HRC Alabama on the Ground as Oxford Repeals Anti-Transgender Law

Post submited by HRC Alabama Organizer Tori Wolfe-Sisson

Last week, HRC was in the room when the Oxford, Alabama, City Council voted 3-2 to repeal a discriminatory new ordinance that would have prevented transgender residents and visitors from using public restroom facilities consistent with their gender identity.

The anti-transgender law was unprecedented in its establishment of criminal penalties for violations — including a $500 fine or 6 months in jail — and raised a myriad of privacy and legal concerns regarding how the law would have been enforced. 

Oxford’s ordinance enumerated criminal penalties, including the potential for jail time, for violations. It also applied to bathrooms and locker rooms citywide, including in private businesses, which went further than similar provision in North Carolina’s law, which applies to government buildings and schools. Both pieces of legislation, however, put transgender people at increased risk for violence and intimidation.

While Oxford could have faced the immense backlash North Carolina is seeing, council members did the right thing and repealed the ordinance.

A few days later, HRC joined the Oxford LGBT and allied community and organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, Southern Poverty Law Center, Southerners On New Ground and the Equality Calhoun Coalition to celebrate this immense victory. Over 150 people gathered to reflect on our shared responsibilities and to prepare for the road ahead.  

HRC Alabama is grateful that our transgender family and friends are safer here in Oxford and will continue to keep a watchful eye on anti-LGBT legislation throughout the state.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-alabama-on-the-ground-as-oxford-repeals-anti-transgender-law?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

HRC Mississippi Hosts Event Following Successful Rally

Post submitted by Harry Hawkins, Field Organizer HRC Mississippi

After the rally to repeal the discriminatory HB 1523 in Mississippi that drew hundreds of people from across the Magnolia State earlier this month, HRC Mississippi took time to celebrate the successful event and our community.

“Mississippi: Express Yourself” was an opportunity for volunteers and supporters to tell their stories, offer poems and sing songs of hope. It was a chance for all of us to see how equality and creativity can go hand in hand.

Prior to the event, hundreds of equality advocates joined HRC, NAACP, ACLU of Mississippi, Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood and other rights organizations and leaders demanding repeal of HB 1523 on the steps of the State Capitol.

On April 5, 2016, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed into law H.B. 1523, “The Religious Liberty Accommodations Act.” More than 75 major national corporations and businesses have spoken out against the horrific measure, that would allow individuals, religious organizations and private associations to use religion to discriminate against LGBT Mississippians in some of the most important aspects of their lives, including at work, at schools, and in their communities.

HRC thanks Soul Wired Cafe and the many people who participated and attended the event.

Hopefully, through events like this, we can expand and support our diverse, inclusive and loving community.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-mississippi-hosts-event-following-successful-rally?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Philly Mayor to Lesbian Teen Kicked Out of Prom: “I Love Your Suit”

“Keep being yourself,” Philadelphia’s mayor told a teenager who was kicked out of her high school prom for wearing a suit. 

www.advocate.com/youth/2016/5/11/philly-mayor-lesbian-teen-kicked-out-prom-i-love-your-suit

Red Carpet Fashion: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 Los Angeles Finale

The finale for the eighth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race was filmed at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, and boy was it a spectacle. Not only did the event bring out some the fiercest drag queens, it also drew out dozens of Hollywood celebrities including Rumer Willis and Todrick Hall. And of course, the red carpet was lined with some of the most fabulous fashions you will see on any runway!

Enjoy all of the red carpet fashions below, captured by photographer Davide Laffe.

Acid Betty

Bob The Drag Queen & Thorgy Thor

Derrick Barry

Dax ExclamationPoint

Cynthia Lee Fontaine

Chi Chi DeVayne

Robbie Turner

Naomi Smalls

Naysha Lopez

Laila McQueen

Kim Chi

Detox

Delta Work

Carnie Asada & Daniel Franzese

Andrew Christian

Alaska Thunderfuck

Aggy Dune & Mrs. Kasha Davis

AB Soto

Violet Chachki

TS Madison, Ellis Miah & Audrey Napoleon

Trixie Mattel

Trinity K. Bonet

Todrick Hall

Tempest Dujour

Tatianna

Stacy Layne Matthews

Rumer Willis

Phoenix

Raja, Bianca Del Rio, Sharon Needles, Jinkx Monsoon, Bebe Zahara Benet & Tyra Sanchez

Ongina

Nicole Paige Brooks

Morgan McMichaels

Milan Christopher

Michelle Visage & Carson Kressley

Mariah Balenciaga

Manila Luzon

Madam LaQueer

Lucian Piane

Latrice Royale & Christopher Hamblin

Larry Edwards (aka Hot Chocolate)

Kennedy Davenport

Katya Zamolodchikova

Kandy Ho

Jiggly Caliente

Jade Jolie & Jade Sotomayor

India Ferrah

Honey Mahogany

The Haus of Edwards

Whose look did you love the most? Tell us in the comments below! And don’t forget to tune in to the final episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 on Monday, May 16 at 9/8c on Logo.

Related: Red Carpet Fashion: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 New York Premiere

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Homophobic Judge Roy Moore Is No Match For Alabama Drag Queen Ambrosia Starling

Despite appearances, Alabama is still indeed a state, though at the rate things are going, it may just crumble away into the Gulf of Mexico at at any moment, and all that’ll be left behind is a triumphant drag queen named Ambrosia Starling. Who’d have guessed that Florida would still be standing while Alabama implodes?

First of all, there’s Governor Robert Bentley, who’s embroiled in a sex scandal so icky you may never want to talk to a heterosexual again. Then there’s the Speaker of the House, under investigation for corruption. And then there’s the state Supreme Court Justice, Roy Moore, whose downfall has been the most delicious of all.

You may remember Moore from his starring role in a stupid reality-show-esque fight a few years back concerning the Ten Commandments. He insisted on having a monument on state grounds, everyone freaked out, and he was kicked out of office. But then, because Alabama bizarrely allows members of the public to vote on Supreme Court justices, he was voted back in. Great job, Alabama! Your average citizen is DEFINITELY qualified to judge the merits of top legal minds.

Moore then promptly proceeded to go on an unconstitutional bender, ordering clerks to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples even after the US Supreme Court ruled that they had to. It took a few months, but now once again, Moore has been temporarily removed from office, with the possibility that he’s gone for good. Or he might get stuck in a rubber room that prevents him from doing more harm. (You can catch up on all the juicy details and speculation on this week’s Defining Marriage podcast.)

So what’s Ambrosia Starling’s role in all thus? Well, she’s been one of the most vocal opponents of Moore from the start, holding various protests and rallies to draw attention to Moore’s misdeeds.

And it’s driving him absolutely bonkers.

When Moore was kicked out, he complained that regulators were “choosing to listen to people like Ambrosia Starling, a professed transvestite, and other gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals as well as organizations that support their agenda.”

Haha, “professed transvestite,” that’s one way of referring to a drag queen, okay.

When Moore called Starling insane, she happily agreed. “I’m crazy for democracy!” Yes girl. Go nuts. Get all of those jerks thrown out of office one by one, and turn Alabama into a drag paradise!

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Nick Jonas: Accusations of Gaybaiting Are ‘Really Quite Sad’

Nick Jonas is no stranger to courting his gay fans. But Jonas has consistently been accused of gaybaiting his queer audience, a fact which Jonas addresses in a new interview with OUT.

In his profile of Jonas, Chadwick Moore writes, 

As an album of R&B and pop, Nick Jonas received mostly positive reviews from critics, one of whom declared it as filling “the hole currently vacated by Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke.” However, that same reviewer, echoing the sentiments of many, accused Jonas of taking “a page out of the James Franco playbook, courting the LGBT community, aggressively working both the gay press and New York City’s club circuit.”

The accusations of gay baiting and opportunism have left Jonas a bit wounded. “It’s not the majority, but a large handful have a negative opinion for whatever reason,” he says, “and I think it’s really quite sad.” Still, regardless of whether he’s playing footsie with the LGBT community, his work is starting to speak for itself.

RELATED: Nick Jonas Doesn’t Think He’s a Gay Icon

Jonas has perhaps gone out of his way to be LGBT-friendly, playing gay roles on the shows Kingdom and Scream Queens (well, let’s just say his character’s sexuality on Scream Queens is complicated). And Jonas says he has enjoyed playing those characters. Of the closeted MMA fighter he plays on Kingdom, Jonas says.

“It’s been a great character to play,” says Jonas, “one that I try to be respectful of and take myself out of. He’s on his own path.”

To prepare for the part, he spoke to some of his closest friends, some of whom were raised in conservative families, about their coming-out experiences. “It was a good way to research,” says Jonas, “to kind of build the character with some elements of real life.”

You can read the full interview with Jonas here.

The post Nick Jonas: Accusations of Gaybaiting Are ‘Really Quite Sad’ appeared first on Towleroad.

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God Reveals He’s Bisexual – WATCH 

Fans of the CW show Supernatural got something of a surprise recently when God (an actual character on the show) came out rather coyly as bisexual.

The show has been running for 11 seasons and been flagged before for its lack of LGBT diversity (after all, 11 seasons means lots of opportunities for new characters with non-heteronormative sexual and gender identities). However, on episode 20 from season 11 titled “Don’t Call Me Shurley”, the character of Chuck first reveals that he is God and then reveals that over the years he has dated both boys and girls.

Talking about his experience being Chuck, God reveals, “I traveled a lot, you know. And uh, I dated! Yeah, I had some girlfriends. Had a few boyfriends.” The character he tells notably seems pleasantly surprised by the news but not completely gobsmacked.

There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot more digging into the topic but it’s a welcome diversity nod, especially considering the pitiful lack of bisexual representation in mainstream scripted entertainment.

RELATED: Hollywood’s LGBT Representation Has Gotten Worse, Says GLAAD Report

Watch the big reveal, below.

[Image via TV.com; h/t Instinct]

The post God Reveals He’s Bisexual – WATCH  appeared first on Towleroad.

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Wyoming Judge Faces Dismissal For Refusing to Preside Over Same-Sex Weddings

The Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics has asked the state Supreme Court to dismiss a judge who has refused to preside over same-sex marriages because of her religious beliefs.

Supported by anti-gay litigation group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Municipal Judge and Circuit Court Magistrate Ruth Neely argues she has a constitutional right to voice her opinion. ADF lawyers have said no same-sex couples have asked her to preside over their weddings. They quoted a provision of the Wyoming Constitution which prevents the state from finding a person incompetent to hold public office “because of his opinion on any matter of religious belief whatever.”

RELATED: Alliance Defending Freedom Fights For Right To Turn Away Gays In US, But Aims To Put Them in Jail Overseas

The petition filed last month reads:

“By the commission’s logic, jurists like Chief Justice John G. Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of the United States Supreme Court could not sit on the bench in Wyoming. Not only have they written opinions explaining their view that the U.S. Constitution does not include a right to same-sex marriage, but also they (like Judge Neely) ascribe to a religious tradition that precludes them from celebrating a same-sex marriage.”

Supporting Neely, Rep. Kendell Kroeker (right) said “for me, it’s a free speech issue. A judge shouldn’t be removed for something that she said outside of her duties as a judge.”

Jason Marsden, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation and a former Wyoming resident, said:

“You can’t have a piecemeal government, or government by checkbox for the personal beliefs and bias of people who for a time hold a public office. If you want to hold a public office, you have to serve the public under the law, and if you can’t do that, you need to find another line of work.”

According to the Casper Star Tribune, a coalition of current and former Wyoming lawmakers filed a petition with the state supreme court on Monday supporting Neely’s position.

(Images via townofpinedale.us and kendellkroeker.com)

The post Wyoming Judge Faces Dismissal For Refusing to Preside Over Same-Sex Weddings appeared first on Towleroad.

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That’s Amore: Same-Sex Civil Unions Move Forward in Italy

Earlier today, Italy’s parliament voted 369-193 in favor of same-sex civil unions.

Before this vote, Italy was the only country in Western Europe with no legal form of recognition for same-sex couples.

While the new law includes tax, inheritance and welfare protections for same-sex couples, according to The Telegraph, they will not be able to adopt their partner’s biological children.

“The glass is half-full,” Gabriele Piazzoni, national secretary of the Arcigay organization, said in a statement. “The text contains the recognition and protection many gays and lesbians have been waiting for all their lives… (but) everything this law has failed to guarantee leaves a bitter taste.” 

The country has lagged behind its European neighbors in LGBT equality because of resistance from the Catholic Church hierarchy. 

The Catholic Church does not perform or recognize same-sex marriages, yet the Catholic laity have been increasingly vocal in their support for marriage equality. Lay organizations, including Catholics for Marriage Equality, played a key role in the United States during the 2012 elections, and have maintained an active presence since then.

There are currently only 20 countries that have full marriage equality.

www.hrc.org/blog/thats-amore-same-sex-civil-unions-move-forward-in-italy?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed