Ohio Woman Is 2017's Third Transgender Murder Victim
Jojo Striker was found shot to death in Toledo last week.
www.advocate.com/crime/2017/2/17/ohio-woman-2017s-third-transgender-murder-victim
Daily Archives: February 17, 2017
Love Your Neighbor – Jeremy
Love Your Neighbor – Jeremy
Jeremy is a Tupelo, MS resident who works for MAC Cosmetics.
#LoveYourNeighbor” is a storytelling project focused on sharing the experiences of LGBTQ people and allies in Tupelo, Miss. The project was funded by a grant from Toyota, which has a manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, Miss, just outside of Tupelo.
There's Timeless Power in Lovesong's Gentle Story About Love Between Women
There's Timeless Power in Lovesong's Gentle Story About Love Between Women
Director So Yong Kim’s indie feature stars Riley Keough and Jena Malone as women whose abiding love blurs the lines of friendship. And it’s both timeless and very much of the moment.
‘Fans of Love’ Ad Offers Incredibly Moving Twist on the Kiss-Cam : WATCH
‘Fans of Love’ Ad Offers Incredibly Moving Twist on the Kiss-Cam : WATCH
The Ad Council has partnered with both the NFL and creative agency R/GA to produce the latest offering from the “Love Has No Labels” campaign that features a “kiss-cam” highlighting diversity in couples and pairings. It was released to coincide with Valentine’s Day this week and centers on the audience at the Orlando Pro Bowl football game in January.
Their 2015 viral video used x-ray imagery to demonstrate the innate nature of love no matter its gender identity, sexual orientation, race or age. This time around, it uses the familiar sports phenomenon of a “kiss-cam,” in which a camera pans over the stadium searching for couples to zoom in on and flash onto the Jumbotron big screen to prompt them to kiss for cheering fans, to put the spotlight on nontraditional duos. It begins by centering a heart-shaped overlay on a man and woman in the crowd, but then switches over to the left so the man could kiss his male partner to his right instead. The twist is greeted with applause and cheers.
The crowd then shows its appreciation in turn for an older African-American straight couple, a lesbian couple—one of whom is wearing an Orlando survivor t-shirt—as well as two young men with Down’s syndrome who hug each other warmly. The video is accompanied by this message:
For years, kiss cams have been a big part of American sports culture. This year, Love Has No Labels puts a twist on the kiss cam by turning it into a symbol for unbiased love. In the stadium, fans cheered for love in all its forms – regardless of race, gender, disability, age or religion.
Love Has No Labels is a movement to open our eyes to unconscious bias. While the vast majority of Americans consider themselves unprejudiced, many of us unintentionally make snap judgments about people based on what we see – whether it’s race, age, gender, religion, sexuality, or disability. By becoming aware of our own biases, we can work to end bias in ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities. Rethink bias at www.lovehasnolabels.com.
With the NFL demonstrating its willingness to put pressure on Texas against the passage of an anti-transgender bathroom bill, and its collaboration in the shooting of this video, it is providing an example of how cultural influences—even those sometimes problematically associated with toxic masculinity—can step in even when political setbacks seem to threaten progress. The ad’s creators provided their own insights into the video’s origins:
“The message is not political, it’s apolitical,” said Eric Jannon, an executive creative director at R/GA, adding that the campaign was more than a year in the making. “We’ll keep embracing diversity regardless of what’s going on in the White House.”
“I do believe that releasing this piece of film at this moment in time will be incredibly powerful,” said Ad Council CEO and President Lisa Sherman. She is hoping that all the people “looking for images and messages of coming together” will boost the latest version of the campaign.
“We noticed that [the iconic kiss cam] was often focused on traditional notions of love. We thought, what if we could showcase a more modern take?” said Chris Northam, another executive creative director at R/GA who worked on the spot. “We hope it does cause conversation and, more than anything else, that the fans embrace this message and help spread this movement.”
The post ‘Fans of Love’ Ad Offers Incredibly Moving Twist on the Kiss-Cam : WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
‘Fans of Love’ Ad Offers Incredibly Moving Twist on the Kiss-Cam : WATCH
#LoveYourNeighbor: Jeremy Encourages His Community to Keep an Open Mind
#LoveYourNeighbor: Jeremy Encourages His Community to Keep an Open Mind
An employee of MAC Cosmetics, customers were shocked — and bothered — to see Jeremy, a gay male, working for a business that sells makeup. So bothered, in fact, that they took up a petition to attempt to have him removed from his job.
Undeterred by the bigotry he has faced in his hometown, Jeremy encourages people to open up and have conversations with one another in HRC’s new #LoveYourNeighbor campaign, a video storytelling series focused on sharing the stories of LGBTQ and allied people in Tupelo, Mississippi.
“The only way for us to actually come together is if we understand each other,” Jeremy said. “Not that we necessarily agree, but that I see you humanly.”
Sharing personal stories is a powerful tool to change hearts and minds, and helps create new advocates for equality. Jeremy hopes that members of his community make the effort to step outside of their comfort zones and expose themselves to people who aren’t exactly like them.
“Looking toward the future for Tupelo, Mississippi and Mississippi as a whole, I would like to see more inclusiveness,” Jeremy said. “We don’t see the world as it is, but we see the world as we are…You have to broaden your horizons.”
As for MAC? The cosmetics company, which has a diverse and all-encompassing staff, refused to back down to hatemongers and threw its full support behind Jeremy. He still works at MAC to this day.
On Tuesday, March 7, the #LoveYourNeighbor campaign will culminate with a town hall discussion in Tupelo featuring all seven videos of the participants. You can learn more about the town hall here.
In 2014, HRC launched Project One America, a comprehensive multi-year effort to dramatically expand LGBTQ equality in the South through permanent campaigns in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas.
Watch This Lone Trump Supporter Go on A Rant in New York City (Video)
Watch This Lone Trump Supporter Go on A Rant in New York City (Video)
One man, one sign, and a very unpopular position in the heart of Lower Manhattan, not far from where terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001.
www.advocate.com/politics/2017/2/17/watch-lone-trump-supporter-go-rant-new-york-city-video
So, the first steamy gay scene from C.W.’s “Riverdale” is here. Curious?
So, the first steamy gay scene from C.W.’s “Riverdale” is here. Curious?
In a relatively short time period, the C.W’s new Riverdale series has covered lots of ground.
There’s been a shirtless, pronouncedly muscular walk brought to you by J.K. Apa. (Contractually obligated, as work un-friendly blog Fleshbot reports.)
And now, gay character Kevin Kline (Casey Cott) has his first gay kiss in the Archie series. It’s a good one.
In the fourth episode, which aired this week, viewers were privy to a gay kiss between Joaquin (Rob Raco) and Cott’s character.
Related: Archie’s Resident Gay, Kevin Keller, Gets His Own Young-Adult Novel
It’s short but re-watchable, so get to it. One Million Moms is gonna be so pissed.
Here you go:
h/t: Fleshbot
NBA Stands up for Equality, Warns Texas Lawmakers Anti-LGBTQ Bills Could Affect All-Star Game Bids
NBA Stands up for Equality, Warns Texas Lawmakers Anti-LGBTQ Bills Could Affect All-Star Game Bids
Today, HRC hailed comments from the National Basketball Association, warning Texas lawmakers that any legislative attack on LGBTQ people would factor into a decision as to where big-ticket games, such as the All-Star Game, would be played. The NBA joins the NFL in issuing a warning to lawmakers in Texas, after the National Football League cautioned last week that anti-LGBTQ legislation such as Texas’ SB 6 could affect Texas cities’ future bids for the Super Bowl.
“The NBA’s commitment to the safety, dignity and worth of its players, employees and fans is clear. It’s time for Texas to make the same commitment,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs. “This weekend the city of New Orleans will celebrate an All-Star Weekend originally slated for Charlotte. Is that the kind of loss Texas lawmakers want to see? We hope that Texas lawmakers will heed this warning better than their North Carolinian counterparts did. Bills such as SB 6 are discriminatory, costly and wrong, and we are glad to see that the NBA and the NFL continue to stand on the side of equality and fairness.”
In July of 2016, the NBA pulled its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, NC after North Carolina specifically because lawmakers refused to repeal the harmful, discriminatory HB2. Despite the NBA’s repeated warnings that it would have to consider moving the high-profile game out of the state if the anti-LGBTQ law was not repealed, the state’s General Assembly neglected to act to repeal HB2. The 2017 All-Star Game will be played this weekend in New Orleans.
In a statement, an NBA spokesperson said, “ensuring the environment where those who participate and attend are treated fairly and equally,” is a key factor in the league’s decision-making process when selecting sites for the All-Star Game and others. Last week, the NFL issued a similar statement, saying, “If a proposal that is discriminatory or inconsistent with our values were to become law there, that would certainly be a factor considered when thinking about awarding future events.”
SB 6 is a discriminatory, anti-transgender bill. The bill would overturn non-discrimination ordinances currently providing critical protections in several major Texas cities; further, it would force state agencies, municipalities, public schools and public universities to discriminate against transgender people. By making it illegal for transgender people in Texas to be afforded access to facilities consistent with their identity, it opens them up to increased discrimination and harassment as they simply live their everyday lives. It also exposes Texas to tremendous risk of the kind of financial, legal, and political blowback that North Carolina has continued to reckon with after the passage of HB2.
Triple Purple
Here’s what Steve Bannon really thinks about gays. It’s not good.
Here’s what Steve Bannon really thinks about gays. It’s not good.
“We don’t want to be mean to gays; we want to expose them when they’re being bullies.”
That’s the gist of a decidedly unhuggy Buzzfeed story examining Steve Bannon’s views on homosexuality, in which a Breitbart writer claims Trump’s chief strategist “isn’t out to promote a socially conservative agenda on homosexuality… but he does have an interest in attacking LGBT-rights advocates as a way of attacking the left.”
But Bannon’s and Breitbart’s criteria for when gays are “bullies” is uncomfortably far-reaching.
Related: 10 Most Antigay Headlines Overseen By Trump’s Top Advisor, Steve Bannon
Still, Bannon reportedly remained on the sidelines while Trump debated signing an anti-LGBTQ executive order. At the urging of Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Gary Cohn, Trump eventually announced he’d preserve Obama’s orders that protect against job discrimination towards LGBT people.
And Bannon has remained on the sidelines as a strategy. (The same can’t be said for transgender rights, which Breitbart regularly opposes in the harshest of ways.)
“I don’t think [Bannon] has very strong views on the question at all … I mean gay rights broadly,” says Thomas Williams, Breitbart’s editor in Rome.
“Probably pushed to it, he would probably say I think it’s gone too far, but he never pushes it, he never vocalizes it — it’s just not on the top 10 list of things that he cares about….
It’s just not one of the issues where he’s going to go to the mat. Regardless of his personal inclination on the issue … you have to pick your battles and it’s just not worth it.”
According to close confidant Benjamin Harnwell:
“I’d say that Steve Bannon … [is] always looking internationally to people that he can work with where there is mutual common interest. He was interested in amplifying the voice of a leading conservative…. I don’t think he wants to wade into (infights).”
Another contributor, the Catholic conservative activist Austin Ruse, says Breitbart’s stance is to attack LGBTQ activists (who they’ve branded the “Big Gay Hate Machine“), but not to get into fights about homosexuality itself:
“The thing about Breitbart and LGBT — and this was discussed — we don’t want to be mean to gays; we want to expose them when they’re being bullies.”
“The big mission at Breitbart is to change the liberal narrative… (not) going after gays per se.”
If their strategy still eludes you, here’s an example.
The very first story Ruse pitched to Bannon centered on Matthew Shepard, who, after his brutal murder in 1998, remains a symbol of antigay violence.
Related: Trump’s Campaign Staff May Be The Most Homophobic Ever
The pitch: Shepard, who was tied to a fence and beaten to death, wasn’t the victim “The Big Gay Hate Machine” wants you to believe he was.
Bannon rewarded the story idea with his highest praise: “HUGE.”
In the published post, Ruse claims “almost everything you think you know about the Matthew Shepard narrative is false.”
Leaning heavily on a sketchy book verging on publication, Ruse insisted Shepard had had sex with one of his killers, and was murdered due to a drug-related skirmish.
He claims the “victim” narrative was dreamed up by “the gay establishment,” and says “the agenda of the sexual left lives on lies.”
According to Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, a progressive media advocacy group:
“When it comes to issues of anti-Muslim sentiment there’s no confusion it’s 100% clear, but where LGBT issues come up, it’s a bit murkier.”
He says that while the site consistently suggests “gay culture is icky and gross and weird,” it’s “not picking up big policy fights” over homosexuality.
“When it comes to gay rights, they seem to have internalized [conservatives’] own defeat.”
In fact, Bannon could even invoke gay rights issues if it helps bolster one of his pet issues, such as stopping immigration.
As Buzzfeed points out, at the very last minute, some language was tacked onto an executive order that aimed to limit refugees entrance into U.S. from seven Muslin countries:
“The United States should not admit … those who would oppress Americans of any race, gender, or sexual orientation.”
In fact, gay Republican activist Chris Barron, a Breitbart contributor and leader of GOProud, a gay convervative group, consider’s Bannon an ally to the gay community:
“I’m not concerned about Bannon at all,” he says, clearly not representing the larger LGBTQ community.