Congress forms task force to address anti-trans violence

Congress forms task force to address anti-trans violence

Congress held a two-hour-and-a half forum on transgender issues.

The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus of the US House of Representatives has formed a Transgender Equality Task Force, which on Tuesday (17 November) held the first congressional forum on violence against transgender people.

The bipartisan committee is chaired by California state Representative Mike Honda, whose eight-year-old granddaughter is transgender.

As the proud grandpa of a transgender grandchild, I hope she can feel safe at school without fear of being bullied. pic.twitter.com/NDIfOdW9sk

— Rep. Mike Honda (@RepMikeHonda) February 18, 2015

‘It is our responsibility as leaders and public officials to ensure that all people are free from the fear of persecution, prejudice, or violence just for being who they are,’ he said.

‘We work to highlight the issues that transgender individuals face. In this day and age, hatred and prejudice based on one’s actual or perceived sexuality or gender identity.’

There have been 22 reported murders of transgender woman of color this year alone, up from 16 in 2014.

‘When I meet with the transgender community, they say: “Listen to us,”‘ said Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi.

‘That’s what this task force is set up to do: to listen, to learn, to be informed, to act upon the transgender experience.’

The post Congress forms task force to address anti-trans violence appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/congress-forms-task-force-to-address-anti-trans-violence/

Hong Kong authorities are refusing to count gay couples in its 2016 census

Hong Kong authorities are refusing to count gay couples in its 2016 census

Hong Kong's flag and the People's Republic of China's flag fly side by side

Officials in Hong Kong have decided to leave same-sex couples off next year’s census – arguing that some will be too afraid to disclose their relationship in front of family members and that no data is better than inaccurate data on the make up of Hong Kong’s population.

Hong Kong’s Census and Statistics Department (CSD) recorded that there were 7,495 people living in a same-sex household that were not blood relatives in 2011.

However in the 2016 census people will still only be able to record their relationship status as ‘never been married, [heterosexually] married, widowed, divorced or separated.’

CSD deputy commissioner Stephen Leung said the decision not to record same-sex relations was made in consultation with government departments and social welfare organizations.

Leung said census data had to be accurate if it was going to be useful in formulating government policy and the CSD believes most gay and lesbian couples would not disclose their relationship in front of relatives.

However LGBT group Rainbow of Hong Kong said the decision to not allow same-sex couples to record their relationships was a form of censorship which cuts that section of the community out of being able to take part in policy formation by the government.

Rainbow of Hong Kong spokesperson Yeung Chu-wing told Ejinsight that he personally knew of people who had tried to record their same-sex relationships during the last Hong Kong census in 2011 but were told they had submitted wrong information.

Chu-wing said that it was excluding same-sex couples from the census that will undermine its accuracy not asking them that question.

Hong Kong has been a self-governing special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China since it was handed back to China by the United Kingdom in 1997.

The post Hong Kong authorities are refusing to count gay couples in its 2016 census appeared first on Gay Star News.

Andrew Potts

www.gaystarnews.com/article/hong-kong-authorities-are-refusing-to-count-gay-couples-in-its-2016-census/

Company that hiked price of AIDS drug by 5,000% loses $14.6m in 3 months

Company that hiked price of AIDS drug by 5,000% loses $14.6m in 3 months

Martin Shkreli said he would lower the price of Daraprim after a fierce backlash.

Turing Pharmaceuticals has reported a $14.6 million net loss last quarter after hiking the price of a decades-old AIDS drug 5,000%.

CEO Martin Shkreli drew the scorn of the internet after he bought the rights to Daraprim and raised the price from $13.50 to $750 overnight.

Daraprim is used to treat the toxoplasma gondii parasite, which can cause seizures, blindness, and neurological damage in people with compromised immune systems.

After a fierce backlash, Shkreli said he would lower the price of the drug, but another company started selling the drug for $1 a pill.

We will be releasing our third quarter financial results in 2015 publicly. This is unprecedented for a private company.

— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) November 11, 2015

The company spent $7 million on drug research last quarter, which contributed to losses.

‘We are very excited about the potential for Turing’s pipeline of new drug candidates to help patients in need of better medications,’ Shkreli said in a statement.

The company also addressed the Daraprim controversy:

‘After consulting with patient advocacy groups and infectious disease doctors, Turing understands that toxoplasmosis patients are primarily concerned with timely access and minimal out-of-pocket costs.

‘We are committed to continuing the expansion of our distribution partnerships in order to facilitate optimal patient access. In addition to participation in federal and state programs with costs as low as 1 penny per pill, and patient savings programs under which patients’ out-of-pocket expenses do not exceed $10 per prescription, Turing contributes to Patient Services, Inc. (PSI), a longstanding independent charity that provides support for financially needy patients’ cost-sharing obligations for any toxoplasmosis therapies, consistent with PSI’s advisory opinion from the HHS Office of Inspector General.’

The post Company that hiked price of AIDS drug by 5,000% loses $14.6m in 3 months appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/company-that-hiked-price-of-aids-drug-by-5000-loses-14-6m-in-3-months/

Ark. Judge Accused of Inappropriate Behavior With Male Defendants

Ark. Judge Accused of Inappropriate Behavior With Male Defendants

Cross County, Ark., Judge Joseph Boeckmann has some serious explaining to do after being accused of pressuring men to have sex with him in exchange for dismissals of charges or reductions in court fines and charges.

Boeckmann has 30 days to respond to the charges, announced Tuesday by the state’s Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, and will be allowed a hearing on the matter, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. It will be difficult to remove the judge — if the charges are indeed proved true — unless the state Supreme Court gets involved, as the commission does not have the authority to suspend him.

On the bench since 2009, Boeckmann is accused of using his position to seek out “young Caucasian male litigants.” He would allegedly tell offenders to perform “substitutionary sentences” that involved chores at his home. Boeckmann is accused of photographing the men’s buttocks as well as soliciting some of them for sex and relationships. 

On top of all this, the judge has been accused of having child pornography on his computer — the state Cyber Crimes Unit is investigating.

Neal Broverman

www.advocate.com/crime/2015/11/18/ark-judge-accused-inappropriate-behavior-male-defendants

10 Reasons To Make Sex With Your Spouse A Daily Ritual

10 Reasons To Make Sex With Your Spouse A Daily Ritual

These days, everyone’s to-do list is a mile long. Trying to squeeze sex into an already tight schedule seems next-to-impossible sometimes.

But for married couples who get it on regularly, the payoff can be substantial. We recently asked a group of sexperts to tell us the benefits of having sex with your spouse on a near-daily basis. Read what they had to say below: 

1. It sparks your bedroom creativity. 

“Having sex every day can get you and your partner out of whatever sexual rut or routine you may have fallen into, and can spark more experimentation as well as more direct conversations about what works and what doesn’t,” psychologist and dating coach Samantha Rodman told The Huffington Post. “After all, you’re not going to want to do the exact same thing seven nights a week.” 

2. It’s a way for you to connect — just the two of you. 

“As our lives become increasingly busy (kids! career! Netflix binges!), it has become vital that my husband and I find ways to commune with one another,” marriage blogger Meg Conley said. “There are many ways to do this — reading together, holding hands on walks, date nights, intellectually stimulating conversations. I do have to say, though, there is something special, electric — transcendent even! — about the time we set aside for physical intimacy. It recharges us individually, and as a couple, in a way that no amount of reading Faulkner aloud to each other ever has.”

3. It’s a reminder that you’re lovers first. Everything else is secondary.

“Having a daily ritual of erotic connection — whether it be making out, telling each other your fantasies or having sex — will keep your life more fun and playful,” sex expert Danielle Harel told HuffPost. “It also creates a sense that you are adults on the same team as opposed to just being parents or business people or all of the other identities that can take over sometimes.” 

4. It can reinvigorate your marriage.

“You might be afraid that a regular, daily date for sex will mean that your love life isn’t spontaneous, or that it will lose its romantic edge,” Tammy Nelson, sex therapist and the author of Getting the Sex You Want, said. “On the contrary, daily sex can actually create more romance in your relationship. When you show up for one another every night, even when you don’t feel like it, when you are tired or there is something great on TV, it shows your partner that you are committed to your relationship and to your intimate life together.” 

5. Orgasms. Need we say more?

“Sign me up for that every day,” Conley said.

6. It gives you something to look forward to after a long day. 

“Sex can become a respite from the demands of work, kids and life in general,” Rodman told HuffPost. “If you know you’re going to have sex every day, you can look forward to it as a time when you know you can reconnect with your partner without anything else around to distract you.” 

7. And remember — there are lots of ways to get your freak on. 

“Making love as a daily ritual is a daily affirmation of your unique bond and ongoing romance,” professor of sociology and certified sexologist Pepper Schwartz said. “It doesn’t have to be full-blown, soup-to-nuts sex — kissing more than just hello or goodbye, or giving each other a sensual massage or teasing each other before you turn off the lights or while you are cleaning up for the night, fills each each day with pleasure and intimate connection. ” 

8. It’s an easy way to inject some fun back into your life. 

“I spend a lot of time doing the things I have to do — appointments, deadlines, chores, grocery shopping with angry toddlers,” Conley said. “Sex with my husband is something I GET to do. With the person I love most. Who loves me up ten pounds, down ten pounds, or whatever other ridiculous thing my crazy insecurities are messaging me about at any given time.” 

9. Variety is the spice of life. 

“There are different types of sex: emotional sex that is lovemaking, sex as a form of stress relief, sex that’s all about fantasy and creativity and sex that appeals to different sensual pathways like sight, sound, touch, taste and smell,” sex therapist and New York Times bestselling author Ian Kerner said. “Like the food pyramid, indulge in all of these ‘sex groups’ to have a nutritionally balanced sex life.”  

10. That sex-induced brain chemistry is some powerful stuff. 

“When we have sex with our partner we are releasing chemicals in our bodies that make us feel good like dopamine, testosterone, oxytocin and endorphins,” Nelson told HuffPost. “When they are released, a sense of well-being and even euphoria are created.”

Also on HuffPost: 

— 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.



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Trailer for Zoolander 2 called transphobic by some – petition launched

Trailer for Zoolander 2 called transphobic by some – petition launched

Ben Stiller directed, co-wrote and stars in Zoolander 2

Zoolander 2 isn’t hitting US theaters until February but already it is running afoul with some people.

A trailer for the sequel starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson debuted on Wednesday (18 November) and features an androgynous character played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

The character is asked by Zoolander (Stiller) and Hansel (Wilson) if he is a ‘male or female model’ and if they ‘have a hot dog or a bun.’

A petition calling for a boycott of the film was launched quickly after the trailer was unveiled.

It states: ‘Cumberbatch’s character is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority.’

The petition also states: ‘If the producers and screenwriters of Zoolander wanted to provide social commentary on the presence of trans/androgyne individuals in the fashion industry, they could have approached models like Andreja Pejic to be in the film. By hiring a cis actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, they film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large.’

It is the sequel to the 2001 film Zoolander stars Stiller, Wilson, Cumberbatch, Penélope Cruz, Christine Taylor, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell.

The post Trailer for Zoolander 2 called transphobic by some – petition launched appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/trailer-for-zoolander-2-called-transphobic-by-some-petition-launched/

Ted Cruz Challenges Obama to Debate: ‘Insult Me To My Face’ – WATCH

Ted Cruz Challenges Obama to Debate: ‘Insult Me To My Face’ – WATCH

Ted Cruz Insult Me to My face

Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz got direct and in President Obama’s face on camera today in response to Obama’s remarks about GOP reaction to Syrian refugees.

Said Cruz, staring down the lens:

“It is utterly unbefitting of the president to be engaging in those kind of personal insults and attacks…He talked about how he was belittling the Republican field as scared. Well let me suggest something: Mr. President, if you want to insult me, you can do it overseas, you can do it in Turkey, you can do it in foreign countries, but I would encourage you, mister president, come back and insult me to my face. Let’s have a debate on Syrian refugees, RIGHT NOW. We can do it wherever you want.”

Watch:

Obama’s remarks, made yesterday in the Philippines:

“We are not well served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic. We don’t make good decisions if it’s based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks.

“When individuals say we should have a religious test and that only Christians, proven Christians should be admitted, that’s offensive.

“I cannot think of a more potent recruitment tool for Isil [Isis] than some of the rhetoric that’s been coming out of here during the course of this debate.

“Isil seeks to exploit the idea that there’s war between Islam and the west, and when you see individuals in positions of responsibility suggesting Christians are more worthy of protection than Muslims are in a war-torn land, that feeds the Isil narrative. It’s counter-productive. And it needs to stop.

“And I would add, these are the same folks who suggested they’re so tough that just ‘talk to Putin’ or staring down Isil [will work] … but they are scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America as part of our tradition of compassion. At first they were too scared of the press being too tough on them in the debates. Now they are scared of three-year-old orphans. That doesn’t seem so tough to me.”

The post Ted Cruz Challenges Obama to Debate: ‘Insult Me To My Face’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.


Andy Towle

Ted Cruz Challenges Obama to Debate: ‘Insult Me To My Face’ – WATCH

Top 10 Gay Apps Ranked by Customer Satisfaction Ratings

Top 10 Gay Apps Ranked by Customer Satisfaction Ratings
Once you’ve decided to use a gay dating or hookup app it can be tough to figure out which ones to use. Typically, most guys ask their friends or do a little bit of research. The problem with getting advice from friends or online critiques is that they basically amount to anecdotes.

Is there a better way? Yes. Go to each app’s page on the IOS or Android platforms and see what actual customers have to say. The only problem with this approach is that it’s REALLY time consuming. And you could go cross-eyed trying to keep the data straight. That’s why our team put together the first list of gay apps ranked by the millions of people who’ve rated them on IOS and Android.

Our methodology: We went to each app’s page on the IOS and Android platforms and got two pieces of data–average ratings and the # of reviews. Then we developed a weighted average between the two platforms (there are WAY more gay app users on Android than IOS and the differences in opinion were sometimes startling).

The result? The first Top 10 List Of Gay Apps Ranked By Customer Satisfaction Reviews. Take a look:

App                     Weighted Average Ratings                         # of Reviews
#1 Jack’d                     4.1                                                            127,856

 #2 Hornet                      4.1                                                            96,585

#3 Scruff                      4.1                                                              68,458

 #4 Growlr                      4.1                                                              32,112

 #5 Tinder                     4.0                                                             1,522,854

#6 Mr X                     3.8                                                             4,218

 #7 Gay.com                     3.8                                                            2,669

#8 Daddyhunt                     3.7                                                            996

#9 GrindR                     3.6                                                            252,765

#10 Adam4Adam                     2.4                                                            3,058

Notice that there is actually a 4-way tie for first place, but we subscribe to the “theory of large numbers” which states that data stability can only be achieved with large numbers. Hence, the 4.1 average rating that Jack’d got is more “stable” than the 4.1 that GrowlR got because it has triple the number of reviews. Therefore, we ranked it accordingly.

What you see on this page is the total number of reviews and the weighted average between IOS and Android. Click on our gay dating apps reviews page to see the ratings differences between iPhone and Android users.

Michael Alvear is the founder of grabhim.net and the mindful eating blog, Eat It Later.

— 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.



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