Carly Rae Jepsen, The Arctic, Antoni Porowski, Kamala Harris, George and Amal Clooney, SPLC, Ben Affleck: HOT LINKS

Carly Rae Jepsen, The Arctic, Antoni Porowski, Kamala Harris, George and Amal Clooney, SPLC, Ben Affleck: HOT LINKS

KAMALA HARRIS. On Mike Pence: “I disagree with most of what the vice president stands for when he makes decisions about our LGBTQ community in a way that doesn’t understand they should be entitled to full equality and rights under the law as any other American. I disagree with him when he suggests it’s not possible to have meetings with women alone by himself. I think that’s ridiculous — the idea that you would deny a professional woman the opportunity to have a meeting with the vice president of the United States is outrageous.”

RICK GATES. Mueller postpones sentencing due to ” several ongoing investigations.”

BETO O’ROURKE. Former teenage hacker: “Members of the group have protected O’Rourke’s secret for decades, reluctant to compromise his political viability. Now, in a series of interviews, CDC members have acknowledged O’Rourke as one of their own. In all, more than a dozen members of the group agreed to be named for the first time in a book about the hacking group by this reporter that is scheduled to be published in June by Public Affairs. O’Rourke was interviewed early in his run for the Senate.”

CORY BOOKER. Is dating Rosario Dawson: “It didn’t take much prodding before Dawson said it was true and began gushing over her man, calling him an amazing human being and saying their relationship is a wonderful thing.”

AS PREDICTED. Tumblr lost more than 100 million views since instituting draconian porn policy. “According to data from web analytics firm SimilarWeb, Tumblr’s problems started, predictably, with its adult content ban. In December, it was flying high, with approximately 521 million pageviews that month. 30 days later, that had dropped to just 437 million.”

CLOONEY FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE. George and Amal Clooney put  women, children, LGBTQ people, religious minorities and journalists as focus of their international charity.

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL. Trump’s rhetoric a factor in New Zealand massacre. “Words have consequences like saying we have an invasion on our border and talking about people as though they were different in some fatal way. I think that the public discourse from the president on down is a factor in some of these actions.”

THINGS ARE COOKING. For Antoni Porowski’s cookbook.

VARSITY BLUES. Lori Loughlin fired from all Hallmark Channel projects.

USC. Gay athletic director fired after being indicted in Varsity Blues college admission scandal: “The university on Tuesday fired senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel, one of the leaders of USC’s LGBT Athletic committee, along with a long-serving coach, following the announcement of the indictments, according to the Los Angeles Times.The FBI arrested Heinel and USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic earlier on Tuesday. Heinel had been in charge of USC’s athlete admissions for more than a decade and reportedly worked closely with several of the indicted current and former Trojans coaches.”

TERMINATION. Southern Poverty Law Center fires chief litigator Morris Dees: “Dees, 82, was terminated on Wednesday after he failed to meet the organization’s standards, said Richard Cohen, the president of the Montgomery, Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), in a statement.”

INEVITABLE. The arctic is warming at an extreme rate: “Winter temperatures at the north pole are likely to rise by at least 3C above pre-industrial levels by mid-century, and there could be further rises to between 5C and 9C above the recent average for the region, according to the UN.”

ON THE RAG. This week on the gay magazines.

PHOENIX RISING (FROM THE ASS). Ben Affleck loves his massive back tattoo.

KARAMO BROWN. Excited to go back to the Trump White House: ‘In the past three months, I’ve worked with President Barack Obama twice. I visited the Trump White House [last year] and I met with Karen Pence’s chief of staff with Creative Coalition [an arts advocacy nonprofit]. I’m actually excited to go back to the Trump White House, because even though I didn’t vote for them, I think it’s important for us to find a space where we can talk to those who are different from us. That’s what we do on “Queer Eye.”’

TRAILER OF THE DAY. Booksmart.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY. Carly Rae Jepsen “Now That I Found You”.

FRIDAY FACE. Arnaud Valois by Julien Mignot.

The post Carly Rae Jepsen, The Arctic, Antoni Porowski, Kamala Harris, George and Amal Clooney, SPLC, Ben Affleck: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Carly Rae Jepsen, The Arctic, Antoni Porowski, Kamala Harris, George and Amal Clooney, SPLC, Ben Affleck: HOT LINKS

Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo Debate Whether Kellyanne Conway Should Be Allowed on CNN: ‘It’s Below the Dignity of This Network’ — WATCH

Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo Debate Whether Kellyanne Conway Should Be Allowed on CNN: ‘It’s Below the Dignity of This Network’ — WATCH

CNN anchor Don Lemon told fellow anchor Chris Cuomo that he doesn’t think it’s appropriate to allow Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway on the network to spew her lies.

Said Lemon: “She never answers a question. She berates you. She’s condescending. She uses our network to give her talking points. For me it feels beneath the dignity of this network to have someone on who just constantly lies and misconstrues things. And I feel like having someone on like that is giving them a platform that they have not earned.”

“If I held that standard I’d have very few people on the show,” Cuomo argued. “If you are going to limit who you have on the show to the people who only answer the questions and are truthful, you are going to be alone a lot of the time. Here’s what I think. She’s the president’s first choice for his defense. I believe he gets that right. That if this is who you put out to defend you, fine.”

The post Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo Debate Whether Kellyanne Conway Should Be Allowed on CNN: ‘It’s Below the Dignity of This Network’ — WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo Debate Whether Kellyanne Conway Should Be Allowed on CNN: ‘It’s Below the Dignity of This Network’ — WATCH

Sam Smith Speaks Out About Being Nonbinary, Genderqueer, Says He’s Considered a Sex Change: WATCH

Sam Smith Speaks Out About Being Nonbinary, Genderqueer, Says He’s Considered a Sex Change: WATCH

British singer-songwriter Sam Smith sat down with Jameela Jamil for the premier episode of I Weigh Interviews, for a fascinating interview about body image, in which he talked about his body image and said that he identifies as nonbinary.

Smith talked about his body issues, something he talked about recently in a widely-shared post on Instagram, and the shame he feels when he removes his shirt and he isn’t as fit as everyone else.

He said the issues began as a teen when he discovered that he had more estrogen in his chest: “I fully had breasts, and I had liposuction. I was 12. It didn’t really change anything. I think I put the weight back on in two weeks. I hadn’t figured out my relationship with food. Being 12 years old and having liposuction was a big deal. It was the basis of all my teasing…I had some horrible situations in school with guys. A guy grabbed my chest once and played around with it in front of all of his friends.”

Smith, who grew up in a small village, said that at age 16 he stopped wearing boys’ clothes and wore full make-up to school every day.

“I turned into the gay clown, basically,” he said. “I owned it.”

Smith explained that a paparazzi photo prompted him to lose a large amount of weight in recent years. He says a photo appeared of him diving off some rocks in Australia and he felt shamed by it.

Smith’s discussion about his body issues moved into one about gender and sexuality, and he said that he identifies as nonbinary.

Said Smith: “I’ve always had a bit of a war in my body and my mind [about how to define myself]…I do think like a woman in my head at times. I’ve sometimes sat there and questioned, do I want a sex change? It’s something I still think about, but I don’t think it is.”

Smith has talked about this before. In October 2017 he said, “I don’t know what the title would be, but I feel just as much woman as I am man.”

Smith explained: “Nonbinary genderqueer means you do not identify in a gender. You are just you…you are your own special creation. That is how I take it. I’m not male or female. I think I float somewhere in between — somewhat on the spectrum.”

“Maybe I’m not a man. Maybe I’m not a woman. Maybe I’m just me. And that’s okay.”

“I think the same in sexuality,” he added. “I’ve been with too many straight men to know that not everyone who says they’re straight are fully straight. You can sometimes like doing a bit of this here and a bit of that there. You fall in love with people, not genitals. I’ve always been very free in terms of thinking about sexuality. I’ve tried to change that into my thoughts on gender.”

“Maybe I’m not a man. Maybe I’m not a woman. Maybe I’m just me. And that’s okay,” he continued.

Smith also talked about fame, and said that the things you have to sacrifice make it not worth it: “If I had the chance to do this all again, I would not do this….I can’t cheer up about it. I’m very lucky. I have money now….Part of my life died. No one treats me the same, ever. The things I go through every day are different.”

The post Sam Smith Speaks Out About Being Nonbinary, Genderqueer, Says He’s Considered a Sex Change: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Sam Smith Speaks Out About Being Nonbinary, Genderqueer, Says He’s Considered a Sex Change: WATCH

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 15, 2019

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 15, 2019

HRC MOURNS VICTIMS IN TRAGIC MOSQUE SHOOTINGS IN CHRISTCHURCH: Statement from HRC President Chad Griffin

“We are heartbroken and outraged by this terrorist attack on Muslims in places of worship, and we mourn for the victims and their families. Hate violence against Muslims is a global epidemic, fueled by the toxic combination of Islamophobia and xenophobia that has led to tragedies here in the United States and in nations around the world. While in these moments, only the attackers are directly responsible, there is a broader climate of hate that encourages and inspires deadly extremism such as this. We call on politicians who traffic in dangerous anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hate speech, including Donald Trump, to immediately stop the fear-mongering and divisive politics that can have deadly consequences. Now is a time to be united against hate — not engage in the ‘both sides’ rhetoric that only serves to legitimize extremists.”

Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) continued, “On this day, and every day, we join in solidarity with the Muslim community, including LGBTQ Muslims, to honor the victims of hate-fueled violence with action and to combat hate and bigotry in all of its forms.” More from HRC.

  • Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) (@SenAmyKlobuchar), who joined Griffin this morning at HRC’s annual Equality Convention in Washington, D.C., said: “For me this is just another moment where we should be standing up against hate … But we should also be standing up for the Muslim community.”
  • Also this morning at the Convention, which draws hundreds of HRC volunteers, members and leaders from across the nation, The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) led an emotional discussion with U.S. Representatives Sharice Davids (D-KS) (@RepDavids), Susie Lee (D-NV) (@RepSusieLee) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) (@RepChrisPappas) on the rise of hate and crimes targeting the Muslim community, communities of color and the LGBTQ community.

This morning @HRC President @ChadHGriffin called on @realDonaldTrump to end his trafficking in dangerous anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant hate speech. Fear-mongering & divisive politics can have deadly consequences. #NewZealandMosqueShooting #UnitedAgainstHate t.co/D0zf4pxcK1 pic.twitter.com/3z9A4C80GC

— Stephen Peters (@stephenpeters2) March 15, 2019

“A STAIN ON OUR COUNTRY” — FORMER SECRETARY OF THE NAVY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST TRUMP-PENCE’S TRANSGENDER TROOP BAN: Ray Mabus says that the ban “tells our children that merit has no place, while prejudice does.” More here.              

Ray Mabus served as Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2016 — the longest tenure as leader of the Navy and Marine Corps since World War I. t.co/csjTaTcsLc

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 14, 2019

MAKING HISTORY — SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR APPOINTS FIRST LGBTQ FIRE CHIEF: Jeanine Nicholson, a 25-year veteran in the department, is also only the second woman to hold the position. More from NBC.

FEEL-GOOD FRIDAY: #HRCONTHEHILL — HUNDREDS OF HRC VOLUNTEERS AND MEMBERS ADVOCATE FOR LGBTQ EQUALITY ON CAPITOL HILL: More from HRC.

.@HRC‘s Lobby Day is in full swing. Coming off yesterday’s introduction of the #EqualityAct, 300+ volunteers from around the country are fanning out across Capitol Hill to advocate for LGBTQ equality. So proud of this team. pic.twitter.com/sRXeXg1R1j

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) March 14, 2019

“QUEER PEOPLE NEED ACCESS TO ABORTIONS, TOO”: Reclaiming February and March as Black Bi Women’s History and Health months, National LGBTQ Task Force’s Candace Bond-Theriault (@attorney_bond) writes about how “in the conversations about reproductive rights, the needs of LGBTQ+ people are often erased despite the fact that we face even greater barriers to getting the reproductive health care we need.” More from Out.

“For far too long, cishet, white, middle-to-upper class women have been centered in the fight for abortion and reproductive rights,” writes @attorney_bond.

“We must end that. It’s time to make access a reality for all of us.” t.co/KWnKDljxGD

— Out Magazine (@outmagazine) March 13, 2019

LGBTQ AND WRITERS OF COLOR STILL FACE DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT: Read more from The New York Times.

ATLANTA MAYOR CREATES POSITION TO ADVOCATE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND AIDS: More from Project Q Atlanta.

STATEHOUSE ROUNDUP

  • The Maryland House this week approved legislation allowing an ‘X’ gender marker option on personal identification documents. The bill heads to Governor Larry Hogan for consideration. More from the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Illinois House approved a measure requiring public schools to update their curriculum to include LGBTQ history. The bill now heads to the state Senate. More from Illinois News Network.
  • An Ohio Senate panel reviews proposed legislation that would update the state’s nondiscrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity. More from Dispatch.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

STATE DEPARTMENT RELEASES ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT: The report notes occurrences of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but for the second year in a row, has refused to report on women’s sexual and reproductive rights as human rights. More from our partners at the Council for Global Equality.

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

WAMU features a touching story of Alexander Flores Olivas, one of the 15 LGBTQ migrants from Central America seeking asylum in the District; The Washington Blade honors the late Nancy Ruth David, a cryptographer, travel writer and LGBTQ activist; Variety announces that Netflix’s One Day at a Time (@OneDayAtATime) will be canceled after its third season

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

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