Human Rights Campaign Foundation Partners with American Apparel to Bring #EqualityForward
Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation announced its collaboration with American Apparel.
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Category Archives: NEWS
Gay High School Valedictorian Reads Banned Graduation Speech At LGBT Advocacy Group Event: WATCH
Gay High School Valedictorian Reads Banned Graduation Speech At LGBT Advocacy Group Event: WATCH
(Photo via Facebook)
Longmont, Colorado valedictorian Evan Young, who was banned from reading his graduation speech at his high school ceremony due to the school administration’s objection to Young disclosing in the speech that he’s gay, read his speech at Out Boulder’s awards ceremony yesterday reports Daily Camera.
Young’s high school principal, BJ Buchmann, prevented Young from reading his speech at his May 16 ceremony because the reveal that Young is gay in the speech somehow conflicted with the school’s “mission,” to “protect the solemnity of the evening.”
Young recited his speech at the Out Boulder ceremony, while donning a green cape to add some free-spirited flourish, and expounded upon why he shouldn’t have to apologize for who he is and that he expects classmates to overlook differences as they have done in the past.
Watch Young’s moving speech, AFTER THE JUMP…
Young has since received commendations by state Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, and U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, with Polis announcing that he wants to “make sure this is the last time somebody like Evan will have to go through what he had to go through.” Out Boulder’s Executive Director Mardi Moore said Young only agreed to go public with the issue because he wanted to support the LGBT community and push his school toward tolerance.
Anthony Costello
Rio de Janeiro's Trans Inmates Allowed to Choose Between Male or Female Prisons
Rio de Janeiro's Trans Inmates Allowed to Choose Between Male or Female Prisons
Brazil — a country which sees a record amount of transphobic violence — is taking unique steps to reduce the epidemic in Rio prisons.
Mitch Kellaway
Basotho LGBTI Youth Connect With International Activists
Basotho LGBTI Youth Connect With International Activists
(Pic: Meri Hyöky)
I am sitting in a room in the State Library in Maseru, Lesotho, with about 30 other young people. We are Skyping with acclaimed South African photographer Zanele Muholi, who is jet-lagged and speaking to us from Paris. She is more than 13,000 miles away, but it feels as if she is right here, with us in the room. She is making us all laugh as she tells us about her most recent exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in New York.
“For the first time in history, they have images of black lesbians and trans-people on their walls. Never before have they had a black lesbian disorganising their space like that! My work is to mainstream our issues, to give visibility to black lesbians in South Africa.”
It is Saturday 23 May. Our conversation with Muholi is part of an all-day event organised by Matrix Support Group, the only organisation in Lesotho working to promote the rights of LGBTI people in the country. Founded in 2008, Matrix has in just a few years made significant headway in promoting an awareness of LGBTI issues in a country that is still largely conservative. Last weekend, the organisation successfully held the third pride march in Lesotho’s history.
Today’s event is being supported by the U.S. Embassy in Maseru, in conjunction with the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The majority of the people in the room are members of Matrix, and in some way identify as part of the LGBTI spectrum. Several form part of Matrix’s core leadership team.
The aim of the event is to provide insights into the work that is being done by LGBTI activists in countries around the world. Six Skype calls have been arranged and, during the course of the day, a number of interesting themes and ideas emerge, as well as vital words of encouragement and support.
Muholi is not the only speaker to highlight the importance of visibility. Our first Skype call was with another South African activist, Germaine de Larch, who also uses photography as a means of documenting the lives of transgender people in South Africa.
“We’re not seen as human or as real, which makes it easier to discriminate against us. Through my photos, I show that we exist, we have lives, we’re not going anywhere.”
De Larch’s most powerful statement about visibility is one is that is echoed several times today: “simply being who you are, existing as an LGBTI person, is a form of activism.”
Later, we talk to Jamaican gay rights activist Maurice Tomlinson, who Skypes us from an airport in Barbados. The occasional boarding call announcement interrupts our conversation. Tomlinson is involved in a wide variety of LGBTI activism in the Caribbean, including sensitivity training with policemen, the establishment of a shelter for homeless LGBTI youth, and the challenging of anti-gay legislation, most notably Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law.
Tomlinson’s work and experiences resonate strongly with the people in the room. Lesotho also has anti-sodomy legislation, an import of British colonialism. In our case, however, in contrast to Jamaica, the law has never been used to prosecute consensual male same-sex sexual activity. Nonetheless, Matrix’s long-term goal is to pressure the government of Lesotho to revise the law. But how to change a country’s law when the majority of its citizens hold homophobic views?
“Changing the law won’t change the hearts of the people,” says Tomlinson, “but you can work on both at the same time. One doesn’t have to follow the other.”
Tomlinson’s work with religious groups is also very relevant to our situation. Lesotho is largely Christian, and homophobic views and attitudes often stem from religious conservatism. Tomlinson’s husband, Tom Decker, is an Anglican priest, and works with him to deliver workshops and trainings.
“As a priest, my husband can tell people: ‘the greatest commandment is love.’ You have to embarrass them into remembering that fact. Find influential, tolerant religious voices in your churches, and amplify them.”
Aija Salo, general secretary of Seta, Finland’s biggest LGBTI rights organisation, reminds us that any kind of change takes time. 20,000 people attended Helsinki’s 2014 pride march. Fifteen years ago, only 300 attended, a number not so different from our recent march here in Maseru.
“Change is possible, it’s not so long ago that we were struggling. Recently, we established a support group for LGBTI family members in Rovaniemi, in the north of the country. Only two parents showed up to the first meeting, but it was a start. Don’t get discouraged. These things take time.”
Tiffany Kagure Mugo, co-founder of the website HOLAAfrica, offers similar encouragement, as well as some solid words of advice for those who do activism work.
“If you’re having a bad day, know that it will get better. And be sure to never take yourself too seriously. If you do, you will focus only on the shine and the accolades, and will lose contact with the work you do.”
Our final Skype call is with North Carolina-based activist and musician Laila Nur, whose charm and good looks make her an instant hit with the female members of the audience. “There is so much fucked up in the world,” she says simply. “As long as you are able to do something about it, you should.”
The energy in the room at the end of the day is buoyant. People are smiling and laughing. Several linger behind to discuss the incredible conversations that we have had. We have spent the day in a small room in a landlocked country in Southern Africa, but it feels as if we have just taken a trip around the globe. Many of today’s speakers have promised to come and visit and to offer training and support in various ways. We have been reminded that we are truly not alone. As Maurice Tomlinson said to us earlier today: “We are on a liberation train for LGBTI rights, and although there will be some stops and some jerks and some speed humps, we are moving forward.”
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Groups Mark Failure of Broad Legislative Assault on LGBT Community in Texas
Groups Mark Failure of Broad Legislative Assault on LGBT Community in Texas
Business, Faith Leaders, Grassroots Activists Blocked Nearly Two-Dozen Discrimination Bills from Passage in Texas Legislature.
HRC.org
Gay Teen Forced To Have Sex With His Mom To “Cure” Him Of Homosexuality
Gay Teen Forced To Have Sex With His Mom To “Cure” Him Of Homosexuality
A teenager in India was allegedly forced to have sex with his own mother in an effort to “cure” him of being gay, Gay Star News reports.
According to LGBT Collective, a gay rights group in Telangana, in southern India, there are more and more reports of “corrective rapes” being carried out by members of the victims’ own families.
Often families will handpick a cousin to carry out the act, but in one case, a gay teen was forced to have sex with his mother to “cure” him of his sexuality.
Related: Gay Indian Man Pens Heartbreaking Essay About Being Trapped In A Sham Marriage
Vyjayanti Mogli, a member of the group, told the Times of India that at least 15 “corrective rapes” have been reported in the last five years.
“We are sure there are many more cases, but they go unreported,’ Mogli said. “We came across such cases not because they reported the rape, but because they sought help to flee their homes.”
Mogli went on to explain that in many parts of India, homosexuality is not only taboo, but expressly forbidden, punishable with life in prison.
Related: Gay Man Shares His Story Of Brutal Antigay Attack By Police In India
Graham Gremore
ESPN to Award Caitlyn Jenner With Arthur Ashe Courage Award At 2015 ESPYs
ESPN to Award Caitlyn Jenner With Arthur Ashe Courage Award At 2015 ESPYs
Just hours after Caitlyn Jenner made her debut, ESPN announced that Jenner will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2015 ESPYs in July. You may recall Michael Sam’s emotional speech after receiving the award last year. Comedian and actor Joel McHale is hosting the show at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater.
‘@Caitlyn_Jenner to be honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at The 2015 #ESPYS on @ABC, July 15: t.co/mhnjvD50nk
— ESPYS (@ESPYS) June 1, 2015
Jenner has yet to confirm whether she’ll attend, but she might be more preoccupied at the moment with the world’s reaction to her stunning cover of Vanity Fair.
[h/t Just Jared]
Anthony Costello
Vanity Fair Introduces Caitlyn Jenner
Vanity Fair Introduces Caitlyn Jenner
Legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz captures the new look of the former Olympian the world knew as Bruce Jenner.
Dawn Ennis
www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2015/06/01/vanity-fair-introduces-caitlyn-jenner
Caitlyn Jenner To Receive Arthur Ashe Courage Award At ESPYs: Report
Caitlyn Jenner To Receive Arthur Ashe Courage Award At ESPYs: Report
ESPN will honor Caitlyn Jenner with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2015 ESPY Awards, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter. The show is set to take place on July 15 on ABC.
ESPN confirms that Caitlyn Jenner will be receiving the @ESPYs Arthur Ashe Courage Award this July. h/t @JimMiller
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 1, 2015
Jenner, who previously went by the name Bruce, came out as transgender in a sit-down interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer in April. On Monday, Jenner revealed her new preferred name as part of a rollout for her upcoming Vanity Fair interview with Buzz Bissinger and photoshoot with Annie Leibovitz.
— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) June 1, 2015
I’m so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can’t wait for you to get to know her/me.
— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) June 1, 2015
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
VIDEO: Lindsey Graham Brings More of the Same to Field of Anti-LGBT Candidates
VIDEO: Lindsey Graham Brings More of the Same to Field of Anti-LGBT Candidates
Senator Lindsey Graham has become the latest to announce a campaign for president.
HRC.org
