Antigay Adoption Bills Advance in Michigan, Florida

Opponents call the bills a ‘license to discriminate’ and say they prioritize an adoption agency’s beliefs over the best interests of the child seeking a home.

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Sunnivie Brydum

www.advocate.com/families/2015/03/19/antigay-adoption-bills-advance-michigan-florida

'Kimmy Schmidt' Star Tituss Burgess Says Race Controversy Is 'Ridiculous'
Tituss Burgess vehemently disagrees with those who see representations of Asian-Americans and Native-Americans on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” as disrespectful.

“I just think that is so completely unbelievably ridiculous, and I think people are watching it and pulling it apart for all the wrong reasons,” Burgess told HuffPost Live in a Thursday conversation in an appearance to promote the Netflix series, in which he stars.

Viewers who watch from start to finish will see “all of these storylines come back around and make a delicious point,” he said, invoking how Kimmy’s love interest, Dong (played by Korean-American actor Ki Hong Lee) flips expected stereotypes.

“Kimmy doesn’t choose the white man, she chooses Dong,” he said, defying “the bizarre stereotype that white women don’t like Asian men.”

The fact that people have yet to catch onto this meta-narrative is something Burgess can’t help but laugh off.

“I just find it hilarious that people are trying to arrest us for doing the opposite of what everyone thinks we’re doing,” he concluded.

Watch more from Tituss Burgess’ HuffPost Live conversation here.

Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live’s morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/19/tituss-burgess-unbreakabl_n_6905292.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

CNN Films Spotlights Heartwarming Story of Transgender Youth

This week, CNN Films released a digital short about Ryland, a 6-year-old transgender boy and his parents.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/cnn-films-spotlights-heartwarming-story-of-transgender-youth?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Here’s How The Male Standard Of Beauty Changes Around The World

What makes a man physically attractive?

Depending on where you live in the world, your answer to that question might vary greatly.

In the U.S., the current standard seems to be moving towards the “lumbersexual” — masculine, muscular, bearded and white.

In Brazil, “Germanic features” with tan skin are considered an ideal beauty combination, and cosmetic surgery for men is becoming a normal thing to hear about.

In Turkey, there’s a trend of body hair removal for men — we remember when smooth was the standard in the U.S.

Below, Buzzfeed wrangles up a bunch of male models to explore the differences in current international beauty standards, including their assessment of what the future holds:

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/LPfBCbfnnf8/heres-how-the-male-standard-of-beauty-changes-around-the-world-20150319

WATCH: Jon Stewart On Aaron Schock's Luxe Spending Habits

Wednesday night’s episode of The Daily Show proves that nothing, especially Aaron Schock’s excessive spending habits, gets past Jon Stewart.

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Raffy Ermac

www.advocate.com/politics/2015/03/19/watch-jon-stewart-aaron-schocks-luxe-spending-habits

Anti-Conversion Therapy Bills Advance in Oregon, Iowa and Colorado

On Tuesday, state legislatures in Oregon and Iowa advanced bills to protect young people from harmful conversation therapy, and last week the Colorado House passed similar legislation.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/anti-conversion-therapy-bills-advance-in-oregon-iowa-and-colorado?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Texas Will Fight To The Death To Keep Gays From Caring For Their Sick Spouses, Because Freedom

Oh Texas, your thick-headed reluctance to join the rest of the evolving world has put your sad delusions of liberty on display for everyone to see right through. Not the first time.

State Attorney General Ken Paxton, seen here giving his best attempt at ‘raising the roof,’ has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor over the newly defined definition of marriage in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

The new rules would allow gay workers to care for their sick spouses if the two were married in a state that allows same-sex unions. Can you imagine?!

And taking a cue from fellow losers-of-history in Alabama, Paxton is advising state agencies to follow state law, not the federal rule.

“This lawsuit is about defending the sovereignty of our state, and we will continue to protect Texas from the unlawful overreach of the federal government. The newly revised definition of ‘spouse’ under the FMLA is in direct violation of state and federal laws and U.S. Constitution,” General Paxton said. “Texans have clearly defined the institution of marriage in our state, and attempts by the Obama Administration to disregard the will of our citizens through the use of new federal rules is unconstitutional and an affront to the foundations of federalism.”

It’s truly a wonder to see officials continue to fight this tooth and nail. And it’ll be something else entirely to see them all backtrack come June.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/wEp4J_UixpI/texas-will-fight-to-the-death-to-keep-gays-from-caring-for-their-sick-spouses-because-freedom-20150319

The Avengers Are Ready for Action in New 'Age of Ultron' TV Spot: WATCH

Anthony Costello

www.towleroad.com/2015/03/watch-60-second-tv-spot-for-avengers-age-of-ultron-features-new-footage.html