Monday, June 11, 2018
Starley - Love Is Love
Australian artist, Starley has released her new beautiful, and deeply personal single ‘Love is Love’ via Central Station Records.
Starley’s captivating music is written with a combination of integrity and deeply personal lyrics that clearly resonates with her fans, adding to her chart success so far. “The cover for ‘Love is Love’ is not to be about me. Although, this song is my personal story, it’s a song for everyone, so I felt like a heart was the perfect way to go. The plot twist is that the colours I chose are the very colours of the bisexual flag. I feel like there should be a flag that represents love in all forms - interracial, interfaith, gay, straight, bisexual, trans, and so on. Until that exists, I’ve chosen to use the colours of the bisexual flag because they relate to my personal journey.” comments Starley on the inspiration behind her single artwork.
ETC, IGLTA and VISITFLANDERS explore the potential of LGBTQ travel in Europe
By recognizing the economic and social significance of LGBTQ tourism, tourism businesses and destinations can become a catalyst of change in advancing and tackling social and civil issues of the LGBTQ community and improving the lives of LGBTQ residents and travellers in Europe. The forum will create a space to share knowledge and best practices and to increase social responsibility in the sector; it will provide destinations and businesses with insights and tools to understand and cater for LGBTQ travellers, to build inclusive offers that respond to the true diversity of the segment, and to become ambassadors for human rights and promoters of inclusive policy development.
The discussion will be supported by the new ETC and IGLTA Foundation joint research project on LGBTQ tourism in Europe, which focuses on the current state, prospects and opportunities of LGBTQ tourism in Europe, in view of worldwide trends and expected evolution. Findings from the report will be presented during the conference by its author, Peter Jordan. The report results will provide a framework and support for the forum conversation.
The Forum will take place at the Hilton Brussels Grand Place and will be hosted by Robert Davershot. The event will gather tourism businesses, destination tourism boards on national, regional and local levels, leading global organisations, human rights NGOs and EU policy makers. Speakers include Piet De Bruyn, the Council of Europe; Peter De Wilde, President ETC and CEO VISITFLANDERS; Thomas Bachinger, Vienna Tourism Board; Mattej Valencic, Pink Week Slovenia; and Mateo Asensio, Turisme de Barcelona, among others.
Friday, June 8, 2018
Denver A&V Cultural Advisory Board Seeking Candidates
.
No Squares Allowed! Equinox Theatre Company Presents Cry-Baby: The Musical
It's 1954. Everyone likes Ike, nobody likes communism and Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker is the coolest boy in Baltimore. He's a bad boy with a good cause – truth, justice and the pursuit of rock and roll. Cry-Baby and the square rich girl, Allison, are star-crossed lovers at the center of this world. Fueled by hormones and the new rhythms of rock and roll, she turns her back on her squeaky-clean boyfriend, Baldwin, to become a "drape" (a Baltimore juvenile delinquent) and Cry-Baby's moll. At the other end of the topsy-turvy moral meritocracy of 1954 America, Baldwin is the king of the squares and leads his close-harmony pals against the juvenile delinquents, who are ultimately arrested for arson, sending the drapes all off to prison. It's Romeo and Juliet meets High School Hellcats.
“I couldn’t be more excited to premiere Cry-Baby: The Musical at The Bug Theatre with Equinox Theatre Company,” offers Director Deb Flomberg-Rollins. “Our audiences have come to know and love the style of theatre we do, and this is the perfect addition to our 10th anniversary season. If you love John Waters or if you loved the movie, you’ll flip for this show!”
Performances will be July 27 through August 18 with shows Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM. There will also be a pay-what-you-can industry night on Thursday, August 9. Tickets are $20 in advance/$25 at the door/$17 for groups of 6 or more in advance only. All performances will be at The Bug Theatre at 3654 Navajo Street in Denver. Tickets and more information available online at www.EquinoxTheatreDenver.com
DNC: Trump Administration Scheme Would Make Life Harder For LGBTQ Individuals
Last night, the Trump-Pence administration urged a federal court to dismantle two of the most critical provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Since it was enacted in 2010, the ACA has had a tremendously positive impact on Americans across the country and has saved countless lives, especially in the LGBTQ community.
LGBTQ people are more likely to rate their health as poor, have more chronic conditions, and have higher prevalence and earlier onset of disabilities.
Lesbian and bisexual women are more likely to be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, while gay and bisexual men report more cancer diagnoses as well as higher rates of cardiovascular disease and urinary incontinence.
According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, LGBTQ people benefited significantly from the ACA:
• LGBTQ uninsured rate dropped 9 percent from 2013 to 2016, meaning an estimated 369,000 fewer LGBTQ people were uninsured.
• LGBTQ Medicaid participation increased 8 percent from 2013 to 2016, representing an estimated 511,000 more LGBTQ people gaining coverage under Medicaid.
LGBTQ people are more likely to rate their health as poor, have more chronic conditions, and have higher prevalence and earlier onset of disabilities.
Lesbian and bisexual women are more likely to be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, while gay and bisexual men report more cancer diagnoses as well as higher rates of cardiovascular disease and urinary incontinence.
According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, LGBTQ people benefited significantly from the ACA:
• LGBTQ uninsured rate dropped 9 percent from 2013 to 2016, meaning an estimated 369,000 fewer LGBTQ people were uninsured.
• LGBTQ Medicaid participation increased 8 percent from 2013 to 2016, representing an estimated 511,000 more LGBTQ people gaining coverage under Medicaid.
Civil Rights Leaders Discuss Implications of Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
A recording of the press briefing can be found here.
On June 4, the Court ruled narrowly in favor of the cakeshop owner, but maintained the longstanding principle that business owners cannot deny equal access to goods and services. Each leader made clear that the Supreme Court’s ruling did not issue a license for businesses to discriminate, but that this case has broad implications for the protection of civil rights for all.
“The Court did not rule that the Constitution grants the right to discriminate; on the contrary, the decision maintains the longstanding principle that business owners cannot deny equal access to goods and services,” said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference Education Fund. “But make no mistake: Monday’s decision makes clear that our fight for equal rights and dignity for all must continue. Yesterday it was barbeque. Today, it’s cake. Tomorrow it will surely be something else. And we will be there fighting, standing on the right side of history.”
“Monday’s decision is deeply disappointing for our clients, but to be clear, it was also not the win the bakery and the Trump administration wanted,” said Ria Tabacco Mar, senior staff attorney, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “The Supreme Court reversed the Colorado court’s decisions based on specific facts but also reaffirmed that states can and should prevent the real harms of discrimination against LGBT people and enforce laws meant to prevent that discrimination. While the bakery may have won this battle, we will continue to fight for the promise etched in stone above the Supreme Court: equal justice under law, for everyone, everywhere.”
“It is because of the injustices and indignities that Asian Americans and our fellow communities of color and LGBTQ individuals suffer that we know how much is at stake,” said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. “It is incumbent upon us all to make America live up to the ideal that no one should be discriminated against, whether by region, ethnicity, national origin, race, or sexual orientation.”
“At its inception, the Constitution served to unify our nation, and anti-discrimination is one of the most critical unifying principles for our nation today," said Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). “One person's religion -- let alone the 'religion' of a business or entity -- cannot override the unifying and principled axiom that no persons should face exclusion or discrimination due to bias or animus against their identity.”
“The ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop solidified the enduring strength of the Supreme Court’s decision in the historic Piggie Park case, which LDF litigated in 1968,” said Samuel Spital, director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. “The Court preserved the power of our nation’s anti-discrimination laws by affirming that the First Amendment does not create a right for business owners to discriminate against their customers. And the vigorous enforcement of those anti-discrimination laws is as essential as ever. Equal treatment in public spaces is a fundamental component of equal citizenship, yet it is regularly denied to many Americans—and particularly Black Americans—simply because of who they are.”
Tel Aviv Pride Kicks off with Andy Cohen as Ambassador
"Celebrating Pride in Tel Aviv is a beautiful celebration of gay rights and visibility in a region where many of the neighbors cannot live as their true selves or be who they were born to be, which makes it all the more special for this massive coming together in support of equality to be taking place in Tel Aviv," said Cohen.
This year’s parade marked 20 years to the City’s first pride parade and payed tribute to the pioneering activists who played a key-role in promoting LGBT rights and visibility in Israel.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Print all In new window Masterpiece Cakeshop Used by Arizona Court to Reject Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination
The Arizona Court of Appeals today relied on this week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission to reject anti-LGBTQ discrimination by a business that designs and sells wedding invitations in Brush & Nib Studio, LC v. City of Phoenix.
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Legal Director Shannon Minter issued the following statement in response:
“This week’s Supreme Court decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop
addressed a unique situation specific to the facts in that case. It did
not dilute anti-LGBTQ discrimination protections and in fact reaffirmed
their importance. With regard to race, sex, sexual orientation or any
other protected trait, a business can decide what products it sells—but
not to whom. Today’s Arizona appeals court decision correctly relied
upon Masterpiece Cakeshop to ensure that businesses understand
that they cannot turn people away from the products or services they
provide because of who they are or take actions equivalent to hanging a
‘no gays allowed’ sign in the window.”
Books: Love Activism
“What is Love Activism? The easiest definition is that it is a daily, radical, and holistic activism of kindness,” Russo says. “It is alive by caring deeply for our own needs, as much as it lives in what we do for others. Love Activism brings positive changes and rewards since it is a wide-ranging form of activism that we are able to infuse in everything we do every day.”
Love Activism provides inspiration and support for activists. Through stories, examples, and lists of practices, readers discover the different elements of this form of activism and how they can bring these practices into their lives.
The book also includes interviews with ten activists throughout the United States who are involved in various types of activism in their communities. These individuals include the founder of a community garden organization; an art therapist; the founder of a food justice organization; and an individual involved with educating his community on printmaking as a form of activism.
One Colorado: 10 Days Until the Pink Party!
Your purchase will fund One Colorado’s work to elect a pro-equality majority this November. Don’t miss out on an open bar, music, a photo booth, and plenty of entertainment, as well as an opportunity to support pro-equality candidates here in Colorado. And make sure you RSVP on Facebook to get all the updates!
RespectAbility: More Than One-Third of LGBTQ Adults Identify as Having a Disability
Throughout LGBTQ Pride Month (June), the LGBTQ community will be reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future. According to RespectAbility, among lesbian, gay and bisexual adults 30 percent of men and 36 percent of women also identify as having a disability. The disability community intersects with every other minority group, and the LGBTQ community is no exception.
Some celebrities and business leaders are using their voice to share their stories, educating people about both visible and invisible disabilities. They are defying the statistics and have remained highly successful with their disabilities.
Our nation’s economy is strongest when it is inclusive of the value that diverse talent brings to the workplace. These celebrities are making a difference in how audiences, both LGBTQ and straight, perceive disability and in setting high expectations for youth with disabilities. People with disabilities of all backgrounds can be amongst the highest achievers on earth. Having LGBTQ people with disabilities as positive role models for success is important for children and young adults who identify as members of both of these communities.
These role models are especially important to acknowledge during LGBTQ Pride Month. However, their work should be valued and appreciated year-round. RespectAbility, a national nonprofit working to fight stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities, will be celebrating Pride Month by highlighting the intersection of disability and LGBTQ daily on its social media channels including personal reflections and profiles of influential LGBTQ people with disabilities, and will continue to recognize their important contributions on a regular basis.
Queer Eye Returns to Netflix on June 15 with Season 2
It’s been fifteen years since the Emmy Award-winning series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy revolutionized reality television. The series returned to Netflix in 2018 going global and introducing audiences around the world to a modern aesthetic, diverse perspectives and a brand new Fab Five: Antoni Porowski (Food & Wine), Bobby Berk (Interior Design), Karamo Brown (Culture), Jonathan Van Ness (Grooming) and Tan France (Fashion). This season, the Queer Eye Fab Five return to the Georgia heartland, forging connections with communities from a wide array of backgrounds and beliefs often contrary to their own, touching on everything from self-love and faith, to immigration and how to make the perfect homemade poke bowls and more!
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy creator David Collins (Scout Productions) serves as executive producer for Queer Eye, along with producing partners Michael Williams and Rob Eric. David Eilenberg, Adam Sher, Jennifer Lane and Jordana Hochman also serve as executive producers in association with ITV Entertainment.
Same-Sex Kiss in Political Ad is Historic First; Airs During 'Fox & Friends' Thursday Morning
A new campaign ad for Maryland gubernatorial candidate Richard Madaleno – which focuses on his record of progressive accomplishments for the state – ends with him kissing his husband Mark Hodge on the front lawn of his home. To our knowledge, it is the first political ad in American history to feature a kiss between a candidate and a same-sex spouse. The groundbreaking ad ran on the Fox News show Fox & Friends in the Washington area this morning.
“At a time when the White House and other anti-LGBTQ politicians are attempting to erase our visibility and rollback our rights, Rich Madaleno is boldly stating he’s proud of his family and will fight for all Marylanders if elected,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund. “Not long ago, out LGBTQ people were unable to run for statewide offices such as governor, but voters now recognize there is an authenticity to LGBTQ leaders rarely found in today’s politicians. Rich is on-track to win the Democratic primary because of that authenticity, his deep roots in the state, and his 15 years of legislative experience. And it is great to see him share his love for Mark and the kids with voters too – especially in a political ad airing during the president’s favorite television show."
The 30-second ad emphasizes Madaleno’s work as a state senator – standing up to the Trump agenda, defending Planned Parenthood and passing a statewide assault weapons ban. It also highlights his unwavering support for addressing the challenges faced by underserved communities.
“At a time when political attacks by Trump and other Republicans are fueling so much hatred and division, we need to stand up for the people we love and to continue to confront harassment and discrimination against women, African Americans, immigrants, LGBT couples and so many more,” said Madaleno. “Having led the charge for marriage equality, achieving true equality and justice for all Marylanders will be my priority as Governor. June is LGBT Pride Month and I couldn’t think of a better time to release this ad. I am proud of my family, proud of my record of standing up for our progressive values and proud to be unflinching in standing up against hate. Love does truly trump hate.”
Troye Sivan Coming to Denver
Troye Sivan's new video, "Bloom" was directed by Bardia Zeinali, a frequent contributor to Vogue. "Bloom" is the title track from Troye's forthcoming album, which will be released by Capitol Records on August 31.
On September 21, Troye will kick off an extensive North American headline tour. Tickets go on sale on Friday, June 8 and the tour will come to Denver's Fillmore Auditorium on October 22.
#Bloom was the #1 worldwide trend on Twitter the night of the single's release. Combined worldwide streams of "Bloom" now surpass 30 million and views of the lyric video exceed 11 million. PAPER praised the song as "an unapologetically radical release." Pitchfork noted, "his latest single, 'Bloom,' is all about living in the delicious present...Vocally, Sivan's as open and earnest as he's ever sounded..."
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
VH1 and Logo Are Celebrating Pride Month Throughout June
In celebration of Pride Month, VH1 and Logo will be highlighting extraordinary people within the LGBTQ+ community with special campaigns telling their stories.
VH1 Pride CampaignVH1 is at the forefront of groundbreaking LGBTQ storytelling across its diverse array of programming including RuPaul’s Drag Race, Love & Hip Hop and Beauty Bar, and this year the network is taking part in Pride Month in a big way this year through a partnership with the “It Gets Better Project.” Kicking off today, VH1 will roll out videos featuring talent offering messages of support and solidarity to the LGBTQ community. Details on the campaign are below, and more information can be found at Pride.VH1.com.
VH1 is teaming up with the It Gets Better Project to record videos with VH1 talent offering messages of support to the LGBTQ community including Jonathan (Love & Hip Hop New York), Vee (Beauty Bar), Thalia (Beauty Bar), Jiggly (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Peppermint (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Yuhua (RuPaul’s Drag Race), AD (Love & Hip Hop Hollywood), and Moniece (Love & Hip Hop Hollywood).
Logo30 Pride Campaign
To celebrate Pride Month Logo has launched Logo30, a 30-day campaign profiling ordinary and extraordinary people moving the needle on elevating queer voices. Each day throughout the month, a different queer person who shows pride in unique and provocative ways will be highlighted, including activists, entertainers, and influencers who are moving the needle on elevating queer voices.
30 individuals are participating, including actors Wilson Cruz, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Ariana Debose, activists Billie Lee, Peppermint, Moises Serrano, Ashlee Marie Preston, and Jennicet Gutierrez, comedians Margaret Cho, Fortune Feimster, and Matteo Lane, influencers Patrick Starrr, Eugene Lee Yang, and Raymond Braun, and many more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)