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
Category Archives: NEWS
Victory for Transgender Community in Mexico City
Victory for Transgender Community in Mexico City
On Thursday, the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District of Mexico passed a bill, which would allow people to legally change their gender without a court order.
HRC.org
Stephen Colbert is Apoplectic That Gay Marriage Has Come to the Place He Cares About the Most: VIDEO
Stephen Colbert is Apoplectic That Gay Marriage Has Come to the Place He Cares About the Most: VIDEO
Stephen Colbert is furious at U.S. District Judge Dick Gergel for bringing the scourge of gay marriage to the Palmetto State.
Says Colbert:
“A federal judge has ruled that South Carolina must recognize gay marriage. That is outrageous! When did South Carolina start recognizing the federal government?”, adding, “This is the worst thing that has happened to South Carolina since someone found Mark Sanford.”
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…
Andy Towle
Troye Sivan: Let's Talk About Sex
Troye Sivan: Let's Talk About Sex
Troye Sivan wants to teach millennials about HIV, AIDS, and safe sex.
Dustin Diehl
Your Kids Are So Lucky to Have Such Wonderful Parents!
Your Kids Are So Lucky to Have Such Wonderful Parents!
“They’re so lucky to have such wonderful parents!” We’ve heard this a hundred times or more. Grandparents, friends, birth moms and even adoption agency personnel have offered us these kind words. It’s a flattering compliment. It’s generous and heartfelt. It’s a comforting reassurance that we’re taking good care of our kids. But most importantly, it’s wrong. Dead wrong. Let me explain.
First, my children (or anyone’s children) should never hear they’re lucky someone loves them and cares for them. That should be a given for every child. The fact that it’s not a reasonable expectation isn’t a matter of luck. It’s the failure of adults, pure and simple.
The second reason is a bit less obvious. Both our sons were born full term and healthy. Both our birth moms had prenatal care. Both their families supported them in some material way. Both had some college education and were at peace with their adoption decisions. Despite what we may tell you, they were relatively easy adoptions. Had we not been available for the placement calls, the very next parents on the list would have jumped at the chance to adopt these beautiful boys. Eventually, both our sons would have found a loving and wonderful family. Maybe even one of the many families we befriended during our adoption journeys. No, luck was on our side.
More globally, my husband and I are lucky to live in the time and place that we do. I’m only in my (very early) 40s. If you had asked me in my 20s if same-gender-parented families would become the “new normal” in my lifetime, I would have laughed. Likewise, if you had told me that 20 nations and 32 of 50 U.S. states would recognize same-gender marriage by 2014, I would have been in disbelief. It’s remarkable how far the LGBTQ community has come and in such precious little time. To be sure, there’s lots of work ahead for the global LGBTQ community in the developing world and even in North America, but it’s crucial to remember to recognize the cultural revolution we’re experiencing.
What does all this mean for us? For both my husband and me, knowing that we are extremely fortunate leads us to a critical element of our parenthood: gratitude. We are thankful to the generations of LGBTQ individuals and allies who fought for the rights we enjoy today. We are also thankful for all the accidental turns of fate that eventually led to our placements. We are even thankful for the heartbreaking disappointments during our adoptions journeys. They made us stronger, more resilient and made reaching the end all the more joyous.
To greet each rising and setting of the sun with a grateful heart is a deliberate and affirming act. It is contrary to what our culture seems to promote in media, entertainment and in our professional lives where dissatisfaction and boredom seem to take center stage. Our culture and economy depend on the concept of “more.” However, in my opinion, being grateful is the first step of living a centered and fulfilling life. Perhaps that’s why every belief system emphasizes gratitude and thanksgiving.
I readily confess that “gratitude” isn’t always my first impulse in the morning, and many days it escapes me altogether. But days when I do reflect on gratitude, I find those days to be more rewarding and filled with peace. As a parent, being grateful for the privilege of raising my sons puts me in a child-centered approach to parenting. Perhaps adoptive families and couples who’ve had struggles to conceive reach this conclusion faster than others. We don’t take our parenthood for granted. Maybe that’s what people mean when they approach us with genuine warmth in their hearts. Maybe they really mean to say, “You seem very grateful to raise your kids.” Yes, we are.
This post originally appeared on gayswithkids.com/kids-lucky-wonderful-parents/
Bette Midler offers tips for guys who want to be her in drag
Bette Midler offers tips for guys who want to be her in drag
‘If your panties fall down all around your feet, step out of them and keep on singing’
gregh
www.gaystarnews.com/article/bette-midler-offers-tips-guys-who-want-be-her-drag141114
Botswana Court to Recognize LGBT Lobbying Organization
Botswana Court to Recognize LGBT Lobbying Organization
The organization Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (Legabibo) won a landmark case this week when a judge ruled to allow the organization to register as an official lobbying and advocacy organization.
HRC.org
PHOTOS: If “Lumbersexual” Is Really A Thing, Where Do We Sign Up?
PHOTOS: If “Lumbersexual” Is Really A Thing, Where Do We Sign Up?
In the beginning, there was the homosexual. Once oppressed and ignored, the homosexual rose to global influence with his keen sense of style and sharp wit.
The homosexual begot the metrosexual, for the straight man looked to him and thought “damn, he looks so good I could kiss him. How can I pull that off?”
And now, though our labels become less adhesive and more interchangeable, there are trends which cannot be completely ignored.
There’s the spornosexual, which, OK, stop trying to make spornosexual happen. It’s not going to happen.
But what of the spornosexual’s even burlier cousins? The ones with beards instead of stubble, axes instead of CrossFit?
Well GearJunkie has dubbed them lumbersexuals, and they’ll steal your heart faster than you can say “what do you mean this cabin doesn’t have plumbing?!”
Here they are in their natural habitat:
Dan Tracer
Florida DMV Threatens To Revoke Gay Couple's Driver Licenses If They Don't Change Names – VIDEO
Florida DMV Threatens To Revoke Gay Couple's Driver Licenses If They Don't Change Names – VIDEO
The state of Florida is threatening to revoke a same-sex couple’s driver licenses because they obtained them using an out-of-state marriage certificate.
Daniel [left] and Scott Wall-Desousa, of Palm Bay, Florida, have been together for 10 years and were married in New York City.
Earlier this year, both men attempted to get their hyphenated, married name — which appears on their Social Security cards — on their Florida driver licenses.
Daniel Wall-Desousa had no trouble, but Scott was rejected at a different DMV office — based on Florida’s constitutional amendment prohibiting recognition of same-sex marriages from out of state, according to a report from WFTV Channel 9.
After an extended back-and-forth with state officials, Scott went to a different DMV office and was able to obtain a license with his married name. The couple then appeared on WFTV, which reported they were one of the first couples in Florida to change their name thorugh an out-of-state same-sex marriage.
However, state officials apparently took notice, and within days of the report airing, the Wall-Desousas received a letter saying their driver licenses will be revoked unless they obtain new ones in their previous names, WFTV reports.
“It informs me and notifies me that my driving privileges will be canceled indefinitely as of Nov. 22,” Daniel Wall-Desousa said of the letter.
The couple now says they intend to file a lawsuit. Several state and federal judges in Florida have struck down the state’s marriage amendment as unconsitutinal, but those decisions have been stayed pending appeals by Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In Texas earlier this year, a woman was similarly denied a driver license when she tried to obtain one using an out-of-state same-sex marriage certificate. But the woman, Connie Wilson, was later able to obatin a license with her married name using a US passport.
No word on whether Texas plans to try to revoke Wilson’s license.
Watch WFTV’s initial report, AFTER THE JUMP …
John Wright
LGBT-Affirming Christians Gather in D.C.
LGBT-Affirming Christians Gather in D.C.
Featured as keynote speakers were Christian ethics professor David Gushee and LGBT movement activist Allyson Robinson, both ordained ministers.
Stevie St. John
www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2014/11/14/lgbt-affirming-christians-gather-dc
