Supreme Court Justice Teases 'Opportunities' for Marriage Ruling

Will the Supreme Court finally hear a case that could resolve marriage equality nationwide? Some court-watchers say Justice Stephen Breyer’s remarks this weekend indicate that possibility.

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Sunnivie Brydum

www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2014/11/10/supreme-court-justice-teases-opportunities-marriage-ruling

Why Transgender Students Belong at Women's Colleges
Sometimes the fear of consequences appears so great that we hold on to tradition much longer than we need to. That was surely the case more than 100 years ago when the revolutionary idea of higher education for women was introduced. We are at another such groundbreaking moment now as women’s colleges face the decision of whether and how to admit transgender women — those assigned “male” at birth but whose gender identity and expression is female.

My school, Simmons College, recently formalized our policy on the admission of transgender students. While each women’s college certainly has its own set of circumstances, history, and mission to consider, I believe that more women’s colleges should follow suit.

In recent years, we have witnessed an evolution in societal norms surrounding gender identity and expression. Traditional notions of what it means to be a woman are being challenged, as those who do not subscribe to the traditional gender binary are bravely and increasingly expressing their gender identity. More people are educating themselves about the fluidity of gender, and new laws are emerging to protect individuals who do not fall in traditional gender categories.

These new definitions are already present in our communities, workplaces, and even pop culture. Actress Laverne Cox was the first trans woman to be nominated for an Emmy for her groundbreaking role in the hit Neflix series Orange Is the New Black. She also graced the cover of Time magazine with the bold headline “The Transgender Tipping Point.” Last year, activist and New York Times bestselling author Janet Mock spoke on our campus about the struggle of the trans community to gain acceptance and live freely.

Historically, women’s colleges have been safe havens for those who present nontraditional gender identities. Many women’s colleges already support vibrant LGBTQA communities and are able to offer support and services for these groups. Like Simmons’ own contribution to the It Gets Better Project, national anti-bullying campaigns have taken hold on these campuses, offering messages of hope and inclusion as an institutional value.

Some believe that accepting transgender applicants could dilute the benefits of a women-centered education. For Simmons, and for many other women’s colleges, I believe that open policies toward transgender and gender-nonconforming students very much align with our historic missions, which value inclusion and acknowledge the evolving reality of gender expression.

Our community’s reaction to the policy has been overwhelmingly positive. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni are proud of our decision to get on the “right side of history.” As one person so eloquently told me, the policy “opened yet another door and turned on yet another light in the darkness.”

Simmons College is pleased to join other women’s colleges, including Mills and my alma mater, Mount Holyoke, in continuing to step further into the light, and to foster supportive and welcoming educational environments for all of our students.

www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-drinan/why-transgender-students-_b_6130100.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

George Takei and husband presented Los Angeles LGBT Center Award by 'heartthrob' Tab Hunter

Takei says of Hunter: ‘He was blond and gorgeous … he was a dreamboat’

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gregh

www.gaystarnews.com/article/george-takei-and-husband-presented-los-angeles-lgbt-center-award-heartthrob-tab-hunter111114

Marcus Bachmann defends 'ex-gay' therapy

‘Anyone who would walk alongside and then encourage that person’s values systems and their beliefs and bring that in alignment, that is like blasphemous to the other side’

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Jamesw

www.gaystarnews.com/article/marcus-bachmann-defends-ex-gay-therapy101114

Kansas Officials Attempt to Punt Marriage Equality to Supreme Court

Today Justice Sonia Sotomayor granted the state’s request for a stay on the Kansas district court’s injunction on the same-sex marriage case, Marie v. Moser, pending “further order.”
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/kansas-officials-attempt-to-punt-marriage-equality-to-supreme-court?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Students Embarrass Rick Perry With Explicit Questions About Gay Sex During College Visit

“In 2002, you supported Texas’s anti-sodomy law. Do you dislike bootysex because the peeny goes in where the poopy comes out?” was just one of the many questions Rick Perry was asked while speaking at Dartmouth College over the weekend.

The Texas governor was there to speak about the results of the midterm elections and, of course, to plug himself for president in 2016.

Prior to his speech, a flyer was circulated among students with proposed questions for the governor. Some of those questions included:

• You once played yourself in the movie Deep in the Heart; would you ever let someone go Deep in Your Fart (cavity)?
• You have fought hard against abstinence plus safe-sex education in favor of a strict abstinence only policy. You have also taken a strong position in opposition to abortion. Is this because you want people to not know what condoms are, and not be able to terminate unwanted pregnancies, so they have to have anal sex?
• I know you have been very strong on all foreign policy issues, including Somali pirates, but what is your stance on butt pirates?
• Does your ideal anti-sodomy law prevent me from playing with my own poop shoot?
• You have recently said that homosexuality tears the fabric of society. If you showed you hard science that anal sex does not tear the fabric of your butt hole, would you change your mind?

According to people in the audience, Governor Perry became visibly uncomfortable and deflected the questions as best he could. When things started getting too out of hand, president of the school’s College Republicans group, Michelle Knesbach, grabbed the microphone and demanded students quit asking such vulgar and inappropriate questions.

Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain, because immediately after that, a student brought up that, so far, Perry has accepted a total of $102 million in campaign contributions during his various political campaigns. “Would you have anal sex for $102 million?” the student asked.

As soon as the speech was over, an embarrassed Perry hurried off the stage.

Knesbach told The Dartmouth she was “horrified” by the questions. “They were phrased in incredibly insulting ways,” she said.

But it wasn’t just student Republicans who were appalled. Some student Democrats, too, thought the questions went too far.

“I think it’s really disappointing that anyone would undermine a serious political event with sexually explicit questions,” Spencer Blair, the president of the College Democrats said. “Neither I nor anyone from College Democrats would ever condone such behavior.”

They might not condone that kind of behavior, but we do.

Related stories:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry Likens Homosexuality To Alcoholism, Remains Fox News Favorite

Dartmouth’s Anti-Gay Vandal Has Embarrassingly Bad Spelling

Rick Perry Cites Slave Owner As The Type Of Leader The Boy Scouts Should Emulate

Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/bgveS7f2TCg/students-embarrass-rick-perry-with-explicit-questions-about-gay-sex-during-college-visit-20141110

What To Watch This Week on TV: 'Runway' Witches; Lifetime's 'Aaliyah'

Bobby Hankinson

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/what-to-watch-this-week-on-tv-runway-witches-lifetimes-aaliyah.html