One Million Moms calls for ‘Toy Story 4’ boycott. The reason is priceless.

Homophobic action group One Million Moms has selected its newest target: the lovable characters of Toy Story 4.

The group, an arm of the American Family Association (itself a notoriously homophobic organization) has a long history of anti-gay campaigns, including boycotts of JC Penney over hiring Ellen DeGeneres as a spokesmodel, and Marvel & DC comics for featuring gay characters in their magazines. One Million Moms also has a history of grossly exaggerating its membership. Despite the name, it contains only a few thousand members.

Now the group has targeted Pixar/Disney for a background scene in Toy Story 4 that shows two moms picking up their child from school. The scene lasts a few seconds at most and contains no special comment on the family other than showing the women hugging their child after class. Still, One Million Moms sees the inclusion as an attack on their religious beliefs.

Related: What Do You Mean Toy Story 3‘s Ken Acts Gay?

“The scene is subtle in order to desensitize children,” Monica Cole, a spokesperson for the group said in a statement. “But it is obvious that the child has two mothers, and they are parenting together. Toy Story 4 is the last place parents would expect their children to be confronted with content regarding sexual orientation. Issues of this nature are being introduced too early and too soon. It is extremely common yet unnecessary. Disney has decided once again to be politically correct versus providing family-friendly entertainment. Disney should stick to entertaining instead of pushing an agenda and exposing children to controversial topics.”

The proposed boycott has done little to harm the reception of Toy Story 4, which earned rave reviews and had the biggest opening of any movie this year.

www.queerty.com/one-million-moms-calls-toy-story-4-boycott-reason-priceless-20190709?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Nicki Minaj Pulls Out of Saudi Arabia Concert, Citing LGBTQ, Women’s Rights Abuses

Nicki Minaj has pulled out of a concert at Jeddah World Fest in Saudi Arabia, citing the country’s poor record on LGBTQ rights and women’s rights, and its limits on freedom of expression.

“After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest,” said Minaj to the AP. “While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression.”

The Human Rights Foundation called on Minaj to pull out in a statement last week: “The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) considers the Saudi regime to be one of the world’s worst human rights violators and has contacted Minaj, urging her to cancel her performance, refuse the regime’s money, and instead use her global influence to issue a statement demanding the release of the Saudi women activists who are currently in prison. Minaj, who took part in World Pride festivities in her hometown of New York City last month to celebrate LGBTQ rights, will be performing in a country where homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment or death. In April of this year, at least five men were executed by the Saudi regime for admitting to sexual relations with other men after enduring months of torture.”

Said HRF president and founder Thor Halvorssen: “What is Nicki Minaj thinking? How does she participate at World Pride one week and then hop on a jet to collect millions from a regime that beheaded five gay men this past April? There is no good reason for Minaj to do business with the Saudi dictatorship. If she proceeds with the show, she will be whitewashing the vast array of human rights crimes committed by MBS including torture, rape, extrajudicial assassination, and the slaughter of innocent civilians. HRF’s hope is that Minaj, Liam Payne, and the other headliners will prioritize morals over money, cancel their scheduled performances in Jeddah, and instead use their considerable fame to issue public statements of solidarity with the millions of women living under the oppressive rule of MBS. If Minaj does decide to perform in Jeddah, she should do so only under the condition that the Saudi regime release Loujain al-Hathloul, Samar Badawi, Nassima al-Saddah, and the rest of the Saudi women’s rights activists who have been targeted, harassed, imprisoned, tortured, and sexually assaulted by the government.”

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Nicki Minaj Pulls Out of Saudi Arabia Concert, Citing LGBTQ, Women’s Rights Abuses

Olympic swimmer saves drowning gay newlywed knocked from inflatable unicorn float

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What else… ??? #sardegna #relax #sun #smile @4giveness_official #prodottofornitoda

A post shared by Filippo Magnini (@filomagno82) on Jun 10, 2018 at 12:01pm PDT

Italian Olympic swimmer Filippo Magnini was sunbathing on Cala Sinzias beach in Sardinia last weekend when he heard someone crying for help.

It was a gay newlywed. He was drowning in the ocean after being knocked off his inflatable unicorn float by a wave.

The 37-year-old world champion quickly leaped into action. He dove into the water and swam out to the drowning man, Andrea Benedetto, who had just married his boyfriend two days earlier in nearby Cagliari.

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FINALMENTE !! ?

A post shared by Filippo Magnini (@filomagno82) on Jul 5, 2019 at 8:00am PDT

According to eye witnesses, the newlyweds had been lounging on the inflatable unicorn when a wave struck and Benedetto was catapulted into the water.

Unable to move his limbs due to a medical condition, Benedetto started to drown. His husband jumped in after him, but was unable to keep Benedetto’s head above water.

To make matters worse, a strong gust of wind carried the inflatable uniform away, leaving the men stranded.

“The bather was in a lot of trouble,” Magnini, who won gold medals at the World Championships in both 2005 and 2007, later told Italian paper Corriere dello Sport.

“He was quite frightened. He was really stuck and had swallowed some seawater. When I reached him, he wasn’t even able to speak, and it wasn’t easy to lift him onto the raft, so we laid him on an airbed that some other bathers had nearby.”

Magnini stayed with Benedetto until lifeguards arrived.

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Throwback to Sardinia! ??? #miss #summer #70%

A post shared by Filippo Magnini (@filomagno82) on Sep 27, 2018 at 10:23am PDT

After being brought safely ashore, Benedetto was treated by a doctor and then rushed to a nearby hospital where it was determined his condition was not life-threatening.

“When I became conscious my first thought was about my husband,” he later told the BBC.

It wasn’t until hours later that he learned just who had rescued him.

“A few hours after the accident, I was at the hospital when I realized that Filippo Magnini was the man who saved my life, but I didn’t have any chance to thank him as I have no contact with him.”

“I hope to be able to thank him in person.”

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Il richiamo dell acqua ?????? #swimmingpool #kempinski #mykempinskivenice #venice #sanclementepalace

A post shared by Filippo Magnini (@filomagno82) on May 20, 2018 at 1:37am PDT

Related: Rainbow Flag Confuses Beachgoers Who Fear Only Gay People Will Be Saved From Drowning

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Italian Olympic Swimmer Saves Gay Newlywed from Drowning

Italian Olympic swimmer Filippo Magnini was in the right place at the right time on Sunday when a drowning man needed his help. Magnini, a former world champion, is now being hailed as a hero.

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FINALMENTE !!

A post shared by Filippo Magnini (@filomagno82) on Jul 5, 2019 at 8:00am PDT

The BBC reports that Andrea Benedetto, who had married his husband days earlier, was floating off the beach when the incident happened: “The pair were floating on an inflatable unicorn when Mr Benedetto fell into the water, which was colder than expected, and he was unable to move his limbs due to a medical condition. A strong wind blew the inflatable away, Mr Pakzad explained, and Mr Benedetto’s husband was left trying to keep his partner’s head above water. His friends’ cries for help were heard by lifeguards, who raced to set off in their rescue raft. But 37-year-old Magnini, 1.88m (6ft 2in) tall, was closer and quickly reached the struggling man.”

Benedetto was in shock from the incident and unable to speak, having swallowed a lot of water.

He told BBC News: “When I became conscious my first thought was about my husband. A few hours after the accident I was at the hospital when I realised that Filippo Magnini was the man who saved my life but I didn’t have any chance to thank him as I have no contact with him. I hope to be able to thank him in person.”

Said Magnini: “I just did what I had to.”

Marco Bencivenga, the editor-in-chief of the Cremona local paper La Provincia also reported the incident on his Facebook page.

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Italian Olympic Swimmer Saves Gay Newlywed from Drowning

Trans TV Personality, Santiago Carbajal, Killed in Honduras

“La Galaxia de Santi” host was shot and killed by strangers, family told media.

www.advocate.com/world/2019/7/09/trans-tv-personality-santiago-carbajal-killed-honduras

Billionaire Tom Steyer Announces He’s Running for President in 2020: WATCH

Billionaire Tom Steyer announced that he’s launching a 2020 presidential bid in a video posted to social media on Tuesday morning.

UPI reports: “Steyer said corporations driven by profits are corrupting the U.S. political system. He blamed court decisions that have ruled that corporations are people, which leads to companies stopping progress and justice because it affects the bottom line. ‘We’ve got to take the corporate control out of our politics,’ Steyer said. ‘All of these issues go away when you take away the paid opposition from corporations who make trillions of extra dollars by controlling our political system.’ He was also the first major Democrat to call for President Donald Trump to be impeached.”

Said Steyer in the ad that launched his petition to impeach Trump: “He’ brought us to the brink of nuclear war, obstructed justice at the FBI, and in direct violation of the Constitution he’s taken money from foreign governments and threatened to shut down news organizations that report the truth. If that isn’t the case for impeaching and removing a dangerous president, then what has our government become? … A Republican Congress once impeached a president for far less. And today, people in Congress and his own administration know that this president is a clear and present danger who is mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons. And they do nothing.”

RELATED: Billionaire Tom Steyer Will Air This Trump Impeachment Ad During ‘FOX & Friends’ — WATCH

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Billionaire Tom Steyer Announces He’s Running for President in 2020: WATCH

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: July 9, 2019

“A SPACE WHERE YOU COULD BE FREE” — NY TIMES REPORTS ON PUERTO RICO’S LGBTQ COMMUNITY REBUILDING AFTER HURRICANE MARIA: “The economic hardship that followed the storm forced at least three well-known [LGBTQ] establishments in the San Juan area to close their doors, leaving even fewer places for regulars to socialize and feel connected to a larger community,” writes Alejandra Rosa (@AlejandraRosaM) and Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei). Although new LGBTQ spaces are beginning to open, the community continues to face uncertainty. Luis Pares laments that he was forced to close his bar, saying: “It was a space where you could be free — there was no discrimination, no fights. The hurricane killed the space.” Read the piece from The New York Times. 

TUESDAY TWEET — TRANSGENDER ACTRESS HUNTER SCHAFER TALKS ABOUT HER ROLE ON HBO’S “EUPHORIA” AND HER JOURNEY TO GET THERE: Read the full interview at The New York Times. 

“I transitioned in early high school, and her transition might have been a little bit earlier than mine. But transitioning while you’re in public school is a pretty intense experience, so I knew I could bring that to her,” said Hunter Schafer t.co/JOoIRUZ1aa

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 8, 2019

SURVEY RESULTS SHOW THAT BLACK LGB PEOPLE OFTEN FEEL HARASSED OR THREATENED: The data comes from the Black Future Lab’s Black Census survey. Alicia Garza (@aliciagarza), co-creator of Black Lives Matter and founder of the Lab, said, “Too often, Black LGB+ people are perceived as distinct and separate from the larger Black community and defined more by their sexual orientation than their race. In fact, LGB+ respondents prioritise the same concerns as the rest of the Black community and face triple consciousness: violence and discrimination based not only on race but gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation.” More from PinkNews. 

TRANS STUDENTS IN TENNESSEE SPEAK OUT AGAINST “SLATE OF HATE” BILLS: More from Fox 13 Memphis. 

FAIR MICHIGAN’S JULISA ABAD LAYS OUT WORK LEFT TO BE DONE FOR THE TRANS COMMUNITY: More from WDET. 

U.S. SEC. OF STATE POMPEO ANNOUNCES NEW COMMISSION TO EXAMINE HUMAN RIGHTS IN U.S. FOREIGN POLICY: “This commission is a dangerous attempt to repudiate the longstanding international consensus around human rights,” said Jeremy Kadden (@jeremykadden), HRC Senior International Policy Advocate. “As the Trump-Pence White House continues to undermine human rights at home or abroad, we sincerely doubt that this effort is being organized to discuss real issues faced by those in desperate need of help.” More from CNN. 

THE U.N. CONTINUES TO LEAD ON ISSUES OF HUMAN RIGHTS: The High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement yesterday on the horrible conditions created by the Trump-Pence administration for migrants and refugees in detention in the U.S. Read the statement here. 

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

HRC GLOBAL’S PARTNERSHIPS IN INNOVATIVE ADVOCACY PROGRAM CONTINUES TO SHARE POLICIES & BEST PRACTICES TO MOVE LGBTQ EQUALITY FORWARD AROUND THE GLOBE: More from HRC. 

✍️Designing advocacy campaigns
⚖️Challenging discriminatory laws & policies
��Engaging allies
��️‍��Changing institutions to be more inclusive
@HRC Global is proud to learn from international advocates through our Partnerships in Innovative Advocacy program. t.co/DYoKXJEXSE

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) July 7, 2019

HORRIBLE — THREE TRANSGENDER WOMEN HAVE BEEN KILLED IN HONDURAS IN THE LAST WEEK: More from the Washington Blade. 

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

BBC’s LGBT correspondent Ben Hunte (@BenInLDN) speaks with YouTuber Daniel Howell (@danielhowell), who recently came out as gay; **spoiler alert!** PinkNews reports on the introduction of an LGBTQ character to the Netflix show “Stranger Things”.

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-july-9-2019?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

54 Photos of Women Fighting Back at NYC Dyke March

www.advocate.com/pride/2019/7/09/54-photos-women-fighting-back-nyc-dyke-march

We Can Make Health Care Less Scary for Transgender Patients

Seeing the doctor can be an exercise in frustration and even humiliation for trans patients, but communication goes a long way.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/7/09/we-can-make-health-care-less-scary-transgender-patients