Fran’s Story: We Can’t Stop Here
One Vermont member’s support for HRC is a reminder that there’s still much to do.
HRC.org
www.hrc.org/blog/entry/frans-story-we-cant-stop-here?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Straight Celebs Pick Their Same-Sex Wedding Crush
Straight Celebs Pick Their Same-Sex Wedding Crush
Aww, straight people, they’re so cute. Look at how they have boyfriends and girlfriends, just like homos, but with the wrong gender!
Through a strange confluence of knowing the right people and being available at the right time, we found ourselves standing on a Los Angeles red carpet a few nights ago, in the presence of a bunch of straight allies who are also television celebrities. The occasion was the book launch for The Gay Groom’s Guide: To Planning Your Perfect Wedding (Without Losing Your Mind). Written by Robert Blackmon, the book is a compilation of brilliant tips and guidelines for getting hitched.
That’s handy, because planning a wedding is the worst — it’s supposedly a happy event, but you can pretty much guarantee that everyone will be on edge, nobody will be wearing comfortable shoes, and because nearly everyone present is related, any hookups that happen are a recipe for a familial meltdown. Robert’s book streamlines the whole process, guiding you through nuptials that are as smooth as the white silk gloves that you would wear if you were a virgin.
For reasons that are unclear, the book launch attracted a small swarm of TV celebs, so we figured we’d ask them who they would gay-marry if they were gay and could pick anyone to be their spouse. Why not, right? Even though most of these folks are straight, they all had a same-sex wedding crush to share. Here’s what they had to say:
If you ever wondered who Judy Tenuta would lez out for, ask no longer! “Would it be wrong?” she asked. “I think I want to marry Gisele Bundchen. She’s kinda fuckin’ hot.”
Recording artist Jennifer Akerman said “Kate Winslet is like super-sexy. She’s really talented.”
Kaleina Cordova, from Step Up: Revolution, said she’d marry Charlize Theron. “She’s extremely versatile and very fun. And I like when she chopped her hair off.”
Alexa Ferr went immediately to Rihanna. What kind of date would they go on? “I dunno. Maybe a concert. In Paris or something.” Ooh la la.
“Katherine Hepburn…she was a great role model for women in a time when a lot of people were repressed,” said Maitland Ward (you know, Rachel from Boy Meets World). She actually met Katherine Hepburn, albeit when she was a fetus: the elderly actress patted Maitland’s mother’s pregnant stomach and wished her the best.
Here’s Ben Woolf, who hurried along before we could ask him any questions! You can catch him on American Horror Story.
Adrienne Janic, from TLC’s Overhaulin’, said “I bet everybody says Angelina Jolie,” but she also likes Lady Gaga and Iggy Azalea, because she likes a good musician and also butts.
At one point Judy Tenuta wound up in a sandwich with Patrika Darbo and a friend. The flowers are a delicious garnish.
David Golshan, from Shahs of Sunset, wanted to marry “George Clooney… but I’m too late.”
“Who would be like the ultimate wife?” wondered Deanna Lee Douglas before settling on Jennifer Lawrence. “I think we would have a kick-ass time.”
Luke Barnett decided, “well, I’m straight, but I’ve probably got a big man crush on Michael Fassbender.”
Here’s author Robert Blackmon (right) with his husband and Judy Tenuta.
If Lindsay Kay Howard is not on your radar, then it’s time for you to go to ITT Technical School and get a degree in electrical engineering because your radar is broken and in need of repair. She is a wrestler (nearly 7 feet tall!), a powerful athlete, and she’s just getting into acting. She is amazing, and she would totally marry both Ellen and Portia.
Here is Lexi Noel, a signing personality. She’d marry Katy Perry. “She looks like she’s so much fun.”
matt baume
Russia Ends U.S. Student Exchange Program, Blames Elderly Michigan Gay Couple
Russia Ends U.S. Student Exchange Program, Blames Elderly Michigan Gay Couple
Russia has canceled a foreign exchange program with the U.S., alleging that a gay couple persuaded a man to stay with them and apply for asylum, reports The Guardian.
Since 1992, the state department-financed Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) has brought 23,000 students aged 15 to 17 from Russia and former Soviet countries to study in U.S. schools and live with local families for one academic year.
Human rights organisations have accused the Russian government of promoting discrimination following the introduction of a “gay propaganda” law last year.
Announcing the end of the country’s participation in FLEX, Russia’s children’s rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov [pictured above] said the couple became the legal guardians of the Russian student, after the student left his host family and stayed in the U.S. when the school year ended in May.
According to Russian state news agency Itar-Tass, the student met the couple – elderly veterans who had previously adopted two American boys – in church and the men offered to become his immigration sponsors and pay for him to study at Harvard University.
Astakhov explained on Twitter that the cancellation came about because of a “gross violation by the host country, the United States, of the obligation to unconditionally return students from Russia who travel there to study.”
Одна из причин – грубое нарушение принимающей стороной(США) обязательств по безусловному возвращению прибывших на обучение школьников из РФ.
— Павел Астахов (@RFdeti) October 1, 2014
In an interview with the official government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta, he added that the student moved in with the two men in Michigan, “and they gradually developed – how can I say this carefully – close friendly relations.”
Anton Meshkov, a former FLEX student, said the fact that 15 young people are thought to have stayed in the U.S. after the program ended was not a “serious reason to take away the chance to travel from hundreds of kids”.
“It’s absurd to suppose that the program could facilitate the seduction of young Russians. As a participant in this program myself, I know what a serious selection process host families go through.”
Last year, Astakhov vowed he would do everything possible to ensure that Russian orphans were only adopted by heterosexual couples.
Jim Redmond
HOW LGBT INCLUSION ON TV HAS CHANGED
HOW LGBT INCLUSION ON TV HAS CHANGED
TOUCHPOINT: According to GLAAD’s newest numbers, TV is slowly improving in including LGBT characters.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlSrZa1UzYU&feature=youtube_gdata
If I Have Gay Children: A Rabbi's 8 Promises
If I Have Gay Children: A Rabbi's 8 Promises
As I prepare for Yom Kippur, I have been giving some thought to all of my and our collective sins. To paraphrase the Al Het Prayer, I have been thinking about both the sins which I have committed intentionally or unintentionally. What have been my sins of commission and my sins of omission? What have I done inadvertently by not doing anything at all? How will I be judged for my actions?
I was thinking about this yesterday when I read a profound blog post by John Pavlovitz, a pastor of North Wake House Church in North Carolina. In his piece entitled If I Have Gay Children: Four Promises From A Christian Pastor/Parent he boldly came out as a person of faith in support of his and other peoples’ children who might be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Questioning.
Reading this, I got to thinking ahead to the Torah portion we traditionally read in the Yom Kippur afternoon service. This portion is comprised of a list of sexual prohibitions (Leviticus 18:1 – 30). Why would we read the primary religious source used to substantiate homophobia on our most holy day of the year? While I might not have an answer to this question, I do feel that silence on this issue is its own sin.
As a human being, I feel a need to speak out on this because there are those for whom it is not just their comfort or happiness that are at risk, but their very health, safety, and actual lives. As a Jew, I cannot stomach senseless hatred toward people because of who they are. An integral part of our Jewish identity comes from our experience as victims of the world’s hatred. We cannot stand idly by as other people suffer from bigotry. As a rabbi, I feel a need to speak out for justice.
I feel a visceral need to speak out on this issue, not despite my being an Orthodox Jew, but because of that fact. As it says in the Statement of Principles on the Place of Jews with a Homosexual Orientation in the Orthodox Community, which I feel honored to have signed, “Embarrassing, harassing or demeaning someone with a homosexual orientation or same-sex attraction is a violation of Torah prohibitions that embody the deepest values of Judaism.”
To this end, in the spirit of Yom Kippur, I wanted to make my own promises to my gay children. Amen to Pastor Pavlovitz (1-4 paraphrased from his blog):
1) If I have gay children, you’ll all know it.
My children won’t be our family’s best kept secret. If my children come out, we’ll be out as a family.
2) If I have gay children, I’ll pray for them.
I won’t pray for them to be made “normal.” I’ve lived long enough to know that if my children are gay, that is their normal. I will pray for them just as I pray for all of my children.
3) If I have gay children, I’ll love them.
I don’t mean some token, distant, tolerant love that stays at a safe arm’s length. It will be an extravagant, open-hearted, unapologetic, lavish, embarrassing-them-in-the-school cafeteria, kind of love.
4) If I have gay children, most likely; I have gay children.
If my kids are going to be gay, well they pretty much already are. They are today, simply a younger version of who they will be; and today they’re pretty darn great.
5) If I have gay children, I expect them to participate in community.
Not only are my children a critical part of my family, but they need to know that they are a critical part of the larger Jewish family. We are a kehilah kedosha — sacred community. Bigotry and hatred pose a much bigger risk to this sanctity than the issues that one might profess regarding my children’s orientation. I promise to fight with anyone who would want to limit their involvement in school, camp, synagogue, etc.
6) If I have gay children, I will learn Torah with them.
Learning Torah is a central Jewish practice. Engaging Torah writ large is the life blood of our people. I believe in the Torah. My commitment to my children is to have them join the conversation of our people and to have their voices heard. I promise to learn with my children — not just the nice parts, but also the Torah portion we read traditionally in the Yom Kippur afternoon service. I expect to listen and promise to have their interpretation heard. And when my time comes, I look forward to giving God some feedback. They should have the confidence that I will be waiting there for them when they meet the Judge on high. My commitment to my children is unwavering and eternal.
7) If I have gay children, I will celebrate their partnership.
My wife is my ezer k’negdi—she is my helpmate. She pushes me to make sure I am my best self. The key to sustained happiness and a life of meaning is finding a partner with whom to share your life. Having a healthy partnership is not just the key to surviving in the world; it is the key to thriving. This partnership is the bedrock for a bayit ne’eman b’yisrael, a faithful home in Israel, which is the basic building block for Jewish society. I hope that we were good role models for partnership and my children should expect that we do not just tolerate their life partner, but that we find ways to celebrate that partnership.
8) If I have gay children, I will celebrate their family.
Our children are the greatest joy in my life. While my children might not have children in a “traditional” manner, it does not mean that they should not feel the obligation of Pru uRevu — to procreate and raise another generation of proud Jews. I promise to be a great Zayde to link the next generation back to our past. While my gay children will have taught me about liberation, perhaps being older I have what to share with their children about exodus from Egypt. It is my job to hide the Afikoman; I expect their children to read the four questions. I promise that they will never question their connection to Jewish history and their role in our lustrous future.
There is no doubt that some of you may be offended by what I have said here. But as Pastor Pavlovitz wrote, “This isn’t about you. This is a whole lot bigger than you.” It is about my children and the parent I aspire to be. On these issues I could not stay silent. That is how I hope to be judged on Yom Kippur.
Reposted from The Canteen and saidtomyself.com
HRC President Joins I am Harvey Milk Honorary Committee
HRC President Joins I am Harvey Milk Honorary Committee
HRC President Chad Griffin has joined the honorary committee for I am Harvey Milk, an original oratorio celebrating the life and accomplishments of LGBT rights pioneer Harvey Milk.
HRC.org
Lena Dunham Says She's Holding Off on Marriage Until Her Gay Sister Can Wed: AUDIO
Lena Dunham Says She's Holding Off on Marriage Until Her Gay Sister Can Wed: AUDIO
In a recent interview with Howard Stern, Girls star Lena Dunham said she would not be marrying her “life partner” of two years, fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff, until her younger sister Grace had the freedom to marry anywhere in the U.S.
Said Dunham:
“We’re not against marriage but I wanna wait until it’s something – my sister’s gay and it just doesn’t feel good to me to do something she can’t do. She can do it in some places but not all places…”
If the Supreme Court decides to take a gay marriage case Monday, Dunham might want to start planning those nuptials of hers.
Listen to the segment, AFTER THE JUMP…
[photo via Instagram]
Kyler Geoffroy
Mc Rick Lima AO VIVO na PARADA LGBT em Guarulhos (14/09/14 EXCLUSIVO UVRFEST FUNK) OFICIAL
Mc Rick Lima AO VIVO na PARADA LGBT em Guarulhos (14/09/14 EXCLUSIVO UVRFEST FUNK) OFICIAL
Oficial: www.facebook.com/UVRFEST.FUNK.OFICIAL Gravação: Eduardo *-* Edição: NETO AGUILAR Adm do Canal: www.facebook.com/neto.aguilar.5 Curtam: www.facebook.com/MUNDODOSB…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZB_rg0tNLE&feature=youtube_gdata
Andrej Pejic The Prettiest Boy in the World
PHOTOS: Kazakh Poster Is Latest of 6 Same-Sex Kisses That Created a Stir
PHOTOS: Kazakh Poster Is Latest of 6 Same-Sex Kisses That Created a Stir
A poster depicting a fictional gay kiss between a 19th century composer and a beloved Russian poet has Kazakhstan up in arms, and filing lawsuits.
Thom Senzee
www.advocate.com/world/2014/10/03/photos-kazakh-poster-latest-6-same-sex-kisses-created-stir
