Mauritania Jails 10 Over Suspected Gay Wedding That Turned Out to Be a Birthday Party: WATCH

Authorities in Mauritania, where homosexuality is punishable by death, have arrested 10 in connection with a suspected same-sex wedding that turned out to be a birthday party.

The authorities opened their investigation after online video of the celebration sparked rumors that it was the country’s first same-sex wedding. Although police later determined it was a birthday party, the men remain jailed with no trial date.

Here’s the video:

The AP reports: Mauritania practices strict Islamic law known as Shariah and homosexuality is criminalized. If convicted, the men could face the death penalty though executions have not been carried out in more than a decade, according to Amnesty International. “It is a serious attack on the individual and collective freedom of these young people who have the right to display their difference and intimate preferences,” said Brahim Bilal, the president of a human rights organization in Mauritania.

More from Agence France-Presse: “The prosecutor’s office sent the young homosexual delinquents to prison to await judgment for acts contrary to morality, committing acts forbidden by Allah and circulating a ceremony of debauchery,” a source told AFP. Police commissioner Mohamed Ould Nejib, speaking on television, said investigators had established the party was “the birthday celebration of a homosexual” to which other gay men were invited. The 10 were detained “to help investigations”, he said.

The Node reports that Mauritanians reacted to the video by complaining that the number of homosexuals is increasing in the country, and demanding that the government impose harsher punishments: The Mauritanian blogger, Hamada El Bou, shared the video with a caption that says “if it was up to me, I’d put these two damned creatures in prison for life, where they never see the sun.” .. A Mauritanian blogger, Avatis Labat, shared the video of the said wedding, saying that she considers gay marriage “a crime that must be fought,” adding, “authorities, sheikhs and leaders of public opinion must take the necessary measures to stop this crime with the most severe penalties, in order to serve as an example for those who dare to do such a criminal act that is contrary to our religious and Islamic values.”

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Mauritania Jails 10 Over Suspected Gay Wedding That Turned Out to Be a Birthday Party: WATCH

HRC to Honor Actress Jamie Clayton, Teacher Sam Long at Time to THRIVE Conference

Today, HRC announced it will honor actress Jamie Clayton and Winchester, Colorado, high school biology teacher Sam Long during the organization’s seventh annual Time to THRIVE Conference, held February 14-16 at the Renaissance D.C. Downtown Hotel in Washington, D.C. Singer and songwriter Shea Diamond will perform at the Feb. 14 opening event, and U.S. Congresswomen Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) will speak at the conference.

Jamie Clayton is an actress who currently stars as Tess Van De Berg in Showtime’s “The L Word: Generation Q”. She is also known for her roles on two Netflix Original Series, Nomi Marks on “Sense8” and Sasha Booker on “Designated Survivor.” Clayton’s authentic performances have resonated with audiences, especially LGBTQ youth, throughout her acting career. In 2011, she was honored as one of Out magazine’s “Out 100.”

“Jamie Clayton has been blazing trails as an openly transgender actress with her exceptional work on ‘Sense8’ and ‘The L Word,’” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Her portrayal of transgender characters has given LGBTQ youth, especially transgender youth, someone to look up to and aspire to be. Jamie continues to inspire us through her visibility and willingness to speak out on behalf of LGBTQ youth everywhere, and we are proud to honor her at Time to THRIVE.”

Sam Long, a biology teacher at Standley Lake High School in Westminster, Colorado, is the co-founder of Colorado Transgender/Nonbinary Educators Network. The community-organizing group works to support  transgender and non-binary teachers and others working in the education system. Sam’s presence in the classroom as an openly transgender teacher, along with his advocacy work, sets an example for LGBTQ youth everywhere.

“Sam Long perfectly represents the values that Time to THRIVE stands for, and we’re thrilled to be honoring him at this year’s conference,” said David. “The conference was founded to provide training and resources to educators and other youth-service providers across the country, ensuring that they have the tools they need to teach and serve all youth. That’s exactly what Sam does every day in the classroom and beyond.”

Singer, songwriter and advocate Shea Diamond released her debut EP “Seen It All” through Asylum Records in 2018 and that same year performed at HRC’s National Dinner, and multiple HRC events across the country. A proud Black transgender woman from the South, she also participated in HRC’s Americans for the Equality Act video series last spring, which featured actors, athletes, influencers and musicians calling on Congress to advance the Equality Act.

“Shea Diamond’s powerful story and message of resilience and hope resonates with LGBTQ youth across the country,” said David. “Through her music, Shea uses her voice to amplify the experiences of her community, and to assert a truth that everyone needs to hear: that we all deserve our piece of the American Pie. We are so excited to welcome Shea at this year’s Time to THRIVE.”

In 2018, Congresswoman Angie Craig made history as the first openly lesbian and LGBTQ congressperson elected from Minnesota. Since her election, Craig has supported the Equality Act and has been a strong voice for the rights of all LGBTQ people. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has been a voice for equality since her election in 1991, championing protections for the LGBTQ community in Washington, D.C. Norton has also met with Black transgender activists to hear and respond to their concerns about the rise in violence against Black transgender women in D.C.

“Congresswomen Craig and Norton are key advocates for LGBTQ equality in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said David. “When LGBTQ youth hear from these leaders at Time to THRIVE, they will see the strength of their support in Congress and beyond. We are thrilled to welcome both of these strong and inspiring women to Time to THRIVE.”

HRC’s Time to THRIVE Conference is the premier event to promote safety, inclusion and well-being for LGBTQ and questioning youth. The event brings together a wide range of youth-serving professionals to discuss best practices for working with and caring for LGBTQ youth and their families in schools, community centers, health care settings and beyond. It is co-presented by the National Education Association and the American Counseling Association. BBVA Compass, AT&T and Toyota are presenting sponsors of the event.

The Time to THRIVE Conference features 65 workshops by more than 45 national and grassroots organizations dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ youth. HRC’s Youth Ambassadors will also be featured at the conference. Additional speakers and honorees will be announced at a later date. To register, visit www.TimeToTHRIVE.org.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-to-honor-actress-jamie-clayton-teacher-sam-long-at-time-to-thrive-confe?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Out, Advocate’s Executive Editors Endorse Elizabeth Warren

Out‘s Raquel Willis and The Advocate‘s Neal Broverman stand united in support of Warren, highlighting the presidential candidate’s stances on LGBTQ+ issues.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/1/31/out-advocates-executive-editors-endorse-elizabeth-warren

Senate to Acquit Trump Without Calling Witnesses: ‘This is a Coverup, Plain and Simple’ (VIDEO)

The Senate is expected to acquit Donald Trump as early as Friday after a key Republican member said he will vote against allowing witnesses in the president’s impeachment trial.

CNN’s Carl Bernstein, the famed Watergate reporter who once helped expose President Richard Nixon, said Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander’s announcement means Trump’s trial will go down as nothing but a coverup.

“They have covered up what the President of the United States has done in his grievous action when they had the the ability to find out more,” Bernstein said. “This is a cover-up, plain and simple. And there has been no attempt throughout this proceeding by the Republicans in this Senate of the United States — the so-called ‘world’s greatest deliberative body,’ which we now can see how deliberative it is — that we have seen now a really shameful episode in our history that’s going to read down for many, many years.”

The Washington Post reports: On Thursday, Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) said she will break with Republican leadership and vote to hear witnesses. But Collins still needs three other Republicans to vote with her if new evidence is to be allowed and it was unclear late Thursday night who, if anyone, in the party would join her. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) was considered a possible supporter of allowing testimony, but he announced Friday that he’s ready to end the trial even though he found Trump’s behavior “inappropriate” and leave the president’s fate in the hands of voters during the upcoming election. Some Republicans said they hope the trial will be completed Friday with a vote to acquit Trump. “We still feel very positive about it,” said Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the third-ranking Republican leader. “More and more members are saying, ‘I’m ready to go to a final [vote]. . . . I’ve heard enough.’ ”

More on Alexander’s announcement from Slate: Alexander conceded that Trump had done what the House’s first article of impeachment accused him of doing, abusing his power as president to try to extort Ukraine into harming his political rivals, and that that was “inappropriate.” However, he wrote, it was not enough of a reason for the Senate to remove Trump from office—and since the underlying question of Trump’s actions wasn’t in doubt, there was no reason to pry loose any more evidence to prove he did it. … It was, effectively, an endorsement of the so-what-if-he-did-it defense put forward by Trump’s attorney Alan Dershowitz on Wednesday. Although Trump tried to extract something of value from Ukraine by misusing his powers of office, the House did not deliver the charge to the Senate under the title of “bribery,” which allowed Alexander to dismiss it as not rising to the level of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” specified in the constitution.

Following his announcement, Alexander was blasted on Twitter as a “historic coward.”

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Senate to Acquit Trump Without Calling Witnesses: ‘This is a Cover-up, Plain and Simple’ (VIDEO)