREST Police released a grainy image of the ‘persons of interest’ in Jussie Smollett’s attack. Chicago police are asking for help identifying these two figures, but I have my doubts about whether anyone will really know much simply from this photo. Right now, these men are just being called “persons of interest wanted for questioning” not “suspects.”
Police search for persons of interest in alleged attack against Jussie Smollett t.co/mrtiKcSr2G pic.twitter.com/6Dnm8naiby
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 31, 2019
OH GUS Keep talking.
gay icon t.co/d1zajhAakw
— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) January 31, 2019
HISTORIC LA DINER FINDS NEW RELEVANCE How did Johnnie’s Coffee Shop turn into a gathering for the political left?
The foyer of Johnie’s Coffee Shop on Wilshire and Fairfax smells like weed, musk and dog*. A beat-up piano sits next to stacks of flyers from leftist organizations, and the area is guarded, on this particular afternoon, by a brown-and-white canine with a red bandana around his neck who comes jogging up to the door, barking at unknown newcomers.
Inside, the former restaurant is plastered with political signs with slogans like “#CleanDreamAct DACA Strong,” “Healthcare is a Human Right” and “#stopcagingfamilies.” Once a pinnacle of 1950s Googie architecture, Johnie’s took on new life when it played host to a high-profile 2016 event for U.S. Senator and then-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
But many Angelenos are wondering what the space is being used for now.
“What is happening to the Johnnie’s Coffee shop at Wilshire/Fairfax? Just a Bernie Sanders landmark?” one LAist reader asked.
YOU CAN’T EVER REALLY DELETE A TWEETHoward Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO who has floated an independent run at the White House, deleted a tweet Wednesday in which he praised a column that insulted other 2020 contenders said The Hill.
In the now-deleted tweet, Schultz linked to a piece that called Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) “shrill” and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) “Fauxcahontas,” a reference to her claims of Native American heritage.
TEACHING LGBT Free history lesson plans about LGBT History are being offered by The Los Angeles LGBT Center —for teachers statewide and nationwide— curricula they can use at no cost. The Los Angeles LGBT Center is one of the leading organizations advancing civil rights and freedoms for LGBT people. Throughout California the center trains social service providers, caregivers for seniors, educators, government agencies, law enforcement officials, and others to help them better serve the diverse LGBT community.
MISSIONARY POSITIONS WILL EXCITE RELIGIOUS BASE IN MISSISSIPPI The Methodist church’s debate and embracement over gay marriage could affect Mississippi politicians in election year.
This year Mississippi politicians, including many Methodist politicians, will be running for office as the issues of gay marriage and the ordination of gay ministers play out in the United Methodist Church. While the New Orleans Saints were battling last week in the NFC championship game (i.e. getting hosed) several hundred Mississippi Methodists were meeting at Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson to discuss the explosive issues of gay marriage and the ordination of gay ministers.
According to the United Methodist Church Mississippi Conference web page, there are more than 165,000 Methodists in the state. There are probably more United Methodist politicians in the state than members of any other congregation except perhaps Southern Baptists. It is safe to assume Methodist politicians will be involved in the issue this election year.
HOMOPHOBIC GREEK BISHOP JAILED Greek Bishop Amvrossios has been jailed for anti-gay speech according to the Greek Reporter.
A Greek court has convicted prominent Greek Orthodox Bishop Amvrossios of violating laws against racism and abusing his office over an anti-gay blog posting.Amvrossios, Bishop of Kalavryta and Aigialeia in the southern Peloponnese region, received a seven-month sentence, suspended for three years.
Amvrossios urged readers in his 2015 posting to “spit upon” homosexuals, adding: “They are not human beings, they are rejects of nature.”
The three-judge court in the southern town of Aigio unanimously found against the bishop, who is one of the most conservative in the Greek Orthodox Church of Greece. A lower court had acquitted him, but the case was appealed. Lawyer Kleio Papandoleon, representing a group of citizens seeking legal action against the bishop, hailed Monday’s ruling, saying it set limits to “inflammatory and racist speech.”
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL Toni Harris aspires to be first female NFL player.
Toyota’s new Super Bowl commercial features a college player who wants to make NFL history. Toni Harris is a defensive back for the East Los Angeles College Huskies and in addition to playing football in high school she was the homecoming queen.
Yep, she.
Harris will be one of the few women ever to play college football. She’s received multiple scholarship offers to four-year programs and while she still hasn’t decided among them, she’s set her sights on an even bigger goal: the NFL.
“I first developed an interest in football when I was about four – between four and six years old. People around me – they weren’t too fond of me playing football. They said that I could get hurt a lot easier playing with guys,” she said.
SAVE THE WHALES Naval sonar may cause some whales to commit suicide .Scientists have long known that some beaked whales beach themselves and die in agony after exposure to naval sonar, and now they know why: the giant sea mammals suffer decompression sickness, just like scuba divers.
“Millions of years of evolution have turned whales into perfectly calibrated diving machines that plunge kilometres (miles) below the surface for hours at a stretch, foraging for food in the inky depths, said Raw Story.
WORLD’S BIGGEST BEAR CAVE LA bear group bought an Oklahoma City hotel that bills itself as the largest gay resort in the Southwest. The Journal Record reports Los Angeles-based Alternatives Resorts has bought the 170-room Habana Inn. Oklahoma County property records show the property sold for $2.4 million.
Alternatives Resorts spokesman Arnold Greenspan says the property will be renamed Hotel Habana and that a first phase of renovations will start in the fall. The resort has two nightclubs, a novelty store and a closed restaurant space. The hotel recently celebrated its 50th birthday and is a centerpiece of a string of businesses catering to LGBTQ clientele along a stretch of road that was part of historic Route 66 that connected travelers from Chicago to Los Angeles.
MEET ZIGGY STARDUST Johnny Flynn will portray David Bowie in Stardust biopic. It’s been announced that Johnny Flynnhas signed on to play the iconic entertainer in the upcoming biopic. The 35-year-old actor/musician joins Jena Malone and Marc Maron in the film that tracks Bowie’s rise as a superstar – starting with his first trip to American in 1971, which inspired the creation of his iconic alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
Bowie sadly passed away in January 2016 after a battle with cancer.
Production for Stardust is set to begin in June 2019.
FLIP FLOPPING Jeff Lewis and Gage Edward from Flipping Out are taking a break .
“It was only a matter of time before Jeff Lewis is officially gay Scrooge and is holed up by his lonesome in his immaculately renovated Los Feliz mansion, and has to resort to yelling at the air or screaming at the Postmates delivery person who quickly drops his taco salad on the doorstep before running off. Because soon, there won’t be a living thing in the Los Angeles area that hasn’t completely washed their hands of Jeff Lewis and his signature asshole ways. He’ll have nobody to yell at anymore!” said Celebitchy.
HMMMMMM Things that make us go hmmm.
SNEAKER HEAD #swoon #SlaveMogutin
View this post on InstagramMarco, NY 2002, from my XXX FILES limited edition with @tomoffinlandstore
A post shared by Slava Mogutin (@slavamogutin) on
The post Jussie Smollett, Howard Schultz, Trevor Noah, One of Slava Mogutin’s Hot Boys, and How A Historic LA Coffee Shop Turned Into A Gathering Place For The Political Left, and More: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Jussie Smollett’s Family: ‘This Was a Racial, Homophobic Hate Crime’
Smollett’s family breaks their silence after the television star was beaten on a Chicago street.
www.advocate.com/crime/2019/1/31/jussie-smolletts-family-was-racial-homophobic-hate-crime
Jussie Smollett’s family issues statement following ‘racial and homophobic hate crime’
Joy Behar to Pete Buttigieg: ‘Do You Think This Country is Ready for a Gay President?’ — WATCH
Gay South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, who last week announced his intention to explore a run for president in 2020, sat down with the ladies of The View on Thursday.
Buttigieg talked about his experience as a mayor, his time serving in Afghanistan, his position on Israel, and why he thinks someone from his generation (he’s 37) is qualified to be Commander in Chief.
He was also asked whether or not America’s ready for a gay president.
Replied Buttigieg: “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
Is America ready for its first gay president?
“There’s only one way to find out,” Democratic presidential candidate @PeteButtigieg says. t.co/f8u2wbJuik pic.twitter.com/CbmobVwPGO
— The View (@TheView) January 31, 2019
“When I came out, we were in the middle of a reelection campaign,” he added. “I was ready. You know, you’re ready when you’re ready, and I wanted to have a personal life. And it was not obvious that that was going to be a safe thing to do. It was in Indiana, Mike Pence was the governor at the time, and I ended up getting reelected with 80 percent of the vote. So I think that people will evaluate you for the job that you do.”
The full interview.
The post Joy Behar to Pete Buttigieg: ‘Do You Think This Country is Ready for a Gay President?’ — WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Joy Behar to Pete Buttigieg: ‘Do You Think This Country is Ready for a Gay President?’ — WATCH
Breaking Barriers this Black History Month
As we mark the start of Black History Month, HRC honors the ways in which Black LGBTQ and allied trailblazers have been and continue to be at the center of the fight for equality, breaking down barriers every day. In this moment in our country’s history, our community must draw strength and inspiration from the commitment, tenacity and resilience of civil rights leaders who made our work possible.
In the last month, we have seen pro-equality champions sworn into office, including Gwen Moore, Colin Allred, Garlin Gilchrist, Lucy McBath, Steven Horsford, Lauren Underwood, Aaron Ford, Mandela Barnes and Ayanna Pressley. They will continue their justice work, advocating for equality from statehouses to the halls of Congress.
They join champions such as Andrea Jenkins, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elijah Cummings, Maxine Waters and John Lewis, tireless champsions of racial justice and LGBTQ equality in our towns, cities and nation’s capital.
Organizations from the NAACP and NAESM, to the Center for Black Equity and the National Black Justice Coalition are on the front lines fighting against racial, social and economic injustices in America.
We celebrate revolutionary shows like Pose, which brings the stories of Black, Afro-Caribbean and Latinx LGBTQ people during the tumultuous 1980s into our homes. Pose is helmed by a cast and crew of queer and transgender trailblazers, including HRC honorees Angelica Ross and Billy Porter, Janet Mock, MJ Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson and Steven Canals. Mock made history by becoming the first transgender woman of color to both write, produce and direct for a major network television show.
Artists including Janelle Monáe, Shea Diamond and Jussie Smollett give voice to the stories of the Black LGBTQ community through their music. They challenge us to name the ways that racism intersects with homophobia, biphobia and transphobia — and to confront the ways these intersecting oppressions deprive LGBTQ people of color of the tools needed to live and thrive.
“I think the most rewarding thing I can do is speak to the times now,” Diamond said in an interview with HRC. “If you listen to your favorite song right now, 20 years from now, would the next generation know that we were struggling and still fighting for rights? Would they know that trans women were being killed at the rate they were being killed?”
We pause to remember and honor our history and those who made today’s victories possible. This year marks 50 years since LGBTQ patrons of Stonewall, led by Black trans women Marsha P. Johnson and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, decided to take a stand and fight back against the brutal intimidation they regularly faced at the hands of police.
While we celebrate the progress we have made in these 50 years, it is more important than ever to recognize the distance we still have to go to achieve full equality. From turning out to elect pro-equality champions and hosting service projects to empowering HBCU students to become leaders in their campuses and communities, HRC staff, volunteers, members and supporters are on the ground working to drive this country forward at the intersections of LGBTQ equality and racial justice.
This Black History Month, we celebrate the barriers that have broken, recognize the barriers that remain and lift up the voices of Black and LGBTQ advocates challenging systems of power and oppression everyday. We deepen our commitment to those in our community who are still too often at its margins as we work to move equality forward.
www.hrc.org/blog/breaking-barriers-this-black-history-month?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Sneeze
Proper Job Productions posted a photo:
Sneeze performing at Drag Spectacular January 2019 – UWE LGBT+ hosted in the Queenshilling
HRC Mississippi Urges The House and Senate to Vote on Crucial Update to the State’s Hate Crimes Law
HRC called for committees in both the Mississippi’s House of Representatives and Senate to bring up for a vote bills that would update the state’s hate crimes law. The twin bills, HB 1494 and SB 2163, are currently awaiting a hearing in the House Judiciary B committee and the Senate Judiciary A committee, respectively. This legislation would add sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the existing statewide hate crimes law. This crucial update to Mississippi’s hate crimes law would simply bring it up to the federal standard.
“All Mississippians deserve equal justice under the law, and HB 1494 and SB 2163 are a much-needed remedy to the shortcomings of our current state hate crimes law,” said Rob Hill, HRC Mississippi state director. “Without enumerating sexual orientation, gender identity and disability, the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities will continue to be under-protected when they are targeted simply because of who they are. We implore the judiciary committees in both houses to bring this bill to a vote — it’s the right thing to do.”
Mississippi, like most states in the South, does not have statewide hate crimes laws that are inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. This makes it more difficult for law enforcement to adequately prosecute perpetrators of bias-motivated crimes and deliver justice to victims and their families. Within the past few years, Mississippi has faced a tragic, disproportionate number of anti-transgender crimes, including the highly-publicized murders of Mercedes Williamson, Mesha Caldwell and Dee Whigham. Out of those three murders, only Mercedes Williamson’s was prosecuted under existing hate crimes laws, because the the perpetrator crossed state lines, making it a federal crime. Caldwell and Whigham were not able to receive full justice under the law because of the lack of protections for gender identity.
The Mississippi Sheriffs Association and the Mississippi Prosecutors Association both support expanding the current hate crimes law to include disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
In 2014, HRC launched Project One America, an initiative geared towards advancing social, institutional and legal equality in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. HRC Mississippi continues to work to advance equality for LGBTQ Mississippians who have no state level protections in housing, workplace, or public accommodations. Through HRC Mississippi, we are working toward a future of fairness every day — changing hearts, minds and laws toward achieving full equality.
Going Through a Breakup or Divorce? 5 Ways to Move Forward Like a Grown-up
Let’s face it; breakups are hard. No matter how old you are or how long you were together, splitting up hurts. Not only do you feel terrible emotionally but also physically. It takes time for your heart, mind, and body to heal. Even if you initiated the breakup, you still might feel a sense of […]
The post Going Through a Breakup or Divorce? 5 Ways to Move Forward Like a Grown-up appeared first on PlentyOfFish Blog.
Going Through a Breakup or Divorce? 5 Ways to Move Forward Like a Grown-up
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