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Jaden Smith Had the Gay Kiss His Father Never Could
The Get Down actor’s same-sex smooch shows how far the needle has moved since Will Smith starred in the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation.
www.advocate.com/television/2016/8/19/jaden-smith-had-gay-kiss-his-father-never-could
Trump Unveils First Ad, Attacks Clinton on Immigration and ‘Security’ – WATCH
Donald Trump has just debuted his first official ad of the general election and, unsurprisingly, it attacks Hillary Clinton.
Called, “Two Americas: Immigration,” Trump asserts that America will only be safe with him as commander-in-chief.
Says an ominous sounding announce, “In Hillary Clinton’s America, the system stays rigged against Americans. Syrian refugees flood in. Illegal immigrants convicted of committing crimes get to stay. Collecting Social Security benefits, skipping the line. Our border open. It’s more of the same, but worse.”
The ad then attempt to contrast ‘Hillary’s America’ with ‘Trump’s America.’ The voice over says, “Donald Trump’s America is secure. Terrorists and dangerous criminals: kept out. The border: secured. Our families: safe. Change that makes America safe again.”
If the voice-over artist in the ad sounds familiar, that’s because it’s that of actor Bruce McGill. Via Mediaite:
The name may not ring all too familiar, but McGill’s face — and amazing body of work over decades — certainly will. The 66-year-old San Antonio native is a Rizzoli & Isles regular, and most famously appeared as D-Day in Animal House.
Funny enough, in 2001 McGill appeared in the Will Smith bio flick Alias a Spanish-speaking Hispanic immigration official.
[Photo of McGill via IMDB]
The post Trump Unveils First Ad, Attacks Clinton on Immigration and ‘Security’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Recent Acts of Anti-Transgender Violence Underscore Need for Change
Early this morning, a transgender woman was attacked with a hammer in Queens, NY. Police sources say the attacker shouted anti-LGBTQ sentiment during his attack. The attacker fled the scene, and no arrests have been made. The woman is being treated in a local hospital for her injuries. The incident is one of several recent reports of disturbing — and deadly — violence of transgender people.
Earlier this month, Stacy Lorraine Naber, a transgender woman fighting to affirm her identity while in prison, was found dead in her cell at Dade Correctional Institution. Her death is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Her family believes she may have died by suicide. Prior to her death, Naber was working with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida to change her legal name.
This year, at least 17 transgender people are known to have been murdered in the United States. In August alone, HRC was horrified to learn of the deaths of Rae’Lynn Thomas in Ohio, Erykah Tijerina in Texas and Skye Mockabee, also in Ohio. The majority of these deaths, including all the deaths in August, have been of transgender women of color. At least three additional transgender people have died in unclear circumstances in 2016, bringing the total number to at least 20 people.
This epidemic of violence also has significant global implications — earlier today BuzzFeed reported that Turkish trans activist Hande Kader was murdered last week in Istanbul. Kader participated in an LGBTQ Pride celebration last year, where advocates were attacked with water cannons and rubber bullets by local police. In May, the Trans Murder Monitoring Project — a project of Transgender Europe — reported 100 known murders of trans and gender diverse people worldwide in 2016.
To learn more about the realities that conspire to put transgender people — especially transgender women of color — at risk of fatal violence, read HRC’s 2015 Addressing Anti-Transgender Violence report, released in partnership with the Trans People of Color Coalition (TPOCC). The report also details solutions that can be pursued by policymakers, advocates and public and private sector leaders to address this national crisis.
The importance of new media in giving LGBTQ women a voice
Photo Credit: YouTube.com/hartbeat
I grew up watching television. Coming from a working class family of five, television was that moment to breathe during a constantly busy schedule. It was the medium I turned to when I needed an image of my hope – the hope that one day there could be a space for LGBTQ people to love, to live, and to laugh . During those times in which I could not love myself for being queer, television brought LGBTQ characters I could embrace.
From The L Word’s Carmen de la Pica Morales to Pretty Little Liars’ Paige McCullers, I clung to the varied queer female characters I could learn and live through. Each held a story that mirrored my experience, planting seeds of acceptance in society before I held the capacity to share my own story. Eventually, there came a time when television was introducing queer female characters into shows both my family and I watched. I teared up when my mom called me, expressing her support with just a few sentences: “Hey, love. The Fosters has two gay moms! Just so you know.” I cannot deny that the medium itself, along with occasional two-hour conversations with my parents, has indeed paved the way for my LGBTQ acceptance as a whole. I am living during a time in which I can turn on the television, knowing that in some capacity, there will be an image of LGBTQ women.
But, that’s not enough. While television has continued to increase its quantity of LGBTQ female characters, the landscape’s lack of extensive representation has fallen short as a platform for the voices of diverse LGBTQ women.
And then came the rise of social media.
In allowing anyone and everyone accessibility to content creation, social media has supplied an opportunity for underrepresented people to produce more wide-ranging LGBTQ content and for others to see that such content could thrive at the forefront of entertainment. As a platform comin
g into the hands of a queer Latina tomboy who felt invisible on or misrepresented by television, YouTube, in particular, changed everything. For the first time since the day I had begun looking at a screen, a medium was providing queer women, of different backgrounds, a space to be the spokespeople of their own experiences. It brought Hartbeat, a lesbian comedian YouTuber who touched on all topics ranging from relationships to gender expression. Today, within one four-minute video, this YouTuber provides me with laughs and content I can relate to. And it is not just one channel. It is Arielle Scarcella, a lesbian who tackles all things LGBTQ and brings other queer YouTubers together. It is androgynous fashion blogger Ari Fitz, LA-based musician Ally Hills, and Latina film student adventurer Chiara Kruger.
YouTube has given immense power to the reality that queer women can carry their own voice. More generally, social media as a whole has enabled the LGBTQ community to share who they are in the context of what they feel defines them – whether it be music, humor, fashion, or relationships. Seeing someone like Hannah Hart rise up as a famous LGBT figure establishes a difference that sets YouTube apart from television. It is a difference that goes beyond simply providing representation, it supplies a medium that encourages LGBTQ people to embrace their own identity.
In a world that is still making strides towards acceptance, YouTube’s international popularity not only makes hope accessible for LGTBQ people, but also supplies a framework for studios to consider, particularly overseas where domestic films and series have such power and reach. This is clearly needed, as GLAAD’s most recent Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) cites only 22 major studio releases (out of 126) containing LGBTQ characters, with 16 of those films including less than ten minutes of screen time for LGBTQ characters. The SRI’s findings re
veal the industry’s reluctance to represent the LGBT community in its content. Despite this revelation, the success of queer YouTubers demonstrates that LGBTQ people can be at the center of entertainment and garner a passionate community of followers who are interested in their stories. Studios and networks should learn from this example that there is an audience for LGBTQ-centered stories.
Today, it is comforting to know that with just a click of a button, I can see people I look up to embracing their identities, not only for themselves but for the community their content reflects. With every new channel, there is the potential for a nuanced LGBTQ story, the potential for that story to reach the people who need it most, and the potential to expand the LGBTQ community’s voice as a whole. Of course, there is always room for improvement. Even today, I still find myself searching the ends of the earth for the Latina, Filipina, and genderqueer creators, and all those still looking for an established space. Even so, I am not worried because where there was once only traditional media providing a space for stories, there is now YouTube and other digital platforms giving people the means to carve out their own.
www.glaad.org/blog/importance-new-media-giving-lgbtq-women-voice
Caster Semenya and the Race for Sex Definition
A race has a definite beginning and end. Sex and gender do not.
www.advocate.com/sports/2016/8/19/caster-semenya-and-race-sex-definition
Trying to Prove Bisexuality to Judges Who Don't Understand the Concept
A Jamaican man will be deported from the U.S. to his native country, where he says he faces discrimination and violence.
www.advocate.com/bisexuality/2016/8/19/trying-prove-bisexuality-judges-who-dont-understand-concept
Sorry, Charlotte: New Orleans Snags 2017 All-Star Game
North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law known as House Bill 2 made the state an unfriendly place to hold the annual NBA All-Star Game, the league said previously.
www.advocate.com/sports/2016/8/19/sorry-charlotte-new-orleans-snags-2017-all-star-game
‘Drag Race’ Star Manila Luzon Jailed After Donut Shop Fight (In New Music Video)
When one drink leads to five, then leads to 10, then leads to a wild night filled with debauchery… yeah, we’ve been there.
In her newest music video, Ovahness, Manila Luzon has a wild and crazy night filled with booze, boys, a donut shop fight, fierce outfits and autotune.
Don’t know what “ovahness” means? Watch the video above to find out!
Former Corbin Fisher Model Turned CNN Producer Matt Null Dies In Barcelona
Former Corbin Fisher model turned CNN producer Matt Null died earlier this week while on vacation in Barcelona.
According to Str8UpGayPorn, Null got his start in adult entertainment 12 years ago, appearing in scenes as “Austin” on Corbin Fisher from 2004-2005. He later went on to work as a producer for “On the Record With Greta Van Susteren” at Fox News before becoming a senior producer at CNN.
Null had been working for the network’s morning show, “Early Start,” for the past three years. On Wednesday, the show’s anchor, Christine Romans, shared the news with viewers.
“It is with a heavy heart that we report tragic news of one of our own this morning,” a teary-eyed Romans said. “A cause of death has not been revealed.”
“He is literally the voice in our head every morning. When terrible things happen around the world, he is the one who brings it to you with calm and fairness,” she added. “He is someone who really made a difference in the world through his job.”
The cause of Null’s death has not yet been released. He was 34 years old.
Pat McCrory Calls NBA Decision to Pull All-Star Game ‘Politically-Correct Hypocrisy Gone Mad’
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory on Friday blasted the NBA for pulling its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte over the the state’s anti-LGBT ‘bathroom bill’ HB 2.
Earlier in the day, the NBA announced that New Orleans would be the new host of the All-Star Game after North Carolina legislators failed to make significant changes to HB 2.
McCrory’s Communications Director Josh Ellis released a statement on his behalf. Ellis and McCrory criticized the NBA for pulling the game from North Carolina when it plays in games in China, a country with an abominable record on human rights.
Said Ellis, “According to his own statements, Commissioner [Adam] Silver has no credibility in telling America that he’s more ‘comfortable’ playing a basketball game in the People’s Republic of China with its oppressive human rights record, rather than the 9th most populous state in the U.S.A.”
Ellis added of the NBA’s decision, “This is another classic example of politically-correct hypocrisy gone mad. We are proud that Louisiana has joined 21 other states that are fighting for basic privacy expectations for our children and families in school restrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities.”
McCrory has previously called the NBA’s decision “total PC BS.”
The post Pat McCrory Calls NBA Decision to Pull All-Star Game ‘Politically-Correct Hypocrisy Gone Mad’ appeared first on Towleroad.
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