Report: School Not At Fault in Banning Gay Valedictorian’s Graduation Speech, Outing Him to Parents

Earlier this year we told you about Evan Young, the 18-year-old valedictorian of Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School in Longmont, Colorado who was banned from giving his graduation speech in which he planned on coming out as gay.

Young was also outed to his parents by school principal BJ Buchmann [right] in the ensuing back-and-fourth between school officials and the Young family (Buchmann later resigned over the controversy).

Openly gay U.S. Rep Jared Polis and Nightly Show host Larry Wilmore were among those who spoke out supporting Young in the ensuing firestorm, prompting the school to hire an outside lawyer to look into what went down.

The lawyer’s investigation has now concluded, with the report saying both the school and Young should take responsibility for the communication breakdown.

Boulder’s Daily Camera reports:

Attorney William Bethke, who was hired by the Twin Peaks board,wrote in his 24-page report that schools can legally “exercise editorial control” over graduation speeches as long as the school’s action is “reasonably related to pedagogical concerns.” Those concerns may include “discipline, courtesy and respect for authority.”

On the issue of outing Young to his parents, Bethke wrote that Buchmann did not violate Young’s privacy because Young intended to publicly disclose that he was gay in his graduation speech.

Bethke wrote that neither Young nor Buchmann appear to have acted out of “malice or ill-will,” but both should “take some ownership” for a breakdown in communication.

The report notes Buchmann was “distinctly uncomfortable” with Young coming out as gay through his speech.

The AP adds:

The Twin Peaks board is sharing the lawyer’s conclusion along with a note decrying opponents for trying to “twist this situation into a politically polarizing gay and lesbian issue.”

Don Young, Evan’s father, acknowledged that the report was “honest and fair” but said he was disappointed in the school board’s letter.

“The board of directors continues to show their ignorance,” he said. “The board has not done anything to show they are going to make changes going forward. Nothing is going to change until they change.”

Read the lawyer’s report and the school board’s letter to the community below:

Twin Peaks Charter Academy investigation report by Matt Sebastian

Twin Peaks Charter Academy letter to the community by Matt Sebastian

The post Report: School Not At Fault in Banning Gay Valedictorian’s Graduation Speech, Outing Him to Parents appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

Report: School Not At Fault in Banning Gay Valedictorian’s Graduation Speech, Outing Him to Parents

Satanic Statue Unveiled in Detroit As Christians Protest

Satanists unveiled a statue of Baphomet in a secret ceremony, despite Christian protests.

read more

Bil Browning

www.advocate.com/religion/2015/07/27/satanic-statue-unveiled-detroit-christians-protest

Rep. David Cicilline: LGBT People Are Entitled To 'Full Equality'

The Equality Act,  an historic, comprehensive LGBT civil rights bill, was introduced in both the Senate and the House last week. The bill will expand the 1964 Civil Rights Act and other laws to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It also marks a 180-degree shift in seeking civil rights protections for LGBT people, following the historic Supreme Court win on marriage equality.

“It was very exciting, we were able to introduce a bill in the House and the Senate that will ensure that LGBT people are not discriminated against in housing, in public accommodations, in employment, in education, federal funding,” the openly gay Rep. David Cicilline, who introduced the bill in the House, told me in an interview on SiriusXM Progress.

For over 20 years, advocates in Washington sought only a narrow employment bill — the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — with a broad religious exemption. But Cicilline said that with the rapid shift in public opinion in recent years, it was time to demand full equality with no broad exemptions.

“The idea of approaching this in a piecemeal way, which is sort of the way we’d been thinking about it in the past, is no longer something people are willing to accept nor, should they be,” he said. “[M]embers of our community are entitled to full equality. And fully equality means you do not discriminate based someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Cicilline acknowledges it will be a tough slog moving such an expansive bill in a Republican-controlled Congress that has been hostile to LGBT rights, but said there’s no other choice but to make the case and move forward.

“It’s very exciting,” he exclaimed. “Now the hard work begins to persuade the rest of our colleagues to become co-sponsors and support passage.”

— 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.

feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677065/s/4879cf5a/sc/7/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C0A70C260Cdavid0Ecicilline0Eequality0Eact0In0I7880A1640Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices/story01.htm

Boy Scouts Now Okay With Gay Troop Leaders–And Churches That Ban Them

In the end, the demise of the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay troop leaders seemed inevitable.

The ban always relied upon the canard that gay men are pedophiles and that scouting was incompatible with anything gay. And a policy based on lies cannot be maintained forever.

Once the BSA admitted gay scouts in 2013, troop leaders were bound to follow, particularly when everyone from the President on down hammers you endlessly for the ban–and your only supporters are among the most loathed factions in American politics.

Ending the Boy Scout ban neatly parallels the fight for marriage equality, right down to the timeline. The struggle to lift the Scouts’ antigay ban began in earnest in the early 1990s, with some key court cases, and really picked up steam in the 2000s.

Like marriage equality, the first major victory was partial, followed two years later by complete victory. And like marriage equality, religious right figures see the end of the BSA ban as the end of the world, with headline proclaiming the “moral collapse” of the Scouts.

There’s one big difference, and it’s not a good one. The new regulations have a religious liberty exemption baked into them. Because so many troops are sponsored by churches–particularly Mormon and Catholic–the BSA decided to let the troop sponsors set their own rules about troop leaders.

Which of course means that in many troops, nothing will change. Of course, some churches severed their ties with the Scouts two years ago for allowing gay youth to join. But in many remaining church-sponsored troops, the ban will remain in effect.

No doubt, the BSA hopes to put decades’ worth of bad press and years’ worth of declining corporate sponsorship behind them. Scout numbers have been falling like a rock in large part because BSA turned itself into an adjunct of the religious right. The question ahead is whether the change has come too late and with too many strings to change the decline.

If it hasn’t, the religious right will be quick to pin the blame on the change itself, not the damage that the ban had done to the organization and to so many good people.

JohnGallagher

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/zlOaEBjhZOQ/boy-scouts-now-okay-with-gay-troop-leaders-and-churches-that-ban-them-20150727

8-City ‘Faith Family Freedom Tour’ Across Texas Promises Plenty Of Hilarious Anti-Gay Bigotry

Last week, we mentioned how Texas anti-LGBT leaders are planning an anti-gay hatefest at a church whose pastor is also a state representative.

That announcement came on the heels of the launch of a new anti-LGBT coalition in Dallas.

Now, if you’re still keeping track, many of the same bigots are planning an eight-city “Faith Family Freedom” tour in August, September and October:

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” states an email announcing the tour from Houston anti-LGBT activist Jared Woodfill. “It’s time for us to stand up and fight to take back our government from the godless Secular Humanists, Pro-Abortionists and Political Homosexual Movement. We will trust God! We will take action! We will fight to restore our Constitutional liberties based upon Biblical truth!”

The rallies will be held in Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas, San Antonio, Tyler, Lubbock, Corpus Christi and Waco.

The tour is sponsored by 17 people, including:

• Former Congressman Tom Delay (right), who recently suggested the U.S. Department of Justice wants to legalize sex with animals and little boys.

• Pastor Rick Scarborough, who pledged to set himself on fire if the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, then changed his mind, saying he only planned to do so because he loves gay people.

• Dr. Steve Hotze of the Conservative Republicans of Texas, who said at the anti-LGBT coalition’s recent Dallas launch that the SCOTUS ruling will mean teachers encouraging kindergarteners to try anal sex.

• Cathie Adams (right with Sen. Ted Cruz) of the Texas Eagle Forum, who recently said same-sex marriage would lead to the end of America if the state Legislature didn’t act to undermine SCOTUS’ ruling.

• David Barton of WallBuilders, who said the SCOTUS ruling will force churches to hire pedophiles to run day care centers.

All in all, this tour — which seems more like a last-gasp fundraising scheme — promises plenty of great entertainment.

More from the announcement:

“Enough is Enough!” One need only look around and see that our country is being radically changed by the left. It is time to stand-up, speak-up, and refuse to give up when it comes to our principles, value and beliefs! We must stand on our faith and boldly defend our religious liberties, our Constitutional freedoms, and our Judeo Christian heritage. We have a duty to protect our children and our grandchildren from a political movement that stands for abortion, redefines marriage and removes God from the public arena.

Leaders of the conservative organizations listed above will be speaking in the cities listed on key issues threatening Christian values and on the nuts and bolts of politics, so that we can take back our government. These events will give you the knowledge and tools you need to have in order to make your voice heard and to make a difference for your children and grandchildren. You will be receiving emails as locations are confirmed in each city. Save the date and make a plan to attend in the city nearest to you. I look forward to seeing you at one of the locations identified above.

The post 8-City ‘Faith Family Freedom Tour’ Across Texas Promises Plenty Of Hilarious Anti-Gay Bigotry appeared first on Towleroad.

John Wright

8-City ‘Faith Family Freedom Tour’ Across Texas Promises Plenty Of Hilarious Anti-Gay Bigotry

If I Must Accept the Hobby Lobby Decision, You Must Accept Marriage Equality
June 2014: the Supreme Court hands down its opinion in a controversial case, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. In a 5-4 vote, the court allows corporations to claim religious exemptions from federal laws. Opponents are angered but accept the court’s decision as the final word on the subject.

June 2015, the Supreme Court hands down its opinion in a controversial case, Obergefell v. Hodges. In a 5-4 vote, the court grants same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states. Opponents are angered and do not accept the court’s decision as the final word on the subject. With excessive pouting, they demand an end to the Supreme Court as we know it.

Texas senator Ted Cruz, self-appointed leader of the outraged, convened a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting titled, ‘With Prejudice: Supreme Court Activism and Possible Solutions.’ He spoke gravely with lots of heavy sighs and theatrical turns of phrase: “Much to my great disappointment, this past term, the court crossed a line. Continued its long descent into lawlessness. To a level that I believe demands action. [dramatic pause] The court today is not a body of jurists. It is not a body of judges following the law, but rather it has declared itself, in effect, a super-legislature.” A musical stab would have worked wonderfully here to punctuate his point. He continued in a supremely serious tone: “Five unelected judges declared that the marriage laws of all 50 states were now, somehow, transformed into being unconstitutional … That’s not law. That’s not judging. That’s policy-making.”

Five unelected judges also declared that Hobby Lobby was not required to provide contraceptive care under the Affordable Care Act. Senator Cruz had no problem with that. “Today the Supreme Court handed our nation a landmark victory,” he joyously exclaimed last year.

So … according to Senator Cruz, if you like a decision, the court is terrific and doing our country a great favor. But if you disagree with a decision, the court is an imperialist body of out-of-touch, snooty elitists. To demonstrate your disapproval, you must stomp your feet, jump up and down, and bellow loudly that we need to end the court and change our system of government.

Senator Cruz convened ‘With Prejudice’ in order to discuss “what options the American people have to reign in judicial tyranny.” There is one obvious option: opponents of same-sex marriage can propose a constitutional amendment to counter-act the Supreme Court decision. There are no other options.

The United States has three branches of government to ensure reasoned and fair decision-making. Rather than trusting this “checks and balances” system, Senator Cruz wants to dismantle the whole system simply because the Supreme Court made a decision he did not like.

Maybe Senator Cruz does not fully understand how our government works? Other leaders have needed basic civics lessons in the past month. Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin failed her test on the subject of the three branches of government: “You have the Supreme Court, the legislative branch and the people, the people and their ability to vote.” Um, not quite. Former senator Rick Santorum also needed schooling recently when he failed to understand our checks and balances system. “You’re fundamentally wrong on civics,” TV host Rachel Maddow had to tell him.

I suspect that Senator Cruz knows perfectly well how the government works and trusts in the system. I suspect that his ‘With Prejudice’ meeting had nothing to do with his outrage over the court’s judicial tyranny, and everything to do with the fact that he is running for President. He wants votes, and he has decided that his “religious freedom” rants and raves are going to get him noticed. He complains that the Supreme Court is taking advantage of its powers by making a “shameful” decision but, in fact, he is the one who is taking advantage of his powers to shamelessly court conservative voters.

I am angry with Senator Cruz so, taking a page from his book, I say we get rid of Congress. I do not like some of the decisions that our senators and representatives make. They do not agree with me on all subjects. Who needs Congress anyway, right?

— 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.

feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677065/s/4878c33d/sc/7/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0Cdomenick0Escudera0Cif0Ei0Emust0Eaccept0Ethe0Ehobb0Ib0I78790A620Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices/story01.htm

REVIEW: SECRET CINEMA Presents STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

As the world waits with baited breath to judge the new Star Wars movie – will it be a sensation, or will it be abominable? – we can at least rest assured that the original films, with every viewing, get better and better.

It’s the bias toward such impeccably brilliant films, that all but demand multiple viewings, that lies at the root of the Secret Cinema movement’s success. From Alien to The Shawshank Redemption to The Grand Budapest Hotel, they’re all films with a highly unique look and feel, that have inspired a cult following.

This year, it’s the turn of Irvin Kershner’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back to get the immersive SC treatment, and the night we zipped off to a galaxy far, far away (precise location: classified), the enthrallment of fans all around us was plain to see.

The sheer volume of thought that’s gone into this experience is staggering: the interaction with actors and the cavernous, awe-inspiring sets make for true escapism (even if the extortionate food and drink prices bring you straight back to reality).

Forget X or Y reality show C-lister: I got genuinely nervous and giggly bumping into Chewie (who had bigger things on his mind than my coyness, being on the run from Stormtroopers).

That said, the highlight of my evening was when R2D2 approached me to say hello.

Photo: Secret Cinema/Marianne Chua

Or perhaps the true highlight was watching the film itself.

You’ll find yourself surrounded by a lively, vocal audience who recite every line of dialogue like it’s a competitive sport. Yes, this can occasionally be a little trying, but for the most part the energy is infectious.

Obviously, if you’re not overly keen on Star Wars in the first instance, you might find the almost five-hour running time and the uncomfortable seating during the screening somewhat painful. Indeed, we spotted more than a few less-than-amused other halves who had clearly been dragged along against their will.

Our only other grumble is the price tag, which, at £75, is undeniably hefty. It would be completely justifiable, however, if a little food and drink was included.

But if you’re a fan of the film in the first instance, we can promise you, it’s worth shelling out for. If you even remotely identify as a film-lover, it’s you’ll probably get something out of this one-of-a-kind experience. Go now.

SECRET CINEMA Presents STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK runs now until 27 September 2015. www.secretcinema.org/tickets

The post REVIEW: SECRET CINEMA Presents STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK appeared first on Gay Star News.

Jamie Tabberer

www.gaystarnews.com/article/review-secret-cinema-presents-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back/

Photographic Evidence That Andy Cohen Likes To Be On Top

Last summer intrepid reporter Anderson Cooper relayed some covert info to his gal pal Kelly Ripa that shocked the entire universe: When it comes to sexual relations, his close friend, Bravolebrity Andy Cohen is a top. Now Andy, who sometimes has loose lips when it comes to his adult sleepovers (right Lance Bass?), has never commented publicly about Cooper’s allegations, but he did spend some time on top of nine sexy gentlemen friends while vacationing in the Hamptons over the weekend.

Related: Andy Cohen Is Definitely A Top, According To Anderson Cooper

How’s this for fantasy fodder?

A photo posted by Andy Cohen (@bravoandy) on Jul 25, 2015 at 1:54pm PDT

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/JIjOzgRd0lY/photographic-evidence-that-andy-cohen-likes-to-be-on-top-20150727