Bill to Ban Anti-Trans Bias Advances in New Hampshire
The state House passed the bill today, sending it on to the Senate.
www.advocate.com/transgender/2018/3/07/bill-ban-anti-trans-bias-advances-new-hampshire
Daily Archives: March 7, 2018
Peppermint’s powerful response to RuPaul’s gender comments
Peppermint’s powerful response to RuPaul’s gender comments
She’s a true Queen.
nonsummerjack (97)
David Mixner’s ‘Who Fell Into The Outhouse?’ Raises $175,000 for Homeless LGBTQ Youth
David Mixner’s ‘Who Fell Into The Outhouse?’ Raises $175,000 for Homeless LGBTQ Youth
Civil rights activist David Mixner’s stage production Who Fell Into The Outhouse raised a whopping $175,000 for the Ali Forney Center’s Bea Arthur Residence at a one-night-only performace Monday night. The Ali Forney Center is the nation’s largest non-profit providing shelter and comprehensive support services to homeless LGBTQ young people.
David Mixner (photo: Nigel Barker)
In attendance were New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and family, Oscar winners Bruce Cohen and Dustin Lance Black, news anchor Thomas Roberts, composer Andrew Lippa, Tony nominees Howard McMillan and Bobby Steggert, Nigel Barker, and many others.
Mixner’s new one-night-only production completed a trilogy he began with the wildly successful Oh Hell No! and 1969 which sold out houses in the U.S. and abroad. The new show, Who Fell Into The Outhouse?, directed by Chris Bolan drew on his personal experience, this time focusing on his impoverished upbringing in “Little Alabama,” a little-known swatch of America within the Eastern Shore of Maryland, southern Delaware, and a few counties in southern New Jersey. The region was so named because the area supplied troops to the Confederacy, practiced segregation, and was marked by abject poverty.
Said Mixner: “This will be my last show. I will not be creating another trilogy like this. It has been an exhilarating and very gratifying experience, but also somewhat exhausting. I hope my story of confronting the racial attitudes, poverty, and economic injustice in my own family will inspire others in today’s America to rise up and demand full accountability from their government.”
Who Fell Into The Outhouse? also featured country singer Chely Wright, who was the first gay country star to come out of the closet in 2010.
Mixner was also joined by choreographer Gunnar Montana and his dancers.
Here are a few photos from backstage and on stage:
The first two shows in Mixner’s trilogy examined two different parts of his half-century of activism. OH HELL NO! focused on his work in the gay-rights movement, including his partnership with Harvey Milk in fighting the Briggs Amendment in California, the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic, and his very public break with President Bill Clinton over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” 1969 was a retelling of Mixner’s antiwar activism, and specifically his leadership role in the Moratorium to End The War in Vietnam that brought a half-million demonstrators to Washington, D.C. in that year.
The post David Mixner’s ‘Who Fell Into The Outhouse?’ Raises $175,000 for Homeless LGBTQ Youth appeared first on Towleroad.
David Mixner’s ‘Who Fell Into The Outhouse?’ Raises $175,000 for Homeless LGBTQ Youth
CDC Report Highlights Disparity in PrEP Usage Among Communities of Color in the U.S.
CDC Report Highlights Disparity in PrEP Usage Among Communities of Color in the U.S.
PrEP usage continues to remain low among communities who need it most in the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PrEP, which stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a once-daily pill regimen that can help you stay HIV-negative.
Despite an estimated 1.1 million Americans who are at substantial risk for HIV and would benefit from its use, the disparities in PrEP usage are significant among communities of color. In 2015, out of the estimated 500,000 African Americans and 300,000 Latinos who could have benefitted from PrEP, only 7,000 and 7,600 prescriptions were filled in retail pharmacies, respectively. Additionally, PrEP use continues to remain low among women, who make up 7 percent of PrEP users despite accounting for 19 percent of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S..
“There are many in highly affected communities that aren’t hearing or talking about PrEP,” explained HRC HIV 360° Fellow Daniel Downer. “Structural barriers like poverty, incarceration, or unstable housing that are often encountered by those who are most at risk for acquiring HIV can have a big affect on access to the health care services they need.”
According to the CDC, PrEP can reduce the risk of sexually acquiring HIV by more than 90 percent and the risk of HIV infection among people who inject drugs by more than 70 percent. Moreover, data suggests that an increase in PrEP usage among high-risk populations can prevent up to 48,221 new HIV infections in the U.S..
“Closing gaps is an important step for PrEP,” said Eugene McCray, MD, director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. “CDC is committed to equipping providers and all people living with and at risk for HIV with the information and support needed to maximize the impact of PrEP and all proven strategies.”
Downer also emphasizes the impact of HIV-related stigma on PrEP usage.
“There is a perception among community members who might not have insurance and only access health care in emergency situations that there’s something abnormal about accessing preventive care,” said Downer. “Beginning PrEP means that you consciously acknowledge the risk you have of acquiring HIV. Once you bring PrEP into the discussion, individuals have to actually think about their risk and what their sexual health decisions mean.”
“One of our most powerful tools for HIV prevention remains largely on pharmacy shelves,” said Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “PrEP can be a potent prescription that strengthens prevention options for people who are at high risk for HIV infection.”
For information on Gilead’s PrEP Medication Assistance Program, which can help cover the cost of PrEP, please call 1-855-330-5479, Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (Eastern).
Click below for HRC Foundation’s PrEP resources.
HRC Endorses PrEP & Calls for Bold Action to Expand Access
How Do I Talk to My Provider About PrEP?
Lorena’s III
Australia’s First Same-Sex Marriage Ends in Heartbreak
Australia’s First Same-Sex Marriage Ends in Heartbreak
Jill Kindt said her final goodbye to Jo Grant after 48 days of marriage.
www.advocate.com/people/2018/3/07/australias-first-same-sex-marriage-ends-heartbreak
Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s embarrassing coming out story is hard to beat
Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s embarrassing coming out story is hard to beat
It’s pretty bad.
Charlize Theron, Brandon Flynn, Michael Cohen, Chelsea Clinton, Oscars Stunt: HOT LINKS
Charlize Theron, Brandon Flynn, Michael Cohen, Chelsea Clinton, Oscars Stunt: HOT LINKS
POLLS. Trump trails generic Democrat by 8 points. “A week after naming Brad Parscale to run his reelection effort, Trump is 8 points behind a generic Democratic candidate, 44 percent to 36 percent, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. Nearly one in five voters, 19 percent, are undecided. Male voters are evenly split: 42 percent would vote for Trump, and 42 percent would back the Democratic candidate. Among female voters, the Democrat has a 15-point lead, 46 percent to 31 percent.”
EXPECT TO BE SCRUTINIZED. Chelsea Clinton says Ivanka needs to be watched.
RUSSIA PROBE. Robert Mueller is interested in Trump lawyer Michael Cohen: “There is no indication that Cohen is a subject or target of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. But the scrutiny of his interactions is another sign of the far-reaching nature of the special-counsel probe, which is examining members of the president’s inner circle and aspects of Trump’s past business outreach to Russia.”
DANIEL MALLOY. Connecticut governor calls the NRA a terrorist organization: “They act, quite frankly, in some cases as a terrorist organization. You want to make safer guns? We will boycott your company. That’s who they are. That’s what they do. The NRA today is a far cry from the NRA that in 1999 said that teachers shouldn’t carry weapons in schools. Or in the 90’s said we should have universal background checks. They have in essence become a terrorist organization.”
AUSTRALIA. Woman in country’s first gay marriage dies after being married 48 days: “Queensland woman Jo Grant married her partner of eight years, Jill Kindt, on Dec. 15 in the garden of their home on Australia’s northeast Sunshine Coast, less than a week after the nation became the 26th country to recognize same sex unions. The couple had avoided a 30-day waiting period and were granted exceptional circumstances to become Australia’s first married same sex couple following the passage of the marriage equality laws on Dec. 9.”
WHO’S WALKING WHOM? Brandon Flynn, Sam Smith, and a canine friend out and about in L.A.
BENJAMIN THOMAS WOLF. Illinois Congressional candidate is first to advertise on Pornhub. ‘“We are going where young voters are,” Wolf told Observer. Indeed, 78 percent of Pornhub users are under the age of 40 and three-quarters of them are men. Ironically these same statistics apply to cannabis users. And since marijuana legalization is one of Wolf’s main platforms, Pornhub reached out to him about a political partnership. “It’s important to have a progressive voice to move the country forward,” Wolf said. “We’re reaching out to young people to get them to vote. If young people vote, they can get anything they want.”’
— Benjamin Thomas Wolf (@benjaminwolfBTW) March 6, 2018
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. Florida lawmaker says only thoughts ad prayers will stop mass murderers: ‘At a Saturday debate on a proposed assault weapons ban in the Florida legislature, Stargel said “it’s not the weapon, it’s the evil from within” that leads people to commit deadly crimes. “When we say ‘thoughts and prayers,’ it’s frowned upon. And I take real offense at that because thoughts and prayers are really the only thing that’s gonna stop the evil from within the individual who is taking up their arms to do this kind of a massacre,” Stargel said.’
MICHAEL SEGALOV. Why hasn’t the gay community had a #metoo moment?
TRAILER OF THE DAY. Tully starring Charlize Theron.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE DAY. What happened offstage at the Oscar stunt where moviegoers were surprised by movie stars.
HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Ammar Al Katib.
The post Charlize Theron, Brandon Flynn, Michael Cohen, Chelsea Clinton, Oscars Stunt: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.
Charlize Theron, Brandon Flynn, Michael Cohen, Chelsea Clinton, Oscars Stunt: HOT LINKS
HRC Responds to HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s Move to Erase Non-Discrimination from Mission Statement
HRC Responds to HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s Move to Erase Non-Discrimination from Mission Statement
Today, HRC responded to Secretary Ben Carson’s release of a new mission statement for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that removed several key phrases from the existing mission statement that prioritized fighting discrimination in housing and supporting access and inclusivity in all communities:
On March 5th, HUD released a statement to staff announcing that the department’s mission statement would be updated “in an effort to align HUD’s mission with the Secretary’s priorities and that of the Administration.” The new mission statement removes several key phrases, including “strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all” and “inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination.”
“This is another effort by the Trump-Pence Administration and Secretary Carson to erase LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities from key protections and language across agencies,” said Sarah Warbelow, HRC Legal Affairs Director. “Secretary Carson has a troubling history of denying that LGBTQ people encounter discrimination, calling the fight for full equality a demand for ‘extra rights.’ It is unconscionable that a federal agency created, in part, to fight discrimination is being led by someone who has long denied such discrimination exists.”
After being chosen to lead HUD in early 2017, Carson pointedly remarked that “no one gets extra rights” when asked how he would direct HUD to protect LGBTQ people, who are more vulnerable to housing discrimination. Although not protected explicitly in the Fair Housing Act, federal courts have recognized discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity as illegal under the Act. Under Carson’s immediate predecessors, HUD also took direct steps to address housing discrimination against the LGBTQ community and to ban it in HUD-funded housing.
In 2015, Carson responded defensively when CNN asked him if LGBTQ people face discrimination, saying “everybody probably has somebody who discriminates against them” and asking the interviewer if they could move on to something “more important.” Three months earlier, Carson inexplicably told CNN that prisons prove being gay is a choice, for which he later apologized.
In December, the Trump-Pence Administration came under heavy fire for reportedly directing the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to remove seven words from all future reports it issued, including “transgender”, “diversity”, and “fetus.”
HRC has always fought for the inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQ people in all spaces and communities and will continue that fight.