Want to have fun on a cruise? Don’t have sex the first day, says popular radio host

Want to have fun on a cruise? Don’t have sex the first day, says popular radio host
What to bring, who to avoid, and always take the stairs: digital radio host Derek Hartley has some great insights for spending time at sea

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Hong Kong Elects Gay Councilman Jimmy Sham as Several Raging Homophobes Lose Races in Broad Pro-Democracy Win

Hong Kong Elects Gay Councilman Jimmy Sham as Several Raging Homophobes Lose Races in Broad Pro-Democracy Win

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she’ll reflect after a massive pro-Democracy vote in the first elections since the wave of protests against Beijing started, the BBC reports: “Seventeen of the 18 district councils are now controlled by pro-democracy councillors, according to local media. The election, the first since the wave of anti-Beijing protests began, saw an unprecedented turnout of more than 71%.”

Openly gay Jimmy Sham is elected #HongKong district councilman. He campaigned, seen here with me, using a cane after two attacks. Brazenly homophobic incumbents such as Holden Chow, Dominic Lee, Junius Ho & Vincent Cheng all lost their seats. What a day! #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/Nmb2w8AVMy

— Ray Chan (@ray_slowbeat) November 24, 2019

One of those winners was Jimmy Sham, the openly gay leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, an umbrella group of pro-democracy organizations,, who was attacked by a group of men with hammers during the campaign and still walks on crutches.

The NYT reports: “Ray Chan, a pro-democracy lawmaker who is gaycelebrated the victory of Mr. Sham, who is also gay, on a day that several establishment politicians who had opposed same-sex marriage and made homophobic comments had lost their district council races. Mr. Sham said that his own victory in the district race reflected a broader yearning for civic freedoms. ‘We are trying to listen to the demands of the people and to fight for their rights,’ he said.”

The post Hong Kong Elects Gay Councilman Jimmy Sham as Several Raging Homophobes Lose Races in Broad Pro-Democracy Win appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Hong Kong Elects Gay Councilman Jimmy Sham as Several Raging Homophobes Lose Races in Broad Pro-Democracy Win

Adoption is a Trans Issue

Adoption is a Trans Issue

Post submitted by Nia Clark, HRC Foundation All Children – All Families Trainer

November is National Adoption Month, a time to raise awareness of the thousands of children and youth in the U.S. who are awaiting adoption every year. 

For youth in foster care, being adopted into a loving and permanent family can be hard for many reasons. I entered foster care when I was 8-years-old. For years, the system failed to give me the supportive and affirming care I needed as an LGBTQ person.

When I was legally adopted at 16, I was just beginning to affirm myself as a young Black trans girl. However, I was forced to choose between my gender identity or having a permanent home and family. When I finally gathered the courage to tell my adoptive mother my truth, she terminated the adoption, just six months after my placement. I was forced back into foster care. 

Rather than allowing these experiences to negatively impact my outlook on the future, I decided to use my personal narrative to change the system as a child welfare advocate, practitioner and trainer for HRC Foundation’s All Children – All Families project.

Adoption is a trans issue, a bi issue, a pan issue an LGBTQ issue.

In my work as a trainer and educator, I help adoption and foster care professionals understand the issues faced by trans folks and the broader LGBTQ community and how being an LGBTQ-inclusive agency can affirm and sometimes save the lives of the youth they serve.

This National Adoption Month, it’s important to consider how LGBTQ people can make all the difference for these youth: as advocates, as prospective parents, as professionals and as a community that knows every child deserves a loving home.

HRC is making an impact by raising awareness of the discrimination and systemic obstacles LGBTQ youth as well as LGBTQ prospective parents face through educational resources and telling powerful stories, like those of Sam and Nakiya.

Every year more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care without being adopted.

Depending on the state in which they live, youth in the foster care system “age out” when they reach a certain age, or when they finish high school. When I aged out of the system at 22, I was homeless for more than three months. I had no safety net to fall back on and the foster care system didn’t equip me with the independent living skills I needed to survive. I had to learn how to do everything on my own. My story is far too common, and many of today’s youth face the same struggles I did.

Even as more and more stories of adoption or experiencing the foster care system come to light through shows like The Fosters or through people sharing their stories, overall awareness and understanding remains low. This month and every month, we must continue to raise awareness about foster care adoption among our friends, families and communities.

Join us to make a real difference by educating others.

Together, we can ensure that youth — especially those that are at the intersections of being Black and LGBTQ — are cared for and given the permanent families they deserve. That’s why HRC’s All Children – All Families project is so important to me. Change is made when we educate, empower and energize to help vulnerable communities. In honor of Trans Awareness Week and National Adoption Month, share this blog post and follow HRC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as they share these life-changing stories and resources.

If you’re interested in learning about the findings from HRC’s 2019 survey on LGBTQ adult experiences and perceptions of adoption. 

The public opinion information in this post comes from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoptions 2017 US Adoption Attitudes Survey conducted by Harris Poll.

Learn more about the work of All Children – All Families to promote LGBTQ cultural competency in adoption and foster care at hrc.org/acaf. Want to stay up-to-date on All Children – All Families resources and activities? Subscribe to “Field Forward,” the program’s monthly e-newsletter at hrc.im/field-forward.#NationalAdoptionMonth

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Gay dad who split from husband for daughter’s boyfriend reveals they’re planning to have kids

Gay dad who split from husband for daughter’s boyfriend reveals they’re planning to have kids

 

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A post shared by Tony Drewitt-Barlow (@drewittbarlow) on

The complicated lives of the Drewitt-Barlows has taken another twist. The wealthy gay dads rose to fame when they became the first same-sex couple in the UK to be legally recognized as joint parents 20 years ago.

The two men became dads to twins through the use of a surrogate in the US. Commercial surrogacy is not allowed in the UK. The men have since gone on to father three more kids. They relocated to a mansion in Tampa, Florida, in 2017.

The men, with a combined wealth of over $45million, and their kids have been featured on TV documentaries and have often commented on news shows on matters relating to surrogacy.

However, last week it was revealed that one of the dads, Barrie, 50, had decided to split with husband, Tony, 55, after falling head over heels for the ex-boyfriend of his 19-year-old daughter, Saffron. The two men had been together for 32 years.

Related: Wealthy gay dads split after one starts dating their teenage daughter’s ex-boyfriend

Besides dating Saffron, the younger man, Scott Hutchison, 25, was Barrie’s personal assistant for seven years. He is bisexual and says he never actually had a sexual relationship with Saffron.

 

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#family #gay #dads

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Barrie says that his relationship with husband Tony became more platonic around 2006 when Tony began undergoing gruelling treatment for cancer. He is currently in remission.

Speaking to the Daily Mail about his new relationship, Barrie Drewitt-Barlow says he is still living in the same house as his former partner and kids – along with Hutchinson. He says all involved are accepting of the change in circumstances.

“I don’t want there to be any secrets and I want to get any negativity out of the way before our babies arrive,” confided Barrie.

“Yes, it is unorthodox, but we are a loving family and our priority is to have a stable home for our kids and what is now an extended family.

“It works for us – and if people are shocked, well that’s their problem, not ours.”

Related: Gay dads who split so one could date daughter’s ex-bf shot a reality show pilot and it’s…something

He says that although he wasn’t planning to become a father again, Hutchinson is keen to enjoy parenthood. Having made part of their fortune from running their own surrogacy advisory service, Barrie thought: why not?

“Scott has always wanted to have a child of his own so I said if he wanted us to be parents together, I would support him in that and have a baby with him.”

They now plan to use their sperm to fertilize an egg each. They will take advantage of sex-selection procedures, “in the hope that we could try for daughters – princesses to spoil.”

 

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He says former partner Tony [pictured with the above] has given them his blessing and even agreed to be godfather to the children when they arrive.

“I wanted to make sure that Tony was going to be ok with it, especially as he is seriously ill and in need of constant care and attention himself.”

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