Australian Election Results Raise Questions About Next Steps for Marriage Equality

Prior to the federal election in Australia earlier this month, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull promised to allow a nationwide vote on marriage equality (in Australian terms — a plebiscite). LGBTQ advocates have opposed a plebiscite on marriage equality and urged the prime minister to allow members of parliament to vote on the issue.

Turnbull will continue as prime minister after one of the closest Australian elections in recent history, but the path to equal marriage is still unclear. The election has ushered in a strong majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) who already favor marriage equality. Many argue the election results, which show Turnbull’s party has lost seats, is a mandate for parliament to take up the issue of marriage equality — instead of moving forward with his planned plebiscite.

“[W]e do know that this election has delivered more supporters of marriage equality across every party than ever before”, Chief Executive of Australian Marriage Equality, Janine Middleton said in a press release. “Now that the election is over, marriage equality should be achieved by a free vote in the parliament.”

Marriage equality advocates argue that the plebiscite would be expensive, contentious and non-binding. Many are concerned that opening up the topic of marriage equality to a public vote allows for heavy and hateful campaigning against the LGBTQ community, which would have a detrimental effect on LGBTQ youth. In addition, even if marriage equality campaigners were successful with a plebiscite, parliament would still need to legislate on marriage equality and the results of the plebiscite would be guiding, not binding on MPs. 

Studies conducted just a week prior to the election showed waning support for a plebiscite, as people came to learn about the downsides — including the multi-million dollar price tag that tax payers would pay if it were to move forward.

HRC has been fortunate to partner with Australian Marriage Equality over the past year, including visits to Sydney last July and this February. We stand in solidarity with their call for a free vote.

www.hrc.org/blog/australian-election-results-raise-questions-about-next-steps-for-marriage-e?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Rudy Giuliani: Black Lives Matter is Racist (Video)

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/7/11/rudy-giuliani-black-lives-matter-racist-video

Chelsea Manning’s Attorneys: Yes, She Tried to Take Her Life

The legal team representing the transgender Wikileaks source says they are relieved to learn that their client survived but still angry that the Army leaked confidential medical information.

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/7/11/chelsea-mannings-attorneys-yes-she-tried-take-her-life

Congress Sticks It to Gays on Anniversary of Pulse Massacre

Tuesday marks one month since 49 people were murdered inside an LGBT nightclub in Orlando. That’s the same day Congress will debate a bill legalizing religion-based discrimination.

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/7/11/congress-sticks-it-gays-anniversary-pulse-massacre

GOP Platform Will Describe Marriage as ‘Union of One Man and One Woman’ 

The Republican Party’s official platform this year will describe marriage as a “union between one man and one woman.”

Reuters reporter Ginger Gibson broke the news on Twitter.

Full RNC platform committee just approved an amendment describing the “union of one man and one woman.” #RNCinCLE #RNC2016

— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) July 11, 2016

Despite this being an anti-LGBT stance that ignores the fact that gay marriage is now legal everywhere in the U.S., it actually represents a ratcheting down of the party’s anti-LGBT rhetoric. As previously reported, this year’s platform will not call for an amendment to the U.S. constitution effectively banning same-sex marriage as it has in years past.

It seems that the debate among the platform committee on Monday has focused more on the party’s advocacy for teaching the Bible in public schools. However, it ultimately seems to have concluded that, yes, the Bible should be an essential part of public school education in this country.

Teaching the Bible in public schools remains in Republican platform. #RNC2016

— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) July 11, 2016

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Religious People Might Think Online Sexual Habits are Harmful, But They’re Also the Worst Offenders

In a fascinating new study published in June, researchers from two universities in Canada wanted to understand how Americans felt about recent scientific findings which revealed that a higher percentage of people in “more religious” states consumed more internet porn than those who lived in less religious states.

The study, brilliantly titled “Surfing for Sexual Sin: Relations Between Religiousness and Viewing Sexual Content Online” concluded that participants who self-identified as “more religious” see internet porn as “bad and harmful” and are “less willing to accept research highlighting that ‘surfing for sin’ may be particularly prevalent in religious communities,” even if they are adult entertainment consumers, themselves.

Psychology professors Cara C. MacInnis from the University of Calgary, and Gordon Hodson from Brock University set out to examine the “relationship between religiousness and viewing sexual content online among adult web users.”

In the first part of the study, they asked 208 Americans how religious they are and surveyed their reactions to the following statement: “A recent study demonstrated that searching for sexual content online (using Google) is more prevalent in more religious U.S. states than in less religious U.S. states.”

The findings showed that the self-described “more religious” participants were less willing to accept the findings as true, “consistent with tendencies to reject research findings contrary to personal opinions.”

If “more religious” Americans didn’t seem to agree that “higher religiosity is associated with increased searching for sexual content online,” researchers wondered, what factors did participants think influenced “online sexual content viewing, if not religion?”

In the second part of the study, researchers surveyed 252 Americans, again asking them to rate how religious they considered themselves to be.

The post Religious People Might Think Online Sexual Habits are Harmful, But They’re Also the Worst Offenders appeared first on Towleroad.

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On Eve of Orlando Anniversary, RNC Considers Adding Anti-LGBTQ Provisions to Party Platform

Today, HRC called for the Republican Party to reject a slew of anti-LGBTQ provisions after media reports that its policy subcommittee proposed adding to the GOP platform a provision supporting anti-transgender discrimination, a provision calling for a Constitutional amendment undermining marriage equality, and a provision supporting the discredited practice of “conversion therapy.” The proposals to undermine marriage equality and attack transgender people align with anti-LGBTQ stances taken by the party’s presumptive nominee Donald Trump. HRC urged the RNC and Trump campaign to strike the anti-LGBTQ provisions advanced today, and for all sponsors and convention affiliates to make clear their opposition to the proposals.

“The Republican Party’s message is clear: Their proposed platform says LGBTQ people are second class citizens, and that we are not equal or worthy of basic fairness or dignity,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC’s Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs. “This is a shameful and repugnant message for the Republican Party to send, particularly as the nation prepares to mark the one month anniversary of the tragedy in Orlando. These are not values that the majority of fair-minded voters —  of either party — share, and the RNC should immediately reject ignorant and hateful provisions targeting LGBTQ people. We hope convention sponsors and elected officials affiliated with this event will strongly encourage the RNC to strike the anti-LGBTQ provisions that were advanced today.”

The committee’s efforts to insert language into the GOP platform specifically targeting transgender people echoes the malicious intent of North Carolina’s HB2 law — which was rammed through by the state legislature and Governor Pat McCrory in under 12 hours earlier this spring, specifically to undermine the rights of LGBTQ people across the state. The vile measure has remained on the books despite overwhelming opposition from more than 200 business leaders, civil rights advocates, and even national Republican leaders. Donald Trump, however, is among those supporting Governor McCrory and his shameful HB2 law; last week, he confirmed in his strongest terms yet his support for HB2.

Winterhof continued, “It’s clear who is leading the party now.  Donald Trump gave a full-throated endorsement to North Carolina’s HB2, and now the RNC is following in his shameful, hate-mongering footsteps.”

Trump remains dangerously out of step with the majority of fair-minded Americans who believe that LGBT people should be treated equally under the law. Trump has not only promised to use the Supreme Court to roll back nationwide marriage equality, but he’s supported a bill that would lead to more Kim Davis-style discrimination, and said that he would allow states like North Carolina to violate federal civil rights laws.

Tomorrow, on the one-month anniversary of the Orlando tragedy, House Republicans have called a hearing on the so-called First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) — a bill backed by Donald Trump that would enable Kim Davis-style discrimination in all 50 states. Donald Trump previously said, “If Congress considers the First Amendment Defense Act a priority, then I will do all I can to make sure it comes to my desk for signatures and enactment.”

www.hrc.org/blog/on-eve-of-orlando-anniversary-rnc-considers-adding-anti-lgbtq-provisions-to?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Actress Aubrey Plaza: “I Fall in Love with Girls and Guys”

Actress Aubrey Plaza opened up about her sexual orientation last week, telling The Advocate, “I fall in love with girls and guys.”

“I know I have an androgynous thing going on, and there’s something masculine about my energy,” she said. “Girls are into me — that’s no secret. Hey, I’m into them too. I fall in love with girls and guys. I can’t help it.”

Plaza, who is best known for her role in the television show Parks and Recreation, also spoke about her own personal experience with other openly gay and lesbian members of her family.

“My family’s always been very open. I have a gay aunt and a gay uncle, and I grew up thinking that everyone had a gay aunt or uncle. My younger sister is a lesbian,” she added.

Coming out – whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or allied – matters. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. Beyond that, our stories can be powerful to each other.

Whether it’s for the first time ever or the first time today, the experience of coming out and living openly covers the full spectrum of human emotion — from fear to euphoria. Coming out — whether it is as LGBTQ or allied — is a deeply personal journey for each individual. Learn more at HRC’s Coming Out Center.

www.hrc.org/blog/actress-aubrey-plaza-i-fall-in-love-with-girls-and-guys?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed