Coming Out in the Workplace: HRC on Marketplace Weekend

Progress in workplace equality for LGBT employees was highlighted in the HRC Foundation’s annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) released this week.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/corporate-equality-index-coming-out-at-work?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

19 Awesome Responses to the Anti-LGBT #DefendtheDuggars Ongoing Tweet-Off

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/defendtheduggars.html

Polish Officials Ban Winnie the Pooh from Local Playground Over Character's 'Dubious Sexuality'

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/polish-officials-ban-winnie-the-pooh-from-local-playground-over-characters-dubious-sexuality.html

Conchita Wurst Releases 'Heroes' Video
Your favorite bearded drag queen and international superstar is back with a new video, and it’s absolutely breathtaking.

Conchita Wurst, winner of the 2014 Eurovision song contest, released “Heroes” this week, the first single since her victory. The song is slow but powerful and showcases Wurst’s impressive range of vocals.

Earlier this month, Wurst traveled to the United Nations to join U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon where the pair delivered a message about tolerance. They advocated an end to homophobia and transphobia, with Wurst claiming that he dreams of “a future where we don’t have to talk about sexual orientation or the color of your skin.”

Check out the video for “Heroes” above.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/22/conchita-wurst-heroes_n_6200164.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Cheering for LGBT Families

November is a time to be together, for celebration and to be thankful. Unfortunately, for the many youth and young adults who have no family to celebrate with, it can be a time of sadness and loneliness.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/cheering-for-lgbt-families?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

An Ex-Gay Therapist Was No Match For This Amazing Harvard Law School Student

Stories don’t usually start with, “Harvard University outed me.” This one does. When Scott Blair took the LSATs and checked a box on his Harvard application that he was gay, the university gay law student group called his mother’s house. She asked the reason for the call, and they told her, “Well, he’s gay and applied and we’d really like him to come.”

She confronted Scott about the call in the car soon thereafter. “Did you save the contact information?” he appropriately asked her. “No, I was hoping you were lying to them to get into a better law school,” she replied. The time had come to be totally honest, and Scott told her that no, he wasn’t lying.

“I almost want to drive this car into a tree,” said Scott’s mother. “Can you let me out of the car first and then you can go ahead?” he answered like a true lawyer-to-be.

His parents ended up joining a “Parents and Friend of Ex-Gays” group in New Jersey, even though Scott was comfortable with who he is. “That is the opposite of the group you are supposed to be joining right now,” he tried reasoning with them.

But reason rarely matters in the unfortunate world of ex-gays. His parents asked Scott to meet with one of the group’s leaders, to “understand what the homosexual lifestyle is about.” To humor them, he agreed.

By the time Scott met with him, it was the summer of his second year of law school. Harvard Law School. Scott was already a clever young man, but armed with two years of legal argumentative training, the guy didn’t stand a chance.

First, the counselor started with the “there is no gay gene” schtick. “Every study that’s reported to find a gay gene has been authored by gays,” he continued.

Scotts response: “I have no idea what studies you’re talking about, but sexuality is very complex. Everything that humans do is very complex. All a gene does is control the expression of a protein. I would be extremely shocked if one gene could control anything like that.”

The counselor looked at Scott with confused bewilderment, never having received such an answer. His next move was to pry into Scott’s upbringing –specifically his parents’ divorce. He told Scott that many people who are angry at their mothers following a divorce are “turned off” to women.

“So if I was angry at my mother, that would make me gay, but you also asked me how I felt about my father. My guess is what you’re going to say is that if I was angry at my father, that would make me want to seek the company of other men.”

The ex-gay counselor said yes, that can be the case as well. 

“Isn’t that sort of contradictory? No matter which one of my parents I hate — which I don’t — that made me gay.”

Next the counselor moved the conversation to the subject of homosexuality leading to the fall of civilizations, referencing the Roman Empire.

Except Scott is a history buff with a special interest in the Romans. “The Roman Empire only fell after it became Christian,” he told the therapist.

“Well they weren’t really Christian in any sense of the word that we would use today.”

“Saint Augustine was one of the most famous Christian theologists ever, and according to what you’re telling me, he wasn’t actually a Christian.”

“Well, you know, they were very Catholic.”

“You realize my mother is Catholic, right?”

“Well, thank you for your time,” he eventually told Scott, leaving the room.

In an interview with I’m From Driftwood, Scott reflects on the experience:

“It’s actually hard not to feel a little sorry for him, because he was gay before he ‘changed,’ and he claims that he realized homosexuality was immoral in the 80’s when he saw a lot of his friends dying from AIDS, and it’s hard to mock somebody for that.

“I would tell any kid who has to go see an ex-gay therapist or somebody that’s telling them that it’s wrong to be gay that they are smarter than somebody who thinks that and they are better than somebody who thinks that. And frankly any argument that somebody uses to support changing who you are is very, very bad. And very dumb. 30 second of thought will show you why it’s wrong.”

If we ever need a lawyer, we’re calling Scott.

See the whole interview here:

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/TmlanSaFG68/an-ex-gay-therapist-was-no-match-for-this-amazing-harvard-law-school-student-20141122

Beyonce Takes Over a High Rise Hotel in '7/11' Music Video: WATCH

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/beyonce-takes-over-a-high-rise-hotel-in-711-music-video-watch.html