WATCH LIVE: Anti-LGBTQ Extremist Jeff Mateer Must Not Be Confirmed
Daily Archives: November 14, 2017
‘Coming Out in Religion: Queer Actress-Writer Fawzia Mirza on Embracing ‘Muslimness’
‘Coming Out in Religion: Queer Actress-Writer Fawzia Mirza on Embracing ‘Muslimness’
Mirza talks about integrating all aspects of her identity and finding the commonalties with other people.
lgbt center on market street, scott richard
WATCH: The very last episode of “UNHhhh” with Trixie and Katya
WATCH: The very last episode of “UNHhhh” with Trixie and Katya
End of an era.
That Day a Soldier Forever Changed a Young Barber’s Life: SHORT FILM
That Day a Soldier Forever Changed a Young Barber’s Life: SHORT FILM
Trémulo, a short film by Roberto Fiesco, was recently posted to YouTube with English subtitles.
AND DON’T MISS: A Silver Fox Dates a 24-Year-Old with More ‘Daddy Issues’ Than You Can Imagine in ‘Call Your Father’ – SHORT FILM
It tells the brief story of Carlos (Benny Emmanuel), who works in a barber shop where he meets Julio (axel Arenas), a soldier who arrives as a customer one day before September 16, Mexican Independence Day. Julio is only around until the military parade ends the next day, so their meeting is short but powerful.
Watch:
The post That Day a Soldier Forever Changed a Young Barber’s Life: SHORT FILM appeared first on Towleroad.
That Day a Soldier Forever Changed a Young Barber’s Life: SHORT FILM
#AM_Equality Tipsheet: November 14, 2017
#AM_Equality Tipsheet: November 14, 2017
MORE THAN 1,400 PARENTS OF TRANSGENDER YOUNG PEOPLE SIGN DECLARATION OF RIGHTS IN RESPONSE TO ATTACKS ON LGBTQ EQUALITY: An unprecedented number of parents of transgender young people have come together to sign a national declaration of rights seeking protections for their children and all transgender people from discrimination, violence and harassment. The declaration comes as the nation marks Transgender Awareness Week, and one year after HRC launched its groundbreaking national Parents for Transgender Equality Council in the wake of Donald Trump’s election. “What started as a council of 25 parents of transgender youth one year ago has grown into a movement of more than 1,400 parents demanding dignity and fairness for their children,” said HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin). “These courageous parents represent tens of thousands more across the nation and the challenges facing their families must be addressed by our policymakers and public officials. From building welcoming schools to ending violence against transgender women of color, our work will not be complete until every child in America and around the globe is afforded the opportunity, safety and respect that everyone deserves.” More from HRC and Metro Weekly.
1,400+ courageous parents of trans youth are demanding that every child in America and around the globe be afforded opportunity, safety and respect. Thanks to each of them for joining @HRC‘s Declaration of Transgender Rights. t.co/Bb0xyj8BKE
— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) November 13, 2017
MORNING MUST READ FROM AP’S DAVID CRARY — “STALLED IN CONGRESS, LGBT RIGHTS ADVANCE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL”: Cities big and small, in red and blue states alike, are continuing progress toward full equality — despite the anti-LGBTQ agenda of the Trump-Pence administration, and state legislators across the country who are attempting to codify discrimination into state law. Crary (@CraryAP) highlights equality gains made in cities including Birmingham, Ala.; De Pere, Wisc.; and Morgantown, W.Va., where the city council unanimously passed an LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance despite opposition from the anti-LGBTQ Family Policy Council of West Virginia. “It’s ironic that the party of small government wants to interfere with cities which want to provide common sense protections for all their citizens,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. Read the full piece from The Associated Press.
- ICYMI: Crary’s reporting affirms the findings of HRC’s 2017 Municipal Equality Index, in which a record 68 cities across the nation earned perfect scores for advancing LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices. Check out the report, and how municipalities scored, at HRC.
NEW FBI DATA SHOWS INCIDENTS OF ANTI-LGBTQ HATE CRIMES INCREASED IN 2016: Yesterday, the FBI released hate crime statistics for 2016, which highlight the ongoing epidemic of anti-transgender violence. In 2016, 6,121 hate crime incidents were reported –an increase of five percent from 2015. Of the 6,121 incidents reported, 1,076 were based on sexual orientation bias and 124 were based on gender identity bias. These numbers reflect a two percent and nine percent increase, respectively. Of the 124 incidents based on gender identity, 19 targeted gender non-conforming people, a decrease of 54 percent from 2015. Yet, of those same 124 incidents,105 targeted transgender people, an increase of 44 percent from 2015. More from HRC.
TUESDAY TWEET– THIS WEEK IS #TRANSWEEK: November 14-20 is Transgender Awareness Week, or #TransWeek, which culminates in Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20. HRC will be sharing stories and resources on social media, using the #TransWeek hashtag, and on our blog.
This week, @HRC celebrates Transgender Awareness Week (#TransWeek) by promoting the visibility, well-being and dignity of all #transgender and non-binary people. t.co/mM6Z8SbkYT
— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) November 13, 2017
TODAY — HRC AND OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS ORGS & ADVOCATES TO RALLY AGAINST JEFF MATEER AT U.S. CAPITOL: Mateer, nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, has referred to transgender children as part of “Satan’s plan,” supports the dangerous and debunked practice of so-called “conversion therapy,” and has claimed that marriage equality will lead to bestiality. HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride will be a featured speaker, joining Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR); Nan Aron, Alliance for Justice; Julie Gonen, National Center for Lesbian Rights; Sharon McGowan, Lambda Legal; and Harper Jean Tobin, National Center for Transgender Equality. More on Mateer from HRC.
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS — ONE MONTH UNTIL ALABAMA’S SPECIAL U.S. SENATE ELECTION: HRC has endorsed Doug Jones for U.S. Senator from Alabama. Jones is running against the notoriously anti-LGBTQ Roy Moore in a December 12 special election to replace now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Doug Jones is the only candidate in this race who will look out for all Alabamians, regardless of who they are or whom they love. More from HRC.
WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE MUST CONSIDER BILL PROTECTING MINORS FROM SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: A bipartisan group of state lawmakers supports a bill that would protect LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and debunked practice. More from the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
LGBTQ AMERICANS SUFFER DISPROPORTIONATELY FROM WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION: “When it comes to employment, fundamentally, LGBTQ Americans are not on an even playing field,” Deena Fidas, director of HRC’s Workplace Equality Program told Mic’s Anna Swartz (@Anna_Snackz). The LGBTQ community suffers from higher unemployment rates, workplace harassment and lower wages compared to non-LGBTQ people. More from Mic.
NYC SUBWAY SYSTEM TO MAKE GENDER NEUTRAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: The previous “ladies and gentleman” announcements will be replaced with more inclusive language, such as “passengers” or “riders.” More from Pix 11.
HISTORY-MAKING LESBIAN DIRECTOR DEBRA CHASNOFF PASSES: Chasnoff was the first woman to thank a same-sex partner when accepting an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject in 1992 for the film Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons, and Our Environment. More from Advocate.
TEXAS LGBTQ ADVOCATE CECI GRATIAS PASSES: Gratias, 53, was an advocate for LGBTQ equality in Texas, volunteering for HRC, OutYouth and LifeWorks. More from the Austin American-Statesman.
TONIGHT — RESULTS OF AUSTRALIAN MARRIAGE EQUALITY POSTAL SURVEY EXPECTED: More from HuffPost.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND PUTS OUT LGBTQ-SUPPORTIVE GUIDANCE: It includes encouraging teachers to allow student explore “who they might be.” More from BBC.
READING RAINBOW
Utah Public Radio interviews a University of Utah professor on the importance of the U.S. presidency on LGBTQ equality; NewNowNext reports that Julie Lemieux is believed to be the first openly transgender person to be elected to office in Canada;
Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!
www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-november-14-2017?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Tip Sheet: How to cover “religious exemptions” court cases, federal guidance, and legislation
Tip Sheet: How to cover “religious exemptions” court cases, federal guidance, and legislation
This is not about ‘religious freedom’ or ‘religious liberty,’ the accurate term is ‘religious exemptions’
On December 5, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up oral arguments for Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. This case centers around a bakery asking for exemption from Colorado state non-discrimination law based on the owner’s objection to serving gay people.
QUICK TIPS:
- Use the term “religious exemptions” over inaccurate terminology such as “religious freedom” or “religious liberty.”
- This is not about wedding cakes. Religious exemptions laws would allow doctors, landlords, adoption agencies, funeral homes, and more to legally deny service to LGBTQ families and other marginalized communities simply by citing religious beliefs. Remember to frame all stories in the context of the broader ramifications of these “religious exemptions” cases.
- Do not pit religion against the LGBTQ community. Include the voices of progressive faith leaders from diverse communities.
This debate around religious exemptions has reached the highest levels of our government, with President Trump threatening multiple sweeping religious exemption executive orders. Since assuming office, the Trump Administration used the argument of religious exemptions to invite taxpayer-funded federal agencies, government employees, and government contractors to legally discriminate against LGBTQ employees and deny women, trans men, and gender non-conforming people access to healthcare. Further, religious exemption legislation is becoming increasingly widespread in statehouses across the country with more than 135 bills introduced in state legislatures in 2016 and 2017, despite the fact that these types of laws run counter to the will of the American public, as shown in a recent study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).
GUIDE FOR REPORTING ON ‘RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS’
These tips are intended to help journalists discern myths from facts and report fairly and accurately on religious exemptions. Please consider the following guidelines when covering religious exemptions stories.
DON’T use the terminology “religious freedom” or “religious liberty.” Advocates for these types of bills often describe the issue as purely about religious freedom or liberty. However, they are actually quite different from religious liberty as it is usually understood. At their core, these cases are not about the right to practice religion freely, but rather using religion as a tool to push for exemptions from laws created to protect fellow citizens.
DO use the terminology “religious exemption.” It is imperative that journalists distinguish between classic religious liberty cases – which Americans of all political persuasions support – and “religious exemptions” cases where a third party is harmed.
DON’T make this all about wedding cakes and flower shops. Religious exemptions have the ability to harmfully affect every part of our lives as LGBTQ people and should not be reduced in scope and scale or made light of in any way.
DO seek to investigate the broad range of ways that religious exemptions can negatively affect the lives of LGBTQ people, including in accessing healthcare, employee benefits, adoption and child protection, domestic violence services, employment, and more. Religious exemptions are a serious issue and can have a serious impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
DON’T solely frame your story from the point of view of the individual who seeks to discriminate. There are at least two sides for each religious exemption story, and both should be represented.
DO consider how bias framing can affect public opinion surrounding religious exemptions. Example: One survey three years ago, respondents were asked: “Should religiously-affiliated institutions that object to the use of contraceptives be given an exemption from the Affordable Care Act?” 48% said yes, 42% said no, with the rest unsure. The same people were then asked: “Should women employed by Catholic universities and hospitals have the same rights as other women?” 56% said yes, 39% said no.
DON’T take a narrowly focused, one-off view of religious exemption cases. The reality is that the organizations including Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) that are fighting for religious exemptions are the same groups that led the fight against marriage equality and transgender rights, and have supported the criminalization of homosexuality. This anti-LGBTQ agenda has resulted in Southern Poverty Law Center classifying ADF as a designated hate group. It’s not a side-effect that “No Gays Allowed” makes LGBTQ rights second-class; it’s the intended effect.
DO contextualize religious exemption cases within the history of religious exemption legislation that has been advanced historically with the intention of rolling back the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ people in the United States.
DON’T ascribe religious beliefs to entire companies. In our democracy, everyone obeys the same laws. Businesses are artificial constructs of law. When you set one up, you’re agreeing to abide by the rules of the marketplace, not the rules of your personal religious beliefs. That’s how it’s meant to work. Corporations aren’t people.
DO frame religious beliefs as personal and individualized rather than a monolith.
DON’T approach religious exemption cases as a simple story. These cases are about the real and perceived rights of individuals, and they have larger legal, political and historical contexts that need to be considered.
DO ask big questions. Where do you draw the line between a “religious exemptions” and a “separate and unequal” system, where some groups don’t have to obey the same laws as others? When questions of religious liberty are posed in the abstract, everyone understands them. When they move from theory into practice, it’s not so simple.
DON’T set up a false dichotomy of ‘God versus Gay,’ in your coverage with religious conservatives on one side, and secular LGBTQ activists on the other. Not only is this an arbitrary and artificial divide, it actually misrepresents how Americans feel about this issue. A survey by the Public Religious Research Institute (PRRI) discovered that a majority of Americans are opposed to “religious exemptions” that would allow discrimination. Further, there was no religious group surveyed in which a majority favored “religious exemptions,” targeting LGBTQ people, including white evangelical Protestants.
DO include progressive voices and progressive faith leaders from diverse communities in the national conversation around religious exemptions.
About GLAAD: GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBTQ community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBTQ people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.
November 14, 2017
Inclusion
Inclusion
Matt Champlin posted a photo:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
-Mark Twain
Jeff Sessions Testifies Before the House Judiciary Committee on His Russia Lies: WATCH LIVE
Jeff Sessions Testifies Before the House Judiciary Committee on His Russia Lies: WATCH LIVE
Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies before the House Judiciary Committee. The panel is expected to grill Sessions about misleading testimony in his earlier hearing and inconsistencies in his statements about the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia and evidence that has emerged since those statements.
The post Jeff Sessions Testifies Before the House Judiciary Committee on His Russia Lies: WATCH LIVE appeared first on Towleroad.
Jeff Sessions Testifies Before the House Judiciary Committee on His Russia Lies: WATCH LIVE
Bose Launches Crowd-Funding Campaign For Sleepbuds Headphones That’ll Help You Sleep
Bose Launches Crowd-Funding Campaign For Sleepbuds Headphones That’ll Help You Sleep
Trouble sleeping because of the noise? Whether it’s being next to a busy road, or sleeping next to a snorer these audible interruptions can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep.
Now, audio experts Bose have decided to tackle this problem by creating a pair of specially designed headphones that can block out the rest of the world.
Rather than going down the usual route though, Bose has decided to test the headphones as part of an Indiegogo campaign.
Called Sleepbuds, these tiny wireless headphones are designed to be put in at night and can then play one of 10 different soundscapes specially created by Bose.
Although they can be controlled wirelessly by a smartphone app, the Sleepbuds aren’t wireless headphones in the conventional sense. They can’t stream music, instead they can simply play one of 10 tracks pre-installed in each earbud.
Each track has been specially designed to block out the outside world while still creating an environment within which a person can sleep comfortably.
By limiting their wireless capabilities however Bose were able to create a pair of tiny headphones that can run throughout the night without running out of battery.
The project isn’t all Bose however, much of the team that is now working on the Sleepbuds originally worked for a startup called Hush that was also developing a sleeping aid.
Bose, seeing the company’s potential, decided to acquire Hush, roll them into the existing R&D team and the result is Sleepbuds.
Now while you might be asking why Bose, a huge corporation, is using a crowd-funding platform like Indiegogo.
Their answer is actually quite simple: “We acknowledge that we don’t need the money like a typical startup does.”
“However, quite candidly, we’re charging a discounted price for the prototype because we believe it’s the best way to find highly motivated testers. We believe that testers who pay for the prototype are likely living with a severe “noise in the bedroom” problem, they’re going to use the prototype rigorously, and they’ll provide more and better feedback.”
Bose certainly lacking in testers as the bad news is that every single prototype has been taken by a backer. For the moment then it’s a case of watching, seeing how they do and then waiting for the finished product to come out.