By Dan Hanley
This past Thursday I received a text from a good friend of mine who works at our local Telemundo news station that they had just gotten word that my favorite author, Gabriel García Márquez, had passed away.
The sadness hit me immediately.
I pulled up the website for El Tiempo, a major Bogota (Colombia) newspaper and there it was: Gabo had indeed passed away.
Long before I came out, long before I became vegan, long before I decided I wanted to spend my life making the world a better place for all living beings, I was transported to different worlds thanks to Gabriel García Márquez and his incredible story telling and ability to create a narrative that makes one feel they are in another world.
Like really in another world.
Many times as I was growing up and becoming a man, I could escape to Gabo's worlds.
They saved me.
At least six NFL teams are considering drafting former University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, according to analysts. If drafted, Sam would become the first openly gay active player in the NFL.
"Any player that has a good heart and wants to be a good teammate, who loves football, we're good at helping them become part of a team," Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
The southeast Asian country of Brunei has adopted a statute that, effective Tuesday, will outlaw same-sex acts and punishes violators with death by stoning, a move that has met with widespread international condemnation. The penal code also calls for the death penalty in instances of adultery and rape. The human rights division of the United Nations has appealed to the Brunei government to delay implementing the new statute.
The Supreme Court of India ruled last Tuesday that transgender citizens can identify as a third gender on official documents.
The decision stems from a lawsuit filed by the National Legal Services Authority, which argued that transgender people are denied basic human rights by being unable to apply for official identification documents. The transgender community is now officially recognized as a minority group that is eligible for welfare benefits, health care access and employment opportunities.
One of the many reasons GayTravel.com thinks 'Love is GREAT in the UK' is because of the various nightlife flavors various Brit cities have to offer! For the best of Britain's crazy party streak and legendary reputation as the ultimate place to get a fix of up and coming music, drink, and culture look no further than London of course! gaytravel.com has vetted the various gay bars and clubs in the area and offers you this ultimate London nightlife list!
From the office of Mark Udall:
Have you signed on to support marriage equality in Colorado yet? Ten couples have led the fight here in Colorado. I've joined their fight, and I'm asking you to do the same.
Whether you're straight or gay, individuals want to marry who they love for the same reasons — to make lifetime commitments to love and care for each other and their families. Our laws should not discriminate against any couple that wishes to make those commitments, regardless of whom they love.
As we fight for justice, my opponent Congressman Cory Gardner has consistently opposed equality in Washington. After I led Congress in repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010, Congressman Gardner opposed overturning this backwards policy.
Congressman Gardner is on the wrong side of history. Please send him a message by standing up for marriage equality.
Every gay couple ought to be entitled to the same legal and economic protections as straight couples. I believe Coloradans — all Coloradans — have the right to marry the person they love.
Will you stand up for marriage equality? Click here to sign our petition to support full marriage equality in Colorado.
Thanks for your support,
Mark Udall
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GLAAD, the
nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy
organization, today responded to the Boy Scouts of America's (BSA)
decision to revoke the charter of a Seattle-area church due to its
continued support of an openly gay Scoutmaster.
On March 31,
the BSA notified Chief Seattle Council Troop 98 Scoutmaster Geoffrey
McGrath that his registration would be revoked because he is
gay. However, the Rainier Beach United Methodist Church, which charters
Troop 98, said it would stand by McGrath and allow him to continue his
duties as Scoutmaster. As a result of its continued support, the BSA
on Thursday stripped the church of its charter.
In
a letter dated April 17, Steven P. McGowan of the Boy Scouts of
America's General Council notified the Rainier Beach United Methodist
Church that its charter would be revoked:
"As
you are aware, the policy of the Boy Scouts of America does not allow
open or avowed homosexuals to serve as adult volunteer leaders [...]
Nevertheless, Rainier Beach United Methodist Church has stated that it
will not remove [McGrath] as a leader and will continue to allow him to
serve as an adult leader in violation of the charter agreement and the
policies of the Boy Scouts of America. As a result of this refusal to
comply with the policies, guidelines, rules, and regulations of the Boy
Scouts of America, Rainer Beach United Methodist Church is hereby
advised that it is no longer an authorized chartered organization and
may no longer use the Scouting program or any of its registered marks
or brands."
"That the
Boy Scouts of America would punish a church and the young people of
Troop 98 because the church's core values emphasize fairness and
equality for all of God's children is simply unconscionable," said
GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. "The fact that the Boy
Scouts of America chose Easter weekend to once again blatantly
discriminate against gay and lesbian people, as well as the churches
that support them, flies in the face of the values of Scouting and
sends a hurtful message to youth."
As federal appeals courts begin to hear marriage cases across the country, Freedom to Marry released a national television ad
featuring former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson. Simpson, a Republican,
represented Wyoming for 18 years and held senior leadership positions.
In the 30-second ad, the senator makes the conservative case for the
freedom to marry based on individual liberty and a live-and-let-live
philosophy. The ad begins airing on April 8 on national cable and
network Sunday political shows in Washington, D.C., and in Colorado,
Oklahoma, and Wyoming markets.
“Speaking as a conservative, a lifelong Republican, and a son of the
West, Senator Simpson talks of his values of freedom and limited
government and the joy of marriage,” said Evan Wolfson,
president of Freedom to Marry. “The ad shows the bipartisan momentum
for the freedom to marry. And recent rulings against marriage
discrimination by nine out of nine federal district judges show the
legal trajectory of our campaign: toward more freedom, more dignity, and
more families enjoying equality under the law."
A poll last month by the Washington Post/ABC News
showed 59% of those in the West support marriage for gay couples. The
same poll showed 40% of Republicans in favor, while a recent New York Times/CBS News poll found that a 56% majority of Republicans under the age of 45 support the freedom to marry.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver began hearing oral arguments in the
Utah case on Thursday. This marks the first marriage case to be heard by
an appellate court since the landmark Supreme Court ruling in United States vs. Windsor last year. Three other circuits will hear arguments in freedom to marry cases over the next several months.
Here TV recently premiered of the first three episodes of the new webseries Guy Dubai: International Gay Spy exclusively on the network’s YouTube Premium channel.
Each episode of Guy Dubai: International Gay Spy finds its eponymous star, played by TJ Hoban, working to solve outlandish mysteries while, at the same time, trying to keep himself alive.
The #MyLoveisEqual campaign released the music video for "Quite Like
This" today by gay DJ/Producer Ryan Skyy to leverage the joy and
popularity of Electronic Dance Music to raise awareness for Marriage
Equality and donate the proceeds to MarriageEquality.org
The music video is particularly special because it features footage from
heart-warming same-sex marriage proposals that have already gone viral
on YouTube and have been licensed to the #MyLoveisEqual campaign for
inclusion in the music video.
Collectively, the viral video marriage proposals have already received
20+ million views and have been featured on the Ellen show and hundreds
of publications from Cosmopolitan magazine to Billboard.com.
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Yesterday a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver heard oral arguments in Bishop v. Smith,
a federal case challenging Oklahoma’s ban on marriage for gay couples.
The same panel presided over a landmark Utah marriage case last week.
The cases, which have been expedited, are the first to be heard by a
federal appellate court since last year's historic Windsor decision.
Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement:
“Once again, it was clear in the light of a Denver courtroom that there
is no good reason for denying loving couples like Mary Bishop and
Sharon Baldwin the freedom to marry. The 10th Circuit now has two
freedom to marry cases before it, and other federal appellate courts
will be hearing more in the weeks to come. But every day marriage is
denied is a manifest hardship and unfairness for families and we hope
the appeals courts will swiftly affirm the unanimous wave of lower-court
rulings in favor of ending marriage discrimination. It's time for the
freedom to marry throughout America, and America is ready."
The Oklahoma marriage case is the oldest active marriage case in America, filed in 2004.
Sand Blast producer Brad Hurtado announced today he is moving Sand
Blast, the largest mid-Atlantic summer gay and lesbian beach party, to
Atlantic City, New Jersey Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20, 2014.
Sand Blast Atlantic City’s lineup includes Friday's LOST AT SEA
Kickoff Party at the Chelsea Host Hotel to welcome guests, Saturday's
7-hour SAND BLAST BEACH PARTY with popular DJ Joe Gauthreaux presiding
over the dance floor alongside the ocean at the Bungalow Beach Bar. The
weekend long event continues with a gay beach volleyball tournament and
live stage performance on Saturday
night at The Claridge Hotel's theater followed by DEEP BLUE, an
all-night dance party helmed by DJ Phil Romano from Barcelona, Spain.
Sunday's RIPTIDE POOL PARTY takes over the stunning pool at HARRAH’s
with music by DJ Eddie Martinez, followed Sunday evening by the closing party at Caesars spectacular DUSK Nightclub with music by NYC's DJ Escape.
In the coming days Sand Blast will be announcing two oceanfront Host
Hotels offering extremely attractive room packages for weekend guests
starting as low as $170/night for a 3-night stay. To be among the
first to know when Host Hotel rooms go on sale visit SandBlastWeekend.com and enter your email address to receive Sand Blast event announcement.
Sand Blast originated in 2002 when a small group of New York City’s
gay and lesbian weekend homeowners in Asbury Park, NJ, decided to create
a summer beach weekend so they could invite friends to the once
thriving destination, with the goal of increasing its popularity. Twelve
years later, Sand Blast has grown into the largest mid-Atlantic summer
gay and lesbian beach party. The event’s impact on Asbury Park created a
thriving historic downtown, a boardwalk lined with shops, beaches
packed with visitors and a vibrant and involved gay and lesbian
community of over 600 households & thousands of LGBT visitors.
"The popularity of our weekend of events has caused us to outgrow
Asbury Park which has been our beloved home since 2002. Atlantic City
with its many hotels, attractions, and party venues was a natural
choice, and this move allows us to continue our original mission to
introduce our LGBT friends from cities along the east coast to the
wonders of the Jersey Shore. Atlantic City's airport opens the weekend
event to an entirely new audience from New England to Florida." says
Hurtado.
Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian said “We in Atlantic City are
excited to host Sand Blast this year,” said Mayor Don Guardian. “This
is a great opportunity for the LGBT community to enjoy our beautiful
City, free beaches and amazing hotels.”
