Gay Sex Goes All Sorts of Wrong in New Movie ‘Analysis Paralysis’
The new comedy from Jason Gaffney explores moving through anxiety while dating.
www.advocate.com/film/2019/10/02/gay-sex-goes-all-sorts-wrong-new-movie-analysis-paralysis
Category Archives: NEWS
University receives nearly 1,500 reports of sexual assault by male athletes against school doctor
University receives nearly 1,500 reports of sexual assault by male athletes against school doctor
Ohio State University says it has received nearly 1,500 reports of sexual assault in the last year against a now-deceased doctor who worked at the school for two decades.
Before his death by suicide in 2005, Dr. Richard Strauss worked in the school’s athletic department and student health center from September 1978 to March 1998, primarily treating student athletes, including numerous male wrestlers.
Earlier this year, 177 male victims came forward with sexual abuse allegations against Strauss. Many claimed to have been abused multiple times and said the university knew about the situation but failed to do anything about it.
According to NPR, the school was first made aware of the problem in 1979, but it didn’t act until the almost 20 years later when outside sources got wind of what was going on in 1996. That’s when Strauss was suspended from working as a physician. He retired two years later, in 1998.
Steve Snyder-Hill was one of Strauss’ alleged victims. He told NPR earlier this year, “He proceeded to do a full-body exam, including my genitalia area, which is completely unorthodox because I was there for my chest.”
Others claim Strauss would shower with athletic teams, ogling the naked young men, and he would find reasons to touch their genitalia during medical exams “regardless of the medical ailment presented, including for a sore throat,” an investigative report states.
“Many of the students felt that Strauss’ behavior was an ‘open secret,’ as it appeared to them that their coaches, trainers, and other team physicians were fully aware of Strauss’ activities, and yet few seemed inclined to do anything to stop it,” the report claims.
Vice reports:
Over the course of his two-decade career, Strauss abused at least 48 wrestlers, according to the investigative report the university commissioned from an outside law firm, Perkins Coie. Last year, four former wrestlers sued OSU with allegations that the school had willingly ignored their abuse.
The lawsuit and subsequent stream of allegations have also put Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan under scrutiny, as he was the university’s assistant wrestling coach between 1986 and 1994. Jordan has repeatedly said he had no knowledge of any accusations against Strauss.
Investigators and the university’s president have all thanked the men for coming forward with their stories. A task force focusing on sexual abuse has also been established to review sexual abuse cases and find new ways of fostering a culture of awareness at the university.
Meanwhile, family members of Strauss have said they are “shocked and saddened” by the allegations against him and have vowed to cooperate with investigators.
Triglobal Strategic Ventures, Rudy Giuliani, Helen Mirren, Joaquin Phoenix, Mauritius, Rachel Maddow, Laverne Cox: HOT LINKS
Triglobal Strategic Ventures, Rudy Giuliani, Helen Mirren, Joaquin Phoenix, Mauritius, Rachel Maddow, Laverne Cox: HOT LINKS
TRIGLOBAL STRATEGIC VENTURES. Firm’s website vanishes amid Rudy Giuliani scrutiny: “The website of the consulting firm that forged business contacts for Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine and Russia for more than a decade vanished suddenly after his communications were subpoenaed.”
GIULIANI. I’ll sue Congress: “Speaking with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Tuesday night, Giuliani proposed bringing a lawsuit against House Democrats for investigating the president in the wake of revelations involving Trump’s interactions with Ukraine.”
JOAQUIN PHOENIX. He’d like you to sympathize with his provocative Joker.
$125 MILLION. Trump and RNC raise massive war chest in third quarter: ‘The haul underscores the strength of a Trump fundraising apparatus, which has capitalized on the grievances of his supporters to bring in an avalanche of cash. The reelection effort, for example, has developed a merchandising operation that churns out items like plastic straws and T-shirts poking fun at Trump antagonist Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.’
RACHEL MADDOW. There’s a second Trump whistleblower.
A STAR WAS BORN. The hidden legacy of Judy Garland’s recording career. “It’s been over fifty years since Judy Garland slipped back over the rainbow. We owe her our thanks. The New York Times owes her a retraction and a long-overdue apology.”
GEORGIA. Gay-Straight Alliance pisses off bigots in Fannin County community. “This is no hate. Whether you’re gay, straight or bi, we shouldn’t have sexual orientation clubs at our school,” Fannin County parent Stephanie Ensley said.
LOU SULLIVAN. Memoirs of a queer revolutionary… “Think of us going into a bar with all men in it, and how that would feel. Then think of us going down the street into a bar with all women in it. How would that be different in there? That’s how I feel different.”
MAURITIUS. Gay men seek to overturn law barring gay sex: “Homosexuality is taboo in Mauritius, a tiny island of 1.3 million people off Africa’s south-east coast, and persecution of sexual minorities is common. Under Mauritius’ criminal code, sodomy is punishable by up to five years in jail.”
DM LAVERNE COX. She’s single and ready to mingle. “Don’t be scared. Just be respectful. Los Angeles area preferred.”
BEAR BREW. Beijing’s gay-friendly coffee shop: ‘A name as innocuous as “Bear Brew” fits the bill perfectly. Those in the know can read between the lines and recognize that this cafe is gay-friendly. For others, there is no additional meaning; the cafe might as well have been named “Teddy Bear Brew.” While the name choice is subtle, it is still significant. In a metropolis as large as Beijing, there are few establishments that make it known that they are gay-friendly.’
MELBOURNE. Gay events group denies it’s ageist: ‘The group—which was established two months ago to provide relationship and friendship opportunities for same-sex attracted people—is currently promoting several age-exclusive events in the coming weeks, in addition to all-ages event. Among them is a gay men’s dinner party with an age stipulation of 25 to 45, a lesbian beer and cider tour of the Yarra Valley for 25 to 49-year-old women, and a gay men’s trivia night with an upper age limit of 39.’
NICK JONAS. The cigar aficionado almost went into a coma before being diagnosed with diabetes.
DRAG QUEEN NAMES. RuPaul has anointed Helen Mirren and Jack Whitehall.
HUMP DAY HOTTIE. McKenzie.
The post Triglobal Strategic Ventures, Rudy Giuliani, Helen Mirren, Joaquin Phoenix, Mauritius, Rachel Maddow, Laverne Cox: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
HRC Volunteer Zoe Roberts on Why We Need Protections Against Conversion Therapy
HRC Volunteer Zoe Roberts on Why We Need Protections Against Conversion Therapy
Post submitted by HRC Wisconsin volunteer Zoe Roberts. It originally appeared in Leader-Telegram.
As a local transgender advocate I feel it absolutely necessary to point out some facts I’ve been able to distill regarding the damage conversion therapy is likely doing to specifically the transgender community. I realize that in Eau Claire county this incredibly damaging process is banned. However, at the State level it is not banned and is still doing damage to many people in other areas of the state. I’m going to warn everyone, these numbers are disturbing.
But first we need to define what conversion therapy is. According to the Wikipedia definition conversion therapy is: “the pseudoscientific practice of trying to change an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological or spiritual interventions. There is virtually no reliable evidence that sexual orientation can be changed and medical bodies warn that conversion therapy practices are ineffective and potentially harmful. Medical, scientific, and government organizations in the United States and United Kingdom have expressed concern over the validity, efficacy and ethics of conversion therapy. Various jurisdictions in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas have passed laws against conversion therapy.” The cold cruel truth of this is that it’s actually torture. They subject people to electro shock, beatings, etc. At this point it is worth noting, that in 2016 many media sources reported that torture doesn’t work. Many people that have worked for the CIA for years have reported it to be counterproductive.
According to Daniel Shumer in an article titled “Health Disparities Facing Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Youth Are Not Inevitable,” which was published in Pediatrics magazine nearly 41% of transgender people attempt suicide. This is compared to 1.6% for the general population. Recently it was reported in a study published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), around 187,923 trans Americans have been exposed to what I will now call conversion torture. The Williams Institute, which is a portion of the UCLA School of Law estimates that the transgender population within the United States is 1.4 million people. When we calculate a simple percentage, that means that 13.42% of the transgender population within the United States has been exposed to conversion torture. Breaking these numbers down further we can learn that out of the transgender population that has been exposed to this harmful procedure that 77,048 people have likely attempted suicide. This number is derived by calculating 41% of the 187,923 people.
Digging deeper we can then learn that the transgender population only accounts for about 3.5% of the LGBTQ community, but out of the approximately 700,000 Americans that have been exposed to conversion torture the transgender population accounts for 26.85% of all people to be exposed. This disparity is likely a contributing factor for the incredibly high percentage of transgender people attempting to kill themselves. A percentage that I believe should be deemed a human health crisis.
It is my belief that conversion therapy (torture as I like to call it) should be banned completely. It is an incredibly damaging and highly controversial topic. It is also my belief that everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race or any other factor, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. To continue to allow this to occur is a crime against humanity and does not satisfy my belief system. I hope it doesn’t satisfy yours either!
For these reasons and many more I support the current bill to ban conversion therapy in Wisconsin. Bill AB111.
Antigay D.A. Overseeing Case of Bullied Bi Teen Who Ended His Life
Antigay D.A. Overseeing Case of Bullied Bi Teen Who Ended His Life
Channing Smith’s family has doubts that Coffee County, Tenn., District Attorney Craig Northcott can administer justice.
www.advocate.com/youth/2019/10/02/antigay-da-overseeing-case-bullied-bi-teen-who-ended-his-life
Jussie Smollett outraged over claims he inspired a little girl to fake a hate crime
Jussie Smollett outraged over claims he inspired a little girl to fake a hate crime
Actor Jussie Smollett has lashed out at critics who have compared him to a Virginia sixth grader who faked a hate crime.
Amari Allen, a student at Immanuel Christian School, a private K-12 school, in Fairfax, Virginia, reported last week that three white sixth grade boys pinned her to the ground and cut off her dreadlocks. The incident later turned out to be a hoax after surveillance footage did not reveal any such attack, and after Allen acknowledged she made up the story.
Following the revelations that Allen had created a hoax, Instagrammer Derrick Jackson chided Smollett with the quip “Jussie really is a trendsetter,” in reference to Smollett’s own alleged faking of a hate crime earlier this year. This prompted the embattled actor to lash out with his own response.
“With all due respect brother, y’all can clown me all you want but my story has actually never changed and I haven’t lied about a thing,” Smollett quipped in his response.
He continued: “Y’all can continue to be misinformed, internalized sheep, who believe what actual proven liars feed you or you can read the actual docs. Either way, Imma be alright. I know me and what happened. You don’t. So carry on. All love.”
View this post on Instagram#ClapbackSeason: #JussieSmollett stepped into #TheShadeRoom to let his truth be known! ?
A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on
Smollett had initially claimed that two men attacked him on the streets of Chicago this January, tying a noose around his neck, dousing him with bleach and beating him.
After an immense outpouring of public sympathy and international media attention, a police investigation and surveillance footage later revealed that Smollett had faked the hate crime, having paid his two “attackers” to stage the incident. The two men have since sued Smollett for defamation.
The actor was also indicted on grand jury charges for filing a false police report, though his lawyers negotiated a settlement. The actor forfeited a $10,000 bond and will have to complete 16 hours of community service.
The scandal resulted in Smollett’s firing from his role on the show Empire. The FBI has is also launching its own investigation as to why charges against Smollett were dropped.
Related: WATCH: Damning new footage of Jussie Smollett from night of alleged attack
LGBTQ Superheroes, Pro Wrestlers, Immigrants and Teens Hit Screens This Week on TV
LGBTQ Superheroes, Pro Wrestlers, Immigrants and Teens Hit Screens This Week on TV
Check out our weekly guide to TV this week, and make sure you’re catching the big premieres, crucial episodes and the stuff you won’t admit you watch when no one’s looking.
The world of professional wrestling changes forever when AEW Dynamite premieres on TNT Wednesday. The fledgling promotion is poised to upend the industry long-dominated by folks like John Cena and The Rock at WWE. Inclusivity is important to AEW, featuring openly LGBTQ+ talent like Nyla Rose (the first trans wrestler signed to a major promotion) and Sonny Kiss. Catch Dynamite at 8 p.m. Eastern.
The nation’s broken immigration system is on full display in the harrowing tales of Living Undocumented, premiering on Netflix Wednesday. The film is executive produced by Selena Gomez and features a gay couple facing deportation.
The brilliant animated Netflix series Big Mouth returns with another wild exploration of teenage sexuality and socialization. The series features voice work from some of today’s funniest comedians, like creator Nick Kroll, John Mulaney and Maya Rudolph, as well as star of stage and small-screen Andrew Rannells playing a gay student. This season also features an appearance from fellow network stars, the Queer Eye guys.
Emmy Awards darling Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings her razor sharp wit to Saturday Night Live 11:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC. The Fleabag creator and star will host with musical guest Taylor Swift.
An LGBTQ+ superhero takes center stage Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern on the CW. Actress Ruby Rose puts on the cape and cowl as Kate Kane, Batman’s cousin and out lesbian, by day; and crime-fighting vigilante Batwoman at night.
What are you watching this week on TV?
The post LGBTQ Superheroes, Pro Wrestlers, Immigrants and Teens Hit Screens This Week on TV appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
LGBTQ Superheroes, Pro Wrestlers, Immigrants and Teens Hit Screens This Week on TV
Artist Designs ‘Hate Shield’ to Muffle Anti-LGBTQ Protesters at Pride
Artist Designs ‘Hate Shield’ to Muffle Anti-LGBTQ Protesters at Pride
Matthew Terrell has developed an ingenious art project to drown out hate.
www.advocate.com/art/2019/10/02/artist-designs-hate-shield-muffle-anti-lgbtq-protesters-pride
Planet Fitness goes radio silent over CEO’s donations to numerous antigay politicians
Planet Fitness goes radio silent over CEO’s donations to numerous antigay politicians
The popular gym chain Planet Fitness is in the middle of an antigay PR nightmare and it’s not handling it well.
This week, it was revealed that the company’s CEO Chris Rondeau has been secretly funding antigay politicians for years.
Recently obtained documents from the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that in 2016, Rondeau gave $1,200 to Donald Trump presidential campaign.
In 2018, he gave money to former New Hampshire State Senator Andy Sanborn, who opposed a bill banning gay conversion therapy and he voted against updating the state’s existing civil rights laws include protections for people based on gender identity.
As a company, Planet Fitness has long crowed about its commitment to equality, deeming itself a “judgment-free zone” and offering trans members the freedom to use the locker rooms that corresponds to their gender.
Since the news that its CEO has been funding the agendas of homophobic politicians, however, the company has gone radio silent.
Not only has it ignored requests for comment, but it hasn’t issued any statement or even done the bare minimum by acknowledging the controversy on social media.
The company’s most recently tweet, and its first since the news about Rondeau broke, was an awkward joke about jeans this morning:
Putting on fresh-out-of-the-dryer jeans: 243,608,428 calories burned.
— Planet Fitness (@PlanetFitness) October 2, 2019
Perhaps the company is hoping the whole thing will blow over so it won’t have to address the issue?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. The hashtag #boycottplanetfitness has already begun circulating on Twitter, and people aren’t happy.
@PlanetFitness So let me get this right – my membership money is going to fund a traitor and homophobes? Fuck you people. I will be canceling immediately unless you can document that this is not your practice. #NoJudgment? #BoycottPlanetFitnesst.co/k6QPuyYHub
— The Ghost Rat (a Marginally Stable Genius)
(@The_Ghost_Rat) October 1, 2019
Here I thought @PlanetFitness was for everyone. I was about to join a gym and it won’t be PF. #PlanetFitness#BoycottPlanetFitness#LGBTQ #LGBT t.co/o6dwaBpRgO
— Fredrick Bertz (@BertzFredrick) October 1, 2019
As you well know @PlanetFitness I am an avid fitness enthusiast and love my PF, however if your company doesn’t make these Trump donations right, I will be cancelling my membership and standing outside with signs to get others on board. #planetfitness #boycottplanetfitness
— Paul Vasquez (@kismek83) September 30, 2019
Earlier this year, Equinox Fitness had a similar scandal when it was revealed the company’s majority stake holder, Stephen Ross, had hosted a $250,000 per person fundraiser for Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, raising $12 million in a single night. As a result, members left the gym in droves.
Planet Fitness should probably address this issue ASAP if it doesn’t want to suffer a similar fate.
Related: Planet Fitness CEO has been quietly funding antigay politicians, including Trump, for years
Our Rights At Stake: Key Cases Before SCOTUS
Our Rights At Stake: Key Cases Before SCOTUS
After coming out as transgender to her employer, Aimee Stephens was fired from her job as director of a funeral home in Michigan.
The business owner would not allow Stephens to live her truth at work, saying it would be “unacceptable.” In March 2018, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that firing Stephens for being transgender violated Title VII, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in employment.
“No one should be denied a job or fired simply because of who they are or who they love, including LGBTQ people,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow.
Stephens’ case, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC and Aimee Stephens, is one of three cases the U.S. Supreme Court is set to review that would impact federal non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people nationwide.
Several federal courts have already ruled that anti-LGBTQ discrimination is a form of sex discrimination that violates federal law. These courts have found that discrimination against LGBTQ people violates laws including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
The Trump-Pence administration, however, has recently threatened to undermine federal sex discrimination protections through regulations attempting to erase protections for transgender people. They have also asked the Supreme Court to bar LGBTQ people from receiving federal non-discrimination protections — critical protections in areas of life including employment, housing, health care and education.
“The growing legal consensus is that our nation’s civil rights laws do protect LGBTQ people against discrimination under sex non-discrimination laws,” Warbelow said.
These cases all involve employment discrimination against LGBTQ people. In Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda, skydiving instructor Donald Zarda was fired from his job after telling a client he is gay. He sued on the basis of sexual orientation discrimination, but a federal trial court rejected his discrimination claim, saying that the Civil Rights Act does not protect him from being fired for being a gay man.
Zarda appealed, and in February 2018, the full Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation is a form of discrimination based on sex and is prohibited under Title VII. The court recognized that when a lesbian, gay, or bisexual person is treated differently because of discomfort or disapproval that they are attracted to people of the same sex, that’s discrimination based on sex. Tragically, Zarda died in an accident in 2014 without witnessing his court victory, but his family continued the case for him.
At its core, these discriminatory cases hurt LGBTQ people and those who love them. In the third case the high court is set to review, Bostock v. Clayton County, Gerald Lynn Bostock was fired from his job as a county child welfare services coordinator when his employer learned that he is gay. Despite appealing, in May 2018, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reconsider a 1979 decision wrongly excluding sexual orientation discrimination from coverage under Title VII’s ban on sex discrimination.
Now, the Supreme Court has a chance to make a statement and protect LGBTQ people from discrimination.
“The Supreme Court has an opportunity to clarify this area of law to ensure protections for LGBTQ people in many important areas of life. The impact of this decision will have very real consequences for millions of LGBTQ people across the country,” Warbelow said.
While the Supreme Court prepares to hear these cases, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act — which would provide clear, comprehensive protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs and jury service. Now, the ball is in the U.S. Senate’s court.
Regardless of the outcomes of these cases, LGBTQ people and others need Congress to pass the Equality Act to ensure and expand their federal protections under our nation’s civil rights laws. To learn more or to urge your senator to vote for the Equality Act, visit hrc.org/EqualityAct.
www.hrc.org/blog/our-rights-at-stake-key-cases-before-scotus?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed