Ben Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda Mash-Up Benefiting ‘March for Our Lives’ Rockets to #1: WATCH

Yesterday, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Dear Evan Hansen star Ben Platt released “Found Tonight”, a mash-up that mixes lyrics from songs from their respective musicals and will benefit the “March For Our Lives” student march for gun control taking place this Saturday.

The song shot to #1 on the iTunes singles chart on Monday, and appeared at #2 as of this posting.

The song arrives as the U.S. faces news of yet another school shooting, at Great Mills High School in Maryland…

I wanna thank the squads and producers at @DearEvanHansen and @HamiltonMusical, who’ve offered nothing but support, and everyone @AtlanticRecords, who scramble brilliantly when I change the plan, every month.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 19, 2018

Honored to team up with @Lin_Manuel on “Found/Tonight,” a gorgeous mashup of @HamiltonMusical and @DearEvanHansen arranged by the great @LacketyLac. Proceeds go to the incredible #MarchForOurLives Initiative, so stream & download & listen! #GunControlNow t.co/WrWiwer6YX

— Ben Platt (@BenSPLATT) March 19, 2018

Thank you for your beautiful responses to #FoundTonight and for listening and downloading. I feel immeasurably lucky to get to support these inspiring kids and #MarchForOurLives. It’s a fight that is so long overdue. Here’s a photo from our first rehearsal. #GunControlNow pic.twitter.com/iCJ8A7dpYJ

— Ben Platt (@BenSPLATT) March 20, 2018

The post Ben Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda Mash-Up Benefiting ‘March for Our Lives’ Rockets to #1: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Ben Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda Mash-Up Benefiting ‘March for Our Lives’ Rockets to #1: WATCH

Don Lemon Talks to Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower About Ties to Trump Campaign: WATCH

Christopher Wylie, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower who is providing the world a look inside the data mining firm which used Facebook user profiling to help the Trump campaign, joined Don Lemon last night (above) to talk about his revelations.

Wylie said that Cambridge Analytica was testing Trump slogans, phrases, and imagery like “drain the swamp” and “deep state” and “build that wall” in 2014, well before Trump announced his run.

“A lot of these narratives which at the time would have seemed crazy for a mainstream candidate to run on, those are the things that we were finding that there were pockets of Americans who this really appealed to. And Steve Bannon knew that, because we were doing the research on it. And I was surprised when I saw the Trump campaign talking about ‘building the walls’ and ‘draining the swamp’. …You’d have to ask the company and Steve Bannon where they got these narratives, but these were the things we were testing well before Trump announced.”

Wylie also discussed a meeting between Cambridge Analytica and former Trump campaign manager Cory Lewandowski in 2015, when the firm had already been hired by Ted Cruz.

Mediaite adds:

Earlier today, Channel 4 previewed an exposé on the firm where they showed CEO Alexander Nix and other senior executives bragging about using sex workers and other salacious methods to “entrap politicians in compromising situations.” The firm refuted the video in a statement insisting that Channel 4’s piece is a deceptively-edited look at their process for weeding out “any unethical or illegal intentions” from potential clients.

Wiley was asked about this during his interview tonight with CNN’s Don Lemon, and he responded: “I’m probably the only gay guy in London that had a membership card to a strip club with women.” When Lemon asked him to elaborate, Wiley explained that he often visited strip clubs because the conversations on the tape showed “a common technique” the firm uses.

“One of the things that this company does is it will do whatever it takes to get a contract,” Wiley said, “and if that means entertaining a client at a strip club with women stripping, they will do that.”

Here’s the  full expose:

The post Don Lemon Talks to Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower About Ties to Trump Campaign: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Don Lemon Talks to Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower About Ties to Trump Campaign: WATCH

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 20, 2018

TODAY’S THE DAY — TO FINALLY DUMP DAN LIPINSKI IN ILLINOIS: HRC is on the ground in Chicago with staff, volunteers and coalition partners to mobilize HRC members in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District to turn out today for Marie Newman — the pro-equality insurgent who is challenging Lipinski, the most anti-equality Democrat in Congress. Lipinski 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 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. More from Talking Points Memo, CNN and The Washington Post.

• And we’re not stopping there: HRC is endorsing a slate of pro-equality champions across the country, including Texas state Sen. Sylvia Garcia. More from Vox.

.@RepLipinski is against:

Marriage equality
Workplace non-discrimination protections
Reproductive health
The DREAM Act
The Affordable Care Act

The people of #IL03 deserve a pro-equality champion. Vote @Marie4Congress and help us #DumpDan for good. �� pic.twitter.com/pdKhVf11VH

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 20, 2018

TODAY — LGBTQ GROUPS, CHILD WELFARE ORGS TO HOST PRESS CALL ON BILLS TARGETING LGBTQ COMMUNITY: At 11 a.m. ET, HRC, Freedom Oklahoma, Lambda Legal, Voice for Adoption and others will hold a national press call to discuss the troubling trend of child welfare bills that target LGBTQ people, several of which are moving in state legislatures across the country. Experts on the call will address legislation pending in Oklahoma, similar bills proposed in states including Georgia, and laws passed in Texas and Alabama. For call in information, contact [email protected].

TUESDAY TAKEDOWN — JOHN OLIVER TROLLS PENCE WITH “BETTER BUNDO BOOK”: In a hilarious segment highlighting Mike Pence’s longstanding anti-LGBTQ animus, Oliver rewrites of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a book about Pence’s pet rabbit, with a storyline that has Bundo falling for a boy rabbit. More from The Daily Beast.

• Not to mention… Oliver’s bunny book is already outselling Pence’s. More from The Daily Beast.

MORNING MUST READ FROM REPS. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R-FL) AND JARED POLIS (D-CO): They write about the need for a federal Equality Act to guarantee consistent, nationwide protections for LGBTQ workers, noting that the current “confusing patchwork of laws … might allow a transgender man in one zip code to enjoy basic workplace protections that are denied a lesbian a few miles down the road.” More from The Hill.

CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR TONI ATKINS NAMED PRESIDENT PRO TEM: She is the first woman and first LGBTQ person to be named to that role. More from The Associated Press.

PHILADELPHIA SEVERS TIES WITH TWO ANTI-LGBTQ CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES: After learning that Bethany Christian Services and Catholic Social Services refused to place children with qualified LGBTQ prospective parents, the city’s Department of Human Services announced it will halt foster-care intake with the organizations. More from NewNowNext.

TODAY IS NATIONAL NATIVE HIV AND AIDS AWARENESS DAY: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Native community had the fifth highest rate of HIV diagnoses in the U.S. in 2015 — higher than both Asian and white communities. More from HRC.

NEW INTERNATIONAL STUDY GIVES HARROWING NUMBERS ON LGB YOUTH SUICIDE: The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that the study found that being LGB was statistically tied to higher rates of suicide among first-year college students. It did not examine gender identity. More from Reuters.

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF KANSAS’S OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS CHURCH’S JOURNEY TOWARD LGBTQ EQUALITY: Read this oped in The Kansas City Star.

ACTOR CORY MICHAEL SMITH (@mister_CMS) COMES OUT AS QUEER in an interview with The Daily Beast.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

THE WORLD MOURNING LOSS OF BRAZILIAN LGBTQ AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Marielle Franco, a 38-year-old mother and councilwoman from Rio de Janeiro, was shot to death last Wednesday in a suspected assassination. Más de PRESENTES. More from The Washington Post.

Fearless #LGBTQ councilwoman and human rights activist #MarielleFranco was assassinated in Rio de Janeiro last week. We join activists around the world in expressing our grief and outrage at this tragic loss of life. t.co/qjzTsKmUTW

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 19, 2018

FILIPINO LGBTQ ADVOCATES URGE SENATE TO PASS LGBTQ PROTECTIONS: More from SunStar Iloilo.

NEW ZEALAND LGBTQ ADVOCATES ASK FOR COMPENSATION FOR MEN CONVICTED UNDER OVERTURNED ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS: More from The Guardian.

PERUVIAN COLLEGE COUNCIL ALLOWS TRANS STUDENTS TO USE CORRECT NAMES: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú is allowing transgender students to use the name that corresponds with their gender identity in their internal documentation. More from ElComercio.

UNIVERSIDAD PERUANA PERMITE A LOS ESTUDIANTES TRANSGÉNERO USAR SUS NOMBRES CORRECTOS: La Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú está permitiendo a estudiantes transgénero usar el nombre que corresponde con su identidad de género en los documentos internos. Más de ElComercio.

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

The Hollywood Reporter shares a heartwarming speech by the stars of TLC’s ‘Nate & Jeremiah’; NewNowNext reviews a play about the declassification of homosexuality as a mental illness; HuffPost interviews transgender advocate Billie Lee (@ItsMeBillieLee) on visibility on reality television; Teen Vogue shares an oped about how, when politicians bully Americans, it worsens bullying in schools

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-march-20-2018?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

For This Black Woman, ‘A Wrinkle in Time Got It Right,’ Including the Hair

Ava DuVernay’s film isn’t just a movie to Dalila Ali Rajah; it’s a catharsis.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2018/3/20/black-woman-wrinkle-time-got-it-right-including-hair

The World’s Last Male Northern White Rhino Dies

It is with great sadness that Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the Dvůr Králové Zoo announce that Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, age 45, died at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on March 19th, 2018 (yesterday). #SudanForever #TheLoneBachelorGone #Only2Left pic.twitter.com/1ncvmjZTy1

— Ol Pejeta (@OlPejeta) March 20, 2018

The last male northern white rhino has died at a conservancy in Kenya, leaving just two females in the world as the subspecies faces extinction. Sudan, aged 45, died following a recent bout of age-related illness including an infection in one of his legs. Soon, Sudan’s illness left him unbale to stand, with a veterinarian team…

The post The World’s Last Male Northern White Rhino Dies appeared first on Towleroad.

www.towleroad.com/2018/03/northern-white-rhino-dies/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+towleroad%2Ffeed+%28Towleroad+Gay+News+%29

HRC Observes National Native HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

March 20 is National Native HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, when we recognize the impact that the HIV and AIDS epidemic has had on Indigenous communities throughout our country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Native community had the fifth highest rate of HIV diagnoses in the U.S. in 2015 — higher than both Asian and white communities. Furthermore, gay and bisexual men accounted for 79 percent of HIV diagnoses among Native individuals.

As with most communities affected by HIV, stigma, substance abuse and limited access to culturally-appropriate programs and services contribute to increased HIV risk within Native communities.  

Today, we recognize Elton Naswood and Michelle Enfield, two Native activists working for better access to preventative and maintenance care for Native individuals living with and affected by HIV and AIDS in the U.S.

Elton Naswood

Elton Naswood is a national advocate who has extensive experience in providing resources and capacity-building assistance to Native agencies to enhance HIV testing, link people to care and provide education on life-saving PrEP.

“Stigma continues to be a prominent challenge in our Native communities. It is still believed that HIV doesn’t exist in our reservations and/or villages —  that it’s a gay man’s disease, and that we are not at risk for HIV because we have medications now. We continue to face additional challenges such as substance use, poverty and limited access to adequate health care.”

My Call-to-Action:

“We need to continue to educate ourselves to protect our future generations. We cannot have this disease further compromise our survival as Indigenous People, our culture, our traditions and cause us to continue to lose our relatives. We need to become educated and access new prevention medications, including PrEP. We need to also utilize our cultural strengths and traditions as its own prevention strategy in order to get tested and know our HIV status.”

Michelle Enfield

Michelle Enfield is the Program Coordinator of Special Initiatives at APLA Health in Los Angeles. She manages The Red Circle Project, which is Los Angeles County’s only HIV prevention program targeting the Indigenous gay, two spirit and transgender communities. The program also offers a platform for participants to share their personal and cultural experiences with HIV and AIDS education as a common thread.  

“The biggest challenge anyone faces, including the Native/Indigenous community, is their own fear. Fear of getting tested, fear of being affiliated with ‘homosexuality’; and fear of medical services that were once used to oppress.”

My Call-to-Action:

“Be adventurous and dive into topics of discussion that you haven’t been a part of before. The world is changing, we’re all getting older, so why not add some new information to your database? This will allow you to hold conversations with new leaders within your family that will assist in connecting with them on a more profound level. And to our young leaders — be queer! … By definition, queer is anything that falls out of what is considered normal and that can include challenging the system so that equity is served!”

For more information on HRC Foundation’s work to end HIV and HIV-related stigma, please click here.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-observes-national-native-hiv-aids-awareness-day?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Game Changers: Women You Should Knnow

Here’s a suggestion for mandated inclusion of LGBT subjects in public school social studies and history curricula.

www.advocate.com/books/2018/3/20/game-changers-women-you-should-knnow