A Thank You Note to Straight People

A recent article in the Washington Post repeatedly downplays the significance of 26 million Facebook users changing their profile photos to the colors of the rainbow flag. While I agree that this “slacktivist” gesture alone isn’t as meaningful as how individuals live their daily lives, the author’s logic is flawed. He accuses the non-LGBT rainbow-bearers of co-opting the symbol of the movement.

“Throughout history, the powerful have taken credit for social progress they did not participate in,” the author argues.

By this reasoning, only those who are gay, lesbian, bi or trans can wave the rainbow flag. Taking this a step further, only those who’ve fought in wars are allowed to wave the American flag.

I understand where the author is coming from. My coming out process was long, painful and deeply personal. Yet seeing the sea of rainbow-colored profile photos is — if nothing else — a sign that times have truly changed.

The victory of same-sex marriage can (and should) be shared by the entire country. The fight was rooted in equality, so how can we begrudge anyone the right to celebrate right alongside us? This doesn’t threaten or belittle my story; it only serves to strengthen and amplify it.

The day before the Post article was published, I wrote on my personal blog, thanking my straight allies for changing their profile photos — and for so much more. The truth is, the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage couldn’t have happened without straight people — and not just the five justices that voted in favor of it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dear Straight People,

Thank you. Thank you for cheering right alongside us as we in the LGBT community celebrate a new-found, long-overdue measure of equality. Thank you for the endless sea of rainbow-colored photos. Thank you for voting. Thank you for teaching your children (and sometimes your parents) that not every family is the same, yet deserving of the same respect. Thank you for telling them that whether they grow up to love the opposite gender or their own, you will still love them. Thank you for encouraging them to be whoever they were meant to be. Thank you for trying to understand and to learn. Thank you for asking questions, even if you don’t always have the right words. Thank you for being fair and equal in your schools, your jobs, your churches, and your neighborhoods. Thank you for defending us in a fight, even when we’re not around. Especially when we’re not around.

With much love & gratitude,
Brent

This post originally appeared on Brent’s blog, Designer Daddy. You can also find him on Facebook.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

www.huffingtonpost.com/brent-almond/a-gay-thank-you-note-to-straight-people_b_7749906.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Anti-gay preacher Franklin Graham furious White House was lit in rainbow pride colors

It’s been more than a week since The White House was lit with rainbow colors to celebrate nationwide marriage equality.

But Franklin Graham is still fuming.

The president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which was founded by his father in 1950, is blasting President Barack Obama for the 26 June gesture shortly after the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in all 50 US states.

‘He had the gall to disgrace the White House by lighting it up with the gay pride rainbow colors to celebrate,’ Graham wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday (7 July).

‘This is arrogantly flaunting sinful behavior in the face of Almighty God. My advice? He might want to have some extra lightning rods installed on the roof of the White House.’

Graham takes Obama to task for his relatively recent evolution on same-sex marriage.

‘A lot has changed in three short years!’ he writes. ‘Just three years ago, the President was on record as holding to the biblical definition of marriage. Now he can’t say enough about his support for the LGBT agenda.

Graham has made a series of anti-gay statements in recent years including his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime’s banning so-called ‘homosexual propaganda.’

He has also urged Christians to boycott LGBTI-friendly businesses, said gay marriage is sending the US ‘off a moral cliff,’ spoke out against gays being allowed in Boy Scouts and accused Marvel Comics of trying to brainwash young people into accepting a homosexual ‘lifestyle’ after a character in the popular comic book series X-Men was revealed to be gay.

The post Anti-gay preacher Franklin Graham furious White House was lit in rainbow pride colors appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/anti-gay-preacher-franklin-graham-furious-white-house-was-lit-in-rainbow-pride-colors/

PHOTOS: Truvada Takers Given #PrEPHeroes Treatment In Edgy, Sex-Positive Campaign

It’s been three years since Truvada as PrEP was approved in the United States, and since then there have been countless success stories shared by doctors, patients and health advocates praising the effectiveness of the once-daily pill to prevent HIV infection by as much as 92-99 percent.

There’s also been backlash — “it’s too expensive,” “people can’t be trusted to take a pill every day,” “it isn’t safe,” “it promotes sexual promiscuity,”  etc.

Related: Can Our Generation Stop HIV With A ‘Truvada Revolution?’ Vice Investigates.

But numerous major metro health departments from New York to SF to LA, as well as many AIDS organizations, see continued gains in educating those at risk of contracting the virus about Truvada and helping them gain access to the drug while linking them with testing, prevention education, and care.

In a recent campaign called #PrEPHeroes by Housing Works Community Healthcare, nine models currently taking Truvada were chosen and made over into edgy superheroes to draw focus to the benefit they’re providing their communities and themselves by ensuring they won’t spread HIV.

Notes art director Jack Mackenroth:

“The goal of the campaign is to portray these men as role models and as powerful individuals who are taking charge of their own defense against HIV. I love that they are depicted as bold, visionary ‘heroes.’ They are seizing control of their own sexual health and protecting others by stopping further HIV transmission. I hope that the stylish and provocative nature of the campaign will inspire others to share it on social media, participate with their own #PrEPHeroes photo, and instigate conversations about HIV prevention.”

Check out more of the photos, taken by Mike Ruiz, below:

Dan Tracer

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Arkansas County Clerk Calls On Clerks State-Wide To Refuse Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples 

A county clerk in Van Buren County, Arkansas is calling on all county clerks in the state to stand with her in defying the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage and refuse marriage licenses to any same-sex couples seeking them.

Arkansas Times reports:

Pam Bradford, the Van Buren County clerk, circulated this memo to all county clerks today announcing her intention to defy the U.S. Supreme Court and have her office refuse to issue marriage licenses.

She was out of the office when I called, but an employee confirmed the memo and said, as yet, no same-sex couples had presented themselves in the county to obtain a marriage license.

Bradford’s resistance is contrary to the position taken by both Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Even the anti-gay Family Council, which is promoting ways in which people opposed to marriage can avoid participation in the process, distributed the advice from another religious legal organization that the best means to avoid compliance is to have someone else who is willing to do the work do it in place of someone with objections. Bradford has taken this a step farther.

Bradford is a Republican and attends Shirley First Baptist Church according to her Facebook page. The clerk’s office is in Clinton.

Check out an image of the memo below:

[h/t Joe.My.God]

The post Arkansas County Clerk Calls On Clerks State-Wide To Refuse Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples  appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Arkansas County Clerk Calls On Clerks State-Wide To Refuse Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples 

Marriage Equality Victory in Puerto Rico

With today’s pro-equality ruling from the First Circuit Court of Appeals, same-sex marriages can begin in Puerto Rico on July 15, according to reports.

read more

Dawn Ennis

www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2015/07/08/marriage-equality-victory-puerto-rico

What Men Ages 5 To 50 Think 'Be A Man' Means
A powerful new video features 50 men between the ages of 5 and 50 opening up about what they think of when they hear the phrase “be a man.”

The many varied responses, put together by Cut Video, open up an important dialogue about changing cultural perceptions of masculinity. Many of the men featured either had negative associations with the phrase “be a man,” or thoughtfully explained why they think commanding someone to “be a man” is problematic or limiting.

“Misleading,” one 21-year-old said. “I’ve learned that being a man doesn’t mean to shut out your feelings — it’s to embrace them.”

“Who defines what a man is?” another 39-year-old respondent asked. “I mean, we all have to walk our own paths. What I consider to make me a man may not be what makes you a man.”

Taken as a whole, the responses provide some valuable insight about how idioms like “be a man” can reinforce stereotypes and perpetuate systems of violence, by shaping cultural expectations of behavior. When we raise boys who are constantly told to “man up” and “be a man,” it shapes and informs the way they handle their relationships — both with themselves and those around them.

Watch the full video above. Want to see more from Cut Video? Check out another word association project about the word “gay” here.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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REVIEW: Seashore

Set on the wintry coast of southern Brazil, this is a slow-moving and poignant story about two school friends.

Martin (Mateus Almada) has been sent by his father to the beach-side town where Martin’s grandfather has recently passed away. Tomaz (Mauricio Barcellos) goes with him for company.

Alone together, secrets are shared and boundaries are tested.

Written and directed by Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, this is a subtle approach to story-telling – allowing the characters to gradually reveal themselves and their narrative.

Heavy use of hand-held camera-work gives the scenes an immediacy and intimacy, lingering across the features of a face or the imperfections on skin.

Adolescence is confusing time, and Seashore embraces that with a very contemporary sensibility.

An intriguing glimpse into the not-so-sunny side of life in Brazil.

Seashore is distributed by Wolfe entertainment.

Seashore – Trailer from FilmBuff on Vimeo.

The post REVIEW: Seashore appeared first on Gay Star News.

Gareth Johnson

www.gaystarnews.com/article/review-seashore/

VIDEO: Gay Couple Denied Marriage License in Kentucky

This week, a humiliating video emerged of Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis denying a marriage license to David Moore and his partner of 17 years.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/video-gay-couple-denied-marriage-license-in-kentucky?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Texas Couple Finally Gets Marriage License From Homophobic Clerk Who Initially Denied Them

When Jim Cato and Joe Stapleton went to their local courthouse in Granbury, Texas, to get married last week, Hood County Clerk Katie Lang (not to be confused with lesbian singer-songwriter K.D. Lang) turned them away, citing religious objections.

Then she called the police to try and have the men removed from the building. What followed was a showdown between antigay activists and supporters of marriage equality the law of the land.

On Thursday, dozens of “religious freedom” activists held a protest outside of the courthouse where they waves signs that read “Impeach Supreme Court” and “Protect Religious Freedom” and demanding “the biblical understanding of marriage.”

“Government should not be able to punish people because of their religious faith,” Jonathan Saenz, president of Austin-based Texas Values, which opposes same-sex marriage, preached to the crowd. “We will not be silent! We will continue to stand for God and country! We are here to support Katie Lang!”

Related: Another Uppity Texas County Clerk Is Denying A Gay Couple Their Marriage License

On the other side of the courthouse lawn, supporters of Cado and Stapleton held their own protest.

“We live in Granbury,” Cato told press. “We pay our taxes in Granbury. We do not feel like we have to travel somewhere else for our marriage license. We will stick it out here until we get our license in Granbury.”

And stick it out they did. On Monday, Cato and Stapleton filed a federal lawsuit against Lang for denying them their legal right to a marriage license. Knowing she had no legal ground to stand on, the clerk’s office caved, citing “software issues” for Lang’s initial refusal to perform her job.

“Jim Cato and Joe Stapleton are delighted that they finally have been issued a marriage license and can get married in their home county,” their attorneys, Jan Soifer and Austin Kaplan, said in a statement this week. “It’s a shame that they needed to hire lawyers and file a lawsuit to make that happen.”

Lang has since vowed that she will “personally refrain” from issuing licenses, but said that others in the office could do so once “the appropriate forms have been printed and supplied to my office.”

Perhaps she’d be better off looking for a new line of work. Just sayin’.

Related: Christian Government Clerk Hijacks The Law, And It’s All Caught On Tape

h/t: The Huffington Post

Graham Gremore

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