Dennis Hastert sentenced to 15 months in jail – sex abuse victim speaks out

The former Speaker of the US House of Representatives was sentenced in Chicago today to 15 months in prison for a multi-million dollar hush money scheme created to cover up allegations of sexual abuse.

Dennis Hastert was called a ‘serial child molester’ by Judge Thomas M. Durkin who also ordered the former lawmaker to undergo sex offender treatment and imposed a $250,000 fine which will go to crime victims fund.

Hastert, 74, admitted to agreeing to pay his one-time student $3.5 million then lying to federal authorities about the bank withdrawals related to the payments.

Hastert apologized in court and said he accepted the sentence, according to the Associated Press.

The former student, known only as Individual A is legal filings, had received $1.7 million in payments from Hastert and this week sued the former high school teacher and wrestling coach for the balance.

Four victims in all are part of the federal complaint against Hastert who could not be prosecuted for the molestation because of statute of limitation laws.

Another of the four victims in the criminal and the sister of a victim spoke at the sentencing.

Scott Cross, identified only as Individual D by prosecutors, said he decided to speak out because Hastert had reached out to his lawmaker brother – former Illinois House Republican leader Tom Cross – for a letter of support.

Scott Cross, 53, was on the Yorkville High School wrestling team in the 1970s and said in court that Hastert fondled him on a locker room table after practice.

Tom Cross released a statement Wednesday saying the family is proud Scott had ‘the courage to relive this very painful part of his life” so justice could be done.’

Hastert was the longest-serving Republican speaker and was second in the line of succession to the US presidency.

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Firm With Rainbow Logo Refuses To Design Rainbow Logo For Gay-Friendly Church

When St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, an LGBTQ-friendly congregation in Fargo, contacted Custom Graphics, Inc. about creating a custom logo for them, they weren’t expecting the response they received.

“Everyone was on board,” Adam Johnston, a member of the church, tells the Bismark Tribune. “They were really excited about it. And then within a week, we get an email saying, ‘Nope, we’re done. We’re not doing it.’”

Related: Arkansas Man Freaks Out At NBC Rainbow Logo, But The Joke Is On Him

The church had requested the logo be in rainbow colors, which Custom Graphics’ general manager Zach Paxton found inappropriate.

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Missouri Lawmakers Defeat Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill

Missouri’s anti-LGBT ‘religious freedom’ bill has been defeated in the state legislature.

Senate Joint Resolution 39 (SJR 39) failed to get a majority in favor of advancing it out of the Emerging Issues Committee.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: 

Republican Reps. Anne Zerr of St. Charles, Caleb Rowden of Columbia and Jim Hansen of Frankford joined with the committee’s three Democrats. With a tie 6-6 vote, the measure’s tumultuous journey through the Missouri Legislature is probably over.

The resolution, if approved by voters, would have granted greater legal protections under the Missouri constitution to clergy and wedding vendors who decline to participate in a same-sex wedding.

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, who sponsored the proposal, issued a statement indicating the measure was dead.

“I am deeply disappointed that Missourians will not have the opportunity to vote on protecting religious freedom. Seven weeks ago, the Missouri Senate stood strong through the longest filibuster in state history and voted 23–7 to advance SJR 39. Today, House members caved to pressure from special interests and killed the religious freedom amendment.  It is wrong that Missouri voters will be denied a voice in the decision-making process.”

PREVIOUSLY: Missouri Senate Passes Heinous Anti-Gay Religious Freedom Bill After 39.5 Hour Filibuster

House Minority Leader Jacob Hummel (D) said of the bill’s defeat,

“The ultimate issue here is whether our state constitution protects all Missourians or grants special rights to some to detriment of others. In the years to come, I am confident today’s action will be remembered as being on the right side of history.”

The post Missouri Lawmakers Defeat Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill appeared first on Towleroad.

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Breaking News: Missouri House Committee Votes Down Radical Anti-LGBT SJR 39

Today, HRC hailed the Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee for voting down Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 39 – a measure that sought to enshrine state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBT people and their families into the Missouri Constitution. The extreme resolution would have led to a ballot measure that proposes to allow individuals, organizations, and businesses to use religion as a legal excuse to discriminate against LGBT people by broadly redefining the definition of religious organizations.

“We thank the House committee for listening to the overwhelming chorus of fair-minded Missourians, business leaders, and civil rights advocates who demanded they oppose this radical legislation that threatens severe harm to the entire state,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy & Political Affairs. “However, even with this vote today, we must remain diligent to ensure this discriminatory legislation does not move in any other way during the final two weeks of the legislative session.”

The opposition to SJR 39 was overwhelming. More than 60 leading CEOs and business executives signed onto an open letter urging lawmakers to stop the proposal that would have extreme negative consequences for Missouri’s economy, and numerous companies including Dow Chemical Company and Monsanto spoke out. In addition, SJR 39 has received widespread condemnation from fair-minded Missourians and civic leaders throughout the state, including Governor Jay Nixon, the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the St. Louis Regional Chamber.  The St. Louis Regional Chamber said the proposal is “counter to MO values & will have negative economic consequences.” Both Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders also spoke out against the resolution.

SJR 39 went far beyond protecting the right of free exercise of one’s religion, opening the door to discrimination against same-sex couples, their families, and those who love them.

For example, if SJR 39 had been voted into law, LGBT people and their families could have suddenly found themselves at risk of being denied many basic services. Taxpayer-funded foster care providers and adoption agencies could have refused to place children in need of loving homes with same-sex couples. Taxpayer-funded homeless shelters could have turned away LGBT couples and their families. Businesses could have also used it as cover to refuse to provide goods or services to same-sex couples. And, the measure could have undermined existing LGBT non-discrimination protections passed at the local level, including in cities like Columbia, Kansas City, and St. Louis.

While SJR 39 has been defeated, Missouri still lacks explicit, statewide non-discrimination protections for LGBT people.

www.hrc.org/blog/missouri-house-committee-votes-down-radical-sjr-39?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Everything You Need to Know About Primary Results in Under 60 Seconds

www.advocate.com/election/2016/4/27/everything-you-need-know-about-primary-results-under-60-seconds

JPMorgan Chase named as ‘Best-of-the-Best’ US corporation for diversity

Household name brands were among the winners last night at a new awards event organized by the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and the National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC).

The event, which took place at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC, saw JPMorgan Chase & Co. awarded the top honor of 2016 NBIC Diversity Corporation of the Year. The TIAA Contingent Worker Diversity Program – which tackles the lack of ethnic/racial, generational and gender diversity among staffing suppliers – was honored as NBIC Program or Initiative of the Year.

Responding to the win, JPMorgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC: ‘We’re proud of this recognition by NBIC. People are our most important asset and enable our long-term growth and success. Maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive is not only the smart thing to do — it’s the right thing to do.’

Public sectors honorees included Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader, and former US Congressman and primary sponsor of the Disabilities Act, Tony Coelho. Also present was TV’s original Wonder Woman, actress Lynda Carter, who talked about her commitment to championing equal rights.

Speaking @ the #BotB16 #NBIC Best of the Best Awards honoring @NancyPelosi and Congressman Tony Coelho! pic.twitter.com/vMQjNIwLlG

— Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) April 27, 2016

‘The Best-of-the-Best designation is the top corporate honor bestowed for commitments to America’s diverse employees and business owners, which includes LGBT, people of color, women, and people with disabilities,’ said NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelson in a statement.

‘This designation is not easily earned, making it all the more prized.

‘By recognizing these industry leaders and the policymakers who collaborate with them as the Best-of-the-Best, we are creating a better future for all diverse communities in business. Together we reaffirm our common, ongoing mission to improve business inclusion among Fortune 500 corporations and government agencies nationwide.’

The ‘Best of the Best’ accolade is awarded to those corporates that have performed well in a range of diversity indexes.

To be considered, organizations were required to submit a detailed survey and answer questions on such topics as supplier diversity initiatives and employee resource groups. The NBIC committee also took note of ratings scored on the HRC Corporate Equality Index, Diversity Inc’s Top 50 and other indexes.

The NGLCC formed the National Business Inclusion Consortium in 2011 as a coalition of diversity advocates. Other organizations involved include the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, U.S Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce and National Black Justice Coalition, among others.

Jonathan Lovitz, NGLCC Vice President of External Affairs, told Gay Star Business, that the evening had been one of the most inspiring nights of his career.

‘The room cheered for Leader Nancy Pelosi, who broke the highest glass ceiling in Congress as our first female Speaker of the House. The room was moved to tears by Congressman Tony Cohelo, lead author the America’s with Disabilities Act— who is both openly gay and successfully battling epilepsy. And we all wanted to twirl with joy like Wonder Woman when Lynda Carter discussed her support for LGBT and women’s causes.

‘The room was simply electric! I cannot wait to see this event continue to grow year after year.’

The 30 corporations awarded ‘Best-of-the-Best’ status for inclusion were as follows

• American Airlines
• AT&T
• Bank of America
• Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Capital One
• Chevron
• Comcast|NBCUniversal
• Corning
• Cummins
• CVS Health
• Fidelity Investments
• Freddie Mac
• General Motors
• JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Kellogg
• KPMG
• Marriott International
• Merck
• Morgan Stanley
• Nationwide
• New York Life Insurance Company
• Northrop Grumman
• Pacific Gas & Electric Company
• PNC Financial Services Group
• Prudential
• Sodexo
• TD Bank Group
• TIAA
• UPS
• Wells Fargo

Attendees at the ‘Best of the Best’ Washington DC reception

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www.gaystarnews.com/article/jpmorgan-chase-best-diversity/

Trump’s Inauguration Buddy: Elton John

Well, here’s an unlikely odd couple for you: Donald Trump and Sir Elton John. What?

Apparently, at a recent rich-person dinner, someone asked Trump who would perform at his inauguration ball. “We always love Elton John,” Trump answered. Who is this “we” Trump is referring to? That’s unclear. Also unclear is whether Elton John would have anything to do with Trump’s inauguration.

Elton’s legal people have already told the Trump campaign to stop using his music at his campaign rallies. (For some reason, Trump thought it was a good idea to play “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer” to warm up the crowd.)

Adele also made Trump stop using her music, as did Neil Young and Aerosmith. For a billionaire, Trump sure does seem stingy about securing music licenses.

“Elton’s music has not been requested for use in any official capacity by Donald Trump,” said an Elton publicist. “Any use of his music should not be seen as an endorsement of Donald Trump by Elton.”

That’s probably the response Donald would get if he invited Elton to the inauguration, given Trump’s lousy attitudes toward LGBTs. He opposes marriage equality, he’s all over the map on nondiscrimination, and he said he’d consider appointing judges to the Supreme Court who would overturn the freedom to marry. Elton might want to keep his distance.

Then again … who knows. Elton did sing at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding, so maybe for him, a paycheck’s a paycheck.

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N. Carolina’s Anti-LGBT Law Is Destroying Small Businesses

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That Time Prince Backed Out Of Working With Michael Jackson Because Of A Lyric About Butts

“Your butt is mine,” sings Michael Jackson in the opening line of his 1987 release “Bad,” and it’s not entirely clear whose butt MJ is claiming ownership of. But the ambiguity was apparently enough for another pop icon — Prince — to back out of appearing in the song and accompanying video.

That’s just one of approximately countless Prince stories floating around since the musician’s death last week, and everyone seems to be on the same page on a few points: there was no one else like him musically, and he was a master of shade.

Those two facts enabled him to have a friendly (or not so friendly) feud with whomever he wanted, even the King of Pop himself.

In a resurfaced interview Prince did with Chris Rock, Rock asked, “There was never any rivalry between you and Mr. Jackson?”

Prince responded, “Not to me, no.”

But when the conversation turns to the part in MJ’s “Bad” he backed out of, Prince said, “The first line of that song is ‘Your butt is mine.’ Now, who is going to sing that to whom? Cause [he] sure ain’t singing that to me, and I sure ain’t singing it to [him].”

Other signs also point to friction between the two artists over the years.

Lyrics in Prince’s “Life ‘O’ The Party” off his 2004 album “Musicology” are thought to be a direct jab at Jackson:

“My voice is getting higher/And I ain’t never had my nose done/That’s the other guy.”

And there are accounts from close to Jackson that Prince often picked on him.

As the story goes, MJ attended a Prince concert in Las Vegas, where Prince approached MJ’s table and played aggressive slap bass right in his face.

Jackson biographer Steve Knopper said in Esquire that the next day, Jackson complained to will.i.am that, ““Prince has always been a meanie,” and, “He’s just a big meanie. He’s always been not nice to me.”

“Nobody really quite knows the full extent of their rivalry, and I think both of those guys had an interest in keeping it somewhat mysterious because they are both mysterious dudes,” Knopper continued to Esquire. “Before I die, I want to know what the full deal was between the two of them.”

Jackson’s youngest son, born in 2002, is named Prince. We won’t even try to unpack that.

On a complete side note, Jackson’s “Bad” video does feature another famous face — a then-rising star Wesley Snipes. It was also directed by Martin Scorsese.

h/t: Daily Beast

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