Gay, Mexican, and Trying to Make It in Hollywood

Emerging screenwriter Jorge Molina — who helped create the Heathers reboot — breaks down the trials of telling stories between borders.

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2017/12/07/gay-mexican-and-trying-make-it-hollywood

Australian Parliament Approves Marriage Equality in Near Unanimous Vote: WATCH

Australia’s parliament has passed marriage equality in a near unanimous vote, becoming the 25th country to legalize same-sex marriage.

Watch the video above for the joyful moments.

The Guardian reports:

The lower house passed marriage equality with almost all members of the governing Liberal-National Coalition joining Labor, the Greens, and crossbench MPs in a free vote to pass the bill which cleared the Senate last week without amendment.

The only no votes were Coalition MPs Russell Broadbent, Keith Pitt, David Littleproud and independent MP Bob Katter.

The speaker of the House of Representatives, Tony Smith, declared the vote carried, since fewer than five MPs opposed it, triggering a standing ovation from the parliamentarians and public gallery.

Some broke into a rendition of the chorus of one of the country’s many unofficial anthems: “I am, you are, we are Australian.”

The bill will become law after royal assent.

The post Australian Parliament Approves Marriage Equality in Near Unanimous Vote: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Australian Parliament Approves Marriage Equality in Near Unanimous Vote: WATCH

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Director Confirms Carrie Fisher’s Dog Gary Fisher Has A Cameo
It’s not new for ‘Star Wars’ directors to plot cameos for famous faces, but we think Rian Johnson has won the unofficial who-can-land-the-best-celeb? competition with this booking.

While you may have thought he peaked by getting Princes Williams and Harry to play Stormtroopers in upcoming film ‘The Last Jedi’, we’re here to let you know that there’s an even better cameo to look out for, as Gary Fisher, Carrie Fisher’s beloved pet dog, also makes an appearance.

Rian confirmed the news when a fan recognised Gary in one of the movie’s press shots, spotting him even though some clever digital alterations had been made:

@rianjohnson we @FanthaTracks want to know if you can confirm this cute little creature is #spacegary in #TheLastJedi pic.twitter.com/0if7XRiqog
As Carrie’s loyal companion, Gary is ‘Star Wars’ royalty in his own right.

He accompanied her on the 2016 ‘The Force Awakens’ press tour, staying by her side on numerous red carpets and taking his rightful place next to the actress on talk show sofas.

Gary now lives with Carrie’s former assistant and continues to share updates about his jet-set lifestyle on his Instagram account.

‘The Last Jedi’ marks Carrie’s final ‘Star Wars’ film, as production completed months before her shock death.

Discussing the ‘Star Wars’ reboot after Carrie’s death, LucasFilm boss Kathleen Kennedy tragically revealed that the final film of the trilogy would have been focussed on General Leia.

“The minute she finished, she grabbed me and said, ‘I’d better be at the forefront of IX!’,” she said. “Because Harrison was front and centre on VII, and Mark is front and centre on VIII. She thought IX would be her movie.

“And it would have been.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-last-jedi-star-wars-carrie-fisher-gary-dog_uk_5a29309be4b0b185e539a2a0

BREAKING: Australia to Become 25th Country With Marriage Equality

HRC celebrates the Australian House of Representatives’ overwhelming vote in favor of marriage equality legislation. The measure passed with only four votes against it. The Australian Senate previously passed the measure by a vote of 43 to 12.

“We welcome Australia into the growing family of freedom loving nations that ensure marriage equality for all couples,” said Ty Cobb, Director of HRC Global. “The overwhelming support for marriage equality Down Under is a testament to the hard work of Australia’s LGBTQ advocates and allies who fought tirelessly to make today a reality. We congratulate them on this incredibly important victory.”

After the Governor-General gives the legislation official approval in a formality known as “Royal Assent,” marriage equality will become the law of the land. Australia will become the 25th country to recognize same-sex couples’ right to marry.

The legislation followed a voluntary postal survey that showed a clear majority of Australian voters endorse equality. The postal survey came after years of stalled efforts to bring marriage equality to Australia. After the country’s governing party refused to allow a conscience vote on the issue in parliament, it undertook the controversial and expensive survey in an attempt to settle the issue. The survey was widely criticized for delaying the arrival of marriage equality.

HRC is proud to have supported the efforts of Australian LGBTQ advocates and allies to achieve marriage equality in their country and partnered with Australian Marriage Equality (AME) — a prominent national organization leading on the issue. HRC Global visited Australia in 2015 and 2016 to share strategic advice from the successful campaign for marriage equality in the United States.

Earlier this week in Europe, Austria’s Constitutional Court ruled that marriage equality will become the law of the land in that country by January 2019.

Learn more about HRC Global’s work around the world here.

www.hrc.org/blog/breaking-australia-to-become-25th-country-with-marriage-equality?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

The Specious Legal Argument at the Center of the Cake Case

The antigay baker is framing his argument around freedom of speech, not freedom of religion. Where that will lead, no one knows.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/12/07/specious-legal-argument-center-cake-case

Elf On The Shelf Ideas: Mum Took Daughter’s Elf To An Actual Hospital For Surgery After Dog Attacks

A mum, who woke up to the sound of her seven-year-old daughter screaming due to her Elf on the Shelf sustaining an injury, knew there was one thing she had to do.

Take the elf to hospital. 

Mum Jenn Thelen, from the US, said her daughter Aubrie was distraught when their dog, Zoey, attacked the elf and ripped his arm off.

As a nurse manager for the emergency department at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Thelen was able to reassure Aubrie that the elf could go in for surgery to be “fixed”.

The children’s hospital shared a hilarious video of the elf being rushed into the hospital, into an emergency room and straight into surgery to be operated on.

The surgeon managed to reattach the arm safely with a few bandages. She finished off by sprinkling sequins over the elf to bring him back to health. 

The elf was able to be discharged from the hospital the very same day and Thelen took snaps and videos of the hospital visit to share with Aubrie later that day.

“We always talk about Christmas magic with our kids,” Thelen told Babble. “Aubrie is a very analytical kid, so she wants to know details about everything.

“So, we explained that Christmas magic is a way that Santa and the elves are able to do things that maybe normally wouldn’t make sense.”

The elf video has had nearly 60,000 views on Facebook in 12 hours.

“The BEST doctors and nurses,” one person wrote. “This is what Christmas is about.”

Another commented: “Absolutely precious. How lovely for Aubrie.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/elf-on-the-shelf-surgery_uk_5a2913ece4b0b185e5397c8c

Why Top Manufacturers And Retailers Are Supporting Our Call To Stop Billions Of Products Going To Waste
Today, over 20 of the UK’s biggest manufacturers and retailers, including Amazon, L’Oréal, The Disney Store, Procter & Gamble, Pentland Brands and Colgate Palmolive have joined charity, In Kind Direct, to call on companies to donate their new surplus products to help people in need.

I started In Kind Direct 20 years ago and during that time I have witnessed, first-hand, the growing need that charities have for essential products for their operations and to give to beneficiaries. Hundreds of thousands of UK households are reliant on charities for products such as clothes, toiletries, shelter and food and there is a continuing pressure on charities to provide the full range of services and products for the people they serve. Earlier this year, In Kind Direct’s research revealed that families across the UK are reporting ‘hygiene poverty’ on a vast scale – unable to afford an array of essential personal care products. With little money to cover the cost of everyday essentials, families are being forced to choose between buying food or buying personal hygiene items, such as toothpaste, nappies, washing powder, razors, deodorant and shampoo, the report found. It is clear that our founder, HRH The Prince of Wales’s, original vision for In Kind Direct and the concept of product giving for social good has never been more relevant than it is today.

The world has entered a period of unprecedented change which will profoundly transform the way we live and work. Companies are increasingly expected to operate responsibly, in a way that considers and respects the environment and communities. And as consumers, we all expect the brands we buy to play their part in supporting society. There’s clearly a huge opportunity to put these products to use for the good of society by donating them – helping to alleviate hygiene poverty and minimise waste

Today In Kind Direct launches a PwC research report we commissioned, looking at the untapped potential for product giving in the UK. The report brings to light the fact that £2 billion of unwanted, surplus consumer goods are produced in the UK each year – and that’s just in six product categories; baby care, personal care, clothing and shoes, homeware and kitchenware, laundry and household. These research findings are further supported by a new independent poll of 100 CEOs of FMCG companies which demonstrates that 97% of CEOs have products which are surplus (an average of 3.37% of their annual stock), but fewer than half (46%) say their company donated to a specific charity, and only 23% to an intermediary charity like In Kind Direct. This, coupled with the fact that 75% of the CEOs polled agreed their company has a responsibility to make planned donations or donate surplus stock to charity, shows both the scale of the opportunity and the challenge we face asking companies to take this simple step.

In response to the research findings, and in order to meet the growing needs of charities, In Kind Direct has written a manifesto – Join the Product Giving Revolution. It sets out our commitments to encourage more manufacturers and retailers to donate their products and asks companies to incorporate the practice of product giving into their existing corporate strategies to have a powerful, positive impact on charities.

When living in poverty and faced with a stark choice between putting food on the table or buying every day personal care products, it’s not hard to see why so many people in the UK live without access to essentials such as shampoo, sanitary products, razors, deodorant or washing powder. We hear this story from the charities in our network, time and time again. Long before families take the difficult step to visit a food bank, they have already stopped buying every day, essentials. These are the things that many of us take for granted. Without access to these products we have seen the loss of confidence, self-esteem and growing isolation that takes hold, which ultimately can result in reduced life chances.

This is a challenge that is not going away. Product giving will continue to be an important source of support both for charities working tirelessly on a daily basis with stretched resources and the people they support.

We know how important our service is to thousands of charities. Our call to manufacturers and retailers today is an important part of the solution for millions of people in need.

To learn more about how you can support or join the product giving revolution, read our short manifesto today.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/surplus-products-hygiene-poverty_uk_5a27d6f9e4b073bb87c9804f