Support for Queer Youth Has Arrived

In 1999 it was estimated that the average age of people coming out as LGBT was 25. In 2010 the average age for coming out was 16. As people are coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender at much younger ages, their needs for connection and support have grown.

Which is why in 2014, Michael Belkin and his team launched Distinc.tt, an LGBT social network app for people ages 13 and up, which The Wall Street Journal described as “Foursquare meets Facebook for the LGBT community.”

“Gay people have special needs from technology,” says Distinc.tt Founder and CEO Belkin. “Being an invisible minority, we have a special need to meet and interact with others.”

 

As the app has become increasingly popular with users (whose median age is 16), their need for a helping hand has become increasingly evident to Belkin and company. 

“We saw that people were posting about things that they needed support for, such as, ‘I just came out to my parents and they didn’t take it well. What do I do now?’ or trans youth posting, ‘I’m not comfortable in my own body.’ The community was helping, but we wanted to do more,” says Belkin. 

Distinc.tt just launched its Community Support Resources component, which users can access through the app or anyone can access online.

The 82 resources include organizations, studies, articles, and other helpful information for LGBTQQ youth as well as parents, friends, families, and educators. The categories include helplines and chat, school and education, sex and health, legal, trans and gender identity, bullying and harassment, coming out, homelessness, depression, suicide and self-harm, and racism and diversity.

“It’s the largest and most comprehensive resource of its kind,” says Belkin. “It can be nerve-racking to do that Google search, but if the resources are presented to you, you’re more likely to get the help you need.”

To access the Distinc.tt Community Support Resources online, go here.

Adam Sandel

www.advocate.com/2015/11/03/support-queer-youth-has-arrived

'McTucky Fried High' Launches Season Two Indiegogo Campaign

Queer talking junk food? Yes, please!

“McTucky Fried High,” one of our favorite animated web series, directly confronts many of the issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) kids today. Unapologetically queer in its approach, the project is now engaged in an Indiegogo campaign in order to fund its second season.

“Even progressive cartoons like ‘Adventure Time,’ ‘The Legend of Korra’ or “Steven Universe’ cannot directly address a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity because of censorship,” creator and director Robert-Carnilius says in the above video. “[‘McTucky Fried High] uses comedy to deal with issues like body image, coming out of the closet and gender identity.”

Want to see more? Head here to check out the first season of ‘McTucky Fried High’ or here to visit the season two Indiegogo campaign. 

Also on HuffPost:

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Open Question: What's one thing that all Gay/Bi men should own?
I was just reading A post that stated that all Bi/Gay men should own a certain amount of things, and attend a certain amount of “gay” events in order to be considered part of the lgbt community, otherwise they’re just Homosexual/Bisexual what do you all think?

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151103095059AA6b0xt

HRC Global Attends ILGA-Europe Conference

Last month, HRC Global attended the 19th annual ILGA-Europe Conference in Athens, Greece.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-global-attends-ilga-europe-conference?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

PHOTOS: Hot Guys Blast Off At Starship Halloween In San Francisco

3…2…1… Blast-off! Legendary club promoter Gus Presents hosted Starship Halloween with DJ Kitty Glitter and DJ Josh Whitaker at Club Six in San Francisco. The club was transformed into a cosmic circuit party wonderland complete with battle-star lasers, big-bang sound, northern lights, red hot astronaut go-go boys, and an inter-stellar barrage of planetary decor. All these things combined made for a Halloween night that was truly out of this world.

Scroll down for a peek inside Starship Halloween, and check out the full gallery over at GayCities…

Photo credit: Marques Daniels

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/-M47taGzkcA/photos-hot-guys-blast-off-at-starship-halloween-in-san-francisco-20151103

Gay Couple Who Made Kim Davis a Viral Video Villain Gets Married

The gay couple who famously filmed Kim Davis denying them a marriage license with no legal authority to do so, making Davis a household name, has finally tied the knot.

David Ermold and David Moore went to the Rowan County Courthouse in July to seek a marriage license following the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down same-sex marriage bans nationwide. Though the ACLU had already filed suit against Davis, she was undeterred. She kept Ermold and Moore waiting, refusing to speak to them at first. Finally addressing them, she refused to marry them and ultimately invoked “God’s authority” to flout the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Since that time, the video recorded by Ermold and Moore has been viewed over 1 million times and Davis has become a nation villain and symbol of the anti-gay right-wing.

Though it was over three months delayed and involved unforeseeable tribulation, Ermold and Moore were finally able to get married. They tied the knot in a private ceremony on September 26 but decided to have a more public ceremony this past weekend at their Alma Mater, Morehead State. The end to the story was fitting, said Ermold: “Everything about [our struggle to get married] has been public so it kind of had to end that way.”

Morehead State’s The Trail Blazer reports:

An overture of soft folk music welcomed the couple as they waltzed down the library steps toward the Bell Tower. Friends and family cried, smiled and snapped photographs to preserve the memory.

“These are people who deserve to have their love seen like everyone else,” said Taral Thompson, a Morehead State graduate.

Linda Carpenter, Moore and Ermold’s former landlord, said she was happy to see the couple wed. She said, “No, I’m not gay. And no I don’t understand it. But it’s not my business either.” Of the public battle over their desire to get married, Carpenter added,  “I watched them on television going through all that, and all I kept thinking was, why do these people hate them? They didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

Said Ermold of what he hopes people will take away from their battle with Davis, “If same-sex marriage is still an issue five years from now, I want people to be able to be open about who they are, and not be afraid of who they are and enjoy their life because this is the only life that we get.”

 

“This is our blessing from God,” he added.

Watch video of their wedding, below:

The post Gay Couple Who Made Kim Davis a Viral Video Villain Gets Married appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Gay Couple Who Made Kim Davis a Viral Video Villain Gets Married: WATCH

Prominent Gay Couple Attacked in Palm Springs in Apparent Hate Crime

Police in Palm Springs say two prominent residents were attacked by two men on Sunday night because they are gay. Detectives are investigating the attack on George and Chris Zander as a felony hate crime, according to The Desert Sun, the second antigay hate crime in the city this year.

The married couple were holding hands when they left Hunters, a popular gay bar, according to Chris Zander, who said they were confronted by a man who yelled an antigay slur. When Chris responded by saying, “That’s totally uncalled for,” the man reportedly pulled him to the ground by his shirt, and then ran.

As the couple continued on their way, their attacker returned with another man, and struck Chris Zander in the head, knocking him out. George Zander, who is 71 years old, was pushed to the ground and fractured his hip in two places. He will undergo surgery today to repair the damage, but is expected to make a full recovery. A photo of George snapped Monday was posted on Facebook by friends.

“I don’t understand why somebody would push a 71-year-old man over. It makes me want to cry every time I talk about it,” Chris Zander told The Desert Sun.

Police are looking for two white males, one described as stocky, with red hair. The men drove away in what police describe as a “a sedan-type vehicle.”

George Zander is the Equality California Coachella Valley field manager and active in the Desert Stonewall Democrats. The couple is well known for their activism, and community leaders reacted with shock and dismay.

“George is a core member of our team and our entire staff and board were horrified to hear of this horrific hate crime,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “This was an attack on someone who confronts bigotry and hostility as part of his job, and who works every day to make the world a better and safer place for LGBT people. If it can happen to George in a place that we think of as a refuge for the LGBT community, it can happen to anyone, anywhere. In spite of the victories of the past 10 years, we still have so much work to do.”

Veteran gay activist Cleve Jones wrote about the attack on his former neighbors on Facebook, saying “We’ve come a long way, but anti-gay violence is still real, even in places like Palm Springs.” A group, Justice & Support for George, has been established on Facebook to show support for George and his husband.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Palm Springs Police at 760-323-8116, or Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-STOP (7867).

Bil Browning

www.advocate.com/crime/2015/11/03/prominent-gay-couple-attacked-palm-springs-apparent-hate-crime

School Defies Department Of Education To Discriminate Against Transgender Student

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights found the school in violation of Title IX, but the school isn’t budging.

The post School Defies Department Of Education To Discriminate Against Transgender Student appeared first on ThinkProgress.

Zack Ford

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/11/03/3718685/school-transgender-locker-room-violation/

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2015: A Reporter's List
I did this for the first time four years ago. The 20-odd transgender deaths that passed my desk during 2012 were compiled into a post presenting the victims’ names and how they’d died in order to convey the importance of observing the Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20. I did the same for 2013 and 2014. I’m doing it again now for 2015.

This is by no means a complete list. Most transgender deaths are unreported or lost due to misgendering. I should also point out that not everyone agrees on which types of deaths ought to be included in such lists. I’ve included domestic violence and suspicious deaths but excluded suicide. I’m starting with the most recent death and working my way back to November 1, 2014:

Zella Ziona: Lured and shot to death near Gaithersburg, Maryland in October, 2015. A suspect Rico Hector Leblond, was charged with murder.

Diana Sacayán: Prominent Argentine trans activist was stabbed to death in Buenos Aires in October, 2015. Police are looking for 2 suspects.

Rafaela Capucci: Killed at her place of work in Vogtsburg, Brazil in October, 2015.

Melvin: Shot to death in Detroit, Michigan on October 5, 2015.

Kiesha Jenkins: Shot to death in Philadelphia in October after being assaulted by a group of men. A suspect, Pedro Redding has been arrested. Police are looking for 2 other suspects.

Chocobar Marcela: Reported missing in Argentina in September 2015. Her burnt and dismembered skeletal remains were identified by DNA a month later.

Keyshia Blige: Declared dead at a hospital in Aurora, Illinois on March 7, 2015 after being shot while driving a car and subsequently crashing the vehicle. Death went unnoticed due to media misgendering until reported in UK media in August, 2015.

Jasmine Collins: Stabbed to death in Kansas City, Missouri on June, 2015. The killer prevented others from offering CPR. A suspect, Tia Townsel is charged with murder.

Tamara Dominguez: Kansas City, Missouri police say she was hit by a SUV, then run over twice as she was lying on the ground in August, 2015. Pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital.

Elisha Walker (aka Angel Elisha Walker): Reported missing in November, 2014, body found in crude grave in Johnson County, North Carolina in August, 2015. A suspect, Angel Dejesus Arias is charged with murder.

Kandis Capri: Shot outside an apartment complex and pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona in August, 2015. Police released a video in hope of finding the killer.

Ashton O’Hara: Brutally murdered in a Detroit, Michigan field in July, 2015. A suspect, Larry B. Gaulding, is charged with first degree murder.

Shade Schuler: Severely decomposed body discovered in a field in Dallas, Texas on July 29th, 2015. Cause of death unclear. Possibly shot. No suspects.

Amber Monroe: Shot to death in Detroit, Michigan, during the summer of 2015 (exact date unclear). Police still looking for a suspect as of October, 2015.

KC Haggard: Stabbed to death in Fresno, California in a July, 2015 incident that was captured on surveillance video. Her pleas for help were ignored by passerbys. Police are looking for suspects.

Nephi Luthers: Shot in the head in Georgetown, Guyana in July, 2015 by a person she was talking to. Police have arrested one suspect, Ron Forde, and are looking for a second suspect named Kanand Ojha,

India Clarke: Found shot to death in Tampa, Florida in July, 2015. A suspect, Keith Lamayne Gaillard, has been arrested.

Daya Rani Kinnar: The victim, a well-known trans politician, was shot to death in Uttar Pradesh, India in July, 2015. Two suspects were arrested and police are looking for a third.

Mercedes Williamson: DNA confirmed that a body stabbed to death and buried in George County, Mississippi in May, 2015 was that of the victim, a resident of Alabama. A suspect who knew the victim, Josh Brandon Vallum, was arrested after being turned in by his father.

Laura Vermont: Died in a São Paulo, Brazil hospital in June, 2015 from injuries not clearly specified. Two military police officers, Ailton de Jesus, and Diego Clemente Mende were arrested for their involvement in the death.

Francela Méndez Rodríguez: Noted trans activist murdered while visiting a friend in Sonsonate, El Salvador on May 31, 2015.

London Chanel (aka Londyn “Kiki” Chanel-Washington, London Banks): Stabbed to death in Philadelphia on May 18, 2015. A suspect, Raheam Felton, was arrested and charged with murder.

Yosvani Muñoz Robaina: Stoned to death in a public park in Pinar del Rio, Cuba on April 26, 2015. Three suspects were detained.

Almaroof Bijli: Burned and mutilated body was found on May 5, 2015 in Gungal, Pakistan.

Saima Shahzadi, Shah Zaib and Billi: Shot by motorcyclists in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in May, 2015.

Vanessa Santillan: Found in a London apartment strangled and beaten on March 28, 2015. A suspect, Joaquin Gomez-Hernandez, was arrested.

Two unidentified trans women: Gunned down after performing at a wedding in Pakistan in April, 2015.

Kristina Grant Infiniti: (aka Kristina Gomez Reinwald) Found dead in her Miami Florida home in Feb. 2015. Police classified the death as a homicide.

Sumaya Dalmar: (aka Sumaya Ysl) Found dead in Toronto, Ontario on Feb 22, 2015. Cause of death not released. Unclear if it is a homicide.

Bri Golec: Killed by her father during a domestic dispute in Akron Ohio on Feb. 13, 2015. The father, Kevin Golec was charged with murder.

Piu da Silva: Disfigured body was found January 24, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one day after a video showing the victim being tortured surfaced.

Penny Proud (aka Penny Proud Johnson): Fatally shot on Feb. 10. 2015 in New Orleans. Police believe it may have been a robbery attempt. Two suspects are being sought.

Taja DeJesus: Stabbed to death in February, 2015, in San Francisco. A suspect, James Hayes, committed suicide before being found by police.

Marisol Almeida: Found dead in her place of business on Dec. 24, 2014, in Ecuador.

Yazmin Vash Payne: Found by firefighters stabbed to death in Los Angeles on January 31, 2015. Her live-in partner, Ezekiel Jamal Dear, is charged with murder and the setting of their apartment on fire.

Papi Edwards: Shot to death in Louisville, Kentucky on January 9, 2015. A suspect, Henry Richard Gleaves, was charged with murder.

Hande Ö: Found strangled in her Vienna apartment on January 19, 2015. DNA evidence resulted in the arrest of an unnamed suspect.

Unidentified trans woman: Found shot to death in Badhber, Pakistan, in January, 22, 2015.

Lamia Beard: Died in a Norfolk, Virginia, hospital of gunshot wounds in January, 2015.

Ty Underwood: Shot to death on Jan. 26. 2015 in North Tyler, Texas. A suspect, Carlton Ray Champion, Jr., is charged with murder.

Gizzy Fowler: Gunned down in Nashville, Tennessee in November, 2014. A suspect, Mallory Antoine Porter, turned himself in to police.

Deshawnda Sanchez (aka Tata): Shot to death in Los Angeles in December, 2014. A suspect, Robert James Spells, has been arrested.

Keymori Shatoya Johnson: Shot to death in her Albany, Georgia (USA) home in December 2014. A suspect, Kuyaunnis James has been arrested.

Unidentified trans woman: Found murdered in Tblisi, the former Soviet state of Georgia in November, 2014.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is Nov. 20.

Feel free to share your comments or new facts on any of the trans people on this list.

My TDOR 2014 list and photo array.

TDOR 2013

TDOR 2012

— 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.

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Open Question: Why whenever liberals want to justify their hypocrisy they say "comparing apples to oranges? Take LGBT and incest for example (READ)?
It is almost never apples and oranges, you can be bigoted against incest all you want, it’s “icky and wrong” do the same to LGBT and you’re a terrible person.

“Love is love” but incest gets bashed, ‘It’s not hurting anyone” but incest gets bashed.

Also I notice with incest people make it seem like it’s between an adult and child and there’s a power struggle, it’s incest, not pedophilia, should we associate gays with pedophilia too? You know you’re making strawman arguments to paint it in a negative light.

You use the excuse that a deformed child can be born

1. No guarantee they’ll have a kid.
2. If they do no guarantee the child will be deformed.
3. So what if it is? Do we kill special needs kids?
4. What about an older couple having a child? Increased chance their child will be deformed.
5. Abortion is ok but the possibility of a deformed child existing is where you draw the line?

For the record I’m not into incest, I’m making a point, so don’t respond with some lame *** deflection like “you wanna f**k your sister”

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151103090045AAs5EWb