Daily Archives: March 17, 2015
Facebook Clarifies Violence, Nudity Policies
Facebook Clarifies Violence, Nudity Policies
The social media site attempts to clarify what will get users banned.
Neal Broverman
www.advocate.com/politics/media/2015/03/17/facebook-clarifies-violence-nudity-policies
6 Things I Need My (Gay) Son to Understand
6 Things I Need My (Gay) Son to Understand
1. You Are Bound by Nothing.
Your future is limited only by your desire to succeed and work hard. Want to be a star athlete? Work your ass off. Want to join the military? Aim high. Want to be president? Go for it. Being gay in America no longer prevents you from doing anything you want to do. You just have to want it bad enough and work for it tirelessly. Don’t be afraid of failure; it often teaches us far more than success ever could. Live authentically.
2. Being Gay Is a Big Part of You, But It Isn’t All of You.
Yes, you’re gloriously, fabulously gay! Your sexuality influences just about every aspect of your identity, but you are not a gay young man. You are a young man who is gay. You are not my gay son. You are my son who happens to be gay. If you get married, it won’t be a gay marriage, just a marriage. Oh, and for the record, I want grandkids. Don’t think being gay lets you off the hook on that one. It may define you, but it isn’t the sole definition. One day I hope it will be as irrelevant as your eye color. In the meantime, know that while there may be those who give you grief because of it, far more will not give it a second thought.
3. Know Your History.
You are fortunate to live in a loving, accepting environment where the fact that you’re gay is irrelevant at home and largely unremarkable at school. It hasn’t always been this way, and it still isn’t easy for everyone. There was a time not long ago when being openly gay was not just detrimental to success, it was potentially deadly. Countless numbers of men and women have fought for the relative safety and comfort you enjoy today. The modern gay rights movement, from Stonewall to Windsor, cost a lot of people real blood, sweat and tears, and it isn’t over. For many people around the world, being gay is still a deadly proposition. You need to honor those who came before you by fighting for those who will come after you.
4. HIV Is Still Deadly.
HIV/AIDS may seem like some obscure bit of history that only older gay men have to deal with. It isn’t. Young people account for nearly a quarter of all new HIV infections. Don’t be complacent. Treatment has gotten much better, but people still die from AIDS. Don’t think it can’t happen to you; it can. Don’t be afraid of sex, but know how to keep yourself safe and always assume anyone you’re with could be carrying something. He may not even know it. You are responsible for keeping yourself healthy. Play safe and get tested regularly.
5. Understand the Difference Between Lust, Love and Friendship.
Men, by and large, will eagerly participate in sex. Know that just because a guy is willing to get naked with you, it doesn’t mean he is interested in anything else. Frankly, it doesn’t even mean he’s gay. Also, don’t assume a guy wants to get naked just because he’s friendly. There will be men who think you’re cool or funny or whatever, but it doesn’t mean they want to get physical. They may just want to be your friend. Work to understand the difference. One day, you’ll find someone who is all those things and he’ll feel the same about you. Don’t settle.
6. I Love You.
Last, and most importantly, I love you. My love for you is unquestionable, unconditional, and unending. Never forget that.
Read The Pro-Family Resignation Letter Of A Top Dolce & Gabbana Employee
Read The Pro-Family Resignation Letter Of A Top Dolce & Gabbana Employee
Following their derogatory comments on gay adoption and in vitro fertilization in the Italian magazine Panorama, designers Dolce and Gabbana have been on a bad press roller coaster where the only direction is down.
Now it appears the backlash is affecting their own rank and file.
Giuliano Federico, the director of D&G’s magazine Swide, has resigned from his post of 17 years due to his bosses’ bad mouths and worse attitudes.
In his resignation letter, he brings up his Italian pride, but looks towards a “more modern and egalitarian future for its citizens and its children. All the children.”
Even the ones with gay parents.
He wrote in a Facebook post (pardon the rough translation):
Dear friends of Facebook,
I am writing to inform you that today I have resigned my resignation as editor of Swide.com, the magazine published by Dolce & Gabbana. It ‘was a difficult decision, but serene. In recent years along with the preparation and to the many collaborators around the world, we have told in English Italy and the Italians of yesterday and today, trying to follow the thread of the extraordinary ability that Stefano and Domenico have to make the pop ‘immense cultural heritage of our country. I think designers should do the designers and talk with clothes. And I think it is fair to recognize Stefano and Domenico’s ambitious and visionary desire to make their brand and their fashion creations bearers of values. However, the latest legitimately expressed by Dolce Gabbana and in the interview with the weekly Panorama about what a family and what are the ways in which people can legitimately form family, then two values ??that touch the Italian public debate, and not only, are totally incompatible with my conscience as a human being in the contemporary world and inconsistent with my commitment to individual involved in the political debate. This is why I resigned from the post of managing director of Swide.com. And ‘now that people thought, as I believe to be, make small gestures like this. I am proud to be Italian, our traditions and our past, but I think that Italy can look to a more modern and egalitarian future for its citizens and its children. All the children.
h/t PerezHilton
Dan Tracer
Alabama Federal Judge Refuses To Stay Gay Marriage Ruling
Alabama Federal Judge Refuses To Stay Gay Marriage Ruling
U.S. District Judge Callie Granade has refused a request from a county judge to stay her ruling which struck down Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage. Granade’s order compels Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis (pictured right) to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Reuters reports:
Alabama’s all-Republican Supreme Court had contravened that ruling earlier this month. It ordered probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, arguing that the ban was constitutional.
The clashing court orders underscore the depth of opposition to gay marriage in socially conservative Alabama. The gay-marriage ban was passed in 2006 by 81 percent of voters.
Davis, in the face of the contradictory directives by a federal judge and the state Supreme Court, had halted issuing all marriage licenses, to same-sex and opposite-sex couples, and asked Granade to stay her ruling. She declined.
“Although the court would agree that the developments in these same-sex marriage cases has at times seemed dizzying, the court finds that Judge Davis has not shown that a stay is warranted,” Granade wrote in the order.
Judge Granade’s order seems to make clear that her ruling, not the State Supreme Court’s, should take precedence.
Sean Mandell
www.towleroad.com/2015/03/alabama-federal-judge-refuses-to-stay-gay-marriage-ruling.html
Jonathan Capehart: 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Was a Lie
Jonathan Capehart: 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Was a Lie
The out columnist concludes that the popular narrative around the killing of Michael Brown was untrue, but that doesn’t diminish the larger problem of racism.
Dawn Ennis
www.advocate.com/politics/media/2015/03/17/jonathan-capehart-hands-don-t-shoot-was-lie
Raven-Symoné On Univision Host's Michelle Obama Comment: 'Some People Look Like Animals'
Raven-Symoné On Univision Host's Michelle Obama Comment: 'Some People Look Like Animals'
Nearly a week following the dismissal of Univision host Rodner Figueroa for comparing Michelle Obama’s appearance to someone from the cast of the “Planet of the Apes,” the Emmy Award-winner’s comments were among a selection of hot topics on Monday’s episode of “The View.”
During the show’s segment, which featured Raven-Symoné as a guest host, co-host Rosie Perez said Figueroa’s comment exposed a secret in the Latin community that stems from Latinos’ reluctance to recognize that “African blood” is embedded within their ancestry.
“There is a secret in the Latin community, specifically the Caribbean, South American, Central American Latin community. They are very racist,” Perez said. “They never want to be in the same group as black people. And it’s very, very sad. And he did say Michelle Obama looked like a cast member of the ‘Planet of the Apes.’”
Raven-Symoné, however, questioned whether Figueroa’s intent was “racist-like” since he admitted to voting for President Barack Obama in both elections. Perez disagreed.
“I am the Latin person here on this table and I would like to tell you that it was racist, period,” she declared. “And the thing is this is a problem in the Latin community that we do not talk about. That we do not address. And it is real and it was revealed by this man’s statement. And you do not disrespect the first lady of our country.”
The “That’s So Raven” star quickly interjected by saying, “Some people look like animals. I look like a bird. So can I be mad if somebody calls me a Toucan Sam?”
Check out the moment in the clip above (beginning at the 8:17 mark).
Hundreds Rally against Bill in Georgia Attacking LGBT People
Hundreds Rally against Bill in Georgia Attacking LGBT People
Hundreds of fair-minded Georgians gathered this afternoon at the State Capitol to stand in opposition to SB 129, a bill that targets LGBT people and also threatens to undermine all existing state civil rights law.
HRC.org
BREAKING: Rep. Aaron Schock Resigns, Possibly Joining The Cast Of “Downton Abbey”
BREAKING: Rep. Aaron Schock Resigns, Possibly Joining The Cast Of “Downton Abbey”
What a waste of $40,000.
We’re talking about our favorite non-gay Republican Aaron Schock’s Washington, D.C. office. The one he spent 40,000 taxpayer dollars on to resemble the set of Downton Abbey. Well, it looks as though the freshman congressman from Illinois will be vacating that office at the end of this month after announcing his resignation following a long string of ethics scandals.
“Today, I am announcing my resignation as a Member of the United States House of Representatives effective March 31,” Schock said in a statement released earlier today. “I do this with a heavy heart. Serving the people of the 18th District is the highest and greatest honor I have had in my life.”
By “serving the people” we can only assume he means “spending their money.”
In case you need a refresher, earlier this year, 33-year-old Schock was accused of misreporting a private flight as a “software expense” and of using taxpayer money to take his staff on getaway to New York City. This was in addition to flying himself on a private jet to a football game in Chicago. Then there was that whole $10,000 trip to India in which he secretly snuck his “male companion” along to “take pictures for his Instagram page.” For a penny-pinching fiscal conservative, Schock seems to have no issue spending loads of cash. So long as it doesn’t belong to him, that is.
“The constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself,” Schock’s statement continued. “I have always sought to do what’s best for my constituents and I thank them for the opportunity to serve.”
While his time in Washington may be up, we’re confident this won’t be the last that we’ll be hearing from the Men’s Health model. Unconfirmed reports say he’s angling for a spot on next season’s Downton Abbey.
We’ll keep you posted.
Related stories:
Aaron Schock Doesn’t Want Anyone To Know About His Expensive Male “Companion”
The Amazing Adventures Of The Fabulous Aaron Schock — Courtesy Of Donors And Taxpayers
Ten Reasons Why We Would Want Aaron Schock To Come Out–Or Maybe Not Come Out
Graham Gremore
FDA Approves Further Study Of Promising Gene Therapy HIV Treatment
FDA Approves Further Study Of Promising Gene Therapy HIV Treatment
Experimental stem cell gene therapy that could act as functional cure for HIV infection has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to move into early human test trials. Unlike other treatments that use healthy stem cells from uninfected donors, this form of therapy uses cells harvested from a positive person’s own body. The stem cells are genetically manipulated to develop into white blood cells that are missing the key cellular receptors that the HIV virus uses to insert its genetic code into healthy cells. The modification effectively models a HIV-positive person’s white blood cells after the cells of people who have a natural resistance to HIV.
After introducing the modified white blood cells into a positive person’s bloodstream, researchers reason, the cells would naturally proliferate, effectively revitalizing their immune system to be able to fend off the virus indefinitely. A small testing pool of 12 volunteers have undergone the therapy in controlled trials being conducted by Calimmune, a California-based pharmaceutical research firm.
The preliminary results have been promising, with uncompromised white blood cells remaining present in test subjects’ bloodstreams for up to four years. In theory, later versions of the treatment would result in permanent rejuvenation of healthy cells after a single round of treatment.
The FDA’s authorization of further tests means that a larger group of people will be able to participate in a future study exploring the therapy’s efficacy. As of now trials are planned for California’s City of Hope medical research center with funding help from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
“This kind of work is too important to just try one method at a time and sit back and wait to see if it is effective,” CIRM board chair Dr. Jonathan Thomas explained to Imperial Valley News. “We have a mission to find treatments for patients in need. By trying several different approaches, taking several shots at goal at the same time if you like, we feel we have a better chance of being successful.”
Charles Pulliam-Moore
www.towleroad.com/2015/03/fda-approves-promising-gene-therapy-hiv-treatment.html