The Gay Future, According to Michael Musto
The world will be brighter in years to come, but we’ll still have Liza.
Michael Musto
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/07/01/gay-future-according-michael-musto
Category Archives: NEWS
Utah Man Who Reported Hate Crime Now Says Wounds Self-Inflicted
Utah Man Who Reported Hate Crime Now Says Wounds Self-Inflicted
Rick Jones said he carved ‘Die Fag’ into his own arm, in what his attorneys are calling ‘a cry for help.’
Trudy Ring
www.advocate.com/crime/2015/06/30/utah-man-who-reported-hate-crime-now-says-wounds-self-inflicted
Share This: American Pride
Share This: American Pride
We are all equal and all American. Some would claim otherwise.
Don’t let the American flag be held hostage by conservatives. Celebrate equality and positive change in the world.
The post Share This: American Pride appeared first on Towleroad.
Andy Towle
LGBT Immigrant Rights Protesters Arrested Near White House
LGBT Immigrant Rights Protesters Arrested Near White House
WASHINGTON — Six LGBT immigrant rights activists were arrested Tuesday after blocking a street near the White House to protest the Obama administration’s treatment of LGBT immigrants in detention.
Protesters, organized by advocacy group United We Dream, took turns criticizing Obama administration detention policies as some participants linked themselves with chains or lay in the street and blocked traffic.
“We are asking President Obama to free all LGBT people from detention because detention is not protecting them. Detention is brutalizing them,” said Brooke Cerda-Guzmán, an undocumented transgender woman who was arrested.
The protest came a week after an undocumented transgender woman was kicked out of the White House for heckling President Barack Obama about immigrant detention. It followed Monday’s small victory for advocates for better treatment of LGBT people in detention, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it will consider transgender detainees’ gender identity when deciding where they should be housed.
The protesters — four undocumented, and three transgender — were arrested after the group marched from the White House to K Street, where they blocked a busy intersection. As police hauled them away, others continued to chant from the sidewalk.
“Detention is bad for everyone, but it is especially bad for LGBTQ immigrants,” said Carlos Padilla, who coordinates United We Dream’s Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project. “No one should should have to face such horrific conditions for simply being who they are.”
LGBT people are more likely to experience abuse and sexual assault in immigration detention than heterosexual inmates, according to the progressive think tank Center for American Progress. The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, estimates there are more than 267,000 undocumented LGBT immigrants in the U.S. The U.S. government reported more than 140 undocumented immigrants died in detention from 2003 to 2013. The number of LGBT people included in that figure is unknown.
ICE has taken steps to better accommodate LGBT detainees. The agency on Monday revealed plans to allow transgender detainees to be placed in facilities with the sex they identify with. Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, ICE deputy assistant director for custody programs, said agency has been conducting a pilot program at one of its facilities and is looking to expand it to a few of its other detention centers.
“We do know the procedures that we put in place are working,” Lorenzen-Strait said. “We want this to be an option for more facilities.”
ICE will begin keeping data on detainees’ gender identity and will offer more training for immigration officers to help transgender detainees in a respectful manner.
But Padilla said it does not go far enough.
“No matter how much better you make that cage, it doesn’t change the fact that it is a cage,” Padilla said.
— 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.
Department of Justice Affirms Title IX Protection for Trans Students
Department of Justice Affirms Title IX Protection for Trans Students
The feds weigh in on the case of a transgender boy in Virginia, affirming his right to self-identify under federal law.
Dawn Ennis
Reflecting on GLSEN's Educator of the Year Award
Reflecting on GLSEN's Educator of the Year Award
There are so many great educators across our nation, doing great things for our youth, and I am honored to be counted among them. Recently, I was awarded the Educator of the Year Award by GLSEN, the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network. This is a national award, and today, I would like share some reflections on my career, district, and experiences, so that perhaps other districts can begin modelling these best practices for their LGBTQ youth.
I joined the Teach for America program eight years ago in hopes that one day, all children in our nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education. I believe in the promise of one day, all children, and thanks to the work of GLSEN and its many supporters, that day will be one day soon.
After all, it was one day after I taught a lesson on marriage equality, that a student of mine approached me and asked if I would sponsor a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). I’d never heard of a GSA but I quickly began to see the importance of this club. Although I initially faced some resistance from my colleagues and community members, I began hosting meetings, advertising for members, and using my teacher twitter account to post meetings and highlight GSA events. Focusing on the importance of allies and the S in GSA, more students joined and off we were, planning school-wide events and being activists in our community.
It was one day shortly after that, when officials from DCPS invited me to join the LGBT Steering Committee, a team of school administrators and community members charged with the task of creating a District-wide plan to provide a welcoming and respectful community for LGBT students, staff and families. In a milestone career achievement, together, we devised a plan to create an inclusive school community, ensuring lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students, teachers, staff, and families are safe, happy, welcomed and respected in our schools. Recently, our district has rolled out the DCPS Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Policy Guideline, an additional document that supports our youth.
DCPS is an exciting place to work, where teachers, administrators, and central office staff unite to create plans and initiatives that support every child – it’s what every educator, every administrator, and every school official is called to do.
I know I’m not the typical teacher and this is not the typical experience of our LGBT youth. In my classroom, a born this way flag hangs in the back above a GSA resource center I set up for students to access resources and readings. I firmly believe the safe space I’ve been able to create is why my students have out-performed the district set bar of growth and achievement year after year.
Our GSA work at the school level has transformed our culture with GLSEN events like Ally Week, No Name-Calling Week, Day of Silence, as well as Transgender Day of Remembrance. Our school librarian and I created an LGBT section in the library, and I’ve created advisory lesson plans on issues like Gender Identity and anti-bullying, and hosted professional development opportunities for teachers to implement safe space practices in their classrooms.
As an LGBT Liaison for my district, I’m able to mentor other educators in creating a safe space for our students. I’ve been able to partner with GSAs from other schools to host social and educational events that address current issues our youth face. I’ve attended district trainings that make me a better, more supportive educator for our students.
DCPS has created a model for supporting its LGBT youth, and it is because of this model that I am able to support my students and watch them flourish. This year, they marched in the Capital Pride parade with DCPS, standing with the district that stands for them. Recently, one of my students was recognized by the Washington Blade’s 20 under 20, speaking out against the abuses of bullying and name calling. Our students are achieving greatness and most importantly, finding themselves, their voice, passion and identity.
Today’s youth are incredible, smart and passionate, and fired up for the movement. We as educators have to empower them and create a space for them to set out and be the great leaders they were born to be. District leaders and administrators across the country must come together to support our LGBT youth—regardless of political or religious agendas.
Eight years and counting I’ve been teaching in DCPS, and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. I plan to remain in the classroom, teaching and guiding our youth, until one day, when all children—regardless of race, gender identity, class, geographical location, or sexual orientation—have the opportunity to attain an excellent education. We need other educators and policy makers from all across the country to stand up and join us in our advocacy for LGBTQ youth, so that one day becomes one day soon.
— 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.
WATCH: 'Drag Race' Winner Violet Chachki Drops Debut EP, Shares New 'Vanguard' Video
WATCH: 'Drag Race' Winner Violet Chachki Drops Debut EP, Shares New 'Vanguard' Video
The season 7 queen shows off her aerialist skills in her latest video.
Gina Vivinetto
#LoveWins: Country Celebrates Marriage Equality Milestone
#LoveWins: Country Celebrates Marriage Equality Milestone
Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in support of marriage equality on Friday, celebrations broke out across the country.
HRC.org
Bobby Jindal Invites State Employees To Sue Him Over Marriage, Faces Unexpected GOP Challenger
Bobby Jindal Invites State Employees To Sue Him Over Marriage, Faces Unexpected GOP Challenger
Louisiana Governor and 2016 Presidential hopeless Bobby Jindal is making good on his promise to do everything he possibly can to fight the gays.
Just days after marriage equality became the law of the land in the United States, Jindal, also known as “America’s least popular governor,” signed an executive order allowing government employees the legal right to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds.
“State employees who express a religious objection to involvement in issuance of same-sex marriage licenses, and judges and justices of the peace may not be forced to officiate a same-sex wedding ceremony when other authorized individuals who have no religious objection are available,” the order read.
Related: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Calls Antigay Religious Freedom Laws “Common Sense”
What happens if there are no other “authorized individuals who have no religious objection available,” you ask?
The answer: Nothing. No marriage. And no disciplinary action for the insubordinate state employee either. Imagine the pandora’s box of faith-based objections to serving LGBTs this creates. State medical workers don’t want to treat gay men because they don’t like them? No problem! Public school teachers who disapprove of gay teens? No problem!
According to Jindal, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, clerks in Louisiana can still deny same-sex marriage licenses, and they needn’t fear any consequences because “numerous attorneys have committed to defend their rights free of charge” should any of them be disciplined for refusing to do their jobs.
That’s right. Jindal has personally wrangled up a gaggle of lawyers willing to work pro bono for any state employee who wants to sue the state. Sadly, judges and clerks still need to be paid for processing these nuisance suits. Courthouses must keep the lights on.
The memo concludes: “Louisiana is resolved to protect the inalienable rights of all it citizens.”
In other Jindal-related news, the governor is currently facing an unexpected local challenger for the 2016 GOP Presidential nomination. A Louisiana crawfish has announced its candidacy and proclaimed itself a “harbinger of doom” for Jindal.
When asked why people should vote for Crawfish instead of Jindal, Crawfish’s campaign said “Crawfish is NOT Bobby Jindal, which really, is reason enough.”
An official Facebook page titled “Can This Crawfish Get More Supporters Than Bobby Jindal?” currently has almost 20,000 followers.
Related: The Best Responses To Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Antigay Executive Order (So Far)
h/t: New Civil Rights Movement
Graham Gremore
Misguided Wingnuts Fight Facebook’s Rainbow Profile Pics with American Flag Avatar Maker
Misguided Wingnuts Fight Facebook’s Rainbow Profile Pics with American Flag Avatar Maker
In a lame and misguided form of anti-gay protest, conservatives are trying to use American flag avatars to counter the 26 million Facebook rainbow profile pics that users created after SCOTUS legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, the Independent reports.
The tool to do so was being provided by rightwingnews.com.
Want to counter the Rainbow Flag FB profile pic? t.co/kkBq1MCdW4 #tcot #rednationrising #lnyhbt pic.twitter.com/gw69TLUFqp
— Brandon Davis (@Pim_Pen) June 30, 2015
Want to counter the Rainbow Flag FB profile pic?
American Flag Your Facebook Profile t.co/jHsrXMtSry #tcot #rednationrising #lnyhbt
— JON The Meme’ifier ✏ (@JonJayGroden) June 30, 2015
American Flag your Facebook or other Profile Pictures t.co/mta3D0d3Vp
— Donna L Cook (@DonnaCook5) June 30, 2015
Gizmodo adds:
“They can understand where using the American flag might be confusing, right? Some might say that never in its entire history has the American flag stood for equal rights as much as it does right now. “
The post Misguided Wingnuts Fight Facebook’s Rainbow Profile Pics with American Flag Avatar Maker appeared first on Towleroad.
Andy Towle
Misguided Wingnuts Fight Facebook’s Rainbow Profile Pics with American Flag Avatar Maker
