Anti-Gay Pizzeria Says God 'Has Blessed Us' With Over $800,000 For 'Standing Up'
Earlier this week, Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, shut down after receiving backlash over anti-gay comments.

The pizzeria is co-owned by Kevin O’Connor and his daughter, Crystal O’Connor. And although they’ve said they “don’t have a problem with gay people,” catering gay weddings goes against their beliefs. “If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no,” Crystal told local news station ABC 57. “We are a Christian establishment.”

Angry Yelp reviews and threatening messages started pouring in, and the O’Connors closed the pizzeria down. But a “Support Memories Pizza” GoFundMe campaign was created shortly afterward to keep the establishment open, and raised more than $500,000 in 48 hours.

As of Saturday morning, “Support Memories Pizza” had raised over $800,000. In an interview with Fox News Business’ Neil Cavuto, Crystal said that although she’s not quite ready to open the pizzeria again, she believes God is responsible for the support that’s poured in.

“God has blessed us for standing up for what we believe, and not denying him,” Crystal told Cavuto.

Additionally, a local choir called Ripple Effect set up camp across the street from Memories in an attempt to bring the community together again.

“We’re not here to condemn or condone the owners of the establishment. We’re here to show them and the community that we can show love to people in spite of our differences,” choir direct Sherry Klinedinst told Indiana news station WSBT 22.

Support may be pouring in on a local level, but on a larger scale there’s still quite a bit of outrage over the O’Connors’ statements. On Sirius XM, Rosie O’Donnell, a former co-host on “The View,” joked that pizza joints aren’t often called upon to cater gay weddings anyway.

“Remember that they were saying that, the pizza lady, that gays were going to cater their weddings with pizza,” she said. “Not even lesbians would do that. We might do a potluck. We might make some chili, you know, if situations are tough.”

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/04/anti-gay-pizzeria_n_7003596.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

That Time Oliver Hudson Wore A See-Through Speedo & Colton Haynes Realized Puberty Was Over

This week, Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington is tired of being a sex object, Helen Mirren believes her Prime Suspect character is lesbian and Faye Dunaway is finally writing a tell-all about the making of Mommie Dearest. Here’s what happened recently on Instagram:

Catfish stars Nev Schulman and Max Joseph have been reunited — and it feels so good.

My camera work has gotten much tighter in the off season. Thanks for the shot @jdetarsio. #Maxisback tonight at 10/9c.

A photo posted by Max Joseph (@maxjoseph) on Apr 1, 2015 at 3:44pm PDT

Even when Oliver Hudson is barely clothed, he wants to be naked.

#tbt to the day after my wedding when I was removed from the family pool at the Palmilla in Cabo for wearing a see thru white speedo.. #mexicanmooseknuckle A photo posted by Oliver Hudson (@theoliverhudson) on Apr 2, 2015 at 12:41pm PDT

Big surprise: Madonna will smoke a bitch.

Judgmental Bitches get off my pole and my account! i bet you couldn’t Say it to my face. I’d smoke you like this cigarette! ????????. #UnapologeticbItch ?#rebelheart

A photo posted by Madonna (@madonna) on Apr 2, 2015 at 11:32am PDT

 

Nick Jonas and Chris Platt look even better covered in goo.

.@prattprattpratt pies to the face and slime it’s what we do. #KCA A photo posted by @nickjonas on Mar 28, 2015 at 8:11pm PDT

Brad Goreski looks like a dream even when forced to rise and shine.

Happy Hump day! #riseandgrind @coachrahim

A photo posted by Brad Goreski (@mrbradgoreski) on Apr 1, 2015 at 7:20am PDT

Colton Haynes is officially finished with puberty.

I guess I grow a lot of facial hair now…thx puberty! Hope work is ok wit this. #Lazy???? A photo posted by Colton Haynes (@coltonlhaynes) on Apr 2, 2015 at 7:05pm PDT

If Nev Schulman ever wants to join Scruff, he already has the perfect profile pic.

Me Tarzan, Jane where you at? ????

A photo posted by Nev Schulman (@nevschulman) on Mar 31, 2015 at 1:57pm PDT

Tom Felton is still hung up on his Harry Potter costar Daniel Radcliffe.

May as well just say it. We’re together now x #drarry

A photo posted by Tom Felton (@t22felton) on Mar 31, 2015 at 8:49pm PDT

Jeremy Kinser

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GOP Candidates Siding with Evangelicals Over Business in LGBT Discrimination Battle: VIDEO

Andy Towle

www.towleroad.com/2015/04/kornacki.html

Barney Frank: 'We are headed to complete victory in 10 years' with gay rights
It’s rare to hear politicians speak with such candor, but for Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), this is par for the course. He retired from Congress in 2013, but that isn’t stopping him from speaking against many of the prevalent issues facing our nation today. Though he’s currently on a whirlwind book tour around the country following the release of his memoir Frank: A Life in Politics from the …

www.businessinsider.com/barney-frank-interview-2015-4

Longtime HRC Member Jim Obergefell on His Decision to Fight for Nationwide Marriage Equality

In the most recent edition of HRC’s Equality magazine, longtime member Jim Obergefell spoke about his late partner John Arthur, the impact of U.S. v. Windsor, and the decision to fly half way across the country to say, “I do.”
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/longtime-hrc-member-jim-obergefell-on-his-decision-to-fight-for-nationwide?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

PHOTOS: Stars Sparkle And Raise Serious Cash For LGBT Youth At The Annual Center Dinner In NYC

It was a star-studded evening at The Center’s annual Center Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City this week. The dinner honored actor Jeffrey Tambor of Transparent, plus several other LGBT community leaders. The event also supported The Center’s efforts to open the first-ever substance abuse treatment program designed specifically for LGBT youth. The evening’s attendees included Edie Windsor, Laverne Cox, Neil Patrick Harris, Alan Cumming, Mary Louise Parker, Lea DeLaria, and other influential celebrities, activists, and figures from the LGBT community. The dinner proved to be a great success, raising over $1 million.

Scroll down for a few photos from the evening, and check out the full gallery at Gaycities.

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/N5jG7Q-rN-U/photos-stars-sparkle-and-raise-serious-cash-for-lgbt-youth-at-the-annual-center-dinner-in-nyc-20150404

Congressional Republicans File Supreme Court Brief Backing Bans on Same-sex Marriage

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2015/04/congressional-republicans-file-supreme-court-brief-backing-bans-on-same-sex-marriage.html

It’s the culture war, stupid: Why identity is at the heart of Indiana’s “religious freedom” fight
Instead of getting swept up in talking points and legalisms, we should focus on the real reason Indiana matters

salon.com.feedsportal.com/c/35105/f/648624/s/451af31b/sc/7/l/0L0Ssalon0N0C20A150C0A40C0A40Cits0Ithe0Iculture0Iwar0Istupid0Iwhy0Iidentity0Iand0Isymbolism0Iare0Iat0Ithe0Iheart0Iof0Iindianas0Ifight0Iover0Igay0Irights0C/story01.htm

'Masturbation Will Lead To Homosexuality': Sex-Ed In China Leaves LGBT Youth In The Dark
At the International Conference on Sexuality in Kunming, China, HIV/AIDS activist Humphrey Wou attended a panel on sex education, hoping to learn about the textbooks used to teach Chinese students about sex. He remembered one presenter reading aloud from a book that had been widely used in high school classrooms in the city of Hangzhou for years: “Masturbation will lead to mental disorders and homosexuality,” he said.

Wou, who had been in the region for months providing rapid HIV testing to gay men, was not surprised. In a country where sex and sexuality remain taboo topics of discussion, such misinformation remains common. In fact, out of ninety Chinese science, psychology, and sex-education textbooks surveyed by the Gay and Lesbian Campus Association, a Guangzhou-based student advocacy group, 80 percent characterized homosexuality as psychologically aberrant. Although homosexuality was removed from the official list of mental disorders in 2001, LGBT people in China have few legal protections against discrimination and still face widespread social disapproval and harassment.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/04/masturbation-will-lead-to_n_7000138.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Young Sons Of Gay Dad Share Their Powerful Brushes With Antigay Bullying

Good parenting is made even better with a soundtrack of inspirational piano music and frog noises.

YouTuber Kamaka Alameda, a gay father of two in Puna, Hawaii recently posted a video in which he openly engages his young sons about the homophobia they face in school.

His older son is in 5th grade, and describes:

“I was bullied because people would ask me about my father — if he was gay. And I would say ‘yeah, there’s nothing wrong with that…’ I tried to walk away from this kid — he jumped on me and he slammed my face against a pole and gave me a black eye…They would call me gay, they would call me stupid, retard.”

The situation wasn’t addressed properly, and Kamaka eventually decided to switch the kids’ school after personally witnessing his son being called a “fag” and hearing that he continued to face bullying “almost every single day.”

“I want to create an awareness that this happens to people in the community,” he says in the video. “If you step out and you’re not afraid to be who you are, sometimes you’re hated on…How I raise my children is that they can love whoever they want to love.”

Watch their touching story below:

Dan Tracer

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