The ‘Gay of Thrones’ Recap of S6 E6 Is Here: ‘Beef Of My Butt’ – WATCH

Game of Thrones season 6 is chugging along and this week’s episode saw the return of some characters we haven’t heard from in a while.

RELATED: Meanwhile, In Westeros: ‘Game Of Thrones’ 06×06 [RECAP] – SPOILERS

Jonathan van Ness recaps all that went down in Westeros with vintage Mia Farrow, Sporty Spice, Miss Cleo, Tubby Lubby, Leah Remini, Baby K, Soaking Wet Lord Frey, someone’s uncle, Brother D, Uncle Bear Grylls, Christina Aguilera, and more, below.

For more Gay of Thrones recaps, click HERE.

The post The ‘Gay of Thrones’ Recap of S6 E6 Is Here: ‘Beef Of My Butt’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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New Absolut Commercial Stars Transgender Actress; Celebrates Diversity and Inclusion

A new commercial from Absolut stars transgender actress Carol Marra as part of the company’s #AbsolutNights campaign.  

It shows two friends, one of whom is transgender, reconnecting at a music festival.

“For 30+ years, Absolut has supported people’s rights to be their true selves with the help of our artistic collaborations and ongoing support of the LGBT community,” Absolut shared on Facebook. “Our mission statement to foster a more open and diverse world does exactly that. It invites you to be you, at your most authentic, true self. We cherish our heritage of inclusive practices and guard them dearly. We appreciate all the love and support from all those embracing our mission and we raise a glass to ‘you being you.’”

Pernod Ricard, which owns Absolut, received an 85 on HRC Foundation’s 2016 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The CEI is the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent LGBT employees. The company includes sexual orientation and gender identity in its non-discrimination policy and also offers transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits.

This is among one of the first few ads to feature a transgender-specific narrative.  HRC Foundation Youth Ambassador Jazz Jennings stared in a commercial for “Clean and Clear” as part of the See The Real Me campaign last year. Hallmark released an emotional ad last year, featuring the special connection and love of a transgender son and his mother. H&M also launched a groundbreaking transgender-inclusive campaign in August.

According to a groundbreaking HRC national survey, more than one in three Americans personally know someone who is transgender. And increased visibility goes hand-in-hand with acceptance and progress. HRC research has shown that the significant uptick in the number of Americans who say they personally know or work with someone who is transgender overwhelmingly translates into favorable feelings toward transgender people.

Want to know more about the policies and practices of the brands you support? Check out “Buying for Workplace Equality: A Guide to Companies, Products and Services that Support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Workplace Inclusion” or download HRC’s iPhone or Android app for reference on the go.

www.hrc.org/blog/new-absolut-commercial-stars-transgender-actress-celebrates-diversity-and-i?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Conservative Judaism’s Rabbinical Arm Passes Resolution Affirming the Rights of Transgender People

Following an onslaught of anti-transgender legislation across the country, the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism, the international association of Conservative rabbis, made a historic move to protect transgender and gender non-conforming congregants.

Last week, the assembly passed a historic resolution urging officials in all levels of government to review their policies and practices to ensure the full equality of transgender people under the law.

The resolution will impact how Conservative synagogues, camps, schools and affiliated organizations address the safety and explicit inclusion of transgender and gender non-conforming people. It encourages all organizations affiliated with the Conservative Movement “to educate themselves and their employees about the needs of transgender and gender non-conforming people” and provide safe spaces, as well “evaluate their physical site needs, workplace needs, and language that impact gender and gender expression.”

Rabbi Gil Steinlauf, senior rabbi of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C. and distinguished member of HRC’s Religion Council, expressed “pride” in the Conservative Movement for “its affirmation of the fundamental rights of transgender people within Judaism.”

“Since Talmudic times, our people have recognized that the human condition is not just binary. We have long known that God’s presence is manifest in a multiplicity of expressions of our genders and our lives,” Rabbi Steinlauf told HRC. “I hope this resolution will go far in promoting this deep truth of our religion in our society and in the world.”

The vote comes on the heels of a similar resolution passed by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) at its biennial last year in Orlando, Florida.

Ultimately, one principal affirmation prevails, as noted in the opening, that we are all created b’tzelem Elohim (in God’s Divine Image). In April, HRC Foundation released Coming Home to Judaism and to Self to help LGBTQ Jews who are seeking to reconnect with their faith and build more inclusive communities.

The trend toward greater inclusion has even a strong rabbinic tradition centered on kvod habriyot (human dignity). To learn more about the stance of Conservative Judaism on LGBT Issues, please visit HRC’s Positions of Faiths.

Read the full text of the resolution here.

www.hrc.org/blog/conservative-judaisms-rabbinical-arm-passes-resolution-affirming-the-rights?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

George Takei Says ‘You Can Pee Next to Me' (Video)

In a Facebook Live video today, the out actor sat down with two transgender Americans to discuss how they came to live authentically and the obstacles still facing the trans community today. 

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/5/31/george-takei-says-you-can-pee-next-me-video

39 Sweltering Pics from the Ultimate Vegas Gay Pool Party

www.advocate.com/photography/2016/5/31/39-sweltering-pics-ultimate-vegas-gay-pool-party

23 Photos of Stars and Strippers at the Eagle LA

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/5/31/23-photos-stars-and-strippers-eagle-la

A Wedding Magazine For ‘Upscale’ Gay Men Is Coming To Make You Feel Worse About Being Single

A new magazine catering exclusively to gay guys getting married is coming, pushing single gays all closer into the anxiety ridden ‘why am I not married’ phase that was previously exclusively relegated to single straight women.

Damn equality.

It’s called Groom and Guy (cute), and it’s unabashedly targeted at the “upscale gay wedding market.” Because, yes, that’s a thing.

The magazine is coming straight outta Sydney, and The Sydney Morning Herald has the scoop:

The first edition of Groom and Guy will be available in more than 1200 newsagents and stores on Thursday and features eight real wedding stories, and sections on fashion, honeymoons, tailoring and entertaining. Unashamedly aimed at high-end grooms, the magazine targets couples who are earning “$100,000 plus”.

OK, it’s more than a little barf-worthy, but still kinda adorable, especially if you’re in the market for this kinda thing.

Founder Matty Bulger told the Herald the magazine fills a niche for gay couples, who are generally both hands-on when it comes to wedding planning:

Mr Bulger believed gay wedding planning was a more egalitarian process than heterosexual weddings, where the bride tends to make most of the arrangements.

“With a gay couple generally it’s very heavily dictated by both of them and that’s a challenge in itself – how do they get what they both want and be happy with the day,” he said.

Groom and Guy will be published quarterly. You can pre-order the first issue here or find it when it hits newsstands across the world on June 2nd.

Related: Before He Married His Wife, This Groom Cuddled Hard With His Best Man

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LGBT Superheroes Brought to Life in Stunning New Trailer – WATCH

If you want to #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend or are an LGBT fan of comics hoping for more LGBT representation in comics, you’ll likely enjoy a new video that imagines what would happen if major movie studios portrayed openly LGBT superheroes.

Director Mike Buonaiuto created a video titled #LGBTSuperheroes which urges studios to “stick to the script” when it comes to the sexual identities of some famous superheroes.

Writes Buonaiuto on YouTube,

Iceman, Mystique, Catwoman & many others are LGBT in the comic books but appear as straight on screen.  It’s time all superheroes were accurately portrayed.

Buonaiuto says that the video was in part inspired by the #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend campaign.

I saw #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend @thewntersoIdier! So thought you’d like t.co/qFwcwRM1ai launching today😊 pic.twitter.com/5S8BCQqT3p

— Mike Buonaiuto (@videographer88) May 31, 2016

Buonaiuto told Mashable, 

“Growing up I used to love characters like Iceman, Mystique and Catwoman, but never realised they were originally written as LGBT in the comic books and therefore affectively stripped of their sexuality when they hit the big screen.”

“It’s such a shame because when I was ‘coming out’ as, having positive icons and role models of LGBT people in mass media would have be a huge confidence boost to myself and millions of others who look up to characters such as superheroes.”

According to Buonaiuto, video will be physically delivered to Marvel and DC studios wth accompanying web analytics.

Watch the video, below.

Also check out a behind the scenes making of video, below.

The post LGBT Superheroes Brought to Life in Stunning New Trailer – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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Study Suggests Anti-Trans Parents May Literally Be Killing Their Kids

Trans people who experienced family rejection were more likely to attempt suicide or struggle with substance abuse.

The post Study Suggests Anti-Trans Parents May Literally Be Killing Their Kids appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/05/31/3783369/transgender-family-rejection-suicide/

TurnOUT! NC Teams Up with NoH8 Campaign To Repeal HB2

This past Sunday, TurnOUT! North Carolina (NC) teamed up with the NoH8 campaign in Charlotte to talk with voters about the dangers of the discriminatory HB2 and the need for full repeal.

NoH8, which promotes marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest, joined TurnOUT! NC for a photoshoot to spread awareness and engage Charlotteans in the efforts to repeal HB2. Founder, Adam Bouska and Co-Founder, Jeff Parshley, spoke about the importance of bringing the NoH8 to the Tar Heel State.

Since the North Carolina legislature passed the dangerous HB2 in March, nearly a dozen HRC staff as part of the TurnOUT! NC project have been on the ground mobilizing pro-equality supporters and talking with voters about  the dangerous implications of this harmful legislation.

HB2 threatens LGBT North Carolinians and puts the state at risk of losing millions of dollars in education funding. Further, the law has had a severe economic impact on the state – resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs, cancellation of conventions, concerts and more. Sunday’s photoshoot was a way for Charlotteans to publicly and proudly say “NoH8 in My State, it’s time to Repeal HB2.”

TurnOUT! NC is working to mobilize thousands of pro-equality North Carolinians to speak out for full repeal of HB2. TurnOUT! NC has field organizers based in Asheville, Charlotte and the Triangle area. Additionally, HRC staff is on the ground working with coalition partners across the Tar Heel State. There are daily opportunities to volunteer with weekly phonebanks and weekend canvassing opportunities.

If you live in North Carolina and want to join the efforts to repeal HB2, RSVP for upcoming phone banks and volunteer opportunities. For more information about our work in North Carolina, contact HRC Associate Regional Field Director Ryan Rowe at [email protected].

HRC Field Organizer, Hope Jackson and NoH8 Participants Dayle and Elizabeth

NoH8 Participants, Dayle and Elizabeth want full repeal of HB 2!

HRC Regional Field Organizer, Hope Jackson and her partner, Adrienne, photobombed by NoH8 Co-Founder, Jeff Parshley. 

www.hrc.org/blog/turnout-nc-teams-up-with-noh8-campaign-to-repeal-hb2?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed