VIDEO: Out Christian rocker Trey Pearson urges us to go purple for #SpiritDay

www.glaad.org/blog/video-out-christian-rocker-trey-pearson-urges-us-go-purple-spiritday

Alabama's High Court Homophobe Refuses to Clean Out His Deak

After being suspended for fighting marriage equality, former Alabama chief justice Roy Moore is digging in his heels.

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/10/19/alabamas-high-court-homophobe-refuses-clean-out-his-deak

“Heterosexual AIDS” Just Another Liberal Lie, Says “Family Talk” Host James Dobson

Hey, look, if you’re a moron who believes nonsense and you’re in denial about reality, why not claim that there’s no such thing as heterosexual people with AIDS? Sure, that requires the wholesale erasure of tens of millions of people, particularly people of color. But what does that matter to you if you are a moron?

A moron, for example, like James Dobson, who has never believed a true or accurate or compassionate thing in his life. This human-shaped pile of garbage brought to life by an evil witch  just broadcast a speech claiming that AIDS doesn’t really impact straight people, and campus rape isn’t really a problem.

The claim came from Dennis Prager, another idiot talking head, who gave a speech to a group of similarly monstrous creeps at the Western Conservative Summit last summer. According to Prager’s speech: “AIDS does discriminate. It happens to attack in America—and I emphasize in America— overwhelmingly, gay men and intravenous drug users and his partners. You know the group least likely to get AIDS? Gay women. So it can’t be homophobic to say the truth.”

That is grammatically weird, but more importantly, insane. Yes, men who have sex with men are more likely to practice behaviors that increase the risk of transmission. What exactly is Prager’s point, though? That gay men deserve what they get? (And that lesbians are the chosen people?) You could also point out that South Asian men are more likely to have heart disease… so what? Some populations are more at risk, and that’s that.

This is, of course, a typical tactic for conservatives and Republicans: if it’s not a problem that impacts you, then it must not be a real problem.

Fortunately, while there may not be a cure for HIV yet, there is a cure for the scourge of people like Dennis Prager and James Dobson. You can just turn off the radio.

www.queerty.com/heterosexual-aids-just-another-liberal-lie-says-family-talk-host-james-dobson-20161019?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Germany Has a Larger LGBT Population Than Any Country in Europe

A new survey has found that Germany has the the largest LGBT population of any country in Europe.

More specifically, the survey found that the percentage of Germany’s population that identifies as LGBT is higher than any other nation in Europe.

Put together by firm Dalia Research, the new survey attempted to outmaneuver traditional problems that have prevented census-takers and statisticians from getting a precise snapshot of what Europe’s LGBT and non-heterosexual population look like.

As Dalia points out, census information on individuals’ sexuality is both hard to come by, not standardized in terms of questions asked (it varies from country to country) and also incredibly sensitive.

“Most country censuses don’t ask sexual orientation questions, and the surveys that do attempt to accurately quantify the LGBT population can be stymied by the personal nature of the topic,” the researchers note, adding that, “Even when surveys do collect information about LGBT demographics in a certain region or country, it is difficult to compare the results because responses are very sensitive to how the questions are phrased and what answer options are offered.”

Given those obstacles, Dalia decided to have participants answer questions anonymously about how they identify using web-enabled devices as opposed to asking the questions in face-to-face or phone interviews.

The questions the survey asked were:

1) “Do you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender?”  [Yes / No / Prefer not to say]

2) “Which of the following options best describes your current sexual orientation?” *  [Only heterosexual / Mostly heterosexual, sometimes homosexual / Equally heterosexual and homosexual / Mostly homosexual, sometimes heterosexual / Only homosexual / Asexual / Prefer not to say]

The second question was based loosely on the Kinsey scale.

Here were the results:

The results show that 5.9% of Europeans identify as LGBT when asked directly, ranging from 7.4% in Germany to 1.5% in Hungary. However, when we give respondents the opportunity to select a sexual orientation somewhere on the Kinsey scale, we found that the share of people who identify as not only heterosexual is nearly twice as high (10%) as the percent who identify as LGBT from the yes/no question (5.9%).

The survey also found that more women than men in Europe identify as LGBT, that younger Europeans are more likely to identify as not exclusively as heterosexual — “16% of Europeans between the ages of 14 and 29, compared to 7.5% between 30 and 65” — and that young Europeans are more likely to identify as LGBT (which is not the same thing as identifying as not-heterosexual). Spain and the UK saw particularly high percentages of young people who identify as LGBT — 12% in the UK and 14% in Spain. Germany still had the highest overall LGBT population however, when all age categories were factored in.

You can read more about the survey here.

The post Germany Has a Larger LGBT Population Than Any Country in Europe appeared first on Towleroad.

Germany Has a Larger LGBT Population Than Any Country in Europe

Jim Obergefell Leads #HRCTwitterTakeover Ahead of Final Presidential Debate

Today at 3:30 PM ET,  marriage equality plaintiff Jim Obergefell will take over HRC’s Twitter account to discuss the significance of presidential nominations to the Supreme Court and why Hillary Clinton is the best choice for the LGBTQ community.

After the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor in 2013 struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, longtime HRC member Jim Obergefell and his now late husband John Arthur filed a lawsuit to obtain legal recognition of their marriage by their home state of Ohio.

Jim, who fought for recognition of his marriage to John in Ohio so he could be listed on his death certificate, joined plaintiffs from Ohio and other Sixth Circuit states: Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. His co-plaintiffs included David Michener & William Herbert Ives and Robert Grunn (Obergefell v. Katich); Nicole Yorksmith & Pamela Yorksmith, Joseph J. Vitale & Robert Talmas, Brittani Henry & Brittni Rogers and Kelly Noe & Kelly McCraken (Henry v. Wymyslo); Gregory Bourke & Michael DeLeon, Randell Johnson & Paul Campion, Jimmy Meade & Luther Barlowe, Kimberly Franklin & Tamera Boyd (Bourke v. Beshear); Maurice Blanchard & Dominique James and Timothy Love & Lawrence Ysunza (Love v. Beshear); Joy “Johno” Espejo & Matthew Mansell, Kellie Miller & Vanessa DeVillez, Sergeant Ijpe DeKoe & Thomas Kostura, and Valeria Tanco & Sophia Jesty (Tanco v. Haslam); and April DeBoer & Jayne Rowse (DeBoer v. Snyder).

After Jim’s #HRCTwitterTakeover, join @HRC for a #turnOUT tweet up about why we must #turnOUT the pro-equality and how important the equality vote is on Election Day. The LGBTQ voting bloc will play a pivotal role in the presidential, senatorial and other down-ballot races.There are 9.4 million LGBTQ voters in the United States. Turnout among LGBTQ voters is also reliably high. This bloc was also a crucial piece of the puzzle for President Obama’s victory: in the last election, President Obama received 76 percent of all LGB votes, according to national exit polls. In total, roughly 6 million LGB voters cast a ballot in 2012 — an election President Obama won by just under 5 million votes. Polling this year showed Secretary Clinton’s support among LGBTQ voters is running even higher than President Obama (for example, this May poll showing 84 percent). This mean that in key battleground states, LGBTQ people could make all the difference this election.

www.hrc.org/blog/jim-obergefell-leads-hrctwittertakeover-ahead-of-final-presidential-debate?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Happn takes a stand against bullying for #SpiritDay

 

Happn, the leading global dating app that enables users to discover the people they’ve crossed paths with in real life, has teamed up with GLAAD, to encourage Happn users to take a stand against LGBTQ bullying.

In support of GLAAD and Spirit Day on Thursday, October 20, 2016, Happn will launch a powerful U.S. campaign grounded in the frightening statistic that nearly three-quarters (74%) of students reported experiencing some type of peer victimization in the past school year. According to research by GLSEN, bullying and harassment remain a significant concern of students, families and schools all across the country. Furthermore, despite legal and cultural changes, LGBTQ students continue to face hostile school climates.

On Spirit Day, a full screen image will pop up when users first fire up Happn. The message “Words Can Hurt” will appear followed by a call-to-action that cites the harrowing youth statistic, encourages Happn users to take part in Spirit Day, and directs them to glaad.org/spiritday, where they can:

• Go purple. Use GLAAD’s mobile app to turn your Happn profile picture purple.
• Join the conversation. Take part in the movement on social media – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat – by using #SpiritDay.
• Make a donation. Provide a contribution that will help GLAAD carry out its work – including Spirit Day – as the organization seeks to accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ people around the world.

“We choose words carefully in portraying ourselves in order to charm others when filling out our dating profiles. If only we could be equally as mindful of the derogatory words used towards the LGBTQ community,” said Didier Rappaport, CEO and co-founder, Happn. “To show our support for the GLAAD youth-driven cause, Happn is leveraging its platform to raise awareness, and challenging its users to rewrite the script for LGBTQ acceptance in America and across the globe.”

All those moved by the Words Can Hurt campaign can take action by contributing to GLAAD’s Spirit Day efforts: spiritday-glaad.nationbuilder.com/donate.

About Spirit Day

Each year, millions of people “go purple” for Spirit Day in a united stand against bullying and to show support for LGBTQ youth. According to a 2015 GLSEN survey, more than half of LGBTQ students report being victimized based on sexual orientation, with a further three quarters of students who report hearing anti-LGBTQ remarks in school. Started in 2010 by high school student Brittany McMillan, Spirit Day now draws the participation of celebrities, corporations, media outlets, sports leagues, schools, faith institutions, national landmarks, and individuals around the world, who join together in a united stand against bullying.

Check out glaad.org/spiritday for more about how to stand against bullying and show support for LGBTQ youth. Also follow @GLAAD on Twitter to keep up to date with #spiritday news.Spirit Day is made possible by the generous support of its presenting partners Target and Wells Fargo, official partners, NBA and WNBA, NFL, Viacom, and WWE, and supporting partners, American Eagle Outfitters, Barilla, Comcast NBCUniversal, Kellogg’s, Kirkland & Ellis, Toyota Financial Services, and Zipcar.

Past participants in Spirit Day include the White House, the Empire State Building, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Laverne Cox, Kim Kardashian, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Shaquille O’Neal, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View, The Talk, The Tonight Show, MTV, the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, WWE, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, the Las Vegas Strip, and more.

www.glaad.org/blog/happn-takes-stand-against-bullying-spiritday

Take a Tour of the Nation's Historic LGBT Landmarks

Take a virtual tour of the sites where Truman Capote, Bayard Rustin, the Furies Collective, and more made LGBT history.

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/10/19/take-tour-nations-historic-lgbt-landmarks

Season Three Of “American Crime Story” Will Take On Versace’s Murder

In 1997, fashion designer Gianni Versace was gunned down on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion by Andrew Cunanan, a serial killer and sociopath who murdered four other people during a three-month period before turning the gun on himself.

On Tuesday, it was announced season three of Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story will tackle Versace’s murder, and be filmed simultaneously with season two (which takes on Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath.)

Related: The 15 Most Ridiculous Moments From Lifetime’s House Of Versace

As Pink News reports, he teleplays will be based off 1999’s Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth, a book that delves into Versace’s murder and the subsequent hunt for Cunanan.

Producers at FX were so impressed by the first script they decided to accelerate production, and show-runner Ryan Murphy is expected to direct the first episode.

Related: The 15 Greatest Gay Designers

www.queerty.com/season-three-american-crime-story-will-take-versaces-murder-20161019?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

60 Cities Earn Perfect LGBTQ Protections Survey Score (But 8 Score Zero)

Sixty cities in the U.S. have earned perfect scores in a new Human Rights Campaign (HRC) nationwide ranking of LGBTQ protections.

The Municipal Equality Index looked at 506 cities including the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities, the five largest cities in each state and cities home to a state’s two largest public universities.

RELATED: Tearful Colton Haynes Accepts HRC Visibility Award, Makes Promise to Future LGBT People: WATCH

Cities are ranked based on inclusive laws and nondiscrimination policies in areas including housing, employment, public accommodations and access to services.

Diverse. Inclusive. Welcoming.

For the third-consecutive year, we’ve received a perfect score on the @HRC Municipal Equality Index. pic.twitter.com/06DhEcnZqR

— Orlando FL (@citybeautiful) October 19, 2016

According to HRC, the number of cities with perfect scores has increased from just 11 in 2012.

The report also found evidence of significant progress on transgender equality, noting that “Transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits are offered to employees of 86 municipalities this year – up from 66 in 2015 and 5 in 2012 – and the growth of cities offering those benefits to their employees outpaces the growth in the number of cities rated.”

The cities at the top of the rankings are Phoenix, Arizona; Orlando, Florida; Detroit and New York City. Eight cities including Wasilla, Alaska; Clemson, South Carolina and Sheridan, Wyoming scored zero points.

Other key findings of the survey are:

87 cities from states without nondiscrimination laws protecting LGBTQ people scored above the overall nationwide mean of 55 points. These cities averaged 80-point scores; 22 scored a perfect 100.

Cities continue to excel even in the absence of state laws: 37 “All Star” cities in states lacking comprehensive non-discrimination laws scored above 85 points, up from 31 last year, 15 in 2014, eight in 2013, and just two in 2012.

The average city score was 55 points. 60 cities, or 12 percent of those rated, scored 100 points; 25 percent scored over 75 points; 25 percent scored under 33 points; and 8 cities scored zero points.

Cities with a higher proportion of same-sex couples, as tabulated by a UCLA Williams Institute analysis of the 2010 U.S. Census, tended to score better. The presence of openly-LGBTQ city officials was also correlated with higher scores.

In a statement, HRC President Chad Griffin said:

“This year, dozens of cities across the nation showed they are willing to stand up for LGBTQ people in their communities even when state governments are not. This builds on a trend we have long observed: that local governments are at the forefront of our fight for equality. Unfortunately, our opponents have witnessed this progress too, and in recent years, anti-LGBTQ lawmakers have pushed spiteful legislation aimed at pre-empting local protections. That’s why it’s so important that we continue to not only fight for equality at the state and local levels, but to enact comprehensive federal protections for LGBTQ people under the Equality Act.”

3rd year in a row for my hometown. 🙂 Rochester Achieves Highest Score In Municipal Equality Index t.co/cP58YVrNZw

— 🎃Dave Wilson🎃 (@TiChall) October 18, 2016

New York Mayor Mayor Bill de Blasio added that the city “prides itself on being an inclusive city for all, regardless of who they love or how they identify.”

You can check your city’s score here.

The post 60 Cities Earn Perfect LGBTQ Protections Survey Score (But 8 Score Zero) appeared first on Towleroad.

60 Cities Earn Perfect LGBTQ Protections Survey Score (But 8 Score Zero)