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Australian Wedding Magazine Closes Up Shop After Discriminating Against Same-Sex Weddings

White Magazine, an Australian wedding magazine, has shuttered after facing backlash for not including same-sex couples in the publication.

Founders Luke and Carla Burrell announced in a blog post that White Magazine would be shutting down after 12 years due to pressures after the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia at the beginning of the year.

Celebrating love and relationships – rather than selling products – has always been White’s message.

Last year the Australian law was changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. Since then we have been asked repeatedly why our magazine had not yet featured all couples.

Like many people, we have had to reflect on our beliefs, not to judge ourselves or others, but to intentionally make space for new conversations. It’s a long and continuing journey, it’s not black and white, there are so many grey areas that need to be explored. Our greatest mandate is to love and the biggest question we’ve continued to ask ourselves throughout it is, how do we best love?

Interestingly, the Burrell’s version of ‘best love’ was to not allow same-sex weddings to be presented in their publication.

After writing that they have “no desire but to love,” the Burrells say they had hoped to have “space to work through our thoughts and feelings.”

But they claim a “campaign” was launched against them and they’ve lost sponsors due to their one-sided position on the issue.

“We hope that one day soon our society can learn to accept people’s differences and different points of view and love each other no matter what,” they write in closing. “That’s where real positive change begins.”

The irony here for me, as an LGBTQ advocate, is the Burrells continue to pretend they didn’t ‘take a side’ when clearly they did. They didn’t learn to accept gay and lesbian couples’ differences.

Instead, they chose to ignore those same-sex couples who celebrated their happiest days.

And regarding losing sponsors, this would seem to me to be the free market at work.

In the end, statements of “How do we best love?” and “We’re not about sides, we’re about love, patience and kindness,” ring false for people running an admittedly secular publication who ultimately chose discrimination over equality.

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Today Is Transgender Day Of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. This is a day to pause and reflect on anti-transgender violence around the world. According to The Trans Murder Monitoring research project, between the 1st of October 2017 and September 30, 2018, 369 cases of reported murders of transgender, non-binary and gender diverse people have been reported. That represents an increase of 44 deaths compared to 2017 and 74 more cases than in 2016. Brazil (167 murders) and Mexico (71) lead in violence against trans people. In the United States, there have been 28 murders of transgender people in the past 12 months, up from 25 the previous year. And that figure represents only the deaths we know of.

The rise in violence against trans people comes as the Trump administration continues its assault on protections for trans Americans. In October, the New York Times reported that Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Department plans to redefine transgender people out of existence. Early in Trump’s time in office he announced he plans on banning transgender Americans from serving in the U.S. military. Additionally, the Department of Education reversed an Obama-era policy that held trans students should be allowed ot use the bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. TDOR is a day not only to mourn those we’ve lost and celebrate the lives they lived, but also bring awareness to the daily struggles and dangers that trans and gender non-conforming people face around the world on a daily basis. The video below was released last year by Shape History who asked trans youth about the labels put on them by society. Take a listen to these trans young people about their feelings on how they are perceived and how they’d like to be seen:

Gwendolyn Ann Smith founded Transgender Day of Remembrance in 1999 as a way to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman who was brutally murdered. In a statement to GLAAD, Smith writes that the observance “seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence.” “I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost,” she continues. “With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.” You can participate by attending a vigil on November 20 to honor all those whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence this year. Vigils are typically hosted by local transgender advocates or LGBT organizations, and held at community centers, parks, places of worship and other venues. The vigil often involves reading a list of the names of those who died that year. Check out a full list of events here. Hillary Clinton and other leaders expressed their thoughts on trans violence via Twitter.

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Trump Announces He Will Take No Action Over Death Of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Donald Trump has announced, in a stunning statement, that he will take no action against Saudi Arabia over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Donald Trump

Donald Trump has announced, in a stunning statement, that he will take no action against Saudi Arabia over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

From The New York Times:

President Trump declared his unswerving loyalty to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, on Tuesday, declaring that the prince’s culpability in the killing of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, might never be known.

“It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Mr. Trump said in a remarkable, eight-paragraph, exclamation-point laden statement that appeared calculated to end debate over the American response to Mr. Khashoggi’s killing.

“We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Mr. Trump said in the statement, which read like a verbatim transcript of the president’s off-the-cuff musings. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

“Maybe he did, and maybe he didn’t!”

After more than a month of international outrage, confirmation by our intelligence organizations that the Crown Prince knew of the killing, and calls for the US to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for murdering a US resident and journalist, the Trumpster just said that it won’t happen.

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Adam Rippon Retires From Competitive Skating With Awesome Letter To His Younger Self

Adam Rippon (image via Instagram)

Out Olympic figure skater and self-proclaimed “America’s sweetheart,” Adam Rippon, has announced his retirement from competitive figure skating.

The 29-year-old skated into our hearts as he competed at this year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea becoming one of the first openly gay U.S. athletes to compete at an Olympic Games.

His athleticism and artistry on the ice was a huge factor in Team USA taking home a bronze medal in the team event.

But it has been his winning personality that has made him a fixture in pop culture. His fabulosity translated easily to the dance floor as he dominated and won this year’s Dancing with the Stars competition.

Rippon announced his departure from competitive skating in a letter shared with CBS’ Note To Self.

Addressing ‘younger Adam’ in 2014 when he had failed to qualify for the Olympic team, he acknowledges the rough road ahead.

“You are going through a really tough time right now. You’ve just missed qualifying for the Olympic team for the second time in a row. You feel confused and you feel like a failure. It might not make sense right now, but this is truly one of the most important moments in your life,” writes Rippon.

But the next paragraph contains just one sentence: “Take a moment and be proud of yourself.”

He goes on to list the many hardships that training for figure skating held for him. From traveling away from his home and living with different families to having to decide during difficult times whether to pay for ice time or groceries.

Acknowledging all those outside factors, Rippon comes back to the internal, writing, “You work so hard, but you are even harder on yourself.”

Then, it’s time for a little personal intervention.

“Stand up, walk to a mirror, look yourself straight in the eye and tell yourself: you are a winner,” he writes. “You won’t see one looking back at you yet, but do this every day and you’ll really start to learn what being a winner is.”

“Being a winner is a mindset.”

Rippon also shares the coming out process with his younger self sharing out “It made you feel so free, like you’ve grown wings.”

“When you publicly come out in the next year, you will let go of what other people think of you,” he continued. “You will hope to give someone else what you didn’t feel growing up: permission to be themselves.”

And then he adds those oh-so-important words: “You are worthy.”

But our Adam wouldn’t be ‘Adam’ without a bit of sass, so grooming comes into the mix as he advises, “Oh, and when you wax your eyebrows, start talking about how great they look. It’ll be a hit.”

He shares how the upcoming years will see him in the best mental and physical shape of his life after shifting his perspective from ‘changing’ himself to ‘perfecting’ himself.

He continues as he recounts winning the national figure skating championship, the accident where he would break his foot making his journey to the 2018 Olympics that much harder, and then the goal of a lifetime as he makes Team USA and participates in the 2018 Winter Games.

“It’ll be crazy, wild, emotional and very exciting,” pens the now-world famous athlete. “The world will see your character and they will embrace you for just being yourself.”

He saves the most important message for last, as he concludes, “You are a man now. You’ve challenged yourself and taken risks.”

“You’ve become the role model that you wished you’d had as a kid,” Rippon shares with obvious pride. “You will look in the mirror and you will see someone you like. You will look in the mirror and finally see a winner looking back at you.”

Our Olympic hero signs off with a simple encouragement: “Now go out and conquer the world.”

Read Adam’s full letter to his younger self here.

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Stock Market Suffers Deep Decline Over Trump Trade Wars, Tech Stocks

The Dow Jones Industrial Average for the week

Wall Street took a dive Tuesday turning negative for the year.

Target led the way after reporting weaker than expected earnings for the previous quarter

From CNBC:

The 30-Stock Dow fell 450 points after dropping nearly 400 points in the previous session. Earlier in the day, the Dow was down nearly 600 points. The S&P 500 dropped 1.3 percent, but also traded well off its session lows. The Dow and S&P 500 were up 1.2 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, for 2018 entering Tuesday.

Target fell 10.4 percent after reporting weaker-than-expected earnings for the previous quarter. The company also posted lighter-than-forecast same-store sales, which is a key metric for retailers.

Tuesday’s decline came a day after members of the popular “FAANG” trade —Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google-parent Alphabet — all closed in a bear market, down more than 20 percent from their 52-week highs. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropped 1.7 percent and 3 percent, respectively, on Monday while the Dow fell 1.6 percent.

Experts point to Donald Trump’s trade wars, a slowdown in the global economy and the recent cloud that’s hung over Big Tech stocks for the decline.

That said, most say the actual fundamentals of these stocks are solid, but that doesn’t seem to matter to investors today.

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Ivanka Trump Sent Hundreds Of White House Business Emails From Her Private Account

Ivanka Trump

But, but, but… her emails!

I seriously find it difficult to believe that after an entire presidential campaign where her father lambasted Hillary Clinton for using private email, his daughter has gone and done the same thing.

She claims ignorance about the rules….?

From The Washington Post:

Ivanka Trump sent hundreds of emails last year to White House aides, Cabinet officials and her assistants using a personal account, many of them in violation of federal records rules, according to people familiar with a White House examination of her correspondence.

White House ethics officials learned of Trump’s repeated use of personal email when reviewing emails gathered last fall by five Cabinet agencies to respond to a public records lawsuit. That review revealed that throughout much of 2017, she often discussed or relayed official White House business using a private email account with a domain that she shares with her husband, Jared Kushner.

The discovery alarmed some advisers to President Trump, who feared that his daughter’s practices bore similarities to the personal email use of Hillary Clinton, an issue he made a focus of his 2016 campaign. Trump attacked his Democratic challenger as untrustworthy and dubbed her “Crooked Hillary” for using a personal email account as secretary of state.

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News Round-Up: November 19, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• I’ve been meaning to feature the oh-so-handsome blond man above for some time, but I don’t know who he is. A reader sent his pic and I was quite smitten by the good looks. Anyone know who he is? #woof #BeardCameNice

• Folks have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a bronze plaque honoring Matthew Shepard at the Washington National Cathedral. The crypt where he lies isn’t open to the public, so folks would like to design and install a plaque in the chapel.

• This Chinese author was sentenced to 10 years in prison for including gay sex scenes in her latest novel.

• Woofy Prince Harry carries on the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, by raising awareness for HIV. Check out the new PSA as he flips the script on HIV testing saying it’s something to be proud, not embarrassed, about.

• The Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, says religious schools in Australia should be accepting of gay teachers IF they keep their relationships hidden. He also thinks its better if they and their partners live far away from the school in which they teach.

• A gay councilman in Texas was removed from office after a homophobic political foe leaked his Grindr pics to the public.

• A new study by psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania found that too much Facebook can contribute to depression and loneliness. The study found those who cut back on their social media consumption found their moods improved.

• UK rugby legend Gareth Thomas was the victim of a hate crime by a 16-year-old in his hometown of Cardiff.

“Last night I was a victim in my home city of a hate crime for my sexuality,” Thomas told his Twitter followers. “I want to say thank you to the police, who were involved and allowed me to do restorative justice to the people that did this because I thought they could learn more that way.”

Restorative justice is a system that “that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.”

It comes as no surprise that a champion of Thomas’ caliber would opt for the teaching experience of restorative justice. The approach is also helpful to those who are assaulted to see their assailant be held accountable.

Watch Thomas’ video below.

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Music Video: Christopher Sorensen “Afterglow”

The new music video from Christopher Sorensen, “Afterglow,” explores the dynamic between an 18-year-old teen and an older man who connect through a gay dating app. The video chronicles the first meeting of the pair at the older man’s home, complete with cocktails and a swim in his pool. Things do go the way of romance and there are follow-up encounters.

But when one night goes late, there are fireworks at home after what looks like a missed curfew. As his parents argue, the young man erupts in anger and goes looking for his older paramour, only to find a surprise. Sorensen’s reps told Towleroad that the storyline is “very personal to Christopher.” “His goal is to create a safe space for young gay men to talk about any experience where they have felt taken advantage of,” the statement continued. “Afterglow” is the first time Sorensen has included his own LGBT identity in his music. His 2015 music video, “Balloon,” addressed bullying. Any readers have a similar experience with dating apps? Let us know in the comments. Watch the video below.

(h/t Towleroad)

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First Peek At ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular’

We’ve got just the thing to spice up your Monday as VH1 drops this video teaser for the upcoming RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular.

The holiday special (set to air December 7) will feature RPDR alum Shangela, Latrice Royale, Eureka O’Hara, Jasmine Masters, Kim Chi, Mayhem Miller, Trixie Mattel and Sonique, all competing for the coveted title of “Drag Race Christmas Queen.”

The quick video reveals members of the Pit Crew dressed as reindeer offering some prancing of their own with Kim Chi and Trixie Mattel; Ross Matthews as an adorable ‘Elf on a shelf;’ and Eureka surprised opening a big package.

(screen capture)

“It’s Christmas so we’re laughing and having fun…. Trixie is excited to open presents and can’t be bothered, and Shangela is posting Christmas Cards on the wall,” Mama Ru recently told EW. “Everyone wants to have fun, knowing it’s just one episode for a holiday, but the competition is real.”

Tune in to see the queens lip-sync to music from RuPaul’s two holiday albums, Slay Belles and Christmas Party, as well as choreography by Todrick Hall.

The hour-long one-off special will also offer previews from RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars 4.

’Tis the season for slaying, so hit the play button below.

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Trump Criticizes Osama Bin Laden Mission: “We Should Have Captured Osama Bin Laden Long Before We Did”

Donald Trump on Fox News

Donald Trump raised eyebrows over the weekend when, during an interview with Fox News‘ Chris Wallace, he not only wouldn’t give credit to the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden during the Obama administration, but he criticized the mission saying it took too long.

From The Hill:

“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace noted during a discussion with the president that retired Navy Adm. William McRaven has said Trump’s attacks on the media are the “greatest threat to democracy in his lifetime.”

Trump in response called McRaven a “Hillary Clinton fan” and “Obama-backer.”

“Wouldn’t it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner than that, wouldn’t it have been nice?” Trump asked. “You know, living — think of this — living in Pakistan, beautifully in Pakistan in what I guess they considered a nice mansion, I don’t know, I’ve seen nicer. But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there.”

“You’re not even going to give them credit for taking down bin Laden?” Wallace asked.

“They took him down but — look, look, there’s news right there, he lived in Pakistan, we’re supporting Pakistan, we’re giving them $1.3 billion a year, which we don’t give them anymore, by the way, I ended it because they don’t do anything for us, they don’t do a damn thing for us,” Trump responded.

Regarding being a “Hillary” fan or “Obama” fan, McRaven told CNN later that evening:

“I did not back Hillary Clinton or anyone else. I am a fan of President Obama and President George W. Bush, both of whom I worked for. I admire all presidents, regardless of their political party, who uphold the dignity of the office and who use that office to bring the nation together in challenging times.”

The McRaven/Bin Laden chat begins around 4:37 mark below:

It’s worth noting that back in 2011, Trump was more than pleased with the results of the Navy Seals and CIA.

On May 2, 2011, Trump gave this statement to Politico:

“I want to personally congratulate President Obama and the men and women of the Armed Forces for a job well done.”

“I am so proud to see Americans standing shoulder to shoulder, waving the American flag in celebration of this great victory.”

“We should spend the next several days not debating party politics, but in remembrance of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and those currently fighting for our freedom. God Bless America!”

I guess that good will goes away when you become a politician?

McRaven responded to the criticism in a statement doubling down on his assertion that Trump’s attacks on the media are “the greatest threat to our democracy” in his lifetime.

And it appears Trump has a short memory, because one reporter says McRaven was on the Trumpster’s short list for national security adviser.

Navy Seal Robert J. O’Neill, who actually shot bin Laden, chimed in saying the mission was ‘bipartisan’ and “We all wanted to get him as soon as we could.”

And when a MAGA troll questioned whether bin Laden was killed as soon as possible, O’Neill responded, “We could only fly so fast, bro.”