Category Archives: NEWS

Postmodern Jukebox Turns Ariana Grande's 'Love Me Harder' Into A James Bond Theme: VIDEO

Postmodern Jukebox Turns Ariana Grande's 'Love Me Harder' Into A James Bond Theme: VIDEO

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Scott Bradley’s Postmodern Jukebox is back and this time serving up a sultry James Bond-esque version of Ariana Grande’s “Love Me Harder.” Cristina Gatti lends her vocals and channels the legendary Shirley Bassey. 

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP…

And in case you’ve missed previous jams from Postmodern Jukebox, check out their retro-infused covers below: 

Ariana Grande’s “Break Free” Gets a Soulful Twist

A Jazz-Crooner Cover of David Guetta and Sia’s “Titanium”

Sam Smith’s “I’m Not The Only One” – New Orleans Style

Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” Heads to Motown

A Vintage Latin Rendition of Calvin Harris’ “Summer”

Madonna’s “Like A Prayer”…If It Were a 40s Swing Song


Sean Mandell

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/postmodern-jukebox-turns-ariana-grandes-love-me-harder-into-a-james-bond-theme-video.html

WATCH: Ariz. Activist Convicted of 'Walking While Trans' Will Appeal

WATCH: Ariz. Activist Convicted of 'Walking While Trans' Will Appeal

After being found guilty of ‘manifesting prostitution,’ advocate Monica Jones is pushing back against the law that she contends is unconstitutionally vague and targets trans women of color.

read more

Mitch Kellaway

www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/11/26/watch-ariz-activist-convicted-walking-while-trans-will-appeal

When Coming Out Is a Death Sentence: The Rising Tide of Violence Against LGBT Iraqis

When Coming Out Is a Death Sentence: The Rising Tide of Violence Against LGBT Iraqis

Joint briefings by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), MADRE and the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) published last week expose targeted violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Iraqis.

For two years the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), jointly with Iraqi and international NGOs, has supported humanitarian assistance to vulnerable lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and worked to raise awareness about their desperate plight.

Out of this work comes two briefings, “When Coming Out Is a Death Sentence” and “We’re Here: Iraqi LGBT People’s Accounts of Violence and Rights Abuse.” The publications expose the depth of suffering and violence perpetrated against LGBT people across different levels of society.

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Long a persecuted group, LGBT Iraqis experience high levels of violence that is based on the stigma Iraq society places on differences in sexual orientation and gender expression, and a broad intolerance of those differences. LGBT individuals, if exposed, face unspeakable violence — from within their own families, from their tribes and from the larger community. Government officials are openly disparaging, hostile and frequently complicit in the violence. Once exposed and targeted based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, an individual’s only hope is escape to a shelter or safer area. But the recent rise of the Islamic State has blocked the main escape route to Kurdistan, making the situation even more desperate.

Iraqi LGBT people experience this violence in a climate where the security situation has grown steadily more dangerous. Reports of attacks and atrocities against women and religious and ethnic groups have been mounting in recent months due to the military advancement of the Islamic State group.

Unfortunately, however, this situation is not new. For LGBT people, post-occupation Iraq has never been a safe and welcoming environment; the 2003 U.S.-led invasion unleashed widespread violence, sectarian and ethnic clashes, and ultimately the breakdown of the rule of law.

Over the past few years, religious militias and vigilante groups, with the tacit blessing of the Iraqi security forces, have engaged in rounds of targeted killings of individuals perceived to be “sodomites.” This systematic and hate-motivated violence outlined in IGLHRC’s briefings has left dozens of Iraqi LGBT individuals dead. Many others have suffered torture, sexual violence and humiliation.

Today, LGBT Iraqis are caught between the inhumane treatment by the Islamic State forces, which prescribes death for homosexuality, and the hostile and violent attitude of the pro-government militias, namely the infamous Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

The situation is alarming, as the briefings show. Those who have come to the defense of individuals targeted based on their sexual orientation or gender identity — our brave partners and allies inside Iraq — deserve our profound gratitude. They risk their lives to provide material and moral support, despite grave security risks and threats against their lives.

In a conservative society where very few people fully understand the notion of sexual orientation and gender identity, the majority of the Iraqi population remains hostile to those perceived to be sexual or gender non-conformist: Families tend to disown their LGBT sons and daughters and, even worse, kill them to protect the family “honor.”

Deplorably, society overall views LGBT individuals as sinful, sick people whose very existence should not be tolerated.

Against this backdrop of negative stereotypes and violence, IGLHRC and our partners MADRE and the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq seek to expose the grave human rights abuses and atrocities against LGBT Iraqis in two publications.

In “We’re Here: Iraqi LGBT People’s Accounts of Violence and Rights Abuses,” five individuals share their personal stories of growing up in a war-torn and homophobic environment. From a young age, they experienced abuse and discrimination because of who they are. Some were tortured and witness atrocities against others.

For example, the story of Mahmud, a gay man, is heart-wrenching. At age 24 he was raped by three men who then stole and published photos of him in women’s clothing. When his family saw these photos, they pursued him with the intent of killing him. “I have no problem with the way I am,” he said. “God created me like that. I just want to live freely.”

Others express the same profound desire to live in a tolerant world where they are accepted for who they are.

When Coming Out Is a Death Sentence” puts the violence against LGBT Iraqis in context — as human rights abuses that must be confronted by the international community. A set of recommendations targets foreign embassies, aid groups and others with the goal of raising attention and trying to improve the situation for the community. In the short run, it is our hope is that many more people like Saad, a gay man also featured in the “We’re Here” report, will find safety. Living with assistance from an NGO that supports LGBT Iraqis, Saad said, “There, I [was] treated with respect, mercy and humanity.”

This is the promise that guides IGLHRC’s work with LGBT people around the world for human rights for everyone, everywhere.

www.huffingtonpost.com/hossein-alizadeh/when-coming-out-is-a-deat_b_6201210.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Marriage Equality In Mississippi! Can It Get Any More Inevitable Than That?

Marriage Equality In Mississippi! Can It Get Any More Inevitable Than That?

gaymarriage_2245445bYou’d have thought that you’d see a Muslim governor in Mississippi before you’d see marriage equality, but it turns out you’d be wrong. A federal court has ruled that the state’s ban on marriage is unconstitutional. Just to underline how inevitable marriage equality has become even in the South, a federal judge in Arkansas struck down that state’s ban just hours before.

The ruling is on hold for two weeks while the state prepares an appeal. There are now 35 states where marriage equality is the law or been found constitutional.

Judge Carlton Reeves determined that Mississippi’s ban on same-sex marriage amounted to “state-sanctioned discrimination” and concluded that “same-sex couples should be allowed to share in the benefits, and burdens, for better or for worse, of marriage.” Reeves also addressed the state’s decades-long history of homophobia, calling Mississippi out for “a constellation of state laws that treat gay and lesbian Mississippians as lesser, ‘other’ people.”

It’s worth noting that both Reeves and Kristine Baker, the judge in the Arkansas case, were appointed to the bench by Obama. (Just in case you ever wonder about the consequences of elections.) It’s also worth noting that the lawyer representing the couples challenging the law was Roberta Kaplan, who represented Edie Windsor before the Supreme Court.

Reeves’ ruling is an earthquake in a state that just this year passed a bill making it legal to discriminate against LGBT people if you say Jesus told you to do so. Needless to say, heads immediately began exploding across the state as opponents of anything gay struggled to adjust to the 21st century.

Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, which is headquartered in Tupelo, called on Gov. Phil Bryant to disregard the ruling altogether.

“There is one and only one short range solution to a runaway judiciary on the issue of sodomy-based marriage: a governor with the testosterone to stand up and just say no,” Fischer said. Because the judiciary has no police force, Fischer argues, “If its unconstitutional rulings are ignored, what will the Supreme Court do?”

One side effect of the Mississippi ruling is to prove data geek Nate Silver wrong. Silver had predicted that Mississippi or Alabama would be the last state to legalize marriage equality based on changes in public attitudes. Alabama isn’t looking good for Silver either.

Mississippi State Rep. Alyce Clark, who has a gay son, had the appropriate response to Reeves ruling: “Maybe we won’t be last in everything.”

True, for a change. And who is going to want to hold the title as the last state to embrace marriage equality?

JohnGallagher

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/v2FaeodfBPw/marriage-equality-in-mississippi-can-it-get-any-more-inevitable-than-that-20141126

Out Country Singer Ty Herndon: The Support I've Received Since Coming Out 'Blew My Mind'

Out Country Singer Ty Herndon: The Support I've Received Since Coming Out 'Blew My Mind'

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Ty Herndon hanging with friends backstage at the Grand Ole Opry after Monday’s show (Via Facebook fan page)

Country singer Ty Herndon has been feeling the love after his surprise coming out last week. In a follow-up interview with People magazine, he says the positive reaction he’s received “blew my mind” and he’s been overwhelmed by the support he’s gotten from his fans as well as out show folk like Ricky Martin, Lance Bass, Chely Wright and even Leann Rimes. 

Since his statement last week, Herndon has had two public performances filled with emotion, tears, and even a little bit of history. Herndon’s first performance after his surprise announcement last week was to a sold out crowd in Robinson, Illinois on Saturday night. It was, he said, an emotional show that ended with a standing ovation. Then on Monday night, Herndon took part in a Christmas benefit for kids at the Grand Ole Opry making him the the first out male country artist to appear on the famed stage.

“My knees were shaking!” he recalled, choking up a bit. “Walking out on the Grand Ole Opry stage as an open, free, happy, godly gay man is not something I thought I’d see in my lifetime. We knew that history was being made up there, and it was humbling.”

As he adjusts to his new role as an out/loud/proud performer, Herndon states he is also looking forward to being a force for change in parts of the country where being gay is still a challenge. “There’s so much work to be done in the South with all these kids that are struggling so greatly with finding love and support and finding a place to go to feel loved and supported.” 

Herndon says he is feeling especially thankful this Thanksgiving week for all the support he’s received and is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in Nashville with his family and his partner.


Brian Sloan

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/out-country-singer-ty-herndon-the-support-ive-received-since-coming-out-blew-my-mind.html

Lord Christopher Monckton Argues That Gays Have As Many As 20,000 Sexual Partners, Defending Anti-LGBT Lawmaker

Lord Christopher Monckton Argues That Gays Have As Many As 20,000 Sexual Partners, Defending Anti-LGBT Lawmaker
Gays have “an average of 500-1,000,” and as many as 20,000, sexual partners in their lifetime, according to a conservative pundit.

Lord Christopher Monckton, who served as a “Special Advisor” to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and has been an outspoken skeptic of climate change, made the claims in a column for WorldNet Daily earlier this week. In the piece, Monckton was defending Australian lawmaker Rosalie Crestani, who has proposed legislation that would reportedly ban media releases on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) issues in the city of Casey and cut diversity training for local staff.

Describing the community as “QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM,” as “that ought to cover every real or imaginary form of sexual deviancy they may dream up,” Monckton writes:

Official survey after official survey had shown that homosexuals had an average of 500-1,000 partners in their sexually active lifetime, and that some had as many as 20,000. One wonders how they found time for anything else.

The wages of promiscuity is deadly disease. It is now at last admitted, even in official circles, that HIV is chiefly a disease of homosexuals and drug-abusers — and that a far greater percentage of homosexuals than heterosexuals do drugs.

Noting that most gays have relationships that often “last as little as a few hours,” Monckton goes on to defend Crestani personally:

She is a Christian, so she is well used to the ancient theology that draws a clear distinction between hating the sin and loving the sinner. The key point she makes over and over again is that educating potential homosexuals in the medical dangers of their deathstyle will benefit the homosexual community first and foremost.

Earlier this year, Monckton made headlines for claiming there’s been no global warming for almost 18 years.

While he has argued that he’s “no birther,” he has nonetheless openly questioned President Barack Obama’s citizenship, reportedly declaring, “I haven’t a clue where Obama was born and I wouldn’t want to entreat into the private grief behind investigating … but [the birth certificate displayed on the White House website] … is plainly a forgery and I would regard that as a very serious matter,” according to the Daily Caller.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/26/lord-christopher-monckton-gay-issues-_n_6226282.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

'Go-Go Boy Interrupted' Breaks Character: VIDEO

'Go-Go Boy Interrupted' Breaks Character: VIDEO

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Jimmy Fowlie’s comedic web series Go-Go Boy Interrupted may have wrapped its season, but fear not fans of irreverent humor: Fowlie has released a blooper reel filled with funny outtakes from the show that follows ex-go-go Danny as he struggles to come to terms with life at 30 and leaving his former life as a boy on a box behind.

Go behind the scenes and see what cracked the actors up, AFTER THE JUMP…

And in case you’re not caught up, be sure to watch episodes ONE, TWOTHREEFOURFIVE, SIX and SEVEN.

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Sean Mandell

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/go-go-boy-interrupted-breaks-character-video.html

Dari Nowkhah's Story From The Let Love Define Family Series

Dari Nowkhah's Story From The Let Love Define Family Series
November is National Adoption Month and RaiseAChild.US is celebrating with twice weekly “Let Love Define Family™” series installments in Huffington Post Gay Voices. Today’s story features an ally of RaiseAChild.US whose involvement in National Adoption Month media campaign comes from a personal connection with adoption.

When I happened to meet Dari Nowkhah at an event in Charlotte, NC, I recognized him from his work at ESPN and noticed his striking, multiracial family. In a casual conversation with him, his warmth and welcoming attitude toward all people fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about him. He generously agreed to record a public service announcement (PSA) for RaiseAChild.US and share his thoughts with our readers. — Rich Valenza, RaiseAChild.Us

When it comes to adoption, ESPN anchor Dari Nowkhah wears his heart on his sleeve.

“Blood does not define family. Just because a child would look different or have different biological parents doesn’t mean that they’re not family to us,” said Dari.

After he and his wife, Jenn, expanded their family with the adoption of their daughter Nahla, Dari found himself speaking out as often as possible about the benefits of family building through adoption.

“Our adoptive daughter is just like our other kids,” Dari said. “There’s no difference between her and our other two kids in any way, shape or form.”

This month, Dari filmed a public service announcement for RaiseAChild.US to ask all prospective parents to “let love define family.” As an ally of RaiseAChild.US, Dari’s contribution to its National Adoption Month media campaign will help raise awareness of the 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system who are in need of safe, loving and permanent homes.

At the time of our interview, Nahla was about to celebrate her fifth birthday with a huge party.

“We hear a lot of, ‘It’s amazing what you did for your daughter,’ but our answer is always, ‘What’s amazing is what she has brought to us,’” said her father. “From day one, Nahla has been as important a part of our family as any of us. She makes us proud that we did this every day, proud of ourselves and proud of Nick, the older brother, for being such a good big brother to her.”

Neither parent knew of any particularly close friend who was adopted who might have inspired them to adopt. They just genuinely loved children and could not deny their urge to be loving parents to a child in need, especially a child of color, for whom there is greater adoptive need.

Dari and Jenn have had three biological children together. In 2011 they lost an infant son, Hayden, while he awaited a heart transplant. They have turned their grief into hope for other children through creating Hayden’s Hope, a foundation that raises awareness about pediatric organ donation.

Dari admits that sometimes his mixed race family gets looks. “There are times, very rarely for me, but my wife gets it more — when somebody gives her an interesting look or even a bit of a disapproving look when she is out with the children. Maybe it is because of a stereotypes or racism. All it does is make us give Nahla a bigger hug. What’s most important to us is that all of our children are happy and treated equally.”

And what does Nahla think about her brother and sister? Like all siblings they sometimes argue, but in a home that preaches respect and love she “does that better than we could have ever hoped.”

At the end of the interview I asked Dari if there was something more that he wanted to cover. He was quick to respond.

“There are a lot of people out there that have a false notion that family is defined by blood. Family is not defined by blood. I firmly believe that. As you know, Rich, you and your partner can’t physically have kids, and that does not mean you wouldn’t make incredible parents. Thank God you can adopt. So the whole family is defined by blood thing just needs to go away. It needs to go away forever.”

For National Adoption Month, RaiseAChild.US is hosting two free events for prospective foster and adoptive parents. We hope you will join us and learn about the advantages of building a family through fostering and adoption: Tuesday, Dec. 2 at The Garner House in Claremont, CA and Wednesday, Dec. 3 at The Montalbàn Theatre in Hollywood, CA. RSVP and information are available at www.RaiseAChild.US.

RaiseAChild.US is a national organization headquartered in Hollywood, California that encourages the LGBT community to build families through fostering and adopting to serve the needs of the 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. Since 2011, RaiseAChild.US has run media campaigns and events to educate prospective parents and the public, and has engaged more than 2,400 prospective parents. For information about how you can become a foster or fost/adopt parent, visit www.RaiseAChild.US.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/26/dari-nowkhah-gay-family_n_6221282.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices