Conservative Lawyer Gene Schaerr Argues That Marriage Equality Will Lead To Spike In Abortion Rates
A conservative, Washington D.C.-based attorney is making headlines after linking same-sex marriage to abortion rates in a bizarre blog post.

Gene Schaerr, who specializes in constitutional and appellate litigation, is perhaps best known for defending same-sex marriage ban in Utah and Idaho, and is a former clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Now, as The Washington Post points out, he’s filed an amicus brief on behalf of “100 scholars of marriage” asking the Supreme Court not to recognize same-sex marriage as a constitutional right.

Schaerr makes his controversial claims in an April 17 editorial that appeared on the conservative Heritage Foundation’s news site, The Daily Signal. It reads, in part:

A reduction in the opposite-sex marriage rate means an increase in the percentage of women who are unmarried and who, according to all available data, have much higher abortion rates than married women. And based on past experience, institutionalizing same-sex marriage poses an enormous risk of reduced opposite-sex marriage rates.

Claiming that opposite-sex marriage rates have declined in the time that same-sex marriage has been recognized across many states and abroad, he implies that up to 900,000 children could be aborted as a result of their mothers never marrying, and continues:

In short, forcing states to convert the traditional gendered marriage institution into a genderless institution will very likely reduce man-woman marriages by undermining some of the norms that encourage heterosexual couples to marry, which will in turn increase the number of unmarried women and, hence, the number of children aborted.

It is one thing for the people of a state to subject themselves and their children to that risk through democratic processes. It would be quite another for the Supreme Court to subject a states’ citizens to that risk, against their will.

Contrary to Schaerr’s claims, marriage rates across the U.S. have dropped overall, even in states without same-sex marriage legislation, The Washington Post reported in September 2014.

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www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/21/gene-schaerr-gay-marriage-abortion-_n_7108600.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Get Your Tally Wacked By Half-Naked Waiters In Dallas

Finally, the restaurant we’ve been waiting for.

Tallywackers is a new dining establishment coming to Dallas. Per a help wanted ad posted to Craigslist, it appears to be a bar and restaurant specializing in hot dogs and other phallic-shaped foods served up by a staff of half-naked hunks.

In other words: It’s the male equivalent to Hooters. And we’re sure it’s going to be a huge hit in the Oak Lawn geighborhood. How could it not?

Related: Police Searching For Underwear Bandits Who Stripped During Restaurant Heist

The restaurant, which is billing itself as the “newest and most exciting place to be,” is currently hiring bartenders, servers, cooks, bus boys and hosts, and is expected to open some time next month.

Let’s just hope servers in super skimpy briefs don’t violate any health department regulations.

Related: WATCH: The Naked Chef Is Back To Work His Meat

Scroll down for photos from the restaurant’s hiring event held last weekend…

h/t: Dallas Eater

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/kIL6XnOuAmg/get-your-tally-wacked-by-half-naked-waiters-in-dallas-20150421

The Myth of Black Gay Privilege
In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin expiates about American society, writing presciently that it is “a civilization sexually so pathetic that the white man’s masculinity depends on a denial of the masculinity of the blacks.” As always, Baldwin’s writing is relevant for understanding contemporary society and the persistence of American racism and provides some explanation for the marginal professional success black gay men experience. However, it would be inappropriate and misleading to label that success as “black gay privilege” as did Dr. John Fitzgerald Gates. As a gay black man, I find fault in many of Dr. Gates’ assertions principally because I have never encountered any of the secret spaces that he described where one gains access to a host of privileges. Furthermore, as a sociologist I am troubled by the instances where his claims of “black gay privilege” is not supported by social scientific evidence.

My colleague, David S. Pedulla, at the University of Texas-Austin, recently published results from an experimental study that asked respondents to make a salary recommendation after reviewing a resume for a job applicant. Resumes were experimentally manipulated along two axes, the race of applicant (white vs. black) and their sexual orientation (straight vs. gay). Results showed that straight white men and gay black men received similar initial offers, while straight black men and gay white men both received significantly lower offers. While these results are important and increase our working knowledge of the role and impact of “intersecting identities,” it does not in anyway provide evidence of “gay black privilege.” The fact remains we have more questions than answers about than how race, gender and sexuality unfold and intersect in the workplace.

First, while there are certainly drawbacks to conducting experiments versus testing hypotheses in real world encounters, it seems unreasonable to assert the existence of “black gay privilege” based upon this study, because the data only show how respondents evaluate race and sexual orientation in one instance: hiring. Forget the fact that these survey respondents are making suggested initial salaries and that these are not real offers of employment, we know nothing about of the daily experiences of professional black gay men and more importantly if these perceived benefits or privileges are extended during throughout their tenure at a work organization. Does “black gay privilege” still hold when trying to negotiate a raise or a promotion? It is one thing to evaluate a person’s multiple social identities on paper and quite another to evaluate that individual in person.

Second, we know little about why black gay men received similar salary offers as straight white men, although there is evidence in the study that black gay men are seen as less threatening. While black gay men may not fit the negative stereotypes commonly associated with straight black men that depict them as sexually and physically dangerous, there are a host of stereotypes that black professional men encounter in the workplace. Sociologist Adai Harvey Wingfield documents how black professional men in occupations dominated by white men are often cast into the numerous roles, including that of the “superbrother.” Going beyond the previously discussed research study, I would hypothesize that many professional gay black men are cast and find success as the “superbrother,” who has excellent credentials, typically better than their white counterparts. As Wingfield identifies “superbrothers” in the workplace must meet exceptionally high standards and incur massive debts attending elite universities to obtain similar positions held by white men with less impressive resumes. While I agree with Dr. Gates’ assessment that many white employers might hire black gay men because they believe they are killing two “diversity birds” with one stone, I am unsure if that translates into privilege or a burden. As doubly diverse employees, black gay men might find themselves working harder for the same salary perhaps despite superior resumes and with the additional responsibilities of serving as representatives of their respective communities. The point here is to question if it is privilege that we are observing or oppression in disguise that requires black gay men to be exceptional and supernatural to get ahead. Furthermore, I would also like to point out as a scholar of organizations, just because someone is present in an organization, it does not mean that individual is in power or has the power to change its institutional structure.

Third, while Pedulla’s study adds to the literature on intersectionality, I was struck by Gates’ lack of an intersectional perspective when thinking about “black gay privilege.” Specifically, he writes “within companies, black gay privilege carries a tacit obligation and expectation that one’s gayness trumps ones blackness in affairs with the company.” That tacit obligation is unproven and says nothing of how black gay men see and experience themselves in the workplace. Personally, I am unable separate my race and sexual orientation in the workplace. While my sexuality might lead others to see me as less threatening, it does not stop others from confusing me with other gay and straight black men, opening the door to encounter racial micro aggressions, nor does this intersectional identity minimize bonds of racial solidarity with my black colleagues. Although we know little about how black gay men negotiate their identity in the workplace, the intersectionality literature is clear that having multiple social identities is complex. It is more than the sum of multiple identities, rather, it is the reflection of identities intersecting and influencing one another.

While Pedulla’s research is promising, we need to rigorously interrogate what it means to be a black gay man. Do these “privileges” extend to black gay men who do not fit stereotypical images, such as those who are not effeminate but exude traditional traits of masculinity or those who are radical queer brothas but who refuse to confirm to Eurocentric standards? Before one assumes the presence of “black gay privilege” one must acknowledge the variety of experiences of black gay men.

— 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.

www.huffingtonpost.com/james-jones2/the-myth-of-black-gay-privilege_b_7107304.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

These 10 ridiculously sexy shots of gay girls on holiday have won an award

Simply sizzling on the Canary Islands

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jamiet

www.gaystarnews.com/article/these-10-ridiculously-sexy-shots-gay-girls-holiday-have-won-award210415

Get Excited: Countdown to SCOTUS with HRC’s Spotify Playlist

In one week, the Supreme Court will hear Obergefell v. Hodges, the consolidated marriage equality case.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/get-excited-countdown-to-scotus-with-hrcs-spotify-playlist?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

The World's Most Famous Trans Model Sits Down With 'Vogue'

The fashion bible gives Advocate readers a sneak peek at its interview and photo shoot with trailblazing beauty Andreja Pejic.

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Neal Broverman

www.advocate.com/politics/media/2015/04/21/worlds-most-famous-trans-model-sits-down-vogue

A Night of a Thousand Genders
‘Girls Toys’ and ‘Boys Toys’ read the two signs hanging above separate display cases at my local Duane Reade store during Christmas last year — the former displaying rows of pink and purple ponies and dolls, the latter filled with blue and green action figures and racing cars. Standing there, two questions immediately came to mind:
‘Why do we need to be told which toys are appropriate for girls and boys?’ and ‘Why are toys even categorized according a child’s gender?’ But, there was still a more crucial question that even I, a life-long feminist, did not think to ask: “Are there really only two genders?”

This question was answered with a resounding ‘No’ by dozens of parents and children who attended last month’s ‘A Night of a Thousand Genders’, an annual event hosted by the Ackerman Institute’s Gender and Family Project dedicated to supporting children and adolescents who do not fit into the typical male/female categories.

“You can’t underestimate what it means to have the freedom to be who you are,” said Cynthia Nixon, host of the event. “It’s also crucial that all individuals feels safe in their authenticity.” For far too many transgender people, however, their safety is often compromised. One parent recalled that when she first learned her son was transgender, she immediately went to her computer and typed the word ‘transgender’ into an internet search. “The first things that came up were the high suicide rates among transgender people,” she continued. “I was horrified.”

And she had every right to be. The prevalence of suicide attempts by transgender people is staggering. Respondents to a recent National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that 41 percent of transgender individuals have attempted suicide, compared to the national average of only 4.6 percent. This dramatic difference is mostly due to two things: The family chooses not to speak or spend them with their transgender relative (a 57 percent elevated risk), and the transgender person experiences discrimination, victimization or violence at school, at work, or when accessing health care (a 50 percent — 70 percent elevated risk).

The Gender and Family Project was therefore created to provide the acceptance transgender people urgently need because, as Jean Malpas, the Program’s Director says, “Acceptance provides protection. By empowering families of gender nonconforming and transgender children and adolescents through affirmative clinical services and professional training and community building, these families have been able to create a safe space of intentional support,” Malpas continues. “We have a commitment to collaborate around safe spaces for families to find each other, and to support one another.”

And the Project’s success was echoed throughout the audience, particularly by the family of Jazz Jennings, who understands the importance of loving their child unconditionally. Honored with The Gender and Family Project’s 2015 Family Award, Jazz’s mother recalled, ‘When our youngest child Jazz was born, we were honored to welcome another son into our family. Little did we know that Jazz would blossom into our beautiful daughter,” she continued. “As parents we believe it is our children’s birthright to receive unconditional love from their family.” It therefore comes as no surprise that Jazz, at only 14 years of age, has already become the honorary co-founder of the Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation, an organization committed to the premise that Gender Dysphoria is something a child can’t control and it is society that needs to change, not them. She is also the co-author of the children’s book, I Am Jazz.

But the need to feel safe doesn’t stop at home. Since children spend a significant portion of their childhood at school, it is crucial that this environment be supportive as well. That is why the Gender and Family Project selected the Central Park East II Elementary School to be the recipient of its 2015 Community Award. A small but progressive public school in New York City, it has created a safe space for all of its students by valuing its diverse population regardless of race, class, gender or orientation. “Children must develop a deeper understanding of their peers,” said Naomi Smith, School Principal, upon accepting the award. “We look forward to the day when all schools honor all students for who they are.”

Fortunately, the Gender and Family Project is on a mission to help make that happen.
In only the past two years the Program has serviced over 100 families and trained more than 500 professionals, while also providing family-centered services including support groups for parents, play groups for children and their siblings, and even Spanish-speaking support groups. Further, the project helps the community-at-large by providing gender-inclusive training for schools and health professionals, while additionally serving as a liaison for medical and legal referrals.

“When people transition, everything in their lives has to transition with them,” Malpas says. “We are here to make that as smooth as possible, while making sure they know, throughout the process, that they are not alone.”

Lori Sokol, Ph.D., is an organizational psychologist and the founder and publisher of Difference Matters magazine.

— 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.

www.huffingtonpost.com/lori-sokol/a-night-of-a-thousand-gen_b_7100710.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Amy Schumer Learned A Naughty Lesson From An Elderly Gay Man She Got Drunk With On Plane

— Comedy Central’s Amy Schumer over-sharing with Vulture. P.S. She invited the man and his partner to appear on her show Inside Amy Schumer.

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/0D3vl8_cNYs/amy-schumer-learned-a-naughty-lesson-from-an-elderly-gay-man-she-got-drunk-with-on-plane-20150421

Jon Stewart Announces Date He's Leaving 'The Daily Show': VIDEO

Andy Towle

www.towleroad.com/2015/04/jon-stewart-announces-date-hes-leaving-the-daily-show-video.html

Speak Now: Prop. 8 Decision Will Pave Way for National Marriage Victory

In this excerpt from his new book, Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial, Kenji Yoshino says the case against California’s Proposition 8 was the first time antigay prejudice was put on trial — and lost.

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Kenji Yoshino

www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/04/21/speak-now-prop-8-decision-will-pave-way-national-marriage-victory