China Takes Extreme Measures as Deadly Coronavirus Spreads: VIDEO

China has locked down three cities with a combined population of 20 million in an unprecedented effort to contain the deadly coronavirus. As of Thursday, the virus had killed 17 people and infected more than 634.

The Wall Street Journal reports: On Thursday, authorities in Huanggang—a city of 7.5 million people—said they wouldn’t let long-distance trains and buses run from the urban center and would shut its public transportation system in the lockdown zone, effective midnight Friday local time. Ezhou, another neighboring city with just over a million residents, said it would enact similar restrictions, bringing the total number of cities with travel restrictions to three. Huanggang is about 35 miles east of Wuhan, a city of 11 million and a major hub for travel, where the new pneumonia-causing coronavirus originated. Wuhan just hours earlier halted outbound trains and flights and shut down its public-transportation system.

The Chinese capital of Beijing has also canceled all large-scale Chinese New Year celebrations.

More from the Associated Press: Police, SWAT teams and paramilitary troops guarded Wuhan’s train station, where metal barriers blocked the entrances at 10 a.m. sharp. Only travelers holding tickets for the last trains were allowed to enter, with those booked for later trains being turned away. … Health authorities were taking extraordinary measures to prevent additional person-to-person transmissions, placing those suspected to be infected in plastic tubes and wheeled boxes where air passed through filters. … WHO plans another meeting of scientific experts Thursday on whether to recommend declaring the outbreak a global health emergency, which it defines as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.

The post China Takes Extreme Measures as Deadly Coronavirus Spreads: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

China Takes Extreme Measures as Deadly Coronavirus Spreads: VIDEO

HRC to Honor Genre Bending Artist Janelle Monáe with the HRC Equality Award at the 2020 LA Dinner

Today, HRC announced that award-winning singer, actor, producer, performer, and activist Janelle Monáe will be honored with the HRC Equality Award at the 2020 HRC Los Angeles Dinner on Saturday, March 28 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. 

“A highly celebrated and influential artist, Janelle Monáe is an icon who has used her global platform to share a message of celebrating authenticity and embracing all of who we are,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Through her activism on initiatives that work to inspire civic engagement and advance gender justice, Janelle has been a guiding force for positive change. We are incredibly excited to honor Janelle Monáe with the HRC Equality Award at the 2020 Los Angeles Dinner.”

As a “queer Black woman in America,” Janelle Monáe has been a powerful voice on the importance of LGBTQ visibility and representation. In releasing her 2018 album “Dirty Computer”, which was nominated for two Grammy awards, she dedicated the album to young LGBTQ people struggling to live their authentic selves. “I want young girls, young boys, nonbinary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracized or bullied for just being their unique selves, to know that I see you,” Monáe told Rolling Stone.   

An 8-time Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, producer, performer, activist, actor and fashion icon, Janelle Monáe is one of the most celebrated artists of our time and is known worldwide for her inimitable style and visionary sound. This spring Monáe will star in her first leading role in the upcoming social thriller Antebellum. She will also lead her first television series as “Jackie” in season 2 of Amazon’s critically acclaimed series from Sam Esmail, Homecoming.  Later this year, Monáe will appear in upcoming Gloria Steinem biopic The Glorias: A Life on the Road, in which she plays Dorothy Pitman Hughes. She most recently appeared in Kasi Lemmon’s acclaimed film Harriet, for which she has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Her most recent album “Dirty Computer” was nominated for two Grammy awards in the categories of “Album of the Year” and “Best Music Video.” Monáe is currently a co-chair for When We All Vote, an organization dedicated to increase participation in every election and close the race and age gap by changing the culture around voting, and leads the Fem the Future initiative with her artist collective Wondaland, the initiative empowers female media creatives and filmmakers and furthers the conversation about opportunity for all those who identify as women within arts, music, and film.

Set to take place at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, the 2020 HRC Los Angeles Dinner, the first since HRC opened its Los Angeles office, brings together HRC’s most active members and supporters in the greater Los Angeles area to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ equality. Tickets and further information are available at www.hrcladinner.com/

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-to-honor-genre-bending-artist-janelle-monae-with-the-hrc-equality-award?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Katie Sowers Will Be First Woman, First LGBTQ Coach in Super Bowl

The offensive assistant with the San Francisco 49ers is making history.

www.advocate.com/sports/2020/1/23/katie-sowers-will-be-first-woman-first-lgbtq-coach-super-bowl

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

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:

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

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

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