Courageous Transgender Woman & HRC Volunteer Earns Prominent Feature in Mississippi Newspaper
Through ‘Commercial Dispatch’ Story, Blossom Brown talks about living openly & honestly as a transgender Mississippian
HRC.org
Monthly Archives: November 2014
Procter & Gamble Comes Out Strong For Same-Sex Marriage, Proves Inclusion Is Good Business
Procter & Gamble Comes Out Strong For Same-Sex Marriage, Proves Inclusion Is Good Business
Few major corporations have a better track record when it comes to internal LGBT policy than Procter & Gamble, and now the consumer product giant has evolved one step further. They’ve publicly embraced same-sex marriage, and in doing so, have set the bar even higher for profit-conscious corporate America.
“We have always supported our employees and fostered a culture of inclusion and respect – this includes the right to marry whomever they choose and to have that union legally recognized,” said Deborah P. Majoras, P&G’s chief legal officer and executive sponsor to GABLE – the company’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender-allied employee group.
The company weighed potential losses from angry customer fallout and decided the reward of supporting their LGBT employees and LGBT people everywhere outweighed any potential risk.
Their decision reflects an impressive history of inclusion within the company.
22 years ago in 1992, P&G first introduced anti-discrimination language into their equal employment opportunity clause. In 2001 they began offering full benefits to domestic partners, and in 2010 decided to include transgender transition benefits in their health package.
They’ve proven that the market can (and should) evolve alongside the rest of society. Meanwhile they continue to focus on their products, and with brands like Tide, Bounty, NyQuil and Crest, it’s hard to imagine sales slowing down by showing the LGBT community support.
Dan Tracer
Freedom to Marry Campaign Director Says Organization Will Disband if Supreme Court Rules for Marriage
Freedom to Marry Campaign Director Says Organization Will Disband if Supreme Court Rules for Marriage
The Washington Blade has a new interview out today with Marc Solomon — National Campaign Director for Freedom to Marry (pictured).
Probably the highlight of the interview comes at the end, when Solomon talks about what happens if the Supreme Court rules for marriage nationwide. Solomon says this would mean the end of Freedom to Marry, because the organization’s goal would be achieved:
We’ve always been set up as a campaign, and we are a campaign, and when we’ve won nationwide, we’re finished…I want to see some of the really good people stick around in LGBT stuff, or in other progressive causes, but Freedom to Marry’s done. That’s I think a great holding out is put yourself out of business.
Solomon is optimistic about such a ruling, deeming it “highly unlikely” that the court will rule against same-sex marriage. Further, with support climbing in the polls, he is “pretty confident” that voters are also more supportive of gay marriage. He suggests there will not be the same opposition to pro-gay marriage ballot marriages we saw in 2012.
Solomon also talks the long road it’s been to this point, saying he must’ve seen “more than 10 field organizers” bit by dogs while going door-to-door. “Other people have been chased down the street by homophobes,” he said. “We don’t send people door-to-door in Cambridge, or in Chelsea, or in parts of the Chicago that we’re doing well.”
Check out the whole interview here.
Jake Folsom
Allen Strickland Williams is a proud member of the LGBT community… –
Allen Strickland Williams is a proud member of the LGBT community… –
Allen Strickland Williams is a proud member of the LGBT community… – bit.ly/1yCtPGo #CONAN This guy was hilarious. Oh no a comedian offended people.. No that’s not what I meant….
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xRtVjYtNmA&feature=youtube_gdata
Joel 2
Pam Bondi Working Overtime to Stop Same-Sex Marriages in Florida
Pam Bondi Working Overtime to Stop Same-Sex Marriages in Florida
Florida’s thrice-engaged Attorney General has submitted a flurry of briefs to stop same-sex marriages from starting.
Matt Baume
Executive Action on Immigration
Executive Action on Immigration
It is widely expected that President Obama will soon issue his long-awaited executive action on immigration, but it is still unclear exactly what the relief package will include.
HRC.org
www.hrc.org/blog/entry/executive-action-on-immigration?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Former “Ex-Gay” Activist Marries A Man And Finally Finds His Happily Ever After
Former “Ex-Gay” Activist Marries A Man And Finally Finds His Happily Ever After
Smid and his husband, Larry McQueen, pose with their marriage certificate.
John Smid, who once claimed to have been “cured” of homosexuality and who worked with various “ex-gay” groups, is once again a married man. Only this time, he didn’t marry a woman. He and his partner, Larry McQueen, announced they tied the knot last weekend.
In 1980, Smid left his wife to be with guys, but he had misgivings and tried to go straight again by marrying a second woman and becoming a leading spokesman for conversion therapy. He ran Love In Action, an ex-gay ministry based in Memphis, and sat on the board of Exodus International for 11 years.
In 2011, he went ex-ex-gay, divorcing his second wife and admitting he “never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual.” He apologized for his past actions and launched a new ministry, Grace Rivers, which caters to the gay community.
“I believe that due to my former notoriety, my marriage will definitely have its impact,” he just told Towleroad in an interview.
He says he hopes it will encourage other self-proclaimed “ex-gays” to learn to accept who they are and lead more open and truthful lives.
“I believe it is encouraging for other former ex-gays, and maybe even those who are still trying to hold on to their ex-gay belief system,” he said. “We think our relationship reveals something very normal, not strange or deceptive gay stereotypes. We have come to realize that our marriage is very much the same as your average heterosexual marriage.”
When asked if there have been any people within the LGBT community who have given him grief over marrying a man, Smid replied: “No actually, I think that’s been worked out, but you never know, there may be some.”
Congrats to the happy new couple.
Related stories:
It’s “Ex-Gay” Awareness Month! Here Are Five Former Homos And What They’ve Been Up To Lately
STUDY: Two More Cases That Prove That Ex-Gay Therapy Is A Crock
Ex-Ex-Gays: Meet The People Who Tried To “Cure” You
Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Graham Gremore
Eli Lieb Wants You To Know You're 'Lightning In A Bottle' – VIDEO
Eli Lieb Wants You To Know You're 'Lightning In A Bottle' – VIDEO
Out singer-songwriter Eli Lieb is back with another original song, “Lightning in a Bottle,” about believing in the power of your own unbridled spirit. Lieb told Out Magazine,
“I want people to see the music video, hear the song, really listen to the lyrics, and live their truth. This is a celebration of people. I’ve lived promoting the idea of the authentic self and not to be afraid of who you are. It’s proven to be one of the key elements of my life and career. The song is about that: about being who you are.”
The music video for Lieb’s latest song, which just dropped today, features Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race, and professional dancers Jenna Riegel (Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company) and Caitlin Scranton (The Lucinda Dance Company). Lieb hopes this video will inspire people to be their truest selves: “It’s a feel-good video. I want people to be their brightest light.”
Watch the rousing video, AFTER THE JUMP…
And ICYMI, be sure to check out Lieb’s previous videos for “Zeppelin,” “Safe in My Hands,” “Young Love,” and a cover of P!nk’s “Try.”
Sean Mandell
www.towleroad.com/2014/11/eli-lieb-wants-you-to-know-youre-lightning-in-a-bottle-video.html
9ª Parada do Orgulho LGBT de Anápolis Go 2014 part 3
9ª Parada do Orgulho LGBT de Anápolis Go 2014 part 3
visite nosso blog www.brasilcolorido.blogspot.com.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IDu-ArXE1w&feature=youtube_gdata
