LBT Media Guru Ebone Bell to Be Honored at 25th Mautner Anniversary Gala
On Friday, September 25th the Mautner Project of Whitman-Walker Health, a leader in health services for LBTQ women, honored 3 outstanding members of the LBTQ women’s community at their 25th annual Mautner Gala.

“The women we have honored this year really represent some of the values of Mautner Project of Whitman-Walker Health: quality, affirming health care, service, and strong community. I’m excited for folks to meet them,” says Jacquetta Brooks, manager of Mautner Project of Whitman-Walker.

Among the honorees is Eboné Bell, managing editor of Tagg Magazine, who was honored with the Image Award for her work in leading the area’s premier publication for lesbian news, culture, and events. Tagg Magazine, available in both digital and print form, is the only lesbian and queer women’s publication serving the Washington D.C. community. Bell is a long time supporter and advocate of non-profit organizations, including Mautner, and has used her position as founder and managing editor of the magazine to create outlets for affirming and inspiring representations of women and the LBTQ community.

With a background in advertising and marketing, Bell began her career in print publication as advertising manager for the Chronicle of Higher Education, building her skills, learning her craft, and collecting contacts and resources. After noticing a severe lack in the opportunity for queer women to speak and for their voices to be heard, Bell filled in that gap by creating Tagg Magazine.

“I wanted to show that visibility but also provide great content, great stories, events, and resources for the community,” Bell says. For this reason, Tagg Magazine features content ranging from dating, to arts and entertainment, to community and out at work articles that aim at engaging, representing, and speaking to the diverse backgrounds of women in the LBT community. Tagg Magazine also features a series of stories and resources, including an event page and a resource page. The resource page tackles a variety of topics, including coming out late in life, black lesbian support groups, trans support groups, rainbow response, domestic violence, etc. The events page is designed to connect LBT women with their community.

“Our mission is to connect people,” explains Bell, who is constantly asked why she named the magazine Tagg. She adds, “When I was thinking about the magazine, I wanted a name that said ‘connecting.’ Connecting women, connecting the queer women’s community…that’s our mission. When you play the game of tag, you reach out and touch someone.” That is exactly what Bell has done with her magazine, which now serves the Maryland, Delaware, DC, and Virginia areas. Bell cites her mother and grandmother as her greatest inspirations.

“I hope that as Tagg continues to grow, that we are really leaving our community with some sort of history,” notes Bell. “Some young queer girl growing up now, ten years from now, will know about people who paved the way. I hope Tagg tells their stories and leaves a mark on the DC queer community.” It is for this reason that Bell has received the Image Award, ensuring that the voices of many are heard through engaging content and capturing the spirit of community.

Other honorees for the evening included Schroeder Stribling, executive director of N Street Village, who will receive the Healing Works award for her efforts in providing services and empowering recovery for homeless and low-income women in the community. Major Jamie Lee Henry, the first active duty army officer to come out as transgender, will be awarded with the inaugural Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Award, the first of its kind.

As Mautner continues to provide LBTQ health services, it will continue to honor the hard work of many in the community.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Russia’s Vladimir Putin proposes a meeting with Elton John – and it’s not a hoax

Earlier this month,  Elton John was tricked into thinking he was talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin by a pair of TV pranksters.

After John posted a picture of Putin on his Instagram thanking him for calling him to discuss gay rights, the Kremlin denied any call took place.

Now Putin wants to meet with the singer – for real.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that Putin phoned Sir Elton on Wednesday (23 September) asking him not to be offended by the earlier prank by Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov who had impersonated him on the phone.

Peskov told Russian media that Putin had this time called the singer and asked him not to be offended by the hoax.

Mr Putin said on Thursday he was ready to meet Sir Elton to discuss ‘any issues of interest’ when their schedules permit.

Those issues would be Russia’s anti-LGBTI record and laws which Sir Elton was quite vocal about during a visit to Russia earlier this month.

‘I’d love to meet him [Putin], I’d love to sit down and talk to him,’ he told the BBC during that visit. ‘It’s probably pie in the sky but unless you try, unless you put your foot in the water, your toe in the water … at least if I meet him and say, “Listen, come on, let’s have a cup of tea, let’s talk about this.” He might laugh behind my back and then he shuts the door and call me an absolute idiot but at least I can have a conscience and say I’d tried.’

Of the earlier prank Sir Elton said: ‘Pranks are funny. Homophobia, however is never funny. I love Russia and my offer to talk to President Putin about LGBT rights still stands. I will always stand up for those that are being degraded and discriminated against.

‘If this unfortunate incident has helped push this vital issue back into the spotlight, then I am happy to be pranked on this occasion.’

The post Russia’s Vladimir Putin proposes a meeting with Elton John – and it’s not a hoax appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/russias-vladimir-putin-proposes-a-meeting-with-elton-john-and-its-not-a-hoax/

Improving LGBT Healthcare in Mississippi

Recently, HRC Mississippi State Director Rob Hill and Tari Hanneman, Deputy Director of HRC’s Health and Aging Program, visited several Mississippi healthcare professionals.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/improving-lgbt-healthcare-in-mississippi?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Rep. Louie Gohmert Compares Openly Gay Army Secretary Nominee to Afghan Pedophiles: LISTEN

Rep. Louie Gohmert continued his obsession with the topic of gays in the military yesterday in in a discussion on Eric Fanning, President Obama’s openly gay nominee for Secretary of the Army.

Right Wing Watch reports:

In an interview with Gohmert yesterday on his “Washington Watch” radio program, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said that the Senate should refuse to confirm a new Army secretary following a New York Times report alleging that U.S. officials in Afghanistan told service members to look the other way on cases of sex abuse among allied Afghan fighters. Perkins said that the Senate should tell the president that “we are not going to confirm your nominee, especially this guy.”

“What do you think they will think,” Gohmert wondered, “when they hear that not only did we tolerate what was being done to their boys by people under our authority but we turn around and approve a Secretary of the Army that they as moderate Muslims believe is just an atrocious thing? They’re going to think that that is quite consistent with us approving of what was going on between the older men in authority and these boys.”

He added: “This is not a good move, but the president’s priority has not been the lives of our military.”

Related: Stephen Colbert Agrees with Louie Gohmert’s Warnings About Gay Massage in the Military

Listen below:

The post Rep. Louie Gohmert Compares Openly Gay Army Secretary Nominee to Afghan Pedophiles: LISTEN appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

Rep. Louie Gohmert Compares Openly Gay Army Secretary Nominee to Afghan Pedophiles: LISTEN

Pope Francis Expresses 'Concern for the Family' in Historic Address to Congress

Pope Francis won a hearty and enthusiastic standing ovation for his groundbreaking address to a joint session of Congress but also raised eyebrows for his subtle but unmistakable sermonizing on marriage. 

“I am most grateful for this invitation to address this joint session of Congress,” said the pope, in halting, carefully phrased English, “in the land of the free and the home of the brave.” 

Those anticipating his speech might attack U.S. policy regarding legal abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgender rights were relieved to hear only tangential references, such as when Pope Francis called for a defense of life at “every stage of development.” Invoking the Golden Rule, Francis referred not just to fetuses but more directly to the 3,002 Americans currently on death row. He made a passionate plea for the abolition of the death penalty. 

But it was his remarks near the end of his speech that especially concerned LGBT members of Congress and allies on Capitol Hill and across the country:

“I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.”

The pope’s visit brought about a bipartisan assemblage of lawmakers, aides, and invited guests who packed the chamber of the House of Representatives for the historic speech. Some 50,000 people were invited to watch on jumbo TV screens set up on the Capitol’s West Lawn.

But it was inside where the pope stood face-to-face with 138 members of the House who are Catholic, alongside 26 senators. That’s almost 31 percent of the U.S. Congress who identify as Catholic,  according to The New York Times, far more than the 22 percent of Catholics in the country’s overall adult population.

Pope Francis was invited by a Catholic, House Speaker John Boehner, who has tried for 20 years to get a pope to come to Capitol Hill. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California, the House minority leader, is also a Catholic, as is Vice President Joe Biden, who serves as president of the Senate.

In his remarks, the pope also touched on the issues of immigration,  capitalism, the environment, the arms trade, and poverty. 

“Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one, the greatest common good,” said Francis. 

The Times noted that the pope’s speech was the longest and most challenging English-speaking appearance of his papacy. His native tongue is Spanish and he is fluent in Italian, but he has admitted he’s not comfortable speaking English, despite practicing all summer long. 

At a welcoming ceremony at the White House Wednesday, the pope was asked why he was attending the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which was a commitment first made by his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict. “To celebrate and support the institutions of marriage and the family at this critical moment in the history of our civilization,” Francis explained.

GLAAD president Sarah Kate-Ellis told WNYC radio what she thought of that statement, which she said implied that so-called traditional, heterosexual marriage was being threatened by marriage equality. 

“That was disappointing,” she told WNYC. “I think you know, we have five more days ahead of us. … Nothing was direct. The only thing he was direct about was the environment.”

The National LGBTQ Task Force, meanwhile, welcomed to the pope’s reference to the Bible’s Golden Rule, which commands one to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” with an important caveat.

“This doesn’t seem to apply to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and our families,” said Rea Carey, executive director of the Task Force, in a statement Thursday. “Nor does it apply to the millions who need vital access to reproductive health services. We urge Pope Francis to use his position of immense power to create a truly welcoming and affirming church for all LGBTQ people — and to treat our families with dignity and equal respect. We also urge him to modernize the church’s position on reproductive health. … It’s unfortunate that a leader who can be so good on these issues [of environment, immigration reform, poverty, and promoting peace] can be so out of touch on others.” 

Watch the pope’s address to Congress below, courtesy of C-SPAN.

Dawn Ennis

www.advocate.com/religion/2015/9/24/pope-francis-expresses-concern-family-historic-address-congress

6 Ways My Anxiety Has Been A Secret Weapon

I like to describe my anxiety as my most dedicated “frenemy.” 

Any one of the 40 million Americans who struggle with anxiety disorders know that living with anxiety means a lifelong struggle to navigate it. It’s physical, all-consuming and, at times, unbearable. Anxiety can strain relationships, cause mental pain to manifest physically, impact the way you make your decisions and generally make your life a whole lot more difficult.

I spent years railing against my anxiety, willing it to disappear forever. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works for the vast majority of people, and certainly not how it has worked for me. But as I’ve dealt with, examined and written about my anxiety over the past few years, I’ve realized that it has been a helpful tool and secret strength in as many ways as it has been a detriment. I came across a comic on Tumblr that referred to anxiety as a superpower that had to be controlled. Something clicked for me when I read that. 

Learning to treat the anxious part of myself with compassion has been difficult, but invaluable. It’s also allowed me to see the ways my anxiety can be channeled for the better. The real work is parsing the good from the bad, and figuring out what parts to embrace and what to change — with the help of a great therapist, of course. 

Here are six ways anxiety can be a secret weapon:

1. Anxiety can be a force for productivity. Growing up, there was no way in hell that I was ever going to turn in an assignment late or not study for a test. The anxiety I would face if I failed to be properly prepared was far worse than just doing the damn work. It made me a great test-taker and a model student. Into my late 20s, I’ve learned to channel my anxiety into my work and use it to light a fire under my ass when I need to meet a deadline or perform a last-minute task. 

2. It may even help you excel professionally. One of the worst parts about anxiety is that it can trap you in your own head, something that I’ve felt acutely over the years. That side of my anxiety makes me tell myself complex (often false) narratives about real-life situations, which isn’t so great, but it also allows me to formulate ideas and sentences in my mind with relative ease. Those ideas and sentences turn into essays and stories. I’m convinced that my anxiety is part of what helps the words pour out onto the page… er… computer screen when I’m particularly inspired. Inner monologue FTW.

3. Anxiety can make you better aware of the consequences of your decisions… Although my anxiety can certainly be a hindrance to quick decision-making, it also helps me to anticipate what may lie ahead. Hindsight is 20/20, but forethought is priceless. 

4. … And by that virtue, make you a more compassionate leader. Being in a leadership position is never easy, and there are certainly ways that anxiety — especially untreated anxiety — can make managing other people feel impossible. I was 21 when I had the first opportunity to manage a big group of people and I got massively overwhelmed about 25 times a day. As I’ve gotten older and learned to deal with my anxiety more effectively, I’ve also learned how to be a better leader. That history has also made me more compassionate towards what my coworkers might be feeling and going through on any given day. Anticipating how your actions — or situations you have nothing to do with creating — might impact others can be a useful tool as a boss.

5. It can make you a more empathetic person. My anxiety drives me to create elaborate stories about other people and how I would/should/could react to them. And that can be goddamn exhausting. But it’s also allowed me to better imagine what others might be feeling, which has made it easier to connect with people. And isn’t human connection what this life is really about? 

6. Dealing with your anxiety can make you a more supportive friend. When you become introspective about your own mental health and work to understand it better, you also pick up some helpful coping mechanisms. I’ve shared those tools with friends of mine — when asked, of course, because there’s nothing more annoying than a person who tries to be your pseudo therapist. Being in therapy also means that I know how not to put all my sh*t on my friends, which ultimately makes for healthier relationships. 

In the words of Beyoncé, anxiety is…

Also on HuffPost:

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Pope Francis seems to sound subtle alarm on same-sex marriage during address to US Congress

Pope Francis did not say the words ‘same-sex marriage’ during his historic address before the US Congress on Thursday (24 September) but seemed to subtly be expressing his disapproval of what is now legal in all 50 states.

The head of the Catholic Church has been widely seen as more progressive than his predecessors but on such social issues as same-sex marriage and abortion, his stance remains firm

‘How essential the family has been to the building of this country!,’ the Pope said, ‘And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement!

‘Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.’

There has been hope among LGBTI organizations that the Pope would address such issues as same-sex marriage and discrimination against LGBTI Catholics within the church.

Full text here

The post Pope Francis seems to sound subtle alarm on same-sex marriage during address to US Congress appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/pope-francis-seems-to-sound-subtle-alarm-on-same-sex-marriage-during-address-to-us-congress/

Carly Rae Jepsen, A Great Big World, and Futuristic to Perform at 19th Annual HRC National Dinner

The annual dinner will be held on October 3. 
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/carly-rae-jepsen-a-great-big-world-and-futuristic-to-perform-at-19th-annual?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Even Donald Trump Thinks “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli Sucks, Calls Him A “Spoiled Brat”

You know you’re in the wrong when even one of the most reviled men in America thinks you suck.

Earlier this week, Martin Shkreli, founder and CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, made international headlines when he raised the price of Daraprim, a drug used to treat life-threatening parasitic infections in AIDS patients, by more than 5,000 percent, thus earning himself the title of “America’s most hated man.” Now, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has jumped on the Shkreli bashing bandwagon.

Related: Ex-Hedge Funder Buys Rights To AIDS Drug, Raises Price 5,455 Percent

Trump criticized the 32-year-old ex-hedge-funder-turned-pharmaceutical-price-gouger’s in the only way he knows how: By attacking his looks.

“You want to know the truth?” Trump said during a press conference this week. “He looks like a spoiled brat.”

Then he added that “hedge fund guys” like Shkreli will be the only people who see their taxes raised if he is elected president in 2016.

Related: Price-Gouging Pharma CEO Can’t Seem To Handle The Entire Internet Hating Him After All

Given Shkreli’s thin skin (as demonstrated by the childish fights he’s been engaging in on Twitter), we’re sure Mr. Trump’s comments were especially bruising to the young businessman’s ego.

“There’s something about that one — the way he raised it and to that extent,” Trump continued. “And then he sat back smug, like he was hot stuff. That guy is nothing. He is zero. He is nothing.”

We never thought we’d say this, but we actually agree with the Donald on this one.

Related: Greedy CEO Drops Price Of AIDS Drug, Pissed He’s Not Going To Make A Killing

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/gAhjC6sbBoE/even-donald-trump-thinks-pharma-bro-martin-shkreli-sucks-calls-him-a-spoiled-brat-20150924

The OXD Mirror: The Black Madonna Does Nick Höppner, Double-Dose Tuff City Kids and more

BY TAD HAES

When The Black Madonna became the resident DJ of the long-running queer nightclub Smart Bar in Chicago in 2012, following house music legends such as Derrick Carter and Frankie Knuckles, it became clear that we would be hearing great things from her in the future. Since then, she was promoted to Smart Bar’s Creative Director and is responsible for booking all talent and events at the venue. Not only that, but she is also a fierce and established producer.

Reminiscent of the rawness of classic Chicago house, her latest release – a tech-house rework of Nick Höppner‘s ‘Relate’ – cements The Black Madonna’s relationship with the techno mavens of Berlin-based label Ostgut Ton (Berghain/Panorama Bar). The masterfully produced track starts off with hypnotic looping synths which build up and lead to a bright climax full of energy and echoing percussion elements. This is surely one of the dance highlights of the year.

• I have been closely following the work of Tuff City Kids (Phillip Lauer and Gerd Janson), who have consistently put out amazing work this year. I enjoy it so much that I decided to include two of their recent remixes in today’s column. Fort Romeau‘s ‘Cloche’ gets a disco-y synth heavy version while Private Agenda‘s ‘Paralysed’ is transformed into an acid house banger.
• Italian producer Francesco de Bellis, or simply Francisco, released the addictive ‘Beat Line,’ with elements inspired by italo-disco and 80’s new wave.
• Alixander III – of Toronto defunct house group Azari & III (RIP) – keeps it true to his unique house style with his second release on Berlin label Toy Tonics. The new EP is a follow up to the stellar Heavy Friends Part I and includes ‘Broken Promises,’ a collaboration with italian duo Marsupials.
• London-based producer Rashid Ajami announced his debut release on Noir Music, Night Prayer, with remixes by French trip dOP, who reworked the original track into haunted vocal and a dub versions.

This Friday: Occupy The Disco & The Carry Nation at Le Bain at The Standard, Highline

We are thrilled to share the decks with one of our favorite NY queer duos, The Carry Nation, this Friday, 9/25 at Le Bain at The Standard, Highline. It’s been a while since our last nighttime party at the iconic venue and if there is one thing we can promise all night is great music. Well, that and a fun, welcoming crowd. Come dance with us starting at 10pm and arrive early to avoid lines. No cover.

Le Bain at The Standard, Highline
444 W 13th St
New York, NY 10014
United States

OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD) curates and recommends music events to the gay community in NYC—in an effort to move the focus of the nightlife scene beyond the promoter and venue and to the music itself. OXD’s goal is to educate, entertain, engage and empower the gay audience to reclaim their ability to question and experience the unknown. The OXD Mirror will serve to showcase tunes that are definitely off-the-beaten-path but rightfully deserve the attention of the gay ear.

Follow us on Spotify!  Subscribe to our ‘As Seen on Towleroad Playlist to listen to tracks posted from past weeks. For more information on OXD, check out our website and accompanying blog at www.occupythedisco.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: @OccupyTheDisco.

The post The OXD Mirror: The Black Madonna Does Nick Höppner, Double-Dose Tuff City Kids and more appeared first on Towleroad.

Occupy the Disco

The OXD Mirror: The Black Madonna Does Nick Höppner, Double-Dose Tuff City Kids and more