EXCLUSIVE: Weightlifter battling terminal brain cancer to meet idol Arnold Schwarzenegger in video chat following Reddit campaign
An avid upstate New York weightlifter who is battling terminal brain cancer will get a chance to speak with his idol: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Todd McCaffery, 52, fell in love with Arnold movies and “took him on as an idol,” his younger sister Katie wrote in …

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DUP climb down’ on gay blood welcomed
it would be my view that such evidence should be followed and that Northern Ireland should adopt the same policy on blood donations from MSM as the rest of the United Kingdom.” John O’Doherty, director of gay rights group The Rainbow Project …

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White Gold
New Zealand is one the world’s ultimate destinations when it … while the Coronet Cup attracts some of the most skilled skiers in the Southern Hemisphere. There is also the Gay Ski Week to offer, which is a week long event featuring dancing, cabaret …

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Styling the stars
It’s the same office where he styles clients from Australia and Denmark … He’s styled wigs for a former Miss Gay America, and other professional drag queens on the national scene. When Clay Smith, a professional drag queen based out of New …

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The First Openly Gay Person to Win an Election in America Was Not Harvey Milk
“Let’s do that.” So they did. On April 2, 1974, when the Human Rights Party candidate bested a Democrat to become the first openly gay person to win elected office in the United States (and most likely worldwide as well) the response was equally …

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Gas emissions to soar as Asians begin consuming more steak, dairy products
The Indonesian Association of Milk Producers says the market potential for dairy in Southeast Asia’s largest economy is “tremendous,” while New Zealand’s Fonterra declared … Last year, a report by Chat-ham House warned: “Dietary change is …

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Howard Sherman: Everything old is new again when it comes to theatre on television
Indeed, audience members can chat away with one another throughout these shows without … theatre to cinemas around the world (though they’re only really live in the UK and nearby time zones), the US has been much slower to adopt the model, due in …

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#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: December 11, 2015

NO SURPRISES HERE, ANTI-LGBT ACTIVIST BOB VANDER PLAATS ENDORSES TED CRUZ: Yesterday, Bob Vander Plaats and leaders of Iowa’s worst anti-LGBT group, the Family Leader, endorsed Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential election. Cruz and Vander Plaats share a long and repugnant history of anti-LGBT rhetoric and activism, and yesterday’s endorsement puts Cruz even farther outside the American mainstream in a state that’s had marriage equality for six years. Just a few weeks ago, the Family Leader was a sponsor of a conference in Des Moines whose organizer — radically anti-LGBT radio host Kevin Swanson — “raved approvingly that the Bible justifies killing gay people” according to the Des Moines register. Cruz, Jindal and Huckabee were widely criticized for attending the event, dubbed as the “death to gays” conference, and Cruz pretended he was oblivious to Swanson’s long record of violent commentary against LGBT people. Vander Plaats’ — and Cruz’s — anti-LGBT views are out of step with the majority of Iowans who support marriage equality by an overwhelming 57-37 margin, according to the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute. Cruz has also been endorsed by ultra-conservative Iowa Congressman Steve King and Sandy Rios of the American Family Association – an organization that has been classified a hate-group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Learn more about the shared anti-LGBT rhetoric between Vander Plaats and Cruz here: bit.ly/1M7hwGO

MEANWHILE, DAILY BEAST CHRONICLES RUBIO’S MOVE RIGHT: The Daily Beast upends the bogus conventional wisdom that Marco Rubio is somehow a moderate on LGBT issues, noting that he committed this week to repealing President Obama’s executive orders protecting federal contractors from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The piece also highlights another threat to LGBT equality, noting that “Rubio would appoint justices who would overrule Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v. Hodges, which struck down all bans on same-sex marriage. The supposedly sane candidate wants to void marriages, allow states to ban all abortions of any kind, and turn back the clock for women and gays.” More here : thebea.st/1lAQsec
 

• ONE DAY EARLIER: GOP LEADERS WORRY RUBIO MOVING TOO FAR RIGHT Earlier this week, National Review’s Tim Alberta and Eliana Johnson took a deep dive into Marco Rubio’s Iowa operation. Among the concerns? “Establishment Republicans, meanwhile, have the same concerns about Rubio’s organization, but worry that Rubio is flirting too aggressively with Iowa’s social conservatives.” Read more here: bit.ly/1Y8ioCb
   

HRC AND HHS JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR LGBT AMERICANS: HRC President Chad Griffin and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell teamed up to write an op-ed for The Advocate today urging LGBT people to get informed and get covered during LGBT Open Enrollment Week. “Thanks to the Obama administration and the work of many dedicated organizations working with the LGBT community, nearly 18 million Americans … can finally receive necessary health care,” they wrote. “But too many LGBT people are still living without access to the medical coverage that could change their lives for the better. It’s time to take action.” More here: bit.ly/1IZWx8Y

YOUR HEARTWARMING HOLIDAY READ: If you’re looking for some good news, check out Johanna Eager’s terrific piece also in The Advocate. Eager, who heads the HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools program, describes the most profound experience in her professional life: working with local parents and advocates in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin these last couple of weeks to support a transgender six year-old and her family after the anti-LGBT Liberty Counsel threatened her school with a lawsuit for fostering acceptance. “What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary,” Eager writes. Read all about it here: bit.ly/1NZUusX and think about gifting Jazz Jenning’s I Am Jazz to the young person in your life this holiday season: amzn.to/1NKB7SM
 
WATCH: AMBASSADOR POWER INTERVIEWS CAITLYN JENNER: In honor of Human Rights Day, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power sat down with Caitlyn Jenner to talk about the lack of rights for transgender people around the world, who are often stigmatized, harassed, and even murdered for who they are. Jenner shared her struggle to live openly and her hope to set an example for people who desire to do the same. Watch here: abcn.ws/1NKwqsf

GLOBAL YEAR IN REVIEW: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY: From the U.S. to Russia to Egypt and Mozambique, the HRC Foundation’s MB Maxwell looks back at the best and worst developments in the global fight for LGBT equality: huff.to/1M7oFa6
 
STATE SNAPSHOT

SAVANNAH CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO PROTECT LGBT CITY EMPLOYEES: Yesterday, officials in Savannah, GA unanimously approved an ordinance that will protect LGBT city government employees, by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected characteristics in the city’s nondiscrimination law. Equality Georgia released the following statement praising the news: “Savannah has long enjoyed a reputation of being a welcoming and diverse city, and this ordinance is an important step toward ensuring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people feel safe and protected when visiting or residing in Savannah. Georgia Equality will continue to work with members of the City Council and the Mayor to add additional, necessary protections for LGBT people to city code.” More here: bit.ly/1jT5dr6

UNREAL: ANTI-LGBT ACTIVISTS THINK INDIANA’S RFRA ‘FIX’ VIOLATES THEIR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: Yesterday, anti-LGBT activists filed a lawsuit challenging the measure that was passed and signed into law early this year limiting the damage of Indiana’s RFRA. Claiming the “fix” violates their “religious liberty,” the Indiana Family Institute and the American Family Association of Indiana are challenging not only the state’s law, but also non-discrimination ordinances in Indianapolis and Carmel that include sexual orientation and gender identity protections. Freedom Indiana blasted the legal challenge in a statement to the Indianapolis Business Journal: “RFRA taught us that Hoosiers have no tolerance for creating a license to discriminate against those who have historically been treated unequally,” said Jen Wagner, a spokesperson for the organization. “We hope lawmakers ignore this distraction and listen instead to the voices of job creators, faith and community leaders, local public servants, grassroots supporters and families who want our state to be a safe, welcoming place for all people.” More here: goo.gl/VUM6Td
ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT BLOCKS BIRTH CERTIFICATES FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES: Yesterday, following an appeal by the attorney general, the Arkansas Supreme Court temporarily blocked the ruling of Pulaski Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox, who ruled in favor of three same-sex couples who sued to be listed on the birth certificates of their children. The State Supreme Court ruled that, “the best course of action is to preserve the status quo with regard to the statutory provisions while [they] consider the circuit court’s ruling.” Similar suits have also been filed in Indiana and Florida. More here: yhoo.it/1UcK6go

AROUND THE WORLD
 
LGBT ADVOCATE CHALLENGING SODOMY LAWS IN JAMAICA: This week, leading Caribbean LGBT and HIV advocate Maurice Tomlinson of Jamaica, filed a claim challenging the constitutionality of the country’s sodomy laws, calling them a “gross violation of [his] human rights.” According to the Associated Press, the laws have been on the books since 1864. In the past, Jamaica had been described by TIME as “the most homophobic place on earth.” LGBT Jamaicans struggle against legal and societal discrimination, and an ever-present threat of violence. Last year, a Jamaican man filed a suit challenging the anti-sodomy law but withdrew after threats of violence to his family. Currently a lecturer and HIV policy analyst, Tomlinson is also a founding member of Dwayne House in Jamaica, the country’s first charity focusing exclusively on providing basic services to homeless LGBT youth. More here: huff.to/1QADgBc
 
MARRIAGE EQUALITY COMING TO GUERNSEY: Yesterday, lawmakers on Guernsey voted 37-7 in favor of introducing marriage equality. According to the Gay Star News, “Guernsey currently does not offers Islanders the right to enter a civil partnership, making it the only place in the British Isles to not offer same-sex couples any form of official partnership.” A date for a second vote has not yet been set. More here: bit.ly/1OW9qY3

UN RELEASES VIDEO ON THE COST OF LGBT EXCLUSION: This week, in honor of Human Rights Day, the United Nations released a compelling video as part of their Free and Equal initiative, highlighting the harsh discrimination faced by members of the LGBT community every day. The video emphasizes how stigma and discrimination play out in various contexts such as the high rate of LGBTQ youth truancy and homelessness; the increased likelihood of contemplating suicide; and rampant workplace discrimination. Narrated by out actor Zachary Quinto, the video also explores “the cost of homophobia and transphobia” on a country’s economy and workforce. The UN has called fighting the stigma a “human rights priority and development imperative.” Watch here: bit.ly/1lARZkp
 
READING RAINBOW
 
CNN gives us an inside look at the world’s only transgender bodybuilding competition…. New York Magazine explores how Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz has locked in the support of the Christian right in Iowa… and an opinion piece from MLive.com calls for Gov. Snyder of Michigan to support LGBT rights in the state.
 
Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to A.M. Equality, and follow @HRC for all the latest news and updates. Thanks for reading!
 

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Balderson announces passage of legislation strengthening online sex offender law
State Senator Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville) announced the passage of legislation that will protect Ohio children from online sexual solicitation. The legislation will require registered sex offenders to register all online accounts with the local sheriff …

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Live Chat, Day 3: UFC Fight Night 80 results, TUF 22 Finale and UFC 194 discussion
This is the Promotional Malpractice Live Chat. Day three, here we go and there’s so much to get to. Last night, Rose Namajunas put on a virtuoso performance against Paige VanZant, absolutely dominating and bludgeoning the rising strawweight prospect.

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