Category: Uncategorized

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How Does Your State Rate In Terms Of Statewide Laws For LGBTQ People?

I’m happy to see the three states (New York, California, Nevada) I’ve lived in during my adult life are all three in the top category.

From the Human Rights Campaign:

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and the Equality Federation Institute released their annual State Equality Index (SEI), a comprehensive state-by-state report detailing statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ people and their families and placing states in one of four categories based on their pro- and anti-LGBTQ state laws.

The SEI assesses statewide LGBTQ-related legislation and policies in the areas of parenting laws and policies, relationship recognition and religious refusal laws, non-discrimination laws and policies, hate crime laws, youth-related laws and policies and health and safety laws and policies. Based on that review, the SEI assigns states to one of four distinct categories:

• Thirteen states and the District of Columbia are in the highest-rated category, “Working Toward Innovative Equality”: California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington

• Five states are in the category “Solidifying Equality”: Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico

• Five states are in the category “Building Equality”: Hawaii, Indiana, New Hampshire, Utah, Wisconsin

• Twenty-Seven states are in the lowest-rated category “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality”: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

Additionally, HRC polling data collected by Hart Research Associates shows:

• 58% support laws that would prevent discrimination against LGBTQ people in the workplace

• 58% support laws that would prevent discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing

• 38% of voters incorrectly believe there are federal laws that protect LGBTQ people regarding employment, housing and access to government benefits.

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Virginia: Danica Roem Sworn In As First Openly Trans Lawmaker In A U.S. Legislature

Danica Roem

Awesome news today from Virginia as Danica Roem was sworn in as the first elected openly transgender state-wide politician in the U.S.

From The Washington Blade:

Roem last November defeated former state Del. Bob Marshall, an anti-LGBT Republican who had represented the 13th District since 1992. Roem, a former journalist, is the first openly transgender person ever seated in a state legislature in the U.S.

Roem is among the five openly LGBT members of the Virginia General Assembly.

State Del. Dawn Adams (D-Richmond), who defeated former state Del. Manoli Loupassi (R-Richmond), is the first out lesbian elected to the General Assembly. The joined state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and state Dels. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax County) and Mark Levine (D-Alexandria).

Roem and Adams were sworn-in on the same day the 2018 legislative session began.

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Hypothetical Match-Up: Oprah 48% Trump 38%

Oprah Winfrey

With all the conjecture about a hypothetical Oprah run for president, right-leaning poll organization Rasmussen checked out folks’ thoughts.

Now, although there are 14% undecided, the survey shows Oprah would trump Trump 48%-38%.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters would opt for Winfrey, while 38% would choose Trump. But a sizable 14% are undecided.

Winfrey has the support of 76% of Democrats, 22% of Republicans and 44% of voters not affiliated with either major political party. The president earns 66% of the vote from Republicans, 12% of Democrats and 38% of unaffiliateds.

Before anyone goes into that “We don’t want a celeb for prez, stop pushing this…,” I’m only sharing for those interested. Ok?

Personally, I will give Trump this much: he changed the dynamics of who and what is possible in presidential politics.

What we know we need in the White House is someone who is smart, who knows their own limitations, has exceptional communication skills, can find the people to fill the jobs to make an organization a success, and someone who unites the country in an uplifting, aspirational way.

As a “born in poverty, self-made billionaire,” Oprah has more substantial bona fides than Trump ever did. And, she was never given a “starter loan” of $1 million from her father to start out in business.

She also never inherited millions and millions from her father the way Trump did.

Oprah also has an incredible ability to listen, take in information and then react.

I don’t even have to compare Trump’s enormous deficit on that count.

For Democrats, an uber-successful black woman who’s name recognition, intelligence and communication skills are equal to none, I think she’s worth exploring as an option for 2020.

Anyway…

#Forward

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GOP Congressman Darrell Issa Will Not Run For Re-Election

GOP Rep. Darrell Issa

California Rep. Darrell Issa (R) has announced he will NOT run for re-election in 2018 delivering a blow to Republican efforts to retain control of the House of Representatives.

Issa, one of the wealthiest Congressmen in Washington, D.C., made the announcement this morning.

“While my service to California’s 49th District will be coming to an end, I will continue advocating on behalf of the causes that are most important to me, advancing public policy where I believe I can make a true and lasting difference, and continuing the fight to make our incredible nation an even better place to call home,” Issa said in the statement.

Issa was re-elected in 2016 with only 51% of the vote, and Hillary Clinton won his district in the presidential race by 7 points. This is a surprise possibility for Democrats to pick up in the 2018 mid-terms.

His announcement makes him the 31st Republican to not seek reelection in the Trump era. Democrats only need to pick up 24 seats to take control of the House.

Hillary Clinton won in 23 GOP districts.

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Trump Rants Over Legally Released Testimony Proving Russian Investigation Is Not A Hoax

Donald Trump is very, very mad that Sen. Dianne Feinstein chose to release the testimony of Glenn Simpson, Fusion GPS co-founder, to prove that the now-infamous “dossier” was NOT the political motivation behind the inquiry into Mr. Trump or his campaign.

For months, Republicans have pushed the theory that the dossier compiled by former intelligent agent Christopher Steele was the reason U.S. intelligence agencies began investigating ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 campaign. In that there are some sections that have not been corroborated yet, Repubs say “See? Fake dossier – fake investigation!”

But, as Simpson’s testimony shows, U.S. intel had already been tipped to much of what was in the Steele report before it came to light and was already working on the case.

There goes the “fake investigation” theory.

Watch now as the GOP stamps its feet and whines.

To be clear: nothing Feinstein released was classified information. While Little Hands Donnie might try to spin to his base that she’s broken laws, ’tis not the case.

By the way, “Sneaky?”

That’s all you got, Donnie? “Sneaky?”

Only a year in and you’re out of clever nicknames? #Sad

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Donald Trump Cracks The 2,000 Mark In Terms Of Lies/Misleading Statements In One Year

Ding, ding, ding – in just under a year Donald Trump has managed to tell over 2,000 false or misleading claims to the American people.

You know how the Trumpster loves to hear he’s broken records 😉

The Washington Post has been tracking his progress from Day One in the White House:

With just 10 days before he finishes his first year as president, Trump has made 2,001 false or misleading claims in 355 days, according to our database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement uttered by the president. That’s an average of more than 5.6 claims a day.

When we started this project, originally aimed at the president’s first 100 days, he averaged 4.9 claims a day. At that pace, it appeared unlikely the president would break 2,000 in a year. But the longer the president has been in the job, the more frequently he touts an assortment of exaggerated, dubious or false claims. (Our full interactive graphic can be found here.)

As regular readers know, the president has a tendency to repeat himself — often. There are now nearly 70 claims that he has repeated three or more times.

Check out this video for Trump’s Top 10 Lies.

Much more at the WaPo.

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News Round-Up: January 9, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• Check out the Russian/American “cultural” exchange (above) between InstaHunk bfs Alex (Russia) and Brett (U.S.)

• Asked about the now empty Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS after the Trump administration fired the council members, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tossed off a vague “We’ll keep you posted.”

• Superstar Ricky Martin got a bit “cheeky” promoting his latest concert dates in Las Vegas at The Park Theater.

• This is a big deal – Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris have been appointed to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Previously, only 1 African American had ever served on this body during its 201-year history.

• LGBT fans of Star Trek: Discovery were left heartbroken after the most recent episode.

• Hunky Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds was recently asked on Twitter which Hollywood “Chris” does he think is the hottest – Pratt, Hemsworth or Evans? Using ice cream as a metaphor, Reynolds got a bit cheeky. He also threw in a Chris Pine shout out as well.

• Uganda’s LGBTQ film festival persevered despite being raided by the police.

• The state of Connecticut have soon have the very first openly gay Chief Justice of any state Supreme Court.

• Big shout out to British gravity racer Zach Leader who recently came out via Instagram. Check out his message below.

So 2018 is finally here and for about 6 months now, this is how I wanted to start the new year. A fresh start. No more hiding, no more lies, no more fannying around! To some of you this won’t be news or anything new but to a lot of you, I imagine it won’t have even crossed your mind. Some of you may have thought about it I imagine 😂 What I’m trying to do is come out and say I’m gay 🏳️‍🌈 I’ve spent a lot more time in paddocks in recent seasons but this issue has never come up, I’ve never known if the paddocks would accept a gay rider. I guess I’ll find out soon! 😂 I’ve always worried that people would look at me differently and so wouldn’t accept me into paddocks. I’ve always worried this would hinder me from getting sponsors and maybe even signed by teams in the future; that team managers wouldn’t want the hassle and so wouldn’t bother, regardless of how good I may be. Obviously I’ll find all this out in good time but I really hope everyone both in general life and racing life accepts me for who I am. This is a purely personal decision to come out but maybe if there are other LGBT racers in British paddocks then it may help them to find themselves and consider coming out too, or find the confidence to talk about it. I’m always happy to talk to anybody about it 😊 Maybe one day we may see more racers happy and confident to come out as a member of the LGBT community! 😊 I’m telling you all now though, I’m a man on a mission. I’m going to be the first openly gay BGBC champion and then one day I’m going to Britain’s one of Britain’s first openly gay national motorcycle champions and the ultimate goal is to be THE FIRST EVER OPENLY GAY BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPION. And mark my words, I’ll get there if it’s the last thing I do! I’m going to be an ambassador in racing for the LGBT community too which I’m going to be incredibly proud to do 😊 Feel free to message about anything guys but I hope you all accept me and continue to show me the love! ❤️ I don’t currently have that special guy in my life to share everything with and to share my journey to glory with at the moment but I’m working on it 😜 Happy new year everyone! #gay #gayteen #lgbt #gayracer #comingout
A post shared by Zack Leader (@zleader77) on Dec 31, 2017 at 5:20pm PST

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Steve Bannon OUT At Breitbart News

How far the self-perceived mighty can fall…

Former White House chief strategist and founding member of Breitbart News has been ousted from his position at the far-right leaning website.

Steve Bannon is out at far-right Breitbart News, the outlet confirmed Tuesday.

Bannon has served as executive chairman of Breitbart News since 2012 following founder Andrew Breitbart’s death.

From HuffPost:

Rumors of Bannon’s ouster from the conservative news outlet began Thursday, when The Wall Street Journal reported that the owners of the publication were debating Bannon’s future.

During a press briefing Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Breitbart should consider firing Bannon.

“I certainly think that it’s something they should look at and consider,” she said.

Bannon’s exit comes after he feuded with President Donald Trump last week. The former executive was quoted saying that a 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr., other Trump associates and a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower was “treasonous.”

“The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor — with no lawyers,” Bannon told Michael Wolff in an excerpt from Wolff’s new book, Fire and Fury.

“Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad shit, and I happen to think it’s all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately,” Bannon added.

Rebekah Mercer, a major financial backer of Breitbart, recently distanced herself from Bannon in an interview with The Washington Post.

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Florida: Broward County Commission Bans “Ex-Gay” Therapy

The Broward County Commission voted unanimously today to ban conversion therapy (also known as ex-gay torture), becoming the 16th and largest Florida municipality to outlaw the harmful practice.

Other municipalities in the Sunshine State with similar bans include Palm Beach County, Boca Raton, Miami, Tampa, Wilton Manors, Key West, and Oakland Park.

To date, nine states have banned the abusive practice as well as several major cities including Philadelphia, Washington DC, Seattle, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, and many more.

(h/t JoeMyGod)