The Gay Vegans: Don't Give Up

By Dan Hanley

NOTE: This post is also about self-care. I know many don’t like to think about that so I am warning you up front!

Believe me, I get it. There is a lot going on. Family, work, a sick dog, resisting, and that awesome organic kale you bought has gone bad in the fridge.

Meanwhile, you want to do more to fight against animal cruelty or put a spotlight on domestic violence and human rights abuses. The news brings no relief and after an exhaustive day you realize you’re out of your favorite tea.

We have a couple of friends who are having intense life experiences right now. I think of them often as they struggle to make it through the day while caring for kids who are quite ill at the time. Other friends have just lost a family member and I recently heard from an activist friend who is just exhausted.

Don’t give up. Self-care is important, and loving and supporting those in our lives is equally important. I was swamped this week yet took time for a swim and just in those few minutes I felt better. Mike and I took the time for date night last night and that means the world to us. And the other day I called a couple of friends who are having a tough time.

Let’s keep rocking it for our causes. Let’s keep speaking out, protesting, marching and making calls to our electeds. Let’s keep loving on our friends and fellow activists. And let’s take care of ourselves. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a swim or a yoga session. Volunteer, go to a museum or make a donation. Be of service to another. Do something for you, or something that makes you feel good.

Then you can jump right back in. There is no lack of actions to take and things to do just as part of your daily life. Those things will always be there. If we are not going to give up we have to take care of ourselves.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Political Animals

 

Award-winning LGBT documentary POLITICAL ANIMALS will release on DVD and digitally on June 6th in the U.S. and Canada via Gravitas Ventures.

POLITICAL ANIMALS celebrates the legendary civil rights victories of the first four openly gay elected California state politicians - all women - who took the fight for equality from the streets and into the halls of government to create social justice and equality. Fierce and determined, these women had the courage to create lasting social change.

Governor Brian Sandoval signs law ending conversion therapy in Nevada for LGBTQ youth

Today, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed SB201 into law, putting an end to the fraudulent, harmful and unscientific practice of so-called “conversion therapy” in the state of Nevada for LGBTQ youth. Today’s bill signing was the result of targeted grassroots advocacy efforts by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Gender Justice Nevada, Kaempfer Crowell, and the Human Rights Campaign. NCLR has been standing up on behalf of survivors of conversion therapy for the past 20 years, and in 2014, launched its Born Perfect campaign—marking a commitment to a state-by-state advocacy campaign to end this practice in each state across the country.

National Center for Lesbian Rights Youth Policy Counsel and Born Perfect Campaign Director Carolyn Reyes issued the following statement in response:

“Today, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and elected officials have prioritized the safety, health, and well-being of LGBTQ Nevadans by putting an end to the discredited practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy.’ The American Psychological Association has linked conversion therapy to depression, substance abuse and even suicide—risks that are particularly acute for youth. Nevada knows that all of our children are born perfect.”

Nice To See StevieB: Flashback Fairy

By StevieB

In an attempt to find a photo for Flashback Thursday, I started to look for a picture of me at the 1993 March on Washington to mark the twentieth anniversary. I did not find any photographic proof to my participation in the March on Washington as of yet. I did; however, stumble upon this...

Okay.... ask me no questions... I do remember being very comfortable in those boots.

OutRight Honors LGBTIQ Human Rights Defenders at United Nations

On May 15, 2017, OutRight Action International honored Caleb Orozco, the man who successfully challenged Belize’s sodomy law and won, with the Felipa De Sousa Award at the organization’s annual gala, a Celebration of Courage.

OutRight’s award ceremony held in the United Nations exclusive Delegates Dining room, was attended by more than 300 activists, human rights defenders, diplomats and dignitaries. The evening’s host, performer and artist Mx. Justin Vivian Bond, shared the stage with presenter Congressman Mark Takano and honorees Caleb Orozco, Unibam Belize, OutSpoken award recipient Logo TV, accepted by Pam Post, Vice President of original programming and series development, and OutStanding Awardee Blanche Wiesen Cook, prize-winning biographer of Eleanor Roosevelt. Special guests included Tracey Norman, pioneering transgender model.

Caleb Orozco, Executive Director of LGBTIQ organization, Unibam, stole the show with his reflection on the struggles and successes of overturning Belize’s anti-sodomy law and changing the landscape of LGBTIQ rights in Belize and beyond. Kenita Placide, OutRight’s Caribbean Advisor, presented Orozco with the prestigious award and commented on the changing situation for LGBTIQ individuals in the Caribbean:

“Is change happening? There’s a conversation that is happening that was not happening previously. We can speak to our governments, we can speak to our missions, we can speak to our ambassadors. But most importantly, we can speak to the media without hiding our faces any more.”

Poised and proud, Caleb Orozco accepted the award amidst a standing ovation, saying:

“I connect with Felipe de Souza because she was whipped into submission, but my defiance allowed me not to. She was exiled from home, but my family support allowed me to fight. Changing the landscape of Belize was tough. I know all too well that I could not have won my legal battle to bring down the sodomy law in Belize if it wasn’t for international pressure complemented with national mobilisation.

Freedom doesn’t come without a fight, and it does not continue without vigilance. We all know too well how rights can be ripped away, how bigoted leaders can turn the clock on our gains. It is in this need to be vigilant and the responsibility I owe myself and my fellow LGBTIQ community that I will continue to push against the oppression that silences LGBTIQ voices.”

Speaking about the linkages between OutRight’s mission and Eleanor Roosevelt, Blanche Wiesen Cook, winner of OutRight’s OutStanding Award, said:
“Eleanor Roosevelt’s spirit is central to OutRight’s spirit. Her love for all people, her commitment to dignity, work, education, housing, health, for all people across the globe.”

HRC Recognizes International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia With Video Series

 

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the United States’ largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, recognizes the 13th annual International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) with the launch of a video series highlighting global innovators in the fight for LGBTQ equality. In addition, the organization is shining a spotlight on the need for continued U.S. engagement on protecting the human rights of LGBTQ individuals around the world, especially in the ongoing crisis occurring in Chechnya.

“While the global LGBTQ community is filled with innovative advocates advancing equality around the world, we are still combatting horrendous violence in the U.S. and beyond -- as we have seen most recently with the detention, torture and murder of gay men in Chechnya,” said HRC Global Director Ty Cobb. “It is disturbing that the White House is trying to build a wall around our country as LGBTQ people and others are trying to find refuge from extreme violence and persecution in places like Syria and Chechnya. Equally disturbing is the violence transgender women of color are experiencing in the United States. We call on world leaders to do more -- not less -- to protect the human rights of all people around the world. If we turn a blind eye when human rights are violated, we all the suffer consequences of living in a world of violence and instability.”

The HRC Foundation video series highlights the work of outstanding advocates who were honored as Global Innovators at HRC’s recent Global Innovative Advocacy Summit. Featured are Laura Frida Weinstein Nisenbon of Columbia, who is advocating to allow transgender people to change their names on identification documents; and Abhina Aher of India, who is using dance to build community and raise awareness of her country’s transgender community.

Despite the work of innovative LGBTQ advocates from around the world, discrimination and social stigma continue to have negative, often tragic, consequences for LGBTQ people. Last month, reports surfaced that Chechen police have detained, beaten and tortured at least 100 gay men. The Russian LGBT Network claimed that as many as 20 men may have been killed in the attacks in Chechnya, a republic within Russia. From working with the U.S. administration and Congress to activating membership, HRC has sent a clear message that we have our #EyesOnChechnya and that the human rights violations in Chechnya must stop.

The situation for LGBTQ people around the world varies widely. As some countries embrace equality, in others, LGBTQ people continue to suffer from discrimination, persecution and violence.

●Anti-LGBTQ discrimination continues to put lives at real risk. 72 countries currently criminalize same-sex relationships. More than 2,300 murders of transgender people were recorded between 2008 and 2016, according to data from the Trans Murder Monitoring project;

●In up to 10 countries, same-sex conduct may be punishable by death;

●Governments in Lithuania, Nigeria and Russia are silencing equality advocates and organizations with so-called “anti-propaganda” laws -- a disturbing trend that leads to human rights violations;

●Same-sex marriage licenses are being issued nationwide in 20 countries, and in some jurisdictions of Mexico and the United Kingdom.

IDAHOT celebrates the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) resolution to declassify same-sex attraction as a mental disorder. The move followed a similar decision by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973. The WHO’s monumental change created a shift in how many LGBTQ people were treated. In 2004, LGBTQ activists gathered for the first time to mark this date with rallies in support of equality. The anniversary is now marked by celebrations, governmental proclamations, and renewed efforts to end the discrimination and violence that LGBTQ people throughout the world still face.

LGBTIQ Youth Continue to be Disenfranchised

May 17th has become a day to raise awareness of violations against the rights of LGBTIQ people. It was on this day in 1990 that the the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses as part of the International Classification of Diseases. While much has progressed since that day, LGBTIQ people, and often LGBTIQ youth in particular, continue to face a disproportionate burden of discrimination and violence. Because of society’s heteronormative and cisgender expectations, LGBTIQ youth experience abuse at home, discrimination in educational settings, including verbal and physical bullying, and due to regressive laws, like the anti-propaganda law in Russia preventing anyone from speaking about LGBTIQ issues, often lack access to lifesaving information.

Family rejection and violence continues to be a fundamental issue for young LGBTIQ people across the world. OutRight reports have noted the high number of experiences of violence against LGBTIQ people at the hands of their own family members. All too often, an LGBTIQ person’s first experience of abuse happens at home. In community cultures the need to protect family reputation and “save face” causes many individuals never to report violence at the hands of family members. Sadly, even when they do they are met with a legal system that does not recognize family fueled domestic violence or with authorities who side with parents and claim it is an understandable parental response to their children being LGBTIQ. OutRight is currently working to change domestic violence laws across the world as well as to sensitize first responders on the issue of family and domestic violence against LGBTIQ youth and adults.

In the Philippines, our work on training local gender and development officers is making a difference. One officer told OutRight’s Asia Project Coordinator that she was helping a young trans girl who had been beaten by her father as he did not accept that she is transgender. The officer met the trans girl in the street with bruises and welts all over her body. The officer said that thanks to the training, she felt equipped to deal with the situation in a way that she wouldn’t have before. She said the stereotyping and bias that she had been socialized into had been replaced by understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity. The officer has since issued a district protection order against the father and the girl is now living with her grandparents who are accepting of her gender identity.

For so many LGBTIQ youth simply going to school is a challenge. Bullying, harassment, and verbal and physical assault, are all too common among LGBTIQ youth who because of such experiences face higher than average levels of anxiety, depression, and even suicide. This can lead to missing classes and school drop out, having long-term impact on the individual’s ability to access employment and even on national economic growth. Experiences in school are especially difficult for trans and gender non-conforming youth who face distinct hardships like the need to wear uniforms congruent to their birth sex and not being able to access bathrooms and facilities that match their gender identity. All of this has fundamental impacts on the health, safety, and wellbeing of LGBTIQ youth.

It is not just families and schools that harm LGBTIQ youth, but also punitive policies like anti-LGBT propaganda laws which target and restrict the sharing of vital information about LGBTIQ issues. These discriminatory laws not only create a climate of fear for LGBTIQ youth to express themselves and their identities, but prevent them from having access to health and sexuality information often necessary for their wellbeing.

Youth all around the world suffer violations of their human rights because of homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia. On this International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT), it is important to recognize that it is impossible to move towards a world of equality and dignity if we do not place specific attention to the needs of LGBTIQ youth. We must combat the systemic and social discrimination that marginalizes and disenfranchises LGBTIQ youth and bars them from living the lives they not only deserve, but have a right to.

In honor of this year’s IDAHOT, OutRight, as part of the United Nations LGBT Core Group in New York will be hosting an event titled, “Standing up for LGBT Youth.” The aim of the event is to raise awareness of bullying and exclusion of LGBT youth, amplify the voices of those affected, and celebrate the resilience, promise and diversity of young LGBT people around the world. On IDAHOT, and every day, OutRight is committed to take positive initiatives in all regions of the world to create safer, more supportive, environments for LGBTIQ young people.

Lambda Literary Publishing Professional Award Winner Announced

Lambda Literary, the global leader advancing LGBTQ literature, has announced the recipient of the 2017 Publishing Professional Award. This year Lambda recognizes Michele Karlsberg.

Lambda's Publishing Professional Award honors a distinguished individual in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community whose innovative work in the publishing industry promotes and promulgates LGBTQ literature

The Publishing Professional Award is selected by Lambda's Board of Trustees.

"I have been impressed by Michele's contributions to the LGBTQ publishing world for many years. It's not only her commitment to her authors and our community which puts her in mind for Lambda LIterary's Publishing Professional Award, but the way she inspires us with her passion and dedication to social justice for all," said Board of Trustees Vice President Amy Scholder.

Michele will be recognized as the winner of the Lambda Literary Publishing Professional Award at the 29th Annual Lambda Literary Awards ceremony on June 12th in New York City.

ACLU of Colorado: Urge the governor to sign HB 1313

A message from the ACLU of Colorado:

Have you heard of civil asset forfeiture? It's the controversial practice where police take cash, cars, and even homes from people without charging them with a crime — much less securing a conviction.

The Colorado Legislature came together this year to pass a bill reigning in civil asset forfeiture (HB 1313), but Governor Hickenlooper is being pressured by police and sheriffs to veto it.

Contact the governor today. Urge him to sign HB 1313 - Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform.

HB 1313 brings civil asset forfeiture into the light of day by increasing transparency into police forfeiture activities. Under HB 1313, officers will have to detail to the public when they use civil asset forfeiture and list what was taken and what ultimately happened to the property. Law enforcement will also have to report if the person from whom the property was taken was ever charged with or convicted of a crime.

The bill also closes a loophole in state law that police have exploited to bypass state-level due process protections by teaming up with federal agencies and seizing property under federal law.

Don't Miss the Pink Party!

One Colorado will be holding their annual Pink Party on Saturday, June 17th from 6-10 pm outside at Tracks/EXDO.

Don't miss $40 early bird tickets — get yours by Friday.

More Than T: First Look at Trans Documentary by M·A·C Cosmetics

Commissioned by M·A·C Cosmetics and its philanthropic arm, the M·A·C AIDS Fund, a new documentary project featuring seven transgender people from diverse walks of life will premiere June 23rd at 7pm ET/PT exclusively on Showtime. The film depicts the daily lives of members of the trans community - their passions, hopes for the future and life’s work - set among the issues faced by the community at large.

Told through the lens of director, Silas Howard (Transparent, Sunset Stories, By Hook or By Crook), an active voice and revered member of the transgender community, More Than T tells the illuminating, diverse and empowering stories of the seven trans people it highlights from within the community.  

In celebration of Pride Month, More Than T will be made available June 1st on SHOWTIME streaming, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, and SHOWTIME ANYTIME®.  With this film, M·A·C Cosmetics and Showtime will cast a light on those honoring their truest selves, moving beyond just policy and social construct to capture the real people and humanity that connects us.

Leading up to the official Showtime premiere of More Than T, Refinery29 will rollout a series of five vignettes featuring a wide representation of leaders in the transgender community including subjects from the documentary. Titled Trans 102, the videos are told through a witty and educational lens, with each segment focusing on a variety of issues facing the community including healthcare, education, media representation, and bathroom access.

The film is the latest in a long line of M·A·C initiatives aimed at raising awareness of LGBTQ issues. “M·A·C has always been an activist brand, deeply dedicated to ending stigma, championing inclusion, and supporting the LGBTQ community,” said Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President of M·A·C  Cosmetics and Global Executive Director of the M·A·C  AIDS Fund. “M·A·C’s commitment to the transgender community is a reflection of the brand’s values -- from the artists in our stores to the customers that we are so proud to serve every day.”

To bring the project to fruition, M·A·C  enlisted the guidance of two key leaders in the trans community, Jen Richards who served as a Creative Consultant throughout the project and Silas Howard who directed both More than T and the Trans 102 features. “I was thrilled with M·A·C’s decision to work with a transgender director on this project. It’s an important and critical step to tell stories from someone who is a part of that world, and it reinforces their dedication to championing these voices,” said Silas Howard.

Biden to headline DNC’s annual LGBT gala in New York

Former Vice President Joe Biden will headline the Democratic National Committee’s annual LGBT Gala in New York next month, the DNC says.

DNC Chair Tom Perez says the former vice president will receive the inaugural LGBT hero award for his advocacy on behalf of gays and lesbians at the June 21 dinner.

Travel: Chicago Pride

Turn up the heat at Chicago Pride with Neverland's Game Day, a sports-themed dance party. Grab your gym buddy and head to Metro to celebrate Pride on June 24th, starting at 11 PM.

Headlining this iconic themed dance party is internationally acclaimed DJ Paulo. Paulo's distinctive tribal and house mixes have gained him headlining gigs at all the major gay festivals and dance parties around the world. Joining him to open the evening will be DJ Alex Cabot, a rising star in the Chicago house music scene, who last spun for Neverland at its infamous Market Days "Harem" party.

Prepare yourself (and don't forget to warm up) for Neverland's extravagant installations and lighting that transform the club to a unique experience, bound to start some locker room stories!

Emma Stone Takes On Steve Carell In 'Battle of the Sexes'

Fox Searchlight has released the trailer and poster for Battle of the Sexes, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell.

The electrifying 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time. The match caught the zeitgeist and sparked a global conversation on gender equality, spurring on the feminist movement. Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposite sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With a supportive husband urging her to fight the Establishment for equal pay, the fiercely private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past. Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis courts and animated the discussions between men and women in bedrooms and boardrooms around the world.

Battle of the Sexes will be released in theaters on September 22, 2017.

Models Wanted for Visit Denver LGBT Task Force Photoshoot

The Visit Denver LGBT Task Force is working on updating their photo library with fresh LGBT+ photography and video for next year’s consumer marketing campaign materials and are in need of male and female LBGT models!

If you, or anyone in the community that you know, is interested in modeling for a photoshoot on May 24 or June 1 email Chad Chisholm at chad@creationize.com.