Mormon Choir’s Inauguration Performance is Height of Hypocrisy
For LGBT Mormons, this political move particularly stings.
www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/12/23/mormon-choirs-inauguration-performance-height-hypocrisy
Daily Archives: December 23, 2016
Herengracht – Amstedam (Netherlands)
Herengracht – Amstedam (Netherlands)
Herengracht 14/12/2016 18h52
Gay colors and a rainbow bridge on the Herengracht corner Leidsegracht. Bridge of the Rainbow!
Amsterdam Light Festival
Amsterdam Light Festival is an annual light art festival in Amsterdam. Artists, architects and (light) designers from all over the world bring their light artworks and installations alive during the festival every winter. The artworks are placed alongside two routes. Each route has their own theme, set of artworks and visitor experience. Water Colors, the boat rout, displays big monumental objects and offers visitors the chance to experience the art from a water perspective. Illuminade, the walking route, shows interactive and innovative installations from upcoming designers in the Plantage neighborhood.
Celebrate winter, with art, light and water!
www.amsterdamlightfestival.com
Bridge over the Rainbow
Artist: Gilbert Moity (light designer)
Location: Herengracht | Leidsegracht
By placing Bridge of the Rainbow firmly in Amsterdam’s cityscape, Gilbert Moity makes an elusive natural phenomenon, tangible. The French artist and light designer creates an illusion of a gate by connecting two banks with his artwork.
The artwork symbolizes the open-mindedness and diversity that are typical of Amsterdam’s community. The color range in rainbows often represents the LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, intersex, asexual) scene. Amsterdam is known for being a pioneer in supporting this community that has faced many challenges and struggles, being one of the most open cities of the world.
Gilbert Moity sees light as a source of beauty and life but also as an extraordinary tool. The night is his canvas for expression. The Frenchman aims to create a narrative that transforms urban landscapes and capture the immaterial. Moity has a free and open approach to design, architectural lighting and other artistic installations and public mass events. He often collaborates with various craftsman and researches new technologies and materials that generate new creations. These creations push the boundaries of high technologies.
Carrie Fisher in critical condition after suffering a “cardiac episode”
Carrie Fisher in critical condition after suffering a “cardiac episode”
Actress Carrie Fisher is in critical condition after suffering a “cardiac episode,” The Los Angeles Times reports.
According to officials, the 60-year-old actress was on a flight from London to Los Angeles when the incident took place. She was quickly rushed to a hospital just after noon, once the 11-flight landed at LAX.
The actress was “in a lot of distress on the flight,” said a source close to the situation.
Related: Rufus Wainwright Talks Carrie Fisher, Recreating Judy Garland And His Shakespearian New Album
United Airlines has released a statement revealing that medical examiners met Flight 935 upon arrival, after the crew reported that a passenger was unresponsive.
“Our thoughts are with our customers at this time,” reads the statement.
We’ll update the story as more information becomes available.
Identity of Gay Man Who Confronted Ivanka Trump Revealed
Identity of Gay Man Who Confronted Ivanka Trump Revealed
Brooklyn attorney Dan Goldstein (left) lost his temper when he saw the future First Daughter on his flight.
www.advocate.com/politics/2016/12/23/identity-gay-man-who-confronted-ivanka-trump-revealed
WATCH: Mariah Carey gives Meryl Streep a run for her money in “Keys of Christmas”
WATCH: Mariah Carey gives Meryl Streep a run for her money in “Keys of Christmas”
Apparently YouTube is making a holiday special with Mariah Carey? Okay, sure, why the hell not. We’re also looking forward to Yahoo’s Easter special starring Bernadette Peters, the Fourth of July spectacular from Overstock.com starring Harvey Fierstein, and A Very Esurance.com Thanksgiving with Gabe Kaplan.
Anyway, in the special, Mariah plays an angel who bakes cookies with a perfect manicure and while covered in glitter, which seems inadvisable, and advises a Christmas twerp to listen to his heart or whatever people do at Christmas. Mike Tyson is reportedly in the special as well. Again, as we said, why the hell not.
A new clip (below), posted to a Mariah fan channel (for as long as it lasts until YouTube takes it down) highlights Mariah’s acting/cleavage, as well as her hairstylist’s ability to make hair do that weird spiral thing. There is also a lot of “witty” banter, but if you like watching famous people talk, then boy oh boy, you sure will see famous people talking.
Eventually she orders the Christmas twerp to walk into a refrigerator, so let’s assume he either dies or has to be resuscitated by Punky Brewster.
Later, after he presumably died in the refrigerator, the twerp runs into Mariah and DJ Khaled and they spend a little more time talking in a way that says, “whoops, we forgot to write a script, but maybe we can just kill some time by saying words.” And then they do.
Happy birthday, Jesus.
Women’s March Invites You To Trump The Inauguration, Jan 21 — INTERVIEW
Women’s March Invites You To Trump The Inauguration, Jan 21 — INTERVIEW
Bob Bland’s post-election Facebook post is leading to what may be one of the biggest marches in D.C. history, the Women’s March.
Of the countless Trump Resistance actions happening nationwide, the most epic one by far promises to be the January 21 (day after the inauguration) Women’s March in D.C. As of this writing, it has more than 150,000 people “Going” on Facebook, with simultaneous marches planned for cities nationwide.
The event, which was denied its chosen spot in front of the Lincoln Memorial but has since secured a permit to run right alongside the Capitol, was started by a Brooklyn fashion exec named Bob Bland who was within days of giving birth when she hatched the idea.
Bland spoke to Daily Resist about how it all came about, what we can expect (or at least what she can divulge at this point), and why Trump resisters of all gender identities–including cis gay men–should be there.
Bob, you are now one of the organizers of what might end up being one of the biggest marches that D.C. has ever seen. How did this happen?
This was purely social-media driven. I have a group of about 3,000 women who had supported my Nasty Woman Tshirt during the campaign. After the election, we all thought, this is impossible that this happened, that the most qualified person ever to run for president would lose to a reality TV show host with no previous governing experience. Both impossible and also so typical because Hillary just happened to have a vagina between her legs.
…by the Thursday night after the election, we had 125,000 people coming.
So I asked them if we should do a march on Washington during Inauguration Weekend and they said cool, so I started a Facebook event page and invited everyone I knew. Then someone alerted me that a grandmother in Hawaii named Teresa Shook had the same idea and had just sent an invite to 40 of her friends. I contacted her right away and said, “We really need to combine forces,” which we did with some other women, none of us knowing each other except over social media.
And by the Thursday night after the election, we had 125,000 people coming. And none of us who started it are professional organizers–we’re a lawyer, yoga teacher, fashion executive, pastry chef, with two of us in New York, one in Hawaii, one in South Carolina and the other in Tennessee.
And then what happened?
We’d have been happy if a few hundred of us met in D.C., but once it got the big reaction it did, we started hearing that people wanted women of color to be centered as leaders. So now the cochairs along with me are Tamika Mallory, the former head of the National Action Network; Carmen Perez of The Gathering for Justice and Linda Sarsour, the head of the Arab-American Association of NY. (Watch video below.)
What is the message or the mission of the march?
The initial message is that if we bring together all these marginalized populations that are truly scared of the implications of this election, we’ll ensure that we cannot be silent, that our voices will be heard together and we’ll fight to keep anyone’s rights from being rolled back.
we’ll ensure that we cannot be silent, that our voices will be heard together and we’ll fight to keep anyone’s rights from being rolled back.
We’re still developing our policy platform. But the most important thing for us right now is to facilitate a successful march. There’s enormous logistics to getting hundreds of thousands of people to D.C. from all over the country, then making sure everyone is safe and has Porta-Potties, then getting all the permits. We have to concentrate on that right now. About three dozen of us are working on this full-time right now.
Bland’s “Nasty Woman” T-shirts
How will the day unfold?
Some official announcements will be happening very soon, but I’d say we have a lot of great partners and a very robust rally happening before the march with speakers and entertainment, an incredibly diverse range of talent that will really help everyone get excited about march. The exact march route has not been entirely confirmed, but it’s going to be very beautiful and historic and meaningful.
There’s been a lot of news about how Trump is having a hard time booking A-list talent for the inauguration. Might we see some of that talent at the Women’s March instead?
The inauguration is the day before the march, so I wouldn’t associate them directly. But I can speak to the enormous amount of interest in performing at the Women’s March that has been expressed from an incredible range of well-known talent. I’m sorry I can’t say more at this point. I’m hoping we’ll announce very soon.
And you were within days of giving birth when you started organizing this?
This movement is only two weeks older than my daughter. I was literally having some very serious meetings about it while I was in labor in the hospital.
Let’s just clear the record: Those who identify as men are welcome too?
Every time I get an email from a man asking whether he’s welcome, it breaks my heart. We’ve tried to make it so clear that although this is a woman-centered march with women in leadership roles, we welcome people of all forms of gender expression.
I just read that since Trump was elected, more than 4,500 women have registered to run for office.
Some people are saying right now, What’s the point of all these marches? What would you say to that?
Because of this march, people are meeting one another who’d never have met otherwise. They’re having the hard conversations that we should have been having for years. It’s causing people who’d otherwise be sitting behind their computer to converge.
And it’s creating leaders. We have state coordinators who never thought about being activists and now they’re considering running for office, joining their community board, aiming to improve things from the local level up. I just read that since Trump was elected, more than 4,500 women have registered to run for office.
Towleroad has a lot of cis gay male readers. Final Devil’s advocate question: Why should they come to the Women’s March?
Two words: Mike Pence. Gay men are as likely as anyone to have their rights rolled back by this administration. Look at the cabinet Trump is putting together. Their views are very much at odds with LGBT rights. That alone should be enough reason to march. But if we all march in solidarity, everyone who attends will come away emboldened and empowered and say, “Okay, this is just the beginning.”
Donate to the Women’s March here.
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The Daily Resist is a pre-launch project initiated by Towleroad with the mission to instigate and collaborate with coalitions of experienced media people and activists to report, and curate trusted content and tools that inspire, explain the issues, and make it easier for more people to defend, support and take actions that defend against attacks on the historical progressions to greater freedom, equality and well being of all people.
The post Women’s March Invites You To Trump The Inauguration, Jan 21 — INTERVIEW appeared first on Towleroad.
Women’s March Invites You To Trump The Inauguration, Jan 21 — INTERVIEW
Will Trump Dismantle Women's Programs Hillary Clinton Set Up?
Will Trump Dismantle Women's Programs Hillary Clinton Set Up?
Officials in the State Department are reportedly “freaked out” by a request from the incoming administration.
www.advocate.com/women/2016/12/23/will-trump-dismantle-womens-programs-hillary-clinton-set
World AIDS Day (2016) – Dedication of NYC AIDS Memorial
Christmas comes early with two more adorable gay-inclusive ads
Christmas comes early with two more adorable gay-inclusive ads
It’s a weird way to measure civil rights, but there’s something undeniably lovely about the simplicity of including some gay dads in an ad.
Two British companies managed to squeeze queer parents into TV commercials: the first was Sainsbury, which features all different kinds of diverse families, including two dads, two moms, and an interracial family. It’s stop-motion, features James Corden singing, and is surprisingly pretty.
Related: This powerful short film about a gay teen and his father will make you cry and give you hope
A statement from the company read, “We wanted to reflect a modern Britain and a diverse Britain. That’s what we feel like we’ve done throughout the whole piece of work. We’ve made sure we’ve got a true reflection of what we see out there every day.”
And now, a new ad from Thomas Cook features two more gay dads and their bundle of kids. There’s also a very fleeting — like, less than a second — shot of two shadowy figures kissing, and they sure do look like men. That seems to have been confirmed by the company, since according to their marketing director: “I think marketers can always do more to represent the needs of the consumer and that’s what we’ve tried to do with the gay kiss. It comes down to the needs of our customers and addressing a modern population.”
Well, hooray for all that. Now go out and kiss someone for Christmas!
Watch both ads below:
The GLAAD Wrap: 'Billions' on Showtime, 'Sense8' on Netflix, Filipino gay series 'Hanging Out' and more!
The GLAAD Wrap: 'Billions' on Showtime, 'Sense8' on Netflix, Filipino gay series 'Hanging Out' and more!
Photo Credit: Sense8/Netflix
Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend. This weekend is no exception, so we begin with a holiday special.
1) The Wachowskis’ and J. Michael Straczynski’s Sense8 will return with a second season on May 5. Until then, you can feed your craving with the show’s two-hour Christmas Special out on Netflix today. The series follows eight people around the world who discover they are mentally linked and have the ability to share thoughts, emotions, and actions. The Christmas Special will start where the first season left off and will further explore the bond between these characters. Co-creator Lilly Wachowski came out as transgender this year, following her sister, Lana. Sense8 was recognized as Outstanding Drama Series at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards.
2) Showtime’s Billions will make history this coming year with Asia Kate Dillon acting as one of the first gender non-conforming characters on mainstream TV. Dillon, who is non-binary gender identifying, can also be seen on Orange is the New Black and Master of None, and will play Taylor, an intern at Axe Capital. Dillon’s storyline will reportedly not be centered around coming out, but will be integral to the plot. The second season of Billions premieres on Feb. 19. Quoted within a recent Huffington Post interview, Dillon stated that:
“As someone who is non-binary gender identifying, I feel a particular responsibility to portray members of my community on stage and on screen, not only as fully fleshed-out characters who are integral to the plot, but as characters whose gender identity is just one of many parts that make up the whole person. I also feel I have a responsibility to portray members of my community as accepted, loved and valued.”
3) TEAM, a magazine for gay Filipino men, has launched a new web series, Hanging Out. It follows David after a failed one-night-stand, who then finds himself entangled with other young, gay millennials in Manila. The show not only breaks ground as the first Filipino web series to focus on gay characters, but attends to the need for Filipino queer stories in a country where the LGBTQ community still fights for equality. (GLAAD’s Global Voices initiative aims to build LGBTQ acceptance across the globe by sharing stories of LGBTQ people and their families around the world and helping LGBTQ advocates build capacity for change in their own cities and countries.) Watch the first episode, Best Hookup Ever below.
4) Tegan and Sara, pop idols and long-time advocates for the LGBT community, have launched the Tegan and Sara Foundation, a new organization that will “fight for economic justice, health and representation for LGBTQ girls and women.” While touring with their album Love You to Death this fall, they also spent time listening to fans, activists, and lawmakers that inspired them to “dismantle the systems of inequity that prevent LGBTQ girls and women from reaching their full potential.” They modeled their foundation on other organizations, such as GLAAD, the LA LGBT Center, and the Audre Lorde Project. Twin sisters born in Canada, Tegan and Sara have sold over 1 million albums, and have received 7 Gold certifications, 1 Double Platinum certification, 3 Juno Awards, 2 Polaris Prize nominations, and a Grammy nomination.
5) On February 11, the Oscar, Emmy, and Golden-Globe winning star Meryl Streep will be honored with the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally for Equality Award. This comes after years of Streep playing LGBTQ characters, acting in film roles that have become iconic to the culture, and openly speaking out for equality. HRC president Chad Griffin stated, “Meryl Streep embodies the very nature of what it means to be an ally to our community.” Streep will also be presented the Cecil B. deMille Award at the 2017 Golden Globes on Sunday January 8, 2017.
6) On Tuesday, Overwatch’s latest comic, “Reflections” went up on the game’s website. In the holiday-themed comic, the hero Tracer’s girlfriend Emily is introduced. The two appear to be living together and attend another character’s holiday dinner together. Blizzard Entertainment has hinted that there are queer characters in the game, and Emily and Tracer are the first to be confirmed. See a trailer for the game below.
December 23, 2016
Issues: