Daily Archives: May 4, 2017



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NEWS

Morning Joe, Equality March, Obama, Sense8, Cassini, Katy Perry, Emmanuel Macron: HOT LINKS

Morning Joe, Equality March, Obama, Sense8, Cassini, Katy Perry, Emmanuel Macron: HOT LINKS

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. ACLU plans to sue over today’s “religious freedom” executive order.

JUST IN: The ACLU says it will sue over Trump’s religious exemption executive order. pic.twitter.com/uFYGCqgcjN

— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) May 4, 2017

Chechnya gayCHECHNYA. The anti-gay pogrom. “Once they bring you there,” a survivor told me, referring to the secret prison in Chechnya where he’d been detained, “they immediately start the beatings and electrocutions, demanding information about who you were dating.” The guards, he said, would spit in the prisoners’ faces, and worse: “We were such hated creatures that each guard felt obliged to hit us when passing by.”

NATIONAL EQUALITY MARCH. Website goes live.

JOHNNY DEPP. Actor gets lines fed to him through an earpiece.

FOX & FRIENDS. Coverage for pre-existing conditions is a “luxury.”

Fox & Friends, Trump’s favorite show, calls health insurance for people with preexisting conditions a “luxury” pic.twitter.com/ys1gVrcreX

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) May 4, 2017

MORNING JOE ENGAGEMENT. Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are getting married: “The MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-hosts got engaged this past weekend during a romantic trip to the south of France and Monaco to celebrate Brzezinski’s 50th birthday. We’re told Scarborough, 54, got down on one knee and proposed at the scenic Bar Bellini at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, which has a breathtaking moonlit outdoor terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.”

MET GALA LEFTOVERS. 15 of the hottest men on the red carpet.

CHICAGO. A first look at the Obama Presidential Center.

Emmanuel MacronFRANCE. Macron wins debate against Le Pen. “In the prolonged two-and-a-half-hour slanging match that featured more invective than any other debate in French presidential history, Macron branded Front National candidate Le Pen an ill-informed, corrupt, dangerously nationalistic and “hate-filled” liar who “fed off France’s misery” and would bring “civil war” to France.”

SURF STUD. Liam Hemsworth hits the beach.

MINNEAPOLIS. Anatomy of a gay sex club raid.

CASSINI. NASA releases ‘video’ showing probe’s dive through Saturn’s rings.

KATY PERRY. Singer criticized for flaunting NYT front page Met Gala look while policeman burns.

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TRAILER OF THE DAY. Sense8.

THIRSTY THURSDAY. Roly Vizcay.

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The post Morning Joe, Equality March, Obama, Sense8, Cassini, Katy Perry, Emmanuel Macron: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.


Morning Joe, Equality March, Obama, Sense8, Cassini, Katy Perry, Emmanuel Macron: HOT LINKS

NEWS

Senate Must Protect Healthcare Coverage for Millions of Americans

Senate Must Protect Healthcare Coverage for Millions of Americans

Today, HRC released the following statement strongly condemning a vote by the House of Representatives to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA). While the Congressional Budget Office has yet to score this version of the legislation, a previous projection estimated the legislation will result in 14 million Americans losing their health insurance by 2018. That number skyrockets to 24 million by 2026.

“Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are one step closer to ripping away care from millions of people, with a particularly devastating impact on low-income senior citizens, women, children, LGBTQ people, and people living with HIV,” said HRC Government Affairs Director David Stacy. “It is unconscionable that Congress might restrict vital health care for the very people they represent. With people’s lives on the line, we urge the Senate to stop this madness and reject this harmful piece of legislation.”

The AHCA undermines core provisions of the landmark Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a result of the ACA, thousands of low-income people living with HIV have been able to obtain health insurance through the Medicaid expansion. This critical coverage ensures that people living with HIV have access to lifesaving treatments. The AHCA’s drastic changes to Medicaid will likely strip these people, and other vulnerable populations, of essential healthcare coverage. 

In order to get the votes necessary to pass the AHCA, the Republican majority added an amendment by Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) which allows states to opt-out of offering the essential health benefits — a core component of the ACA. Another amendment by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) provides an additional $8 billion to aid states in funding high-risk pools for individuals with preexisting health conditions. However, many states previously attempted to contain runaway health costs by using high-risk pools before the passage of the ACA, only to shut them down because they could not afford to sustain them. 

The tax credit structure embedded in the proposed health care act leaves behind thousands of low-income individuals and families who will be priced out of coverage. Systemic discrimination of LGBTQ Americans leaves them with some of the lowest rates of insurance coverage in the nation. The LGBTQ community has benefitted from the ACA’s tax credit structure and the Medicaid Expansion, and the rescission of both of these critical components will have devastating consequences for a community already facing significant health care disparities. 

Beyond repealing these key provisions of the ACA, the AHCA would also cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which could jeopardize the ability of clinics to deliver preventive health services, including HIV testing and transition-related care. The ACA’s public health and prevention fund, established to expand investments in the nation’s public health infrastructure, would also be repealed. Health centers, like those operated by Planned Parenthood, often offer the only culturally competent healthcare available, especially in rural and isolated areas. 

In considering the ACA in 2009 and 2010, the House held 79 hearings over the course of a year, heard from 181 witnesses and accepted 121 amendments. The current House leadership has moved this unacceptable repeal and replacement legislation through the House in a matter of weeks. The Senate adopted the ACA only after approximately 100 hearings, roundtables, walkthroughs and other meetings, and after 25 consecutive days in continuous session debating the bill.

www.hrc.org/blog/the-senate-must-protect-health-coverage-for-millions-of-americans?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

NEWS

The American Health Care Act one step closer to stripping insurance from numerous LGBTQ Americans

The American Health Care Act one step closer to stripping insurance from numerous LGBTQ Americans

NEW YORK – Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD – the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, released the following statement after the United States House of Representatives voted through the American Health Care Act, a bill that could prevent Americans from receiving quality healthcare coverage, including those with pre-existing conditions or those who rely on Medicaid or organizations like Planned Parenthood for affordable coverage.

“The U.S. House rammed through a destructive and dangerous bill that could strip away health insurance from millions of Americans, including many in the LGBTQ community. Healthcare is a human right, and no one should be denied access to care because of a preexisting condition or because a program like Planned Parenthood does not fit the ideology of one political party. Now more than ever, it’s time to buckle down and keep fighting to protect the healthcare that the LGBTQ community deserves.”
 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: WHAT THE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE ACT WOULD MEAN FOR LGBTQ AMERICANS

People Pre Existing Conditions Could Lose Coverage

Politifact: Does the GOP’s new health care bill still cover pre-existing conditions, as Trump claims? “Overall, the latest proposal seems to weaken existing protections for people with pre-existing conditions, not strengthen them. We rate the statement Mostly False.”

Advocate: Trumpcare Could Bring HIV Roaring Back: “According to the Department of Health and Human Services, before the Affordable Care Act was passed, 24 percent of people with HIV had no health insurance coverage at all. There are 1.2 million people in the U.S. already living with HIV. Health insurance is vital to keeping viral suppression rates up and infection rates down. The ACA provided critical subsidies for private insurance and expanded Medicaid in 31 states and the District of Columbia, which increased access to medical treatment. It also guaranteed coverage for people with preexisting conditions such as HIV and covered HIV testing.”
 

Cutting Medicaid Harms People with HIV and AIDS

Advocate: Trumpcare Could Bring HIV Roaring Back: “By gutting Medicaid expansion and other benefits, the proposal could complicate PrEP access and promotion in the states that adopted Medicaid expansion. If passed, the new bill will begin to eliminate money for Medical expansion in 2020, potentially blocking new applicants and access to critical medication…”

WGBH News: Trumpcare Would Harm LGBT People And Those Living With HIV: “Changes to Medicaid proposed by the AHCA would put many people with HIV at risk of losing access to life-saving medicines and treatment” […] Trumpcare would also reverse ACA-related changes to Medicaid eligibility that have benefitted LGBT people. Previously, only low-income adults with dependent children or low-income adults with a disability were eligible for Medicaid. Now people are eligible for Medicaid on the basis of income alone. Since many LGBT people do not have children, this change has made it easier for them to enroll in Medicaid.”
 

Defunding Planned Parenthood Harms Trans Americans

Daily Beast: The Attack on Planned Parenthood Hurts Transgender People, Too: “But a lesser-known consequence of the attack on Planned Parenthood is its potential impact on transgender people like Burns who rely on the organization for transition-related medical care. Elizabeth Clark, Planned Parenthood’s director of health media, told The Daily Beast that health centers in 16 states—including California, Florida, New York, and Illinois—currently offer hormone therapy to transgender patients. From 2013 to 2015, she added, there was an 80 percent increase in affiliates that reported offering that treatment.”

The Guardian: How defunding Planned Parenthood could wipe out transgender healthcare; “Unbeknown to many, Planned Parenthood is one of the largest sources in the US of transgender healthcare. The embattled provider offers hormone replacement therapy, which helps a person’s body appear more masculine or feminine, at dozens of its locations, and a growing share of its staff are trained to perform routine sexual health exams for trans patients.

Planned Parenthood in recent years has sought to address that problem. And it has made its clinics a magnet for thousands with few other options. Starting with Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, in upstate New York, a growing number of its health centers have become places where trans people can begin to transition medically, as well as get basic reproductive services. Its centers use a newer model for gender transitioning that gives the patient input on whether to start their transition, rather than turning the decision over entirely to a psychiatrist. Some clinics have staff with detailed knowledge of how to update driver’s licenses, passports and social security cards to reflect someone’s name and gender.”

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May 4, 2017
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www.glaad.org/blog/american-health-care-act-one-step-closer-stripping-insurance-numerous-lgbtq-americans

NEWS

Watch LIVE: House Nears Vote on Trumpcare

Watch LIVE: House Nears Vote on Trumpcare

The House is nearing a vote on the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. If 23 or more Republicans vote against the bill it will not pass. Here’s a whip count.

The NYT reports:

The measure faces a wall of opposition from health care providers, patient advocates and retirees, and has been derided by many Senate Republicans, who are all but certain to reject vast portions of it should it clear the House. But clearing the House is a necessary step to keep alive the Republican promise — seven years in the making — to dismantle President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement.

Mr. Upton predicted that the bill was “likely” to pass the House, a tremendous reversal of momentum for a measure that has twice been pulled back from a vote for lack of support.

The post Watch LIVE: House Nears Vote on Trumpcare appeared first on Towleroad.


Watch LIVE: House Nears Vote on Trumpcare

NEWS

After being catfished by students on Grindr, this beloved high school teacher is fighting for his job

After being catfished by students on Grindr, this beloved high school teacher is fighting for his job
David Laughinghouse thought he was chatting with a 35-year-old man when he shared risque pictures of himself.

www.queerty.com/catfished-students-grindr-beloved-high-school-teacher-fighting-job-20170504?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

NEWS

Donald Trump Signs ‘Religious Freedom’ Executive Order: WATCH LIVE

Donald Trump Signs ‘Religious Freedom’ Executive Order: WATCH LIVE

Donald Trump will sign an executive order “on promoting free speech and religious liberty”. The language in the order is still unknown, but it has been reported that Trump will back off of the anti-LGBT provisions in a leaked draft.

RELATED: Trump Backs Off from Anti-LGBT Provisions in ‘Religious Freedom’ Executive Order: REPORTS

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The post Donald Trump Signs ‘Religious Freedom’ Executive Order: WATCH LIVE appeared first on Towleroad.


Donald Trump Signs ‘Religious Freedom’ Executive Order: WATCH LIVE

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