Holder Announces Equal Justice for Transgender Workers
The attorney general says the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers discrimination based on gender identity.
Dawn Ennis
www.advocate.com/2014/12/18/holder-announces-equal-justice-transgender-workers
Daily Archives: December 18, 2014
<i>Old Dogs & New Tricks</i>: The Oral History of a 'Gay' Web Series (Part 5)
<i>Old Dogs & New Tricks</i>: The Oral History of a 'Gay' Web Series (Part 5)
The Anti-Ari
“Nathan Adler was actually a name I’d carried around for a while,” Acord says as our chat finally turns to his own alter ego, ODNT‘s big-hearted, fabulously follicled leading man. “I knew I was going to play him — although I did toy with the idea of playing Brad for a while — and I didn’t want him to be an actor, because I didn’t want an actor playing an actor, especially as the lead.”
For Leon that would have felt way too similar to another über-buzzy former HBO series about four close buds living in Lalaland: Entourage. But even at the risk of comparisons to the bro-ified version of Sex and the City, the actor was sure that he wanted Nathan to be in show business, or, more importantly, “to have access to actors and musicians.” So having Adler own a talent agency seemed like the most reasonable bet — provided that one thing be made quite clear: “Arvin, in the early days, thought Nathan should be a bit meaner, be more of an agent like [Ari Gold on Entourage], and I was like, ‘No, we see that all the time. Let’s make him a nice agent — even if they don’t really exist.'”
We share a laugh, but Acord makes it quite clear that his own experience with representation hasn’t been nearly as malevolent. Instead the longtime actor characterizes it as much more “uneventful” — occasionally helpful in a decidedly hands-off, anti-Nathan sort of way, which means no late-night counseling sessions, no open office hours, and absolutely no putting their asses on the line for him, all of which Adler has done simply for Ross Stein alone (especially this upcoming season, which finds the tightly wound thespian straddling the edge of professional glory — or a nervous breakdown, depending on how you look at it — when certain proclivities of his are made public).
Yet rather than fixate entirely on Adler’s job title/professional temperament, the Old Dogs & New Tricks creator had more important plans for his meaty creation. “One of the first ideas I had for Nathan,” he shares, “was right before I met Laurence. When I was just 29, I got involved with this kid who was 21 — which is not that big of a gap — but I remember thinking even then, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so fucking old and he’s so fucking young! And I really wanted to deal with that, because I’m still undecided about whether relationships with big age differences work or not. I think they can be very passionate short-term, but what happens when one of them turns 70 and one of them is still only 40?”
You can find these ambivalent feelings expressed in the on-again, off-again love affair between Nathan and his sweet but conflicted young paramour, Damian Johns (played by Ryland Shelton, who, despite Acord’s blessing, politely declined to comment for this blog post. I press the ODNT creator about this, and he will only say, “I am not, and never claimed to be, Doris Day.”)
Whatever their off-camera issues might be, there’s no denying that Shelton’s ODNT character is the cutest small-town refugee to hit Hollywood with big dreams since Janet Gaynor, or that Johns’ relationship with Adler, while most certainly hot and heavy, is also unsubstantiated, undefined, and, as of “Weho Horry Story,” off again.
In real life things are obviously a bit different for Acord, who married Laurence Whiting, his longtime partner and contemporary, last December in an intimate civil ceremony. Though they met in San Francisco in the early ’90s, Whiting, a successful restaurateur who has worked at some of the swankiest places in this town, is a true Angelino. He’s also — to use Leon’s words — “absolutely critical to the success of the show.”
“When it comes to show business, I handle the show, and he handles the business,” Acord reveals, attempting to describe what makes their professional partnership so successful. That means that Whiting, aside from offering up his and Leon’s home carte blanch as a critical filming location, handles everything from weekly budgets to daily catering and all sorts of seemingly mundane but vital tasks in between. I ask Laurence how he manages to do it all and still keep his sanity intact, and he credits the “amazing” ODNT crew: “producer/magician Steve Curtis, [DP] Kiko [Suura], [sound technician] Taiwo [Heard], [production designer] Danielle [Lee], [producer] Nicole [J. Adelman], and way too many people to mention” for making the set “a happy one.”
Having been there myself for the entirety of the filming of Season 3 this past spring, I can easily corroborate Mr. Whiting’s statement: The set is definitely a happy one. However, with complex shoots that usually occur over the course of two to four action-packed weekends (aside from the pilot, or the massive wedding episode in Season 2, or the Halloween special, which all required extended and/or varied schedules), everyone, from the grips to the extras, has to be 100-percent on top of their game.
“When we do need a voice of authority, I’d much rather it be him,” Leon admits after I question how he and Laurence keep the proverbial train running so smoothly. Acord is quick to point out that this rarely if ever has to occur, but nonetheless, rather than envision a good-cop/bad-cop scenario, I can’t help but imagine the guy as an effervescent if mischievous Lucy Ricardo, bopping about the kitchen, flour flying, while Whiting’s stern but loving Ricky stands akimbo, shaking his finger.
Obviously, things aren’t nearly as comically exaggerated, but to an extent the couple — who had previously worked together producing several stage shows — is very much like Ball and Arnaz: the archetypal and complementary pairing of unfettered right-brain creativity and problem-solving left-brain logic, only in this case, each man possesses a little bit of both. Where Leon is charismatic, self-deprecating, and occasionally shy, Laurence is warm, outgoing, and quietly confident in a don’t-mess-with-me kind of way. They endearingly call each other “Lee” and “Larry,” genuinely seem to enjoy each other’s passion and intellect, and, not surprisingly, obsess over every detail of their baby: Old Dogs & New Tricks.
That’s not to say that things are absolutely perfect for the Acord-Whitings. In fact, as Leon reveals, the couple even separated for a month after Season 1: “There was so much tension, pressure, and angst with the show taking off so quickly, and I was ready to jump into Season 2, but Laurence was a little hesitant.” Instead, it speaks to a pair who’ve reached a hard-earned but healthy symbiosis, a point at which they can each finally sit back and appreciate this so-called “happy ending” that we all fight so hard for. Either that or they both figure, “Who has time for drama? We’ve got a 3-year-old to raise!”
Whoopi and Rosie have heated exchange about racism on The View
Whoopi and Rosie have heated exchange about racism on The View
‘Listen, you are a white lady telling me what is racist to you’
gregh
www.gaystarnews.com/article/whoopi-and-rosie-have-heated-exchange-about-racism-view181214
New Report Finds Social and Economic Disparities for LGBT Americans
New Report Finds Social and Economic Disparities for LGBT Americans
Today, The Williams Institute released a new report on how LGBT Americans face greater social and economic disparities across America.
HRC.org
Gay Syrian Man Who Was Forced To Flee His Country Shares His Heartbreaking But Hopeful Story
Gay Syrian Man Who Was Forced To Flee His Country Shares His Heartbreaking But Hopeful Story
When Shadi Ismail’s father caught him in bed with another guy, he took a burning coal from a hookah pipe and pressed it against his son’s arm.
“In my mind, I was thinking I deserve it because I did something wrong,” Ismail (pictured) says in a new interview with Boise Public Radio. “It was awful.”
Ismail grew up in Syria. As a child, he says he always knew he was attracted to members of the same sex. After the burning cold incident, he fled his father’s home to live with his mother. (His parents were divorced.) But, he says, the abuse didn’t stop.
One day, Ismail’s mother ordered her son to be beaten by his cousins. When Ismail eventually ran away from his mother’s home, his brother attacked one of Ismail’s friends for refusing to reveal where he had moved.
Over the years, Ismail’s house was burglarized, but he didn’t report the incident to authorities out of fear that they would require he give his real name and his family would discover where he was living. Another time, he claims he was physically attacked by three men for being gay. That incident led Ismail’s boss, who was also a closeted gay man, to encourage him to request assistance in escaping the country as a refugee.
That was about two-and-a-half years ago.
“I left everything to be who I am,” he says.
Today, Ismail lives in Boise, Idaho. It may seem like a random location to some, but according to him, it couldn’t be more perfect.
Almost immediately, he says, his life improved. Two weeks after arriving, he landed a job. And two weeks after that, he landed a second job. This enabled him to support himself financially. In addition to finding steady work, Ismail also found a roommate, who he says is now like a sister to him.
“If I don’t see her, I miss her,” he says. “This [is what] I feel is my family now. Not there [in Syria].”
Despite everything, Ismail still remains in contact with his family. One day, he called his father out of the blue.
“I did not think about it,” he says. “I [just wanted] to call him.”
Though they didn’t discuss the past or the abuse Ismail suffered at his father’s hand, Ismail says, “[It] was a very good conversation.”
Today, he sends money back to his family, though he doesn’t plan on ever returning to Syria, given the current political landscape.
“Sometimes I cry for it,” he says. “I watch it. I can’t take it.”
Instead, he is looking to the future.
Up next on his agenda: A husband, a dog, and a house.
Listen to Ismail’s full with Jodie Martinson at Boise Public Radio interview here.
Related stories:
Syria Releases 25 Gays Who Dared Attend Parties With Other Homosexuals
How Syrian Police Can Keep Gays Locked Up: Threatening Families Who Want to Bail Them Out
Does It Matter If The Syrian Kidnap Of Lesbian Blogger Is A Hoax Or Not?
Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Graham Gremore
20 minutes can change minds on marriage: study / LGBT, Equality, Civil Liberties
20 minutes can change minds on marriage: study / LGBT, Equality, Civil Liberties
20 minutes can change minds on marriage: study Out There: Thomas Roberts kicks off the launch of the new Shift show "Out There," which explores stories from the LGBT community each week. Joining …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf5uG7ZQeVI&feature=youtube_gdata
ME on 18th December 2014
WATCH: 'Duck Dynasty' Son 'Trying to Figure Out' If Being Gay Is a Choice
WATCH: 'Duck Dynasty' Son 'Trying to Figure Out' If Being Gay Is a Choice
Willie Robertson says he’s not sure if people are born gay, but he loves them just the same — proven by the fact that he works alongside gay people who produce his family’s reality show.
Sunnivie Brydum
The Gift of Sally Ride's Secret
The Gift of Sally Ride's Secret
I stayed up until 4 a.m. last night reading Lynn Sherr’s biography, Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space, an unwise choice, given my schedule for today. Now, I’m sitting on my flight home to Seattle from NYC, where I just finished it, sniffling quietly, hoping my seatmate doesn’t notice my tears. After I read the last page, I spent several minutes flipping through the photographs in the center of the book, staring at the various renditions of this famous woman, pictured from infancy into her fifties, then rereading snippets of pages, marveling at her complexity and wondering at the price she paid for the choices she made.
It’s an amazing story of a remarkable woman. I am crying again as I type. I don’t really know why, though. Yes, Sally Ride inspired me. Purposeful, poised, fantastically competent, wildly successful, all that is true. Beyond being the first American woman astronaut to launch into outer space, she advised Presidents, served on national commissions, founded a social enterprise (Sally Ride Science). But at heart, she was a scientist who loved sharing her passion for physics and learning, asking questions and seeking answers. She not only showed what women are capable of doing in an era far different than today and paved the way for others to follow her, but she helped widen the road for all girls to imagine themselves doing anything they set their sights on.
Not merely an advocate for expanding girls’ access to science and improving science education for everyone, Sally Ride created innovative and engaging learning opportunities that reached millions of girls in their critical learning years and altered their self-perceptions and their futures. Countless girls not only discovered science, but developed their own lifelong passions for delving deep into the universe’s many mysteries.
The litany of Sally Ride’s accomplishments is impressive, but it was her authenticity that really struck me. That’s an odd thing to say, because she hid the fact that her life partner for 27 long years, way back to 1985, was a woman. She never mentioned that fact in public, and only on extremely rare occasions did she acknowledge this most intimate and important of relationships to her friends. In fact, she even lied outright on occasion to keep her secret. Of course people in her inner circle knew, but they followed her silent lead, in collusion to keep not just her image pristine, but her ability to impact others’ futures intact.
What did that cost her, I wonder? I fell in love with a woman for the first time in 1982. A year later, unable to align the mismatch between my public face and my private passion, I unceremoniously dumped my girlfriend. I hated myself for doing it, but I hated myself more for feeling like a fake and a liar. The risk of losing the respect and love of people important to me was simply too steep. So, I sacrificed a core part of myself, and kept it underground. So deeply did I bury this part of myself that I got married 18 months later, created a family with my husband that grew to include three children and simply forgot that I might be gay. But can one forget something so essential about oneself?
Sally Ride led a bifurcated life too. She didn’t forget part of herself, she just chose not to present it to the world. I am fascinated by her success in transforming the world while hiding part of herself. She was hyper-aware that her success would determine the extent of opportunities for the women who came after her. That was a responsibility she both welcomed and respected. And clearly, a pragmatist to the core who faced the facts despite the potentially high emotional cost of doing so, she was determined to succeed, as much for herself as for the future.
I understand Sally Ride’s decision to remain in the closet. In seeking to change the world’s outlook in important ways, she rightly sensed that public awareness of her sexuality would only hurt her ability to fulfill her highest purpose. Painful to admit, but she would have accomplished far less. Sally was deeply wedded to generating social change, and I can only admire her willingness to keep that goal front and center. Courageous and authentic, she lived her life to accomplish what she saw as most important.
Looking from afar, I’d guess Sally was satisfied with the life she led. She reached for the stars and got damn close. She didn’t stop to ponder the trade-offs, she just did what the job required. Her longtime partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, Ph.D. maintains that Sally was an optimist, always looking forward, not one to regret or resent past events, although she also consistently avoided delving deeply into her feelings. That approach makes sense. Keeping focused on the public good likely gave Sally Ride enough sustenance to justify her secret-keeping. I’m only sorry she wasn’t able to live long enough to realize the progress of American culture and relax the rigid boundary between her public image and her full identity. Now I know why I’m crying; because Sally gave up so much to give us so much.
Pastor whose church preaches homosexuality is a sin arrested for squeezing man's genitals
Pastor whose church preaches homosexuality is a sin arrested for squeezing man's genitals
Gaylard Williams allegedly approached man at a lake – gay pornography later found in his car
gregh