LGBTQ news and entertainment
Ex-gay porn performer Logan McCree (photo – cropped: fotorebelxt via CC license 2.0)
Philipp Tanzer today (screen capture via BBC)
Tanzer was profiled by the BBC last year in a report titled, “I am a Men’s Rights Activist.”
The Arkansas state legislature voted Tuesday to override Governor Asa Hutchinson’s veto on a bill that would ban gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender minors in the state. The Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act prohibits physicians from providing gender-affirming health care to anyone under 18-years-old including puberty blockers, hormones, and transition-related surgeries (which doctors don’t do anyway). Less than 24 hours after Hutchinson’s veto was announced, the state Senate voted 25-8 and the state House voted 71-24 in favor of overriding the governor’s action. In Arkansas, a simple majority is all that’s required to bypass a governor’s veto. This is the only override by the legislature this year. In doing so, Arkansas becomes the first state to prohibit physicians from providing gender-affirming treatment for trans people under age 18. “If (the bill) becomes law, then we are creating new standards of legislative interference with physicians and parents as they deal with some of the most complex and sensitive matters involving young people,” Hutchinson said at a news conference. I still believe Hutchinson’s veto was a CYA move so he could emerge unscathed from the hateful bill. In light of the legislature’s actions, LGBTQ advocates are promising a legal fight. “Attempting to block trans youth from the care they need simply because of who they are is not only wrong, it’s also illegal, and we will be filing a lawsuit to challenge this law in court,” said Holly Dickson of the ACLU of Arkansas. “We are hearing from concerned families all over the state who are afraid about the impact of this bill and others like it.” “We are committed to doing all we can to support these families and ensure they know how to continue to fight for their rights and get the care and resources they need,” added Dickson.
BREAKING: The Arkansas legislature overrode Governor Hutchinson’s veto on HB 1570, a bill that would ban health care for trans youth.
We are preparing litigation as we speak. — ACLU (@ACLU) April 6, 2021
The Arkansas General Assembly has officially voted to override Gov. Hutchinson’s veto. HB1570 passes. We will see you in court you cruel cruel people.
— Chase Strangio (@chasestrangio) April 6, 2021
BREAKING: The Arkansas Legislature has voted to override Governor Asa Hutchinson’s veto of #HB1570.
We can’t emphasize this enough: Trans youth are loved. Trans youth belong. No bill passage will ever change that. — Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) April 6, 2021
From PBS:
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday signed into law legislation allowing doctors to refuse to treat someone because of religious or moral objections, a move opponents have said will give providers broad powers to turn away LGBTQ patients and others.
The measure says health care workers and institutions have the right to not participate in non-emergency treatments that violate their conscience. The new law won’t take effect until late this summer.
Opponents of the law, including the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union, have said it will allow doctors to refuse to offer a host of services for LGBTQ patients. The state Chamber of Commerce also opposed the measure, saying it sends the wrong message about the state.
Among the concerns opponents have includes LGBTQ people being denied medical care like cutting off hormone treatments for transgender patients or grief counseling for a same-sex couple. And it’s not just LGBTQ people who could be affected. Healthcare professionals could refuse to fill birth control prescriptions, or physicians could choose to ignore ‘end of life’ directives. Meanwhile, a hate crime bill that would impose tougher penalties from crimes targeting certain people with certain characteristics like sexual orientation or gender identity has stalled in the Arkansas legislature due to objections by conservative lawmakers.
Monica Cole of the hate group One Million Moms (btw, not ‘one million’) is mad a new ad spot from Pantene has the nerve to feature a transgender girl and her two moms.
Pantene just released an online commercial that has resulted in backlash from Christians and non-Christians alike. Sawyer, a transgender girl, and Sawyer’s two moms are featured in the latest Pantene ad, which glamorizes the LGBTQ lifestyle.
“Just be yourself and don’t let anybody tell you who you are” is one of the extremely misleading taglines from the new Pantene ad.
A feel-good nod to those who falsely believe gender can be chosen, the tagline sadly goes against the biblical truth that God created us and decided who we were before forming us in our mothers’ wombs.
The commercial is narrated almost entirely by one mom as the other mom quietly sits beside her, with a few added lines from Sawyer. But do not be deceived. Notice some of the misleading wording used within the ad to normalize the LGBTQ lifestyle.
Procter & Gamble, Pantene’s parent company, also owns several other lines of products that conservatives should avoid purchasing and supporting.
This ad is not the first time P&G has pushed the LGBTQ agenda in their commercials.
In fact, 1Million Moms has launched campaigns and voiced our concern in the past regarding P&G’s transgender Gillette ad for Father’s Day, as well as their lesbian Head & Shoulders ad for prom.
We wanted to let you know that, once again, P&G has decided to cater to homosexuals and their sinful lifestyle choice.
“Sinful lifestyle choice…”
Of course, these are the same folks who bitch and moan about ‘cancel culture’ in social media even as they literally send out messages like this to ‘cancel’ Proctor & Gamble. The haters had a similar hateful response a couple of years ago when Gillette ran a spot about a trans man learning to shave.
(image via Depositphotos)It’s not news that the LGBTQ community’s relationship with the Catholic Church is complicated in so many ugly ways.
Still, the news that a group of Catholic bishops not only opposed but worked against legislation for a national suicide hotline that could help LGBTQ youth in crisis is stunning.
Last fall, Congress passed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act that requires the Federal Communications Commission to designate 988 as the universal telephone number for a national suicide prevention hotline.
The legislation was passed in the House and Senate with bipartisan support and signed into law on October 17, 2020. The three-digit phone number is required to go live by July 2022.
Upon its passage, the Trevor Project called the legislation “the first explicitly LGBTQ-inclusive bill ever to pass Congress unanimously.”
But according to the National Catholic Reporter, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) actively lobbied against the legislation.
Why would anyone argue that an easy-to-reach suicide hotline is a bad thing?
The bishops’ beef with the bill was that it included “special funding for LGBTQ support.”
Noting that LGBTQ youth are “more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers,” a provision of the legislation calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to work towards increasing “competency in serving high-risk populations” like queer and transgender kids.
Even just that small measure was a bridge too far for the Catholic bishops.
How can Catholic bishops oppose suicide prevention? What would Jesus say? https://t.co/jlUxzA1qnl
— zeta cross (@zetaz) March 24, 2021
The US Catholic church is in opposition to new toll free Suicide Prevention Hotline. Religions cause harm! pic.twitter.com/a4WmaHntP9
— Michael🏳️🌈🇺🇸🌈 (@Mikethewander1) March 26, 2021
The bishops have opposed LGBTQ legislation going back to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which was proposed in every Congress since 1994. ENDA, a pre-cursor of sorts to today’s Equality Act currently working its way through Congress, would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace.
The bishops’ argument on ENDA was that the bill didn’t distinguish between “sexual inclination” and “sexual conduct.”
U.S. bishops also found conflict with the Violence Against Women Act because the terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” were codified in the bill. In a 2013 statement about the legislation, the USCCB called that language “problematic.”
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the bishops not only stand against the passage of the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity categories to existing federal civil rights laws in just about every area of life.
They also oppose the conservative ‘compromise’ to the Equality Act known as the Fairness For All Act. Introduced by Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT), that bill would outlaw LGBTQ discrimination but would still allow religious entities to refuse hiring queer people based on ‘religious beliefs.’
But even that is a ‘no go’ for the bishops.
Its worth noting, however, that the Church’s leadership is out of step with its followers regarding LGBTQ rights.
A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2019 showed support for same-sex marriage among U.S. Catholics had grown to an overwhelming majority of 61 percent.
Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe (image via Instagram)Two separate lawsuits alleging anti-LGBTQ discrimination and harassment have been filed against Dessert Gallery Bakery in Houston, Texas.
According to the filings in federal court, Gilbert Johnson, a gay man, and Katherine Phillips, a lesbian woman, say they were terminated based on their sexual orientation.
But last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination against LGBTQ people.
Attorney and LGBTQ activist Fran Watson, representing both Johnson and Phillips, cited the Bostock decision in her lawsuits.
Johnson, who had worked at the bakery as a general manager, says he began to be treated differently by his supervisor after being on the receiving end of ‘sexualized commentary’ from his supervisor’s husband.
Among his responsibilities was hiring new employees. But according to OutSmart Magazine, Johnson alleges that when his supervisor discovered he had hired a transgender woman, he was no longer allowed to hire employees.
Johnson added that he was “bombarded” with questions regarding the trans employee accessing the restroom.
(image via Instagram/DessertGalleryBakery)Phillips, who was fired just a day after Johnson, says that she was harassed about her sexuality by co-workers about her sexuality and that eventually had a negative impact on upward mobility within the company.
At one point, Johnson promoted Phillips to shift leader, but just one month later she was demoted. A month after that, she was fired. The next day, Johnson was fired.
But wait – there’s more!
The court filing also says the trans woman was fired shortly after Johnson and Phillips.
“Even the best companies make mistakes, and the bias has to be minimized because you’re impacting and interacting with a diverse workforce,” Watson told OutSmart. “Seeing that three LGBTQ people were fired in a month—and two within a day of each other—shows that inherent bias was present. We want the law to remedy that mistake.”
Dessert Gallery has issued a statement about the dual lawsuits saying they have “always been committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace and our community.”
“We have a long history of celebrating Pride and partnering with, as well as supporting, Houston’s LGBTQIA+ community,” continued the statement. “We take seriously any allegations like those outlined in these complaints but stand firm that these allegations are simply not true.”
The bakery closed by saying, “We believe the proper place to disclose the facts of this case is in the courtroom and look forward to that opportunity.”
A Florida man has been arrested after cutting the power to the home of a gay couple and then brutally attacking one of them.
Damiek Jones, 31, has been arrested and charged in the vicious stabbing attack that took place late Sunday night in New Smyrna Beach.
The victim and his boyfriend told police there were at home when the power went out. Stepping outside to check the circuit breaker, Jones ambushed the victim hitting him in the head, possibly with brass knuckles according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
The attacker, later identified as Jones, then stabbed the victim repeatedly in the back of his thighs and head. During the attack, a red bandana covering Jones’ face came off whereupon the victim recognized him.
According to the couple, Jones knew the residence had security cameras in place which would explain why he disabled power to the house.
The victim’s partner heard yelling and came to the rescue chasing Jones as he fled the scene. During the chase, the boyfriend saw Jones throw items into a neighbor’s yard.
Police were called to the home at 11:16 pm and with the aid of a police dog recovered a chisel (the presumed weapon), the bandana, and a scarf. A backpack was also found containing nunchucks, a knife, pills, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Damiek Jones (police mugshot)Additionally, a journal was found in the backpack which included chilling passages detailing Jones’ animus towards queer people.
“I now understand that to hate them all is a requirement. (The victim and boyfriend) and now (names two women), all of you shall have a moment of fate to look forward too,” wrote Jones according to the police report.
In light the journal entry, New Smyrna Beach police determined Jones “committed the crime with prejudice based on the sexual orientation of the victim.”
Jones was arrested and charged on Monday with committing a second-degree misdemeanor with prejudice, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a Schedule IV substance.
He is currently being held in the Volusia County Branch Jail on $15,500 bail.
Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic in ‘Welcome To Chechnya’
Salek Magamadov and Ismail Isayev escaped homophobic Chechnya, the site of deadly so-called gay purges, in June 2020. The Russian LGBT Network helped them relocate to Nizhny Novogorod, a city around 400 kilometres east of Moscow.
According to their lawyer Alexander Nemov, Magamadov and Novogorod had been arrested in April 2020 and tortured by the Chechen special police for running an opposition Telegram channel.
On Thursday (4 February), the Russian LGBT Network reported that the pair had gone missing.
The network’s assistance coordinator had received a call from one of the men that day around 3pm and heard screaming in the background. Nemov arrived at their apartment 30 minutes later and described seeing evidence of a scuffle.
Upon submitting a missing persons report, the lawyer found out that the two men had been handed over to the Chechen police. They are now being forcefully returned to their hometown, Gudermes.
Sadly, Novogorod and Magamadov were found to be missing on the same day that President Biden called for LGBTQ rights to be promoted and respected around the world. Since 2017, there have been hundreds of reports of the deadly gay purge in Chechnya consisting of abductions, detentions, and torture (sometimes resulting in death) perpetrated against those in the LGBTQ community.. Ramzan Kadryov, the leader of Chechnya, has casually denied such reports while denying the very existence of any LGBTQ people in his country. In 2017, the United States placed sanctions against Kadyrov due to the hideous atrocities.
‼️ Saleh Magamadov and Ismail Isayev were detained by the police in their apartment.
Russian LGBT Network helped Saleh and Ismail leave Chechnya and move to Nizhny Novgorod. Now they are being taken by car back to Chechnya.
Read on ➡ https://t.co/v3Bb1SFnPt pic.twitter.com/g8YS4UNxLS— Russian LGBT Network (@rulgbtnet) February 4, 2021
(image via screencapture)A gay couple living on Staten Island, New York, were terrorized by a drunk homophobe who yelled anti-gay slurs outside their home, kicked their front door, and promised to “get you wherever you go.”
Joe Canale and Raymond Gamarra were home on Saturday, January 23, when they heard loud noises coming from a neighbor’s late night house party.
According to Gay City News, they went to the neighbors to ask to them to keep the noise down, but a man attending the party became enraged.
The next thing the couple knew, a man identified as Clifford Hammel walked over to their front yard and began harassing them.
In the video obtained by Gay City News, Hammel can clearly be heard shouting, “I see you, f*cking fa**ot. You little b*tch. F*ck you. You fucking fa**ot.”
At one point, Hammel qualified his language as he repeated the slurs, yelling, “You f*cking fa**ot — and that’s not a homosexual. I don’t give a f*ck if you suck d*ck.”
Along the way, Hammel reportedly named the gym the couple go to as well as the school where Canale is the principal.
After attempting to kick the couple’s front door in, Hammel added, “Wherever you go, I will get to you.”
The moment when a man harassed a gay couple with anti-LGBTQ slurs, threatened them, and kicked the door of their home in Staten Island. pic.twitter.com/S58jKx0ooX
— Gay City News (@GayCityNews) January 29, 2021
The officers explained they thought Hammel was the man being taken to the hospital, so they “don’t have to worry or be afraid.”
But when Canale followed up with police at the 121st Precinct, it seems the officers had written Hammel’s name down incorrectly. AND, Hammel wasn’t the partygoer transported to the hospital.
L-R Raymond Gamarra and Joe Canale (photo via Canale)Disturbed by the nonchalant handling of the incident, the couple reached out to Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon.
In a statement, McMahon said, “Any time a serious allegation is brought to our attention, we work in tandem to thoroughly investigate and bring criminal charges when appropriate under the law.”
He added, “We are committed to securing the right of every person to live their lives free from bias and hate on Staten Island.”
But Gamarra and Canale are unconvinced as to how seriously their concerns were treated.
“Staten Island is not a bastion of tolerance,” Canale told GCN. “There are so many things that are disturbing about this that I don’t even know where to begin.”
“I understand there’s COVID, but justice delayed is justice denied as far as I’m concerned.”
(screen capture via YouTube)Two men, aged 27 and 29, were publicly caned 77 times each in Indonesia on Thursday after being reported to the authorities for having consensual sex.
The public flogging, held in a public park in Indonesia’s Aceh province, was attended by dozens of people. Public whippings usually attract hundreds of viewers but the crowd was kept small due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In 2015, Aceh became the only province in Indonesia to adopt religious-based Shariah law. Today marked the third time caning has been used as punishment for homosexuality.
According to the Associated Press, the two men were whipped with a rattan cane by a team of five ‘enforcers’ wearing hoods and robes. The enforcers rotated every 40 strokes in delivering the punishment while the men winced in pain.
Neighbors of the men became suspicious of their relationship and broke into their home in November as the two were reportedly having sex.
A Shariah court ordered the men to receive 80 strokes each but the punishment was reduced as a concession for time spent in prison.
Warning: graphic footage some may find disturbing.
Shariah law allows caning as punishment for ‘moral offenses’ which include drinking, gambling, adultery, men who miss Friday prayers, women who wear suggestive clothing, and those who engage in gay sex. The maximum penalty is 100 lashes.
In addition to the two men, four others received 17 lashes for having extra-marital affairs and 40 strokes for drinking alcohol.
Indonesia has long been a difficult country for LGBTQ people. While Aceh is the only region where homosexuality is explicitly outlawed, authorities have continued to crackdown on the LGBTQ community in recent years.
In 2016, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission banned men from appearing ‘effeminate’ or dressing in drag.
In February 2018, police raided 5 hair salons, forced 12 trans women to strip and cut off their hair in public before arresting them.
In July 2018, the first public caning of gay men took place in Aceh before a crowd of over 1,000 residents. The mob cheered and shouted insults at the two men aged 20 and 23 as they received 85 lashes each.
That same month police arrested 141 men in a raid on a sauna.
And in November 2018, police conducted a beach raid in an effort to ‘provide safety and maintain public order.’ Three transgender women were arrested and hosed down with a fire truck in public to underscore the humiliation.