Nashville, Yeezy Boost, Elizabeth Warren, Julian Edelman, Episcopals, Martin Shkreli: NEWS

VEEP? Elizabeth Warren to meet with Hillary Clinton Friday morning: “The sit-down, coming just hours after the Massachusetts senator formally endorsed the presumptive Democratic nominee, will fuel speculation about her prospects as a potential vice presidential pick. The women have had several conversations over the past month, including one that lasted around half an hour, sources told The Washington Post. The conversations were broad and focused on large topics and issues, rather than the nitty-gritty of the campaign. Their staffs have been engaged in more tactical discussions.”

Someone approves:

Pocahontas is at it again! Goofy Elizabeth Warren, one of the least productive U.S. Senators, has a nasty mouth. Hope she is V.P. choice.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2016

FLORIDA. Calls grow for investigation into Attorney General Pam Bondi’s donation from Trump: “There have been many questions surrounding claims of fraud at Trump University,” Bullard stated. “There is even a greater concern of whether a quid pro quo exists within the office for favorable treatment in exchange for campaign assistance.”

COUPLES. Julian Edelman and Eric Decker make a fine one.

POSTERIORS. Taran Killam is showing off his finest ass-ets in Casual Encounters.

MARTIN SHKRELI MUSICAL. A new musical theatre production about the Pharma Bro is taking shape: “Remember when the internet thought that Bill Murray could legally steal back the $2 million Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, from that pharma bro Martin Shkreli? Well, get excited world, because we’re bringing that heist to you! That’s right, this show has Bill Murray teaming up with the Wu-Tang Clan in an epic battle against the most hated man in America. Will Bill Murray succeed, or will he just end up another pawn in Martin Shkreli’s Game?”

LETTERMAN ON TRUMP. Dave weighs in: “Right. There’s nothing illegal going on. It’s just he’s despicable … And in everybody’s school, you hear, ‘The great thing about America is anybody can grow up to be President.’ Oh, jeez. I guess that might be true.”

CORK, IRELAND. Barber refuses gay couple and young boy with disability: “A few days ago I needed a haircut and my boyfriend came with me because he wanted to explain to the guy what kind of style he wanted for me. While he was doing that the man interrupted him and said to us we could get it done next door,” Michele told Cork’s 96fm this morning. “I was going to this barber for months on my own and the second that I went to this place with my boyfriend he had a problem with it. I’m gay so I’m pretty sure that was the reason.”

UNIVERSITY STANDARDS. Colleges scrambling to meet transgender requirements: “At a time of year when the nation’s 2,100 residential colleges and universities are sorting out student housing assignments, they also are poring over a May letter from the Obama administration that thrusts them into the national debate on transgender rights. Known as the “dear colleague” letter, it makes clear that federal law protects transgender students’ right to live in housing that reflects their gender identity. Schools that fail to provide adequate housing to transgender students could face lawsuits or the loss of any federal funding they rely on.”

SCOTLAND. Episcopal church moves toward allowing gay marriages: “The Scottish Episcopal church voted on Friday by 97 to 51, with three abstentions, to remove a clause in its canon law that states that marriage is a union of a man and a woman. Before the change can be enacted, it must win a two-thirds majority in a second vote next year. If it passes, same-sex couples will be able to marry in a church service conducted by Scottish clergy. A conscience clause, however, will allow individual clergy to opt out of conducting same-sex marriages.”

RENEWALS. Nashville picked up for 5th season: “Crucial to the deal is the incentive package that will see the state, Metro, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. and Ryman Hospitality chip in funds to offset the cost of the show’s production. The state put $8 million in its budget and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry has proposed a $1.375 million fund for film incentives, though the final amount for “Nashville” has not been announced.”

BOOK LOOK. Alan Hollinghurst on Edmund White’s A Boy’s Own Story: “The intense lifelikeness of the social world in his novels is achieved in part through the retentive accumulation of anecdote, gleeful gossip tested against sharp observation, and coloured always, however delicately, with glamour, a tribute to the mystery of other lives.”

HILARIOUS SHOE REVIEW. Yeezy Boost 750.

FRIDAY FLESH. Brandon Williams.

The post Nashville, Yeezy Boost, Elizabeth Warren, Julian Edelman, Episcopals, Martin Shkreli: NEWS appeared first on Towleroad.

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Texas Bigots Take Their Religious Anti-Transgender Campaign National

These Texas conservatives want their Houston-tested scare tactics to reach a bigger audience.

The post Texas Bigots Take Their Religious Anti-Transgender Campaign National appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/06/10/3786934/texas-anti-target-campaign/

Greensboro-Area Small Business Owners Urge Repeal of HB2

On Thursday, TurnOUT! North Carolina (NC) and the Small Business Majority continued our tour of North Carolina cities featuring Small Business leaders detailing the real economic harm they are experiencing as a result of HB2.

Despite reports that the board overseeing the Greensboro Coliseum Complex asked for the repeal of HB2 because the law had a “disastrous impact” on the facility and that the law has cost $200,000 in lost sales and wages for employees, elected officials in Raleigh are clearly not paying attention to the reality they created by rushing to pass HB2.

The speakers from Thursday’s press conference collectively called on leaders in Raleigh to fully repeal HB2 before it is too late for their region and the state.

Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan discussed the recent City Council vote that asked the legislature to Repeal HB2 because they saw what the law is doing to the people and the economy of Greensboro. Concert cancellations from Bruce Springsteen, the band Boston, as well as Cirque du Soleil have cost small businesses in the city lost revenue from tourism and concert attendees.

“Greensboro is known as tournament town and we are very concerned what the ACC and NCAA will do because of HB2. We’ve spoken to them and they are very seriously taking a look at whether or not this is a community, if this is a state, that they really want to hold their functions in,” Vaughan said.

“The City of Greensboro has worked very hard over the years to be welcoming and inclusive. About 18 months ago we passed three non-discrimination ordinances, long before HB2. Unfortunately because of the passage of HB2, many of those have been rendered useless,” Vaughan said.

“I have heard from many of our citizens who have been impacted by cancellation of these shows and other events. You know these are people who really depend on this income to make ends meet. I got a call from a woman who lost three nights of work at the Greensboro Coliseum and she said she’s not going to be able to pay her bills. So we know what the immediate impact has been,” said the mayor.

Kit Rodenbough has owned Design Archives for 15 years, a store in downtown Greensboro that relies on tourism for 60% of their business.

“My small business is in the heart of downtown, and I have always made an attempt to talk to my customers and to ask them if they are visiting or if they live here,” Rodenbough said. “Every single one of my recent visitors have made the statement to me that they are amazed at what North Carolina is doing with the passage of House Bill 2. I have felt the need to apologize time and time again for the actions of this group of lawmakers who passed this archaic bill and made it law.”

In calling for repeal of HB2, Rodenbough said, “The loss of dollars for our local businesses, including mine, and the pain this bill is causing, a bill that is misrepresented as something about bathrooms and not about what it really is, is going to affect local citizens and entrepreneurs for a long time.”

Sara Pilling, Director of HQ Greensboro, which hosted Thursday’s press conference, is a collaborative workspace that invites entrepreneurs, small business, and local business owners, to network and work together, to help their businesses grow.  

“Since the passage of HB2, we have heard quite clearly from our community that this legislation is damaging to North Carolina’s reputation as a great place to start, build and expand businesses,” Pilling said. “We at HQ believe that it would be a disservice to our members and our community to abandon our core values by failing to express our stance against such regressive policies and ideologies. HB2 stands in stark contrast to HQ’s overarching philosophy of collaboration, unity, diversity and authenticity.

“Online petitions like Startups Against HB2, started by HQ Raleigh and other Triangle-based companies, have helped our voice be heard in the opposition of HB2. In less than two weeks, the website gathered 206 (two hundred and six) public statements from small business leaders and the petition gathered signatures from 170 (one hundred and seventy) entrepreneurs across North Carolina. The companies represented have created a total of 2,461 jobs in the state. This represents a concerted effort to show that start-ups, small and local businesses are invested in an economy and community that recognize the value of diversity and inclusiveness,” Pilling said.

“We ask that the Governor and General Assembly listen to the entrepreneurs, startups and local businesses who oppose HB2, and demand that you repeal this legislation that so egregiously misrepresents your constituents,” Pilling said.

This is why TurnOUT! NC, a coalition of the Human Rights Campaign, Equality North Carolina, the ACLU and the Campaign for Southern Equality, is working to mobilize thousands of North Carolinians for the full repeal of HB2. TurnOUT! NC has field organizers based in Asheville, Charlotte and the Triangle area. Additionally, HRC staff are on the ground working with coalition partners across the Tar Heel State. There are daily opportunities to volunteer with weekly phone banks and weekend door-to-door opportunities.

If you live in North Carolina and want to join the efforts to repeal HB2, RSVP for upcoming phonebanks and volunteer opportunities. For more information about our work in North Carolina, contact HRC Associate Regional Field Director Ryan Rowe at [email protected].

Last week business leaders in Raleigh and Charlotte spoke out, on Thursday they were joined by Greensboro voices as part of our “Small Businesses for the Repeal of HB2” tour which is highlighting how HB2 is directly impacting small businesses, small business owners, their families and employees.

Kit Rodenbough has owned Design Archives in downtown Greensboro for 15 years. 

Equality North Carolina’s Matt Hirschy

www.hrc.org/blog/greensboro-area-small-business-owners-urge-repeal-of-hb2?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

‘Supergirl’s’ Jeremy Jordan Successfully Busts Cousin Out Of Ex-Gay Camp With Cash To Spare

The combined power of celebrity and the internet does not often yield heartwarming outcomes, but just days after we learned of Supergirl star Jeremy Jordan’s campaign to bust his teen cousin, Sarah, out of a “pray the gay away” camp, the fates have spoken. And it’s good news!

And like all the best news these days, it arrived via Twitter:

Great news! She’s out! In 5 days, you helped Sarah get released! Details on the GFM page. THANK YOU. #SaveSarah t.co/iJK4U4ZwUi

— Jeremy Jordan (@JeremyMJordan) June 9, 2016

Over on the GoFundMe page — set up to pay Sarah’s legal bills and netting $64,252 in just five days — Jordan gave a full update:

“We have an important update. We have just been informed that Sarah has been released from the facility. We don’t know the details, but we believe that this page, and the willingness of you all to share Sarah’s story had a great deal to do with this. We don’t yet know what this means for the legal case — we need to consult with our attorney and, when we are able, with Sarah about how or whether to continue. In the interim, we are not requesting additional donations at this time. As we’ve previously stated, if the lawsuit terminates, we will use all of the money that you so generously contributed to pay accrued legal bills for our lawyer and Sarah’s. If there are any funds left over, they will be placed in a trust for Sarah to help her with life”s next steps so that she can attend college and lead a normal life being who she is and loving whom she chooses.”

Jordan previously shared that Sarah’s current legal tab clocked in around $20k, and it’s safe to assume she won’t be in need of many more billable hours now that her release is secured. That should leave her with quite the nest egg after all is said and done, or let’s be honest, a head-start on the ensuing therapy bill.

We hope it helps her get on her feet as far away from the people trying to drag her down as possible.

Jordan went on to express relief, but also acknowledged the other teens in similar situations who don’t have pseudo-famous relatives:

“We are understandably excited by today’s developments, and hopeful for what this means for Sarah’s ability to live her life as her true self. And we are hopeful that one day soon all the other LBGT teens out there who face rejection by their families and attempts to “fix” their sexuality will be accepted for who they are.”

While Sarah no doubt has her work cut out for her to process her experience, with good fortune, an open heart and a strong will, it might one day make quite the dinner party story.

She’ll have to remember to include the part about Grindr helping to spread the word:

Help #SaveSarah from a year of useless, damaging therapy. t.co/fb33X4tqJ2

— Grindr (@Grindr) June 7, 2016

Ex-gay conversion therapy has been in the news lately, as more states ban the practice on minors. The practice is already illegal in Vermont, New Jersey, California, Illinois, Oregon, and the District of Columbia as well as Cincinnati, OH.

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PHOTOS: Lawyer Up With Attorney & Dreamboat Julian Hernandez

We’ve a right mind to go out and commit a few crimes just so we can use our one phone call to dial up Miami-based lawyer Julian Hernandez.

Nothing too serious — jaywalking, loitering — something along those lines.

Talk about a penal code:

A photo posted by Julian Hernandez (@ijulian_) on May 4, 2016 at 6:56am PDT

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A photo posted by Julian Hernandez (@ijulian_) on Nov 12, 2014 at 5:20pm PST

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Federal Judge: Alabama Must Recognize Marriage Equality Ruling

Alabama can no longer enforce laws banning same-sex marriage.

U.S. District Judge Callie Granade has issued a permanent injunction requiring Alabama officials to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized same-sex marriage; they must grant licenses and recognize same-sex marriages as valid.

It appears that Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, whose unconstitutional opposition to same-sex marriage led to his suspension and possible removal from his position has finally lost the war.

Even though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that same-sex unions were a constitutional right, Moore insisted that Obergefell v. Hodges wasn’t binding in Alabama and instructed probate judges to ignore those higher courts orders and refuse to issue licenses to same-sex couples. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a non-profit legal advocacy organization, filed complaints with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission, which then forwarded six charges of ethical violations to the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.

Moore had until June 7 (30 days) to respond, but last week, Michael Joiner, chief judge of the Court of the Judiciary, agreed to a 14-day extension for Moore to file his response.

Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign posted a letter on its website condemning the 2-week extension given to Justice Moore’: “Roy Moore has repeatedly used his authority to discriminate against LGBTQ people and their families, and this latest stall tactic continues his reckless pattern of delaying justice and skirting the law at every opportunity,” said Eva Walton Kendrick, HRC Alabama State Manager. “This extension does not change the facts — Moore is unfit to serve on the court, and we look forward to the day he is permanently removed.”

But Thursday, Judge Granade ruled that Alabama can’t refuse applications for marriage licenses by same-sex couples.

The SPLC tweeted about the victory early Thursday:

Federal judge in SPLC case: Alabama must recognize marriage equality ruling t.co/jLU1U2UDvV #LGBT pic.twitter.com/qjr0SRPsUD

— (((SPLC))) (@splcenter) June 9, 2016

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Gay Cyclist Speeding to Sex Hookup Tackled in Front of Obama’s Motorcade: WATCH

Daniel Provencio, a 59-year-old gay man, was blasting Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” through his headphones on the way to hook up with someone me met on an online dating site when he was tackled in front of President Obama’s motorcade, apparently oblivious that he was about to enter a barricaded zone on 50th street, TMZ reports:

Daniel was coy about date specifics, but suffice to say the other guy lost interest because Daniel was hours late after being interrogated by authorities.

Daniel called the guy when he was released, but, as he puts it, “Manhattan men are huge on punctuality.”

Watch:

The NY Daily News adds:

Provencio did not appear to be resisting during the encounter. He was issued a summons for disorderly conduct, police said.

“Why does the cop with the helmet need to come in like that?” an Instagram commenter wrote.

“The poor guy obviously was confused. No need to come in and shove him to the ground like that. I’m sure if they spoke to him he would have cooperated anyway.”

(h/t/ jmg)

The post Gay Cyclist Speeding to Sex Hookup Tackled in Front of Obama’s Motorcade: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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Watch President Obama’s Full Interview with Jimmy Fallon

Before he slow jammed the news and wrote a few Thank You notes, President Obama sat down with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show to go over some more serious business.

They discussed being the first sitting president on The Tonight Show, whether Obama is getting sad his presidency is over and getting sentimental about leaving, his new home in D.C. (he and Michelle are staying because Sasha is still in school), and Malia’s upcoming graduation.

Watch:

They then moved on to the election. Obama said he has spoken to both Hillary and Bernie at certain points during the campaign.

Said Obama: “I thought that Bernie Sanders brought enormous energy and new ideas. I thought that it made Hillary a better candidate…My hope is that over the next couple weeks we’re able to pull things together.

Obama said that during primaries things tend to get “a little ouchy” and that a natural process will iron things out.

“I’m sure they’re going to have a conversation,” he said, adding, “The main role I’m going to be playing in this process, is to remind the American people that this is a serious job. This is not reality TV.”

When asked by Fallon if he thinks Republicans are happy with their choice of Trump, Obama responds, “We are.”

Added Obama: “That was too easy. Actually, I am worried about the Republican party, and I know that sounds….uh…you know what that sounds like.

Has Donald Trump called him for advice? “No he hasn’t. Not that I know of.”

Fallon asked Obama about SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland and whether Obama would ever want to join the Supreme Court.

“I look pretty good in a robe, but I don’t think it’s something that is the best way for me to spend my time after I leave office.”

Fallon also talked about his first awkward meeting with the President and First Lady and where the President might go on the day he leaves office.

Watch:

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