The GLAAD Wrap: ‘Birds of Prey’ in theaters, new music from Trixie Mattel; Taylor Bennett; and more!

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-wrap-birds-prey-theaters-new-music-trixie-mattel-taylor-bennett-and-more

His super hot doctor just hit him up on Grindr… now what?!

A 29-year-old gay man says he’s caught between a rock and a hard place. After years of looking for a good primary care provider, he finally found one. There’s just one teensy tiny problem. They’re sexually attracted to each other! So he’s seeking wisdom from Stoya and Rich Juzwiak over at Slate.

“I have been searching forever for a primary care provider that would listen to me and actually care about my health,” the man writes. “I finally found one in Dr. Cee. Dr. Cee is gay, a little older than me, and a total babe!”

Finding a good PCP as a gay man can be a real challenge, so it’s great this guy found one who he trusts and who understands his unique medical needs.

But then something kinda strange and unexpected happened after his last visit.

The man writes: “He hugged me at the end. I didn’t think anything of it until later that week, I saw him on Grindr. I didn’t look at his profile, but he had a face pic and I could tell from the thumbnail that it was him.”

Much to his surprise, Dr. Cee messaged him.

“Things got hot and heavy via chat,” the man writes. “Now I want to hook up with him, but I also don’t want to lose my AMAZING PCP.”

He wonders: “Can I sleep with my doctor and still have him be my doctor? Or have things already been ruined in a professional sense, and now I should just see him outside the office?”

In their response, both Stoya and Juzwiak agree that a doctor approaching a patient on a sex app crosses a line.

“The American Medical Association says this is strictly unethical,” Juzwiak says, citing chapter nine of the AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics, which states:

Romantic or sexual interactions between physicians and patients that occur concurrently with the patient physician relationship are unethical. Such interactions detract from the goals of the patient-physician relationship and may exploit the vulnerability of the patient, compromise the physician’s ability to make objective judgments about the patient’s health care, and ultimately be detrimental to the patient’s well-being.

Adds Stoya, “So maybe this PCP isn’t as amazing as he seems.”

“That said, I do think this is potentially less worrisome in a gay arrangement, if only because the power dynamic isn’t quite as severe in a patriarchical society as man-woman,” Juzwiak counters. “Generally speaking, men aren’t targeted like women are in a predatory way, so I do think it’s possible to emerge from this situation unscathed. But I’m not endorsing it.”

To which Stoya adds, “To be direct: Please don’t do this.”

“Right,” confirms Juzwiak. “Not necessarily a catastrophe in the making, but unwise and worrisome on the part of the doctor.”

Both think the guy should find a new primary care since “a line has been crossed.”

“If one must be picked,” says Juwiak, “I’d say pursue romance. But one is the max here—can’t do both.”

What do you think this guy should do? Share your thoughts in the comment section below…

www.queerty.com/super-hot-doctor-just-hit-grindr-now-20200207?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Florida GOP Speaker Dismisses Proposal to Ban LGBT Discrimination: ‘This is Not a Major Problem’

A proposal to ban LGBT discrimination in Florida is effectively dead.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the bipartisan Florida Competitive Workforce Act has not had a hearing, and is unlikely to receive a vote in the 2020 session:

One obstacle standing in its way is House Speaker José Oliva, who fears that prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace could lead to a flood of litigation.

A person’s sexual orientation isn’t evident like it is for race or gender, presenting a challenge for employers, he said.

“It is very possible that an employer does not know of a person’s sexual orientation,” said Oliva, R-Miami Lakes. “Then you could get in an event where somebody could lose their job and then they might claim it is based on something that somebody did not know to begin with.”

He doesn’t see a need for legislative action.

“This is not a major problem throughout Florida,” Oliva said. “Florida is a tremendously inclusive, immensely diverse state.”

Oliva’s statement contradicts the findings of a 2017 study from UCLA’s Williams Institute, which found widespread LGBT discrimination in the Sunshine State.

“Florida’s legal landscape and social climate contribute to an environment in which LGBT adults experience stigma and discrimination in employment and other areas, and LGBT youth experience bullying in schools and family rejection,” the study’s authors concluded. “Such experiences have a negative impact on LGBT individuals in terms of health and economic stability, which in turn have economic consequences for the state. If Florida were to take steps toward a more supportive legal landscape and social climate, the state’s economy would likely benefit.”

Meanwhile, some GOP lawmakers in Florida are working to roll back local LGBT protections, according to a Jan. 28 report from Equality Florida:

Today Florida Legislators advanced a bill which would have dangerous effects on local LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections in employment across the state. Despite strong opposition from Equality Florida and advocates, the Florida House Subcommittee on Local, Federal, and Veterans Affairs voted 10-5 on a party line to move State Representative Bob Rommel’s HB 305 to its final committee. As filed, the bill would roll back local LGBTQ protections that currently cover nearly 60% of the state’s population. …

“Lawmakers should oppose HB 305 and instead pass the broadly supported, bipartisan-led Florida Competitive Workforce Act to establish statewide nondiscrimination protections. This is one of the most co-sponsored bills year after year. It is time for leadership to bring this legislation to the floor and for the Governor to sign it into law. Everyone should be able to earn a living, including the LGBTQ community.”

In related news, Speaker Oliva is downplaying a recent controversy over LGBT discrimination by private schools that receive taxpayer funding through a state voucher program, calling it “scare tactics.” After an Orlando Sentinel investigation exposed the discrimination, two of the nation’s largest banks ended their financial support for the voucher program.

“The one thing that we are not going to do is have a situation where children who now finally have [a] great opportunity are now going to be ripped from those schools,” Oliva said this week. “What is happening in this situation, is that a few at the Orlando Sentinel have always taken issue with programs that are proven to continually increase the lives of poor and minority children, and are using this angle as nothing more than a ruse to create scare tactics and trample on the constitutional rights we all enjoy — the freedom of religion, and the freedom of speech.”

The post Florida GOP Speaker Dismisses Proposal to Ban LGBT Discrimination: ‘This is Not a Major Problem’ appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Florida GOP Speaker Dismisses Proposal to Ban LGBT Discrimination: ‘This is Not a Major Problem’

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: February 7, 2020

HISTORY — VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE ADVANCES CRITICAL PROTECTIONS TO LGBTQ VIRGINIANS: The bill will grant non-discrimination protections to Virginians on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and several other characteristics. The legislation must now go through a few more procedural votes before heading to the governor’s desk. “Today, history was made in Virginia, and LGBTQ Virginians are one step closer to being protected from discrimination. No one should be discriminated against simply because of who they are or whom they love,” said HRC President Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid). “This day would not have been possible without the years and years of tireless work from advocates across the commonwealth, or the voters in Virginia who filled the halls of the General Assembly with pro-equality champions who fulfilled their promises.” More from HRC, Washington Blade, The Hill, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

• HRC joined its partners and pro-equality lawmakers in Richmond to celebrate this history-making legislation. Watch here.

History made in Virginia as the legislature advances the Virginia Values Act, extending long delayed non-discrimination protections to LGBTQ people and other protected classes. #VALeg t.co/C3pWIudWE9

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) February 6, 2020

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY — HRC ON THE GROUND IN RICHMOND FOR THIS HISTORIC EVENT:

.@HRC is proud to be on the ground in Richmond to celebrate the passage of the Virginia Values Act through both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly.

After years of legislative stalemates, this bill will finally grant non-discrimination protections to Virginians. pic.twitter.com/gQzjFqt49c

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 6, 2020

ADVOCATES PLAN RALLY TO OPPOSE TRANSPHOBIC BILLS IN SOUTH DAKOTA: More from KELO.

MORE THAN 200 ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS INTRODUCED IN STATE LEGISLATURES: Julie Moreau (@JEMoreau) breaks down this onslaught of anti-LGBTQ bills, which overwhelmingly attack the most vulnerable LGBTQ Americans — including transgender youth. More from NBC.

ARCHITECT OF OBAMA’S HIV POLICY CALLS OUT TRUMP-PENCE FOR DANGEROUS RECORD ON HIV AND AIDS: Despite a disturbing record on HIV and AIDS, the Trump-Pence administration announced an initiative to end HIV transmission in the United States by 2030 one year ago. Take an inside look at how the administration and its policies are undermining that objective from Greg Millett in The Hill.

TODAY IS NATIONAL BLACK HIV & AIDS AWARENESS DAY: This evening, HRC will host a discussion focusing on HIV and AIDS in the Black community. If you are a member of the press interested in attending, please contact [email protected].  More from HRC.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

COCA-COLA TAKES OUT PRO-EQUALITY ADS IN NEWSPAPERS ACROSS SWITZERLAND: More from PinkNews.

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

Metro Weekly reviews artist and HRC staffer Laya Monarez’s (@layamonarez) incredible art exhibit, which opened last week at the DC LGBTQ Center; Pink News interviews a couple from Belfast that plans to make history as one of the first same-sex couples to wed in Northern Ireland; NewNowNext interviews trans actor Scott Turner Schofield (@turnerschofield) about his role on the show ‘Studio City’

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!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-february-7-2020?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed