Trump Finds a New Way to Terrorize Women

Not long before Trump delivered a speech to empower women, he rescinded an order that forced companies to be open about pay disparities and sexual harassment claims. 

www.advocate.com/women/2017/4/05/trump-finds-new-way-terrorize-women

North Carolina Republicans are targeting transgender people again
The lunacy persists.

www.queerty.com/north-carolina-republicans-targeting-transgender-people-20170405?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

These 18 Republicans Urged Trump to Discriminate Against LGBTs

Will the president sign an executive order legalizing bias? The senators hope so.

www.advocate.com/politics/2017/4/05/these-18-republicans-urged-trump-discriminate-against-lgbts

Man robbed by Grindr date, among the items stolen: His beloved dog
Think twice the next time you meet up for a Grindr date. You may want to drop off your dog at the neighbor’s house first.

www.queerty.com/man-robbed-grindr-date-among-items-stolen-beloved-dog-20170405?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

20 House Dems Tell Paul Ryan: Recuse Devin Nunes from Trump-Russia Inquiry

Twenty Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including ranking member Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-16), have called for Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) to be recused by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) from the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into ties between Trump campaign and transition officials and Russia.

Nunes has come under fire for meeting with White House officials to view classified documents related to whether Trump or members of his team were under surveillance for Russian links. He also purportedly briefed Trump on the work of his committee, as well as relayed mischaracterized or misleading info regarding the documents to the media.

“Chairman Nunes’ recusal is critical in order to preserve the integrity and independence of the U.S. House of Representatives,” they wrote in a Tuesday letter to Ryan.

“Congress must come together in a bipartisan fashion to understand the nature of this attack and the scope of Russian ties to [President Trump’s 2016] campaign, transition team and presidential administration,” they added.

“This is about country, not party. Chairman Nunes has demonstrated his bias, and the public will no longer accept the results of this probe as legitimate under his leadership.”

The letter also quoted from Senate Republicans who have criticized Nunes:

Due to these actions and his role on the Trump transition team, Chairman Nunes has lost the faith of the public to carry out an investigation in an honest, transparent and bipartisan fashion.

Republican Senator John McCain said, “If we’re really going to get to the bottom of these things, it’s got to be done in a bipartisan fashion. And as far as I could tell, Congressman Nunes killed that.” His colleague Senator Lindsey Graham said, “If he’s not willing to tell the Democrats and Republicans on the committee who he met with and what he was told, has has lost his ability to lead,” and added, “The House is off track and probably can’t get back on track.”

This inquiry will not be credible if Nunes remains at the helm.

The only signature missing from Democrats on the committee was Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-21), for unclear reasons. He has separately called for an independent investigation into the matter, in his capacity as ranking member on the House Ethics Committee.

Ranking Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-28) of the House Intelligence Committee has also been a fierce critic of Nunes, charging that intelligence was “laundered” through him at the White House’s behest, and that Nunes was trying to control and keep information from other members of the committee.

The post 20 House Dems Tell Paul Ryan: Recuse Devin Nunes from Trump-Russia Inquiry appeared first on Towleroad.

20 House Dems Tell Paul Ryan: Recuse Devin Nunes from Trump-Russia Inquiry

A Great Big World Joins HRC’s Equality Rocks Campaign

American music duo A Great Big World has joined HRC’s Equality Rocks campaign.

After meeting while studying at New York University, Ian Axel and Chad King formed their duo in 2012. The group has toured with a number of prominent musicians, and their songs have been featured on FOX’s musical television series Glee. The group blew up when their single “Say Something” was released in 2013 featuring The Voice’s Christina Aguilera.

Their single “Hold Each Other”, released in 2015 and performed live at HRC’s National Dinner, became a coming out song for band member Chad King, changing the lyrics, “Something happens when I hold her”, to “Something happens when I hold him”. The idea was proposed by his musical partner Ian Axel, and King, who was unsure of the idea at first, eventually decided to make the lyric change. “I have to do this. This is my truth, people will respond to that,” King told 103.7 KVIL. “I know they will and I hope it inspires other people to sing about their own truth or or speak about their own.”

The Equality Rocks campaign is sparking a conversation about love, fairness and equality around the globe. To join, visit www.hrc.org/EqualityRocks.

To tune into the artists who rock for equality, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Florence and the Machine, Phoenix, Sara Bareilles, Tegan and Sara, Sleater-Kinney, and Animal Collective, follow HRC on Spotify now.

 

American music duo @agreatbigworld joined HRC’s Equality Rocks campaign! Tap twice to thank them for supporting #LGBTQ #equality. #EqualityRocks #HumanRightsCampaign #LGBT #

A post shared by Human Rights Campaign (@humanrightscampaign) on Apr 5, 2017 at 2:00pm PDT

www.hrc.org/blog/a-great-big-world-joins-hrcs-equality-rocks-campaign?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Pepsi pulls disastrous protest ad, formally apologizes to Kendall Jenner
They’re sorry for what people are calling “the worst ad ever”.

www.queerty.com/pepsi-pulls-disastrous-protest-ad-formally-apologizes-kendall-jenner-20170405?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

North Korea, Anchorage, Colton Haynes, Queer British Art, Vin Diesel, NASA’s Cassini Probe: HOT LINKS

NORTH KOREA. Missile launch provocation ahead of U.S. – China summit. “The missile flew about 60 km (40 miles) from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on North Korea’s east coast, the South Korean Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Sinpo is home to a North Korean submarine base. The launch comes just a day before the start of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where talks about adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take centre stage.”

ART YOU CAN EAT. Put Vin Diesel between your lips and take a bite.

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT. Is filibustering Gorsuch a smart strategy?

NEIL GORSUCH. Plagiarist?

WESTCHESTER COUNTY. Transgender woman and former TV reporter runs for office in Hillary Clinton’s town.

ANCHORAGE. City makes history with election of two openly gay lawmakers: “Christopher Constant, running against a prominent Democrat and three lesser known conservatives for the downtown seat being vacated by Flynn, won Tuesday with 52 percent of the vote. His closest competitor was David Dunsmore, a fellow Democrat, who mustered just 23.35 percent of the vote after the latter pursued a final week of negative campaigning, which evidently backfired. Felix Rivera, also openly gay, is now too an Assembly member-elect, fending off three challengers while maintaining nearly 47 percent of the vote in midtown Anchorage. Rivera ran for the seat being vacated by Assembly Chair Elvi Gray-Jackson with her full support — as well as the support of current Vice-chair Dick Traini.”

DATE NIGHT. Colton Haynes and Jeff Leatham step out to Chateau Marmont.

BRONZED. What Tom Daley is after the Diving World Cup.

QUEER BRITISH ART. A review of Tate Britain’s new exhibit: “The exhibition’s focus on white male artists is impossible to ignore, with women, trans people and people of color glaringly underrepresented. The exhibition’s curator, Clare Barlow, confesses that, ‘we have been constantly frustrated by the comparative scarcity of material relating to intersectional identities: working-class queer lives, queer people of color, trans and genderqueer identities, even queer women artists.’”

FINLAND. More than 800 same-sex couples marry during first month of marriage equality. “New figures from the Population Register Centre of Finland show 770 same-sex couples have changed their relationship status to married since March 1. Since Finland granted gay marriages equal legal footing, couples were able to change their status from registered to married by simply submitting a form to their local register office. A total of 87 new same-sex couples tied the knot in the same time period, making the grand total of gay marriages 857 in the first month after the legal change.”

SPACE. NASA’s Cassini probe will plunge into the planet.

HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Anthony Webster.

The post North Korea, Anchorage, Colton Haynes, Queer British Art, Vin Diesel, NASA’s Cassini Probe: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

North Korea, Anchorage, Colton Haynes, Queer British Art, Vin Diesel, NASA’s Cassini Probe: HOT LINKS