Category: Uncategorized

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House Of Representatives Unanimously Passes Resolution Condemning Torture & Killing Of Gay Men In Chechnya

After months of news that gay and bisexual men of Chechnya were being rounded up, tortured and, in some cases killed, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution condemning the actions of the Chechen government.

Via press release:

The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus commended the House of Representatives for passing H.Res.351, a bipartisan resolution condemning the detention, torture, and murders of gay and bisexual men in Chechnya. H.Res.351 was introduced by LGBT Caucus founding member and former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27) on May 23rd and passed in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 25th by unanimous voice vote. H.Res.351 has 83 bipartisan cosponsors. H.Res.351 passed by voice vote.

“I’m proud that the House passed this strong resolution condemning the recent violence targeting gay men in Chechnya. Now, it’s critical that we do more to ensure those fleeing horrific violence can relocate somewhere safe,” said LGBT Caucus CoChair Rep. David Cicilline (RI-01). “This is an important step, but there is much more work left to be done.”

“We will continue to stand united with the LGBT community and shine a bright light on these atrocities, which are encouraged by the evil Putin regime in Russia, in order to help ensure that those who are responsible for these crimes are held to account for their despicable actions,” said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27)

“The People’s House has now made its collective and unanimous voice known: the situation in Chechnya cannot stand,” said LGBT Equality Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47). “We as a nation must lead the world in acting. It is our duty and responsibility to be the beacon on the hill that leads the way. It is now up to President Trump, Secretary of State Tillerson, and our United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley to follow through on the consensus of the House and bring as much domestic and international political pressure as possible on the Russian government to rein in these deplorable human rights violations.”

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Lacking Votes, Senate Republican Healthcare Bill Put On Hold

Per the Associated Press, the Senate Republican healthcare bill, lacking votes, is on hold until after the July 4th recess.

At last count, at least five Republicans Senators (Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Susan Collins, Dean Heller, Ron Johnson) have publicly stated they can’t vote for the healthcare legislation put forward by a group of 13 GOP senators.

With a scant 52 member majority, the Republicans can only lose two votes and still pass their bill.

Years and years of grousing about Obamacare, promises of immediate “repeal and replace” thanks to the election of Donald Trump, and the Republican party controlling the House, Senate and White House – but these folks can’t get their act together to do anything.

#sad

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Jason Chaffetz Calls For $2,500 Housing Stipend For Congress

Rep. Jason Chaffetz

As Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) prepares to exit Congress at the end of this week, he told The Hill on Monday that U.S. Senators and House representatives, who are paid a minimum of $174K annually to serve in office, should receive a $2,500 per month housing allowance.

“I really do believe Congress would be much better served if there was a housing allowance for members of Congress,” Chaffetz told The Hill in an interview in his Capitol office, where he sleeps whenever he’s in Washington. “In today’s climate, nobody’s going to suggest or vote for a pay raise. But you shouldn’t have to be among the wealthiest of Americans to serve properly in Congress.”

“There are dozens upon dozens of members living in their offices, and I don’t know how healthy that is long term.”

While Chaffetz said $174,000 a year is a “handsome” congressional salary, he explained that subsidizing lawmakers’ housing costs in the pricey D.C. metro area could actually save taxpayer dollars. If he had a proper home in Washington rather than a cot in his office, Chaffetz said, he wouldn’t need to fly home every week on the taxpayers’ dime, and his wife, Julie, could visit more often.

A 2017 Kiplinger report ranked Washington as the sixth-most expensive city in the country to live.

A $2,500 monthly allowance would cost taxpayers about $30,000 a year per lawmaker, or roughly $16 million a year for all 535 members.

Chaffetz says with a mortgage back home in Utah, a son in law school, his oldest daughter in college and another daughter heading for college soon, he couldn’t afford to rent a place in Washington, D.C.

Word is that Chaffetz has already inked a deal for a high-paying job as a political analyst for Fox News.

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World Opinion Of U.S. President Drops Precipitously Under Donald Trump

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According to a new survey of 37 countries by Pew Research Center, the world’s confidence that America’s President will “do the right thing” has dropped precipitously.

From the survey:

Although he has only been in office a few months, Donald Trump’s presidency has had a major impact on how the world sees the United States.

Trump and many of his key policies are broadly unpopular around the globe, and ratings for the U.S. have declined steeply in many nations.

According to a new Pew Research Center survey spanning 37 nations, a median of just 22% has confidence in Trump to do the right thing when it comes to international affairs.

This stands in contrast to the final years of Barack Obama’s presidency, when a median of 64% expressed confidence in Trump’s predecessor to direct America’s role in the world.

Over 40,000 respondents were polled in the survey.

When asked to describe Donald Trump’s character:

• 75% said “arrogant”
• 65% said “ignorant”
• 62% said “dangerous”

So. Much. Winning.

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Going Viral: NYC Police Officer’s LGBT Pride Facebook Post Inspires Thousands

I commented somewhere recently that while I do sometimes post stories of what seems like bad judgement by a handful of police officers, I don’t hate cops. One of my best friends was a police officer for two decades.

I know there are great cops in the world. And just to prove it, here’s one now.

A New York City police officers’ Facebook post from Sunday, wherein he shares the pic above and the message below, has gone viral.

Going only by “Big Fat Loser,” (the officer chronicles his weight loss on the account), he writes:

I’ll be out there working at Pridefest today wearing this shirt under my uniform for a lot of reasons.
For my step brother.
For my priest.
For my aunts who died before they could be legally married.
For my cousin.
For all of the cops I have worked with over the years, including one of the best partner’s I’ve ever shared a sector car with.
For my classmate in High School who’s parents made him sleep in a tent in his yard.
For the man who cried on my shoulder about losing his partner on 9/11.
For every call I went to where someone got kicked out of their house or who’s family just didn’t understand.
For anyone who’s had to hide who they are.
I’ve got your back.
Love is Love.
#loveislove #pride #pride🌈 #prideparade #nypd #igotyou #freehugs

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Germany’s Chancellor Merkel Signals Possible “Conscience Vote” On Same-Sex Marriage

Chancellor Angela Merkel

Via The Guardian:

Angela Merkel has signalled a change in her party’s opposition to gay marriage after stating MPs should be allowed a free vote in the German parliament.

Speaking at an event organised by the magazine Brigitte, the German chancellor said she felt aggrieved that debate was mainly carried out along party lines and that she hoped it would be “headed towards a conscience vote”.

It is widely believed the Bundestag would legalise gay marriage in a free vote on the issue.

Germany is one of a few western countries where same-sex marriage is still not legal. Civil partnerships have been allowed since 2001, but Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union has resisted calls to open up marriage to same-sex couples.

The centre-right CDU, which has been governing as senior partner in a coalition with the centre-left SPD since 2013, has said it prefers to amend legislation so couples in a civil partnership have the same tax status and adoption rights as married couples.

Coming less than three months before federal elections, Merkel’s comments could take the wind out of her critics’ sails and open her party up to the widest possible range of post-election coalitions.

UPDATE: Check out the tweet below from Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democratic Party, the second largest party in parliament:

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Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Marches In Toronto Pride Parade And LGBTs Everywhere Go Wild

While President Trump may be ignoring Pride Month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rocked the world as he marched in Toronto’s Pride Parade this past weekend.

Let’s check the boxes in this one pic (above):

1. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
2. At Pride
3. Wearing rainbow socks
4. High-fiving a little girl dressed as Wonder Woman
5. Rainbow flag Canadian maple leaf on his left cheek

And the crowd goes wild…

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Congressional Budget Office: Senate Republican Healthcare Bill Would Increase Uninsured By 22 Million

The numbers are out from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office regarding the current Senate Republicans’ healthcare bill:

CBO and JCT estimate that enacting this legislation would reduce the cumulative federal deficit over the 2017-2026 period by $321 billion. That amount is $202 billion more than the estimated net savings for the version of H.R. 1628 that was passed by the House of Representatives.

The Senate bill would increase the number of people who are uninsured by 22 million in 2026 relative to the number under current law, slightly fewer than the increase in the number of uninsured estimated for the House-passed legislation. By 2026, an estimated 49 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law.

Bolding is mine.

The bill also calls for cuts to Medicaid to the tune of $772 billion over the next ten years.

And premiums for a 64-year old with middle income go from $6,800 under current law to $20,500 under the Senate Republicans legislation.

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So, good news for those conservatives looking to see deficit reduction, but 22 million uninsured isn’t much better than the 23 million uninsured predicted for the House Republican healthcare bill.

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Happy Marriage Equality Day! Support Reaches All-Time High Approval Of 62%

Hubby Michael and I getting married a second time in Palm Springs in 2008

Today is the 2nd anniversary of the historic Obergefell v. Hodges ruling from the Supreme Court which brought marriage equality to all fifty states. I think it was one of the happiest and joyful days of my life.

And, according to a new Pew Research poll, support for same-sex marriage among U.S. adults has reached an all-time high of 62%.

Pew has been tracking the opinions of Americans on marriage equality for two decades and found the biggest jump in support came during this past year with a 7-point uptick in support.

Terrific to see these numbers today, but there’s still work to do on LGBTQ rights.

We need to see The Equality Act passed into law. The legislation would ensure no one could lose their job, their home, or be denied services because of who they are or whom they love.

The bill has been introduced in Congress and enjoys bipartisan support, 242 members of Congress and more than 90 corporations now back the legislation. But sadly, it’s not enough. It’s highly doubtful the current Republican-controlled Congress will pass the bill.

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Behind The Scenes Of ESPN Body Issue Photo Shoot

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy

Check this sneak peek into the nude photo shoots for ESPN’s upcoming Body Issue featuring out Olympic Freeskier Gus Kenworthy, New England Patriots’ Julian Edelman, Chicago Cubs’ Javier Baez and the US women’s hockey team.

In one clip you can hear the hunky Kenworthy exclaim, “Oh my god, what did I sign up for? I have to get naked right now?”

It’s not as though nudity is something new to Gus. You know what I mean if you follow his Instagram account 😉

Happy Monday!

New England Patriots’ Julian Edelman
Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott