States Seek to Undermine “All-Comers” Policies in Higher Education
“All-comers” policies allow all members of the student body to participate in students groups and prevent such groups from discriminating against students with state funding.
HRC.org
Björk Turns on Her Heartlight in Stunning 'Lionsong' Video: WATCH
Björk released a nearly seven-minute clip today for her new track “lionsong”, a visually-captivating collaboration with Dutch fashion artists Inez & Vinoodh, and the visual effects production house framestore, which digitized and elongated Björk’s legs and placed her in an ooze of stars and embers. The coloring was produced by Tim Masick of Company 3.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…
Andy Towle
www.towleroad.com/2015/03/bj%C3%B6rk-turns-on-her-heartlight-in-stunning-lionsong-video-watch.html
LGBT Official of National League of Cities Visits HRC
Yesterday, Charlotte City Council member and President of the National League of Cities’ GLBTLO (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Local Officials) LaWana Mayfield visited HRC’s office in D.C.
HRC.org
Susan Sarandon & 'Real Housewives' Star Slam Catholic High School Teacher's Anti-gay Facebook Rant
A Catholic high school teacher is facing some star studded backlash for an anti-gay Facebook post in which she ranted that the gay “agenda” seeks to “reengineer western civ into a slow extinction.”
Patricia Jannuzzi, a theology teacher at Immaculata High School in Somerville, posted a response to a news article about Dan Savage’s open letter to Ben Carson inviting the neurosurgeon nut to “suck my d–k” after the 2016 GOP hopeful asserted that homosexuality was a choice. That post has since been deleted, but was screencapped by Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member and Immaculata alumni Greg Bennett.
This nightmare dumpster human taught me in high school, and still teaches there. Keep it classy, Immaculata pic.twitter.com/CD9m6WlwOP
— Greg Bennett (@GreggyBennett) March 9, 2015
NJ Advance Media reports:
Another alumnus, Scott Lyons, who is gay and had Januzzi as a teacher, shared a letter on Facebook he sent to her after reading one of her posts. He said in the letter that he remembers Januzzi’s classes to be “focused on love and acceptance” but that he is “offended and disappointed” by her recent posts.
“While I respect the fact that people have different opinions on the matter what I can tell you from my heart is that I urge you to be careful with your words and the messaging you are putting out there,” he wrote.
Lyons is the nephew of Sarandon, who shared the post to her 3,000 followers.
Immaculata principal Jean Kline on Wednesday distanced her school from Jannuzzi’s comments and said that “through an investigation, we have determined that the information posted on this social media page has not been reflected in the curriculum content of the classes she teaches.”
In her statement, which Kline shared with MyCentralJersey.com Thursday morning, the administator says the school “takes this situation very seriously.”
“We are dedicated to creating a school environment that promotes mutual respect and provides a challenging academic program, rooted in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.”
Kyler Geoffroy
10 Movie Musical NumbersThat Made Me Gay – Divas Edition
These 10 numbers prove why gay fans love their divas.
Adam Sandel
Utah Passes Mormon-Backed LGBT-Related Anti-Discrimination Bill
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Mormon-church-backed anti-discrimination bill that protects LGBT Utah residents and religious rights is set to be signed by the state’s Republican governor on Thursday evening.
Gov. Gary Herbert, who pledged last week to sign the bill, will do so at the state Capitol during a special ceremony at 6 p.m., according to the governor’s spokesman Marty Carpenter. The state’s Republican-controlled Legislature gave final approval to the proposal late Wednesday night, with the House of Representatives voting 65-10 to pass the bill.
“I’m not asking you tonight to condone the lifestyle that you don’t believe in. I’m not asking you to give rights to them to preserve their lifestyle. In the narrowest form, I ‘m asking you to guarantee their rights, the same rights you and I have today,” said Rep. Brad Dee, a Republican from Ogden who is one of the sponsors of the bill.
When the bill passed, a crowd that packed the House gallery gave a loud cheer and standing ovation.
The bill was first unveiled last week and passed by the Senate on Friday.
It’s earned a rare endorsement from the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has helped fast-track the measure through the Legislature.
Many Utah lawmakers and the governor are members of the church.
Conservative opponents have argued that the proposal, which is limited to housing and employment, doesn’t go far enough to protect religious rights.
The bill doesn’t address thornier discrimination questions about whether a business can refuse to serve someone for religious reasons, such as a wedding photographer who objects to photographing a same-sex marriage.
Critics have also argued that the bill creates special protections for gay and transgender people.
The Mormon church said it is fully behind the legislation, which follows the principles set out in its call for laws that balance religious rights and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
The church’s support for the measure comes as the faith’s leaders have softened their tone in recent years regarding same-sex attraction. While moving away from harsh rhetoric and preaching compassion and acceptance, the LDS church insists it is not changing doctrine and still believes sex is against the law of God unless it’s within a marriage between a man and a woman.
LGBT advocates who’ve been pushing the issue at Utah’s Legislature for more than half a dozen years have celebrated the church’s endorsement, which has offered the kind of broad support they need to pass an anti-discrimination law in conservative Utah.
The bill would make it illegal to base hiring, firing and other employment decisions based on someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
It would also make it illegal to refuse to sell or rent, to deny a home loan, or to base other housing decisions because someone is LGBT.
Rep. Jeremy Peterson, an Ogden Republican who voted against the bill, said as a property manager, he rents to gay people and he doesn’t think there’s a need to a law protecting their right to housing.
“The free market is working in this. Landlords do what they’re paid to do, which is fill vacancies and collect rents,” he said.
Religious organizations and their affiliates such as schools and hospitals are exempt from the law, as is the Boy Scouts of America, which has a ban on gay adult Scout leaders and has close ties to the LDS Church.
For religious rights, the bill allows for people to express their beliefs in the workplace without retribution as long as they are not harassing someone and the speech doesn’t interfere with the company’s core business.
For example, if a company offered wedding planning services specifically tailored to same-sex ceremonies, an employee would not be able to express their views opposing against gay marriage.
It allows employers to adopt “reasonable dress and grooming standards” and “reasonable rules and polices” for gender-specific restrooms and other facilities, as long as they also accommodate transgender people.
Lawmakers say they specifically didn’t define a “reasonable” regulation in order to give employers flexibility to find a solution to their situation.
Later Wednesday night, the House voted 66-9 to approve a bill that allows county clerks to refuse to marry same-sex couples for religious reasons. But the bill requires a county clerk’s office to designate someone who will marry all couples, including gay couples, if the clerk opts out.
The 11 members of the House Judiciary Committee approved the measure earlier Wednesday, calling it a good balance between protecting religious rights while still accommodating gay couples who wish to marry.
Republican Sen. Stuart Adams sponsored the bill and said it guarantees same-sex couples will be able to find someone to marry them in each county.
LGBT advocates initially opposed Adams’ bill when it included broader religious protections.
Equality Utah’s executive director, Troy Williams, said Wednesday that his organization is now neutral on the bill after Adams addressed their concerns.
Several conservative organizations spoke in favor of the bill Wednesday, and the Mormon church issued a statement of support for the proposal.
It’s unclear whether the governor would support the marriage bill.
___
Follow Michelle L. Price at twitter.com/michellelprice
Jon Stewart Thrashes Hillary Clinton Over Single Device, Email Excuses: VIDEO
Jon Stewart had it out with Hillary Clinton’s Tuesday press conference in which she tried to explain to the media why she was using a private email address, wanted a single device, and why she deleted 30,000 emails. He also enjoyed a bit of ice cream.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…
Andy Towle
‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ Star Doesn’t Want You To Think Of Titus As ‘The Gay Character’
It’s so funny that even today — and I know it’s a topical issue — that sexuality and the pendulum with which masculinity and femininity swings is so important to people. I mean, it really makes me laugh. First of all, I hope that people don’t stop — though they will — at, this is the gay character, this is the rich character. And I know people need past points of references with which to identify or find a way into who these people are. But his sexuality is the least of it. And the fact that he’s a struggling, poor wannabe actor is the most of it. And all of his motivations come out of that need for stardom, so if I want anybody to learn anything from Titus it’s to just never give up on your dreams. That’s kind of it, period.”
— Tituss Bugess telling Vulture that being gay doesn’t define his Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt character Titus
Jeremy Kinser
Trans selfies have caught bathroom bans and lawmakers with their pants down
Do we need soviet-style spies in our restrooms?
trisrs
PHOTOS: Fashion’s Incredible Catwalk Towards A Gender Fluid Society
As the latest menswear collections indicate, we’re moving ever closer and closer to a society in which gender simply doesn’t matter — from gender neutral bathrooms to Facebook’s embrace of the gender spectrum and iconic Selfridges doing away with binary clothing departments all together.
Fashion can either reenforce or radically alter traditional gender roles — but it also interprets cultural shifts. And the transformation we are seeing in the Millennials’ understanding of gender is starting to be reflected everywhere, from Hollywood to high school and the workplace.
For the past 50 years or so, women’s fashion has had a notable flirtation with le masculine, but increasingly men’s fashion, too, has straddled the gender divide.
With the transgender equality movement challenging the way we perceive gender and younger generations comfortable rejecting and redefining identity, let’s take a look at how fashion has and continues to influence the way we see and represent gender.
An Enlightened Idea
The Enlightenment first introduced to the Western world the idea of fashion as a barometer of culture and society, as well as a means of self-expression. Here we see the roots of fashion’s impact on gender representation — and how it has changed in some 300 years.
Le smoking in the Girls’ Room
Yves Saint Laurent debuted le smoking, a woman’s tuxedo, in 1966, helping to usher in the modern era of fashion with its subversion of gender norms.
“Woman into Man”
Featuring female models (including Gia Carangi) in dual roles, Helmut Newton’s iconic “Woman into Man” series for Vogue Paris in 1979 played provocatively with masculin/féminin.
The Andorgynicons
Androgyny hit the mainstream with musical superstars who in turn became fashion icons for their imitable style, like David Bowie.
Grace Jones
Prince
Annie Lennox
And Boy George.
Let’s Talk About Unisex
The high-octane, cocaine-fueled hedonism of the ’80s gave way to the more somber ’90s, with glam going grunge. Here, Naomi Campbell and Kristen McMemany smell like teen spirit in Marc Jacobs’s controversial collection for Perry Ellis, photographed by Steven Meisel for Vogue in 1992.
A rise in contempo-casual also saw a uniformity in the way men and women dressed, as seen in this popular Gap khaki ad.
Supermodels of the World
Having high-stepped in haute couture shows and starred in commercial campaigns, trans supermodels Lea T (giving life above) and Andreja Pejic continue to break down barriers in the billion dollar fashion and beauty industries. In November Redken partnered with Lea T, making her the first transgender model to become the face of a global cosmetics brand.
Meanwhile, Andreja — seen here making her return to the runway in Giles Fall 2015 show in London — will break into the movie biz in a role in Sofia Coppola’s upcoming Little Mermaid.
Blurred Lines
“The lines between male and female have become increasingly blurred,” trend-forecaster extraordinaire Lucie Greene told The New York Times, noting those blurred lines reflected in the fall collections by a number of gender-bending menswear designers including Hood by Air and Telfar (above).
Retail Revolution
Selfridges — the second largest department store in the UK, but voted best in the world — is doing away with its mens and womens departments , as well as their traditional mannequins, in favor of gender-neutral shopping.
“We want to take our customers on a journey where they can shop and dress without limitations or stereotypes,” a spokesperson told The Sunday Times. “A space where clothing is no longer imbued with directive gender values, enabling fashion to exist as a purer expression of ‘self.”’
Les Fabian Brathwaite, open to the world since 1985.
Les Fabian Brathwaite
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