U.K. School Sees More Protests Over Lessons on LGBTQ Acceptance

Some parents at Parkfield Community School in Birmingham say elementary-age children are too young to be taught about LGBTQ issues.

www.advocate.com/world/2019/7/10/uk-school-sees-more-protests-over-lessons-lgbtq-acceptance

Colorado’s most antigay Republican senator just got an openly gay Democratic challenger

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado is up for reelection in 2020 and Dan Baer, an openly gay Democrat and former U.S. Ambassador under President Barack Obama, hopes to unseat him.

Baer, who just received the endorsement of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, pulled in a jaw-dropping $1.35 million in fundraising dollars last quarter. It’s the largest ever initial fundraising total for an openly LGBTQ congressional candidate.

Proud to have the endorsement of a group that backs an incredible slate of highly qualified progressive leaders and public servants dedicated to bringing substantive change and empathy back to our politics. Thanks @VictoryFund! pic.twitter.com/DTCOBC1nxC

— Dan Baer (@danbbaer) July 8, 2019

This no doubt has Gardner more than a little unnerved.

44-year-old Gardner has a long history of supporting antigay policies. Not only does he oppose same-sex marriage, but in 2015, he voted against giving same-sex partners access to the Social Security and veterans benefits earned by their spouses, and in 2007, he voted against a bill to allow same-sex couples in Colorado to adopt children.

In addition to that, Gardner has voted to confirm nearly all of Trump’s judicial picks, even the ones with vehemently anti-LGBTQ records, and he declined to co-sponsor any pro-LGBTQ bills, like the Equality Act.

He currently scores 12 on the HRC’s Congressional Scorecard, down from 16 the previous year. In contrast, he has a perfect score of 100 percent with the antigay hate group The Family Research Council.

Despite all this, Gardner still likes to bill himself as a “pro-LGBTQ Republican” by appearing at fundraisers hosted by the conservative LGBTQ rights group American Unity Fund and having his press secretary tell reporters he’s “a strong supporter of marriage equality” while he simultaneously tells the same reporter that “marriage should only be between a man and a woman” and “my views on marriage have long been clear.”

Seriously, the dude’s a mess.

If elected, Baer would become the first openly gay man in the U.S. Senate and the third openly LGBTQ person to serve in the chamber.

www.queerty.com/colorados-antigay-republican-senator-just-got-openly-gay-democratic-challenger-20190710?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Megan Rapinoe, Mark Ronson, Chill Moose, Sam Smith, Scruff and Jack’d, Northern Ireland: HOT LINKS

TIGER MANDINGO. College wrestler Michael Johnson, sentenced to 60 years in prison for failing to disclose HIV to his partners, is out of jail 25 years early.

NYC. Megan Rapinoe posters vandalized in subway in possible hate crime. ‘A homophobe defaced posters showing members of the US soccer team — which has five out LGBTQ players — with anti-gay slurs at the 42nd Street–Bryant Park/ Fifth Avenue subway station on the afternoon of July 8 — one day after the team won the World Cup. According to MTA and NYPD spokespersons, graffiti with “various derogatory anti-sexual orientation comments” was spotted on eight posters across the station at around 1:40 p.m. and police officers were notified.’

CASHLEY BELEVINO. Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson might be engaged.

NORTHERN IRELAND. British Parliament approves plan to compel government to legalize same-sex marriage and extend abortion rights. “The changes passed with a large majority in parliament in London on Tuesday and turned a routine, technical piece of legislation into a vehicle that could enact major social reforms in Northern Ireland.”

MATT BOMER. My 14-year-old son came out as straight.

GAY FOOTBALLER. The allegedly gay pro footballer has been corresponding with sports broadcaster ​Jim White.

SANTA ANA. 40-year-old man faces hate crime charges for threatening gay roommates: “On July 4, Rodriguez grew angry when he wrongly believed one of his roommates was using the bathroom, said Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. He pounded on the door of the bathroom with an 8- to 9-inch silver blade knife with a brown handle, making anti-gay slurs and threatening to kill his roommates, Bertagna said. At some point he pulled out a handgun and pointed it at one or two of the victims while making more homophobic remarks and threatening to kill both of them, Bertagna said.”

ACQUISITIONS. Scruff acquires Jack’d: “Scruff, a privately held dating app that caters to gay and bisexual men, bought Jack’d for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition comes as Jack’d attempts to move past a privacy scandal and reassure users that their intimate communications remain unseen by prying eyes. “

WIMBLEDON WATCHERS. Meghan Markle is causing a stir at the British tennis tourney.

CHILL MOOSE OF THE DAY. “Alaska is dealing with a record heat wave right now and everyone is doing what they can to stay cool. Even the wildlife. This moose was just chilling under a sprinkler after sprinkler hopping from yard to yard before finally settling down for a good soak. High temperatures will continue to take a run at 90 degrees. Normal temps this time of a year in anchorage are in the mid 60’s.”

HOW DO YOU SLEEP? Sam Smith announces new single.

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HOW DO YOU SLEEP? July 19th

A post shared by Sam Smith (@samsmith) on Jul 10, 2019 at 4:35am PDT

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY. Mark Ronson and Camilo Cabello “Find U Again”.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY 2. Nightlightr “Fishing”.

HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Naor Yazdan.

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Whats Your favourite place? Type down below and help me to pick my next destination! … .. . #trav #guys #hotguys #fitnesslife #destinationearth #guyswithstyle #telaviv

A post shared by Fitness | model (@naor_yz) on Jul 9, 2019 at 8:26am PDT

The post Megan Rapinoe, Mark Ronson, Chill Moose, Sam Smith, Scruff and Jack’d, Northern Ireland: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Megan Rapinoe, Mark Ronson, Chill Moose, Sam Smith, Scruff and Jack’d, Northern Ireland: HOT LINKS

Marriage Equality, Abortion Rights Finally Coming to Northern Ireland

Parliament moved this week to bring the area in line with the rest of the United Kingdom.

www.advocate.com/world/2019/7/10/marriage-equality-abortion-rights-finally-coming-northern-ireland

Trump fans just can’t win with the USA’s World Cup champions

Fresh of her win at the Women’s World Cup and the newfound megastardom that followed, out-lesbian soccer player Megan Rapinoe has slammed Donald Trump for his administration’s treatment of queer people.

Rapinoe appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss her big win at the World Cup, and to address the already brewing controversy over her taking a knee during the National Anthem. She had previously said she would kneel as a sign of solidarity with football player Colin Kaepernick, who knelt to protest the treatment of people of color by police.

Related: Trump fans adopted soccer star Kelley O’Hara as their hero. Then they watched this kiss.

Cooper offered Rapinoe a moment to address Trump directly. “Your message is excluding people,” she said. “You’re excluding me, you’re excluding people that look like me. You’re excluding people of color. You’re excluding Americans that maybe support you. I think that we need to have a reckoning with the message that you have and what you’re saying about Make America Great Again. I think that you’re harkening back to an era that was not great for everyone. It might have been great for a few people and maybe America’s great for a few people right now but it’s not great for enough Americans in this world, and … you have an incredible responsibility as the chief of this country to take care of every single person and you need to do better for everyone.”

She also defended her choice to protest during the National Anthem. “I think that taking care of others, standing up for yourself and other people if they don’t have the ability to do so, is very uniquely American. I think everyone in America would say that and I think we have a rich history and a pride in saying that in those words and often times in doing that in the world. I don’t think anybody can deny the horrors of racism and Jim Crow and mass incarceration and what’s happening on the southern border and gay rights and women’s rights. A lot of the people that disagree with me would benefit greatly from a world that is better for everyone…Protest is not comfortable, ever.”

www.queerty.com/trump-fans-just-cant-win-usas-world-cup-champions-20190710?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Noah Schnapp Speaks Out Over Speculation That His ‘Stranger Things’ Character Will Byers is Gay

Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp is speaking out about his character Will Byers’s sexual orientation after a line of dialogue in Season 3 suggested Will might be gay.

“It’s not my fault you don’t like girls,” says Finn Wolfhard’s character Mike to Schnapp’s Will in Episode 3, after the friends have spent a game of D&D talking about break-ups.

Said Schnapp to The Wrap: “It’s really up to interpretation. While all the characters were out developing and growing up, Will was in the Upside Down and he was alone there, not interacting with or connected to his friends or the rest of the world. And when he got back, he expected everything to just go back to how it was before, how it was when he was normal and when he was a kid and he wanted to go back to the basement and play D&D. … You see in Episode 3, he just wants to play D&D in the basement, and now all of his friends have girlfriends and they are dating. And it’s kind of, when you hear Mike say that line, it’s really up to the audience to interpret it.”

Speculation about Will’s sexuality has been going on since 2016. Said Schnapp at the time: “I’m only 12 but I do know we all relate to being different. And that’s why I think the Duffers wrote the show the way they did. So you can ask all these questions. I hope the real answer never comes out!”

The post Noah Schnapp Speaks Out Over Speculation That His ‘Stranger Things’ Character Will Byers is Gay appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Noah Schnapp Speaks Out Over Speculation That His ‘Stranger Things’ Character Will Byers is Gay

Pose Reminds Us to Show up for Our Transgender Family

** Warning: This article contains spoilers for “Pose.” **

While FX’s “Pose” may be set in 1990 this season, the themes resonate nearly 30 years later. Last night’s episode was a poignant send-off to Candy Ferocity, played by the incomparable Angelica Ross, a Black transgender actor and entrepreneur. 

A moment of silence for our friend, our sister, our Mother, Miss Candy Ferocity. @AngelicaRoss #PoseFX

— PoseFX (@PoseOnFX) July 10, 2019

“It is with a heavy heart that we tell this very real story,” wrote Janet Mock, a lead creator behind the show, in a tweet. “People ask, “Why Candy?” Well it’s because it’s happening to so many trans women of color like her, and these women are the center of our show.” 

If you aren’t familiar with the groundbreaking series, “Pose” is set in New York City and juxtaposes the house/ball scene against the tumultuous political and social climate of the ’80s and ’90s. 

Candy is killed while engaging in survival sex work, struggling for enough money to provide food and pay the rent to support her house. Mock encouraged viewers to channel their mourning for the character into action for “other Candy girls,” drawing attention to the similarities of today’s  lived experiences of far too many transgender women of color.

“Gays have rights, lesbians have rights, men have rights, women have rights, even animals have rights. How many of us have to die before the community recognizes that we are not expendable?” -Octavia St. Laurent #PoseFX

— PoseFX (@PoseOnFX) July 10, 2019

“Now that this episode has aired, I hope to continue speaking in interviews and bringing context to Candy’s story, helping others realize that this is not just a piece of fiction, but very real for many trans women today,” said Ross, in an interview with Out Magazine. 

Fun Fact: Candy’s funeral was a real sad & emotional moment because at this time 3 black transwomen died this very week. And we felt their loss in that very room. #PoseFX

— �� T A T I A N N A ™️ (@thaofficialtati) July 10, 2019

At its heart, Pose is a show about family, showing the ways that we can build and choose a community that loves and values us for exactly who we are. With Candy’s biological parents initially unwilling to recognize their daughter’s truth, her chosen family from across houses fight to claim her body and give her the send-off she deserves.

Fans and members of the show alike took to social media to share their reactions to the moving episode.

This was not easy for us to do, but we had to address the ongoing issue of violence against trans women, especially trans women of color. #PoseFX pic.twitter.com/z4qRKiXGNU

— Our Lady J (@ourladyj) July 10, 2019

I cried my eyes out tonight at the the viewing party for #PoseFX brava @angelicaross. Just brilliant!

— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) July 10, 2019

Miss Candy’s story is all too real for Black trans girls and women. We’re always checking in on each other because we never know which moment could be our or our sister’s last. #PoseFX

— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) July 10, 2019

I knew that at some point one of these women was going to meet a violent end. It’s the reality of what happened, and what *still* happens today. Makes me sad and sick. But this show is doing such important work in telling these stories. ������ @PoseOnFX #PoseFX

— Matt Smith McCormick (@NaughtyOrNiche) July 10, 2019

The episode was a heart-wrenching reminder of the epidemic of violence against transgender people — particularly transgender women of color — a crisis that has gone on for far too long.

“So many of the women that are being killed are footnotes,” said show-runner Ryan Murphy in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “They’re not seen in life and they’re not seen in death, and they’re not appreciated, and their murders and their deaths go uninvestigated, and they’re a blip in the newspaper one day, or online, and they’re gone the next.”

Just this year, we know of the deaths of at least 11 Black transgender women, four of whom were killed in the last month alone.

“Don’t waste your energy missing me,” urges Candy in the episode. “Spend that energy on a Candy girl out there. Beautify her in my stunning image.” 

Chyna Gibson was the Candy Girl in my life. Murdered February 25, 2017 in New Orleans. 2 months before my wedding that she was scheduled to be in and 3 months before her reassignment surgery. She was so close. I miss her everyday. #POSEFX pic.twitter.com/5xoyzgpp34

— RustinBrother (@HarrisonGuy) July 10, 2019

Thank you to the cast and crew of “Pose” for telling such a powerful story and reminding us to show up for our Black transgender family — not just in death but also in life.

And we toast.
We toast to Candy.
We toast to life.
We toast to family. #PoseFX pic.twitter.com/KoQb31I7QK

— PoseFX (@PoseOnFX) July 10, 2019

To Candy and to all the Candy girls.

www.hrc.org/blog/pose-reminds-us-to-show-up-for-our-transgender-family?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed