Monthly Archives: March 2015
In Wake Of Ben Carson Comments, Don Lemon Asks CNN Panel If Being Gay Is A Choice
In Wake Of Ben Carson Comments, Don Lemon Asks CNN Panel If Being Gay Is A Choice
“Can you choose to be gay?” CNN’s Don Lemon posed the question to his guests, Ben Ferguson, Sally Kohn and HuffPost Live host Marc Lamont Hill, over and over again Wednesday night.
The discussion was sparked by comments Ben Carson made to CNN’s Chris Cuomo earlier that day, suggesting that homosexuality is a choice because people “go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay.” The comments quickly caused a furor and the presidential hopeful was forced to issue a public apology.
While Kohn and Hill both offered counter arguments to Carson’s incendiary remarks, Ferguson chose to back them up, insisting that a person’s sexual orientation is, indeed, a matter of will.
“I think people choose to do different things every day, including if they choose to be gay or bisexual or transgendered [sic] or whatever it may be,” he said. “There are a lot of people that choose different things. I don’t think that’s some shocking new revelation.”
Lemon pressed Ferguson further, asking if he himself could, in fact, choose to be gay.
“I’m not gay, that’s pretty obvious. I’m heterosexual,” Ferguson said, to which Hill shot back: “It’s not obvious.”
Kohn offered perhaps the most sound response to Carson’s views, however, stating that whether a person can choose to be gay is not truly the issue, it’s that conservative’s use the veil of choice to advance an anti-gay agenda.
“What Dr. Carson is referring to is an argument that comes out of a right wing anti-gay mentality, that if you choose to be gay you can therefore, and should therefore, choose not to be gay,” she said. “And the fact that sexual identity is a fungible choice is an argument for denying equal rights and fair treatment.”
“So the choice thing isn’t the issue here,” she continued. “The issue is why don’t we treat people equally regardless of their identity, however they come to it.”
H/T Mediaite
Fatboy Slim confirmed for Brighton Pride
Fatboy Slim confirmed for Brighton Pride
Dance music icon just one of the huge names performing at festival
jamiet
www.gaystarnews.com/article/fatboy-slim-confirmed-brighton-pride050315
New Album from Equality Rockers “Bayside” to Benefit HRC
New Album from Equality Rockers “Bayside” to Benefit HRC
American punk rockers Bayside previously voiced their support for marriage equality as part of HRC’s Equality Rocks campaign.
HRC.org
Neil Patrick Harris Says His Soul Wouldn’t Survive Hosting The Oscars Again
Neil Patrick Harris Says His Soul Wouldn’t Survive Hosting The Oscars Again
“I don’t know that my family nor my soul could take it. It’s a beast. It was fun to check off the list, but for the amount of time spent and the understandable opinionated response, I don’t know that it’s a delightful balance to do every year or even again.”I didn’t keep up with it obsessively, but it was interesting to see just what people thought landed and didn’t. It’s so difficult for one who’s simply watching the show to realize just how much time and concession and compromise and explanation has gone into almost every single thing. Every joke. Wording of joke. Placement of joke. Canceling of joke. Embellishment for just one line. And I’m not saying that to defend everything I said as if it was the absolute best choice, but it’s also an award show, and you’re powering through 14 acts filled with 20 plus awards. So my job was to try and keep things as light and specific to this year’s set of films as possible. And if people are critical of that, it’s a big giant platform, so I would assume that they would be… I was glad we got through it, and I thought that those in the audience at the Dolby [Theatre] seemed to be enjoying themselves more as the show went on, when I was told that the opposite would be true. I was told that as the room fills, with you know it’s four-fifths of the room didn’t win, and you get further into the award giving they get less enthusiastic and less excited. And I felt while we were doing it that people were enjoying themselves more and more, so for that I’m happy.”
— Neil Patrick Harris discussing his recent hosting stint on the 87th Annual Academy Awards in an interview with HuffPo
Jeremy Kinser
What It's Like To Come Out To Your Mother As A Gay, Poly Purveyor of Adult Entertainment: VIDEO
What It's Like To Come Out To Your Mother As A Gay, Poly Purveyor of Adult Entertainment: VIDEO
Coming out to your family can be a daunting challenge no matter who you are, how you identify, or how personally secure you are with your sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. That being said coming out is easier for some than others. Coming out as gay is one thing, but imagine coming out as the gay, poly creative director of one of the adult entertainment industry’s most valuable production houses?
“I’d been seeing various therapists prior to [coming out to my mother,]” Cockyboys co-owner Benny Morecock recounts in an interview with I’m From Driftwood. “And I knew that she kept telling the therapists to tell me to come out to her, but I just wasn’t buying it.”
Morecock continues:
“So one time we were having this huge fight–yelling at each other from across the apartment, and at one point she just screams at me ‘are you gay?’ And then I’m like ‘yeah, I’m gay.’
And then all of a sudden the conversation takes a complete 360 and she starts telling me that she’s completely fine with it and then goes into stories about her experimenting with lesbian relationships in college which…you know. Going from one moment where we’re screaming at each other to the next moment where I’m getting way too much information about my mom’s experimenting with sexuality, you know, was very unexpected.”
Morecock goes on to share how he eventually revisited the coming out process with his mother two other times (for owning Cockyboys and being in a polyamorous relationship).
Listen to his coming out story in full AFTER THE JUMP…
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Astronaut SALLY RIDE Statue at US Capitol first LGBT 2015
Astronaut SALLY RIDE Statue at US Capitol first LGBT 2015
twitter.com/lgbthollywood – California State Senator Ricardo Lara press conference in support of Senate Joint Resolution 4 which would require the US Congress to place a statue of…
WHO READY⁉️
An Open Letter to Daniel Murphy From a Gay Dad
An Open Letter to Daniel Murphy From a Gay Dad
Dear Mr. Murphy,
As a gay man, life-long Mets fan, and father of a budding Mets fan, I feel compelled to reach out to you, as you have certainly reached me with your feelings regarding my family.
To me, you are a great baseball player who has demonstrated commitment and determination when faced with adversity. I have followed you in your quest to become an All-Star second baseman and truly admire what you have accomplished.
To my son, you are more — you are a role model. I understand that may not have been something you signed up for, but for better or worse, for him and others like him, you are larger than life.
Let me try to explain why what you said was not an innocuous sound byte, but rather an offensive statement. First, I do not have a lifestyle. I didn’t choose my sexuality the same way you didn’t choose yours. Second, being gay is not what defines me, but rather it is just one important part of who I am. So when you say that you disagree with who I am, you are also disagreeing with my son and my family. We are not a lifestyle choice — we are a family.
Even though I am extremely disappointed and hurt by your remarks, I am grateful that you spoke your mind, as it has started a national conversation. The discussions taking place today on social media, in bars and churches, and around the dining room table are exactly how GLBT progress is achieved.
I know it is hard moving to an unfamiliar position (think about your transition to second base), but with faith, openness and commitment, positive change can truly happen.
Some wonder how the gay rights movement has progressed so well so fast. To me it is quite simple: once you recognize that your brother, son, neighbor, or co-worker is gay, you don’t just continue to “love him” but you learn to actually accept and respect him for who he is as a person — and that changes everything.
So Mr. Murphy, thank you for starting a very important dialogue. My son and I will be travelling out from San Francisco to root on our Mets this weekend in Port St. Lucie. If you are around we would love to meet you and continue the conversation in person.
Thank you for your time.
All the best,
Jon and Sammy
#ThisIsLuv Campaign Launches at HRC; Aims to Share Positive Stories from Black LGBTQ Community
#ThisIsLuv Campaign Launches at HRC; Aims to Share Positive Stories from Black LGBTQ Community
Last week, the #ThisIsLuv campaign, which promotes the stories of Black LGBTQ people, launched at HRC’s offices.
HRC.org
