LGBTQ news and entertainment
Uber popular UK rugby star and gay rights champion Ben Cohen recently took these pics getting his taking his clothes off to promote Hilton Hotels Great Getaway Promotion.
Ben led a flashmob onto the Millenium Bridge in London where they proceeded to disrobe down to their underwear. Of course the real question is, why didn’t Ben do this when he was in the US?
(I know, I know… any reason is a good reason to post a picture of Ben…)
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday that he expected same-sex marriage legislation to be approved before the end of the legislative session next week, and indicated that to win passage of the measure he is prepared to yield to Republican concerns for greater protections of religious groups.
“I am a proponent of marriage equality,” Mr. Cuomo told reporters on Friday. “I am also a proponent of religious freedom, and separation of church and state, so these are both very important principles. I don’t see one in competition with the other.”
With signs pointing to a vote on the marriage issue in the State Senate next week, there are widespread expectations that it will pass. 31 of the Senate’s 62 members have expressed support for the measure, including two Republicans.
Other Republican lawmakers appear to be seriously considering lending their support if Mr. Cuomo agrees to amend the proposal to give greater protection to religious organizations.
The State Assembly passed the same-sex marriage bill on Wednesday.
The legislation proposed by the governor includes exemptions for religious organizations and affiliated charities or nonprofit groups to protect them from litigation if they refuse to host or provide services for same-sex weddings.
But Senate Republicans want further provisions to protect such organizations from any repercussions from state agencies, that might deny aid or benefits based on discrimination.
“Governor Cuomo has been most gracious in terms of listening to some of these concerns,” Mr. Skelos added. “I think he’s doing the right thing by doing that, and those concerns will continue to be addressed.”
Senator Stephen M. Saland, a Hudson Valley Republican who is seen as one of the most likely tie-breaking votes, is one of the lead negotiators for the Senate Republicans over the marriage issue. Both the governor and the Republicans described negotiations as cordial and productive.
Likening the prohibition on same-sex marriage to earlier bans on interracial marriage, Mr. Cuomo said he was encouraged after talks with Republican lawmakers and confident that a marriage measure and his broader agenda would both be approved next week. “This state has a proud tradition and a proud legacy as the progressive capital of the nation,” he said in a hallway outside his office. “We led the way, and it’s time for New York to lead the way once again.”
AARP legislative policy director David Certner recently said while AARP does not support cuts in Social Security benefits, they are open to a discussion about raising the retirement age and other changes.
“Everybody knows we need to look at a package of different changes to Social Security to make it strong for the long term,” he said. “The reality is, we have more people older and who are living longer, so we need to make changes. Everybody recognizes that. And we’re certainly willing to talk about a package of changes that will keep Social Security strong.”
He suggested raising the age at which retirees can receive full benefits — currently, 66 years old — would be on the table even though doing so represents “a massive benefit cut for people.”
Social Security will start paying out more in benefits than it absorbs in taxes this year which will lead the retirement program’s trust fund to become exhausted in 2036, according to the latest annual trustees report. After 2036, the program will only be able to pay 77 percent of promised benefits. By 2085, it will be able to pay 74 percent of promised benefits.
Social Security is a critically important issue for our members, their families and Americans of all ages, especially at a time when many will have less retirement security than previous generations with fewer pensions, less savings and rising health care costs.
While I am 20 years away from Social Security, I personally acknowledge that we as Americans are living longer, healthier lives and could probably go one more year before applying for Social Security benefits and not notice. Especially for those of us in our 40s or younger. I am personally willing to raise full retirement age one or two years if that will fix the Social Security insolvency issue. I do believe those in their 50s and 60s should not have their retirement age rules changed on them. I also think a small raise in the ceiling of where Social Security taxes cut off could be raise by a small amount and it wouldn’t make a huge difference in most of our pay checks.
What’s important is preserving the system that all of us have spent paying into all our lives. I’d rather wait one more year and get full benefits than have some politicians make us turn this all into stock market accounts that could crash at any given time due to many conditions beyond our control, such as the current instability in European markets.
Just my opinion.
Safeway has terminated the employee who called a gay couple “faggots” as they waited to make purchases at the grocery chain’s 1100 4th St. SW store on Saturday, June 11.
In a statement issued to Metro Weekly Thursday evening, June 16, Craig Muckle, manager of public affairs and public relations at Safeway’s Eastern Division said the incident, involving a cashier named Deangelah, Jason Morgan and his partner Brendan Harrington, was “personally offensive” to him.
“This goes against everything we believe and practice in terms of serving and welcoming our customers, and in being a part of the diverse communities we are privileged to serve,” his statement reads.
“We are at a loss to explain how one of our employees, even one who has been on the job for less than a month, could consider this kind of behavior to be acceptable. The employee has been terminated.”
“Little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal and natural and perhaps they should try it.”
— Sen Michele Bachmann, Interview with Jan Markell, Olive Tree Ministries.
“Literally, if we took away the minimum wage—if conceivably it was gone—we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.” —Michele Bachmann, 1/26/05, Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee, testifying against SF 3, a bill to raise the MN minimum wage and advocating the elimination of the minimum wage altogether..
“Many teenagers that come in should be paying the employer because of broken dishes or whatever occurs during that period of time. But you know what? After six months, that teenager is going to be a fabulous employee and is going to go on a trajectory where he’s going to be making so much money, we’ll be borrowing money from him.” —Michele Bachmann, 1/26/05, explaining why teenagers should pay employers for the privilege of working instead of receiving minimum wage.
“I was wondering, if most employers are already doing this anyway, isn’t minimum wage really just superfluous? Why do we even have one?” —Michele Bachmann, 1/26/05, Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee, testifying against SF 3, a bill to raise the MN minimum wage, and advocating the elimination of the minimum wage altogether.
More brilliance can be found here.
You can’t make this stuff up kids. And she’s running for President.
In what the U.S. State Department is calling a “historic step,” the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva passed a resolution Friday supporting equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation.
The resolution, introduced by South Africa, is the first-ever U.N. resolution on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons.
It passed with 23 votes in favor, 19 opposed and three abstentions, amid strong criticism of South Africa by some African nations.
Suzanne Nossel, deputy assistant secretary of state for international organizations, told CNN, “It really is a key part in setting a new norm that gay rights are human rights and that that has to be accepted globally.”
“It talks about the violence and discrimination that people of LGBT persuasion experience around the world,” she said, “and that those issues … need to be taken seriously. It calls for reporting on what’s going on, where people are being discriminated against, the violence that is taking place, and it really puts the issue squarely on the U.N.’s agenda going forward.”
As a cancer survivor myself, I was extremely aware of the health care debate that went on during my cancer journey, and continues on today.
Here’s a heart-breaking story that underlines why you can’t rely on “the kindness of strangers” at work to do the right thing when disaster strikes. My heart goes out to Carl and his wife Kathleen.
From AOL Jobs: Massachusetts accountant Carl Sorabella had every reason to believe that his employer would grant his request for a more flexible schedule so that he could assist his wife, who had just been diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer and given only months to live. After all, he’d been with Haynes Management in Wellesley, for 13 years, and had just been given a raise in November.
But instead of a more accommodating schedule, he got a pink slip in response to his request, even though he had made it clear that he was willing to work nights and weekends to make up for the time he intended to spend taking his wife in for treatments and tests.
“It shocks me,” said Kathleen, Sorabella’s wife of 23 years. “People are supposed to help each other. I guess corporate America is different.”
Sorabella was sure that he would be able to arrange a more flexible schedule — after all, he was head of the accounting department at Haynes, and had been with the company almost 14 years. But he says that his boss was afraid that if Sorabella wasn’t there during regular business hours it could cause problems.
“It’s business. I’m running a company here, and I need to make sure the department runs,” she told him. Sorabella said that he assured her that he would see that the company runs well, working at any hour of the day or night to make up for the time he spent caring for his wife, but to no avail.
No one from Haynes Management has been available for comment, but in an email to WCVB reporter Susan Wornick, Vice President Mary Butler wrote, “this is a private personnel matter and we are not going to comment publicly.”
Harsh treatment for a dedicated, longtime employee. Unfortunately, Sorabella has no legal recourse. Federal and state laws that protect workers from this kind of treatment only apply to larger companies with more than 50 employees.
For now, Sorabella is on unemployment, and his wife is on disability. But the two have always been fighters, and have faith that they can get through this together. Kathleen was homeless when they first met. Sorabella was a bus driver and found her sleeping in the back of his bus. The two have accomplished much since then.
After they got married, he earned an accounting degree, she set up a homeless shelter and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social science, the latter which she just completed three years ago. She’s still paying off her $60,000 student loan.
Both her cancer, and her treatment, are aggressive. Colon cancer had spread to her lungs when they found it, and doctors were able to remove the main tumor, along with part of her colon, including 10 inches of intestine. They’re hoping the chemo will take care of the more than 55 nodules in her lungs.
Sorabella’s COBRA payments for his health plan were too expensive, but the couple still has minimal coverage from his wife’s disability. She had been employed as a social worker in the prison system.
Sorabella is still looking for work as an accountant — he says that he’ll take part-time — anything he can find. But after they get through this and his wife recovers — and they’re confident she will — he’d like to go back to school and get a nursing degree.
Legendary comic Joan Rivers spoke to The Daily Beat regarding Tracy Morgan’s anti-gay rant earlier this week: “He’s not a Mensa comic. He’s not the voice of this generation.”
Rivers has been where Morgan is standing before, having famously made a career of being an equal opportunity offender.
“At the very start of my act, I say, ‘Calm down. We’re gonna get everybody. My act, when you really listen to it out of context is so offensive, I would sue myself after every show,” she said.
“I’m shocked that we aren’t upset that he said ‘I’ll stab that little nigger,’ that to me is offensive,” she said.
It’s still not offensive enough to get him fired, thus far. NBC Entertainment’s new Chairman, Bob Greenblatt, issued a statement that said, in part, “we do not condone hate or violence of any kind and I am pleased to see Tracy Morgan apologizing for recent homophobic remarks in his standup appearance.” It also said: “…we have made it clear to him that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.”
No, Morgan is not out of work. But he is on an apology tour, working with GLAAD and plans on going back to the scene of the crime to make amends. All of which Rivers says is pure hooey.
“He shouldn’t apologize. Gay fans? What are they doing seeing him anyhow? Why aren’t they watching me and Kathy Griffin? What are they doing at this show?”
“I’ll tell you, the biggest crime of all,” said Rivers, “is that Tracy Morgan isn’t funny. You know what he should be apologizing for? For charging $86 to see him.”
Cool video promoting Olivia’s appearance at NYC Gay Pride 2011.
For more info go to www.FVEvents.com