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Monthly Archives: June 2016
An Orthodox Rabbi Walked Into A Gay Bar… What Happened Next May Surprise You
An Orthodox Rabbi Walked Into A Gay Bar… What Happened Next May Surprise You
“I heard about the horrific shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, while our synagogue in Washington was celebrating Shavuot,” Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld writes in a new think piece published by The Jewish Chronicle Online. “Even though the holiday is a happy time, I cried as I recited our prayers.”
Rabbi Herzfeld leads Ohev Sholom, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Washington, D.C. After the shooting, he says about a dozen or so members of the congregation approached him and said they wanted to show solidarity with the victims and their families.
Related: Some Jews Are Really Upset Obama Now Hates The Defense Of Marriage Act. Other Jews, Not So Much
So they did something that, for them, was pretty crazy. They planned a visit the Fireplace, a popular gay bar near Dupont Circle.
“We did not go to recruit members that night or to express any new theological ideas,” Herzfeld writes. “Our goal was simply to try to connect, build bridges, heal a little and be with a community in pain.”
“I had not been to a bar in more than 20 years,” he continues. “And I had never been to a gay bar. But we all realized that we had to act. Our country was in tremendous pain–is still in tremendous pain. We wanted to try to connect and offer support.”
Herzfeld says he understands that “the intersection between the gay community and Orthodox Judaism is obviously a work in progress” and that there’s still a lot of gray area between the two, but if ever there was an opportunity to find common ground, this was it.
Related: What Will It Take to Get Orthodox Jews to Embrace Their Gays?
The experience proved more eye-opening than he even anticipated.
“We walked inside and just by standing there with our kippot I felt that we were embracing a community that was looking for an embrace,” he recalls.
“That night I felt both the pain and the reassurance in the room,” he adds. “I felt pain when I stood in that bar–pain that I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend without being there.”
So what’s the takeaway from all this?
In a word: Empathy.
“As an Orthodox community, we need to communicate a message of unconditional love and unconditional safety and protection to all of our children from as young an age as possible,” Herzfeld writes. “We need to communicate a message that actively challenges homophobia and transphobia–and to actively assert that such harmful messages will not be tolerated.”
“For some children,” he concludes, “this can be a matter of life and death.”
Related: Are Orthodox Jews Coming Around On Homosexuality?
Four Disco-Infused, Dance-Centric NYC Pride Events You Shouldn’t Miss
Four Disco-Infused, Dance-Centric NYC Pride Events You Shouldn’t Miss
You’re never prepared when New York Pride Weekend descends upon you. All of a sudden, bars teem with fresh blood and confetti is everywhere. For the next three days, there’s no shortage of things to do, and plenty of tourists to do them with.
Head over to GayCities New York Pride Guide for an exhaustive rundown of the weekend’s many events — from the parade to the rally and special events all over town. Looking for some particularly over-the-top parties? Well, take a look below.
Game plan: Slug down the hair of the dog that bit you, then barrel into this beefy, burly burlesque aimed at cubs, bears, and hairy Toms and Dicks. Two dance floors seductively groan under the fancy footwork of roughly (ruff-ly?) 500 jolly revelers, while DJs Jack Chang, Corey Craig, Matt Effect, and Benson Wilder dig deep into the crates to spin you into a fearsome frenzy of Prideful pirouettes. 637 W 50th St, furballnyc.ticketleap.com; 10:00pm to 6:00am
Head here for a full guide to New York Pride.
Well, this could be sleazy. A legion of over thirty hired “towel dancers” and “living Roman statues” will be muscling their way through the cavernous XL Nightclub for Bathhouse’s 2nd Annual Pride bacchanal. This study in salaciousness by promoter Brandon Voss promises an old-school XXX theater, a “towel only” locker room, and, erm, spa treatments. (You may need them at some point in the night.) Music by DJ W Jeremy provides the aural soundscape to accompany your every regret. 512 West 42nd Street; Info & VIP: 212.481.6203; Friday, June 24, 2016; 11:00pm to God only knows
Head here for a full guide to New York Pride.
Shh, silence! Beneath Times Square lies a hidden disco utopia that goes by the name The Diamond Horseshoe. Tonight, promoter Brian Raffety overtakes the $20 million dollar mega-club to provide cloudy revelers with an assaulting barrage of flashing lights, delirious sounds, performance art, and perverse special effects. This year’s theme is simply “neon,” so don your most eye-searing ’80s leggings, sploosh palmfuls of Manic Panic into your hair, sling rainbow rings onto every wiggly digit, and just go be an unmitigated loon. 225 W 46th St (at Seventh Ave), nycpride.org.; Friday, June 24, 10:00 pm to 5:00 am
Head here for a full guide to New York Pride.
Celebrating its 30th year, Dance on the Pier still serves as NYC’s largest fundraiser for NYC Pride. Expect the event to close out the weekend’s festivities with a delirious fireworks display over the Hudson River that will alternately delight and terrify the crowd, depending on the state of their mind in that final hour. Fergie headlines — expect all her biggest hits, from “Glamorous” to “Glamorous.” Hudson River Park, Pier 26, nycpride.org; Sunday, June 26, 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Head here for a full guide to New York Pride.
Matt Bomer Understands What ‘Bobby-Dangler’ Means, For Good Reason: WATCH
Matt Bomer Understands What ‘Bobby-Dangler’ Means, For Good Reason: WATCH
Matt Bomer is starring in the new Amazon drama pilot The Last Tycoon, based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, which is about a studio executive in the 1930’s.
In a new video, Matt Bomer is asked what slang terms from that era mean, and he did not do so great.
Do you know what bobby-dangler, jelly ass, zazzy, hot tomato, off the cob, blat, and other terms mean?
See how well Bomer does:
The post Matt Bomer Understands What ‘Bobby-Dangler’ Means, For Good Reason: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Toronto Police Chief ‘Expresses Regrets’ for 1981 Raids on Gay Bathhouses: WATCH
Toronto Police Chief ‘Expresses Regrets’ for 1981 Raids on Gay Bathhouses: WATCH
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders apologized on Wednesday for February 1981 raids on Toronto gay bathhouses which outed patrons and ruined lives.
Police officers barged in on four Toronto bathhouses on Feb. 19, 1981 and rounded up the people inside. Nearly 300 people were arrested and charged.
Toronto resident Tony Fay said he was affected by the raids and the apology offered him closure. He said the apology also showed the importance of that particular moment in Toronto’s history and how police have changed their opinions of the gay community.
Fay said it’s been a “long time coming.” He said the effects of the arrest lingered for years.
He said in the raids, police “did everything they could to intimidate us. It was not a good scene.”
Watch:
Track Two is a documentary about the 1981 Toronto raids.
Watch it in full:
The post Toronto Police Chief ‘Expresses Regrets’ for 1981 Raids on Gay Bathhouses: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
49 LGBT People and Allies Honor Orlando Shooting Victims with Prideful Memories: #RestInPride
49 LGBT People and Allies Honor Orlando Shooting Victims with Prideful Memories: #RestInPride
In a new video campaign called #RestInPride, Rumer Willis, Greg Louganis, Candis Cayne, Bruce Vilanch, Wilson Cruz, and 49 members and allies of the LGBT community pay tribute to the victims of the Orlando shooting by talking about their most “prideful” memories.
Watch:
The post 49 LGBT People and Allies Honor Orlando Shooting Victims with Prideful Memories: #RestInPride appeared first on Towleroad.
#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: June 23, 2016
#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: June 23, 2016
#NoBillNoBreak: DEMOCRATS STAGE SIT-IN ON HOUSE FLOOR FIGHTING FOR COMMON-SENSE GUN LAWS: In the wake of the Orlando tragedy — the nation’s deadliest mass shooting — more than 80 House and Senate Democrats joined Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Katherine Clark (D-MA) and David Cicilline (D-RI) to stage a sit-in on the House floor Wednesday to try to force a vote on common-sense gun violence prevention policies. Roddy Flynn, executive director of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus told Politico, “…the members wearing rainbow ribbons, these were provided by the LGBT Caucus to be sure as the debate goes in we’re always remember the community and identity the victims were celebrating when they died.” The move comes on the heels of last week’s 15-hour filibuster by Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to force a Senate vote on these measures. Senate Democrats pushed two bills to vote — one to strengthen background checks and another to prevent suspected terrorists from obtaining weapons. HRC supported both bills, which were voted down. As of this morning, the House sit-in was still ongoing.
NORTH CAROLINIANS RALLY AGAINST HATE, DEMAND REPEAL OF HB2: Yesterday, the coalition organizations of TurnOUT! North Carolina (NC), HRC, Equality North Carolina, the ACLU and the Campaign for Southern Equality hosted a “Rally Against Hate” in Raleigh demanding lawmakers repeal HB2, North Carolina’s anti-LGBTQ law. Leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly have stated that they plan to end this year’s Short Session around June 30, leaving them less than two weeks to repeal HB2. Following the horrific Orlando massacre, hundreds of North Carolinians turned out to stand determined to defeat the hate and bigotry that motivated the attack.
- Hillary Clinton also called out the disastrous HB2 yesterday, telling a crowd in Raleigh, “As you’ve seen here in North Carolina, discriminating against LGBT Americans is bad for business.”
“A COALITION OF US’S”: DUSTIN LANCE BLACK’S MOVING ESSAY ON ORLANDO: Dustin Lance Black, screenwriter of the award-winning film Milk, penned a powerful essay following the tragedy in Orlando. He calls for the LGBTQ community to build a “coalition of us’s” in the fight against hatred and the gun violence it inspires. Black recalls that Harvey Milk had the help and support of a broad coalition when he became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. He asks that the LGBTQ community join into a similar coalition again in the fight against gun violence: “It will, unfortunately, be a long road to eradicate the lies and hatred that inspire people to target our brothers and sisters, our children, parents, and our loved ones, but it must be traveled together. As Harvey Milk taught us long ago, in a ‘coalition of the us’s’ we have the political power to disarm hatred.”
- HRC joins Muslim-LGBTQ unity statement following Orlando shooting: HRC has joined over 60 organizations in a Muslim-LGBTQ Unity Statement: “In standing together, hand in hand, across every faith, we send a powerful message to those who seek to divide us using hatred and violence: love is stronger than hate and hope will defeat fear.” HRC is proud to stand with these organizations in the fight against bigotry and hate.
- Atlanta mayor meets with LGBTQ leaders to talk public safety: Mayor Kasim Reed met with 35 community and business leaders from the LGBTQ community yesterday to discuss public safety concerns after recent events in Orlando. Mayor Reed committed to several actions that will help keep LGBTQ citizens in Atlanta safe, such as establishing a fund to supplement security costs at locations identified by the LGBTQ community and establishing a committee to maintain communication with the LGBTQ community.
ROY COOPER DEFENDS NC SCHOOL DISTRICT’S NEW TRANSGENDER POLICY: Transgender students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system will have their names and pronouns honored beginning next school year, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced on Monday. This change will also allow transgender students to use the restroom and locker room that corresponds to their gender identity, as well as have the correct name listed in yearbooks and graduation ceremonies. While the school system is merely following the Departments of Justice and Education’s guidance on transgender students, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory predictably claimed that they were “purposely breaking state law.” His Democratic rival Roy Cooper’s campaign pointed out that this “was a perfect example of why HB2 is harmful to our state.”
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MOVES TO PROTECT LGBT PATIENTS: Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services published regulations revising the Conditions of Participation for Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals to include explicit protections of LGBT patients. Specifically, these regulations create a new CoP standard that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex (including gender identity) and sexual orientation. The proposed new CoP standard contains three parts: a prohibition not to discriminate; a requirement to establish and implement a written policy prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (gender identity), sexual orientation, age, or disability; and inform each patient of their rights under this provision and provide information on how to file a complaint. These explicit protections are a landmark step towards ending the stark health disparities facing the LGBT community today.
BUFFALO AREA SCHOOL IMPLEMENTS LGBTQ “SAFE ZONES”: Health Sciences Charter School in Buffalo, N.Y. has implemented LGBTQ “safe zones” in an effort to encourage conversations about gender and sexuality without fear or judgment. The goal is to eliminate homophobia by creating a secure environment for LGBTQ students and faculty.
CHICAGO APPROVES TRANSGENDER RIGHTS REVISION TO CITY ORDINANCE: Chicago’s transgender residents will now be able to use the public bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity, with the city’s aldermen passing a revision to their human rights ordinance on Wednesday. The revision closes a legal loophole in the existing ordinance that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says could have “inadvertently” allowed places of public accommodation to discriminate against transgender people. More from Talking Points Memo.
THE AIDS EPIDEMIC IS DEVASTATING THE SOUTH: An Ebony piece discusses the erasure of black and brown people from the HIV & AIDs epidemic in the 1980’s, a deeply problematic cherry-picking of history that has continued to devastate pockets of the LGBTQ community for decades. LGBTQ people of color experience far higher rates of the disease today, and black gay and bisexual men living in the South are particularly affected. The piece also highlights activists’ efforts around this issue, such as the pioneering work led by HRC’s HIV & AIDS Project Fellow Marvell L. Terry II.
BREXIT THREATENS LGBTQ RIGHTS: As Britain heads to the polls today to vote on whether to leave the European Union, many senior lawyers are concerned that a vote to leave could have both immediate and longer-term consequences for LGBTQ citizens. Protections from employment discrimination, for example, which are based on a human rights frameworks that originated in the European Union rulings and regulations, could be in jeopardy. More from BuzzFeed.
AUSTRIA COULD BE ADDING A THIRD GENDER TO ITS PASSPORTS: An intersex person from Austria is suing their local registry office for the right to identify themselves as intersex on their passport. The case is requesting that the passport be labeled with “X” or “Inter” instead of the two current options, male or female. The plaintiff’s lawyer says, “There is no single paragraph in the Austrian legal system that stipulates that there are only two genders… it is only written in the civil registry that a gender should be entered.” More from The Local.at
READING RAINBOW
NerdWallet outlines how to take action against LGBTQ housing discrimination; Huffington Post covers the protest by LGBTQ, Muslim and Latinx advocates that took place outside Trump Towers, described as “the largest protest of its kind”; Michigan Live interviews State Rep. Jeremy Moss about his viral tweets on Orlando and homophobia in his statehouse; Italy’s high court has upheld a ruling that will make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt children; and Bustle provides nine sassy responses to marriage equality haters.
Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to A.M. Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!
www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-june-23-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
PHOTOS: Dads, Lads, Leather, Fur, and Loads of Fun
PHOTOS: Dads, Lads, Leather, Fur, and Loads of Fun
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/6/23/photos-dads-lads-leather-fur-and-loads-fun
River Viiperi Proves Why Bath Time Is So Much Fun
River Viiperi Proves Why Bath Time Is So Much Fun
River Viiperi is no stranger to letting strangers into his intimate surrounds.
The 24-year-old model treats his Instagram account like a vaudevillian striptease, always enticing, never crescendoing.
For that, you’d have to take a look at his alleged full-frontals.
For his latest act, Viiperi chose to explore the subtle art of soap bubbles.
The form! The finesse!
Check it out below:
And here’s a smattering of his previous forays into teasing the masses:
feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/TODZMb6zNoc/river-viiperi-proves-bath-time-much-fun-20160623
Transgender Woman Makes ‘The LGBT Case For Guns’ In The New York Times
Transgender Woman Makes ‘The LGBT Case For Guns’ In The New York Times
The gun control debate has been inflamed in the wake of the Orlando attack, but LGBT gun group Pink Pistols spokeswoman Nicki Stallard thinks some LGBTs have it all wrong.
Writing in The New York Times, Stallard makes some interesting points about why LGBT people should be in favor of the Second Amendment:
I’m not the only one who thinks the L.G.B.T. movement is making a mistake by lining up behind gun control measures. In the days since Orlando, Facebook membership in my pro-gun L.G.B.T. group, Pink Pistols, has quadrupled, from around 1,500 to more than 6,500, and new chapters are starting across the country. Gun stores are reporting a spike in sales to L.G.B.T. buyers, and gun trainers are reaching out, offering free training or discounts.
These are people who understand that if you’re gay or transgender, you can’t simply hope that laws will protect you. They won’t. And you can’t rely on the police. Orlando is proof you could bleed to death in the time it takes for them to stop the shooter.
She also wonders if more lives would’ve been saved if more people in Pulse nightclub were armed:
I used to have reservations about people carrying guns in bars. But 12 states allow concealed carry in bars, and I haven’t heard any reports of increased violence in those places. Now I can’t help wondering how many victims in Orlando might have been saved if a few people inside the nightclub had had concealed carry permits, and been able to fight back.
Apparently, sometimes even the mere presence of a gun can scare off potential bashers:
Just last week, Tom G. Palmer, now a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, wrote in an op-ed article in The New York Daily News about an episode in his 20s when he flashed his pistol at a group of men who were threatening to kill him because he was gay — and they retreated.
This is definitely a timely – and sensitive – issue, and we’re intrigued by the different perspective Stallard brings. Read the entire piece here, and feel free to share your thoughts below.
We know you’ll have them.
