Anti-LGBT First Amendment Defense Act Reintroduced in Senate
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah introduced a new version of the “license to discriminate” bill today.
www.advocate.com/politics/2018/3/08/anti-lgbt-first-amendment-defense-act-reintroduced-senate
Alan Cumming Film ‘After Louie’ Gets March 30 Premiere Date in NYC and on VOD: TRAILER
After Louie, the debut feature film from Vincent Gagliostro starring Alan Cumming which takes a look at the generations which grew up on both sides of the AIDS epidemic through the eyes of a romance, has been acquired by Freestyle Digital Media and will have a theatrical opening in New York on March 30 simultaneous with video on demand, Deadline reports.
The film first caught our eye as a Kickstarter when the filmmakers were guiding it through productionand last year made its way through the festival circuit.
The film also stars Zachary Booth, David Drake, Wilson Cruz, Justin Vivian Bond, Eric Berryman, Patrick Breen, and Sarita Choudhury.
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Alan Cumming Film ‘After Louie’ Gets March 30 Premiere Date in NYC and on VOD: TRAILER
HRC Responds to Anti-LGBTQ “First Amendment Defense Act” Proposed by GOP Senators
HRC responded to a bill introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), called the “First Amendment Defense Act” (FADA), which seeks to permit discrimination by individuals, many businesses, and non-profit organizations against same-sex couples, single parents and unmarried couples:
The bill, cosponsored by 21 Senate Republicans, would bar the federal government from ameliorating discrimination against same-sex couples, single parents, and unmarried couples when an entity evokes a sincerely-held religious belief or moral conviction. Under FADA, individuals, many businesses and non-profit organizations using taxpayer funds could openly violate non-discrimination policies or refuse to serve same-sex couples. As long as they claimed their actions are based on their belief about marriage, the government would have little recourse.
“The First Amendment Defense Act is harmful legislation that would legalize state-sanctioned discrimination and undermine key civil rights protections for LGBTQ people,” said David Stacy, HRC Government Affairs Director. “Supporters of this legislation are using religious liberty as a sword to hurt LGBTQ families rather than staying true to our long tradition of it serving as a shield to protect religious expression from government overreach.”
FADA would roll back critical protections for LGBTQ people and their families:
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on a nearly identical version of FADA in July 2016. Senator Lee testified in favor of FADA at the hearing.
‘Overlooked’ No More: Marsha P. Johnson Finally Gets Her N.Y. Times Obituary
In “Overlooked,” the Times offers obituaries of notable women who didn’t receive attention at the time of their passing.
Will Adam Rippon Be on ‘Dancing with the Stars’?
ABC’s Dancing with the Stars is expected to return with an athletes-only edition for its 26th season on April 30, and figure skater Adam Rippon—the first openly gay man to qualify and compete at the Winter Olympics—is rumored to be among the athletes talking to the producers. Rippon is at the top of ABC’s list, according…
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HRC Announces Olympian Adam Rippon Will Receive Visibility Award at the 2018 HRC Los Angeles Dinner
Today HRC announced that out gay Olympian Adam Rippon will be honored with the organization’s Visibility Award at the 2018 HRC Los Angeles Dinner this Saturday, March 10, 2018. Special guests also include out gay Olympian and past HRC honoree Gus Kenworthy, Teri Polo and Sherri Saum from ABC Family’s “The Fosters,” Josh Duhamel from “Love, Simon” and many more. As previously announced, HRC-backed Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema and Representative Maxine Waters will speak and Grammy Award-winning rock band Portugal. The Man will perform at the event.
“One word best describes Adam Rippon — fierce,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “By being out and proud, Adam is bringing LGBTQ visibility to a whole new level while capturing the hearts of millions around the world with his incredible talent and personality. He isn’t afraid to use his global platform to speak out for equality, and we are proud to honor him with the HRC Visibility Award at the 2018 HRC Los Angeles Dinner.”
Adam Rippon made history as the first openly gay U.S. American male figure skater to compete in the Olympic games. Rippon publicly sparred with Mike Pence in the press and on social media, bringing a new focus on Pence’s long anti-LGBTQ record. Rippon publicly voiced his concern over Pence leading the diverse U.S. delegation to the Olympics.
In an exclusive interview with HRC, Rippon said, “At first, I had a few hesitations to come out, because I was afraid of repercussions that it might have. But at the end of the day, I felt like it was important, and it was an opportunity to shine a light on a subject that was bigger than me. I know when I was coming out I drew strength from learning about other people’s stories and hopefully my story will do the same for others.”
The HRC Los Angeles Dinner brings together more than 1,000 of HRC’s most active members and supporters in the greater Los Angeles area to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ equality.
Celebrating the Real Women of the SFFD with…
Christie is part of Women Photograph (@womenphotograph), a global catalog of independent women photojournalists on a mission to elevate female voices. We’re celebrating her story for #InternationalWomensDay.
Her toddler’s obsession with firefighters lit a ? under photographer Christie Hemm Klok (@christiehemmklok). “He had 10 books all about firefighters. I think maybe one of them had a very short-haired woman. That was the extent of it,” says Christie.
While in art school, she had the idea to document female firefighters, but her local station in Southern California didn’t have any women. This time, she reached out to United Fire Service Women, a nonprofit that advocates for women in the San Francisco Fire Department. “The timing was right,” says Christie — their response was immediate. The organization was looking for a photographer to help celebrate the 30-year anniversary of women in the department.
“When women are in male-dominated careers, especially careers like firefighting or something that’s really labor intensive, I don’t think they always get viewed as regular people,” says Christie. “The greatest part about the project is that I got to meet every single kind of person, from every walk of life. And that’s the thing, you don’t have to be supernatural to be a female firefighter. You just have to be a regular woman.”
blog.instagram.com/post/171665307917/180308-christiehemmklok#_=_
3 Ways to Keep the Conversation Flowing On a First Date
You did it! You’ve met someone great on Plenty of Fish, had amazing conversation online and are ready to meet in person, awesome. Unfortunately, sometimes the difficult parts about dating aren’t even in finding a person, but finding how to actually connect with another person. Witty banter, charm, and a relaxed flow of conversation are not things that can be faked IRL. Often times – even when you know you would hit it off with your date – your nerves inhibit you from carrying on a thriving conversation. But, here’s a secret, you can be yourself on a first date despite those inevitable nagging nerves. Down with the awkward silence!
TALK ABOUT THINGS YOU LIKE, TELL STORIES
The easiest way to speak freely is to speak about things that you like. Duh, right? I used to keep a self-serving question in my dating arsenal that would help me determine further interest in my date; It was arrogant, but worked. I would either ask “what are reading right now?” or “what are you listening to right now?” Books and music are topics of interest to me, finding out what my date is interested in helped me relate to them. If things are going well and the other person had an answer (probable) it would spawn another conversation and another and another.
Don’t feel shy to give anecdotes about your life. The idea is to get to know each other; you probably aren’t talking about yourself as much as you are stressed about talking about yourself too much. Giving specific details to the plot of a story you’re telling will create imagery that in turn helps the other person engage with you. Extra points if the story happens to be fun. Laughing is a great way to ease up.
TALK ABOUT THEM, ASK QUESTIONS
Just as it’s easiest for you to speak about your own experience, it’s equally as simple for someone else to do the same, give them a chance to. Listen when your date is talking. No, not that half-listening we all enter into once in awhile where we are preparing the next thing we’re going to say while the other person is still speaking. Really listen. When you genuinely listen to another person speak it provides the opportunity to naturally fall into a more empathetic listening mode. Also, ask questions. Not only will this help in keeping the conversation rolling, you will learn so much about your date. And, isn’t that the point?
STAY COOL, BE HONEST
Dating should always be fun; make comments about your surroundings, poke fun (with caution) at yourself and your date, laugh, acknowledge that you’re nervous – it’s all ok. Remaining calm, cool and collected is a feat easier said than done, I know. Dating can be intimidating, especially when you feel there might be a spark. A good way to avoid getting caught up in your thoughts, and acting out of character on a first date is to remember: You are interesting! Take a second to give yourself a confidence boost. This person is on a date with you.
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