Gay Iconography: Jennifer Lopez's LGBT Support

Gay Iconography: Jennifer Lopez's LGBT Support

Jennifer_Lopez_Waiting_for_tonight_Main_Versi

Let’s just get this out of the way: There is a lot more to Jennifer Lopez than all that body. She’s a movie star, pop star, producer, dancer, designer and the most influential hispanic entertainer in the United States. She can rock the mic, the dance floor and an ultra low-cut dress. While she’s been breaking records and making history as a Latina legend-in-the-making, she’s an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community.

She described her personal connection to the community when she accepted the Vanguard Award from GLAAD last year:

“[Aunt Marisa] grew up gay in a time when it meant life could be very difficult and that her struggles were mostly kept to herself. It wasn’t until I got older that I really began to know and appreciate all the difficulties she dealt with and the struggles of her community. I also realized the quiet lessons I learned from my family about love, tolerance, and acceptance. We loved her. That was all because of her. So I wanted to do this because I felt that she would be so proud of me. I thought about that a lot when I was doing this. And as I do now. I always think, I bet she would love this. And I know she is proud of me and everybody here. She’s proud of all of us.”

She was being honored for her connection to her gay fans, but also for her involvement producing a show for ABC Family, The Fosters. The series follows the titular Foster family, headed by an interracial lesbian couple. The drama earned a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

Of course, most of us know J. Lo a lot more for her work in front of the camera. Check out some of our favorite Jennifer Lopez clips, AFTER THE JUMP

 

Lopez’s breakthrough role came in the 1997 biopic, Selena. She drew praise for her portrayal of the slain Mexican-American superstar. The rest of her IMDB credits are a bit of a mixed bag, with camp classics like Anaconda and Gigli among them.

 

Maybe you’ve gotten down to J. Lo’s music on the dance floor. From “If You Had My Love” to “Dance Again” to “Booty,” Lopez has been a mainstay of the dance-pop scene. (Our favorite J. Lo track? “Waiting For Tonight,” above.) With the release of her second studio album, J.Lo, she became the first entertainer to have a number one album and film (The Wedding Planner) in the same week.

 

Her LGBT TV connection pre-dates The Fosters. She appeared as herself on NBC’s Will & Grace, singing at Karen (Megan Mullally)’s wedding and offered to take Jack (Sean Hayes) with her on tour.

 

There’s plenty of soapy melodrama on The Fosters, but at its core, it’s about a modern family. At the start of the series, Lena (Sherri Saum), a school admin and Stef (Teri Polo), a police officer, take in two foster children to join their family. Along with their three other children, the blended family tackles topics including addiction, rape and coming out. The show has received lots of praise (and backlash) for its handling of LGBT issues, including its portrayal of a kiss between two 13-year-old boys.

 

She released her eighth studio album, A.K.A., in 2014. Among the album’s singles were “Booty” (one of the anthems of 2014’s Year of the Butt) and “I Luh Ya Papi,” which came with the man-candy filled video above. Next up, a return to TV drama, producing and starring in Shades of Blue, an NBC series wherein she’ll be playing an undercover FBI agent.

What’s your favorite Jennifer Lopez work?


Bobby Hankinson

www.towleroad.com/2015/04/ga-iconography-jennifer-lopezs-lgbt-support.html

Trans Man Settles Discrimination Claim Against AT&T, Despite San Antonio's 'Broken' LGBT Protections

Trans Man Settles Discrimination Claim Against AT&T, Despite San Antonio's 'Broken' LGBT Protections

Hileman

A transgender man has settled his 15-month-old discrimination claim against AT&T Inc., despite what his attorney calls “broken” LGBT protections in San Antonio.  

In January 2014, Mathew Hileman (above) filed the first complaint under the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance, which was approved amid controversy in 2013. Hileman alleged he was fired by Resource Global Professionals, an IT consulting firm and AT&T contractor, based on his gender identity. 

When Hileman overheard two co-workers threatening violence against trans people if they were found in the bathroom, he reported it, only to later find a “no fags” sign on his chair. When Hileman told supervisors he feared for his safety, they said he was being reassigned but actually terminated him. 

Hileman’s complaint immediately revealed problems with the newly passed ordinance. The City Council never established a process for implementing the law, and it doesn’t cover employment citywide. The complaint was filed against AT&T based on the fact that the company is a city contractor. 

AT&T, a strong corporate LGBT ally, fought Hileman’s complaint bitterly. But Hileman’s attorney, Justin Nichols, announced this week the claim was finally settled. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. In addition to the city, Hileman filed a complaint against AT&T with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

Out In SA reports: 

Nichols told Out In SA that the settlement with AT&T owed nothing to the nondiscrimination ordinance which he said offered no remedy to claimants that they didn’t already have before it was was approved by the City Council.

“The NDO is broken and does not offer any protection for contract employees,” Nichols said. He added that Mayor Ivy Taylor’s office showed no interest in helping Hileman work through his claim.

“I don’t mean to diminish the efforts of those who passed the NDO,” says Nichols. “It was a valiant and important effort. What I want to convey is the NDO needs fixing, and under the current mayoral administration, there is no effort to improve and implement the NDO, rendering it wholly ineffective.”

If the NDO still isn’t being implemented properly, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising given that interim Mayor Ivy Taylor voted against the law and recently called it a “a political stunt.”

Taylor, who was appointed to serve the remainder of Julian Castro’s term after he was named HUD secretary, faces two formidable LGBT-friendly candidates in the May election, former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and former Rep. Mike Villarreal, both Latino Democrats.

Hopefully, the winner will make it a priority to fix the ordinance, assuming that the state Legislature doesn’t gut it before then


John Wright

www.towleroad.com/2015/04/trans-man-settles-discrimination-claim-against-att-despite-san-antonios-broken-ordinance.html

NY Boy Scouts Challenge National Gay Ban By Hiring Out Camp Counselor

NY Boy Scouts Challenge National Gay Ban By Hiring Out Camp Counselor

Pascal Tessier answers questions from the media after the resolution to allow openly gay scouts passed in GrapevineThe debate over the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay adult employees will likely become a hot button issue again in light of the fact that the Scouts’ New York chapter has now openly and publicly defied the policy.

It was announced Thursday that the chapter has hired 18-year-old Pascal Tessier, the nation’s first openly gay Eagle Scout, as a camp counselor.

Tessier, from MD Troop 52 (one of the nation’s oldest troops), earned the rank of Eagle Scout only weeks after the ban on gay youth was lifted, and his hiring could lead to litigation between the New York chapter and the BSA’s national headquarters, though the hope is to resolve the conflict out of court.

Related: Straight Eagle Scout Fights To Keep His Gay Twin From A Lifelong Scouting Ban

In anticipation of a possible fight, Tessier has been in touch with prominent lawyer David Boies, who has recently argued in favor of same-sex marriage.

“We all started this with the idea that the best resolution of this was a resolution based on conciliation and agreement,” Boies said.

“It is certainly a remarkable development because we now have the first openly gay scout leader employed by the Boy Scouts,” he added. “We hope that is the beginning of the end, if you will, of the policy nationwide.”

The Boy Scouts’ national spokesman, Deron Smith, said “We are looking into the matter.”

Stay tuned.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/sgYf2G6QC2Q/ny-boy-scouts-challenge-national-gay-ban-by-hiring-out-camp-counselor-20150404