NYC Mayor Continues Boycott of Antigay St. Patrick's Day Parade
Mayor Bill de Blasio once again refuses to march in the world’s largest St. Patty’s Day parade due to its discriminatory ban on LGBT marchers.
Daniel Reynolds
Category Archives: NEWS
Psychology Today Removes Ads for 'Ex-Gay' Therapy
Psychology Today Removes Ads for 'Ex-Gay' Therapy
The publication responded to a call from the Human Rights Campaign to cease carrying listings for the discredited practice.
Trudy Ring
www.advocate.com/politics/media/2015/03/04/psychology-today-removes-ads-ex-gay-therapy
Ben Carson Apologizes For Saying Prisons Prove Being Gay Is A Choice
Ben Carson Apologizes For Saying Prisons Prove Being Gay Is A Choice
Potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson apologized Wednesday for saying that prisons prove that being gay is a choice.
Carson made the controversial remarks in an interview with CNN earlier in the day.
“Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay,” Carson said. “So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question.”
In a statement to CNN, Carson walked back his assertion.
“I realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues,” Carson said. “I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended.”
The American Psychological Association notes that while there is “there is no consensus among scientists” on how sexual orientation develops, few individuals experience a “sense of choice” on the matter.
“Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors,” the APA says. “Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”
Carson’s remarks came one day after he launched an exploratory committee to raise funds ahead of a potential 2016 presidential bid. He finished fourth in last week’s straw poll of likely GOP candidates at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington, D.C.
In 2013, Carson withdrew as the commencement speaker at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine after comparing homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia. Carson also issued an apology for his “poorly chosen” remarks.
In the Wednesday statement to CNN, Carson said he supports gay rights as well as the right of states to decide whether or not to legalize gay marriage, but that “judges and government must not be allowed to restrict religious beliefs.”
What's Gay and Great in Miami: A Travel Guide for Right Now
What's Gay and Great in Miami: A Travel Guide for Right Now
RESTAURANTS | COCKTAILS | HOTELS | NIGHTLIFE | BEACHES | DAY TRIPS | ART | FITNESS
There’s nothing like the feeling of stepping off a plane after having traveled from some godforsaken winter tundra gripped by the polar vortex into the warm, tropical air of Miami.
If you’ve been coming to South Beach for more than two decades, from the time it first exploded with nightclubs like Paragon, Warsaw, Amnesia, and Salvation, you’ll realize that South Beach and Miami, while they may not be the wild gay nightlife arenas they once were, appear to be maturing culturally, with new cultural venues and neighborhoods. South Beach, known for its art deco architecture, is seeing a boom in restoration projects. North Miami Beach is seeing a huge surge in growth. There is still nightlife, but it’s broadening. And there is so much more.
Since many of you — our Towleroad readers — live in Miami full time, or part time, or visit on a frequent basis, we surveyed you and examined dozens of replies in which you told us your favorite restaurants, bars, nightclubs, hotels, beaches, and cultural destinations and compiled them into this ultimate guide to what’s happening right now. We’ve also made a few tweaks of our own based on our last few visits. Thanks to all who participated!
We’ve taken what you told us and created a snapshot which should be useful if you’re heading to Miami this week for the Winter Party Festival (today through the 9th) or any time in the near future. We’ll be adding to this and we hope that you’ll chime in and offer more useful advice in the comments.
If you’re thinking of planning a trip, consider coming during one of these annual events our readers say are not to be missed.
The annual Winter Party begins this week in South Beach but there are many other events not to be missed throughout the year including Miami Beach Gay Pride (April 10-12 – Mario Lopez is the parade’s grand marshal), Miami International Film Festival (March 6-15), The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (April 24th – May 3), Calle Ocho Festival (March 15), Winter Music Conference (March 24-28), Ultra Music Festival (March 27, 28, 29), White Party Week (November 26-30), Art Basel (December 3-6), South Beach Food & Wine Festival (February 25-28, 2016), Coconut Grove Arts Festival (next February), the Miami International Boat Show (February 11-15, 2016), or New Year’s Eve week (for fireworks on the beach, photo).
So, let’s see what’s up for gay travelers in Miami.
Click here for 33 Places to Eat in Miami Right now….
Jump ahead to RESTAURANTS | COCKTAILS | HOTELS | NIGHTLIFE | BEACHES | DAY TRIPS | ART | FITNESS
And here’s our first of many tips from readers:
“You do not need a car to drive around South Beach, as there is a LOCAL 25 cent bus whose route goes around the perimeter. If we do not take this LOCAL bus, most of us avoid taxis and use Uber to get to our destination. Half the price of taxis, pleasant drivers, and they show up in 3-4 minutes after one calls them on a smart phone.”
(inset beach photo David Jarrett)
Andy Towle
California Man's Ballot Proposal: Death to Gays
California Man's Ballot Proposal: Death to Gays
In California, anyone can propose a ballot measure by filing the text and paying a fee — but luckily, this one has little chance of going before voters.
Trudy Ring
www.advocate.com/politics/2015/03/04/california-mans-ballot-proposal-death-gays
Hundreds Convene at Seattle Church to Discuss Hate Crimes
Hundreds Convene at Seattle Church to Discuss Hate Crimes
Photo credit: Matt Landers/GSBA
Hundreds of concerned citizens convened for more than two hours on Capitol Hill at the All Pilgrims Church Tuesday evening for the LGBTQ Hate Crimes Public Forum, sponsored largely by Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. The overall mood of the structured debate appeared distressed and yet, at the same time, energized — in part because of the uptick in crime in the neighborhood billed for LGBTQ inclusiveness.
In an interview with The Seattle Lesbian last Wednesday, Sawant said she thought tracing the demographic of attackers was less important than what she characterized as the larger picture: the safety-in-numbers effect of a thriving LGBTQ community being fragmented as some members are driven out by rising rents.
“I don’t know that there’s any opposition to people moving into the district, but what’s hurting the community is people who have been living in the district have been displaced,” she said.
A representative for the King County Prosecutor’s Office told The Seattle Lesbian that in 2014 there were an estimated 126 hate crime events, compared to 110 in 2013.
Jonathan Halsey knows the hate crime scenario all too well. Halsey and his friends were near Cider on Broadway when a man approached and hurled homophobic slurs at the group.
“He basically spit in my face and then came towards me, and that’s when I defended myself,” Halsey told King 5.
Nearby police arrested the offender and charged him with malicious harassment.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who is an openly gay man, told the crowd Tuesday night
I think there is an increase [in crime]. We have been here before. We have seen this right on this very street before in the late 80s and early 90s when I was a young person. And we are seeing it again.
Capitol Hill Community Council told The Seattle Lesbian in a statement
The Capitol Hill Community Council was grateful to listen to the perspectives from the diverse crowd of LGBTQ and allied people in attendance at last night’s LGBTQ Hate Crimes Public Forum. We are optimistic after last night’s conversation and look forward to collaborating with the LGBTQ organizations around Capitol Hill, supporting the efforts to reduce hate crimes and increase public safety, and working to make our community stronger and healthier.
We left knowing that this is merely the beginning in a longer conversation about how to preserve the rich, vibrant history of our city’s gay neighborhood and the work ahead to retain the values, hopes, and needs of our community as we continue to grow at an unprecedented rate.
Public Policy and Communications Manager for the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) Matt Landers told The Seattle Lesbian Wednesday:
We would like to thank Councilmember Sawant for convening this meeting at the request of community members, and to the Mayor for participating. It is clear that there is a lot of frustration that things have not changed, and we hope that the community continues to work constructively with one another to come up with real solutions. GSBA looks forward to being a part of those solutions.
This post originally appeared on The Seattle Lesbian.
LGBT and LDS Leaders Come Together to Support Non-Discrimination Bill
LGBT and LDS Leaders Come Together to Support Non-Discrimination Bill
Today, LGBT and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) leaders in Utah came together to make history in support of a new non-discrimination bill.
HRC.org
NEWS: 'The Dress', Alabama, Ex-Gay Therapy, Homer Simpson and the Higgs Boson
NEWS: 'The Dress', Alabama, Ex-Gay Therapy, Homer Simpson and the Higgs Boson
Political drama heats up in West Hollywood. And yes, Grindr’s involved.
There’s now a gay erotic novel about “the dress” from the author who wrote gay erotic fiction about T-Rexes.
The Bank of Canada says that “Spocking” your bank notes is not illegal.
Can you guess which popular children’s movie Jamal from Empire was in as a kid?
Mobile County, Alabama will now not allow gay or straight couples to get married.
Speaking of Alabama, following the state’s Supreme Court ruling yesterday same-sex marriage has halted state-wide.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress yesterday. Considered a slap in the face to President Obama by some, Sarah Palin not surprisingly has a plan to use it to raise campaign money.
Did Homer Simpson solve the Higgs Boson years before scientists did? “The physicist/ author Dr. Simon Singh told the Independent he saw the solution for Higgs Boson a.k.a. ‘God particle’ mass on a blackboard in the 1998 episode ‘The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace.’ In it Homer tries to emulate Thomas Edison and becomes an inventor. Singh said, ‘If you work it [the equation] out you get the mass of a Higgs boson that’s only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is.'”
Psychology Today will no longer accept paid advertisements from practitioners of ex-gay, conversion or reparative therapy.
Reuters on opposition to the newly passed marriage equality legislation in Slovenia: “Two center-right opposition parties and several civic groups fiercely opposed the changes, particularly giving same-sex couples the right to adopt children. The Civil Initiative for Family and Children’s Rights, which opposes the changes, said on Wednesday it would push for a referendum on the law, which is similar to one rejected by Slovenians in a popular vote in 2012. It is unlikely to succeed because Slovenia changed its referendum legislation in 2013 and no longer allows plebiscites on human rights issues.”
Prince was a baller in Jr. High.
Media campaign to fight anti-LGBT discrimination kicks off in Texas with former George W. Bush advisor at the helm.
Adam Lambert is OUT’s most eligible bachelor.
Luke Evans will play Gaston in upcoming live action Beauty and the Beast opposite Emma Watson.
Hillary Clinton apparently used her own internet server in addition to her own email account while at State.
Sean Mandell
Suspect Indicted in Beating Death of N.Y. Trans Woman Islan Nettles
Suspect Indicted in Beating Death of N.Y. Trans Woman Islan Nettles
Nearly two years after her death, Islan Nettles is one step closer to justice.
Mitch Kellaway
14 Slam Poems That Pack A Serious Feminist Punch
14 Slam Poems That Pack A Serious Feminist Punch
These slam poets are spittin’ some fierce feminism.
Fighting the good feminist fight can become frustrating. Sometimes we need need a pick-me-up to fight another day, and these awesome slam poets give us just that.
From pushing back against pressure about appearance to challenging rape culture and talking honestly about abortion, these poets’ words implore us to keep fighting and to remember the importance of gender equality.
Here are 14 of our favorite feminist spoken word poems that remind us why we’re feminists:
1. “The Period Poem” by Dominique Christina
“Should any fool mishandle the wild geography of your body… then just bleed boo. Give that blood a biblical name.”
2. “Pretty” by Katie Makkai
“This is about the self-mutilating circus we have painted ourselves clowns in. About women who will prowl 30 stories and six malls to find the the right cocktail dress but who haven’t a clue where to find fulfillment or how to wear joy.”
3. “Heels” by Imani Cezanne
“I wear heels because it’s useless to cater to the insecure. You think people won’t notice you? You should shine brighter. You should get more special. You should love yourself enough to not let a woman in heels emasculate you.”
4. “Fantastic Breasts and Where To Find Them” by Brenna Twohy
“It looks like 24/7 live streaming, reminding me that men are going to f*ck me whether I like it or not, that there is one use for my mouth and it is not speaking, that a man is his most powerful when he’s got a woman by the hair.”
5. “Feminist or a Womanist” by Staceyann Chin
“I come in too many flavors for one f*cking spoon.”
6. “What Guys Look For In Girls” by Savannah Brown
“You’re worth so much more than your waistline. You’re worth the beautiful thoughts you think, and the daring dreams you dream, undone and drunk off alcohol of being. But sometimes we forget that.”
7. “Shrinking Woman” by Lily Myers
“Women in my family have been shrinking for decades.”
8. “When” by Carlos Andrés Gómez
“When owning your own body is understood when it comes to me, but still in federal appellate courts for my wife, my two sisters, six aunts, every mother, daughter, woman I have ever met.”
9. “Feminism” by Ashia Ajani, Tolu Obiwole, Abby Friesen-Johnson and Alexis Rain Vigil
“Before I am a woman, I am black. [But] women and color should not have to surrender to each other.”
10. “I Think She Was A She” by Leyla Josephine
“I would’ve supported her right to choose. To choose a life for herself, a path for herself. I would’ve died for that right like she died for mine. I’m sorry, but you came at the wrong time.”
11. “Rape Poem To End All Rape Poems” by Justice Hehir, Kate Thomas, Lindsey Michelle Williams and Lillie Hannon
“We wouldn’t need so many damn rape poems if America had listened the first time.”
12. “10 Honest Thoughts On Being Loved By A Skinny Boy” by Rachel Wiley
“I say, ‘I am fat.’ He says, ‘no, you’re beautiful.’ I wonder why I cannot be both.”
13. “She Said” by Amir Sulaiman
“I know that being a man is more than being male, and I’m focused on doing it right.”
14. “How Not To Make Love To A Fat Girl” by Yesika Salgado
“Sex with someone new is awkward for everyone. Sex with someone new when things about your body often frighten you is nerve-racking.”
