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7 Things List: July 3, 2015
Our entertainment and events highlights this week include the life of Amy Winehouse, Demi Lovato’s swim in same-sex waters, and geekdom’s high holy event: Comic-Con International.
Advocate.com Editors
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/7-things/2015/07/03/7-things-list-july-3-2015
ACLU Sues Kentucky County Clerk Who Stopped Issuing Marriage Licenses To All Couples: VIDEO
The other day we told you how a few county clerks in Kentucky stopped issuing marriage licenses to all couples to avoid issuing them to same-sex couples.
Now, the ACLU has filed a federal class action lawsuit against one of those clerks, Kim Davis (below right) of Rowan County, on behalf of two gay couples and two straight ones.
From the ACLU’s release:
In explaining the ACLU’s decision to file suit on the couples’ behalf, ACLU of Kentucky Cooperating Attorney Laura Landenwich stated, “Ms. Davis has the absolute right to believe whatever she wants about God, faith, and religion, but as a government official who swore an oath to uphold the law, she cannot pick and choose who she is going to serve, or which duties her office will perform based on her religious beliefs.”
The couples named in the suit are April Miller & Karen Roberts, Shantel Burke & Stephen Napier, Jody Fernandez & Kevin Holloway, and L. Aaron Skaggs & Barry W. Spartman.
In explaining why obtaining a marriage license in Rowan County, as opposed to a neighboring county is important, Plaintiff Aaron Skaggs stated, “We have been citizens of Rowan County since the beginning of our relationship and love being members of this community. So, it only makes sense that we would want and should be granted our right to be recognized as a loving couple having freedom to marry here at home.”
Commenting on the suit, the ACLU of Kentucky Executive Director Michael Aldridge stated, “When our laws are updated or changed, government officials have a duty and a responsibility to impartially administer those laws.”
About 75 people protested outside Davis’ office on Tuesday, including Miller and Roberts (above).
Gov. Steve Beshear, Attorney General Jack Conway and Bill May, executive director of the Kentucky County Clerks Association, have all advised county clerks to issue licenses to same-sex couples. In addition to lawsuits, they say clerks could face criminal charges for official misconduct.
But Davis told WHAS-TV that she’ll never issue a marriage license to a gay couple, even if it means getting thrown out of office:
“I have convictions that rule my conscience.” …
“I can’t put my name on a marriage license as issued to a same sex couple,” Davis explained. …
“God is my first love, and I will stand for Him,” Davis said. “And if it means I get thrown out of office, we’ll deal with that when it comes.”
“He made man his own image and he saw that man needed a companion, so he put him to sleep,” Davis said. “And He took a rib from Adam and he made Eve. He ordained marriage from the very beginning of time, eons ago, that marriage is between a man and a woman. And it is a sacred union. And I just cannot separate my conscience from that.”
Watch WHAS-TV’s report below.:
The post ACLU Sues Kentucky County Clerk Who Stopped Issuing Marriage Licenses To All Couples: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.
John Wright
ACLU Sues Kentucky County Clerk Who Stopped Issuing Marriage Licenses To All Couples: VIDEO
Remembering Jess Shipps
Friends remember U.S. Air Force veteran Jess Shipps, best known to friends as ‘Jessie’ the ‘Lumberchick.’
Sunnivie Brydum
www.advocate.com/obituaries/2015/07/03/remembering-jess-shipps
The Cube, Wharfside Street, Birmingham
As part of one of Birmingham’s most iconic new developments, these canal side apartments mark a new style of city living for Birmingham.
Located in the heart of the city and boasting fantastic views, a number of two bedroom apartments in the new The Cube development have become available.
The fitted German kitchen offers furnishing to the highest standard.
As the apartments are fully customizable, potential new owners can choose between open plan living, featuring dividing sliding doors disappearing into the walls, or a more classic layout.
Fitted kitchens, featuring glass splash backs, come from German manufacturer Poggenpohl and will be equipped with Bosch appliances throughout; underfoot heating throughout the flat adds to its overall energy efficiency.
From flooring to wall colors, there are few limits when it comes to the bedrooms’ design; the show apartments display modern designs with a focus on bold colors, big patterns and fun combinations, giving the rooms their own character.
Bold patterns dominate the show bedrooms, giving a good example of how to mix things up.
Large windows throughout, together with the possible open plan layout, mean the flat is not just bright but invites residents to take a step away from more neutral colors and instead experiment with brave interiors.
All flats have two bathroom, featuring Villeroy & Boch sanitary ware and fitted with high-quality Hansgrohe brassware and showers.
Be brave: Strong colors make rooms feel inviting and give the apartment a unique character.
A slightly futuristic atmosphere is conjured up by mood lighting, which can be controlled via infrared, and video access systems allowing users to monitor any visitors.
Benefiting from a hotel quality reception and concierge service, available all around the clock, the building also offers secure underground parking with 24 hour patrols.
The show home can be viewed at any point; the property is available through Knight Frank, with prices ranging from £190,000 (€266,970, $296,784) to £360,000 (€505,838, $ 562,328).
The post The Cube, Wharfside Street, Birmingham appeared first on Gay Star News.
Stefanie Gerdes
www.gaystarnews.com/article/the-cube-wharfside-street-birmingham/
LGBTI community rallies in Delhi, calls for repeal of anti-gay law
Dozens of activists and members of Delhi’s LGBTI community held a protest in New Delhi today calling for the repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which outlaws sexual relations between men, equal treatment and an end to the ‘homophobic’ policies of the central government.
The rally comes just days after Subramanian Swamy, a leader of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), called homosexuality a ‘genetic disorder.’ He said that while gay men and lesbians should not be discriminated against for jobs or socially ostracized, ‘we cannot celebrate nor can we publicize it.’
On Tuesday, he tweeted a reply to a user saying, ‘The issue is not about respect. We respect physically challenged persons. Homos are genetically handicapped.’
Following the SCOTUS ruling, Union Law Minister Sadananda Gowda reportedly hinted – then later denied – that the government is considering scrapping the anti-gay law.
Activists at the protest say India should catch up and treat its LGBTI citizens as it would other citizens.
Gautam Bhan said, ‘I think one by one the countries are moving, the map of the world is changing colors. It’s an inevitability because no matter what comes out of the languages of power in everyday life and every Indian city, we can see the changes and the reaction to every rights expansion whether it is in the US or in Mozambique.
‘When will people realize the wind has changed and there’s no going back?’ He told Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI).
In 2013, the Supreme Court of India overturned a Delhi High Court verdict that effectively scrapped Section 377 sparking an international uproar by LGBTI rights advocates.
The apex court later put the onus on the government, saying it is free to bring a legislation to scrap the law.
The post LGBTI community rallies in Delhi, calls for repeal of anti-gay law appeared first on Gay Star News.
Sylvia Tan
www.gaystarnews.com/article/lgbti-community-rallies-in-delhi-calls-for-repeal-of-anti-gay-law/
George Takei Calls Justice Clarence Thomas A 'Clown In Blackface' Over Marriage Equality Dissent
George Takei has come under fire this week for calling Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas a “clown in blackface” over the judge’s stance on marriage equality. However, the “Star Trek” actor insists that his comment was not racially motivated.
During an interview with Fox 10 Phoenix, Takei, who is gay, discussed the Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. Takei said he was “angry” at Thomas, who dissented to the decision, for his position on the issue.
“He is a clown in blackface sitting on the Supreme Court,” said Takei. “He gets me that angry. He doesn’t belong there.”
In his dissent, Thomas, who is black, wrote that “human dignity cannot be taken away by the government,” adding: “Slaves did not lose their dignity (any more than they lost their humanity) because the government allowed them to be enslaved. Those held in internment camps did not lose their dignity because the government confined them.”
Takei, whose family was held inside a Japanese internment camp during World War II, took issue with this logic.
“For him to say slaves have dignity, I mean, doesn’t he know that slaves were in chains? That they were whipped on the back?” Takei said. “My parents lost everything that they worked for in the middle of their lives, in their 30s. His business, my father’s business, our home, our freedom and we’re supposed to call that dignified?… This man does not belong on the Supreme Court. He is an embarrassment. He is a disgrace to America.”
In the wake of the interview, Takei has been slammed for what has been called a “racist” comment — an accusation that the 78-year-old fiercely rejects.
On Thursday, he wrote on Facebook:
A few fans have written wondering whether I intended to utter a racist remark by referring to Justice Thomas as a “clown…
Posted by George Takei on Thursday, July 2, 2015
Takei elaborated on his thoughts in a op-ed for MSNBC.
“To say that the government does not bestow or grant dignity does not mean it cannot succeed in stripping it away through the imposition of unequal laws and deprivation of due process. At the very least, the government must treat all its subjects with equal human dignity,” he wrote. “It seems odd that Justice Thomas, as an African American, would be an opponent of marriage equality. His own current marriage, if he had sought to have it some fifty years ago, would have been illegal under then-existing anti-miscegenation laws. I cannot help but wonder if Justice Thomas would have felt any loss of dignity had the clerk’s office doors been shut in his face, simply because he was of a different race than his fiancée.”
Thomas is married to attorney Virginia Thomas, who is white.
William Shatner, who has been known to “feud” with Takei online, defended his “Star Trek” co-star on Twitter.
I am positive that George is not a racist. Let’s stop the spin doctoring. t.co/LiolPBqufN
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) July 2, 2015
In October 2008, a few months after California became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage (and a few weeks before Proposition 8 made it illegal again), Takei and his longtime partner Brad Altman tied the knot in Los Angeles.
The couple have been together for almost 30 years.
Watch Takei’s interview with Fox 10 below:
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Woman who received $43,000 for her ‘relentlessly gay’ yard accused of being a hoax
A Baltimore woman who raised over US$43,000 – far in excess of her original US$5,000 goal – in just two weeks after claiming her Christian neighbors threatened her over her ‘relentlessly gay’ yard has now been accused of contriving the plot as part of a scam.
Julie Baker, a widowed mother-of-four who lives on the outskirts of the city and identifies as bisexual, launched a GoFundMe campaign on 16 June vowing to make her yard ‘even more relentlessly gay’ after she had received a note from a neighbor.
She wrote that the note signed by ‘A Concerned Home Owner’ told her that her yard which features a set of colorful lamps that ‘spell out ‘love’ and ‘ohana’ – a Hawaiian word for ‘family’ – is too ‘Relentlessly Gay’ as the neighborhood is a ‘Christian area and there are Children’.
‘Keep it up and I will be forced to call the police on You! Your kind need to have Respect for GOD,’ it warned.
She is now accused of contriving the story as consistencies and suspicions have surfaced.
Baker then has reportedly closed the account, saying she had raised ‘more than plenty’ of money.
Online sleuths have pointed out that both Baker and the letter she allegedly received appear to feature the same improper use of capitalization.
The letter features words such as ‘others,’ and ‘forced’ that are capitalized while her GoFundMe page shows words such as ‘home’, ‘relent’ and ‘hatred’ that are incorrectly capitalized.
Gay website Queerty reported that Baker consistently capitalizes words on her Facebook page, where she often goes on rants about Christian’s being opposed to gay marriage.
‘Myth-busting’ website Snopes contacted the police after reaching out to Baker.
It reported that when donations to the campaign reached US$43,000 critics began questioning why Baker was continuing to accumulate monies far in excess of her goal of $5,000.
Snopes then reached out to Baker asking if she could provide any information to readers to reassure them of the authenticity of her claims.
She replied to them saying, ‘I have been in contact with the police, they are satisfied with me, I am satisfied with them, and am grateful to them. They have no reason to believe that I have done anything wrong or been anything but authentic.
However Snopes found out that’s not the case when they spoke to a detective at Baker’s local precinct on 24 June after they were referred to them by ‘individuals connected with the Relentlessly Gay campaign.’
Snopes said they were told by a detective that ‘Baker was either unwilling or unable to produce the letter in question, and that she had maintained it was no longer in her possession.’
The detective also said that he had attempted to meet with Baker in person the previous day but was unable to do so.
Baker closed her GoFundMe page on 22 June. On the page, she thanked donors for their ‘extreme generosity.’
‘I just learned moments ago that I could turn off the donations, and I am doing so because I there is plenty, more than plenty, above and beyond the goal.
She also addressed the suspicions that it was a scam and promised to not withdraw any funds until the matter is cleared up.
‘On a sadder note, the world is filled with hate and fear, as such I want to work to remove any doubt about the authenticity of the letter.
‘Until then I am not taking a dime out of this account.
‘Please carry on with flooding the world with rainbows and joy, be relentlessly generous, be relentlessly compassionate, be relentlessly vibrant and stay relentlessly gay.’
The post Woman who received $43,000 for her ‘relentlessly gay’ yard accused of being a hoax appeared first on Gay Star News.
Sylvia Tan
Holly Woodlawn, Warhol’s Great Superstar, Is In Very Bad Shape In L.A.
Even if you haven’t seen Holly Woodlawn’s memorable work in seminal queer films such as Trash (legendary director George Cukor touted her work as worthy of an Oscar nomination) and Women in Revolt, you likely know her reputation from the immortal Lou Reed anthem “Walk on the Wild Side.” The late rock star singled out the pioneering trans entertainer, now 68 and forever linked to iconic pop artist Andy Warhol as one of his great self-proclaimed superstars, in the opening verse:
Holly came from Miami, F.L.A.
Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A.
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
Woodlawn, whose epic life was vividly chronicled in the 1991 memoir A Low Life in High Heels, is now in extremely poor health in a Los Angeles hospital and the outcome for her recovery isn’t very optimistic. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up by her friend and fellow entertainer Penny Arcade to help cover medical and (ugh) eventual funeral and burial costs for the ailing performer. Penny’s note about Holly reads:
Holly Woodlawn, the beloved, iconic Transgender LBGT pioneer and Warhol superstar is very ill. She is currently in the hospital in Los Angeles in a private room.The hospital has asked that we not give out the name because they are already fielding many phonecalls about Holly and are not set up to handle it. Holly cannot speak on the telephone now and her condition is dire. She is undergoing investigative measures to determine exactly the nature of the lesions discovered on her brain and lungs. There are also other physical conditions challenging her recovery. Holly’s has made it clear that she wants to return home, surrounded by friends and if she must die, she doesn’t want to die in a nursing home.
We who love Holly, hope to raise enough funds to continue her care and hopefully bring Holly home with 24 hour nursing care , after she recouperates in a nursing home. Currently, we have no means to achieve these goals, which also include provisions for her funeral and to secure her last resting place. Holly gave visability long before it was comfortable to do so and also gave thousands of people both hope and pleasure.
Please contribute and help us bring Holly home and please, please share this widely.
Experience a few minutes of the legend yourself with this short clip from her volatile performance in 1970’s Trash opposite Joe Dallesandro and scroll down for an amazing vintage interview.
Jeremy Kinser
Kentucky county clerk refuses to issue marriage certificates to LGBTI couples
A Kentucky county clerk insists issuing marriage licenses to LGBTI couples places him in ‘prison.’
Casey County Clerk Casey Davis was a guest last night, 1 July, on the MSNBC show All In with Chris Hayes.
The local official insisted no matter what the Supreme Court decided, he will not approve certificates for same-sex couples.
‘I did not take an oath that said I would lay my personal feelings down to do this job nor will I ever do that,’ Davis said to Hayes, according to The Courier-Journal.
‘As a matter of fact I said I would do this job to the best of my ability, so help me God, and the best of my ability does not go beyond what my conscience will allow me to do,’ he continued.
Governor Steve Beshear has issued a directive for all clerks to follow the high court’s ruling. However, on 29 June, Davis wrote a letter in protest.
‘To me, that puts me in a “prison” and it puts government on the wrong side of, as our Declaration (of Independence) states, the laws of nature,’ Davis said in the letter, according to The Courier-Journal.
Below is a clip of the MSNBC interview:
The post Kentucky county clerk refuses to issue marriage certificates to LGBTI couples appeared first on Gay Star News.
James Withers
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