On the Campaign Trail in Charlotte With Hillary Clinton

Submitted by: Brittany Desgeges, Field Organizer for TurnOUT North Carolina

As a field organizer for TurnOUT NC, I have been working to elect pro-equality candidates in the Charlotte area who will appear on the ballot with Secretary Clinton. This week, I was so excited to have the opportunity to hear Clinton speak in person about her plans for our country.

Canvassing alongside local candidates like Chaz Beasley for NC House District 92 and state Sen. Jeff Jackson has heightened my enthusiasm for electing candidates willing to repeal HB2. I was so proud to see state Sen. Jackson hit the stage and get the crowd hyped up before Clinton’s entrance.

Among the sea of “Stronger Together” signs, I stood directly in front of Clinton’s podium among a group of HRC leaders from Charlotte, including Dan Mauney and Jay Biles. Multiple people walked up to our group to ask if they could take pictures of us wearing our #turnOUT shirts. The overwhelming amount of support that I felt from complete strangers was awesome and made all of the work we’ve been doing for the election even more worth it.

With the hit that our state has taken both socially and economically as a result of our current elected leaders like Gov. Pat McCrory and the discriminatory legislation he helped pass in HB2, I appreciated how Clinton made a point to highlight the work of local leaders like Rev. Barber from the NC NAACP, and U.S. Senate candidate Deborah Ross, as well as Ross’s plans to get our state back on the right track. Clinton also had a strong get-out-the-vote message and encouraged people to make their voices heard by heading to the polls and voting early.

As a young woman of color, I realize that the stakes are extremely high in this election and will greatly influence the way we define ourselves as a nation. I believe that our country needs a commander-in-chief who has experience in the political realm, who believes that our nation prospers when the economy works best for everyone, not just those at the top. We need someone who wants to make America a country that gives everyone the opportunity to live up to their potential, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion. We need someone who recognizes that we really are stronger when we come together, not when we divide ourselves by inspiring fear and spreading hate. That person is Hillary Clinton, and that’s why I’m working to #turnOUT the vote for her, alongside other pro-equality candidates.

Today, there are an estimated 255,824 LGBTQ adults living in North Carolina — a substantial population given that the state was won in the last three presidential elections by an average of 180,500 votes. Nearly 90,000 LGBTQ adults live in the Charlotte Metro Area alone. The LGBTQ voting bloc in North Carolina will play a pivotal role in the presidential, gubernatorial and other down ballot races.

Click here to sign up to volunteer at our Charlotte or Raleigh offices. If you have questions about HRC’s work in North Carolina to #turnOUT voters, please contact HRC Associate Regional Field Director Ryan Wilson at [email protected].

www.hrc.org/blog/on-the-campaign-trail-in-charlotte-with-hillary-clinton?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Apparently It’s Never Too Early For A Ludicrously Cute, Gay-Themed Holiday Ad

Hey you: drop that plastic Jack O’Lantern and stop dutifully squeezing into your super-sexy, skintight Superman costume. It’s officially time to start thinking of jingle bells, sleigh rides, and cozy gay couples getting paralyzingly cute, as befits the Yuletide season.

Related: Nordstrom Wins The Holidays With Beautiful Commercial About Gay Couple And Their Dog

Hallmark has wasted no time in zapping Facebook with perhaps the very first gay-themed holiday ad, and it pours the adorability on quite heavily. The only way you’d have any problem with this advertisement is if you have a cold lump of black coal where your heart should be.

Watch:

www.queerty.com/apparently-never-early-ludicrously-cute-gay-themed-holiday-ad-20161027?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Gay News Anchor Has the Best Possible Pun About Victoria Secret’s ‘Fantasy Bra’ – WATCH

News anchor Blaine Stewart of WKTR 3 News in Virginia left his co-anchor in stitches with a two-part retort about Victoria Secret’s so-called ‘fantasy bra.’

Each year as part of its annual televised ‘fashion show’ Victoria Secret unveils a bra crafted from expensive gems that’s worth millions of dollars. A bra fit for Marie Antoinette, you could say.

This year’s fantasy bra is called “Bright Nights Fantasy” (because they have names) and is valued at $3 million. 

RELATED: These Are the Funniest Presidential News Bloopers Ever – WATCH

Reporting on the bra on Thursday, Stewart retorted, “For most guys a fantasy bra is one they can actually unhook.”

And in case that joke seems cut and dry and, well, very ‘straight’, Stewart then chimed in with, “Trust me, I wouldn’t know.” Stewart is openly gay and reportedly a former member of the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Journalists.

That last quip sent his co-anchor even further into a fit of laughter. “You can’t say stuff like that and expect me to read what’s on the TV screen!” she exclaimed.

Watch, below.

The post Gay News Anchor Has the Best Possible Pun About Victoria Secret’s ‘Fantasy Bra’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: October 27, 2016

COUNTDOWN and #turnOUT: 12 days until Election Day and more than 7.3 million Americans have already voted. In battleground states including Nevada, registered Democrats are turning out in higher numbers — crucial numbers for pro-equality candidates like Hillary Clinton and Catherine Cortez Masto. In Nevada, there are an estimated 81,300 LGBTQ voters in a state where the last three presidential elections were won by an average of 69,730 votes.

BREAKING – BLOOMBERG REPORTS TRUMP CAMPAIGN ENGAGING IN VOTER SUPPRESSION: In a blockbuster story this morning, Bloomberg’s Sasha Issenberg (@sissenberg) and Joshua Green (@Joshua Green) report that a senior official with Donald Trump’s campaign reveals that his team is actively working to suppress voter participation in the presidential election. “We have three major voter suppression operations under way,” the senior official told Bloomberg, aimed at three groups Hillary Clinton needs to win: idealistic white liberals, young women, and African Americans. How surprising – instead of trying to attract voters with a compelling, positive message like Hillary Clinton, Trump “has devised another strategy, which, not surprisingly, is negative.” Read more here.

USAID TO PROHIBIT ANTI-LGBTQ DISCRIMINATION IN ALL CONTRACTS: Yesterday, in remarks at an event hosted by HRC, American University and Human Rights First, Ambassador Susan Rice announced that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has finalized a new rule prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination in all of its contractors’ services. She revealed the policy during a speech focusing on the Obama Administration’s legacy and leadership on promoting and protecting LGBTQ human rights around the world . USAID provides nearly $16 billion in foreign aid annually in more than 100 countries. This policy will be written into all USAID contracts. Unfortunately, it does not include grantees, also major recipients of USAID funds; and doesn’t cover employment decisions by USAID contractors and grantees working on projects around the world ranging from food security to education. Read HRC’s report on the new policy. Read more about Ambassador Rice’s speech from Newsweek and The Associated Press.

“From his earliest days in office, @POTUS…worked to strengthen LGBTQ rights at home & promote them abroad”-@AmbassadorRice #globalequality pic.twitter.com/yzwDY1hTMy

— WH National Security (@NSC44) October 26, 2016

SIXTY-SIX REASONS NOT TO VOTE FOR PAT MCCRORY: From his anti-LGBTQ HB2 law, to his positions on women’s health, Medicaid, education, and the environment — not to mention his support for Donald Trump — there are myriad powerful reasons for North Carolinians to vote Governor Pat McCrory out of office. In one of the most thorough lists we’ve seen arguing that voters #turnOUT for Roy Cooper on November 8, IndyWeek’s Paul Blest (@PBlest) rounds up 66 reasons McCrory must go. And illustrator Shan Stumpf gave us our new Halloween costume idea: “Zombie McCrory”. Check it out here.

• HB2 is bad for business: Ashley Christensen, an influential North Carolinian chef with seven restaurants in the state, comes out against HB2 in an op-ed for Eater.

JASON COLLINS, FTW: Jason Collins(@JasonCollins98), the first openly gay NBA player, delivered an important video message yesterday: In key states, the number of LGBTQ voters alone exceeds the average margin of victory over the last three presidential cycles. Our community has the power to decide this election and we’ve got to #turnOUT for Hillary Clinton and pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot. Watch it here.

.@jasoncollins98, the first openly gay @NBA player has a message: The LGBTQ community has the power to decide this election. Let’s #turnOUT! pic.twitter.com/ersewZH1e9

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) October 26, 2016

THROWBACK THURSDAY: On October 30, 2009, President Obama lifted a 22-year ban on people living with HIV from entering the U.S., calling the policy “rooted in fear rather than fact.” This was a momentous event in the ongoing quest to destigmatize HIV. For more on HIV and AIDS, including more of what the Obama administration has done to address the epidemic within the LGBTQ community, visit HRC.

HRC ENDORSES JOHN GREGG FOR IND. GOVERNOR OVER “MINI-PENCE” OPPONENT: HRC endorsed John Gregg for Governor of Indiana and Christina Hale for Lieutenant Governor. The governor’s office is being vacated by Mike Pence, who became a national disgrace for his shameful “license to discriminate” bill that could have allowed businesses to deny service to LGBTQ people. Following in Pence’s anti-equality footsteps, Gregg’s opponent, Eric Holcomb, has refused to support LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections during the campaign — despite the outcry from the business community and a majority of Hoosiers who opposed Pence’s discriminatory bill.

HRC JOINS RESOLUTION ON INTERSEX AWARENESS DAY: Yesterday was Intersex Awareness Day, which commemorates the first demonstration by intersex people in North America.  On this day organizations across the globe, including HRC,  partner together to raise the visibility of the intersex community.  This year HRC partnered with interACT on a resolution calling for the recognition of intersex human rights. More from HRC.

READING RAINBOW

BBC surveyed sports fans about how they would feel about openly-LGBTQ players… DeRay Mckesson (@DeRay) endorses Hillary Clinton in an Washington Post op-ed… CNN profiles Ricardo Rosas, an openly gay Mormon advocate working to bring equality to the faith…

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

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-october-27-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

GLAAD launches #MyMississippi campaign to spotlight LGBTQ voices

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-launches-mymississippi-campaign-spotlight-lgbtq-voices

Founder Of Scruff Recalls Severe Antigay Bullying In High School

Who’d have guessed — the founder of Scruff is just like all of us, in that he had a rough time growing up and was mercilessly teased.

It’s tempting to think “oh, I was such a unique outcast as a kid,” but the truth is that all people are outcasts, no more so when they are teenagers. In the case of Scruff founder Johnny Skandros, high school classmates gave him the usual business: harassment, an occasional fight, teachers turning a blind eye.

That’s not to say that this stuff should just be common or accepted. Of course there should be programs in place to prevent it. But teenagers are ruthless horny monsters, and if they’re not torturing each other about one aspect of sexuality they’ll find another.

Johnny reflects back on his difficult teen years in a new interview, and also reveals that his mother raised him herself because his father drifted away. Apparently his dad resented that being pregnant changed his mom’s figure… evidence that some people never grow out of being horrible.

When he came out to his mom at age 15, she was encouraging, and eventually he met friends who welcomed him, including another gay student. That kid had the honor of having a cigarette put out on his face at one point — some truly terrible treatment.

But it was in his early 30s that Johnny started looking for a way to help the gay community make connection, and that’s when Scruff was born. Once the victim of discrimination, now he’s a bridge for gay guys to connect. And also, to filter each other by race.

www.queerty.com/founder-scruff-recalls-severe-antigay-bullying-high-school-20161027?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Two-Thirds of World’s Wildlife to Vanish by 2020, Says Dire New Report

A new report from the World Wildlife Fund presents some grim numbers: we’re set to lose two-thirds of the world’s wildlife population by 2020 unless something is done.

The Guardian reports:

The analysis, the most comprehensive to date, indicates that animal populations plummeted by 58% between 1970 and 2012, with losses on track to reach 67% by 2020. Researchers from WWF and the Zoological Society of London compiled the report from scientific data and found that the destruction of wild habitats, hunting and pollution were to blame.

The creatures being lost range from mountains to forests to rivers and the seas and include well-known endangered species such as elephants and gorillas and lesser known creatures such as vultures and salamanders.

We’re in a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene, says the report’s summary:

During the Anthropocene, the climate is changing rapidly, oceans are acidifying and entire biomes are disappearing – all at a rate measurable during a single human lifetime. The future of many living organisms is now in question. And not only wild plants and animals are at risk: increasingly, people are victims of the deteriorating state of nature. Climate and other predictive models suggest that without action during the Anthropocene the Earth will become much less hospitable to our modern globalized society.

Given our current trajectory toward the unacceptable conditions that are predicted for the Anthropocene, there is a clear challenge for humanity to learn how to operate within the environmental limits of our planet and to maintain or restore resilience of ecosystems. Our central role as driving force into the Anthropocene also gives reason for hope. Not only do we recognize the changes that are taking place and the risks they are generating for nature and society, we also understand their causes. These are the first steps to identifying solutions for restoring the ecosystems we depend upon and creating resilient and hospitable places for wildlife and people. Acting upon this knowledge will enable us to navigate our way through the Anthropocene.

The post Two-Thirds of World’s Wildlife to Vanish by 2020, Says Dire New Report appeared first on Towleroad.

Two-Thirds of World’s Wildlife to Vanish by 2020, Says Dire New Report

Bullying Prevention Film Streaming for National Bullying Prevention Month

Post submitted by: Charles Girard, Welcoming Schools Project Coordinator

In honor of National Bullying Month, HRC’s Welcoming Schools is streaming for free, What Can We Do? Bias, Bullying, and Bystanders. The film, which was produced by Welcoming Schools, spotlights teachers using Welcoming Schools’ lesson plans on bias-based bullying for the first time, revealing that all educators can use Welcoming Schools lesson plans to create a safer classroom community.

The majority of bullying in schools is bias-based, meaning that the bullying is based upon a student’s personal identity. More than 75 percent of students who are harassed are targeted based upon race, gender, actual or perceived sexual orientation, national origin, religion or ability. Almost 75 percent of students who identify as LGBTQ report being bullied in the last year. New data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recently revealed that LGB students skip school due to feeling unsafe, experience physical dating violence and are cyber bullied at higher rates than their straight peers. According to the CDC, 14 percent of straight youth experience cyberbullying and 28 percent of LGB youth.

We can all contribute to changing the narrative and making a difference. Supporting the youth in your life as a mentor, working against stigma by volunteering on school committees, and working to end bullying through enumerated district-wide policies are all ways that adults can help LGBTQ youth.

In Washington, D.C., and in state capitals across the nation, HRC fights for safe schools legislation that protects LGBTQ young people from discrimination and bullying. Many states have already adopted inclusive legislation, but there remains work to be done to implement  laws and policies through educator-focused professional development to increase the cultural competence of educators and other school personnel that are requesting help and support.

For more resources on bullying, click here. For resources on cyberbullying, click here.

Learn more about ending bullying and watch the 12-minute film What Can We Do?

HRC’s Welcoming Schools is the nation’s premier program dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools in embracing family diversity, creating LGBTQ-inclusive schools, preventing bias-based bullying, creating gender-expansive schools and supporting transgender and non-binary students.We envision a day when all schools will truly be Welcoming Schools.

www.hrc.org/blog/bullying-prevention-film-streaming-for-national-bullying-prevention-month?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed