8 Unbelievably Gay Eurovision Performances

www.advocate.com/television/2016/5/13/8-unbelievably-gay-eurovision-performances

LGBTQIDONTKNOW: The Acronym Struggle Is Real

This seasoned gay thinks we need an all-encompassing word for our community — and it’s staring us in the face.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/5/13/lgbtqidontknow-acronym-struggle-real

Helpless Owner Watched Fort McMurray Wildfire Destroy Home Over iPhone Security Cam: VIDEO

The devastating Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta has forced the evacuation of 80,000 people, and destroyed 2,400 homes while damaging more than 500. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to visit the area today and meet with first responders, the Globe and Mail reports.

One homeowner who lost everything watched it all go down over his home security system which included a video monitor viewable through an iPhone. The homeowner uploaded the video to Storyful and the terrifying clip reveals how quickly everything was gone. James O’Reilly shared the video with The Star as well.

The Star reports:

O’Reilly was in his truck, his wife in a vehicle behind, at Gregoire Lake south of town when he watched his home destroyed. He’d just driven through six packed lanes of traffic, the air full of so many embers it looked like fire brushing the sides of the camper he was pulling, and he says the adrenaline softened the blow—but now, it’s starting to settle in.

“We’ve been talking for two days about all the things we left behind,” he said. “We left pretty much all our important papers, some important pictures.”

He adds he also feels bad about the two clown fish left in the tank, just two of many animals that were left behind.

The Globe and Mail has also posted a page where you can help fire victims and receive help.

And here is a link to the Canadian Red Cross page for the Alberta fires.

The post Helpless Owner Watched Fort McMurray Wildfire Destroy Home Over iPhone Security Cam: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

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Frustrated Traveler’s Video of Massive Airport TSA Security Line Goes Viral: WATCH

We’ve all been there but the problem is getting worse – the massive TSA security lines at the nation’s airports. One frustrated traveler at Chicago’s Midway airport illustrated the problem by shooting video of the line he had to endure, and the footage is going viral.

“Oh no, we’re just getting started,” says Sean H, as he snakes around corner after corner in a seemingly endless labyrinth filled with passengers and their bags.

The clip comes at a time when the TSA is facing increased scrutiny over poor performance, and threats from airports to replace it with private contractors:

Last week, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey suggested it would replace the US Transportation Safety Administration with private contractors if it did not improve its “abysmal” performance. The Port Authority’s letter to the TSA echoes sentiments expressed in a similar letter in February by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the nation’s busiest airport. The Port Authority, which operates the JFK International and LaGuardia airports in New York and Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, is urging the TSA to increase resources for its security-screening services.

The House Oversight Committee on Thursday held a hearing with the head of the TSA about poor performance:

“I share your concerns,” he said. “I hold those who violate standards accountable.”

The agency has come under fire recently for increasingly long security lines at airports. Many airlines say the increase in wait times has caused passengers to miss flights. And some airports, frustrated by the performance of the T.S.A., say they are considering switching to private screeners.

Mr. Neffenger said the long lines were a result of staffing shortages and higher-than-forecast passenger numbers.

Watch the video, which has been viewed nearly 1 million times in 24 hours:

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Italian Right Wing Conservatives Plan Referendum to Overturn Civil Unions Legislation: VIDEO

A group of mostly right-wing lawmakers in Italy have said they intend to hold a referendum to overturn same-sex civil unions, approved earlier this week.

Members of Silvio Berlusconi‘s Forza Italia, the far-right Northern League and various other factions are hoping to raise the 500,000 signatures required to force a referendum. They will begin the process as soon as the law is signed by President Sergio Mattarella.

Democratic Party Senator Monica Cirinna, who guided the legislation through parliament despite fierce opposition led by the Catholic Church, said she would welcome a popular vote. “Italian citizens have never voted for discrimination,” she said. “They have always confirmed major civil rights advances which have already happened.”

RELATED: Italian Prime Minister Tells Catholic Church to Butt Out of Gay Marriage: VIDEO

According to AFP, Italian Senate member Carlo Giovanardi, a vocal opponent of same-sex civil unions, said the referendum move was a protest at the way the legislation was pushed through parliament, not motivated by homophobia. “We are not against the recognition of rights but we are resorting to a referendum because [Prime Minister Matteo] Renzi (above) prevented us from amending and debating the law,” he said.

AFP adds:

Opponents of the law are also planning legal challenges on two fronts: one that it is anti-constitutional because the proposed civil unions are too close to marriage, and another on the grounds that the financing of the law’s application has not been properly provided for.

Assuming the required 500,000 signatures can be raised, verified by the Court of Cassation, approved by the Constitutional Court and a quorum met in the vote, the “no” side would have to win the referendum by at least 50 percent plus one.

However, a referendum looks unlikely to be successful. A vote to overturn the law would also be legally complicated as the first civil unions are expected to happen this fall, before the referendum could be organized.

Watch a Euronews report on the passing of civil unions legislation below.

(Matteo Renzi image Wikimedia Commons)

The post Italian Right Wing Conservatives Plan Referendum to Overturn Civil Unions Legislation: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

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How We Killed Oxford, Ala.'s Hate Law

Getting an insidious “bathroom law” repealed took intense organization and grassroots work. Read the inside story here.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/5/13/how-we-killed-oxford-alas-hate-law

Gay Men Should Understand Bathroom Terror

James Howe, like many boys who grew up to be gay or bi, remembers bathrooms and locker rooms as places of fear. The one positive from those experiences — more empathy for the trans plight.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/5/13/gay-men-should-understand-bathroom-terror

Why a D.C. Gay Gang Took Matters Into Its Own Hands

A new documentary, Check It, questions if LGBT organizations are partly to blame for the rise in imperiled queer youth of color in Washington.

www.advocate.com/film/2016/5/13/why-dc-gay-gang-took-matters-its-own-hands