Watch Rex Tillerson's Confirmation Hearing for Secretary of State

www.advocate.com/politics/2017/1/11/watch-rex-tillersons-confirmation-hearing-secretary-state

“Urban Myths” trailer gives us a very close look at Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson

There’s clearly quite a bit going on in Urban Myths, a film that explores what might have happened when Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando decided to go on a road trip following the 9/11 attacks — which was apparently a very real thing.

As you may have heard, the fact that Joseph Fiennes plays the role of Michael Jackson has been met with considerable controversy.

“The decision with the casting and producers — I wrangled with it,” the actor tells The Hollywood Reporter. 

Related: That Time Prince Backed Out Of Working With Michael Jackson Because Of A Lyric About Butts

“I was confused and shocked at what might come my way,” he says. “And I knew the sensitivity, especially to Michael’s fans and to Michael’s family. It doesn’t negate who he was.”

The British TV film also stars Brian Cox as Marlon Brando, and the brilliant Stockard Channing as Elizabeth Taylor.

To put it artlessly, the film — which debuts January 19 on the U.K.’s Sky Arts — looks pretty damn amazing:

www.queerty.com/urban-myths-trailer-gives-us-close-look-joseph-fiennes-michael-jackson-20170111?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Cannabis, Dustin Lance Black, Trump Nominees, Madonna, Marc Cherry, Austin Armacost: HOT LINKS

RECORD BREAKER. Obama’s tweet retweeted more than 471,000 times.

.@POTUS‘ tweet saying “Thank you for everything” becomes Pres. Obama’s most retweeted tweet ever, with more than 471,000 RTs, Twitter says. pic.twitter.com/cZ5Ihg9pNd

— ABC News (@ABC) January 11, 2017

HEARINGS. Senate Republicans feeling pressure to fully vet Trump nominees: “Hearings for Betsy DeVos, Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Education; Andrew Puzder, his labor secretary nominee; and Representative Mike Pompeo, Republican of Kansas, Mr. Trump’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, have all been pushed back as Democrats clamor for more time to collect and review the standard background checks that nominees traditionally undergo before their hearings commence.”

MISSOURI. MSU agrees to pay $25,000 to settle lawsuit with former student who wouldn’t counsel gay couples: “A student in the class asked Boyce if the Springfield Marriage and Family institute counseled gay couples, and Boyce told the class he does not give gay couples relationship counseling because of his religious beliefs, according to the lawsuit.”

REPORT. Cannabis use increasing among older Americans.

DUSTIN LANCE BLACK. On Alt-Right attacks on new miniseries When We Rise: “I think a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump will love this show. I don’t see this show as the type of show that’s only trying to speak with half the country. That’s not what this is all about. I didn’t write this show for half the country. I think if Donald Trump actually watches the show, he might like the show.”

MADONNA. New film in the works based on Andrew Sean Greer’s The Impossible Lives of Greta Walls: “On her coffee table, there were binders filled with research for the project—potential settings, costumes, and so on. Madonna is thorough. In fact, she co-wrote the screenplay and will be directing the film. The novel follows the title character as she moves through time and negotiates three different lives she could have lived. The story also focuses on Greta’s relationship with her gay twin brother, Felix, in those different lives.”

Introducing Madonna As Our February Cover Star t.co/IyIGwW59EE pic.twitter.com/SJUM9vBjdm

— Harper’s Bazaar (@harpersbazaarus) January 11, 2017

MARC CHERRY. Desperate Housewives creator back with drama for ABC starring Reba McEntire. “The new drama centers on Ruby Adair (McEntire), the sheriff of colorful small town Oxblood, KY, who finds her red state outlook challenged when a young FBI agent of Middle Eastern descent is sent to help her solve a horrific crime. Together they form an uneasy alliance as Ruby takes the agent behind the lace curtains of this Southern Gothic community to meet an assortment of bizarre characters, each with a secret of their own.”

AUSTIN ARMACOST. I’m asexual. “I am probably in all honesty the least sexual people you will ever meet. As much as I love getting my kit off and showing my bum everywhere, I am like a nun in bed. I am not going to go out with someone and have sex with them. Even after a fourth or fifth date – that’s not what I want. I want a nice man! It has little to do with physicality.”

INTERSPECIES SEX. Snow monkey observed attempting sex with deer: “It is only the second recorded example of sexual relations between two distantly related species. Snow monkeys and sika deer generally have a symbiotic relationship, with the deer eating fruits dropped from the trees by the monkeys and the monkeys grooming the deer and occasionally riding on their backs.”

REMINDER. Don’t try to leap across subway tracks.

ICE CIRCLE. Beauty in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River near North Bend, Washington.

HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Pak Narapat.

The post Cannabis, Dustin Lance Black, Trump Nominees, Madonna, Marc Cherry, Austin Armacost: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

Cannabis, Dustin Lance Black, Trump Nominees, Madonna, Marc Cherry, Austin Armacost: HOT LINKS

Lessons Learned: Ellen Taught Us How to Fight Trump 20 Years Ago

A year after Ellen DeGeneres came out, her show was canceled. But her bravery in the face of uncertainty changed the world and paved the way for a brighter future.

www.advocate.com/media/2017/1/11/lessons-learned-ellen-taught-us-how-fight-trump-20-years-ago

Mo’Nique has zero patience for Kim Burrell’s antigay foolishness
“There are so many other things we could be fighting for,” Mo’Nique said. “We’re wasting our energy fighting over love.”

www.queerty.com/monique-zero-patience-kim-burrells-antigay-foolishness-20170111?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Welsh Pop Princess Charlotte Church Tells ‘Tyrant’ Donald Trump To Take A Hike: VIDEO

Welsh singer Charlotte Church (above) has taken to Twitter to spectacularly turn down an invite to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Church joins a long list of musicians who have declined to honor Trump. As of yet, the only acts confirmed are Jackie Evancho, the Rockettes, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Talladega College Marching Tornadoes.

To add to Trump’s woes, 2010 Ex Factor runner-up Rebecca Ferguson (below, right) has also officially turned down the chance to perform for the incoming POTUS.

RELATED: Randy Rainbow Agrees to Perform at Trump’s Inauguration – WATCH

According to USA Today, Church wrote on Twitter: “Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you’re a tyrant. Bye.” Harsh.

@realDonaldTrump Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you’re a tyrant. Bye????

— Charlotte Church (@charlottechurch) January 10, 2017

Meanwhile, Ferguson said she is not participating because the committee in charge refused to accommodate her request to be allowed to sing Billie Holiday‘s ‘Strange Fruit’. The song is a condemnation of the lynchings of African-Americans in the late 1930s.

In a statement on her website, she said:

“I wasn’t comfortable with the song choice made on my behalf, and although I’m very blessed to have a gift that gives me amazing opportunities, as a mother and an artist, I had to defend my stance. That is why I made the decision to sing ‘Strange Fruit’ when I was invited. I requested to sing ‘Strange Fruit,’ as I felt it was the only song that would not compromise my artistic integrity and also as somebody who has a lot of love for all people, but has a special empathy as well for African American people and the #blacklivesmatter movement, I wanted to create a moment of pause for people to reflect.

“There are many gray areas about the offer for me to perform that I’m unable to share right now, but I will not be singing.”

Watch Church’s quite simply amazing “Glitterbombed” below.

(Church image via Twitter. Ferguson image via Twitter)

The post Welsh Pop Princess Charlotte Church Tells ‘Tyrant’ Donald Trump To Take A Hike: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Welsh Pop Princess Charlotte Church Tells ‘Tyrant’ Donald Trump To Take A Hike: VIDEO

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: January 11, 2016

WILL THE REAL JEFF SESSIONS PLEASE STAND UP? TRUMP’S AG NOMINEE DELUDES ON CAREER SPENT OPPOSING EQUALITY: During his confirmation hearing yesterday before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) sidestepped clear and unequivocal commitments to LGBTQ equality and dodged questions about his anti-equality past.  Here are the facts.

If past is prologue, Sessions understands the #LGBTQ community the way a bulldozer understands a building. Act now → t.co/c8uEw9YDGJ pic.twitter.com/gbKC6pEXQb

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) January 10, 2017

DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL — CONFIRMATION HEARINGS CONTINUE TODAY FOR SESSIONS, START FOR SEC OF STATE NOMINEE TILLERSON: Today, Sessions begins day two of his confirmation hearings, and witnesses include civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) (@repjohnlewis), equality champion Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) (@CoryBooker), and NAACP President and CEO Cornell Brooks (@CornellWBrooks). Hearings begin today for Trump’s  Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. More on Tillerson from HRC.

• During Sessions’ hearing today, Judy Shepard — a member of HRC Foundation’s Board of Directors and co-founder with her husband, Dennis, of the Matthew Shepard Foundation — will take over HRC’s Twitter to talk about Matthew’s tragic murder and Sessions’ repeated opposition to the hate crimes bill named after her son. More on HRC’s Twitter.

#THANKSOBAMA — OBAMA’S FAREWELL ADDRESS IN CHICAGO: Last night, President Barack Obama, whose legacy will no doubt go on as one of the most pro-equality presidents our country has seen, gave his final farewell address in Chicago. He listed among his many accomplishments pushing the country forward on LGBTQ issues; He is the first sitting president to endorse marriage equality and appointing two of the five Supreme Court justices who made it the law of the land. He made a dedicated call to remain strong and continue pushing for justice — specifically mentioning the epidemic of violence and discrimination against the transgender community and continuing to push for LGBTQ rights abroad.

.@BarackObama: “I know our work has not only helped so many Americans. It has inspired so many Americans.” #ObamaFarewell ❤️�������� pic.twitter.com/d4m3cAn5TL

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) January 11, 2017​

• The Washington Post interviewed nine White House Staffers about their time working for President Obama. Tyler Lechtenberg, senior presidential speechwriter, recalled the day the Supreme Court of the United States, with the help of two justices appointed by the president, ruled that marriage equality is the law of the land. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, White House LGBT Liaison, remembered the unveiling of the Stonewall National Monument, the first national monument dedicated to the LGBTQ community. More from The Washington Post.

WHAT WE’RE READING WEDNESDAY: POZ interviewed HRC Foundation’s HIV and AIDS Project Manager Marvell Terry for its cover story this month. Terry spoke frankly about his experience as a Black, gay man from the South living with HIV, and his work to reverse the epidemic of HIV in the South. Read the full interview here.

NC MUST MAKE FULL, NO-STRINGS-ATTACHED REPEAL OF HB2 A TOP PRIORITY THIS SESSION: To make the first day of its legislative session, HRC and Equality NC are calling on North Carolina lawmakers to fully repeal the state’s deeply discriminatory HB2 at the beginning of the new legislative session. For more than nine months, HB2 has harmed North Carolina’s people and economy as businesses, major sporting organizations, entertainers, and others have moved events out of the state over the outrageous law. Just this week, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) confirmed that a decision to move the ACC Championship out of the state will be made soon if HB2 is not repealed. “North Carolinians have resoundingly rejected the hate and discrimination of HB2, and it’s far past time for their elected representatives to do the same,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Those who stand in the way of a clean vote to fully repeal HB2 are directly responsible for the continued harm this destructive law inflicts on the people, reputation, and economy of the state of North Carolina. HB2 must be repealed, and it must be repealed now.” More from HRC.

TREVOR NOAH INTERVIEWS NATGEO EDITOR ABOUT “AMAZING” SPECIAL ISSUE ON GENDER: Susan Goldberg (@SusanBGoldberg), Editor in Chief of National Geographic, spoke to The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah (@TrevorNoah) about NatGeo’s groundbreaking new special issue, “Gender Revolution.” When asked by Noah about what he characterized as an “amazing, amazing issue,” Goldberg said that the magazine undertook the project because gender writ large is being vigorously discussed around the world. For the issue, the magazine interviewed young people from 80 households around the world, eliciting funny, heartbreaking, and illuminating stories. The issue features Avery Jackson and Trinity Neal, whose moms are members of HRC’s Parents for Transgender Equality Council. Avery and her mom were also featured in HRC’s Moms for Transgender Equality video series. Watch the interview here.

HRC PARTNERS WITH PREVENTION ACCESS CAMPAIGN TO CORRECT MISINFORMATION ABOUT HIV: Noël Gordon, HRC Senior Program Specialist for HIV Prevention and Health Equity writes about HRC’s new partnership with the Prevention Access Campaign (PAC) to correct misinformation about HIV in the news media through a new joint initiative called the Accuracy Watchdog. PAC and HRC are among a growing number of organizations getting the word out that people living with HIV cannot transmit the virus to a partner if they’ve consistently taken their medication and achieved an “undetectable viral load.” This means the amount of HIV in a person’s body is so low that it cannot be detected by a standard HIV test. More from The Body.

SHOCKING REPORT OF ANTI-LGBTQ EXECUTIONS BY AL-SHABAB EXTREMIST GROUP: The Associated Press says the al-Shabab, an affiliate group of al-Qaida, announced it killed a teenage boy and a young man for engaging in same-sex relations. This is the first report that the group has committed executions because a person engages in same-sex sexual activity or is LGBTQ. More from AP.

READING RAINBOW
BuzzFeed highlights a new campaign featuring LGBTQ women to help increase breast cancer screening rates… Washington Blade reports on a Cuban LGBTQ activist prevented from leaving the country… Wicked Local Arlington interviews a local nonbinary student on their experiences in school…

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-tipsheet-january-11-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Why ‘National Geographic’ put a trans girl on its cover

There’s a wonderful post over at National Geographic, explaining their groundbreaking new cover. The image is of Avery Jackson, a 9-year-old girl in Kansas City. She’s the first openly trans person to appear on the cover of the magazine, and people are freaking out. (Both good and bad.)

“More than a few have vowed to cancel their subscriptions,” the NG editors write. But they felt that it was important to include her in this issue, which focuses mainly on how gender roles are affecting young people. Inside the magazine, there are portraits of 80 9-year-olds from 8 different countries, and the editors hail Jackson as “strong and proud.”

The issue notes that the very concept of gender is in a state of evolution — far from when Freud declared that gender is destiny. “Many of us learned in high school biology that sex chromosomes determine a baby’s sex, full stop: XX means it’s a girl; XY means it’s a boy. But on occasion, XX and XY don’t tell the whole story,” writes Robin Marantz Henig.

The piece concludes that particularly now, in the digital age, young people face new opportunities (and challenges) brought about by growing flexibility when it comes to self-identifying. On balance, the editors seem confident that that is a good thing: they hope, they write, that the cover can spark conversation about what’s changed and how much more progress remains.

www.queerty.com/national-geographic-put-trans-girl-cover-20170111?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29