‘Drag Race’ Queen Reveals New Details About the ‘Gay Exorcism’ Forced on Her by Family

As much as it is a competition to find America’s next drag superstar, RuPaul’s Drag Race is a showcase of the human ability to endure and overcome painful hardship, from bullying and drug addiction to being abandoned at a bus stop by a parent as a child. But even by the show’s standards, Dusty Ray Bottom’s…

The post ‘Drag Race’ Queen Reveals New Details About the ‘Gay Exorcism’ Forced on Her by Family appeared first on Towleroad.

www.towleroad.com/2018/04/dusty-ray-bottoms-exorcism/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+towleroad%2Ffeed+%28Towleroad+Gay+News+%29

HRC Endorses California Senator Dianne Feinstein for Re-Election

Today, HRC announced its endorsement of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

“From the earliest days of her career as one of California’s most devoted public servants, Senator Feinstein has been a stalwart supporter of the LGBTQ community,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “As Donald Trump and Mike Pence attempt to undo our progress and drag our country backwards, Senator Feinstein is standing up to this administration’s dangerous attacks on LGBTQ people and fighting for the equal dignity of all Americans. HRC is proud to endorse Senator Feinstein’s bid for reelection and we look forward to continuing to work with her to secure full federal equality.”

“I want to sincerely thank the Human Rights Campaign for their powerful work promoting LGBTQ civil rights across America and for endorsing my reelection,” said Senator Feinstein. “As Supervisor and Mayor of San Francisco, and as California’s Senator, I’ve always been proud to support the LGBTQ community, and I look forward to continuing my work with HRC in campaigns, courtrooms and Congress to achieve equality for all.”

Senator Feinstein scored a perfect 100 on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard for the 114th and 113th Congress. She is an original cosponsor of the Equality Act and was a leader in the fight to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Back in 1993, Feinstein was one of only 33 Senators to vote against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and in 1996 she was one of only 14 Senators to vote against DOMA. Under the leadership of then-Mayor Feinstein, San Francisco prioritized funding for research and treatment during the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Senator Feinstein has continued to fight for funding for global and domestic HIV prevention programs. Most recently, Senator Feinstein has continued to hold the Trump-Pence administration accountable for their attacks against the LGBTQ community — especially the harmful actions by Betsy DeVos and Jeff Sessions. She has also been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump’s discriminatory ban on transgender service members.

Last summer, HRC announced a bold, proactive grassroots expansion with the launch of HRC Rising — a campaign to accelerate progress in states from coast-to-coast, resist the politics of hate, fight anti-LGBTQ legislation, and fuel pro-equality candidates and initiatives. The expansion is the biggest strategic investment in the organization’s 37-year history. HRC has identified more than 8,800,000 Californians as likely “Equality Voters,” meaning they are strong supporters of progressive LGBTQ policies including marriage equality, adoption by LGBTQ people, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-endorses-ca-senator-dianne-feinstein-for-re-election?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

The creepy gay “sex for rent” domestic slave operation hiding in plain sight on Facebook
Victims in these arrangements are being “raped, beaten, drugged, infected with HIV and treated as domestic slaves.”

www.queerty.com/creepy-gay-sex-rent-domestic-slave-operation-hiding-plain-sight-facebook-20180418?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

50 Sweet and Not So Innocent Drawings by Martin Bedolla

www.advocate.com/art/2018/4/18/50-sweet-and-not-so-innocent-drawings-martin-bedolla

Video: Conversation Beats Out All Night Sex?!

With the summer heat on the horizon, Plenty of Fish hit the Venice Beach boardwalk to ask LA locals what’s more important to them on a first date, conversation or sex?! In a survey of over 2,000 U.S. singles, POF revealed 90 percent of these singles prefer conversation vs. sex. Well, let’s take a look to […]

The post Video: Conversation Beats Out All Night Sex?! appeared first on PlentyOfFish Blog.

Video: Conversation Beats Out All Night Sex?!

HRC Mourns Loss of Pioneering LGBTQ Advocate Donna Red Wing

Today, HRC released the following statement mourning the loss of Donna Red Wing:

“The HRC family is deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, Donna Red Wing. She dedicated her life’s work to civil rights and her legacy will forever be woven into the fabric of the LGBTQ equality movement,” said HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs, JoDee Winterhof. “Many in the HRC family had the honor of working alongside Donna during her time as HRC’s National Field Director and across many states and campaigns in more recent years. For more than three decades, generations of advocates bore witness to Donna’s tenacity, deep commitment to equality and justice, and her many accomplishments, which inspired all those around her. Our hearts go out to Donna’s family and many friends who are grieving her loss.”

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-mourns-pioneer-and-lgbtq-advocate-donna-red-wing?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Why I cried at ‘Blockers’ – and the need for more representation in major studio movies

Last week, I sat in a crowded movie theater with my girlfriend and our friends to take in the 10:15 p.m. showing of Blockers. I came in with mid-level expectations – I was ready to laugh, ready to maybe be impressed by John Cena, and mildly excited to watch what had been called “The Female American Pie.”

What I didn’t expect was a feeling that hit me right in the gut 10 minutes into the film. As these teenage girls begin planning their pact to lose their virginities, the camera focuses in on Sam (Gideon Adlon) as her eyes find someone across the cafeteria. There’s an immediate cue that movie-goers know by heart: the room goes slow, the music swells, and the audience knows that someone is crushing hard. When this happens to Sam, we see that the object of her affection is her lovely classmate Angelica (Ramona Young).

A moment of disbelief went through me, right before that perfect and joyous thought of, “Oh my god, this is gay.” I didn’t notice until seconds later that I was squeezing my girlfriend’s hand much tighter than I had been before and she was squeezing right back. We turned to looked at each other. The feeling of being seen on screen that I felt in my chest was reflected back in her eyes too.

It’s heartbreaking how rare that feeling is. In GLAAD’s most recent Studio Responsibility Index, we found that in 2016, of the 125 films released by the seven biggest studios in the United States, only 23 of them included LGBTQ characters. Of those 23 films, only 13 of them included queer characters who had over a minute of screen time. It’s a trend we have seen over and over again in the five years of doing this report; and we saw it again last summer, when we found almost no LGBTQ people in any big budget film.

Year after year, the Studio Responsibility Index shows a number of raunchy, R-rated comedies where queer people are just punchlines and stereotypes. Toward the end of Blockers, a film that is undeniably that kind of comedy, Sam has a heartfelt scene with her father (Ike Barinholtz), where she comes out to him and shares her insecurities. He provides nothing but love and support for her in return. I looked down the row and saw that everyone I came with, all of them queer, were crying.

Meanwhile, this is the same movie in which John Cena butt-chugs a beer. So, it’s perfectly possible to include accurate and joyful queer depictions in comedy. Blockers shows that a movie can be hilarious and gross and rowdy, while still showing respect to its LGBTQ characters.

Last month’s Love, Simon felt similarly monumental. A gay lead and multiple queer supporting characters in a film opening in thousands of theaters around the country and overseas is something that still breaks new ground. The fact that Love, Simon is a romantic comedy made it all the more refreshing – seeing a gay character get his happy ending remains something that doesn’t typically get projected in theaters outside of New York and Los Angeles.

In the climaxes of both movies, Blockers and Love, Simon feature queer kisses, another plot point that, more often than not, LGBTQ people on the big (and small) screen are repeatedly robbed of. Simon (Nick Robinson) and Sam have the bravery to kiss their respective crushes, something that is so simple and yet essential to the teen movie experience. During the cinematic kiss in Love, Simon, I again turned to my girlfriend and realized how lucky I was to share this with her. Is this what heterosexual couples feel whenever they see any Nicholas Sparks movie? No wonder he gets to keep making them; it’s addictive to see a love like yours painted on the big screen and have a full theater of strangers root for it.

Blockers and Love, Simon are both opening a wider conversation for mainstream studios and audiences. It’s time for blockbusters to catch up with other mediums that have long outpaced them in terms of authentic representation. These two films  have made back their budget back and continue to receive overwhelmingly positive reviews, leaving the door wide open for more, including the opportunity for representing the full diversity of our LGBTQ community.

The major studios must take note. This cannot simply become a moment or a trend; LGBTQ people have to be seen at the movies, whether it is in Los Angeles or Swartz Creek, Michigan. And it has to be something that carries beyond these upper-middle class suburban white kids. The day needs to come when queer people of color, trans folk, queer women, and disabled queer people can lead a romantic comedy and studios need to have faith that people will come out and support those films. Because as it has been proven over and over again, they will.

I hope the day will come when my girlfriend and I share a look over a queer romance in a film, feel the same swelling in our chests, but it will not be something that is a surprise or a rarity- just a familiar part of the movie-going experience.

Raina Deerwater is the Entertainment Research Assistant at GLAAD. She conducts research for GLAAD’s annual Studio Responsibility Index and Where We Are on TV reports, working for more accurate and inclusive LGBTQ representation. She is a graduate of Emerson College.

www.glaad.org/amp/why-i-cried-blockers-and-need-more-representation-major-studio-movies

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: April 17, 2018

USA TODAY DIVES DEEP INTO LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS TO PROTECT YOUTH FROM THE DANGERS OF SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: Almost 50 bills have been introduced in more than 20 states targeting conversion therapy this legislative session. Last year, a record four states enacted protections — New Mexico, Connecticut, Nevada and Rhode Island. Municipal protections have been enacted in cities and counties in OH, PA, FL, WA, AZ, WI and NY. “Being LGBTQ is not an illness,” said Xavier Persad, legislative counsel for HRC. “It is false that being LGBTQ is wrong and a disorder.” Read more in this deep dive from Susan Miller (@susmiller) at USA Today.

• HRC released a letter signed by national organizations representing tens of thousands of licensed medical and mental health care professionals, educators and advocates backing legislative efforts around the country to protect LGBTQ youth from “conversion therapy.” More from HRC.
• Samantha Allen (@SLAwrites) of The Daily Beast also tracks the trend of states across the country banning the dangerous and debunked practice. More from The Daily Beast.

Fast facts about conversion therapy. More jurisdictions banning the practice for minors. t.co/Rqef5emZpy pic.twitter.com/2zWtiCyfqD

— USA TODAY Video (@usatodayvideo) April 17, 2018

MUST READ FROM LAWYER IN MASTERPIECE CASE — “LAWS… CAN PROTECT US FROM GOING ABOUT OUR DAILY LIVES IN FEAR”: The ACLU’s Ria Tabacco Mar, counsel of record for the same-sex couple refused service in the Masterpiece cake case, writes eloquently about the daily discrimination faced by members of the LGBTQ community. “We stay hidden because when we don’t — or can’t — we know there may be consequences,” she writes, “ranging from a disapproving look to being denied service, fired from a job, followed, harassed or even arrested.”  More from The Washington Post.

TUESDAY TWEET: #AM_Equality hits the inboxes of thousands of reporters, members of Congress, Hill staffers, activists and others deeply involved in issues of the day every morning. Thank you, readers, for being involved. Join the conversation on Twitter using the #AM_Equality tag or by tweeting @HRC. Prefer to keep it old school? Drop us an email at [email protected], and, by all means, encourage your friends and colleagues to subscribe here.

Congrats to @bethreinhard on winning a @PulitzerPrizes for her excellent reporting. A fmr @MiamiHerald gal now at @washingtonpost

— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) April 16, 2018

SENATE DEMS TO HHS — YOU CAN’T ERASE LGBTQ PEOPLE: In a letter led by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), 17 Senate Democrats expressed serious concern that Trump-Pence’s Department of Health and Human Services is removing LGBTQ health data from official government websites — and called for the information to be restored. More from Washington Blade.

TWO BLACK TRANS SOLDIERS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AT THE INTERSECTIONS OF TWO MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES: More from George M. Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) at TheGrio.

TWO MEN ATTACKED IN D.C., CALLED ANTI-LGBTQ SLURS: Local police are investigating the attack as “potentially being motivated by hate or bias,” according to WJLA.

CLEVELAND.COM ENDORSES OHIO STATE REP. NICKIE ANTONIO IN DEM PRIMARY: HRC-backed Rep. Antonio, sponsor of the Ohio Fairness Act, has been a fierce champion for equality and fairness for all Ohioans. More from Cleveland.com.

EQUALITY WINS AT THE PULITZER PRIZES: Congratulations to The Washington Post and AL.com’s John Archibald (@JohnArchibald) for winning Pulitzer Prizes for their coverage exposing allegations of sexual assault and harassment against anti-LGBTQ Roy Moore. And congrats also to the New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow), and The New York Times’ Jodi Kantor (@jodikantor) and Megan Twohey (@mega2e) for sharing the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for their groundbreaking investigations into the sexual misconduct of Harvey Weinstein and reporting of the #MeToo movement. Openly gay writers Andrew Sean Greer (@agreer) and Frank Bidart were also honored. See all the winners here.

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE CRESENT HARDY’S VIEWS ON LGBTQ PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY ARE OUT OF TOUCH WITH NEVADA VOTERS: Hardy wants to bring back the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) policy.  Said HRC Nevada State Manager Briana Escamilla,“DADT was a dark stain on our nation’s history that damaged military readiness and undermined national security. No person bravely serving in our nation’s military should ever have to hide who they are.” More from Las Vegas Journal-Review.

CNN REPORTS ON THE BOSTON MARATHON’S HISTORY OF TRANS-INCLUSION EFFORTS: “Hopefully, one day we won’t need these sports inclusion efforts to be broadcast in such a way,” Ashland Johnson, HRC Public Education & Research Director, told CNN’s Emanuella Grinberg (@grinsli). “But the reality is, until more institutions in sports update their policies or change their inclusion image, we’ll need to highlight and celebrate every sports inclusion effort.” More from CNN.

“A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH” —  HRC MOURNS DEATH OF GROUNDBREAKING LGBTQ ADVOCATE DONNA RED WING: Red Wing once served as HRC’s National Field Director. She is survived by her wife and partner for more than 30 years, Sumitra, son Julian, grandson Jasper and twin brother David. More from Des Moines Register.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

PORTUGAL TO ALLOW TRANS PEOPLE TO CORRECT NAME AND GENDER ON GOV’T DOCUMENTS WITHOUT MEDICAL REPORT: More from EuroNews.

FOLLOWING GLOBAL OUTCRY, CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA SITE REVERSES BAN ON LGBTQ CONTENT: Sina Weibo backed off a plan, announced Friday,to remove all content related to LGBTQ identity. More from BBC.

Congratulations to #LGBTQ activists in China who successfully fought back against censorship on Sina Weibo, a popular social media platform in China. t.co/GjTsgibmJf

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) April 16, 2018

TORTURE IN PRIVATE IS STILL TORTURE: ANTI-LGBTQ CANINGS IN ACEH PROVINCE OF INDONESIA WILL BE HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC VIEW: In the past year, the international community has been alerted to a growing number of arrests and public canings of people suspected of being gay or bisexal. More from Gay Star News and The Associated Press.

NOT SO FAST — MOROCCO OBSCURES ITS ANTI-LGBTQ LAW IN WORD CUP BID: “To remain in consideration for hosting the World Cup in 2026, Morocco must repeal this deeply discriminatory law directly threatening its LGBTQ citizens,” said Ashland Johnson, HRC Director of Public Education and Research (@ashlandj11). “Any nation hosting these games must be able to ensure that all fans, athletes, and employees — including its own LGBTQ citizens — are able to experience this inspiring event in a safe environment free from discrimination.”  More from The Associated Press.

NEW VIDEO SERIES HIGHLIGHTS LGBTQ ACTIVISTS FROM MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: More from Human Rights Watch.

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

The (University of Washington) Daily covers a recent speech by Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox); The Guardian interviews Janet Mock (@janetmock); The State Press reports on a LGBTQ panel held in Phoenix; Pakistan Today tours a newly opened school for the local trans community; The New York Times shares a photo series of Cape Town’s LGBTQ community

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-april-17-2018?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

U.S. Marshals Nominee Accused of Transphobia — By His Trans Daughter

Bailey Coffman says her father, Frank Coffman, told her she was demon-possessed because she was trans — something he denies.

www.advocate.com/transgender/2018/4/16/us-marshals-nominee-accused-transphobia-his-trans-daughter

HRC Celebrates National Volunteer Week

Post submitted by HRC Director, Strategic Engagement, Margot Rosen

During National Volunteer Week, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) salutes our volunteers for defending our progress, engaging their communities and advancing equality. Their selflessness, determination and passion underscore the important tenet that love will always win.

Generosity of spirit is a cornerstone of all great movements for justice. The generosity of HRC’s volunteers strengthens our mission of equality for all members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community every day. As HRC grows and our work evolves, our volunteers remain our driving force — and the greatest defenders of our historic progress.

We would not be the organization we are without the commitment and passion of our volunteers. They are the very essence of  HRC and essential to our electoral wins, bridges built in coalition and critical work changing hearts and minds. Every day, our volunteers challenge both themselves and others to educate allies and potential equality voters across the U.S. and the world.

HRC volunteers move equality forward each and every day. Join us in the movement for full equality: www.hrc.org/volunteer.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-celebrates-national-volunteer-week1?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed