Owner to Paint Entire Storefront as Tribute After Gay Pride Flag Burned Outside NJ Salon

On June 14, after thousands gathered in Jersey City to honor the victims of the Pulse Orlando terror attack two days before, local salon owner Anatalie David found a Gay Pride flag on the front step of her newly opened business.

“It found me,” David said, calling it “a cosmic sign.”

David hung the flag from a flower box in front of The Hair Room, but while she was out of town this past weekend, vandals set fire to it in what Mayor Steven Fulop is calling a hate crime.

Now, David plans to have the entire front of the salon painted as a much larger tribute to the LGBT community, and a message to the person who burned her flag.

“You’re not going to shut us up,” she told NJ.com.

New York City’s Fox 5 News reports that police have surveillance video of the two suspects who burned the flag, but declined to release it.

Jersey City is believed to have the state’s largest LGBT population, and the flag-burning incident comes one month before its 16th annual LGBT Pride festival.

Is it too late to nominate David for grand marshal?

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#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: August 3, 2016

HILLARY CLINTON’S HISTORIC COMMITMENT TO END HIV AND AIDS: HRC welcomed Secretary Hillary Clinton’s announcement yesterday detailing her plan as President to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the U.S. and around the world. Clinton’s blueprint includes enhancing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, convening working groups to develop aggressive actions to combat the spread of HIV, and launching a campaign to combat stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. More from HRC.

HYPOCRITE MUCH? After shamelessly citing the Orlando nightclub attack that left 49 LGBTQ people and allies dead as a reason for running for re-election, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will speak at a conference hosted by the notoriously anti-LGBTQ Liberty Counsel. “Marco Rubio is sharing a stage in Orlando with some of the nation’s most odious anti-equality activists, including people who support dangerous and harmful conversion therapy here at home, and are working to export anti-LGBTQ hate abroad, including targeting people for criminal prosecution because of whom they love,” JoDee Winterhof, HRC’s senior vice president of policy and political affairs, said in a statement to Metro Weekly.

NY REP. HANNA BECOMES FIRST GOP MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO SUPPORT CLINTON: Representative Richard Hanna (R-NY) has become the first Republican member of Congress to publicly declare that he will vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election. In an op-ed and interview with Syracuse.com, Rep. Hanna calls GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump a “national embarrassment,” asserting that he is “unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country.” More from Syracuse.com.

HRC ENDORSES GOV. MAGGIE HASSAN OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR U.S. SENATE:
NH1’s Paul Steinhauser covers  HRC’s endorsement of Maggie Hassan this morning. “‘Maggie Hassan has stood with us and fought with us for years to ensure LGBTQ people are treated equally under the law,’ HRC Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof said in a statement. ‘We’re proud to endorse Maggie Hassan and look forward to working with her to pass the Equality Act so that everyone, including LGBTQ people, can live free from fear of discrimination.’” More here.

#NOMOORE: HRC AND SPLC TALK JUDICIAL ETHICS: Last night, HRC Alabama joined the Southern Poverty Law Center in a Facebook Live conversation about the impending ethics hearing for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. If you want to find out “Moore” about why he is facing these charges, check out the video.

POPE’S REMARKS DENY HUMANITY OF TRANSGENDER CHILDREN: During a meeting last week in Poland, the Pope made discouraging remarks about transgender children being taught to “choose” their gender. “It is deeply disappointing that so soon after his healing apology to LGBTQ Catholics regarding their treatment by the church, Pope Francis would choose to deny the very humanity of transgender people, including children.” HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride told the New York Daily News. McBride added,“While his words today were devastating, we remain hopeful that the Pontiff continues his journey toward love and inclusion of all people — including the many transgender Catholic faithful.” More from The Associated Press.

DESPITE RULING, SAME-SEX PARENTS STRUGGLE TO UPDATE CHILDREN’S BIRTH CERTIFICATES: Chandra Fouseridge and her wife, Cheri, are loving parents seeking to list both of their names on their children’s’ birth certificates. Even though a federal judge recently ordered Indiana to allow same-sex couples equal parental  rights — including listing both parents on birth certificates — the couple still hasn’t received a correct birth certificate. More from The Star Press.

STUDY: MORE ADOPTED CHILDREN GENDER-EXPANSIVE? Studying clinic records, a Boston hospital has found that adoptive families are more likely to raise gender-expansive children. At Boston Children’s Hospital, 8.2 percent of the transgender patients come from adoptive families, far greater than the 2.3 percent adoption rate in Massachusetts. WBUR examines a number of theories for this phenomenon.

• HRC’s All Children – All Families (ACAF) project works with child welfare agencies to promote inclusive policies and practices with LGBTQ parents. For the LGBTQ community, choosing an agency that is welcoming and respectful is critically important, and often has a direct effect on whether an adoption is successfully completed. More from HRC.

HRC APPLAUDS CA BOARD OF ED FOR LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM: Students in the Golden State will now study LGBTQ families, gender roles, prominent LGBTQ Americans and LGBTQ rights milestones in history classes. More from HRC.

ROMANIAN MARRIAGE EQUALITY THREATENED: The Constitutional Court of Romania affirmed a proposal stating that marriage can only occur between a man and a woman. The proposal now faces both a vote in Parliament and a nationwide referendum. More from HRC.

NEXT FOR CANADA: A GAY PRIME MINISTER? A new poll reports that more than half of Canadians believe a gay prime minister will be elected in the next decade. More from Gay Star News.

READING RAINBOW

Out & About Nashville looks at a Nashville VA hospital at the forefront of LGBTQ healthcare; The Associated Press reports that San Juan College will soon vote on adding non-discrimination protections for transgender students; Fusion steps inside Otherwild, an LGBTQ boutique for women; Gay Star News introduces the only insurance company created specifically for LGBTQ people; OUT interviews a gay Southern widower fighting for equality; The Bubble covers a proposal to name a Sante Fe subway stop after late LGBTQ activist Carlos Jáuregui.

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!

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Hannah Hart, YouTuber and NY Times bestseller, to be honored at GLAAD Gala San Francisco

www.glaad.org/blog/hannah-hart-youtuber-and-ny-times-bestseller-be-honored-glaad-gala-san-francisco

PHOTOS: The Dancers At Toronto’s Latin-Inspired Night Club Are Muy Caliente

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This Is How You Support A Transgender Child

Jodie Patterson and her transgender son. Photo via Human Rights Campaign, Upworthy.

If only every parent of a transgender child were as accepting and dedicated as Jodie Patterson.

When Patterson noticed a change in her child’s behavior, she asked what was wrong.

Related: Think It’s Hard Being A Gay Youth, Try Being A Transgender Child

“Everyone thinks I’m a girl,” Penelope told her.

“Everything about Penelope makes us question our categories that we box people into,” Patterson says in the Upworthy video by the Human Rights Campaign below. “He’s undefinable.”

“Soon into Penelope’s first year, you could see things that were different. Penelope is happy to be right next to his dad, doing dad things,” she says. “And I also noticed that Penelope would mock, or imitate and study his brother. Cassius would cough and Penelope would cough. He was literally studying how to be a boy.”

Related: Photographer Celebrates Beauty, Uniqueness Of Trans Children

Patterson says she did not know much about what it meant to be transgender and at first she had to do a lot of research.

“Then after you research for days and months, you have to decide to let lead from the heart,” she adds. “Our collective understanding is that we are who we are from the inside.”

She knows the journey won’t always be easy for them.

“Sometimes I feel like the world is against us,” she admits. “Penelope, and all the Penelopes, are up against a lot.”

Related: World’s Best Dad Dons Skirt To Support Dress Wearing Son

Patterson knows the importance of fighting to raise consciousness and improve society for transgender children.

“You have to keep reinforcing truths, keep helping people to see it differently. When we treated Penelope as he wanted to be treated, and when we allowed him to present as he wanted to present, he blossomed,” she says. “I will make sure that the world moves out of your way so that you can be you.”

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The Funniest News Bloopers from July 2016 Have Arrived: ENJOY

A sharp object injury, a shark object-of-lust accident, a twerking mishap, a Hall and Oates problem, a Pikachu videobomber, a giant wasp, a trailer park attack, a water gun ambush, and much much more are in this compilation of the funniest news bloopers (though not all are necessarily “bloopers” and not all are news) of July 2016.

Enjoy:

The post The Funniest News Bloopers from July 2016 Have Arrived: ENJOY appeared first on Towleroad.

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Grindr Priest Scandal Rocks Ireland’s Catholic Church: VIDEO

The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin (above) has said he will no longer send trainee priests to a seminary in Maynooth following allegations of an “active gay subculture” at the Kildare college.

Martin’s comments came after anonymous allegations regarding seminarian activities in St Patrick’s College Maynooth, including that many had been using Grindr.

Wonder which Vatican correspondent will dare to ask a Grindr question on next @pontifex plane trip t.co/LJyoUoFiWv

— Angus MacKinnon (@AngusM1966) August 2, 2016

Although college authorities said they have “no concrete or credible evidence of the existence of any alleged ‘active gay subculture,’” Martin announced on Monday that seminarians will now be sent to the Irish College in Rome due to “an atmosphere of strange goings-on” in Maynooth.

RELATED: Gay Sex Scandal Involving Theology Students, Staffers Rocks Ireland’s National Seminary

“It seems like a quarrelsome place with anonymous letters being sent around,” said Martin, a trustee at the college. “I don’t think this is a good place for students,” he added.

Child abuse = Try and draw a veil over it.
Priests using Grindr = THIS MUST BE STOPPED.t.co/RRU2mcOf7V

— Auto_SF (@Auto_SF) August 2, 2016

However, the Irish Times reports that the three other archbishop trustees disagree with Martin. Catholic primate Archbishop Éamon Martin, Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary and Archbishop of Cashel Kieran O’Reilly said they intend to continue sending seminarians to Maynooth as do the bishops of Elphin, Cork and Ross, Down and Connor, Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, Cloyne, Kildare and Leighlin, Clonfert, Clogher, and Killala.

@nwin @JohnMarkston1 @egaffo2000 Grindr is the modern day equivalent of ‘Priest Chat’ on Father Ted.

— Brian Ó hAllumhuráin (@playingwithdust) August 2, 2016

Yesterday, St Patrick’s said it shared Diarmuid Martin’s concerns and encouraged people “with specific concerns to report them appropriately”. The college added that “any student involved or promoting such behavior would be asked to leave the seminary formation programme.”

Father Brendan Hoban, a spokesperson for the Association of Catholic Priests, said this morning:

“I really don’t know what it is that’s happening [or what] Archbishop Martin’s intentions are. The Archbishop has transferred three students; Dublin has 99 parishes, over a million Catholics and only one diocesan priest under 40 years of age. So it seems extraordinary that attention is on moving the deck chairs on the Titanic instead of dealing with the real issues.”

He added that Martin “will damage Maynooth by what he is doing.”

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Major Homophobe Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) Sent Packing in Primary Loss

Tim Huelskamp, a Kansas Representative who spent his time in office crusading against gay people, lost his primary on Tuesday to newcomer Roger Marshall.

Huelskamp, a proud supporter of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) who spoke at its rallies, also pushed a federal marriage amendment that would have imposed a national ban on same-sex marriages.

Huelskamp argued that children would suffer in some unspecific, unquantifiable way; and the founding fathers, “never envisioned a society which would reject a basic understanding of nature.”

He attacked the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling for the same reason. On the same day that President Obama endorsed marriage equality, Huelskamp amended major funding legislation on the House floor to reaffirm the Defense of Marriage Act.

Huelskamp also introduced the Military Religious Freedom Protection Act to prohibit gay marriages from taking place on military installations and protect anti-gay servicemembers.

The loser can try to work full time for NOM now.

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HRC Welcomes Hillary Clinton’s Historic Commitment to End the HIV and AIDS Epidemic

HRC welcomed Secretary Hillary Clinton’s announcement today detailing the plan she would embark on as president to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the U. S. and around the world. Her blueprint includes enhancing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, convening working groups to develop aggressive actions to combat the spread of HIV, and launching a campaign to combat stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.

“Throughout her career, Secretary Clinton has steadfastly fought to help meet the needs of people living with HIV,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “These additional steps build on the comprehensive plan put forth by Secretary Clinton to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic. We look forward to working with Hillary Clinton and her administration to implement and expand on these plans, secure necessary funding, and to set a timeline and targets to achieve an AIDS-free generation.”

The additional steps announced by Clinton include convening a working group to develop an aggressive timeline for ending AIDS, working to strengthen the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and combatting stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS, including reforming outdated and discriminatory HIV criminalization laws.  The National HIV/AIDS Strategy, first released by the Obama administration in 2010, is the nation’s first-ever comprehensive HIV and AIDS plan with clear and measurable targets. Over the last year, HRC has joined with more than 70 activists and organizations in discussions with the Clinton campaign over strategies to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic

Clinton’s proposals build on the detailed plan she released earlier in the campaign. At the time, she called for expanding access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP, and capping out-of-pocket medical expenses and drug prices. Last week, Daniel Driffin, a Black gay man living with HIV, addressed the Democratic National Convention and discussed the need for increased resources and research on HIV and AIDS. It was the first time in 12 years that a person living with HIV addressed a national party convention.

HRC endorsed Hillary Clinton in January 2016. With 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide, HRC is planning an unprecedented organizational effort to register and mobilize the nation’s pro-equality majority, and elect pro-LGBT candidates up and down the ballot. In 2016, HRC expects that the pro-equality vote will be larger, stronger, and more energized than at any point in history.

To find out more about HRC’s work to promote HIV prevention, treatment and care, visit www.hrc.org/explore/topic/hiv-aids.

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