Fired Trans Police Officer Sues Her Conn. Town Over Alleged Discrimination

Francesca Quaranta’s lawsuit describes being verbally harassed, excessively scrutinized by superiors, and ultimately pushed out of her long-term job.

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Mitch Kellaway

www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2015/01/14/fired-trans-police-officer-sues-her-conn-town-over-alleged-discrimin

Backstage With Adore Delano

I had the opportunity to sit down with Adore Delano backstage after her show at the TLA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We chatted social media, ex-boyfriends, her new album, and why she wants to kill Bianca Del Rio.

What do you experience when you get off the stage?

Adore Delano: Sweat. Sweat everywhere. I imagine my balls smell like bleach and how much I need to shower. I don’t want to hug anyone because I sweat a lot.

How was tonight’s show for you?

Tonight was fun! They are always fun. These little shows, they are always intimate and really cool. You see a lot of people from Twitter and Instagram and you put their faces to the names. Like that one guy that came up and was like, “I am BoB_FAGET.” I know you’re BoB_FAGET!

Who is he?

He is a guy on Instagram. He has the name BoB_FAGET. I was so jealous of that and I told him that. I recognized him instantly. It’s so weird but really neat that I get to travel and meat these mother fuckers in person.

You have a really good relationship with your social media following.

Fuck yeah! You have to man. From the beginning, that’s all I had. No one would come to my drag shows before Drag Race but I had a big social media following because I knew had to work it. I am very active on social media.

I think you have the biggest social media following of any of the Drag Race contestants. Is this true?

Yeah. It is awesome. It is a cool feeling. When you see shit like that, it’s good to know that people actually get it. That’s what you really need to focus on. I’m learning. Just to shut my mouth, and learn that the positive overcomes the negative.

Well I saw you posted on Facebook about last night’s show this morning. About being nervous before your show. What happened there?

I was just being a baby. I was kind of scared. It was our first show for this run of this tour. These venues aren’t really selling out. But I went to a show when I was 14 to see the Distillers, and Brody was performing in front of 50 people. They are one of my favorite bands ever. And she fucking slayed. I was thinking about that. And my band last night was like, “Who the fuck cares if no one comes? We are making music. We are having fun. Take a shot and shut up and have fun.”

What happened with that Raven and Delta drama that happened on their Fashion RuView show?

Oh god. Delta and I go back. She is like my home girl. Her and I are the only Mexican American contestants to be on the show. I only know that because she would bring it up all the time. She is cool. But my feelings were hurt. Even though people said that, “You signed the contract to let them do that to you.” But when they act like they don’t get it, it just hurts. I have so much respect for them and I look up to them. Raven was the first drag queen I had ever seen. Her and Detox in LA when I was baby. I respect Raven and Detox so much. So it hurt my feelings.

What do you think of when I say Raven?

Artist. She is a fucking awesome makeup artist. She is very talented and creative. She is very inspiring. Before Sharon Needles a lot of people were emulating Raven’s makeup and style. Sharon then kind of changed that. She made it cool to be edgy and weird. But, Raven is beautiful.

You had a boyfriend but said on stage tonight you are now single. What happened there?

Distance. He lives in Australia. When you get in a relationship like that that is long distance, it is really fucking hard. I am on the road. I was being faithful. My mom says, “Don’t ever love anyone more than they love you.” And that has been in my head since I was a kid. I was feeling it was one sided. If you are not sure that you are in my love with me, I can’t do “I’m not sure”.

Are you guys still friends?

Yes. Very much so. And I love his mom. My family fucking adores him. So that was hard. When I told my brother, he was the most upset. They all love him so much. He (Kristian) is a good kid. He is a sweetheart. Just chill.

What is next for you?

A new album.

A new album! When is that coming out?

Probably the same time this one came out last year. We are working on what producers to work with. We are writing a lot of shit. Working with the same writer, Ashley. She is awesome. Yeah, just touring. I just want to make music. And see these little fuckers. My fans.

Let’s play some rounds of kill, marry, fuck. First round: Darienne Lake, Courtney Act, and Bianca Del Rio.

Why? I can’t kill them! Those are my home girls. Oh no! I don’t know who to kill. I like them all. Who should I kill, John (Adore’s assistant and cousin)?

John: Bianca would kill you.

Bianca said she doesn’t want to kill marry or fuck anyone of you. She wants to get you all jobs.

I would kill Bianca.

Because then you would have won.

Yes. I want Bianca to die of old age so I can take the crown. I would then marry Darienne. And fuck Courtney.

I like that. Jink Monsoon, Raja, or Sharon Needles?

Kill Sharon. Fuck …..

Fuck Raja?

I guess I’d fuck Raja. I just don’t want to marry any of them. I’ll marry Jinkx but then I would probably divorce her because we would just be singing all the time while making eggs in the morning.

What would you be singing?

She will be singing show tunes and I will singing, “Shut the fuck up!” No, I love Jinkx.

For more information on Adore and where she will be performing in 2015, visit www.adoredelano.com.

www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-kacala/backstage-with-adore-dela_b_6457334.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

New Year, More Companies Showing Support for LGBT Community

Advertisements from a variety of industries took a step forward in 2015, featuring same-sex couples in ads to celebrate the New Year.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/new-year-more-companies-showing-support-for-lgbt-community?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Gay Mormon Man Married To A Woman Compares Gay Sex To Donuts

Oh, brother. One of the nutjobs husbands from TLC’s controversial new show My Husband’s Not Gay sat down with ABC’s Nightline to talk about his attraction to men, and it’s just as awkward and uncomfortable as you might expect.

“When I’m having sex with [my wife], I don’t wish she were a man,” he said. “I don’t fantasize about her being a man. I am with her. And I am having sex with her. And it’s her I love and want to be with.”

To help better explain himself, he offered up the following analogy:

“I love donuts! I would eat donuts three times a day. But I desire to be able to fit in my pants in the morning, too. SO you could say I’m oriented towards donuts. And if I were being true to myself, I would eat donuts a lot more than I eat donuts. But am I miserable? Am I lonely? Am I denying myself because I don’t eat donuts as much as I’d like to eat donuts? I’m not.”

All the while, his doting Mormon wife sits glossy-eyed and smiling by his side.

My Husband’s Not Gay chronicles the lives of four gay men, many of whom are married to women, living in Salt Lake City. The show has received harsh criticism by gay rights activists who feel it delivers a damaging message about gay people. Earlier this month, a Change.org petition calling for the show to be cancelled garnered 100,000 signatures, TLC, however, was unpersuaded and has refused to take the show off the air. 

See the awkward interview below. And excuse us while we go indulge ourselves in a donut.

World News Videos | ABC World News

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/nIQkGgV_v4Q/gay-mormon-man-married-to-a-woman-compares-gay-sex-to-donuts-20150114

Ellen Celebrates Her Lesbianism And Pushes Her 'Gay Agenda' In Response To Anti-Gay Pastor: VIDEO

Sean Mandell

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/funny-lady-ellen-degeneres-took-pause-yesterday-to-address-an-anti-gay-pastor-who-has-accused-her-of-pushing-a-gay-agenda-on.html

DJ Ryan Hemsworth Rocks for Equality

In a video, the music producer announces his support for marriage equality and HRC.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/dj-ryan-hemsworth-rocks-for-equality?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Jon Stewart Skewers Florida For Fighting Same-Sex Marriage: VIDEO

Sean Mandell

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/jon-stewart-skewers-florida-for-fighting-same-sex-marriage-video.html

Inside The Spiritual Retreats That Are Helping Homeless Youth

A Buddhist and a Christian joined forces to create an agency to help homeless youth. Among the organization’s work: mindfulness retreats that encourage spiritual practices.

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Stevie St. John

www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2015/01/14/inside-spiritual-retreats-are-helping-homeless-youth

7 Oscar Nominations That Need To Happen On Thursday
Michael Keaton, Julianne Moore, Richard Linklater, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, J.K. Simmons, Emmanuel Lubezki, Patricia Arquette and Eddie Redmayne are among the many people who should expect to hear their names called when nominations for the 87th annual Academy Awards are announced on Thursday. But there are still a surfeit of contenders on the bubble at the moment. Here are seven who should be anything but underdogs — aka if the Oscars don’t nominate this group, something went terribly wrong.

Ava DuVernay, Best Director for “Selma”

To consider Ava DuVernay a fringe candidate in this category is an outrage, but after the brouhaha over the historical precision of “Selma” and several snubs from prominent guild groups, that’s what this Oscar race has become. When the movie screened for press around Thanksgiving, the critical conclave sent up white smoke that pointed to “Selma” having locked up one of the haziest Best Picture races in recent memory. I still think it’ll make that shortlist, but it seems like Ava DuVernay, who would become the first black woman nominated for Best Director, will not. To encapsulate the contemporary cultural milieu and make the year’s most expertly crafted film, yet still walk away empty-handed, is the year’s biggest awards transgression. — Matthew Jacobs

Damien Chazelle, Best Director for “Whiplash”

For months, a great many awards pundits have put Damien Chazelle inside the box Benh Zeitlin created two years ago. It’s a pretty enticing narrative: Both men are young, white and debuted what would become a major awards contender at the Sundance Film Festival (Chazelle with “Whiplash,” Zeitlin with “Beasts of the Southern Wild”). Zeitlin ended his magic run with a Best Director nomination; Chazelle should follow suit, but only if he can nudge out someone like Clint Eastwood or Morten Tyldum (both of whom appeared on the Directors Guild shortlist this week). On merit, he should: we’ll be talking about “Whiplash” long after the really good “The Imitation Game” and the pretty bad “American Sniper” fade from memory. — Christopher Rosen

Laura Dern, Best Supporting Actress for “Wild”

Patricia Arquette has been such a shoo-in for “Boyhood” that it seems like we stopped weighing the other four Best Supporting Actress slots long ago. That comes at the expense of Tilda Swinton, Carrie Coon, Melissa McCarthy, Rene Russo and Laura Dern, who, with “Wild,” gave one of the year’s most accomplished performances. Her screen time is relatively brief, but she has the lofty task of capturing years of backstory using only flashback scenes. She’s radiant. If nothing else, the Academy owes Dern a “Wild” nomination to atone for no awards groups paying any attention to her equally moving part in “The Fault in Our Stars.” — MJ

Bradford Young, Best Cinematography for “Selma”

Much like how a nomination for Ava DuVernay should absolutely be a thing that happens on Thursday, so too should some serious recognition for Bradford Young. The year’s most discussed cinematographer worked on both “A Most Violent Year” and “Selma,” but it’s the latter film that should land Young among the five Best Cinematography nominees on Thursday. As with DuVernay, Young was ignored by his relevant guild — the American Society of Cinematographers — but it would be an egregious mistake for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to follow suit. Young’s work on “Selma” is wildly original and gorgeous without being showy. He stood out as the year’s best image maker, and should be rewarded as such. — CR

Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias, Best Original Screenplay for “Love is Strange”

“Love Is Strange” should have factored into the entire race, but it looks like the Independent Spirit Awards may be the only prize to pile on the praise this movie deserves. Its screenplay is probably the sole opportunity for any Oscar attention, and even that seems like a long shot. Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias managed to write a movie that’s at once heartwarming and heartbreaking, simple and relentlessly layered. Those same adjectives might apply to, say, “Interstellar,” yet look how bloated Jonathan and Christopher Nolan’s script was. Sachs and Zacharias wrote a sweet, no-frills movie about growing old, living in New York, being gay, navigating family dynamics, maintaining romance and finding comfort. “Love is Strange” proves it doesn’t even take 100 minutes to make the year’s most thoughtful movie (see also: “Nightcrawler”). — MJ

Alexandre Desplat, Best Original Score for “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Alexandre Desplat produced five scores this year, including one for “The Imitation Game” that might land him a seventh Oscar nomination. It would be well deserved — his score for Morten Tyldum’s movie is quite good! — but nothing on Desplat’s 2014 CV compares to “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Desplat’s latest collaboration with Wes Anderson, following “Moonrise Kingdom,” is a throwback of Eastern European influences that fits the waltz-loving composer like the glove of a dowager. It’s an oxymoron of delicate bombast that provides Anderson’s most emotional movie to date with a lot of its emotion. For the love of antique tuba parts, please don’t leave this one off the nominees list. — CR

“Selma” for Best Picture

Critics don’t matter when it comes to Oscars, but “Selma” has a better Metacritic rating than “Birdman,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game,” “The Theory of Everything,” “Whiplash” and “American Sniper.” (Of the major Best Picture contenders, only “Boyhood” rates higher.) At Oscar prognostication site Gold Derby, all 27 experts have “Selma” listed among their Best Picture predictions. Yet after being blanked by the major guilds — Producers, Screen Actors, Directors — “Selma” has the look and feel of an outsider. A long shot. A snub. That would be an unforgivable mistake. — CR

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/14/oscar-nomination-predictions_n_6466588.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices