Gay soccer player Robbie Rogers talks to GSN about his new memoir and new playing contract
‘I like quietly being part of the LA Galaxy and being just one of the guys (but) I realize there is a role I play in the LGBT community and being a role model’
gregh
L.A. Panel Features Prominent Pro-LGBT Religious Figures
Four prominent pro-LGBT religious figures were lauded as pioneers at a panel discussion called ‘Is Religion Getting Us to LGBTQ Equality?’
Stevie St. John
www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2014/11/14/la-panel-features-prominent-pro-lgbt-religious-figures
After a Man Is Set Ablaze, a Community Comes Together
A man who happens to identify as a gay male is fighting for his life after being brutally beaten and set on fire.
His name is Stephen Patrick White, and he is 46 years old. He is a U.S. Army veteran who lost part of his leg while guarding a U.S. base as a private contractor in Iraq 10 years ago.
I know him as Steve, a kindhearted gentleman who walks with a slight limp due to the prosthetic leg he must wear.
He is the type of guy who would literally give you the shirt off his back. Steve is the kind of guy to help a person in need. When I was struggling with anxiety some years back, a friend suggested I talk to Steve about it. He was very patient and understanding. His kindness in helping me cope is something that is etched deep in his very being.
Steve likes to shoot pool, and he is good at it too. I recall having to steal him away from the game for a few moments in order to get one of his hugs. His embrace is warm and friendly. Just being around him makes me think I’m safe in his presence.
This hero nearly lost his life serving his country, and that should have been enough. Instead he sits in intensive care after having been set ablaze in a downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, hotel room. His condition is listed as critical.
The Advocate lays out the facts:
Garry Joseph Gupton, of Greensboro, N.C., is being held by police for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, and his bail has been set for $150,000….
Gupton reportedly met the victim, Stephen Patrick White, at local bar Chemistry Nightclub the evening of November 8. Hours later, the two are reported to have gone to a room at The Battleground Inn, where White was found naked, robbed, beaten, and intensely injured from fire when authorities responded to a fire alarm and a 911 call from the hotel regarding a screaming man at 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
The Advocate added:
At press time, none of the reporting on the attack suggested any intent to investigate the assault as a hate crime. In fact, as the National LGBTQ Task Force notes, North Carolina’s hate crimes legislation does not protect victims attacked on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
While the motive is unclear, such a horrendously unnecessary crime has sent a shockwave through the Piedmont Triad’s LGBT community.
A local LGBT watering hole, the Q Lounge, has partnered with another LGBT establishment, Club Chemistry, to raise funds and awareness for Steve.
Due to the vicious attack, Steve had to have a hand and part of his arm amputated.
Although many may not be able to attend these fundraising events, the Q Lounge has started a GoFundMe campaign that has already raised over $5,300 to help Steve and his family on what will be a long, expensive mental and physical road to recovery.
Godspeed, Steve.
Suspect sought in California attack of a gay man
During the attack, the suspects allegedly yelled anti-gay epithets and told the victim hopefully ‘he learned his lesson’
Jamesw
www.gaystarnews.com/article/suspect-sought-california-attack-gay-man141114
Sports Illustrated Highlights West Point Basketball Player, Son of Same-Sex Couple
In this month’s issue, Sports Illustrated shared the remarkable story of Max Lenox, the basketball team captain at United States Military Academy at West Point.
HRC.org
Fancy Bow Tie Guy Files $50 Million Lawsuit Because You All Laughed At Him
He may claim to have been delivered, but internet sensation and neckwear enthusiast Marquis Jones’ problems appear to be far from over. Or, at least he wants you to think they are for the sake of his $50 million (yes that’s correct) lawsuit.
The following video, filmed at C.O.G.I.C. (Church of God In Christ) Holy Convocation Convention, went viral quicker that you could say hallelujah:
And now Jones’ life has reportedly been turned head over heels.
“The nasty things they say about me online are nothing but bullying plain and simple,” Jones stated. “I cannot believe they allow anyone to post these vial things online. No one knows my story or what I have gone through. They talked about my voice, my appearance, and even tried to deny my deliverance. They can say what they want, but I am redeemed and my bowtie is cute. My pride and self-worth have been shattered into a million pieces, and each one of those pieces deserve $50.”
He’s fingered Twitter and other social networks in the suit for “knowingly and willingly allowed their users to harass and bully him online.”
He says the stress has forced him to quit his job and seek psychiatric help. He also says the deliverance worked, and that he’s engaged to a woman.
“I look forward to a new life with my soon-to-be-wife. We are planning to have 5 or 6 children,” he added.
Something tells us he’s going to be back to liking men before that ever happens. Call it a hunch.
H/t: The News Nerd
Dan Tracer
NCLR Asks Supreme Court to Review 6th Circuit Ruling Upholding Tennessee's Gay Marriage Ban
Following on the heels of a similar petition by the ACLU and Lambda Legal earlier today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights has asked the Supreme Court to take up the Sixth’s Circuit’s anti-equality ruling.
The ACLU and Lambda Legal request deals with Ohio’s gay marriage ban while the NCLR’s centers on Tennessee’s ban.
Background on the case, courtesy of NCLR:
On October 21, 2013, NCLR filed a lawsuit on behalf of three legally married same-sex couples, challenging Tennessee laws that prevent the state from respecting their marriages and treating them the same as all other legally married couples in Tennessee. To prevent the plaintiff couples from continuing to be harmed by Tennessee’s laws, a federal district court in Nashville, Tennessee ruled on March 14, 2014 that Tennessee officials must recognize the couples’ marriages while their lawsuit is pending. The state appealed that ruling.
Read the petition below:
Kyler Geoffroy
Will the Supreme Court's Next Marriage Case Come From Ohio?
Two cases involving marriage equality in Ohio are being proposed for the Supreme Court’s schedule.
Michelle Garcia
Grammy Winner Sharon Isbin Talks New Documentary and LGBT Equality (AUDIO)
This week I talked with Sharon Isbin, the multiple Grammy-winning guitarist, about the new American Public Television documentary she stars in, Sharon Isbin: Troubadour. As one of the most acclaimed classical guitarists in the world, she has made an enormous musical impact, dazzling audiences for over 30 years with more than 25 recordings, winning three Grammy Awards and covering a wide range of styles, genres and composers. The film, produced by Susan Dangel, combines performance and documentary, focusing on Isbin’s groundbreaking journey, which has expanded and transformed the landscape of this instrument. The film includes interviews with Martina Navratilova, Joan Baez, Garrison Keillor, Janis Ian, Lesley Gore, Michelle Obama and many others.
I talked with Isbin about this inspirational documentary and her spin on LGBT issues.
When asked what she would like to see happen for LGBT equality in the next few years, she stated:
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if you didn’t have to worry about simply wanting the same rights as everyone else has, whether it be marriage, whether it be job security, whether it be education opportunity, not to be bullied? I mean, these are basic human rights that we are still fighting for today, and it would be wonderful if that world would change and people could really feel free to be who they are and be accepted by their families, be accepted by their colleagues and their friends, and really live their lives without having to worry about a sexual orientation being a determining factor in whether or not they can be accepted or successful.
LISTEN:
Sharon Isbin began her guitar studies in Italy at age 9 and later studied with Andrés Segovia and Oscar Ghiglia. Since then she has performed with more than 170 orchestras around the world. She has also commissioned more concerti than any guitarist in the modern era and has won numerous awards and accolades. Currently she is the director of the guitar departments at the Aspen Music Festival and The Juilliard School, where, in 1989, she became the first and only guitar instructor in this prestigious institution’s 100-year history. Sharon Isbin: Troubadour, the American Public Television documentary, begins broadcasting on Nov. 14 and will continue throughout December and January on nearly 200 public television stations, including New York WNET and Chicago WTTW.
For more information on the film, visit sharonisbintroubadour.com.
Listen to more interviews with LGBTQ leaders, allies, and celebrities at OUTTAKE VOICES™.
Download interviews on iTunes.
Zachary Quinto 'thrilled' his strong comments about HIV-AIDS and PrEP have caused debate
‘I was simply trying to assert my belief that we need to be especially vigilant and accountable to ourselves’
gregh
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