Alabama Minister Jailed After Performing Lesbian Wedding
Alabama has sent a minister to jail for 30 days for defying a local judge and marrying a lesbian couple. Irish voters support marriage equality in a landslide, but marriage could still start in America before they start in Ireland. And one more study shows support for equality on the rise.

Anti-equality groups love to claim that religious officials will be punished for speaking out against marriage equality. But for some reason, they don’t seem to want to talk about Anne DePrizio, a Unitarian minister in Alabama who was sentenced to 30 days in jail last month for her stance on marriage.

After a federal court ruled that Alabama’s marriage ban was unconstitutional, Anne was going to conduct a marriage for two women at a probate office. A local judge ordered her to not to, but she defied him and obeyed for the federal ruling. Her punishment for refusing to vacate the office: Thirty days in jail, sixth months probation and a $250 fine.

Just to be clear: This is an actual example of a religious official who has been sent to jail for exercising her religious beliefs. It is the very thing that the opposition has been claiming will happen to them. And yet none of them are coming to Anne’s defense. Weird.

Meanwhile, across the globe: Congratulations to Ireland, the first country in the world to legalize marriage equality by a popular vote. Well, kind of — it hasn’t been legalized yet. Voters overwhelming supported marriage equality in a referendum last week, but now legislators have to draft a constitutional amendment to reflect the vote. That should happen sometime this summer, and then the order will be signed before the end of the year.

So, what does that mean for the U.S.? Well, it means that now Ireland and America are in a race for marriage to start. We’ll get a ruling from the Supreme Court in June, and if it’s favorable, then marriage could start sometime in the next few months. But if it’s unfavorable, it could take a decade or more to undo.

Finally this week, a new survey from Gallup shows marriage support continuing to rise. No big surprises here, though the jump is big: We’re up seven percentage points in the last year. This is about where Ireland was just a few years ago.

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www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-baume/alabama-minister-jailed-after-performing-lesbian-wedding_b_7433374.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

NEWS: Ireland, Max Greenfield, Tunisia, Hillary Clinton's Pantsuit

Sean Mandell

www.towleroad.com/2015/05/news-tunisia.html

WATCH: The First Federal Monument By and For LGBT Veterans

The first federally approved monument on federal land to honor LGBT vets was dedicated Sunday at the national cemetery outside Chicago.

read more

Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/politics/military/2015/05/26/watch-first-federal-monument-and-lgbt-veterans

'Growing Old,' F. Virtue Song, Beautifully Highlights The Singer's Wedding Day
Rapper F. Virtue never thought he would get married.

But after meeting his husband Tulio Machado at Frankie Sharp‘s weekly New York City party Westgay, the pair tied the knot in June 2014 only a year and a half later. In recognition of how much Machado inspired him and changed his life, F. Virtue wrote this song “Growing Old” and produced a music video of the pair’s wedding day to accompany the track.

“I put this out to the universe to help kids who grew up feeling how I felt,” F.Virtue told The Huffington Post. “I had this terrible thought that if I did ever get married, I would be too embarrassed to even have a wedding. Of course, I was insecure and not out or comfortable with myself with I was feeling that way. And now I couldn’t be more proud. So, I made this to show people that there is hope, they can be happy and it’s not weird! Conversely, it’s beautiful.”

F. Virtue and Machado’s one-year anniversary is June 22, 2015. “Growing Old” will be on the rapper’s upcoming album, “A Single Green Light,” available on June 4th, 2015. Head here for more information.

— 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/2015/05/26/growing-old-f-virtue_n_7444836.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Two Maryland LGBT Equality Bills to Become Enacted Without Governor’s Signature

On June 3, two vital bills will go into effect in Maryland, further expanding the rights and protections of its LGBT community.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/two-maryland-lgbt-equality-bills-to-become-enacted-without-governors-signat?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Here’s What It Looked Like When Ireland Said YES To Same-Sex Marriage

While we all waited with anticipation to hear the results of Ireland’s historic vote on same-sex marriage, YouTuber Raymond Braun decided to go the extra mile. The extra thousands of miles, actually.

He flew to Dublin ahead of the Friday vote to see what progress looks like firsthand. Voters in Ireland overwhelmingly chose to change their nation’s constitution, becoming the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote.

And it was a beautiful thing.

Watch below:

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Gw2nmIBekGU/heres-what-it-looked-like-when-ireland-said-yes-to-same-sex-marriage-20150526

Greenland's Parliament Unanimously Approves Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption

Sean Mandell

www.towleroad.com/2015/05/greenlands-parliament-unanimously-approves-same-sex-marriage-and-adoption.html

'Abused Emojis' Could Help Domestic Violence Victims Break Their Silence
Emojis — those smiling yellow blobs and adorably rendered foodstuffs — are meant to convey feelings that are difficult to put into words. But they’re usually pretty silly, even the “anguished” face:

What if emojis could relay serious, even scary situations and allow someone to get the help they need? The answer to that question may lie in Abused Emojis, a new app for iOS that allows users to send graphic representations of situations that fall well beyond the purview of Unicode’s standard emoji sets.

According to BRIS, the Swedish nonprofit that created the app, the Abused Emojis are meant to help young people seek out support by giving them the tools to communicate difficult, painful or dangerous situations. The app includes images of people with black eyes, a hand striking a small child in the face, slashed wrists and intense portrayals of subjects like alcoholism and suicidal ideation.

“This campaign is [meant] to encourage kids not to sit quiet with their troubles, but to reach out to others,” Silvia Ernhagen, communications director at BRIS, told The Huffington Post.

“We think that there’s no wrong way to communicate, and we want children to communicate more. Through the Abused Emojis, we want to give them a wider range of emotions and feeling to choose from,” she added.

The app installs a new set of emojis onto your iPhone or iPad. You can insert them into any text message, and the recipient will be able to see them whether they have the app or not — even if they’re not using an iOS device.

A possible use for the Abused Emojis keyboard. (Source)

Admittedly, the images are jarring at first. You may not know what to do if you receive a text message containing an emoji of a bruised child, and an expert we spoke to wasn’t completely sure about how to react to this scenario.

Brian Pinero, chief programming officer at the National Domestic Violence Hotline, told HuffPost the app definitely raises questions.

“Do you make a [Child Protective Services] report based on that?” Pinero said in a phone interview. “If you don’t follow up with that, are you still liable if something happens?” He said that a social worker, caregiver or someone else in a position of responsibility would need to “seriously consider” filing a report if they were to see a minor use an emoji indicating a form of abuse.

There’s an awareness issue, too. App discovery is a big problem on iOS, so it’s uncertain how someone experiencing violence would stumble upon Abused Emojis to begin with. (Pinero hadn’t heard of it before HuffPost reached out to his organization.)

Another potential concern: Someone who does download the app could leave him or herself exposed to an adult who’s able to access their device or App Store history. Its name, Abused Emojis, could raise questions. Ernhagen told HuffPost that BRIS had considered this possibility.

“[E]ven with a different name on the app, parents would eventually know what it is all about and making it hidden by using another name would probably not make a difference in the long run,” she said.

Still, Pinero did say the app could do some good for those who discover it. He told HuffPost that Abused Emojis is a great idea, simply because it offers a new way for victims to express themselves about traumatic events, which can be difficult to put into words.

“The thing that excites me is it’s still a way for someone to communicate a thought, a feeling, and not necessarily having the vocabulary for a starting point,” Pinero said. “If something doesn’t feel right … and an emoji could convey for clarity or be able to initiate conversations, it’s huge.”

A former Child Protective Services officer himself, Pinero recalled difficult conversations with children who had trouble expressing the difference between a “good touch” and a “bad touch.”

“Can you imagine having a way to express what a bad touch is instead of going through all of that? It’s amazing,” Pinero said.

Thus, the Abused Emojis app might be helpful for adults — particularly those who work with children — to keep in mind and pass along when necessary.

“Because of technology and communication tools, you’re allowing the user to tell you how they need help. You’re letting them start the conversation,” Pinero said. “Instead of organizations saying, ‘This is how you receive help,’ it’s, ‘How does the person ask for help?’ It’s our job to make sure we’re up to date.”

Click here to access Abused Emojis on iTunes.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

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www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/26/abused-emojis_n_7421844.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Happy Birthday to the late great American hero, Sally Ride

HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/happy-birthday-to-the-late-great-american-hero-sally-ride?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed