Jeff Flake, Trixie Mattel, Love Simon, Emma Gonzalez, Coldplay, Wildlife Board, Frozen: HOT LINKS

Jeff Flake, Trixie Mattel, Love Simon, Emma Gonzalez, Coldplay, Wildlife Board, Frozen: HOT LINKS
Max Souzsa

trump waterDEATH BOARD. Trump’s wildlife protection board is stuffed with trophy hunters: “A new U.S. advisory board created to help rewrite federal rules for importing the heads and hides of African elephants, lions and rhinos is stacked with trophy hunters, including some members with direct ties to President Donald Trump and his family.”

JEFF FLAKE. “We have…succumbed to what can only be described as a propaganda-fueled dystopian view of conservatism.” Will he challenge Trump in 2020? “It’s not in my plan to run for president, but I am not ruling it out. Somebody needs to stand up for traditional Republicanism,” Flake told The Associated Press in an interview. “Somebody needs to raise that, for nothing else than to give people hope that that decent party will be back. We’ll get through this.”

Sen. Jeff Flake in New Hampshire: “We have…succumbed to what can only be described as a propaganda-fueled dystopian view of conservatism.” t.co/TGsfyhUOj4 pic.twitter.com/zcgJp7zwvD

— ABC News (@ABC) March 16, 2018

ELLEN DEGENERES. Elton John was not nice to me when I came out of the closet. “Shut up already. We know you’re gay. Be funny.”

NEW YORKER. Next week’s cover features nude Trump.

An early look at next week’s cover, “Exposed,” by Barry Blitt: t.co/pfURSeisEU pic.twitter.com/X9ZaxIbEiX

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) March 16, 2018

A GUY’S GUY. Steve Bannon on Mussolini. “He was clearly loved by women. He was a guy’s guy. He has all that virility,” Bannon said. “He also had amazing fashion sense, right, that whole thing with the uniforms. I’m fascinated by Mussolini.”

ONE STONE. Trixie Mattel performs her new songs for Billboard Live.

ON THE RAG. What’s on the gay magazines this week.

MAINE. Democrat challenges Maine Republican who called Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez a “lesbian skinhead.” “Leslie Gibson came under fire this week for maligning two teen survivors of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. His comments may have gone unnoticed if he hadn’t been running unopposed for a seat in the Maine House of Representatives. He got some company Thursday. Democrat Eryn Gilchrist decided to take him on, filing her candidacy just before the 5 p.m. deadline.”

TRIBUTE ALBUMS. Lady Gaga Ed Sheeran, Pink, Miley Cyrus, Mumford and Sons, Coldplay and more will appear on new tribute albums honoring Elton John.

LOVE, SIMON. How the film was influenced by Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen: ‘In order to help Robinson play this challenging, emotional role, director Greg Berlanti (Riverdale) sent the young star to Broadway for inspiration. “One of the first things Greg had me do is, he got me two tickets to Dear Evan Hansen,” Robinson tells EW. “That started making me think about this guy in terms of just being an average guy. I kinda wanted to play Simon as close to baseline as possible, just to try and normalize the story and not fall into any stereotypes, and show the different spectrums of sexuality people have.”’

IN AN INSTANT. Madonna Polaroid cache up for auction.

TRUMP VS OBAMA. FOX News hypocrisy exposed.

Everything wrong with Fox News in one video pic.twitter.com/MhnApiQ3pG

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 16, 2018

LAVERNE COX. Who she looks up to in the TV world…

NEW ‘FROZEN’ MUSICAL SONG OF THE DAY. “True Love” performed by Patti Murin.

FRIDAY FLASH. Maxs Souza.

Instagram Photo

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Jeff Flake, Trixie Mattel, Love Simon, Emma Gonzalez, Coldplay, Wildlife Board, Frozen: HOT LINKS

Texas Paper Removes Gay Man’s Husband from Mom’s Obituary for ‘Religious and Ethical’ Reasons

Texas Paper Removes Gay Man’s Husband from Mom’s Obituary for ‘Religious and Ethical’ Reasons
gay obituary



A Texas newspaper removed a reference to a gay man’s husband from his mother’s obituary and cited “religious” and “ethical” reasons.

Barry Giles and John Gambill are married and have been together for 31 years. When Giles’ mother died, he submitted an obituary to the local paper, the Olton Enterprise. The paper removed references to Gambill.

As submitted, the obit read “Those left to cherish her memory include her son, Barry Giles and his husband, John Gambill of Dallas.” The newspaper took the liberty of removing Gambill.

FOX4 reports:

Gambill says his mother-in-law was family to him. So when he saw he was cut out of the obituary, he was immediately suspicious. The couple called the newspaper to find out what happened.

“We’re human beings like anyone else,” Giles said. “We have feelings. We have relationships, whether he agrees with them or not.”

In more than three decades together, Giles and Gambill say they often took family trips with Giles’ late mother, Brenda Light, and cared for her when she moved closer to them in Dallas.

“She’s like my second mom, you know,” Gambill said.

Shocker – the newspaper’s publisher is a Baptist pastor, who released this statement to the news outlet: “It is my religious conviction that a male cannot have a husband. It is also my belief that to publish anything contrary to God’s Word on this issue would be to publish something in the newspaper that is not true.”

The couple is looking at legal options, which are said to be few.

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Texas Paper Removes Gay Man’s Husband from Mom’s Obituary for ‘Religious and Ethical’ Reasons

HRC Mourns the Loss of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter

HRC Mourns the Loss of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter

HRC released the following statement on the passing of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter.

“For three decades, Congresswoman Slaughter fought tenaciously on behalf of New Yorkers and all Americans, blazing a trail as one of the most powerful and influential women in Congress,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Congresswoman Slaughter was proud to be a strong champion for the LGBTQ community and was one of the earliest Members of Congress to support marriage equality. She also fought for the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and passage of hate crimes protections, was an original co-sponsor of the Equality Act, and a longtime member of the LGBT Equality Caucus. Our hearts go out to her family, friends and all those whose lives her work personally touched.”

Congresswoman Slaughter has been a champion for the LGBTQ community her entire career. She was one of only 67 Members of Congress to vote against the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, earned a perfect 100 score on HRC’s most recent Congressional Scorecard, and spoke out strongly against Donald Trump’s attempts to implement a transgender military ban.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-mourns-loss-of-congresswoman-louise-slaughter?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Adam Rippon Gives Super-Spicy Interview as He is Brought to His Knees by Hot Wings: WATCH

Adam Rippon Gives Super-Spicy Interview as He is Brought to His Knees by Hot Wings: WATCH
adam rippon hot wings

adam rippon hot wings

U.S. Figure Skater Adam Rippon sat down with First We Feast’s Sean Evans and answered a series of questions while eating hot wings that get increasingly spicy on the Scoville scale.

RECENTLY: E! News Host Justin Sylvester Asks Adam Rippon Out on a Date on Live TV: WATCH

Find out what Rippon thinks of shirtless Tongan Olympian Pita Taufatofua, what the pressure is like on ice, the headlines written about him, sex at the Olympics (“I was expecting hot box orgy and what I got was stress box diarrhea.”), In-N-Out burgers, his old Instagram photos, Little League, Jeremy Scott, skating songs, costumes, his ab workouts, his Twitter mentions, and pesky bottoms.

Watch:

Rippon recently received the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award.

Said the skater: “I can remember the first the first time I shared with someone I was gay and I could feel this huge weight being lifted off of my shoulders.I felt reborn. I like to talk about my coming out because coming out has been the most liberating experience of my life.”

He added: “When I was little I used to care so much about what others thought of me. I was mindful of the way I dressed, my mannerisms, the way I talked. I was afraid people would think I was weak. I was afraid of making mistakes. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be welcomed by the LGBTQ community because someone like me wouldn’t be the role model they were looking for. Maybe I was too gay and maybe I was just too myself.”

“I hope that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, has their own coming out experience,” he continued. “When you can share who you are with the world, you will find great power.”

And Rippon had a message for LGBTQ youth: “You hold more strength than you may ever know. You are powerful…No matter where you have come from or where you are going to, there is someone who looks up to you and they will find inspiration in your strength of just being yourself.”

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Adam Rippon Destroyed by Hot Wings in Super-Spicy Interview: WATCH

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 16, 2018

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 16, 2018

BREAKING – HRC WORKING TO RID CONGRESS OF ILLINOIS’ ANTI-LGBTQ DAN LIPINSKI: Yesterday, HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) was in Chicago where he joined staff, volunteers and coalition partners to mobilize HRC members in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District to turn out this Tuesday for Marie Newman — the pro-equality insurgent who is challenging the most anti-equality Democrat in Congress, Dan Lipinski. In the Advocate, Trudy Ring reports that HRC and other advocacy groups “are going all in for Illinois congressional candidate Marie Newman, who’s opposing U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski in the Democratic primary next Tuesday.” Lipinski, Ring writes, was the only Democrat to cosponsor the First Amendment Defense Act, which allows a widespread license to discriminate against LGBTQ people and others. He also opposed marriage equality and the rights of women to obtain safe and legal abortions. Marie Newman, Ring writes, is pro-LGBTQ and pro-choice. HRC is also investing an additional $50K targeting Spanish-speaking voters in the district to get out the vote for Newman. Read more at the Advocate.

Incredible turn out at @SEIULocal1 phone bank for @Marie4Congress. @HRC, @NARAL, @SEIU & our coalition partners are ready to send @RepLipinski packing and send a true champion for equality to Washington! #IL03 pic.twitter.com/OHH9owFO3D

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) March 16, 2018

  • NEW SPANISH-LANGUAGE TV, RADIO ADS HIT LIPINSKI OVER IMMIGRATION: A major immigrant rights organization released new Spanish-language TV and radio ads hitting Lipinski over his immigration record, including his vote against the Dream Act in 2010. The ads, spearheaded by ICIRR Action, target Latinx voters leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, and feature Elizabeth, a DACA recipient and 3rd District resident who blasts Lipinski for being out-of-step with his constituents on immigration issues. More from HRC.

PRESS BLOCKED FROM MEETING BETWEEN MIKE PENCE AND OPENLY GAY IRISH PRIME MINISTER LEO VARADKAR: More from Pink News and from Dwight Adams (@hdwightadams) at the Indy Star.

  • And in Savannah, LGBTQ leaders express concern about Pence’s St. Patrick’s Day visit. “As a member of Congress he voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, cosponsored a deal to define marriage between a man and a woman and sought to cut off HIV funding,” said Dusty Church, president of Savannah Pride.

INSPIRING LEADER KATE KENDALL STEPS DOWN AS EXEC DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR LESBIAN RIGHTS: “Kate Kendall is one of the most fearless and tireless advocates the LGBTQ equality movement has ever known,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Kate’s profound work is woven into the fabric of our movement and millions of Americans have felt the impact of her unwavering leadership. I am proud to call Kate a friend, colleague and a true champion for equality.”

Under @KateKendell’s leadership, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (@NCLRights) has reached new heights, working to secure national marriage equality and defend the rights of #LGBTQ people before the U.S. Supreme Court. t.co/1I27LWSSUf

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 15, 2018

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY — HRC’S SARAH MCBRIDE’S MEMOIR WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, CRY … AND PREPARE YOU FOR THE FIGHT AHEAD: As HRC’s National Press Secretary, McBride (@SarahEMcBride) regularly leads campaigns to fuel the LGBTQ equality movement across the country. In her new memoir, “Tomorrow Will Be Different,” she reflects on the ever-growing strength of the trans equality movement, while weaving in her personal journey through loss and adversity to become one of the nation’s leading transgender activists.

  • Some of 0ur favorite headlines from her book tour: The Washington Post, “Transgender activist Sarah McBride talks about the fight for equality in the Trump era”; Vox, “Embracing a child when they come out as transgender can be a matter of life and death”; Mic, “Sarah McBride: If your loved one came out as trans, what kind of world would you want them to enter?”; Signature Reads, “Hope Shines On: Transgender Rights Gain Ground in Trump’s America”; Mother Jones, “Politics Doesn’t Have to Be Dire. Meet the Young, Smart, and Openly Trans Leader Making the Future Brighter.”
  • Read it now – check out where to get the book, and where McBride will be appearing next, at sarahmcbride.com

ROBERTA KAPLAN HELPING TO SUE WHITE SUPREMACISTS INVOLVED IN VIOLENCE DURING NEONAZI CHARLOTTESVILLE MARCH: More from NPR.

LOVE SIMON HITS THEATRES TODAY! The film tells the story of a teenage boy’s struggle to come out. A star of the film, Josh Duhamel (@joshduhamel), spoke at HRC’s Los Angeles Gala last weekend. Watch here.

ON THE EVE OF ST. PATRICK’S DAY, PRIDE MARCHES ON AND THE FIGHT FOR INCLUSION CONTINUES: For more than five years, the Pride Center of Staten Island has been denied permission to march in the Staten Island St. Patrick’s Parade — illustrating again that there is equality work yet to be done. More from NBC.

THE GAINESVILLE (FLA) SUN EDITORIAL BOARD SUPPORTS PROTECTING YOUTH FROM DANGEROUS SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: More from The Gainesville Sun.

TWO LGBTQ TEEN SUICIDES HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR ANTI-BULLYING PROTECTIONS AND ACCEPTANCE: The recent deaths Hope Verbeeck of Florida and Andrew Leach of Mississippi underscore the urgent need to protect and support LGBTQ youth. LGBTQ youth are disproportionately affected by suicide: a 2016 study by the Center for Disease Control found that 43 percent of LGB high school students had seriously considered suicide in the previous 12 months. While not included in the the CDC study, figures for trans teens appear to be similar, if not higher.

TO MARK BISEXUAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH, HRC STAFF WEIGH IN ON BUILDING BI+ COMMUNITY: More from HRC.

  • Learn more about Bisexual Health Awareness Month from Curve.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

IRISH LAWMAKERS PROPOSE BILL TO PROTECT YOUTH FROM SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: More from Reuters.

BRASIL LLORA LA PÉRDIDA DE ACTIVISTA DE DERECHOS HUMANOS Y LGBTQ: Marielle Franco, concejala de Río de Janeiro y madre de familia, falleció en un tiroteo este miércoles en un presunto asesinato. Más de PRESENTES.

READING RAINBOWBookmark now to read on your lunch break!

Ebony reflects on National Women and Girls HIV and AIDS Awareness Day; Entertainment Tonight interviews openly LGBTQ actor Keiynan Lonsdale (@KeiynanLonsdale); ABA Journal explores a new legal tool helping trans Floridians change their name and gender marker; Vogue interviews trans model Teddy Quinlivan about sexual assault in the fashion industry; The Texas Observer reviews the film TransMilitary; Washington Blade reports that the Smithsonian has acquired the archives of a prominent D.C. drag collective

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-march-16-2018?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed