Protesters to Greet Anti-LGBTQ Evangelist Franklin Graham in Key West
Anti-LGBTQ evangelist Franklin Graham will visit Key West on Thursday night as part of his ““Decision America Sunshine State Tour.”
Not surprisingly, residents of the heavily LGBTQ island city are planning a protest. From the Facebook page: “Please join us to celebrate and let the world know that we do not support hate of any kind towards the LGBT community. Franklin Graham will be speaking at the Key West Amphitheater and preaching his well known hatred towards the LGBT community. We will be gathering to let both Graham and his followers that we do not accept that attitude and show them what Key West truly stands for.”
Graham told the Miami Herald he welcomes the protesters: “I’m not coming down to talk against them,” Graham said Thursday, en route to Key West. “I wouldn’t do that.” But Graham has condemned homosexuality as a sin. “That’s what God calls it,” he said. “I don’t call it that. That’s what God’s word is. I’m not going to Key West to preach against anybody. I”m going to tell everyone how they can have a relationship with God through faith in his son, Jesus Christ.”
Graham went on to compare homosexuality to adultery, lying, stealing and having pride. “I’m sure a lot of people in Key West have committed adultery,” he said.
Graham, who voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, claims although his tour is called “Decision America,” it’s not designed to support the president’s re-election campaign.
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What to watch: Russia’s queer underground, a closet case killer and a gay war romance
‘Sex Education’
Stepping out on a movie date this weekend? Netflix and chillin? Whatever your entertainment needs, we got your back (and hopefully your mind) with Queerty’s weekly “Culture Club” column with some of the highlights of new releases, streaming shows, classics worth revisiting, and what to drink while you watch.
The Destination: A Worm in the Heart
Director Paul Rice and his boyfriend Liam braved the wilds of Russia to make this documentary about the nation’s homophobia. As the pair traverse the nation via the Trans-Siberian Railroad, they encounter the underground network of LGBTQ patriots determined to make Russia safe for queer people. Rice also discovers the reasons behind the country’s recent attacks on the community…which should sound eerily familiar to anyone who lived through the Bush years in the United States. Filmmaking rarely gets this harrowing.
World premiere at the Santa Barbara Film Festival January 17.
The Giggle: Sex Education Season 2
The celebrated Netflix comedy returns this week, once again following the misadventures of the British teen Otis (Asa Butterfield) as he tries to survive the perils of high school…and all his friends’ questions about sex. Gillian Anderson continues to steal her scenes as Otis’ sex therapist mom, and this season also sees Otis have a romance of his own. Unfortunately, it also sees an outbreak of chlamydia at school…which sends parents reeling and students rushing for surgical masks. As a series that both glorifies the joy of sex–and lampoons ignorance surrounding it–Sex Education has no shortage of laughs.
Streams on Netflix January 17.
The Shocker: Killer Inside
How does a murderer go on to play for the NFL on a $40 million contract and manage to be a raging closet case? Killer Inside examines the tabloid rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez, the New England Patriots star player convicted of murdering his friend Odin Lloyd. The new series offers insight into the lives of both Lloyd and Hernandez, told through the eyes of friends, family, and a treasure trove of interviews, home movies, court video and recorded phone calls. The documentary series argues that several forces shaped Hernandez into a monster that perpetrated this nightmare, including abusive parents, drug dependency, brain injury, the cult of football and yes, his suppressed homosexuality. Former Patriots player & gay activist Ryan O’Callaghan is on hand to offer his own insight to living in the NFL’s closet, as does Hernandez’s former high school teammate…and secret boyfriend. It’s a bombshell about a time bomb, chock full of shocker after shocker.
Streams on Netflix January 15.
The Unexpected: Everything’s Going to Be OK
Aussie comic Josh Thomas returns to the small screen with this new Freeform sitcom about Nicholas, a gayman forced to take guardianship of his teenage sisters after the death of their father. Much as with his previous outing, Please Like Me, Thomas injects the series with his rambling humor and observations about gay life. The masterstroke, however, comes in the form of Nicholas’ sisters, the frumpy Genevieve (Maeve Press) and the autistic Matilda (Kayla Cromer), who bring a certain gravity to the story. Ditto Nicholas’ boyfriend Alex (Adam Faison), who becomes an ironic coparent to the girls. Darker and less sentimental than most traditional sitcoms, Everything’s Going to Be OK cements Thomas as a creative force, and fortunately, entertains every moment of its first season.
Streams on Freeform & Hulu January 17.
The Quickie: Sunset
Directors Katie Ennis & Gary Jaffe helm this short film about a gaycouple on the eve of World War II. Just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the duty-driven spars with his boyfriend Arnie over the question of fighting for a nation that classifies their love as a psychological illness. What happens when intersectionality brings conflict? Which level of identity takes priority? Sunset raises moral questions in a romanticized context, and imagines a conversation many queer couples, no doubt, had the morning after December 7, 1941. To paraphrase Cheryl Dunye, sometimes we have to create our history to find what was lost.
Streams on YouTube.
The Sip: The Pearl Harbor
In honor of Sunset‘s romance, why not imbibe a delicious combination of vodka and pineapple destined to recall the sunshine of Hawaii. It’ll make the bittersweet romance of the short a bit easier to swallow…and help blot out the memories of the godawful romance of Pearl Harbor.
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce Midori
4 ounces pineapple juice
Mix vodka & Midori in a glass over ice. Stir. Fill the rest of the way with pineapple juice. Garnish with pineapple or a cherry.
Trump to Mark ‘National Religious Freedom Day’ With School Prayer Guidance, Oval Office Celebration
Hours after his impeachment trial formally begins, President Donald Trump will celebrate “National Religious Freedom Day” with an event in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon featuring school-age children.
In conjunction with the event, the administration plans to unveil new guidance affirming school prayer, as well as several administrative rules protecting churches and religious organizations.
POLITICO reports: States would be required to report instances in which the right to pray has been denied in public schools under new guidance on religious freedom to be rolled out Thursday by the administration, as President Donald Trump works to bolster his backing among evangelicals following calls for his removal by a leading Christian magazine. Separately, the administration in a proposed rule is also moving to protect the rights of religious student groups at public universities, senior officials said on a call with reporters Thursday morning. “This places religious student groups on equal footing with secular student groups at public institutions of higher education,” an official said, speaking on background.
More from BuzzFeed News: “Religious freedom” has become a tool-of-choice for the Trump administration to enact numerous new policies that allow discrimination in the name of constitutionally protected beliefs and cut loopholes in federal civil rights policies. In 2019, for example, the Department of Labor proposed a regulation to let businesses with federal contracts cite religious objections as a valid reason to discriminate against their workers on the basis of LGBTQ status, sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, and other characteristics. The same year, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights said it would allow faith-based foster care and adoption agencies receive federal funds funds, even if they refuse same-sex parents.
HRC — SENATE MUST ENSURE THOROUGH, FAIR IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF TRUMP: “This is a nation of laws, built on a promise in the Constitution that no one is above accountability — especially those elected to serve the American public,” said HRC President Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid). “The Senate’s constitutional role in adjudicating the President’s actions is vital in preserving this accountability. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and all Senators have a duty to ensure this trial is conducted with full transparency and includes all witnesses and presentation of other evidence necessary to uncover the truth. The American people deserve leaders who uphold the rule of law, and that includes the president of the United States.” More from HRC.
The Senate has a duty to ensure this trial is conducted with full transparency & includes all witnesses & presentation of other evidence. The American people deserve nothing less. t.co/QE3SAFoHt8
CRITICAL NEW HIRES EXPAND HRC’S IMPACT: HRC has hired Tori Cooper (@MsToriCooper1) as Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, Michael Vazquez (@mvsebastian) as Director of HRC Foundation’s Religion and Faith Program, Jason Starr (@jasonestarr) as Litigation Director and Elizabeth Bibi (@elizlbibi) as Senior Advisor for Communications, New York. Starr and Bibi will work out of HRC’s newly-launched office in New York. Said HRC President Alphonso David: “These talented advocates will dramatically enhance the Human Rights Campaign’s impact in the courts, our communities, in houses of worship and throughout the media.” More from Politico Playbook
*Not going to say some personal news*
*Not going to say some personal news*
“CORRUPT BACK CHANNEL” — ANTI-LGBTQ GROUP “CATHOLIC VOTES” HOSTS RECEPTION AT TRUMP HOTEL: “The reality is Catholic voters overwhelmingly support full non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people,” HRC President Alphonso David saidin comments to the Washington Post. “[T]he fact that this corrupt back channel exists in the first place is the deeper problem.” More from Jonathan O’Connell (@OConnellPostbiz) at The Washington Post.
STEPHEN MILLER IS STILL A WHITE NATIONALIST: In leaked emails, Trump’s senior White House adviser used several white nationalist talking points, claiming, for example, that immigrants would “replace existing demographics” and showing continued support of birthright citizenship. More from HuffPost.
You hate to see it — Trump campaign hire has suuuuuper anti-LGBTQ history: Jenna Ellis, Trump’s new senior legal advisor for his re-election campaign, called the Stonewall Inn’s designation as a national monument a “celebration of sin” and testified in support of the dangerous practices of so-called “conversion therapy.” More from NBC
THIRD ARREST MADE IN CHRISTMAS EVE KILLING OF BRONX GAY MAN: The victim, Juan Fresnada, 60, was killed on Christmas Eve after leaving a McDonald’s with his partner. More from Gay City News.
CHICAGO MAYOR’S OFFICE TO BEGIN YEAR-LONG STUDY INTO SETTING ASIDE CONTRACTS FOR LGBTQ-OWNED BUSINESSES: In a speech, Lori Lightfoot shared her experience as a Black lesbian, and said the “pie is big enough to slice it in lots of other ways.” The city has similar programs for minority- and women- owned businesses. More from the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun Times.
2020 STATEHOUSE ROUNDUP
VIRGINIA TRANS WOMAN DESCRIBES HOW PROPOSED NONDISCRIM PROTECTIONS WOULD CHANGE HER LIFE: The Virginia Values Act would modernize the state’s human rights laws and provide nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people in public employment and housing and also create nondiscrimination protections in private employment and public accommodations for all Virginians. More from WTVR.
NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES BILL TO BAN ANTI-LGBTQ “PANIC DEFENSE”: It now heads to Gov. Phil Murphy to sign into law. More from NJ.com.
BIPARTISAN KENTUCKY BILL TO PROTECT YOUTH FROM DANGEROUS “CONVERSION THERAPY”: More from Lexington Herald Leader.
TRANSPHOBIC BILL IN SOUTH DAKOTA WOULD BLOCK MINORS FROM LIVE-SAVING CARE: “(Transgender) kids and families should be given the opportunity to thrive in South Dakota,” Libby Skarin, policy director for the ACLU of South, said in a statement. “This legislation only stands to harm them and make their lives harder.” More from The Associated Press.
ANTI-LGBTQ MISSOURI LAWMAKERS SEEK TO BAN TRANS STUDENTS FROM PARTICIPATING IN SPORTS: The bill would force trans students to participate in sports based on the gender listed on their birth certificate. More from St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
DC COUNCIL PROPOSAL WOULD UPDATE DISTRICT CODE WITH GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: More from Fox 5 DC.
OPENLY TRANS VA DELEGATE DANICA ROEM TALKS ABOUT HER VOTE TO RATIFY THE ERA: The Virginia Assembly voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment yesterday. More from WFIR.
GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS
SHOCKING NEW REPORT FINDS THAT MORE THAN 300 HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES WERE KILLED IN 2019: More from The Guardian.
READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
South Florida Gay News interviews LGBTQ advocates helping relief efforts following Puerto Rico’s recent earthquake; The Bay Area Reporter reviews ChoirMaster, a new book with LGBTQ themes; them. previews upcoming Netflix shows and movies with LGBTQ temes
