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FCC Approves New 988 Suicide Prevention Phone Number

A stressed young man considers suicide

A stressed young man considers suicide
39 percent of young LGBTQs have considered suicide
In a unanimous vote, the five members of the Federal Communications Commission approved plans to establish a three-digit phone number for suicide prevention. The new three-digit number – 988 – will make it easier for those in crisis to reach suicide prevention experts and help reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues. “988 has an echo of the 911 number we all know as an emergency number,” Chairman Ajit Pai said at the commission’s meeting. “And we believe that this three-digit number dedicated for this purpose will help ease access to crisis services, it will reduce the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health conditions, and ultimately it will save lives.” A report by the FCC released in August called for specialized services for LGBTQ youth, veterans, and other populations at high risk. Based on a survey of more than 34,000 respondents, a 2019 study by The Trevor Project found 39 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the previous twelve months. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control reported that in 2017 suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34. CNN reports the proposal calls for an 18-month timeline which will give phone companies time to implement the 988 number. The time period also allows for public comment on whether it will take more time to do so or if it can be done earlier. Sam Brinton, head of advocacy and government affairs for The Trevor Project, said in a press release, “The Trevor Project applauds the FCC for unanimously approving the proposal to adopt 988 as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number.” “Shortening the Lifeline number to three digits, along with transferring calls to those who can best serve high-risk populations like LGBTQ youth — who are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers — will save lives,” added Briton. “It is critically important that this proposal is implemented as swiftly as possible and that all Lifeline counselors are provided with LGBTQ cultural competency training to best serve LGBTQ youth in crisis.” Until the new phone number is up and running, those in crisis can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386. (source: CNN)

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Trailer: Broadway Musical ‘In The Heights’ Heads To The Silver Screen

Broadway hit musical In The Heights comes to the silver screen in Summer 2020

Broadway hit musical In The Heights comes to the silver screen in Summer 2020 Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical In The Heights has made it to Hollywood and we finally get the official trailer. Set in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood, the musical chronicles the lives of immigrants and the generations that follow them, including Usnavi played by Anthony Ramos. Usnavi owns the local bodega and dreams of winning big in the lottery and making it out of the barrio. The quintessential steamy New York summer brings complications for characters from all parts of the neighborhood, including a love interest for Usnavi in the form of Vanessa (Melissa Barrera). In The Heights dances into theaters Summer 2020.

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Editors Of OUT & The Advocate Announce Exits On Same Day

The editor-in-chief of The Advocate, Zach Stafford, and Out magazine, Phillip Picardi, have announced on the same day they are leaving their respective posts.

Stafford, who is also a co-host of Buzzfeed’s AM2DM morning talk show hasn’t made a statement about his departure. Both Out and The Advocate are owned by Pride Media. And speaking of Pride Media, the company’s interim CEO, Orlando Reece, is also heading for the exit. From NBC News:

Multiple sources with close knowledge of the departures said they were all due to the same reason: finances. Pride Media, which is part of California-based Oreva Capital, has been plagued by reports of unpaid invoices by freelance journalists.

Earlier this year, the National Writers’ Union announced a suit against Pride Media on behalf of 25 freelancers who were then allegedly owed over $40,000 for work that Pride Media published, but did not pay for. This suit and other efforts used the social media hashtag #OutOwes to draw attention to the issue.

LGBTQ journalist John Paul Brammer, who pens a regular column for Out, recently tweeted he’s currently due several months of pay from the company.

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Mayor Pete Goes Fanboy On Lizzo “I’m 100 Percent That…”

CBS This Morning hosted rising stars from both the political and music worlds as Democratic presidential hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Lizzo shared the green room this morning. Introducing the upcoming segments, host Gayle King turned to Buttigieg asking, “Mr. Mayor, what are three words that would best describe you?” Like a true fan, Mayor Pete replied, “‘Standing near Lizzo’ right now.” Responding to the same question, Lizzo – dressed in her diva best – answered, “Glamorous, talented, and booty-ful.” In a clear reference to Lizzo’s big hit “Truth Hurts,” King turned to Mayor Pete asking if he “had any DNA tests recently?” Fans of luscious Lizzo know the lyric, “I just took a DNA test / Turns out I’m 100 percent that bitch.” Showing he’s a Lizzo fan, Buttigieg didn’t miss a beat answering, “Yes, and I’m 100 percent (short pause) that nominee to lead the way to the future!” These are heady times for both Lizzo and Buttigieg. On top of her 8 Grammy Award nominations including Record of the Year and Song of the Year (“Truth Hurts”), the body-positive singer was just named TIME Magazine’s ‘Entertainer of the Year.’ And recent polls show Buttigieg surging to the front of the pack in the upcoming Democratic contests in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

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New Hampshire Poll Shows Buttigieg & Biden In Statistical Tie

L-R Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg
A new poll from WBUR in second-to-vote New Hampshire shows Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden in a statistical tie. From The Hill:

When asked who’d they vote for if New Hampshire’s Democratic primary was today, 18 percent of likely Democratic voters said Buttigieg, while 17 percent said Biden.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) received 15 percent of the vote and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) received 12 percent. No other candidate was in double digits, though 12 percent said either that they didn’t know or refused to answer the question

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Sore Loser: Trump Criticizes 16-Year-Old Named TIME’s Person Of The Year

Donald Trump criticized a 16-year-old girl on Twitter after she was named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year

Donald Trump criticized a 16-year-old girl on Twitter after she was named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year
L-R Greta Thunberg, Donald Trump
Following the announcement of climate change activist Greta Thunberg being named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year, Donald Trump (who highly covets the TIME honor) criticized the 16-year-old on Twitter. From CNN:

President Donald Trump on Thursday again publicly mocked teen climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg, tweeting that the 16-year-old Swede who has inspired protesters worldwide has “anger management” issues.

Thunberg, who was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year earlier this week over Trump, has sternly castigated world leaders for not doing enough to combat the climate crisis, and memorably stared down Trump at the UN General Assembly in September. She has been open about her diagnosis of Asperger’s, calling it a “superpower” that helps her activism.

“So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!” Trump wrote Thursday morning, responding to a tweet congratulating Thunberg on being named Person of the Year.

Asperger’s is a challenge for any teenager. Being mocked by the president of the US is next level cruelty. Greta responded by rewriting her bio for Twitter:

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News Round-Up: December 11, 2019

Josh Rimer, left, with his fiancée Heath
Some news items you might have missed: • Gay Cities: A gay Canadian man was denied the chance to have his wedding at a Sheraton hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, because the staff did not want to host a ceremony with two men. Marriott International later apologized saying, “We will focus not only on getting it right for our guest, but also take a closer look at policies and training at the property level, doing all we can to prevent hurtful experiences like this from happening again.” • Washington Blade: The U.S. Senate approved on Tuesday an openly gay federal prosecutor named by President Trump for a seat on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, making him the highest-ranking openly gay federal judge in the country. • Gaily Grind: The runner who slapped a TV reporter’s behind during a live broadcast of a race on Saturday has been identified by online sleuths as a local youth minister and Boy Scout leader, according to multiple news outlets.

• Axios: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told CNN on Wednesday that he’s “very much torn” on voting to convict President Trump in a Senate impeachment trial. • NY Times: I can’t explain it, but I’m over the moon that after 37 years Vanna White is hosting Wheel of Fortune for a few weeks (in a glass ceiling breaking moment) while Pat Sajak recovers from emergency surgery. • Stereogum: Every winter, Cyndi Lauper hosts her all-star Home For The Holiday benefit raising money for LGBTQ youth homelessness. Last night, Lauper headlined the 2019 edition of the show at the Novo for the event’s first year in Los Angeles. Lauper performed alongside people like Kesha, King Princess, Perry Farrell, Lily Tomlin, Belinda Carlisle, and the awesome Henry Rollins of Black Flag fame.

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Pronoun “They” Is The Word Of The Year & Haters Are Mad

The language gurus at Merriam-Webster have announced the personal pronoun “they” is their Word of the Year after the dictionary’s website, Merriam-Webster.com, experienced a 313 percent increase in searches for the word compared to 2018. As more and more people identify as nonbinary (neither exclusively male nor female), like Grammy Award winner Sam Smith sharing on social media their preferred pronouns were “they” and “them,” searches for the word would spike throughout the year. ABC News reports when Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) became emotional during a House committee hearing as she spoke about her gender-conforming child, another spike at the website occurred. And when trans nonbinary model Oslo Grace began garnering high profile attention on the fashion runways of the world, there was another surge in searches for the pronoun. “Pronouns are among the language’s most commonly used words, and like other common words (think ‘go,’ ‘do,’ and ‘have’) they tend to be mostly ignored by dictionary users,” said Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, in a statement. “But over the past year or so, as people have increasingly encountered the nonbinary use, we’ve seen searches for ‘they’ grow dramatically.” “In 2019, the increase in lookups for ‘they’ was so significant and sustained that it stood out from all the other top lookups when we went to analyze the data,” Brewster added. But a day after Merriam-Webster’s statement, hate group leader Mat Staver of the virulently anti-LGBTQ Liberty Counsel, fired off an angry message to his followers calling the announcement “a bizarre disgrace.” Staver wrote in an email that Merriam-Webster “fell in, lockstep, with the garish LGBT parade” by “bowing to deeply radical LGBT forces and pushing the LGBT agenda forward.” The lawyer, who has represented homophobes all over the country in an effort to defeat LGBTQ protections, then turned his raging missive into a money beg asking for a “most generous year-end gift now” to the Liberty Counsel so his ilk can continue defending “life, liberty and the family across America.” Making money from hate is what they do, folks…   (source: ABC News)

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Gay Bashing Victim Left With Severe Head Injuries

A gay man was brutally attacked on the streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, after kissing another man in a bar. Christopher Haughey’s injuries to his head were so severe from the beating five staples were required to close the wound to his head. The 31-year-old told Belfast Live he walked to the bus stop on Saturday afternoon after spending time in a nearby bar. When he arrived at the bus stop, he realized he had a long wait ahead of him, so he walked to the other side of a building to eat food he’d purchased. “I came back round the corner and I was attacked at the lights,” Haughey. “It was two people: They pushed me and then hit me with something over the head.” He told the police he believes his assailants attacked him because they saw him kissing another man in the bar. “There’s no other reason why it would have happened.” The police were called to the scene, and they transported him to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he was treated. But the assault left him shaken. “It’s embarrassing that it’s happened, it’s humiliating,” said Haughey. “It really knocks your confidence. It’s embarrassing to lift your hand to anybody.” The Police Service of Northern Ireland are investigating the incident, and are asking for help in identifying and locating the men. The authorities ask anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 0800 555 111. (source: Belfast Live)

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Schumer To Presidential Candidates: Impeachment Trial Comes First

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York (D)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a message to the five senators currently running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination – Sens. Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren – the impending impeachment trial of Donald Trump comes first. From CBS News:

President Trump’s trial could tie up senators on the Senate floor for the entire month of January, right before the first contest of the Democratic primary calendar scheduled in Iowa for Feb. 3. With the possibility of close votes on procedural questions such as what witnesses should be called to the Senate floor, Schumer says colleagues should make the trial their first priority, even if it might tread on their campaign plans. “This has to come first. This is one of the most solemn decisions that anyone has to make and I’ve told all members of my caucus that scheduling concerns are secondary to doing this the right way,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday.