Sam Smith announces they’re joining Sydney Mardi Gras line-up

Sam Smith announces they’re joining Sydney Mardi Gras line-up
The event is one of the biggest, annual LGBTQ gatherings in the world. Also confirmed to perform at this year’s event is fellow Brit, Dua Lipa, and the US singer, Kesha.

www.queerty.com/sam-smith-announces-theyre-joining-sydney-mardi-gras-line-20200123?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Gay Teen Brutally Murdered in Possible Hate Crime in Rural Louisiana: VIDEO

Gay Teen Brutally Murdered in Possible Hate Crime in Rural Louisiana: VIDEO

A black, gay high school senior was reportedly found tied up and shot to death in a wooded area near Varnado, Louisiana, on Jan. 12. 

Now, an attorney for the family of 17-year-old Ja’Quarius Taylor says he believes the murder was a hate crime based on race and sexual orientation. 

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“The family has a legal team to help ensure a full, fair, and just investigation is happening,” the attorney told WWL Eyewitness News. “We hope the FBI will get involved because of the perceived conflicts of interest and family relations the local sheriff may have. We’re looking at this as a hate crime based on the race and sexual orientation of Ja’Quarius Taylor.”

Taylor’s mother reported him missing after she woke up last Sunday morning and he was not home, which she said was unusual. A short time later, a worker who was headed to check water levels at a nearby lake discovered Taylor’s body. Last week, a dive team searching for evidence in the lake reportedly made a “significant discovery.”

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Ja’Quarius, known as “Jay D,” played drums in the band at Varnado High School and would have been among the first people in his family to attend college, according to his mother. His classmates staged an emotional candlelight vigil on Saturday, and he was remembered during the local MLK Day Parade.

The Human Rights Campaign identified Taylor as gay in its AM Equality newsletter Wednesday, and HRC President Alphonso David tweeted about the case:

This apparent hate crime is horrific. The family of Ja’Quarius Taylor believes he was targeted because he was Black and gay. We join his loved ones in mourning & in demanding a thorough investigation by law enforcement.t.co/BCQ4eAYWD3

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) January 22, 2020

Dylan Waguespack, public policy director at the True Colors Fund, also chimed in:

He was found tied up and shot in the swamp in Angie. You won’t see this on the news because law enforcement is keeping it close to the vest. His family wants the world to know what happened to their child and for everyone to join them in calling for justice. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/ojWaVnhpjc

— Dylan says Trans Rights (@DylanMercury) January 19, 2020

Watch an interview with Taylor’s mother here, and watch WWL’s latest report below.

There’s a reward of $5,000 for info leading to the arrest & indictment of who murderd Ja’Quarius.

Any person who has info is asked to call Crimestoppers anonymously at (504) 822-1111, or go online at t.co/uaQeRAsT2i #JusticeforJD #JusticeforJayD #LGBT #BlackLivesMatter

— Jesse Brace (They/Them/Their & Transgender) (@BraceJesse) January 22, 2020

The post Gay Teen Brutally Murdered in Possible Hate Crime in Rural Louisiana: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Gay Teen Brutally Murdered in Possible Hate Crime in Rural Louisiana: VIDEO

Tinder Introduces Safety-Focused Updates

Tinder Introduces Safety-Focused Updates

Tinder Introduces Safety-Focused Updates

Tinder expands efforts through an industry-first personal safety feature, a dedicated safety center and photo verification technology

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23, 2020 – Tinder today announced a slate of new features using cutting edge technology dedicated to safety. These include an integration with personal safety app Noonlight, which will offer a first-of-its-kind safety service that connects users to personal emergency services; Photo Verification, which will compare a posed photo taken in real-time to profile photos, which can help verify a match’s authenticity and increase trust in member profiles; and a robust, easily accessible in-app Safety Center.

“Every day, millions of our members trust us to introduce them to new people, and we’re dedicated to building innovative safety features powered by best-in-class technology that meet the needs of today’s daters,” said Elie Seidman, CEO of Tinder. “I’m proud to share these updates, which represent an important step in driving our safety work forward at an unmatched scale.”

Among the features announced today is an integration with Noonlight for Tinder members in the U.S. The on-demand integration will allow members to share details about upcoming dates via Noonlight’s Timeline feature, including who they are meeting, where and when, with the ability to easily and discreetly trigger emergency services if they are feeling uneasy or in need of assistance via the Noonlight app.

“Noonlight acts as a silent bodyguard in situations when you’re alone or meeting someone for the first time,” said Brittany LeComte, Co-founder and CCO, Noonlight. “Now, through our integration with Tinder, it can serve as a quick backup for daters, helping to deter bad behavior and helping members meet matches with more confidence. It’s a first-of-its-kind added security measure to help protect Tinder members even when they’ve taken their interactions off the app into real life.”

Tinder Introduces Safety-Focused Updates

Photo Verification is also rolling out on Tinder, ensuring that every match is who they say they are. The feature allows members to self-authenticate through a series of real-time posed selfies, which are compared to existing profile photos using human-assisted AI technology. Verified profiles will display a blue checkmark so members can trust their authenticity. The feature is currently testing in select markets and will continue becoming more widely available throughout 2020.

Tinder Introduces Safety-Focused Updates

Tinder will also equip daters with a comprehensive Safety Center, an evolving section of the app dedicated to keeping members informed about these features while providing resources and tools. Available at members’ fingertips via the main menu and chat, it was developed in collaboration with the Match Group Advisory Council and is launching in the US, UK, France and Germany soon — before being localized for additional markets throughout the year. In the future, the content within the Safety Center will be personalized to provide the most relevant experience for daters.

Tinder Introduces Safety-Focused Updates

These features are also being rolled out across Match Group’s portfolio of dating platforms over the coming months. For more information, please see Match Group’s press release here.

Finally, Tinder is rolling out a feature to members in select markets that detects whether an offensive message has been sent. Does This Bother You? is powered by machine learning and aided by the Tinder community, putting power in the hands of its members. When a Tinder member responds ‘yes’ to the “Does This Bother You?” prompt, after receiving a potentially inappropriate message from a match, they will have the option to report the person for their behavior. Similar technology also plays a role in Undo, an upcoming feature that will ask Tinder members if they’d like to take back a message containing potentially offensive language before it’s sent.

About Tinder
Tinder was introduced on a college campus in 2012 and is the world’s most popular app for meeting new people. It has been downloaded more than 340 million times and is available in 190 countries and 40+ languages. As of Q3 2019, Tinder had nearly 5.7 million subscribers and was the highest grossing non-gaming app globally.

About Noonlight
Noonlight uses advanced technology to protect and comfort people so they can live freely. Launched in 2013 as a mobile application, Noonlight has since grown into a connected safety platform — partnering with products and services to enable safety and emergency response capabilities for their customers via a proprietary API. Noonlight’s technology works everywhere in the United States, allowing users to quickly get help in any situation, without requiring a 911 call or the ability to talk or text. For more information visit www.noonlight.com.

Media Contacts
Tinder Communications
[email protected]

blog.gotinder.com/tinder-introduces-safety-updates/