Hearings to Begin for Equality Act
Daily Archives: April 1, 2019
Lenten Devotional: Finding Peace
Lenten Devotional: Finding Peace
People — including the LGBTQ faithful — look to their faith as a source of guidance and inspiration. Throughout the Lenten season, HRC will share devotionals from faith leaders, LGBTQ people and allies. The campaign seeks to create an environment in which LGBTQ people of faith and their allies can practice the spiritual traditions of their faith in a welcoming, inclusive environment.
The Lenten season marks the days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. For Christians, the resurrection is both a celebration of life and a reminder that people continue to suffer, including members of the LGBTQ community.
It is important to note that the season of Lent is observed by many Christian denominations and may not resonate with all readers. With this series, HRC seeks to amplify and honor the voices of LGBTQ-affirming faith leaders in many religious traditions.
Today’s post is a reflection from Khizr Khan, a patriotic American Muslim and Gold Star Father, from Charlottesville, Virginia.
For more about the Lenten Devotional, visit hrc.im/Lent.
Assalamu alaikum – Peace be with you!
Great Lent is upon us once again, reminding us during this holy season to center the almighty God in our lives, in our hearts and in our minds.
The Qur’an also teaches us, “Those who have faith and whose hearts find peace in the remembrance of God – truly it is in the remembrance of God that hearts find peace.” (Qur’ān 13:28)
In today’s political climate, with all the hot-button issues swirling around in the news, many of us are conditioned to distraction. Often, we forget to listen to one another. We forget to hold each other in our hearts as God commands us. The consequence is that we don’t find peace because we have forgotten to remember one another — thus forgetting to remember God.
Prophet Muhammad’s sayings (hadith in Arabic), validated by the one of the most distinguished ninth century Islamic scholars, Al-Bukhari, teach us we are all created in God’s image — and that image lies not in our race, religion, sex, national origin or color, not even in our sexual orientation or gender identity. Rather, that image lies in the vision of God’s love that elevates, connects and redeems human life irrespective of these classifications.
As people of faith, each of us has been distracted from God in some form throughout our lives. Yet, in the Qur’ān, God is referred to as “the Merciful” more than 200 times, a core truth of Islam. As we continue to embark on this Lenten season, let us humbly accept God’s mercy and recommit ourselves to loving one another with a love that proceeds from the heart.
May Allah, God of Abraham, bless us and bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Help us become one in Your name. Ameen
The Lenten Devotional is a faith-driven resource that compiles meditations written by 47 faith leaders from across the U.S. This project and other public education work with faith leaders in HRC’s Project One America states and HRC’s Religion and Faith Program is made possible in part by the generous support of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.
www.hrc.org/blog/lenten-devotional-finding-peace?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
George Clooney Responds to Critics of His Brunei Hotel Boycott
George Clooney Responds to Critics of His Brunei Hotel Boycott
In a new op-ed in Deadline, actor George Clooney responded to critics of his call for a boycott of the Dorchester Collection, a luxury hotel group owned by the government of Brunei, after Brunei announced it would implement a “death by stoning” punishment for gay sex.
Reacting to people who say the boycott would hurt the hotel staff, who don’t deserve it, Clooney replied: “I share those concerns, but to equate their situation with the fact that this week the 5th richest country in the world would take a young woman who is found to be gay, bury her up to her neck and have 25 men throw stones at her head until she is dead seems unfathomable. This exact argument was used during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. And yes a lot of hard working, presumably innocent bus drivers were hurt… but no one would argue that the boycott was for the far greater good.”
To people who argue that “isn’t this about a bunch of rich people staying away from hotels that I could never afford?” Clooney replied: “These are very expensive hotels, but the bulk of their business isn’t individuals but companies. I’ve been to these hotels when I was doing press events set up by the studios. I don’t know any companies that want to put money in the pocket of a murderer once they know.”
Clooney also argued that although the Sultan won’t be individually hurt, he’ll be distanced by many companies he works with.
Clooney also said that the boycott would have an influence on the anti-LGBTQ countries which are neighbors to Brunei.
In response to accusations — by Bill Maher, Andrew Sullivan, and others — that he’s a hypocrite by not boycotting Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, and others, Clooney replied, “Well then get to it. We all do what we can.”
He added, “You can’t make the bad guys be good, but you can stop the good guys from being complicit.”
Read Clooney’s full op-ed clarification here.
The post George Clooney Responds to Critics of His Brunei Hotel Boycott appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
George Clooney Responds to Critics of His Brunei Hotel Boycott
Join HRC And Our Nation’s Youth As We Celebrate National Poetry Month With Poetry and Equality
Join HRC And Our Nation’s Youth As We Celebrate National Poetry Month With Poetry and Equality
“I believe art is utterly important. It is one of the things that could save us.” — Mary Oliver
This year, to celebrate National Poetry Month, HRC asked young people nationwide to write poems about what equality means to them, and to share them with us — and you. And they didn’t disappoint. From rhyming poems to free verse, they opened their hearts about equality, their hopes and dreams for a better world, the heroes who inspire them, and so much more!
Founded in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, poets and communities coming together to celebrate poetry’s essential place in our lives.
HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools program has harnessed the power of poetry in our lesson plans to help children share and explore issues they are passionate about, to make connections around social justice and to build inclusive communities by learning about and celebrating one another.
This month, we are excited to share on our website and social media platforms some of these poems and others written by incredible young people.
Differences by AD
It does not matter if you are different
because we are all people
no matter the color
the gender
we need to treat the people well
no matter what
DON’T HATE
it’s ok to be different
Throughout April, we will also be sharing LGBTQ poets who inspire us, and the ways in which poetry can be an agent for social change.
We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate the talent, the humor, the compassion and the open hearts of our nation’s young people who understand that love is love is love is love and that it’s amazing to be just who you are. As acclaimed LGBTQ poet and advocate Audre Lorde wrote, poetry “lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.” These children are the future of our country and our world, and it’s a future of love, hope, and welcome.
As you read with us, if you feel so inspired, write and share something of your own! As Michelle Obama says, “You don’t have to be a renowned artist like Q-Tip to try your hand at poetry. You don’t need any special equipment – that’s the beauty of it.”
For more about HRC Foundation’s work improving school climate, and to read one of our lesson plans, you can visit www.welcomingschools.org/resources/lesson-plans.
HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is the nation’s premier professional development program providing training and resources to elementary school educators to:
- Welcome diverse families;
- Create LGBTQ and gender-inclusive schools;
- Prevent bias-based bullying;
- Support transgender and non-binary students
Former Gaga dancer Joe Ryan on the virtues of playlists & dressing cute at the gym
Former Gaga dancer Joe Ryan on the virtues of playlists & dressing cute at the gym
Plus, how meditation can help build the perfect body, the benefits of cottage cheese and when to wear dancing shoes to the gym.
Pete Buttigieg on How He Met His Husband, White Privilege, and Standing Out Among Democrats: WATCH
Pete Buttigieg on How He Met His Husband, White Privilege, and Standing Out Among Democrats: WATCH
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg sat down with CNN’s Van Jones over the weekend for an excellent interview covering a wide range of topics including the candidate’s husband Chasten, white privilege, and standing out in a crowded Democratic field.
Said Buttigieg: “The way you survive the Flavor of the Month period, or with 20 of us it’s probably a Flavor of the Week period… But the way that you do it is through substance. You gotta make sure that you’re putting forward something that others aren’t, or at least that you’ve got a fresh and different vocabulary that can reach people who maybe have tuned us out.”
Buttigieg also talked about white privilege: “If you’re a white candidate you need to be thinking and talking about things like white privilege. It’s an honest engagement in good faith among people who have had radically different experiences but largely shared interests. We’ve got to figure out a way to use identity as a basis of solidarity.”
“Right now, identity as means of division is being mastered by this White House,” he added. “We’re in a moment of peak white identity politics. And it’s being used to divide us across the working middle class, to divide us regionally, to divide us on partisan lines.”
Buttigieg also talked about his marriage to his husband Chasten, and how Chasten is dealing with it.
Said Buttigieg: “He’s pretty good at rolling with it, and I’m lucky for that. Frankly, he’s one of the best things I’ve got going for me. I love him. He’s grounded. He keeps me grounded.”
Buttigieg said he was impressed by Chasten’s ability to handle the fact that he was dating the mayor of South Bend: “He was really alive to the ways that we could use our abilities to help people, to make people feel better just by showing up at their event. He’s taken that same attitude on the trail. He definitely got more than he bargained for.”
Asked what drew him to his husband, Buttigieg added: “He’s got this really quick wit. If you follow him on Twitter you’ll see what I mean. I met him through this app called Hinge. As soon as I saw his picture, I saw something in his eyes. I said ‘I gotta meet this guy.’ And then I did. I was trying to keep up with him, and what I found was that I’m still trying to keep up with him in a lot of ways.”
Buttigieg talked about their rescue dogs, Truman and Buddy, who is on a “weight loss journey.”
Asked about how he’s going to deal with countries that are anti-LGBTQ, Buttigieg added: “When we show leadership, people respond, and that includes when we show by an election that we’re an inclusive country — whether that’s about an LGBT leader or in some other way — that other country leaders would actually be, to some extent, forced by world opinion to make some advancements. It’s one of the things that’s at stake right now if America is not trusted, is not respected, then it won’t much matter what we have to say about that or any other human rights issue.”
The post Pete Buttigieg on How He Met His Husband, White Privilege, and Standing Out Among Democrats: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Pete Buttigieg on How He Met His Husband, White Privilege, and Standing Out Among Democrats: WATCH
#AM_Equality Tipsheet: April 1, 2019
#AM_Equality Tipsheet: April 1, 2019
TODAY — CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS AND ADVOCATES JOINED BY REP. MARY GAY SCANLON TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF HISTORIC EQUALITY ACT HEARING: The Coalition to Pass the Equality Act’s press conference, held ahead of the first-ever Congressional committee hearing on the Equality Act, will take place today at 1 p.m. at the House Triangle on Capitol Hill. It will highlight the critical need, efforts and unprecedented support for the Equality Act, and preview witness testimony and stories. For more information or to RSVP, please contact [email protected].
HRC CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY 2019: Held annually on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility is a time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the globe and acknowledge the courage it takes to live openly and authentically. Read more from HRC.
- As the world yesterday marked Transgender Day of Visibility, police said they are investigating the shooting death of Ashanti Carmon, a transgender woman from Maryland. Her fiance told NBC4 he couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to hurt her. More from NBC4.
In November, HRC released a report detailing the ongoing epidemic of violence targeting the transgender community, particularly Black transgender women.
- HRC’s Charlotte Clymer (@cmclymer) speaks with El Pais about the Trump-Pence discriminatory ban on transgender troops. Read the interview at El Pais.
- Among nine trans activists you should know — HRC’s Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride). Read more at Elite Daily.
.@HRC proudly celebrates International Transgender Day of Visibility 2019. #TDOVt.co/FhTzSPgm1q pic.twitter.com/RMd5mEIdkv
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 31, 2019
U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF APPEALS TO BRUNEI TO HALT LAW THAT WOULD PUNISH LGBTQ PEOPLE WITH TORTURE AND DEATH: “I appeal to the Government to stop the entry into force of this draconian new penal code, which would mark a serious setback for human rights protections for the people of Brunei if implemented,” Michelle Bachelet said in a statement earlier today. HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) said that “it is imperative that our leaders — including Donald Trump and Mike Pence — make it clear that this law must not move forward. The world needs our leadership.” More from Reuters.
MONDAY MUST-READ: PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S LEANA WEN (@DrLeanaWen) TAKES OVER HRC TWITTER TO TALK LGBTQ HEALTH SERVICES, THE EQUALITY ACT AND TRUMP-PENCE ATTACKS ON TITLE X. More here.
Thanks @HRC for inviting me to chat with your followers! Planned Parenthood is proud to partner with you in the fight for LGBTQ rights.
My full thread ⤵️ t.co/u0H9mUQ3hK
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) March 28, 2019
ICYMI: HRC 2019 LA DINNER FEATURED SENATORS KAMALA HARRIS AND CORY BOOKER, HONORED ACTRESS YEARDLEY SMITH: More from Los Angeles Times, Variety, Advocate and Hollywood Reporter.
What a night! We’re so grateful to Senators @CoryBooker and @KamalaHarris for their leadership on LGBTQ equality and we were honored to welcome them last night to @HRC’s LA Gala. t.co/IY14j15pNq
— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) April 1, 2019
LGBTQ WORKERS LEAVE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OVER “TREATMENT OF ITS LGBTQ EMPLOYEES”: More from BuzzFeed.
GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS
TENS OF THOUSANDS PROTEST MEETING OF U.S. HATE GROUP IN VERONA, ITALY: The presence of the virulently anti-LGBTQ World Congress of Families turned the city into a “battlefield,” reported Giada Zampano (@GZampano) of Politico. Read more at LGBTQ Nation and Politico.
NEW STUDY SHOWS LESS THAN HALF OF URBAN MILLENNIALS IN INDIA FIND LGBTQ RELATIONSHIPS ACCEPTABLE: More from Gay Star News.
U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (UNDP) AND WORLD BANK PROPOSE NEW INDICATORS IN EFFORT TO DEVELOP “INCLUSION INDEX” FOR LGBTQ PEOPLE: More from SDG Knowledge Hub.
READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that foundations must to do more to support transgender people
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-april-1-2019?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
“We should all have the same rights.” – Rep. Watson Coleman for the Equality Act
“We should all have the same rights.” – Rep. Watson Coleman for the Equality Act
Trump Says He’s ‘Saving’ a Judge to Fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Seat: REPORT
Trump Says He’s ‘Saving’ a Judge to Fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Seat: REPORT
Donald Trump is privately telling colleagues that he’s already thinking about the day Ruth Bader Ginsburg gives up her SCOTUS seat, and plans to fill her seat with conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Axios reports: ‘”I’m saving her for Ginsburg,” Trump said of Barrett, according to three sources familiar with the president’s private comments. Trump used that exact line with a number of people, including in a private conversation with an adviser two days before announcing Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination.’
Ginsburg has said she has no plans to retire during the time period Trump would be in office.
The post Trump Says He’s ‘Saving’ a Judge to Fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Seat: REPORT appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Trump Says He’s ‘Saving’ a Judge to Fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Seat: REPORT
