Philadelphia Human Rights Commission: Gay Bars ‘Created Preferable Environments For White, Cisgender’ Men: VIDEO

The Philadelphia Commission on Human Rights has reprimanded 11 local gay bars for providing “preferable environments for white, cisgender male patrons.”

Read the report HERE.

The city’s gay bars came under scrutiny last year, after a video showed the owner of ICandy, Darryl DePiano (right), calling black patrons ni***rs. Since then, the commission has received several complaints about sexism and racism at local gay bars.

One complainant said that “every bar is owned by a white gay cisman. This is a clear indicator of severely entrenched systemic racism.”

A black lesbian identified as K. Apostol said she often had to wait as long as 15 minutes for drinks at ICandy and Woody’s, another gay bar, while she watched gay men receive much faster service.

RELATED: Protests Planned in Philadelphia After Video Emerges of Gay Bar Owner Calling Black Guests ‘N—ers’ – WATCH

An anonymous complainant said she felt unwelcome in the city because of a lack of lesbian bars.

Several other complainants said they felt white gay men received preferable treatment to black gay men at the bars.

Philly Gay Bar Owners And Staff Forced to do Anti-Racism Training – Eater Philly t.co/vVomoXvzev

— PhiladelphiaPennsylv (@PhiladelphiaP) February 1, 2017

In a report on discrimination in Philadelphia’s “Gayborhood,” the commission has told owners and staff of the bars named to attend a mandatory anti-discrimination course, which include implicit bias training discussing unintentional racism and sexism, reports Heat Street.

The report states that “overwhelmingly, the testimony revealed incidents of bias, feelings of frustration, prejudice, and discrimination.”

Watch the video of Darryl DePiano below.

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Philadelphia Human Rights Commission: Gay Bars ‘Created Preferable Environments For White, Cisgender’ Men: VIDEO

Driven to Quit: Uber CEO Leaves Trump Economic Advisory Board (Video)

Under pressure, the embattled head of the driver-for-hire service announced he would no loner participate in the confab. Reports said Disney CEO Bob Iger also skipped the confab.

www.advocate.com/politics/2017/2/03/driven-quit-uber-ceo-leaves-trump-economic-advisory-board-video

Colby Keller tries to explain, again, why he voted for Donald Trump

Last year, Colby Keller earned himself some free publicity by saying he’d vote for Donald Trump to “escalate the problem.” (Negative attention is still attention.)

Related: Donald Is Killing The Trump Brand. Is Colby Keller Hurting His By Supporting Trump?

It’s a sentiment he builds upon during a conspicuously fawning profile published this week in MEL Magazine, which fondly describes Keller as having “a bicoastal accent that puts me in mind of a surfer who reads n+1.” 

During the interview, Keller touches upon Donald Trump’s projected wall, his dislike of Hillary Clinton, the difficulties of being a communist, and the Democratic party.

Related: Colby Kellers’s mom wanted to shoot him (and herself) after he came out

Here’s some of the things that came out of his mouth during the course of the interview:

On Donald Trump’s wall:

“I’m a little surprised he’s as aggressive on ‘the wall’ as he said he would be, but I’m not surprised people like Trump and corporate America are going to the lengths they are in a system that’s no longer defensible. They’ll stop at nothing….”

On Hillary Clinton:

“Hillary Clinton would have been four more years of Barack Obama, continuing all of the horrible neoliberal policies of the Bush administration and of her husband?—?policies that have bankrupted the American people and people around the world.”

On the imminent American revolution:

“Things will get a lot worse and that will get us to a point where we need to be.”

On being a communist: 

“Being a communist in 2017 means delivering better lives for people by collaborating. Competition and letting people who’ve controlled the earth for many years, who are evil and nasty, is not the way to get things done.”

On Democrats: 

“The Democratic Party’s diabolical politics don’t serve the interests of the American people and that’s why [Trump voters] acted out… It’s going to take someone like Donald Trump to get people to overthrow the system.”

www.queerty.com/colby-keller-tries-explain-voted-donald-trump-20170203?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Virginia House Passes Anti-LGBTQ ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill

It’s fitting that the Virginia House of Delegates chose Groundhog Day to pass a so-called religious freedom bill, entitled “Solemnization of Marriage,” given that similar legislation just last year met with Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe’s veto.

HB2025 was approved 57 to 37 by the GOP-controlled chamber on a mostly party-line vote. (Four Republicans, Delegates Davis, Stolle, Villanueva and Yost voted nay.) It purportedly came in response to McAuliffe’s executive order that excludes government contractors who are found to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals and states that organizations that do not accept same-sex marriage should not be “punished” by the government.

Delegate Nicolas Freitas sponsored the bill. “This governor crossed a line and we have to defend those religious organizations,” he claimed, referring to sexual identity as “venereal passions.”

Democratic lawmakers voiced their concerns against the bill’s passage as well as warned of the HB2 precedent in neighboring North Carolina:

Del. Marcus Simon claimed that there are already statutes in place that protect religious organizations from violating their faith . . . “I think it’s going to send the wrong message to the rest of the United States,” Simon said. “It’s going to say that we are on the same side as North Carolina. That we are on the wrong side of this argument. That we are not welcoming to all kinds of people, regardless of who they love. It’s not the message we want to send if we want to have a 21st Century Virginia economy,” he said.

LGBTQ advocacy groups Human Rights Campaign and Equality Virginia also spoke out:

“The Virginia House of Delegates’ decision to pass this legislation puts the state’s people, reputation, and economy at risk,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “This reckless bill in truth has nothing to do with the right to practice one’s religion, which is already firmly protected by the First Amendment. Rather, it is a thinly veiled attempt to provide a special license to discriminate with taxpayer funds.”

“We recognize that religion is a vital part of many Virginians’ daily lives, but HB 2025 does not protect religious liberty. Instead, it provides a license to discriminate against loving LGBTQ families,” said Equality Virginia Executive Director James Parrish.  “Furthermore, its broad and vague definition of ‘person’ would set a dangerous precedent for discriminatory individuals and groups to be protected by our religious freedom laws.”

Gov. McAuliffe has already signaled his intention to veto HB2025.

The post Virginia House Passes Anti-LGBTQ ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill appeared first on Towleroad.

Virginia House Passes Anti-LGBTQ ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill

Bi representations soar in 28th annual #glaadawards nominees

www.glaad.org/blog/bi-representations-soar-28th-annual-glaadawards-nominees

Frank Ocean’s dad is suing him for $14.5 million over a gay slur

Frank Ocean was just slapped with a multi-million dollar lawsuit from his own father over a Tumblr post he wrote last summer.

Related: Frank Ocean Opens Up About Being Elusive

Frank’s dad, self-proclaimed “singer, writer, and inventor” Calvin Cooksey, filed a defamation lawsuit against his son, citing a Tumblr post Frank wrote last summer short after the Orlando massacre, TMZ reports. In the post, Frank accused his father of using an anti-LGBTQ slur over 20 years ago.

“I was 6 years old when I heard my dad call our transgender waitress a f*ggot as he dragged me out of a neighborhood diner saying we wouldn’t be served because she was dirty,” Frank wrote. “That was the last afternoon I saw my father and the first time I heard that word, I think.”

Apparently, Calvin didn’t appreciate being called a bigot. He also claims Frank’s comments cost him financial opportunities in both the film and music industries. So he wants his son to form over $14.5 million dollars.

Related: Frank Ocean’s mom wants Kim Burrell cut from son’s album ‘Blonde’ after homophobic rant

This isn’t the first time Calvin has tried suing his own son. In 2012, Ocean tweeted that his pops was trying to sue him for $1 million.

The tweet, which has since been deleted, said: “Father wanna sue me for a million. Like I owe him back child support. Weak individual bought me a swiss knife at 6yrs old then dipped on me.”

TMZ also notes that in 2014, Calvin filed a defamation lawsuit against hip hop mogul Russell Simmons for claiming he was a deadbeat dad. That time he wanted $142 million.

Related: Frank Ocean Shares Moving Essay About Orlando Tragedy

h/t: TMZ

www.queerty.com/frank-oceans-dad-suing-14-5-million-gay-slur-20170203?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Milo Yiannopoulos Credentialed for White House Press Briefing Friday

Homocon white supremacist, Islamophobe, transphobe, fame-whore, Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos is credentialed for a White House press briefing on Friday, the NY Daily News reports:

“I’m a senior editor at America’s most influential news outlet. How the f–k do you think?” Yiannopoulos told the Daily News in a Thursday evening email when asked how he obtained credentials for the presidential briefing.

RELATED: Trump Defends Alt-Right Troll Milo Yiannopoulos, Threatens Berkeley Funding After Students Protest

Yahoo News adds:

Yiannopoulos said he didn’t know whether he would get to ask White House press secretary Sean Spicer a question at the briefing. He previously attended a briefing last March. Yiannopoulos asked former White House press secretary Josh Earnest about his belief that Facebook and Twitter are “punishing conservative and libertarian points of view.”

The briefing comes at the end of a week when a speech Yiannopoulos planned to deliver at University of California, Berkeley was canceled amid violent protests. President Trump responded to the demonstrations with a tweet on Thursday morning that seemed to suggest he might pull federal funds from the university.

The post Milo Yiannopoulos Credentialed for White House Press Briefing Friday appeared first on Towleroad.

Milo Yiannopoulos Credentialed for White House Press Briefing Friday

How does the amount of time you spend on dating apps compare to other Queerty readers?

After a U.K. man wrote to the Guardian about his addiction to hookup apps (“I spend hours and hours online looking at hook-up ads on my phone.”), we asked Queerty readers about their own hookup habits. Now, the results:

Related: How many hours per day do you spend on hookup apps? Take our poll and see what others say.

A total of 1,565 readers participated in our poll. 1,187 (76%) of you said you spend an average of 0-2 hours per day on hookup apps, and 295 (19%) said you spend an average of 3-6 hours per day.

43 (3%) of you reported that you spend between 7-9 hours per day on hookup apps, compared to 21 (1.3%) who say you spend 10 or more hours per day.

And then there are there are those of you who spend all day, every day on the prowl. A total of 19 (1.2%) Queerty readers said they are constantly on hookup apps 24/7.

Related: Dating apps are turning people into sex addicts, doctor warns

We asked Jake Myers, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in Los Angeles, what he thought of these results.

“Dating apps are a convenient way to meet guys and aren’t going anywhere any time soon,” he tells us. “Where it can get dicey is if you find yourself constantly checking them, and it’s easy to go down that rabbit hole.”

He continues, “Apps can become a quick way to get immediate gratification and can be very additive. Even the little rumble sound that Grindr makes when you have a new message can trigger a euphoric response.”

Related: This Behavior At Gay Bars Absolutely Needs To Stop

Jake’s advice? Log off from time to time.

“Pay attention to whether using the app is taking away from time that could be spent more productively,” he says. “If there are things being pushed aside because you’re spending too much time online, you might want to try a Grindr ‘detox.’ However, as long as it doesn’t affect the rest of your life in a negative way, why not take advantage of what technology has to offer?”

www.queerty.com/amount-time-spend-dating-apps-compare-queerty-readers-20170203?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

A Former White House Official Says Trump Ignores Due Process at His Own Peril

President Donald Trump has spent the past two weeks issuing a spate of executive orders that are stunning in their reach.

There’s nothing unusual about the executive orders in and of themselves, of course. Presidents have been signing them since George Washington was in office.

But the problem, says former ambassador and White House official Stuart Eizenstat, is the “rapidity, breath and lack of interagency coordination.”

Eizenstat says Trump is churning out executive orders at a breakneck pace without consulting affected agencies, legal experts or cabinet members. His cabinet, Eizenstat points out, isn’t even fully in place: “[Trump] knows the confirmation process can sometimes take a matter of weeks, and [he] wanted to get out of the box as quickly as possible.”

Eizenstat held high-level positions in both the Carter and Clinton administrations. He watched Carter sign a controversial executive order his first day in office, pardoning Vietnam War draft dodgers. Eizenstat emphasizes that he is not against unilateral executive action. “Executive orders are a very good way at the beginning of an administration of showing direction,” he says.

And certainly, he says, President Trump “didn’t exceed his legal authority.”

Trump’s executive orders are dramatic and transformative. He has put a temporary halt on refugees, revived plans to build controversial oil pipelines, set the stage to repeal Obamacare, authorized a wall on the border with Mexico, and banned funding for abortion overseas. But historically speaking, Trump’s orders are far from the most consequential.

An executive order by Franklin D. Roosevelt enabled the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was also an executive order. “But Lincoln consulted his cabinet,” Eizenstat adds.

Trump, by contrast, has been moving so quickly that “the normal interagency process that would flag problems hasn’t existed.” Take the immigration and refugee ban, for example. “Green card holders were initially swept up, the Department of Homeland Security wasn’t consulted. There was no secretary of state in place, although this has a very real impact on our foreign policy.”

Eizenstat is concerned about what the ramifications will be for the country. “I’ve worked in the White House in two [administrations]. And to me, process is very important. A good process does not assure a good result,” Eizenstat says. “But an inadequate and bad process, a short-circuited process, a process which doesn’t touch base with the key departments, the key interest groups, the key congressional committees, is almost certainly going to be an imperfect decision.”

This article first appeared on PRI The World.

The post A Former White House Official Says Trump Ignores Due Process at His Own Peril appeared first on Towleroad.

A Former White House Official Says Trump Ignores Due Process at His Own Peril

Then and Now, James Baldwin Is the Voice of The Resistance

The black and gay writer died 30 years ago. But a new documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, gifts his words on race and rebellion to a new generation of Americans.

www.advocate.com/film/2017/2/03/then-and-now-james-baldwin-voice-resistance