California Governor Posthumously Pardons Gay Civil Rights Icon and MLK Confidant Bayard Rustin

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that he is pardoning gay civil rights icon Bayard Rustin, the close friend of Martin Luther King Jr. who helped organize King’s 1963 March on Washington.

The AP reports: “Gov. Gavin Newsom pardoned Rustin for his arrest in 1953 when he was found having sex with two men in a parked car in Pasadena. He was in town as part of a lecture tour on anti-colonial struggles in West Africa. He served 50 days in Los Angeles County jail and had to register as a sex offender before returning to his home state of New York. He died in 1987.”

The L.A. Times adds: “Newsom said the decision was inspired by calls from several state lawmakers to pardon black civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, a principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and a top adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.  Newsom said the clemency program will allow pardons for others who were subjected to discriminatory arrests and prosecutions that unjustly targeted LGBTQ Californians.”

Said Newsom in a statement: “In California and across the country, many laws have been used as legal tools of oppression, and to stigmatize and punish LGBTQ people and communities and warn others what harm could await them for living authentically. I thank those who advocated for Bayard Rustin’s pardon, and I want to encourage others in similar situations to seek a pardon to right this egregious wrong.”

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California Governor Posthumously Pardons Gay Civil Rights Icon and MLK Confidant Bayard Rustin

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: February 5, 2020

HISTORY IN THE MAKING — WITH MORE THAN 70% OF IOWA CAUCUS RESULTS IN, PETE BUTTIGIEG IS POISED TO BECOME FIRST OPENLY-LGBTQ MAJOR PARTY CANDIDATE TO FINISH AT OR NEAR TOP OF A PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST: “It’s extraordinary,” Buttigieg, speaking emotionally in New Hampshire, said of his slim lead in Iowa. “It also, I hope, means something to a lot of people wondering if they fit in, people who are different, people who don’t know if they belong in their community, or in their family. This is proof you can believe in yourself and in your country.” More from CNN. 

For the first time, an openly LGBTQ candidate put points on the board in a presidential contest. Truly a historic moment as results come in from the #IowaCaucuses.

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) February 5, 2020

THE DISSEMBLER-IN-CHIEF USES STATE OF THE UNION TO SEED HARMFUL LIES: During last night’s State of the Union, HRC highlighted Trump’s record on demonizing immigrants, cutting funding for HIV and AIDS and placing anti-LGBTQ judges on the bench at all levels. Read more of last night’s coverage on HRC’s Twitter.

HRC ENDORSES CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLYWOMAN CHRISTY SMITH FOR U.S. CONGRESS: Said HRC President Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid): “As a former school board president, Smith brought her unique experience to the California Assembly and became a champion for LGBTQ students. HRC is proud to endorse her bid and will work to ensure she joins the pro-equality majority in the House of Representatives.” More from HRC.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR — THIS FRIDAY, HRC TO HOST PANEL FOR NATIONAL BLACK HIV AND AIDS AWARENESS DAY: If you are a member of the press interested in attending, please contact [email protected]. 

This National Black HIV and AIDS Awareness Day, join @HRC, @NativeSonNow and @TheBodyDotCom for CommUNITY Voices, a discussion and listening session on health, faith and relationships. #NBHAAD

Join us → t.co/1Q2rCqXZmj pic.twitter.com/7r1d6TzIlF

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 5, 2020

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING WEDNESDAY — BILLY PORTER GIVES THE LGBTQ STATE OF THE UNION FOR LOGO: More from USA Today.

��️‍������ Billy Porter delivers the 2020 LGBTQ State of the Union, reflecting on the past year and looking ahead for the #LGBTQ+ community. ���� #SOTU #LGBTQSOTU @theebillyporter pic.twitter.com/NDWQSER396

— Logo ��️‍�� (@LogoTV) February 4, 2020

TRANS WOMEN TRANSFERRED OUT OF ICE DETENTION CENTER IN NEW MEXICO: The Sante Fe Dreamers Project, which is in regular contact with the women, say they have been transferred to two facilities, one in Colorado and one in Washington. More from Washington Blade.

IDAHO MAN FOUND GUILTY OF BRUTAL BEATING OF TRANS WOMAN IN A WOMAN’S BATHROOM IN OREGON: Fred Constanza, 37, was convicted of first-degree bias crime, second-degree assault and harassment, The Oregonian reported, for following Lauren Jackson into the women’s bathroom in an Oregon park and attacking her — shattering her jaw and fracturing her skull. More from The Oregonian.

LGBTQ CENTER IN DETROIT TO OPEN PERMANENT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FOR LGBTQ YOUNG ADULTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS: More from The Detroit News.

.@REC_Detroit’s new residential community aims to provide stable housing for LGBTQ people, especially trans women of color, ages 18-25. They offer shelter, access to primary care doctors and addiction and mental health counseling. t.co/HbiCGTFhyv

— HRC in Michigan (@HRC_MI) February 4, 2020

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT: The Virginia General Assembly recently ratified the amendment, taking a step forward in affirming the importance of equality under the law. This historic moment has been almost a century in the making, and HRC breaks down what’s happening. More from HRC. 

CALIFORNIA BILL WOULD REQUIRE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES TO CHANGE DIPLOMAS TO REFLECT CHOSEN NAMES OF TRANSGENDER GRADUATES: More from NBC Out. 

JESUIT FATHER JAMES MARTIN URGES CATHOLIC COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES TO ACTIVELY SUPPORT & WELCOME LGBTQ STUDENTS: More from Crux. 

HRC SEEKING APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER INTERNS: More from HRC.

GET CULTURED – Entertainment, arts and sports news!

NYT FEATURES TRANSMASCULINE ACTORS ON HOW THEY’RE CHALLENGING STANDARDS IN THE INDUSTRY: More from The New York Times.

• History-making article! According to the “New New York Times” Twitter bot, which flags when a word is first used in The Times, this article marks the first appearance of “transmasculinity.” 

transmasculinity

— New New York Times (@NYT_first_said) February 4, 2020

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

REPORT FROM ILGA-EUROPE SHOWS RISE OF ANTI-LGBTQ RHETORIC AND HATE CRIMES ACROSS EUROPE: More from Reuters.

CAMEROON ADVOCATES REOPEN SHELTER FOR VICTIMS OF ANTI-LGBTQ VIOLENCE: More from RightsAfrica.

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break! 

CBC speaks to Norma Lize about her work to help trans refugees in Vancouver; NPR reports on the renaming of a Brooklyn park to honor Marsha P. Johnson

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-february-5-2020?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Major HIV vaccine trial abandoned because the vaccine doesn’t work

In a blow to hopes for an HIV vaccine, a major trial has been abandoned because the vaccine being tested offered no effective protection. An interim, independent study found more people who had taken the vaccine went on to acquire HIV than those being administered a placebo.

The so-called HVTN 702 study was being led by the US’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Launched in 2016, it was the first HIV vaccine to enter this phase of testing in seven years. It recruited over 5,400 HIV-negative individuals aged 18-35 across 15 sites in South Africa.

The country has one of the highest incidences of HIV transmission in the world, with more than 50% of women aged 18-25 living with the virus.

Related: Scientists ‘optimistic’ about HIV vaccine – possibly even by 2021 

The vaccine moved on to this phase of testing after showing modest levels of protection in an earlier trial in Thailand. Researchers believed that although it only offered modest protection, this was better than no vaccine whatsoever, and therefore worth proceeding to the next stage of trials.

For this phase, the vaccine was modified slightly to target those strains of HIV most common in South Africa.

The trial has now been halted. An independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) followed up participants at least 18 months after they’d been enrolled. It found that there had been 252 HIV infections — 129 among vaccine recipients and 123 among placebo recipients. The DSMB did not express any concern regarding participant safety.

“An HIV vaccine is essential to end the global pandemic, and we hoped this vaccine candidate would work. Regrettably, it does not,” NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, said in a press statement.

“The people of South Africa have made history by answering this important scientific question. Sadly, we wish the answer was different,” HVTN 702 Protocol Chair Glenda Gray, MBBCH, FCPaed, said in the statement.

“We will continue to explore promising avenues for preventing HIV with other vaccines and tools, both in South Africa and around the world.”

In early December, Fauci was one of two leading HIV experts to express the hope that an HIV vaccine was in the pipeline. Besides the HVTN 702 study, two other vaccines are currently being trialed in humans: Imbokodo and Mosaico.

Related: Human trials for new HIV vaccine will start next year

Trials of Imbokodo began in South Africa began in 2017. Mosaico, which is a similar form of product to Imbokodo, began last November.

Both use a ‘mosaic’ of immunogens to provoke an immune response to a variety of different strains of HIV. They require six injections over four separate sessions.

While both are being trialed in South Africa, Mosaico will also be trialed in 3,800 gay men and trans people at 57 sites in the US, Latin America, and Europe.

www.queerty.com/major-hiv-vaccine-trial-abandoned-vaccine-doesnt-work-20200205?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Pete Buttigieg Chokes Up Over Iowa Results: ‘It Validates for a Kid …Wondering if He Belongs, or She Belongs, or They Belong’ — WATCH

Pete Buttigieg got emotional in a speech in Laconia, New Hampshire, reacting to the partial results of the delayed Iowa caucus vote which put him at the top of the slate of Democratic candidates for president.

“It validates the idea that we can expand,” said Buttigieg, “a coalition not only unified around who it is we’re against but around what it is that we’re for.”

Then Mayor Pete got choked up: “And it validates for a kid somewhere in a community …. wondering … if he belongs, or she belongs, or they belong, in their own family, that if you believe in yourself and your country, there’s a lot backing up that belief.”

On Wednesday morning, with 71 percent of Iowa precincts reporting, results showed Buttigieg leading Bernie Sanders by 1.6 percentage points.

The post Pete Buttigieg Chokes Up Over Iowa Results: ‘It Validates for a Kid …Wondering if He Belongs, or She Belongs, or They Belong’ — WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Pete Buttigieg Chokes Up Over Iowa Results: ‘It Validates for a Kid …Wondering if He Belongs, or She Belongs, or They Belong’ — WATCH

Michael Bloomberg on His LGBTQ Priorities

The presidential candidate and former mayor of New York lays out his LGBTQ platform for The Advocate.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/2/05/michael-bloomberg-his-lgbtq-priorities