Portia de Rossi, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ryan Murphy and more celebrate TV's impact on LGBTI equality
Paley Center gala in LA also draws Norman Lear who said TV ‘has brought us closer to true equality for all’
gregh
Category Archives: NEWS
Watch: Lennie & Pearl’s Heartwarming Love Story
Watch: Lennie & Pearl’s Heartwarming Love Story
PHOTOS: Gay State Rep. Brian Sims Posts Deliciously Beefy TBT, But He Hasn’t Lost The Goods
PHOTOS: Gay State Rep. Brian Sims Posts Deliciously Beefy TBT, But He Hasn’t Lost The Goods
We suddenly became interested in Pennsylvania state politics today when openly gay rep. Brian Sims posted this beeftastic TBT:
“Holy #ThrowbackThursday! This was taken in September 2000, a few hours before the first game of my senior year at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. We were in Tennessee for the NCAA Kick-Off Classic to start the season.”
And even though his 2000 self is undeniable hunky, Brian is currently giving us daddy-at-the-office perfection.
Like when he…
…gets asked the tough questions.
…gives a little smirk.
…gets behind the podium.
…gets some “me time” in Provincetown.
…sits with a wide stance.
Now put those devilish good looks to work and get things done.
Dan Tracer
Is the FDA Policy on Gay Men Donating Blood Winding Down?
Is the FDA Policy on Gay Men Donating Blood Winding Down?
The FDA’s longstanding policy of banning men who have sex with men (MSMs) from giving blood due to HIV transmission concerns may be on its way out the door after a U.S. advisory panel recommended for the first time that the 31-year ban be partially lifted.
Bloomberg reports:
Doctors and blood-donation advocates who advise the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services voted 16-2 today to suggest that men who have had sex with men should be able to give blood after being abstinent for one year. Their recommendation will be considered by a group of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration in a Dec. 2 meeting. While the FDA doesn’t have to follow either panel’s advice, their recommendations are considered influential.
“The system, in my mind, has been very successful, in part, I believe, because the public has trust in the system and the decisions we make,” said Jay Menitove, chairman of the advisory group that met today. “To maintain that trust and compliance on the part of the public, it is time to modernize.”
The Human Rights Campaign reacts:
“This recommendation — although nominally better than the existing policy — falls far short because it continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men, preventing them from donating life-saving blood based solely on their sexual orientation,” said David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director. “The current policy, adopted in the earliest days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the new recommendation are both simply wrong and can no longer be justified in light of scientific research and updated blood screening technology. It’s far past time for this stigma to end.”
The American Red Cross supports the proposal, which mirrors similar 12-month deferral policies that have been implemented in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
Kyler Geoffroy
www.towleroad.com/2014/11/is-the-fda-policy-on-gay-men-donating-blood-winding-down-.html
House Republican Suggests Last-Ditch Effort to Vote on ENDA
House Republican Suggests Last-Ditch Effort to Vote on ENDA
As some in Congress attempt one last effort to vote on ENDA before the end of the term, a conservative lobbying group says it’s one of the biggest ‘threats’ of the session.
Michelle Garcia
www.advocate.com/enda/2014/11/13/house-republican-suggests-last-ditch-effort-vote-enda
Gavin Grimm, Transgender Teen, Fighting To Use Men's Restroom At School
Gavin Grimm, Transgender Teen, Fighting To Use Men's Restroom At School
A transgender teen in Virginia is fighting for the right to use the bathroom that corresponds with his gender identity.
Gavin Grimm is a 10th grader who was assigned female at birth and came out as transgender earlier this year. Now, the 15-year-old is generating a larger conversation surrounding bathroom rights for individuals identifying as transgender in Virginia.
The Gloucester County School Board is slated to hold a meeting on Dec. 9 to make a decision surrounding the bathroom rights of transgender individuals.
“The issue for me is that the only proposal to be voted on December 9 is for Gavin to go back to using the girls restroom, and there needs to be another proposal, because Gavin is not going to use the girls restroom, not going to happen. Gavin is a boy,” Grimm’s mother reportedly stated.
Transgender students and school districts regularly battle over issues like this. After much debate and controversy, California passed a bill in 2013 that allows transgender students to use the bathroom and play on the sports team that corresponds with their gender identity. Additionally, Philadelphia passed similar legislation late last year.
Gay marriages begin in Kansas after US Supreme Court lifts stay
Gay marriages begin in Kansas after US Supreme Court lifts stay
State’s governor and attorney general vow to continue legal fight to uphold ban
gregh
www.gaystarnews.com/article/gay-marriages-begin-kansas-after-us-supreme-court-lifts-stay131114
Sorry, U.S. Constitution. NOM Wants the Gov. of Kansas to Willingly Disobey a Federal Court Order
Sorry, U.S. Constitution. NOM Wants the Gov. of Kansas to Willingly Disobey a Federal Court Order
The National Organization for Marriage has called on Kansas Governor Sam Brownback to “reject” federal court rulings they deem “out of control.”
HRC.org
Seth Rogen Ribs James Franco For Shaving His Body, Says He’s “Pretty Much A Woman”
Seth Rogen Ribs James Franco For Shaving His Body, Says He’s “Pretty Much A Woman”
James Franco and Seth Rogen are naked again and it’s not their inevitable send-up of Kim Kardashian’s already infamous Paper mag cover. After teasing us with a few photos last month, the bromantic twosome have unveiled the first video teaser from their episode of Discovery’s nude survivalist series Naked & Afraid. When the actors learn they’re teamed with each other, they express some initial surprise. Rogen notes that he’d hoped for a female partner, but since Franco has shaved his body he’s the next best thing. There’d been a lot of speculation last month that when Franco posted a few photos from the trip that he’d accidentally included one that showed his penis. Close inspection of the video footage indicates both men are wearing flesh-colored undies behind their pixillated midsections. Not that we’re complaining.
The episode will air December 7. Watch the mostly safe for work teaser below.
Jeremy Kinser
News: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Lightning, One Direction, Madonna
News: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Lightning, One Direction, Madonna
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been selected by Harry Reid as the “Strategic Policy Adviser to the DPCC.” In this new role, Warren will serve as a liaison to liberal groups and help shore up progressive support for the Democratic Party.
Global warming could increase U.S. lighting strikes by 50 percent, according to a study out in the journal Science.
The world’s smallest man meets the world’s tallest man.
Fabulous fitness guru Richard Simmons is reportedly battling depression and hasn’t been photographed in public since January.
The New York Times looks at How to Get Away With Murder’s devoted gay following.
Michelangelo Signorile on the Bizarro Election 2014 – when homophobes such as NOM president Brian Brown backed gay-equality supporters while gay right supporters like hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer helped elected anti-LGBT Republicans.
Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer pushes for nationwide marijuana legalization by revealing how many people died of marijuana overdoses last year: “Spoiler alert — it’s zero!”
A judge in Shawnee County, Kansas has canceled a Friday hearing on a challenge to the state’s gay marriage ban following yesterday’s SCOTUS order allowing gay marriage to begin in the state.
Dutch designer Christian Boer has created a typeface specifically for dyslexic people – featuring letters designed with heavier bottom portions and a slight italicised look to help minimize confusion and mix-ups.
Matt Damon talks about crossing swords with Ben Affleck in the bathroom.
19 Kids and Counting stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar issue Facebook kissing challenge and proceed to delete pictures of gay couples.
Chace Crawford spotted in LA sporting his usual level of hotness after a crazy week of partying in London.
Happy Birthday! Madonna’s iconic album Like a Virgin turns 30.
Obamacare consultant Jonathan Gruber is making headlines this week for newly uncovered comments suggesting the health care bill passed in 2010 because of “the stupidity of the American voter.”
One Direction is set to star in a television special December 23 on NBC.
LGBT activists in Utah are vowing to fight misdemeanor charges for disturbing a legislative meeting back in February by rallying in support of an anti-discrimination bill.
Orlando Bloom grabs hold of his elvish, baby-making sword for a bonus feature from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug DVD.
Kyler Geoffroy
