Massachusetts Democratic Party Endorses Bill to Provide Gender Identity Protections
The Massachusetts Democratic State Committee unanimously voted to endorse legislation that, if passed, would prohibit discrimination in public accommodations based on gender identity.
HRC.org
Swedish Activists Use Gay Propaganda To Fend Off Russian Submarines: VIDEO
Last year, reports surfaced of submarines being spotted on local radar off the coast of Sweden, leading some to believe these submarines were of Russian origin and evidence of planned Russian aggression against Sweden. Russia, after all, has taken a hawkish stance against its neighbors in recent years, most recently flexing its military muscles in Crimea. It was the news of these alleged Russian submarines that led the Swedish government to increase its military spending after years of budget cuts. Now, a group of Swedish activists known as the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (SPAS) have launched a campaign intended to push back against this potential increased militarization.
To ward off Russian submarines that might wander into Swedish waters, the SPAS has created the ‘Singing Sailor’, a neon sign they submerged at the supposed spot of the submarine sightings. A new video from the SPAS shows the the sailor in all his glory, shirtless and dancing beneath the tides of the Baltic Sea. The sign, sure to ruffle the feather of any die-hard Putin loyalist, also reads, “Welcome to Sweden. Gay since 1944” (1944 is the year that homosexuality was decriminalized in Sweden). The ‘Singing Sailor’ also sends out a morse code message: “This way if you’re gay.”
The video is, of course, a not-so-subtle reference to Russia’s treatment of its homosexual community, and the notorious “gay propaganda” laws that have sparked protest in Russia and beyond over the past few years. One of the laws sought to prohibit the education of children about “non-traditional sexual relations.”
“If there is a submarine down there and there is a crew member who hears or sees the sailor, they are welcome to join us in the Pride Parade on August 1 in Stockholm,” Daniel Holking, head of fundraising and communications at SPAS, said in a statement. “In times of unrest love and peace across borders is even more important than usual.”
The “singing sailor” also carries an important domestic message. SPAS hopes it will serve as a reminder to the Swedish government that there are creative ways to deal with potential threats. “There are many modern examples in the world of how conflicts can be resolved without military intervention,” Anna Ek, president of SPAS, said.
Watch the video, AFTER THE JUMP…
Sean Mandell
Turned Away for Being Transgender, Seattle Woman Sues Blood Bank
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration still categorizes transgender women as ‘men who have sex with men,’ meaning they’re considered ‘higher risk’ in formal recommendations to blood banks.
Mitch Kellaway
Ariana Grande Will Headline New York's Dance On The Pier In Honor Of LGBT Pride
Ariana Grande will bring her steadfast support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to the New York stage.
The 21-year-old pop princess is set to headline the Dance on the Pier, which caps off New York’s LGBT Pride Week, Heritage of Pride representatives revealed in a press release. When she hits Manhattan’s Pier 26 on June 28, Grande will follow in the footsteps of Cher, Jennifer Lopez and Whitney Houston, all of whom have delivered memorable performances in honor of New York’s Pride festivities.
Dance on the Pier Director José Ramos said in an email statement that he was “delighted” by Grande’s participation, noting that the event was “a highly-anticipated part of Pride, thanks in part to amazing DJs and incredible performers. This year will be no different.”
Also set to appear at the event are DJs Wayne G, The Cube Guys and Ralphi Rosario, officials said.
Grande has been an outspoken LGBT rights advocate for some time. In 2014, she defended her gay brother, “Big Brother” house member Frankie Grande, after an Internet troll allegedly used a homophobic slur against him on Instagram.
The superstar said that her love and support for her brother has made her question her Catholic upbringing and turn instead to Kabbalah: “When my brother was told that God didn’t love him I was like, ‘OK, that’s not cool.'”
Grande has also said that her song, “Break Your Heart Right Back,” was “about a boy that cheats on a girl with another boy,” something she said she’d personally experienced.
“It’s one of my favorites on the album and it’s really funny because I believe it has happened to me,” she told UK’s Metro. “I would rather he cheats on me with a guy than with a girl any day! If I found out my boyfriend was gay, I would be like ‘OK!’ I’d be so relieved.”
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
FDA Blood Donation Ban Change Unacceptable
Today, the HRC responded to the release of draft guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a long-awaited change to the current scientifically unwarranted blood donation ban on gay and bisexual men.
HRC.org
Hate Group Forgets To Renew Domain Name, Gets Redirected To Hardcore Gay XXX Site
When homophobic Pastor Randy Bryson (pictured) of the Open Door Baptist Church in Easley, S.C. forgot to renew his hate group’s domain name, a gay rights activist swooped in to purchase it.
Bryson and his clan have a reputation in South Carolina for picketing gay-friendly events, college campuses, and gay rights rallies with signs damning “unclean” homosexuals to hell. They’re sort of like a slightly less crazy version of the Westboro Baptist Church. (Note the emphasis on the word “slightly.”) In the past, Bryson has often referred to himself and his fellow church members as “street preachers” who are simply trying to “fulfill the scripture.”
Related: Are You Gay? Do You Want Equal Rights? Then You’re Just Like Satan! Church Claims
Warningsofwrath.com used to direct people to the Open Door Baptist Church’s webpage. Now, thanks to one clever man, visitors of the website are redirected to a very, very NSFW hardcore gay XXX site called scaryfuckers.com that depicts videos of tattooed skinheads pounding each other from behind, engaging in cream pie orgies, and inserting icepicks into their urethras, among other things.
“They condemned gays and rock music outside Carolina Rebellion,” the man who purchased the domain said. “I bought the (unexpectedly expired) domain from their signs and pointed it at gay porn of people who probably like rock music. Fair?”
We’d say so.
Related: Adorable Gay Bear Couple Using Jeb Bush To Educate On LGBT Issues
Graham Gremore
FDA Proposes End To Lifetime Ban On Blood Donations From Gay Men: READ
Earlier today, we told you about the upcoming report from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that was expected to revise the stringent regulations banning gay men from donating blood in the U.S. That report was released by the FDA today and as expected, advocates for a roll back of the lifetime ban on blood donations from gay men. In the announcement, the Obama administration acknowledged that the current policy “is perceived by some as discriminatory.”
The proposed new guidelines will still ban gay men from donating blood if they have had sex with another man in the past year.
Critics of the ban, which was enacted during the national AIDS epidemic in 1983 and last updated in 1992, say it ignores mounds of scientific evidence concluding that blood donations pose no risk than the greater public if properly screened.
The FDA said in its draft rules the ban has become less effective over time, admitting that “some individuals knowingly donate despite the deferral.”
The agency will now collect public comments on the rule for 30 days.
The American Medical Association quickly praised the move, releasing a statement that called it “a step in the right direction to end the lifetime ban that prohibits men who have had sex with men (MSM) from ever donating blood.”
Groups such as the American Red Cross and America’s Blood Centers have also voiced support of the policy change, calling the ban “medically and scientifically unwarranted.”
Read the new proposed blood donation guidelines, AFTER THE JUMP…
Sean Mandell
www.towleroad.com/2015/05/fda-proposes-end-to-lifetime-ban-on-blood-donation-for-gay-men-read.html
FDA Recommends Lifting Lifetime Ban On Gay Men Donating Blood
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s administration on Tuesday recommended ending the lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood.
The new recommendations are contained in draft guidance issued by the Food and Drug Administration. The public will have 30 days to comment on the policy, and the FDA will later issue final rules.
Men who have had sex with other men, even just once, have been banned from giving blood since 1985, near the start of the AIDS epidemic. As The New York Times has noted, “Restrictions on donors were written when H.I.V. testing was slower and less refined. Today, some tests can detect the virus in blood as little as nine days after infection.”
For years, gay rights advocates have blasted the rule as discriminatory and pushed for a change.
The FDA’s newly proposed policy — which has been expected since December — says men will have to wait at least one year after having sex with another man before giving blood. From the draft guidelines:
Although not making a change would maintain the current level of safety of the blood supply…there is evidence that the [lifetime] deferral policy is becoming less effective over time. In addition, the policy is perceived by some as discriminatory. […]
Change to a one-year deferral is also support by other evidence, including the experience in countries that have already changed their policies to a one-year deferral (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Japan, Sweden and United Kingdom).
And in a win for the transgender community, the FDA also says that when donors fill out questionnaires about their history, gender identity should be “self-identified and self-reported.” Right now, donor policy is based on sex at birth. The draft guidance recommends a change so that donors are able to self-identify at the donation site.
Robert M. Wah, president of the American Medical Association, commended the FDA for “taking a step in the right direction to end the lifetime ban that prohibits men who have had sex with men (MSM) from ever donating blood.”
“The AMA fully supports and has been a strong advocate for eliminating these current public policies as we believe that the latest scientific evidence should dictate blood and tissue donation deferral periods to ensure the safety of the national blood supply,” Wah said in a statement to The Huffington Post. “The AMA’s policy supports using scientifically-based deferral periods that are consistently and fairly applied to donors based on their risk level.”
Even if the policy changes, many gay men would not be able to donate blood. For example, someone in a sexually active monogamous gay couple would still be barred from donating.
A group of senators, led by Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), said in December that such a policy change would be “a step forward” but one that would still prevent “many low-risk individuals from donating blood.”
The FDA said Tuesday it has taken steps to implement a national blood surveillance system that will help it monitor the safety of the blood supply and determine future actions on blood policy. In other words, it will be watching to see if the rules on donations can be changed down the line.
The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, which studies lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, has calculated the number of men who would likely donate and the pints of blood that would become available under three scenarios: a complete end to the ban, a 12-month deferral, and a five-year deferral.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/gay-blood-ban_n_7264942.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices
