Today transgender Log Cabin Republicans members and LCR President Gregory T. Angelo personally presented the United States Department of Education (DOE) with a white paper and briefed DOE officials on the importance of guaranteeing equal access for transgender pupils in public schools.
The white paper, Transgender Student Safety & Equality for All Students, was produced in conjunction with Liberty Education Forum, the non-partisan sister think tank of Log Cabin Republicans, and is available online at this link. It is the product of more than two months of work by Log Cabin Republicans Transgender Leadership Caucus members Jordan Evans, Regina W. Roberts, Jennifer C. Williams, and Susan Maddison to achieve consensus on meaningful replacement guidance on transgender public accommodation access in the wake of the Trump Administration’s February decision to rescind the onerous Obama-era policy on the matter.
“As someone who understands the urgency to make a push for equality from all sides of the aisle, I want to assure my friends and family in the LGBTQ community that the results of today’s meeting have left me confident that what we’re doing is worth the effort and will bring results,” Evans stated.
“It is a honor to represent Log Cabin Republicans and our transgender community to the Department of Education,” Roberts declared. “We are very pleased with the conversations and are looking forward to helping to produce Title IX guidance that will protect the privacy and needs of all students, both transgender and non-transgender alike.”
“Today’s meeting with the Department of Education was very heartening and quite productive,” Williams added. “Their staff were fully engaged and they asked many great questions about the important issues involved and about our lives as transgender Americans. As a Log Cabin Republican, whose Party was founded in a Little White Schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin, our meeting with the Department of Education gives me great hope that we will find solutions.”
“The promise of the Trump phenomenon was that LGBT people could get our full rights protected under a Republican President, without our having to serve as cannon fodder for the Democrat Party,” Maddison stated. “That hasn’t happened yet, but today’s meeting is a first step toward realizing that promise. If the meeting leads to solid actions, our community may finally get liberated from the stifling ideological cages, and America will come out much the stronger for it.”
Log Cabin Republicans President Gregory T. Angelo concluded, "I couldn’t be more proud of our Transgender Leadership Caucus — or of the Department of Education for taking this important meeting. The white paper we presented this morning marks the culmination of weeks of work on behalf of transgender students, but it does not mark the end of our efforts. Log Cabin Republicans remains committed to the safety of transgender students and the equality of all students, and we look forward to continued conversations with the Trump Administration to achieve that end"
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Let it B: Tel Aviv Pride Parade to be World's First Bisexuality Themed Parade
Starting June 3, hundreds of thousands of people from Israel and around the world are expected to descend on Tel Aviv for a nonstop week of parties, events, and shows that feature and celebrate the city’s vibrant LGBTQ community, culminating in a massive parade through the city streets on June 9, expected to draw some 200,000 participants. Tel Aviv’s pride parade is the largest pride event in Asia and the Middle East, and one of the largest parades in the world.
Every year, members of Tel Aviv’s LGBTQ community choose a theme for the week of events in June. Past themes include last year’s “Women for a Change” and “Transgender Visibility”.
This year, the city’s LGBTQ community has chosen a theme that reaffirms its support for the diverse and inclusive atmosphere that has led to Tel Aviv being dubbed “the world’s gayest city” by The Boston Globe and “the gay capital of the Middle East” by Out Magazine.
The Tel Aviv Pride Parade is the only pride parade in the world that is fully sponsored by the Municipality. Over the last few years, Tel Aviv has significantly deepened its investments to promote gay tourism to the city, and an estimated 35,000 tourists are expected to arrive this year in Tel Aviv to take part in the pride events.
This year, the Municipality is collaborating with NYX Tel Aviv, the official Pride hotel. NYX Tel Aviv will offer special deals and host events organized by the well-known gay party line PAG. The Hotel will be lit up in rainbow colors throughout Pride Week.
Efrat Tolkowsky, Tel-Aviv Yafo City Council Member, In charge of LGBTQ Affairs: “Both in Israel and around the world, many bisexual people feel that they are an invisible group within the LGBTQ community. Here in Tel Aviv, we are committed to celebrating each and every LGBTQ person and ally equally, so that we can all be out and proud together”.
Yaniv Weizman, Tel-Aviv Yafo City Council Member, In charge of LGBTQ Affairs: “Every year tens of thousands of the LGBTQ community from around the world visit Tel Aviv-Yafo. We are proud to have them join us during pride week celebrating the diversity and spirit of tolerance that makes Tel Aviv the best gay city in the world”.
People Video Exclusive – Billy Porter Calls for LGBT Acceptance in Rousing Speech: Until We ‘Love Each Other Unconditionally, No One Wins’
At the 28th GLAAD Media Awards in New York, the Kinky Boots star received the Vito Russo Award, an honor bestowed upon an out member of the media who has worked to promote acceptance. Presenting him with the honor was his longtime friend Rosie O’Donnell, who accepted the award herself in 2003.
People has exclusive video footage of Porter’s acceptance speech, during which he shared a moving story, recalling the time in 1996 that he visited The Rosie O’Donnell Show while still in the closet.
“I was signed to a major label and had been schooled by the executives to keep my mouth shut, except for singing, so that my true nature might not be detected in the urban music business, which at the time was riddled with institutional, aggressive, poisonous and inhumane homophobia,” Porter, 47, reminisced.
“Just as I was about to go onstage for my interview with Rosie, my record executive handler flippantly tossed out this direction: ‘Don’t speak! I mean, don’t try to talk too much.’ He actually said those words to me: ‘Don’t speak.’ The on-camera interview was a disaster,” he added. “Rosie’s crack-of-dawn effervescence was met with rigid one-word answers, a tongue was tied, my spirit was broken. Rosie saw ambush in my eyes. On a commercial break, she leaned in: ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘Nothing,’ I said. But she pressed: ‘My office. After the show. No bulls—.'”
It was after their segment that O’Donnell delivered some motivating real talk.
“She wrapped me in her arms. She gave me some tough love. And she empowered me: ‘You are enough. F— them,'” Porter said. “She also gave me a Volkswagen Bug to drive when I moved to L.A., and I drove it for 16 years, just FYI!”
Porter — who last month released his new covers album Billy Porter Presents: The Soul of Richard Rogers — delivered a similar sentiment when he took the stage at the GLAAD event.
“You are all enough. We are all enough. F— them. Because now is the time to speak up because the attack from this administration on the arts and on the LGBTQ and other marginalized people is real, and it is meant, once again, to silence up,” he said. “However, since the beginning of time, artists are the folks who engage critical thinking and encourage those who think they are powerless to question the status quo; speak truth to power; change hearts and minds. The days of ‘shut up and sing’ are over. We must stay vigilantly visible. We must stay engaged. We must tell our stories. And GLAAD encourages us to do just that.”
Porter has vocally opposed President Donald Trump since the election. What’s more, he and his longtime partner Adam Smith — the 35-year-old co-owner of the high-end eyewear company Native Ken — rushed their wedding, marrying barely two weeks into their engagement in January, so they could say “I do” under the Obama administration.
“This administration has declared war on its own people. And as a black man, this ain’t nothin’ new, as a gay man, this ain’t nothin’ new — but where they slipped up this time is in that in that declaration of war, it’s not only against black and brown people and queer people anymore: It’s against all of us. And as a result, the good news is, white folk and straight folk and all those fierce women folk are mad now, and now something might get done!” Porter said, the 2,000-strong crowd erupting in cheers.
“So it’s time to get your war clothes on! Because from slavery to emancipation to the 13th Amendment to Jim Crow to the Civil Rights Movement; from Stonewall to AIDS to marriage equality — we gotta remember the shoulders who we stand on,” he said. “The ones who fought and died for those freedoms that we hold so dear. Let’s use these historical strides we’ve made as a nation to empower us as warriors on this battlefield of equality.”
As the audience gave a standing ovation, Porter concluded his emotional speech: “It’s time to protect our inalienable rights and get your war clothes. Until we can figure out how to love each other unconditionally, no one wins. No one. Freedom, equality, justice have always come at a cost, and evidently they always will … Stay strong. Stay vigilant. Stay visible. Stay hopeful. Stay focused. Be brave. Be fierce. Resist. Resist. Resist. Resist. Resist.”
At the event, GLAAD raised more than $2.2 million to raise money for the organization’s various initiatives that aim for LGBTQ acceptance.
2017 ACLU of Colorado Annual Meeting
The evening will include a wrap-up of the 2017 legislative session and a review of their legal advocacy over the last year, as well as a discussion on the ACLU of Colorado’s role as a protector of civil rights and civil liberties over the next four years and beyond.
Miley Cyrus - Malibu
Today, Miley Cyrus releases her new single and music video for "Malibu," which is is the first single off of Cyrus' forthcoming album due for release later this year. The video is directed by Miley Cyrus and Diane Martel. "Malibu" is available now at all digital retail providers.
OUT on DVD: 3 Generations
Ray (Elle Fanning) is a teenager who has struggled with the body assigned to him at birth and is determined to start transitioning. His single mother, Maggie (Naomi Watts), must track down Ray’s biological father (Tate Donovan) to get his legal consent to allow Ray’s transition. Dolly (Susan Sarandon), Ray’s lesbian grandmother is having a hard time accepting that she now has a grandson. They must each confront their own identities and learn to embrace change and their strength as a family in order to ultimately find acceptance and understanding.
Monday, May 8, 2017
UNWTO/IGLTA Second Global Report on LGBT Tourism Released at the IGLTA's Annual Global Convention
Conference delegates received a copy of the report and were greeted with a video message of support from UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai. “LGBT tourism is a powerful vehicle for economic development. It also provides recognition to LGBT communities and gives destinations a reputation of acceptance, inclusion and diversity that they deserve,” Rifai said. “Engaging with LGBT tourism is an important opportunity to raise awareness, and to raise our voice and stand against any form of discrimination in our sector, in our society and in our world.”
The Second UNWTO Global Report on LGBT Tourism discusses the relationship between rights for LGBT people around the world and the increasing visibility of LGBT consumers. It also looks at the trends that will be crucial to the development of the LGBT travel market in the future, such as the attitudes of millennials, increased global support for marriage equality and the willingness of new destinations to welcome LGBT visitors. It features case studies from UNWTO Affiliate Members, IGLTA members and other specialists in the field of tourism marketing and development.
Since the publication of the first edition of this report in 2012, significant progress has been made in countries around the world toward securing equal rights for LGBT people, and where the rights of local LGBT people are respected, LGBT travellers will feel safe and welcome. The Second Global Report on LGBT Tourism explores future opportunities for growth among emerging outbound markets and offers practical guidance for both established LGBT businesses that want to remain competitive and those just entering the market.
“Today, authenticity and consistency matter to consumers more than ever before, so LGBT marketing must be much deeper, more authentic and consistent,” said IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella. “We are proud to collaborate with the UNWTO to help the global marketplace better understand LGBT tourism, and with the support of our IGLTA Foundation, will continue to fund research that furthers this conversation worldwide.”
This report was made possible with funding from the IGLTA Foundation and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. To download a copy of the report, check out iglta.org/unwto-report/.
Arvada Center Artist Call for Entry
For more information and the application process, click the link: http://arvadacenter.org/galleries/special-events/call-for-entries.
David Guetta ft Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne - Light My Body Up
David Guetta is on fire with the release of the official music video to his scorching single with Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne "Light My Body Up."
With the lyric video alone already amassing over 12 million plays in a month, the official video is guaranteed to rack up some impressive figures of its own. Shot in Miami inside a cavernous warehouse-like building, the video centers around a dominant Nicki and her ability to bewitch men - including Guetta - with her mesmerizing moves. Switching from slow sensual scenes to short flashing images, the video perfectly mirrors the distinctive rhythm of the track's deep and dark blend of rap, trap and electronic beats.
Speaking about his co-stars' performances in the clip: "Lil Wayne stopped by to do his part. Nicki Minaj is honestly a beast: when the director says acting she just turns into this character. It's incredible. I actually said to the actor that I had no clue how to compete with her while shooting the music video! I love making music videos with her because she is killing it every time!"
"Will & Grace" returns to NBC this Fall
Original series creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan will serve as writers, showrunners and executive producers. Legendary director James Burrows, who helmed every episode of the show during its initial eight-year run, will direct and executive produce.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Nice to See StevieB: Camp
By StevieB
Now that the late Rocky Mountain snow has turned to rain. My thoughts turn to the summer and my favorite activity, gay camping. It’s gay, because it’s fabulous.
This time of year I begin to look forward to some weekend get-aways up in the mountains. Quick weekend camping trips, with a tent, a fire, and all my cool camping technology. Gay camping is, for me, about the propane cylinders and electric ignition on the camp stove, the lanterns with the fragile asbestos mantles, and all those bendy fiberglass poles for the tent. I believe I enjoy the folding camp chairs with the extra large cup holders just as much as the rugged, pine forest and rock cliff encrusted scenery.
You haven’t camped until you do it with a gay who truly enjoys his 15 piece, blue speckled enamelware cook set. It’s like All-Clad, for an open fire. This year I’ll be enjoying my new matching enamelware coffee percolator.
I can’t wait for the first chance to get out and truly rough it. Lying under the stars late at night, listening to the campfire slowly burn out. The feel of the sleeping bag and 700 thread count camping sheets loosely wrapped around my naked body. Completely back to nature.
OutRight comments on signing of Religious Freedom Executive Order
President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign an Executive Order titled, “Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom,” as early as today. If signed, the Executive Order would allow for discrimination against the LGBTIQ community, among others, providing a religious or moral objection. A first draft of the bill was leaked on February 1st and was tabled after public outcry and pushback. It is understood that Vice President Pence has since continued to lobby for the adoption of a revised version of the religious exemption bill. If signed, this Executive Order would override President Obama’s 2014 Executive Order which protects federal employees against LGBTIQ-based discrimination. The White House has not announced details of the order or when it will be signed.
Jessica Stern, Executive Director of OutRight Action International, commented on the pending bill, saying,
“Governments around the world try to excuse persecution of minorities - including LGBTIQ people - with religious beliefs. It is no more right in the United States than anywhere else. Discrimination is discrimination regardless of how it is justified.”Religious organizations, a term loosely defined, and individuals can claim religious freedom, “when providing social services, education, or healthcare; earning a living, seeking a job, or employing others; receiving government grants or contracts; or otherwise participating in the marketplace, the public square, or interfacing with Federal, State or local governments.”
The Executive Order would allow for discrimination of LGBTIQ people in a number of ways:
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Allowing individuals and establishments to refuse services to same-sex couples or their children.
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Giving leeway for federal employees to refuse to process marriage registrations of same-sex couples.
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Denying the recognition of an individual’s gender identity and
protecting the standing of any organization that believes biological sex
is immutable at birth.
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Allowing federally funded adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples.
“We know too well that these kinds of divisive policies risk becoming an excuse for persecution and maybe even violence against LGBTIQ people, especially when individuals feel emboldened to express their homophobic and transphobic beliefs. Religion should not be a state-sanctioned excuse for discrimination.”
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Colorado Is 2017’s 3rd Most Fun State in America – WalletHub Study
With summer just around the corner, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2017’s Most Fun States in America and Colorado ranks 3rd.
To determine the states offering the greatest variety and most cost-effective options for enjoyment, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states across 22 key metrics. The data set ranges from movie costs to accessibility of national parks to casinos per capita.
Fun in Colorado (1=Most Fun; 25=Avg.)
11th – Restaurants per Capita
16th – Movie Theaters per Capita
31st – Amusement Parks per Capita
17th – Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita
11th – Fitness Centers per Capita
18th – Access to National Parks
9th – Casinos per Capita
To determine the states offering the greatest variety and most cost-effective options for enjoyment, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states across 22 key metrics. The data set ranges from movie costs to accessibility of national parks to casinos per capita.
Fun in Colorado (1=Most Fun; 25=Avg.)
11th – Restaurants per Capita
16th – Movie Theaters per Capita
31st – Amusement Parks per Capita
17th – Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita
11th – Fitness Centers per Capita
18th – Access to National Parks
9th – Casinos per Capita
Source: WalletHub
Historic Equality Act Seeks Explicit Non-Discrimination Protections to LGBTQ People
Today, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund is joining members of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus in re-introducing the Equality Act. Sponsored by United States Representative David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island) and United States Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), the bill seeks to explicitly ban discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in federal law. The historic legislation would also include protections against sex discrimination in laws regarding public accommodations and federal funding.
“Everyone, regardless of who they are or the person they love, deserves equal protection under the law. Despite the significant progress we’ve made toward equality in the last decade, the Trump Administration’s attacks on LGBTQ people shows just how swiftly many of these hard-fought changes can be rolled back. That is why we need strong federal non-discrimination legislation for LGBTQ people in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, publicly funded programs, access to credit, and jury service,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
For over forty years, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund has been advocating for non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. In 1975, the organization was instrumental in the introduction of the first comprehensive non-discrimination bill in Congress by the legendary Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D-NY); continued to push hard for more protections in the states, through the courts, and through important agency rulings; advocated for executive actions to provide more protections for both federal employees and the employees of federal contractors, and will continue to push for local, state and federal non-discrimination legislation.
“Everyone, regardless of who they are or the person they love, deserves equal protection under the law. Despite the significant progress we’ve made toward equality in the last decade, the Trump Administration’s attacks on LGBTQ people shows just how swiftly many of these hard-fought changes can be rolled back. That is why we need strong federal non-discrimination legislation for LGBTQ people in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, publicly funded programs, access to credit, and jury service,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
For over forty years, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund has been advocating for non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. In 1975, the organization was instrumental in the introduction of the first comprehensive non-discrimination bill in Congress by the legendary Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D-NY); continued to push hard for more protections in the states, through the courts, and through important agency rulings; advocated for executive actions to provide more protections for both federal employees and the employees of federal contractors, and will continue to push for local, state and federal non-discrimination legislation.
Print all In new window DelBene: LGBT Americans Deserve Equal Protections Under Our Laws
“In too many states, people who are LGBT can still be fired, denied credit and evicted from their home simply based on who they are and who they love,” DelBene said. “What’s worse, our nation is seeing a proliferation of state laws stripping protections from transgender Americans and legalizing discrimination under the guise of ‘religious freedom.’ The Equality Act is an important step toward full equality under our laws for LGBT Americans, and Congress should pass it without delay. We can’t stop fighting until all Americans have equal rights and protections in all 50 states.”
The Equality Act, introduced by Rep. David Cicilline (RI-01) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), would provide explicit, consistent civil rights protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in credit, education, employment, federal funding, housing, jury service and public accommodations.
Several states have enacted laws to permit discrimination against LGBT individuals, particularly transgender Americans, underscoring the need for a comprehensive prohibition on discrimination.
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