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Ellen DeGeneres ‘Forgives’ Kevin Hart, Wants Him to Host the Oscars
Hart told DeGeneres he’s not homophobic and that the backlash against him took the shine out of the Oscars for him.
www.advocate.com/television/2019/1/03/ellen-tells-kevin-hart-she-forgives-him-he-should-host-oscars
Andy Samberg & Sandrah Oh Prepare To Host The Globes, ‘Aquaman’ Defeats ‘Wonder Woman’, and MORE: HOT LINKS
GLOBE TROTTERS Andy Samberg and Sandrah Oh roll out the red carpet.
BIRD CRUMBS 9.2 million people watched the acid-trip furries karaoke porn fantasy that is The Masked Singer.
BLUE CHRISTMAS Transgender people prefer not to stay with families during Christmas Holidays, Why?
GERBER BABY Presley Gerber, 19, was charged with a DUI in his Tesla at 4 am on NYE.
ATLANTIS RISES Aquaman overtakes Wonder Woman in the DCU box office.
CHOOSE CHAZ Serving sexy winter realness.
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Look do dia: Gucci pra Missoni
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The post Andy Samberg & Sandrah Oh Prepare To Host The Globes, ‘Aquaman’ Defeats ‘Wonder Woman’, and MORE: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Open Photo Shoot in Youngstown, OH
Open Photo Shoot in Youngstown OH
www.noh8campaign.com/event/open-photo-shoot-in-youngstown-oh
BREAKING: Trump Administration May Rollback Key Component of Nation’s Anti-Discrimination Laws
Administration is considering revocation of “disparate impact” regulations, which protect marginalized communities from unintended discrimination
GLAAD’s Sarah Kate Ellis: “These attacks on LGBTQ and other marginalized people must stop.”
NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today condemned the Trump Administration after a new report suggested the government is considering the rollback of “disparate impact” regulations within the country’s anti-discrimination laws. Under “disparate impact,” a person would have legal protections should they experience unintended discrimination in housing, education, or other ways of life (like access to quality transportation).
The leaked memo by the Justice Department is the latest example of the Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine and create unnecessary obstacles for marginalized communities, including LGBTQ Americans. According to GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project (TAP), the memo marks the 88th time President Trump has attacked LGBTQ people in policy and rhetoric since taking office.
“Either the Trump Administration is blissfully ignorant or just simply unwilling to understand the depth of discrimination that exists in the United States. But one thing is certain: if you are a part of a marginalized community, President Trump wants nothing to do with you,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “These attacks on LGBTQ and other marginalized people must stop.”
President Trump and his administration have worked to erase LGBTQ people from the fabric of this nation since the start of 2017. GLAAD has tracked the Trump Administration and every anti-LGBTQ action with its Trump Accountability Project. For more about these, go to www.glaad.org/trump.
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New York’s Non-Binary Option On Birth Certificates Is In Effect
A measure passed by the NYC city council in September went into effect January 2nd and now allows for another gender on their birth certificate.
The measure allows birth certificates to be updated with three options: M, F, or X.
Effective today! People born in NYC can now change the gender marker on their birth certificates to “X.” The third category makes birth certificates more inclusive to all gender identities. Here’s what you need to know: t.co/QyaSSVK7sE pic.twitter.com/38BcxCppzs
— nycHealthy (@nycHealthy) January 1, 2019
Additionally, transgender New Yorkers no longer need a letter from a doctor to correct the gender on their birth certificates. Instead, it’s enough to bring in a notarized affidavit that explains that the gender marker needs to be updated to affirm one’s gender identity.
“Transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers deserve the right to choose how they identify and to live with respect and dignity,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement.
“I have long advocated for this gender ‘X’ category option and I am proud that New York’s birth certificates are now as inclusive as our City,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
“I hope everyone who chooses to change their gender marker knows that their City government has their back and supports their decision.”
The post New York’s Non-Binary Option On Birth Certificates Is In Effect appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
New York’s Non-Binary Option On Birth Certificates Is In Effect
Did This New Jersey Clinic Inadvertently Expose Thousands to HIV?
A former patient has filed the first lawsuit against a New Jersey surgery center that may have exposed nearly 3,800 patients to HIV and hepatitis due to poor sterilization and medication practices reports the Associated Press.
The HealthPlus Surgery Center in Saddle Brook recently told the patients that a state probe of its facilities found “lapses in infection control” and “the injection of medications” could have exposed them to the diseases.
A state report released on Friday said operating rooms at the center were not properly cleaned and surgical tools were sometimes found with “brown rust-like stains” before use.
It was the latest scare at a new Jersey healthcare facility after 11 children died at a rehabilitation center since October in a deadly viral outbreak.
As a result of the investigation, two workers who were in charge of sterilizing and cleaning medical instruments were fired and a nursing director resigned.
The health department has advised anyone who had a procedure done at the Saddle Brook clinic between January 1 and September 7 to get tested. This is out of “an abundance of caution.”
If you need to be tested because of possible exposure at this clinic, you can call 888-507-0578.
The post Did This New Jersey Clinic Inadvertently Expose Thousands to HIV? appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Did This New Jersey Clinic Inadvertently Expose Thousands To HIV?
BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Lucas Denies Page Six Claims; Says He’s Shocked & Upset at Betrayal
Shortly after posting about a story that broke in Page Six Towleroad reached out to porn star and producer Michael Lucas.
Lucas told Towleroad:
Thank you for contacting me. No, it is not true. This is an email that i sent to an editor of the NYP as soon as I read it.
Dear Carlos:
The story that ran today and attributed to me by my former publicist is absolutely false. I spent 45 minutes on the phone explaining why I would never do that and they still felt the need to give it to you. Needless to say I am perplexed by their motivation and they were fired immediately.
I am considering legal action against them.
What is true is that I’m planning to retire in 2020.
What is absolutely false is that I would ever write or consider writing a “ tell all” book and naming names of my clients.
I consider that relationship sacred and I would NEVER violate their confidence or my integrity. Period.
I have nothing but the greatest respect and gratitude for the people who trusted me with their most intimate secrets and I will take those secrets to the grave.
Carlos Greer <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello Michael,
Thanks for your note. We’ve already closed our pages unfortunately, but I will gladly write a follow up with the information below tomorrow. Let’s touch bash then. Thanks. – Carlos
Lucas emailed back:
Thanks for the quick reply. Please make sure the headline on the online article is changed immediately. I’d also like to know what was said to you that made you think i planned to out former clients. This is a major, major embarrassment for me. Would appreciate an explanation.
The post BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Lucas Denies Page Six Claims; Says He’s Shocked & Upset at Betrayal appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Lucas Denies ‘Page Six’ Claims; Says He’s Shocked & Upset At Betrayal
Pose’s Billy Porter Tells Kevin Hart ‘F You’ Over Homophobic Jokes
The Tony winner discussed the power of words and how he has a zero-tolerance policy on anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
www.advocate.com/people/2019/1/02/poses-billy-porter-tells-kevin-hart-f-you-over-homophobic-jokes
Do You Know the LGBTQ 2000s? Test Your Grasp of its Pop Icons, Influencers, and Political Heroes
PRESENTED by WorldPride 2019 | Stonewall 50
Next summer, WorldPride comes to the United States for the first time to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The sixth edition of the culturally-diverse WorldPride will attract millions of LGBTQI+ revelers for the largest celebration of Pride in history. In honor of this incredible event Towleroad is celebrating 50 years of LGBTQI+ history with a series examining queer life from the 1960s through today.
Considering how rapidly LGBT rights and acceptance have accelerated over the last eight years, it’s hard to believe what a different world we were living in at the turn of the century.
There are high school students today who were alive at a time when sodomy laws criminalized consensual relations between men in the privacy of their homes in the United States of America. This wasn’t ancient history; this was yesterday.
In the 2003 landmark civil rights decision Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Court overturned sodomy laws in 14 states. “The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime,” wrote Justice Kennedy in the majority opinion.
That sentiment became representative of the shifting attitudes toward queer people throughout the early aughts. Increased acceptance started the ball in motion for what would become the primary (for better or worse) civil rights cause of the aughts: marriage equality.
Vermont became the first state to implement civil unions in 2000. The “separate but equal” solution spread in the subsequent years, as Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington followed.
Although nationwide marriage equality is a reality today, the earliest same-sex marriages were issued in San Francisco in early 2004. (Massachusetts’ state supreme court ruled in late 2003 requiring the state to legally recognize same-sex marriage, but it didn’t go into effect until May 2004.) Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa and Washington, D.C. began recognizing same-sex marriages by the end of the decade.
Just like we’ve seen ludicrous bathroom bills flood legislatures in light of the increased visibility of trans individuals, the spread of marriage equality galvanized conservatives. Twenty-nine states had amended their constitutions to ban same-sex marriage by 2010.
The most infamous of these discriminatory initiatives was California’s Proposition 8. The ballot measure proposed an amendment to the state constitution that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. Voters passed the measure in 2008, and it was met with overwhelming opposition.
Celebrities, activists and politicians decried Prop. 8, including a legendary, tongue-in-cheek live reading of Prop. 8 the Musical. The proposition — heavily impacted by influences outside the state — faced a long legal battle into the 2010s, the most significant being a 2010 ruling by Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California. He ruled the proposition was unconstitutional, a decision ultimately upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.
The ideological war was on. According to Gallup polling, the majority of Americans didn’t support same-sex marriage until 2011 when, presumably, people saw the proverbial sky didn’t fall in states where same-sex marriages were taking place.
Also fueling this cultural evolution was an increase in LGBTQ representation. After decades of slowly increasing visibility in media, the early aughts began telling more nuanced and complex queer stories. (Though, overwhelmingly, they still focused on white gays and lesbians.)
The most prominent, of course, was NBC’s Will & Grace. The recently rebooted series may not have featured the most groundbreaking portrayals of gay people, but it was still a broadly popular mainstream network sitcom with multiple gay principal characters. In 2012, Vice President Joe Biden credited the series, saying Will & Grace “probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody’s ever done so far.”
Similarly, Bravo’s hit series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy brought a (sanitized, family-friendly) gay perspective to audiences in 2003. The highly-rated first season made the original Fab Five household names and introduced gay people into homes all over the country.
While mainstream America was getting easily-digestible exposure to gay people on Will & Grace and Queer Eye, two of television’s greatest queer series were airing on premium cable.
Queer As Folk, an American take on Russell T Davies’ British series of the same name, became the first hour-long drama on American television focused on the lives of homosexuals. The show ran from 2000-2005 on Showtime, tackling a range of issues including hate crimes, HIV/AIDS, open relationships, drug use and sex in the gay community with refreshing candor. (More than a decade before How to Get Away With Murder, it was the first series to show simulated sex between men on American television.)
As gay men were getting increased exposure on television, a series dedicated to gay women, The L Word, debuted in 2004 (also on Showtime) to critical acclaim. Focusing on gay women in West Hollywood, the series offered a more realistic portrayal of lesbian characters than, say Xena and Gabrielle, but still was a bit soapier and more melodramatic.
Although it didn’t have the reach of Queer As Folk or The L Word, another important queer series from the early aughts was Noah’s Arc. Racial diversity in LGBTQ representation is still lacking today, but 20 years ago, it was barely existent. Noah’s Arc was Logo’s first scripted series, and it became the network’s highest-rated original series before being abruptly canceled after the second season’s cliffhanger finale. A follow-up film, Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom, opened in limited release in 2008.
“It’s hard for me to really grasp the impact of Noah’s Arc on TV’s landscape,” Noah’s Arc star Darryl Stephens said in a 2014 interview. “I know I’ve heard from and continue to hear from hundreds if not thousands of people who loved the characters on that show. To me, it was a fun little soap opera. To some, it was television’s first affirmation of black gay love–ever. I’m not sure how much the show managed to change television depictions of black gay men or the weight of its impact with respect to the TV shows that followed it, but I know that the people who enjoyed it have been incredibly loyal and vocal about how much it meant to them.”
On the big screen, few LGBTQ films have made a bigger impact than 2005’s Academy Award-winning film, Brokeback Mountain. Famously starring the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal — two heterosexual actors hitting the peak of their popularity — the story offered a heartbreaking, raw tale of rough and tumble ranchers that fall in love. It was the kind of love story even most open-minded mainstream audiences had never seen.
Most people look back at Brokeback Mountain‘s Academy Awards loss for Best Picture as a blow to LGBTQ storytelling. However, 2005 was a year featuring so many queer films, including the big-screen adaptation of Rent, Transamerica, Capote and Breakfast on Pluto.
Against the backdrop of increased exposure to queer people, legal protections and resources also expanded outside of marriage laws. At the beginning of the 2000s only one-third of the population was covered under state laws banning at least one type of anti-gay discrimination. By the end of the decade, 21 states and the District of Columbia had laws to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination. By 2010, there were more than 4,000 registered gay-straight alliances in the country (up from TWO in 1990).
The early aughts could also be considered an important milestone toward the “Transgender Tipping Point.” Thanks to the tireless work of transgender activists, the gay and lesbian community evolved into a more inclusive LGBT movement. There was only one state (Minnesota) that had a law to protect trans people from discrimination in the year 2000. A dozen more states and the District of Columbia added protections in the following 10 years. Although today the trans community is still at disproportionate risk for discrimination (even from within the LGBT community) and violence, these were important early steps toward trans equality.
As the decade drew to a close, the election of President Barack Obama in 2008 and increased media saturation of megahits like Glee, True Blood and Modern Family paved the way for the rapid sea change that washed over American society in the 2010s.
There is still so much work to do to ensure safety, dignity and equality, particularly for trans and queer people of color. However, looking back at the hard work of generations of queer people, it’s clear to see the arc of history still bends toward justice.
This is just a taste of the rich queer history of the 2000s. What were some key moments and important memories we missed? Leave your impressions of the LGBTQ ’00s in the comments below…
Get all the info on WorldPride at the official website, or by following @NYCPride on Twitter and Instagram.
The post Do You Know the LGBTQ 2000s? Test Your Grasp of its Pop Icons, Influencers, and Political Heroes appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Do You Know the LGBTQ 2000s? Test Your Grasp of its Pop Icons, Influencers, and Political Heroes
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