The Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act Strikes Back and It Could Be A Huge Legal Headache For Marriage Equality
Three years ago, Tennessee introduced a bill that would “defend natural marriage between one man and one woman,” with the goal of barring same-sex marriages.
The Bustlesays: The Natural Marriage Defense Act states that the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 2015 to legalize marriage equality is “unauthoritative, void, and of no effect.” The bill also states that marriage clerks are expected to deny any marriage license applications that would “enable the applicants to enter into an unlawful and invalid marriage” — “unlawful” in this case referring to any marriage that is not between a man and woman.
The bill is intended to prohibit government officials — in particular clerks issuing marriage certificates — from recognizing any court rulings that affirms same-sex unions, and specifies they cannot be arrested for failing to comply with court orders that do so.
It would also require the Tennessee attorney general to defend the state’s law on marriage in any subsequent court challenge.
“The far right’s dream scenario is this would go back before the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court would accept it,” said Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group that has previously opposed the bill according to The Tennessean.
‘Drag Race All Stars:’ Manolo-She Betta Don’t [RECAP and RANKINGS]
Before I get into last night’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, I need to get something off my chest. I’ve been particularly hard on Monet and Monique this season. I think I just have a hard time rooting for girls who were just on the most recent season competing on All Stars. Give it a minute, girl! Let me MISS you. Put out an album! Tour with the Roast! Do a holiday show at the Laurie Beechman! I don’t know, bitch, put on a backpack and go Reese Witherspoon Wild!
However, I am now fully STANNING. Maybe it was the edit that didn’t highlight their fabulosity early in the season, but now I am gooped, gagged and totally on board. I feel like Monet (as well as Naomi) are getting bolder, more assertive and taking big swings. Monique — never one to take a small swing — is hitting it out of the park.
But before we go ahead and split the crown among them Cady Heron style, let’s discuss last night’s episode.
Fresh off Manila’s shocking elimination, Naomi was #sorrynotsorry. “I sent Manila home … because I wanted to!” she proudly told camera. But whose lipstick did Monet choose? Oh, Manila, too. Monet made no bones about her logic: She’s a petty bitch from Brooklyn (and I love it).
“Because what’s fair? Life’s not fair,” Naomi explained. I died. R.I.P. me.
The increased ruthlessness had Trinity shook, but at this point in the competition what even are these report cards? How are they weighted? It’s time to abandon the pretense of fairness and get those claws out. Literally.)
This week’s challenge had the girls dusting off their acting chops for Ru Hollywood Story: Sex and the Kitty, Girl 3. It’s part Sex and the City parody, part behind-the-scenes documentary about the backstage rivalries.
Because she was last week’s winner, Naomi gets to assign the roles. She makes a power play by taking the lead, “SJP.” (All the characters are hilariously — and wisely, in terms of copyright — named after the actresses, not their characters.) Trinity and Monet both dig their high-heels in about wanting to play “Kim,” the second [*Kim Cattrall voice*] juiciest role. In one of the series most ludicrous moments of manufactured drama, Monet and Trinity face-off in a high-stakes, edge-of-your-seat game of rock-paper-scissors. They even took a dramatic commercial break! They did a slo-mo!
If this finale is not a rock-paper-scissor round robin battle, I’ll be pissed.
Trinity won the part, and Monet settled on Kristin. Latrice picked up Cynthia, blending the no-nonsense lawyer Miranda with the lesbian aspiring politician who portrayed her. Of course, we’ve got five girls left, and the show featured a foursome, so Ru injected the legendary Kristen Johnston character, Lexi Featherston. On the surface, picking a character that only ever appeared in one episode of the show’s six-season and two-movie run seems odd. However, that character is so iconic, so memorable, the episode in which she appears (“Splat!”) is one of the most beloved in the series’ history. As an unapologetic Sex and the City superfan, I couldn’t be more excited to see Monique in this role. (Though as an SATC scholar, I need to call CONTINUITY ERROR on saying K-Jo was in a coma. We saw her funeral!)
Ross was directing, and the edit really leaned into everyone’s struggle. Naomi was having a hard time blending her personality and SJP’s signature ease and charm. It’s always a tough call on these challenges. There’s a risk the judges will skewer you for playing the part so faithfully that it loses the parody, OR you could get called out for not being true to the inspiration. Naomi certainly made a choice to play the part very NAOMI-as-Carrie Bradshaw, and the result was not great. She also struggled with her amount of lines.
Ross had to give Trinity a lot of coaching from the Kim Cattrall School of Saying Everything Like It’s Sexual (now accepting applications for the Class of 2023). Latrice seemed fine, but gave more definitive choices between takes telling Monet to stop stepping on her lines. Why didn’t they use that in the actual video? It would have read perfectly as the actresses sniping at each other. Ross, as a director, you need to learn to USE that!
Then, Monique entered and stole the whole damn show. This kind of challenge plays directly to all of Monique’s Moniqueness, and she lit up the screen any time the camera caught her. Even when she was doing the wrong thing, she made it look right. Someone give “K-Jo” a webseries, STAT! Hello, World of Wonder, do you hear me?
On the runway, the gals strutted their stuff in Cat Couture. It felt like a category designed specifically for the judges to use cat puns, and I ain’t even mad about it. (As usual, we’ll talk about specific “lewks” — which, no, I will not stop saying; “life’s not fair,” darling! — in the rankings below.)
The final video was one of Drag Race’s better parodies. You can tell whoever wrote the script really loved the series, and they peppered in so many specific jokes and references to even the smallest moments. Monique and Trinity both stood out from the rest of the litter with show-stealing performances and purrrrrr-fect runways.
Naomi’s performance seemed the most off-the-mark, but the edit isn’t the sort of disaster the filming made it seem. The judges were enamored with her runway, an almost kawaii take on the modern cat lady. Monet seemed to barely give just enough in the clip, and her runway was gorgeous (though it did not read “cat”). Latrice made a bigger impression in the video, but her airbrushed safari gown was a dud on the runway.
Monique and Trinity were named the winners, and everyone else was up for elimination. Deliberations seemed tough. It seemed Monet was relatively safe, but both Latrice and Naomi could’ve been in danger. Naomi was this week’s weakest contestant, but Latrice is often safe, at best. (Plus, she was already eliminated once before — this season.) Naomi and Monet both told Trinity Latrice was the choice to go home, and Naomi was not apologizing for it.
“Honestly, she could tell Latrice what I said about her and I’d be like, ‘Yeah that’s exactly what I said.’ I don’t give a f*ck. Honestly, I don’t give a f*ck.”
Tell us how you really feel, Naomi.
The lip sync was to Janet Jackson’s “When I Think of You,” and, even though it’s not the highest tempo number, both ladies hit every piece of percussion with precision. It was a real fun little number, with Trinity edging out Monique, whose loose top seemed to be a distraction during her performance.
Trinity was picked as the winner, and she elected to eliminate … LATRICE! I wouldn’t call it a “shocking” elimination, but it was unexpected!
Now, if this season has taught us anything, it’s that I have truly no clue who is winning this at any given moment. That’s half the fun. So, read on for my totally subjective (and apparently very off-base) rankings below!
It’s a very tight race, but I’m going to go out on a limb and pick Monique for the win. There are some things she just does SO well. This season has given me such an appreciation for her makeup skills, and her fashions have been elevated. (Though I am still hesitant to say she’s nailing every runway.) This week’s Cat Couture was best in show, for sure. It was campy AND glamorous. It told a story, and it was EXAGGERATED, like drag should be. Her comedic timing and dance skills are expert, and she would be a worthy addition to the Hall of Fame.
Right there with Monique is Trinity. She’s the competitor who has been the most consistently strong in every challenge, and all her runways have been killer. No wonder she’s so concerned about elimination by report card; hers is definitely the strongest. I do have to wonder if her choice to eliminate Latrice had anything to do with Latrice’s comment in the workroom about how the winner should be someone with a platform, not just someone looking to shill singles and T-shirts. Maybe Trinity wanted to send Latrice home, before Latrice got the chance to send her home. Although Trinity’s Cat Couture was fun, it just lacked oomph for me. The mask was a cop out compared to doing the cat makeup, and her catsuit was just too plain. (She rocked it down the runway, regardless.) I got cat, but no couture. This season we’re really talking about the differences between As and A+s.
As much as I am digging Monet, I’ve got to put her in third. She was fine in the parody, and her runway was ambitious. There was good stuff in her lewk, but it wasn’t a cat. The ears were part of the problem, but I think the makeup was a much bigger factor. Compare her face to Monique’s. (Or even her pro-recreation on Instagram. Clock the nose.) Monet just didn’t know how to create the illusion. I’m surprised the judges didn’t single that out more than the ears. Still, Monet’s profile is on the rise thanks to a Super Bowl commercial, and there’s no denying she’s invested in improving her fashion.
Were any of us ready to be as gagged by Naomi as we’ve been? I certainly wasn’t. She missed the mark on the challenge, but I understand the choice she made. She wanted to showcase what she thought the judges wanted to see. This was not her best runway, but it was still classic Naomi, high fashion. I am also LOVING this take-no-prisoners, not giving an F attitude. She feels the least likely of the remaining four to snatch the crown, but she has proven she is worthy of the All Star title.
Oh, Latrice. Yet again, your time has come. She will always be beloved, but, come on, she rarely stunned this season. This week, her performance was strong, but it felt like it was the script doing most of the heavy lifting. That runway was inexcusably lazy, and I must add it to the list of Latrice’s middling ensembles. The returning eliminated queen gimmick needs to be retired for a while. It’s starting to feel super predictable and required, instead of earned.
How would you rank the queens? Who do you think will take the crown in next week’s elimination? Sound off in the comments, henny!
GOP Lawmaker Called on to Resign After Using Homophobic Slur, Defending Milo Yiannopoulos, and Comparing Gays to Klan: WATCH
Freshman Delegate Eric Porterfield (R-Mercer), a GOP lawmaker in West Virginia, is being called on to resign after protesting an LGBTQ non-discrimination amendment by declaring gays “bigoted” and citing the persecution of Milo Yiannopoulos’ (while reciting aloud the name of his “Dangerous Faggots Tour”) as proof that “LGBT is the most socialist group in this country. They do not protect gays.“
Said Porterfield: “As legislators, I don’t think it’s our job to legislate behavior…This is discrimination against the first amendment and religious liberty, and the LGBT is the most socialist group and they don’t protect gays.”
He went on to cite the persecution of alt-right white supremacist homocon troll Yiannopoulos: “This is the name of his tour, this is not what I named his tour, but he was on what he referred to as the ‘Dangerous F…….. Tour’ and the LGBT stormed that building and did $200,000 worth of damage because he didn’t line up with their ideology. We cannot allow discriminatory bigots to determine how our citizens are going to live.”
Porter’s rant came after a delegate tried to add an amendment to House Bill 2699 that would have prohibited cities from adding nondiscrimination ordinances that protect sexual orientation and gender identity.
The paper adds: ‘He also called the gay community a “terrorist group” and said he is being “persecuted” by the gay community in retaliation for his remarks, including receiving threats on Facebook and voicemails.’
Porterfield also wrote about his persecution, saying on social media: “Last night and today, members of the LGBTQ have exercised hate crimes and threatened my safety. We have reported this to the Capitol Police in Charleston and I would like all of my friends to pray for the safety of me and my family. These vicious monsters are proving that they are the most bigoted and discriminatory people in America. Though they try to intimidate and bully and try to strike fear to me and my family, we ask the Lord to help us stand tall against their persecution and their leftist minions within the legislature.”
Last night and today, members of the LGBTQ have exercised hate crimes and threatened my safety. We have reported this to the Capitol Police in Charleston and I would like all of my friends to pray for the… t.co/a1lIhpGCkw
He added: “I believe my enemies just re-elected me in 2020. My campaign was very clear, that I would stand for the 1st amendment, religious liberty, pro-life, pro family, the second amendment, right to work and promote business growth. My statements in the Committee meeting prove that I meant what I said. I would like to thank the enemies of freedom, the first amendment and religious liberty for the free advertisement. With their help I won’t have to campaign as hard next time. Lol ”
I believe my enemies just re-elected me in 2020. My campaign was very clear, that I would stand for the 1st amendment, religious liberty, pro-life, pro family, the second amendment, right to work and promote… t.co/dITvrXDMzV
Democrats say the newly elected Del. Eric Porterfield, a Republican from fro Mercer County, should resign for the anti-LGBT comments he made this week. pic.twitter.com/5dG7a8wfl5
The irony of Delegate Eric Porterfield opposition to protecting the LGBT community against discrimination in Housing, employment, etc, is that it would protect individuals with blindness, such as he. It does not protect stupidity though, which Porterfield is qualified in. pic.twitter.com/1u26c6xf1z
Warm up in a seaside city with a gay scene as vibrant as its sandy beaches
First stop on our tour of southern Florida: St. Petersburg, in the fantastic Tampa Bay area.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gus Kenworthy, John Mulaney, Shameik Moore, Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus, RIP Albert Finney, TGIF, and More: HOT LINKS
AOC SCARES Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s financial plan pisses off the one percent
THREES A CROWDLiam Hemsworth & Miley Cyrus are throupling with Rebel Wilson for Valentine’s Day. “The 38-year-old Pitch Perfect star and the 29-year-old The Dressmaker actor visited Good Morning America on Friday (February 8) in New York City to promote their new rom-com Isn’t It Romantic. During the appearance, Liam confirmed that Miley extended the invite for Rebelto crash their first Valentine’s Day date as a married couple.“I think she should’ve asked Liambefore,” Rebel laughed. “If I get desperate, great option.”
“I’m all for it,” Liam chimed in. “Absolutely.”
REST IN PEACE Legendary actor Albert Finney has died. He was 82. Albert Finney’s publicist said in a statement that he died yesterday of a chest infection at the Royal Marsden hospital. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2011. His wife Pene and son Simon were with him when he went off to the great beyond.
DListed said of the actor: “A true thespian, Finney graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He became a star in 1963’s Tom Jones, which got him his first Oscar nomination. He was offered the title role in Lawrence of Arabia, but turned it down, because he was not about to sign a multi-movie deal with its producer. Most younger folks will recognize Finney from his role in the Matt Damon Jason Bourne movies. In the 70s, he starred as Scrooge in Scrooge and Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express(which got him his second Oscar nom). Albert Finney didn’t like to be tied down (see: the reason why he turned down Lawrence of Arabia), so he refused to play Poirot in more movies. Instead he did The Dresser (which got him his third Oscar nom), Under the Volcano (which got him his fourth Oscar nom), and Annie, which should’ve gotten him an Oscar win, but those dumb tricks didn’t even nominate him for that. From the 80s until 2012, he was also in Orphans, Miller’s Crossing, Breakfast of Champions, Erin Brockovich (and he got his final Oscar nom for that), Traffic, Big Fish, and Corpse Bride.”
KARMA’S A BITCH Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro has been hospitalized with pneumonia. Bolsonaro is being treated for pneumonia, after coming down with a fever on Wednesday, the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo has said according toThe Guardian.
Bolsonaro recently had a follow-up operation to remove a colostomy bag that was put in place after he was stabbed while campaigning ahead of Brazil’s election last year.
The Albert Einstein hospital said in a statement on Thursday it had carried out tests on Bolsonaro.
THE SOUNDS OF SPIDERSpider-Verse Star Shameik Moore hopes to record a song for the movie’s sequel according to Heat Vision at The Hollywood Reporter. On Jan. 12, Shameik Moore woke up to a flood of congratulatory messages. The night before on The Tonight Show, Michael B. Jordan had read a text the actor had sent him and cited Moore as “the next generation” of young talent to host Jimmy Fallon. That’s just one swirl of the whirlwind that Moore has experienced in the wake of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which has scored $339 million at the global box office, won the Golden Globe for animated film and is nominated for best animated feature at the Oscars.
Here’s an excerpt: Kenworthy’s now using his fame to combat HIV and the stigma that remains around the virus. Part of the reason why young people (ages 13 to 24) make up nearly a quarter of all new HIV diagnoses, Kenworthy says, is because “there is a lack of education and stigma that still exists around HIV.”
To help change that, Kenworthy recently announced his planned participation in AIDS/LifeCycle 2019, pledging to raise $1 million to fight HIV. This June 2–9, the Olympian will join over 2,000 cyclists on a seven-day, 545-mile trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
He’ll be cycling at a time when most (81 percent) of the youth newly diagnosed with HIV are gay and bisexual. “I think the younger generation was spared from experiencing a time when a diagnosis meant a death sentence, but we still have a long way to go,” he says. “We need to continue to speak up for the cause and teach young people how to protect themselves — that’s part of the reason I am doing the AIDS/LifeCycle ride.”
#FBF To a few things John Mulaney is excited about from 2010. In his segment, “I Love It”, John Mulaney gives a positive spin on news such as AOL buying Yahoo, animals not knowing they’re in movies, his dad only wearing Rockport shoes and the eating habits on Mad Men. [Season 36, 2010].
IT’S FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE The Cure performs “Friday I’m In Love.”
Ronan Farrow: I Too Was Threatened with Blackmail by AMI Over Stories About Trump
Journalist Ronan Farrow has revealed that he too was subjected to blackmail threats from AMI over stories about Trump’s relationship with the National Enquirer publisher.
Farrow tweeted a response to Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, who Thursday published a piece detailing threats that had been made against him by the publisher.
Tweeted Farrow: ‘I and at least one other prominent journalist involved in breaking stories about the National Enquirer’s arrangement with Trump fielded similar “stop digging or we’ll ruin you” blackmail efforts from AMI. (I did not engage as I don’t cut deals with subjects of ongoing reporting.)’
I and at least one other prominent journalist involved in breaking stories about the National Enquirer’s arrangement with Trump fielded similar “stop digging or we’ll ruin you” blackmail efforts from AMI. (I did not engage as I don’t cut deals with subjects of ongoing reporting.) t.co/kHQdWIkVjV
Farrow’s tweet prompted a reply from Ted Bridis, a former AP editor, who wrote: “We were warned explicitly by insiders that AMI had hired private investigators to dig into backgrounds of @AP journalists looking into the tabloid’s efforts on behalf of Trump. Never saw evidence of this either way, and it didn’t stop our reporting.”
We were warned explicitly by insiders that AMI had hired private investigators to dig into backgrounds of @AP journalists looking into the tabloid’s efforts on behalf of Trump. Never saw evidence of this either way, and it didn’t stop our reporting.
In light of Bezos’s claims, worth returning to this story we did at @NewYorker, breaking the news that the same Enquirer editor Bezos dealt with was also behind a secret collaboration with Harvey Weinstein to dig up dirt on accusers: t.co/lPJM0cPc5npic.twitter.com/D6jxc88zDl
Also relevant: this report we went on to publish, with the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of AMI’s effort to “catch and kill” Karen McDougal’s story of an affair with Trump, and her first public statements about it: t.co/ThSnfEsJUOpic.twitter.com/Xm4bK2exLz
And this story about AMI similarly going to elaborate lengths to buy and bury a claim from a Trump Organization doorman with information (of unclear veracity) about another Trump affair resulting in a child: t.co/iwy2lbaCpzpic.twitter.com/k9CXConJnN
Gender reveal parties have become the obnoxious new celebration among heteronormative couples–so it’s cool to see a loving mom do a transgender reveal party for her son in a series of Facebook posts that have gone viral over the past week.
Adrian Brown, middle, with brother Lucas, left, and their mother, Heather Lundberg Green. via Facebook.
Adrian Brown’s mom must be from Krypton.
His supermom’s name is Heather Lundberg Green and she would do anything for her trans son.
Green was so extra for her son’s 20th birthday photo.
Your son only comes out as transgender once, after all.
Green’s photo shoot – which was themed as a baby gender reveal with blue balloons, glitter, “It’s a boy” messaging and a faux pregnant tummy to show she was gaining another son – is the ultimate show of support a trans kid can get from a parent.
Congratulations to newlyweds Lucy and William from Great Britain!
Love is lovelier the second time around. Lucy and William sure think so. She writes: “I met Will on Zoosk in November 2014. We had both been married before. We spoke for about 6 weeks before Will drove all the way from Norfolk to Yorkshire to see me. I met him on the doorstep, and in that
AT NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST, TRUMP PRAISES ACTIONS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION & RADICAL LAWMAKERS WHO ARE LICENSING ANTI-LGBTQ DISCRIMINATION IN CHILD WELFARE SERVICES: More from The Washington Post.
1/ Today, @realDonaldTrump praised the actions of his administration & radical lawmakers in places like Kansas & Oklahoma who are licensing anti-LGBTQ discrimination in child welfare services.
Here’s what you need to know about the dangerous consequences of measures like these:
BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS TO BLOCK TRUMP’S BAN ON TRANSGENDER TROOPS: The move comes after the Supreme Court last month declined to hear any cases challenging the Trump-Pence Administration’s ban on transgender troops, and allowing the administration to move forward with implementing this discriminatory policy. More from The Hill.
From The Washington Post editorial board: “The transgender military ban is damaging America.” More from The Washington Post.
Bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate agree: qualified transgender Americans should be allowed to serve their country, regardless of their gender identity. t.co/dk3Ld0d3Uf
FEEL GOOD FRIDAY — WHEN LAVERNE COX NEEDS HOPE, SHE REFLECTS ON THE HISTORY OF BLACK BRILLIANCE: “My ancestors went through slavery, Jim and Jane Crow, and yet managed to come out with some of the best music, art and culture that the world has ever known,” writes Black transgender trailblazer Cox. “When I look at the history and the brilliance of African Americans, it gives me a tremendous amount of optimism with perspective. It is horrible what far too many of us have endured. But the history of black excellence in America gives us a template for how to fight — and how to not be demoralized by the fight.” More from TIME.
Read transgender writer and advocate Monica Roberts’ (@TransGriot) history of how Black transgender people have shaped the civil rights and LGBTQ movements from OutSmart Magazine.
So honored to be a part of @TIME‘s Optimism issue with guest editor @ava. Thanks for including me. I wrote about a few of my idols and the history of black excellence in America as a template for us today. t.co/h4uxmkiDlo
A Colorado House committee has passed a bill making it easier for transgender Coloradans to change their name and gender on state documents. More from The Denver Post.
Anti-transgender bill defeated in South Dakota! The bill targeted transgender children seeking medically-necessary transition-related care. More from Argus Leader.
Also in South Dakota: The state’s top education officials and human rights advocates this week testified against an anti-trans bill that targets children. More from Argus Leader.
Anti-equality lawmakers in Tennessee have introduced multiple bills to give child welfare services a license to discriminate against prospective parents, including LGBTQ parents. More from The Tennessean.
HRC is strongly opposed to a Utah bill that would limit a person’s ability to change the sex listed on their birth certificate. More on this bill from ACLU Utah.
UCONN AND HRC FIND LGBTQ YOUTH DISPROPORTIONATELY BULLIED FOR THEIR WEIGHT: The findings, from the 2017 LGBTQ National Teen Survey, found weight to be a top reason cited for bullying among LGBTQ youth, after sexual orientation and gender identity. More from UCONN Today.
And a new study from the Family Equality Council shows the gap in the number of LGBTQ parents vs. non-LGBTQ parents is narrowing, with millennial LGBTQ parents at the forefront of the change. More from Susan Miller (@susmiller) at USA Today.
POLICE RELEASE NEW INFORMATION IN 1970s COLD CASE MURDERS OF FIVE SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN: A new police sketch of the suspected killer, known as “The Doodler,” is being circulated and a reward offered in hopes of closing the case. More from USA Today.
READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
Gay Times gives an explainer on the government-sponsored violence against LGBTQ people in Chechnya; Entertainment Weekly shares an excerpt from Dustin Lance Black’s (@DLanceBlack) upcoming memoir “Mama’s Boy”; Forbes interviews openly gay executive coach Jody Michael; The New York Times Style Magazine looks at the history of LGBTQ representation in children’s books
