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Happy 50th Birthday, Janet Jackson!

It is almost unfathomable that Janet Jackson turns 50 today.

Forever youthful, the youngest of the Jackson family released her debut album, the self-titled Janet Jackson in 1982 at the age of 16.

With record sales of over 160 million units, she is undeniably one of the best-selling artists in contemporary music. Click over to her iTunes page just to remind yourself of her huge catalogue.

The list of honors and awards she accumulated are far to long to enumerate, but I’ll just note that she’s received twelve American Music Awards, five Grammy Awards, nine MTV Video Music Awards, and thirty-three Billboard Music Awards, (the most of any artist).

I think my personal favorite of her superlative creative output has to be her HUGE Rhythm Nation album. Creatively and socially-aware, it set a new high bar for music artists in 1989.

Happy birthday Janet!

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Media Matters Shines A Light On “Christian” Legal Group Alliance Defending Freedom

Media Matters’ Carlos Maza reports on anti-LGBT Alliance Defending Freedom

Media Matters‘ Carlos Maza shines a spotlight on the virulently anti-LGBT legal group, Alliance Defending Freedom.

Sounds really patriotic and all that jazz, right?

Not so much. These folks are NOT fighting for LGBT freedoms.

The right-wing organization routinely opposes transgender rights, LGBT rights and women’s reproductive rights. In fact, they have advocated for prison sentences for gays around the world.

ADF is a right-wing legal powerhouse that’s been linked to nearly every recent attack on LGBT equality and women’s reproductive health care. The group has testified against Planned Parenthood and was a major player in the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby case. Legislation like North Carolina’s bathroom law and Indiana’s “religious freedom” law are the products of ADF’s behind-the-scenes legal work. The group shops extreme model legislation to state lawmakers across the country, testifies in favor of those laws, and then defends them in local and national media.

But news networks that host ADF often identify them as a “Christian” or “conservative” legal organization, failing to mention the group’s history of smearing the LGBT community and working to criminalize homosexuality. ADF has helped defend laws in Belize and Jamaica that would put people in prison for engaging in gay sex. The group opposes anti-bullying efforts, which it believes will indoctrinate “impressionable” children into homosexuality. Alan Sears, the group’s current president, co-wrote a book which claims that homosexuality and pedophilia are “intrinsically linked.” At a recent conference, one ADF attorney claimed that the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard had been falsely depicted as an anti-gay hate crime in order to advance the “homosexual legal agenda.”

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Massachusetts Man Receives First US Penis Transplant

Thomas Manning (photo: Massachusetts General Hospital)

A Massachusetts cancer patient has become the first man to receive a penis transplant in the United States.

After a nearly 15 hour operation, 64 year-old Thomas Manning appears to be recovering well and there are no signs of rejection. Most of Manning’s penis was removed during his bout with cancer four years ago.

From USA Today:

“Today I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries, particularly for our servicemembers who put their lives on the line and suffer serious damage as a result,” Manning said in a statement.

Manning, a bank courier in Halifax, Mass., underwent the operation on May 8 and 9. The surgeons who led the 15-hour procedure, Curtis Cetrulo and Dickens Ko, said they were “cautiously optimistic” Manning will regain full urinary and sexual function.

“He’s doing well so far,” Cetrulo said at a news conference Monday. “He is up and out of bed. Emotionally he’s doing amazingly well. He’s a very positive person.”

Manning has been cancer free for about four years, the physicians said. He is not married but said the transplant could help make such a relationship possible.

The first ever penis transplant in the world took place in Africa in December 2014.

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Barbra Streisand Announces 9 Concert Date Tour

There’s joy in Babs-Land today!

La Streisand took to Instagram to announce her new 9 city concert tour beginning August 2nd in Los Angeles.

All the details at BarbraStreisand.com.

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News Round-Up: May 16, 2016

NFL’s first out football player Michael Sam with my hubby Michael Caprio at 2016 Las Vegas HRC gala

Some stories you may have missed:

• My hubby Michael Caprio had “a moment” with the handsome Michael Sam (pic above) at the Las Vegas Human Rights Campaign gala this past Saturday night.

• The U.S. Supreme Court refuses a case that could have sabotaged the Obama administration’s transgender policy.

• RuPaul explains drag culture to ABC News: “There are aspects of your personality that you don’t even know about until you get into drag.”

• Ivanka Trump, with a straight face, says her father Donald Trump has “elevated” political discourse. #SRSLY

• Rep. Alan Grayson becomes the first U.S. congressman to use the term “cisgender” on the floor of the House of Representatives.

• Madonna’s REBEL HEART TOUR is getting a Blu-Ray/DVD release sometime around July!

• Just in time for LGBT Pride month, Converse debuts it’s 2016 Pride Collection. We got your high tops, your low tops, your black, your white… #DiversityRocks

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2016 GLAAD Media Awards Include Robert De Niro, Mariah Carey

GLAAD, the world’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization, honored Robert De Niro, Mariah Carey, and the best in film, television, and journalism at the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Waldorf Astoria New York on Saturday.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories from the LGBT community and issues that build support for acceptance.

At the ceremony, Academy Award-winning actress and surprise guest Jennifer Lawrence presented Robert De Niro with GLAAD’s Excellence in Media Award, which is presented to media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

In his acceptance speech, De Niro celebrated the Supreme Court’s landmark decision for marriage equality, while cautioning to “also remember oppressive laws like the ones in North Carolina that let us know the struggle continues and challenges us to be vigilant and aggressive in protecting all our rights.” De Niro continued, “Thank you for this honor, I’m proud to stand with you, I’m GLAAD.”

Also at the event, Lee Daniels presented Mariah Carey with the Ally Award, which is presented to a media figure who has consistently used their platform to support and advance LGBT equality and acceptance.

Following is a complete list of GLAAD Media Award recipients announced Saturday in New York. Additional awards were presented in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on April 2.

• Excellence in Media Award: Robert De Niro (presented by Jennifer Lawrence)

• Ally Award: Mariah Carey (presented by Lee Daniels)

• Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine: “Bruce Jenner: The Interview” 20/20 (ABC) [accepted by: Diane Sawyer, Caitlyn Jenner, and David Sloan, senior executive producer]

• Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: “Interview with Jim Obergefell” Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN) [accepted by: U.S. Supreme Court plaintiff Jim Obergefell]

• Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage: Cosmopolitan [accepted by: Laura Brounstein, special projects director]

• Outstanding Film – Limited Release: Tangerine (Magnolia Pictures)

• Outstanding Individual Episode: “The Prince of Nucleotides” Royal Pains (USA Network)

• Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia: “Stopping HIV? The Truvada Revolution” Vice Reports (Vice.com)

• Outstanding Newspaper Article: “Cold Case: The Murders of Cosby and Jackson” by Dianna Wray (Houston Press)

• Outstanding Magazine Article: “Behind Brazil’s Gay Pride Parades, a Struggle with Homophobic Violence” by Oscar Lopez (Newsweek)

• Outstanding Digital Journalism Article: “This Is What It’s Like To Be An LGBT Syrian Fleeing For Your Life” by J. Lester Feder (Buzzfeed.com)

SPANISH-LANGUAGE NOMINEES

• Outstanding Daytime Program Episode: “¿El marido de mi padre o yo?” Caso Cerrado (Telemundo)

• Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine: TIE: “Amor que rompe barreras” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo) and “En cuerpo ajeno” Aquí y Ahora (Univision)

• Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: “Víctimas de abusos” Noticiero Univision (Univision)

• Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia: “Campeones de la igualdad” (Univision.com)

(via press release)

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Pastor Who Claimed Whole Foods Wrote Homophobic Slur On Cake Stands Down

Texas pastor Jordan Brown claimed Whole Foods wrote anti-gay slur on his cake

A local Texas pastor, Jordan Brown, had recently filed a lawsuit against a bakery department associate at Whole Foods claiming the associate wrote an anti-gay slur on a cake he purchased. According to the suit, he asked employees in the bakery department to write “Love Wins” on a blank, pre-frosted cake.

Brown told the media at the time that the employee wrote “Love Wins FAG” on the cake.

Now, Brown has changed his tune, issuing the following statement:

“Today I am dismissing my lawsuit against Whole Foods Market. The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story.

“I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values, and especially the bakery associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions.

“I apologize to the LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues. I also want to apologize to my partner, my family, my church family, and my attorney.”
-Jordan Brown

Whole Foods Market, responds to the local pastor dismissing his lawsuit:

“We’re very pleased that the truth has come to light. Given Mr. Brown’s apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication, we see no reason to move forward with our counter suit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members.”

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SNL Cold Open: Donald Trump & Chris Christie On The Hunt For A VP

Darrell Hammond as “Donald Trump” and Bobby Moynihan as “Christ Christie” on SNL

Touching briefly on Donald Trump’s new “John Miller” debacle, SNL’s cold open last night focused on “Gov. Chris Christie” (Bobby Moynihan) helping “Donald Trump” (Darrell Hammond) choose a running mate.

Not sure this was the funniest cold open I’ve seen on SNL. Thoughts?

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Cuba Celebrates LGBT Pride With International Days Against Homophobia And Transphobia

Cuba celebrated the island country’s version of LGBT Pride, under the title “International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia,” led by activist Mariela Castro-Espin, the 48-year-old daughter of Cuba’s President, Raul Castro, and niece of Fidel Castro.

From the Washington Blade:

Mariela Castro, director of Cuba’s National Center for Sexual Education that is known by the Spanish acronym CENESEX, joined transgender actress Candis Cayne and hundreds of others who marched from the oceanfront promenade at the base of the Hotel Nacional to a nearby pavilion under a scorching sun.

Mariela Castro, who is a member of the Cuban Parliament, has publicly spoken in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples. She voted against a gay-inclusive workplace discrimination bill in 2013 because it did not include gender identity.

The Cuban constitution defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

The Cuban Foundation for LGBTI Rights and other independent advocacy groups launched a campaign late last year that encourages Cubans to sign a petition in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Two of the United States’ best known LGBT activists – Evan Wolfson (Freedom To Marry) and Tico Almeida (Freedom To Work), traveled to Havana to participate in the event.