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Openly Gay Marine Veteran Heading To Runoff Race for Alabama State House

Former Marine Neil Rafferty almost avoided a runoff in the race for the House District 54 seat to replace Patricia Todd in the Alabama State Legislature this past Tuesday. Rafferty, who is openly gay, won 48% of the votes in his district. He will face-off against environmentalist Jacqueline Gray Miller who garnered 28% of the vote.
Neil Rafferty

Former Marine Neil Rafferty almost avoided a runoff in the race for the House District 54 seat to replace Patricia Todd in the Alabama State Legislature this past Tuesday.

Rafferty, who is openly gay, won 48% of the votes in his district. You have to cross the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff.

He will face-off against environmentalist Jacqueline Gray Miller who garnered 28% of the vote.

Both are Democrats – no Republicans contended for the state House seat.

Rafferty was endorsed by Todd, who announced her retirement earlier this year. She was the first openly gay lawmaker in Alabama.

The Birmingham native spent four years in the U.S. Marines before returning home to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Rafferty currently works as the director of research and development at Birmingham AIDS Outreach.

The runoff is set for July 17.

(source)

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New Hampshire Approves Gender Identity Law, Bans “Ex-Gay Therapy”

New Hampshire’s LGBT advocates celebrated GOP Gov. Chris Sununu for signing into law a new bill which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

The transgender rights bill passed the New Hampshire House by 195-129 votes, and in the Senate with all Democrats in favor and enough Republicans in support to pass it, 14-10.

“Discrimination – in any form – is unacceptable and runs contrary to New Hampshire’s Live Free or Die Spirit,” Sununu said in a statement after signing House Bill 1319.

But wait – Sununu wasn’t done.

He also signed on Friday legislation banning so-called conversion therapy for gay minors.

Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii and now New Hampshire all have laws or regulations protecting youth from this abusive practice.

A growing number of municipalities have also enacted similar protections, including cities and counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Florida, New York, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. To the contrary, research has clearly shown that these practices pose devastating health risks for LGBTQ young people such as depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicidal behavior. The harmful practice is condemned by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association and American Medical Association.

Good on you, New Hampshire!

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News Round-Up: June 8, 2018

Kevin Carnell (image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Participating in the AIDS/Life Cycle, InstaHunk Kevin Carnell (above) has raised over $15K! Just another of many obvious reasons to follow him on Instagram. #Woof

• Family Research Council president Tony Perkins is furious that a Crossfit exec was fired for being anti-LGBT.

• There’s going to be a calendar for America’s hottest gingers – you know you want to take a look 🙂

• Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller brought new obstruction charges on Friday against President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and added allegations against a close associate, who prosecutors suspect has ties to Russian intelligence. Manafort could have his current bail revoked as Mueller’s team caught Manafort contacting possible witnesses in his case which is seen as attempting to influence their testimony.

• Remember convicted gay basher Kathryn Knott who went to jail for leading an attack on a gay couple in Philly’s Center City neighborhood? Bucks County Commissioners approved a settlement agreement of more than $52K with a Norristown woman who claimed the county District Attorney’s Office retaliated against her because of disparaging comments she made about Knott on social media.

• Check out new music from Zach Adam Feat. Adam Joseph “Gravity,” from new LGBTQ music label, Magic Town Media.

The track is a gorgeous pop track about yearning to overcome addiction and depression. I like the track muchly.

If you are considering suicide please call and reach out – The Trevor Lifeline is a 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available at 1-866-488-7386.

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Designer Proposes New Pride Flag

Newly proposed pride flag

In 1978, Gilbert Baker created the now-iconic rainbow flag to represent the burgeoning gay rights movement.

At the time, Baker explained the stripes each stood for an aspect of the “gay community,” which is what we called it before the alphabetical LGBTQ+ designation today.

Now, an artist named Daniel Quasar has launched a crowd-funding campaign to help him manufacture a new flag, one that includes the colors of the transgender flag as well as stripes for race.

According to Quasar, the body of the flag would remain the rainbow flag “so as not to take away from its original meaning.”

The light blue, pink, and white stripes on the left come from the transgender flag. The brown and black stripes represent people of color, “as well as those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them,” Quasar adds.

The new colors form an arrow pointing right “to show forward movement.”

The iconic rainbow flag

I’m going to offer an opinion on this, as I have in the past, and say we have a flag that we’ve embraced.

The iconic pride flag is made up of the colors of the rainbow which Baker assigned meaning to human values: Life, Healing, Sunlight, Nature, Serenity, Spirit.

In other words, the rainbow flag is already fundamentally inclusive of everyone already.

By the way – June 25 will be the 40th “birthday” of the rainbow flag. Thank you, Gilbert Baker.

Chime in below if you agree or disagree.

Transgender flag first shown at a pride parade in Phoenix, AZ, in 2000.
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Out Producer Greg Berlanti Inks $400 Million TV Deal

Film/TV producer Greg Berlanti
(image via Instagram)

Thanks to a huge new $400 million deal, out producer Greg Berlanti will remain at his TV home, Warner Brothers Television.

Berlanti has signed a four-year contract deal that means he will stay nice and comfy at WB TV through 2024 when he will be a young 51 years-old.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Berlanti’s new deal is worth $400 million in all-cash guarantees. Berlanti will receive a cash payout for the deal, meaning he no longer will receive points on the backend of his series.

Berlanti’s immense TV line-up, which features LGBTQ characters throughout, includes 14 live-action scripted series across 6 networks plus 2 animated series airing on a seventh. His current list of ongoing series’ includes:

• The CW’s All American, Arrow, Black Lightning, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Riverdale and Supergirl

• NBC’s Blindspot

• CBS’ God Friended Me and The Red Line

• Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

• DC Universe’s digital service’s Doom Patrol and Titans

• Lifetime’s You

• The CW Seed animated series Freedom Fighters: The Way and Constantine: City of Demons

The deal is exclusively for TV, with Berlanti’s film pact remaining at Fox, for whom he directed the coming-out/coming-of-age flick Love, Simon this year.

Berlanti is married to former professional soccer player, Robbie Rogers. The couple has a son, Caleb.

A post shared by Greg Berlanti (@gberlanti) on Feb 14, 2016 at 9:55am PST

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Donald Trump Covers TIME Magazine – “King Me”

Trump-as-a-king

Donald Trump covers the latest issue of TIME Magazine with the title, “King Me.”

The in-depth article by Molly Ball and Tessa Berenson goes into the ongoing warfare between Team Trump and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

From TIME:

It’s a dangerous moment for Trump.

If he agrees to talk, the notoriously undisciplined President risks making a false statement, which could be a crime like the one that led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment.

But if he refuses, Mueller could issue a subpoena, instigating a long, high-profile court battle over whether Trump could be forced to testify.

The two legal teams–Mueller’s squad of top prosecutors and Trump’s rotating cast of advocates–are haggling over what an interrogation would look like: how long it would be, what topics would be on the table and whether the session would be recorded.

Before the President talks to investigators, Trump’s team wants to see the authorization letter that established Mueller’s authority, according to Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

They are also demanding the special counsel’s report to be issued within 60 days of any interview.

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Andy Cohen Serves As Tel Aviv’s “International Ambassador” For Pride 2018

Andy Cohen (photo: Chris Williamson)

Today, a quarter of a million people from around the world gathered in Tel Aviv today to march in the largest ever pride parade in the Middle East where Bravo’s Andy Cohen served as this year’s International Ambassador.

Andy Cohen told the media:

“I live in New York City and this is my first but definitely not my last time in Tel Aviv. I am a proud gay Jewish man and the only gay host in late night TV. I have been struck by how incredible it is, not only to be here, but as a proud gay Jewish man surrounded by my people.”

“It’s also an amazing thing seeing gay pride flags flying everywhere next to the flag of Israel.”

“Celebrating Pride in Tel Aviv is a beautiful celebration of gay rights and visibility in a region where many of the neighbors cannot live as their true selves or be who they were born to be, which makes it all the more special for this massive coming together in support of equality to be taking place in Tel Aviv.”

This year’s parade marked 20 years to the City’s first pride parade and payed tribute to the pioneering activists who played a key-role in promoting LGBT rights and visibility in Israel.

Andy Cohen at the Western Wall in Jerusalem
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New Randy Rainbow Parody: “Commander Of Cheese”

Satirist Randy Rainbow riffs on White House adviser Kellyanne Conway’s recent slip of the tongue during an interview wherein she referred to her boss as the “Commander of Cheese.”

Wait – what? I feel a song coming on.

Trust Randy Rainbow to take a ball of cheese and run with it as he parodies “It Sucks To Be Me” from the Broadway musical Avenue Q:

Commander of Cheese
Commander of Cheese
He’s orange and moldy and smells like feet
And that’s why he’s
Commander of Cheese

Take a listen below. Happy Friday!

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Trump Calls For Reinstating Russia To The ‘Group Of 7’ Nations

Heading to Canada today for the annual G7 summit,Donald Trump has called for reinstating Russia to the ‘Group of 7’ nations.

Russia was ousted four years ago from the group of leading industrial countries after invading Crimea and they haven’t left.

Why reward Putin and pals for nothing?

From The New York Times:

“Russia should be in this meeting,” Mr. Trump said. “Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting? And I would recommend — and it’s up to them, but Russia should be in the meeting, it should be a part of it. You know, whether you like it or not, and it may not be politically correct, but we have a world to run and the G-7 — which used to be the G-8, they threw Russia out. They should let Russia come back in because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.”

Russia joined the group in the 1990s after emerging from the wreckage of the Soviet Union, making it the G-8, but its armed intervention in its neighbor Ukraine in 2014 and seizure of the Crimean peninsula angered other major powers. The remaining members, led by President Barack Obama, expelled it in a sign of global resolve not to let international borders be redrawn by force.

Mr. Trump offered no specific reasoning for why Russia should be let back in even though it retains control of Crimea and has not lived up to an international agreement to end its intervention in eastern Ukraine.

Man, Trump sure is loyal to the country that elected him.