This Pandemic Exposed the Extreme Vulnerability of LGBTQ Youth
Many LGBTQ young people need a safety net during the COVID-19 outbreak. Here’s how you can help.
www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/4/07/pandemic-exposed-extreme-vulnerability-lgbtq-youth
Texas woman claimed COVID-19 is a media hoax & can be stopped by “faith.” Days later she died.
Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Endorses Joe Biden for President
Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) endorsed Joe Biden for president on Tuesday during a phone call with reporters.
Said Lewis, via CNN: “He has been a friend, a dear friend. He’s a man of courage, a man with a great conscience, a man of faith. He will be a great president. He will lead our country to a better place. He would inspire another generation to stand up, to speak up and to speak out, to be brave and to be bold. Joe Biden would not be afraid to stand up and preach the way of peace, the way of love, will not be afraid to preach the fight that we must respect the dignity and the worth of every human being. He can help us and will help us regain our way as a nation and as a people. … I have a few health problems now, but they will not be with me forever. I plan to travel around America to support him and be able to speak up and speak out for him,” he said. “I know what it is to campaign hard and to work hard, and I will be out there working and campaigning for Joe Biden as president of the United States of America.”
The post Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Endorses Joe Biden for President appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Endorses Joe Biden for President
#AM_Equality: April 7, 2020
“THE MOST MARGINALIZED ARE ALSO THE MOST AT RISK” — NEW VIDEO FROM NOWTHIS FEAT. HRC TELLS THE STORIES OF LGBTQ PEOPLE IMPACTED BY COVID-19: More from NowThis.
‘The most marginalized are also the most at risk’ — Here’s how COVID-19 is hitting LGBTQ+ extra hard
Learn more: t.co/ieOK61CfBZ pic.twitter.com/hD86e35RIp
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 6, 2020
AN UPDATE ON GENDER AFFIRMING CARE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: “We know that gender-affirming medical and surgical care are essential to the long-term well-being of our transgender and gender diverse patients, families and communities. Just because these procedures have currently been classified as non-urgent does not mean we consider them to be non-essential. As health care professionals, we also recognize that the postponement of these essential surgeries can take a dangerous mental health toll on our patients.” Read more from guest contributors Carl G Streed Jr. MD, MPH (@cjstreed) and Jennifer Siegel MD (@siegenatorJS) at the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at Boston Medical Center here.
TUESDAY TWEET — HRC PRESIDENT ALPHONSO DAVID SPEAKS WITH MTV NEWS TO DISCUSS TAKING THE ORG’S ACTIVISM VIRTUAL: “This crisis is going to have an impact on how people interact with each other, not only for purposes of political organizing and the elections, but generally,” David said (@AlphonsoDavid). “We have an obligation to make sure that we are protecting all disadvantaged and marginalized groups. And one of the keys to doing that is shifting to digital organizing to make sure that we can get the word out, we can get the messages out and we can keep people engaged.” Read more from Christianna Silva (@christianna_j) at MTV News.
Even as we adjust to this new reality, our activism does not stop. Read more about how @HRC is taking our fight for full equality online and what you can do to get involved. t.co/VdcPOMqpHj
— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) April 6, 2020
TRANS VISIBILITY MARCH TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY ON OCTOBER 3: More from Los Angeles Blade.
BRIDGING THE GAP: FINDING SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ PEOPLE IN THE GOSPELS: To mark Lent and Palm Sunday this year, HRC Religion and Faith Program Director Michael Vazquez (@mvsebastian) sat down with Jesuit Priest and Editor-at-Large of America Media, Father James Martin (@JamesMartinSJ). Read more of their conversation from HRC.
IN THE STATES
VIRGINIA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL INTO LAW TO OFFER AN ADDITIONAL “X” GENDER MARKER OPTION ON DRIVER’S LICENCES: More from HRC.
LGBTQ SENIOR LIVING FACILITY TO OPEN IN OHIO: More from Yahoo News.
GET CULTURED – Entertainment, arts and sports news!
SIMPLY THE BEST — HRC CELEBRATES “SCHITT’S CREEK,” WHOSE SERIES FINALE AIRS TONIGHT: While we have many reasons to love “Schitt’s Creek” — Moira’s wig wall being just one of them — it’s the show’s exploration of LGBTQ issues and characters that truly makes it such a standout. David Rose, played by Dan Levy (@danjlevy), breaks barriers by being one of television’s few openly pansexual characters. Read more from HRC.
GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS
ICYMI — HRC ON HUNGARY’S PROPOSED ANTI-LGBTQ LAW: “It is shameful that just a day after Hungary’s Parliament granted emergency powers to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to confront the global COVID-19 crisis, one of its first actions is to attack the transgender community,” said HRC Global Director Jay Gilliam. “This is just one example of how governments are restricting the freedoms and rights of LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities, unnecessarily putting lives at risk in the midst of a global pandemic.” More from HRC.
READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
BuzzFeed reports on how the LGBTQ community in the U.K. is supporting each other during COVID-19
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-april-7-2020?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Saying goodbye to ‘Schitt’s Creek’: A place where everybody fits in
I watch and rewatch a lot of television.
I genuinely cannot count the number of times I’ve rewatched The Golden Girls or Will & Grace. I’m a sucker for reruns; a creature of habit. Being able to instantly say “yes” when my best friend asks, “do you remember that scene-,” even before they go on to describe said scene, gives me the weirdest sense of accomplishment.
And in all of my TV watching, I have never watched something quite like Schitt’s Creek.
Schitt’s Creek follows the Rose family, a group of wealthy, popular socialites who own Rose Video – one of the largest video chains in North America. Until their business manager defrauds them and the government seizes most of their assets. The first episode of Schitt’s Creek opens with revenue agents knocking on the door of their mansion and ends with the Rose family living in the last thing they truly own—the town of Schitt’s Creek. The town was a joke that Johnny (Eugene Levy) had bought for his son, David (Dan Levy). The series follows the family as they rebuild their lives after moving into a run-down motel.
With the series finale of @SchittsCreek coming tomorrow , we wanted to ask all of the fans what moment from the show’s has been #SimplyTheBest in your eyes.
Tweet us your favorite moment, episode or character! pic.twitter.com/mUbegrU5gU
— GLAAD (@glaad) April 6, 2020
The Canadian sitcom first premiered on CBC Television in 2015 and is a production of Not a Real Company Productions. Created and executively produced by Eugene and Dan Levy, it features a range of impressive and experienced actors. Catherine O’Hara plays Moira Rose – an actor and the lovingly dramatic matriarch of the Rose family. Annie Murphy stars as Alexis Rose, her socialite daughter and someone whose confidence I aspire to one day have. The show and its cast went on to win 18 Canadian Screen Awards, be nominated for an Emmy, and become the first Canadian comedy series to win an MTV Movie & TV Award. Dan Levy also won the MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for his work in Schitt’s Creek.
Dan Levy has made waves as a queer actor, director, and activist in the past few years. Dan, who identifies as a gay man, is a Canadian actor who got his start as one of the original co-hosts on the Canadian series MTV Live. The portrayal of his character hit home for a lot of people.
In the first few episodes of Schitt’s Creek, we find out that David Rose identifies as pansexual. In a subtle but powerful metaphor, he compares his attraction to people to the types of wine that he’ll drink after being asked about it by his new friend, Stevie (Emily Hampshire). She says that she only drinks red wine (meaning men) and said she thought David was the same way. In one of the show’s most memorable scenes, David says that he does drink red wine but that he also drinks white wine and he likes “the wine, not the label.”
And while I would love to talk about the way the series beautifully explores David Rose and his romantic relationships, I want to keep this article spoiler-free. Just know you’re in for a beautiful ride.
The characters of Schitt’s Creek, especially the Rose family, never treat David and his relationships – or his sexuality – any differently. While accepting the Davidson/Valentini award from GLAAD at its annual San Francisco Gala in 2019, Dan Levy describes this acceptance and how it fit into his vision for the town. “It’s a place where acceptance incubates joy and creates a clarity that allows people to see themselves and each other more deeply,” Levy said. “It’s fiction, yes. But I’ve always been told to lead by example and this felt like a good place to start.” The show is currently up for a Best Comedy Series nomination again at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
I personally have seen Schitt’s Creek make its mark in all kinds of places. Through inspiring wholesome Facebook groups – like my favorite, ‘Schitt’s Creek Fans Shoot the Schitt’ – to weekly, wild watch parties at gay bars all over the country.
The storytelling which I, and countless others, have seen on the show is powerful. Storytelling in general – through shows, media, what we listen to, what we watch – is powerful. It’s how we grow, learn, heal. And the story Schitt’s Creek tells is one in which I’ve found a lot of solace.
As a gay and transgender man of color, I’ve never really seen myself fully depicted onscreen. I work to find glimpses – bits and pieces of stories to speak to me and my experiences. Through that, though, I’ve gotten used to dealing with different quips and jokes at the expense of some part of my identity.
I don’t have to do that with Schitt’s Creek. I see glimpses of my experiences in David; in a wonderfully touching coming out episode and in lessons in learning how to not care about what people think about you. The show’s fast-paced, sometimes wonderfully dry humor doesn’t work off punching down or taking jabs at marginalized groups. It’s just genuinely good. And all in all, it feels like a place where I would fit in.
Daniel Camacho is a GLAAD Campus Ambassador and senior at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign studying Computer Science and Linguistics. He has been involved with and running intersectional activist groups – specifically for queer and trans people-of-color – for almost all of his undergraduate career. He also strives to advocate for LGBTQ+ representation and rights in the expanding field as a campus ambassador for the O4U Tech Conference and as an active member of OSTEM.
www.glaad.org/amp/saying-goodbye-schitts-creek-a-place-where-everybody-fits-in
Conference Cock
Views: 144
Rating: 100
Duration: 241
"Conference Cock" Added: 2020-04-07, Duration: 241, Rating: 100, Views: 144
Dance instructor slays with his kitchen quarantine fashion displays
A dancer and model who works between New York City and North Carolina has seen one of his social media postings from quarantine go viral.
In it, Conor McKenzie, while confined to home, he shares the fact he’s been tempted to raid the fridge more than usual (something we can probably all relate to!). To brighten his day, he started styling the blanket he’s been wearing in different ways.
Related: 21 highly relatable memes about life in quarantine
The result is a catwalk-inspired video clip, with Conor showing off half a dozen different looks he created from the one piece of material.
“Me going to the fridge 87 times a day,” he captioned the video. “CATEGORY IS: SELF ISOLATION SERVE 
Y’all, I’m so proud. I made all of these looks using one blanket!”
The video has had over 4million views on Facebook and prompted thousands of comments.
He followed it up on Sunday with “blanket couture PART TWO!”
He adds, “On a serious note though, I’ve had so much fun playing around creating these looks. It’s been a great distraction for me and I’m so happy it’s made so many of you smile during this difficult time. If you create your own blanket couture be sure to tag me so I can see! sending so much love to everyone!”
Related: Leslie Jordan trying to avoid going stir crazy is all of us right now
When not playing around with blankets in quarantine, Conor runs a variety of dance and exercise classes, including stretching tutorials – which is probably why he has the most amazingly flexible body.
He recommends stretching as a gentle form of exercise that everyone can explore if they’re stuck at home, and is currently running regular, live stretching classes via his Instagram page.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Exits, Never Having Briefed the Press
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham is headed back to her job as Melania Trump’s Chief of Staff without ever having given a press briefing.
CNN reports that Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows is shaking thing up: “Meadows is currently considering several candidates for the press secretary job, including Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany. The new chief of staff is also considering hiring Alyssa Farah, the current spokeswoman for the Defense Department, for a communications role, among others, two sources with knowledge of the situation told CNN.”
I imagine high quality candidates for press secretary are just lining up at the door – in the midst of Trump utter failure in handling this pandemic and thousands of Americans dead.
— Amy Siskind
(@Amy_Siskind) April 7, 2020
The post White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Exits, Never Having Briefed the Press appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Exits, Never Having Briefed the Press
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. did you know that stretching reduces stress and can actually help boost your immune system? why not use this time in quarantine wisely to start stretching your body and give it the love it deserves. click the link in my bio to check out my brand new stretch-along routine, as well as several other routines, over on my patreon page!