LGBTQ news and entertainment
The CEO of Salesforce, Marc Benioff, tweeted the below gorgeous clip in thanks for the veto of Georgia’s anti-LGBT bill.
Set to audio of Harvey Milk’s famous “you gotta give ’em hope” speech, images of diversity across the country fill the screen.
Thanks to Benioff and Salesforce for recognizing the value of dignity for all Americans.
Some news stories you may have missed:
• Don’t be sad Ben Affleck, with a $170 million opening weekend, Batman v. Superman won’t become the next Gigli.
• The Atlanta man who threw boiling water on two sleeping gay men has been indicted and could face 80 years in prison.
• Speaking of Georgia, after the state’s governor announced he will be vetoing the anti-LGBT bill House Bill 757, state Republicans are already calling for an override vote of Gov. Deal’s veto. We saw that coming, didn’t we?
• Gwen Stefani, who’s new album just debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, says she would “be blessed” to have a gay son.
• New York City Mayor De Blasio has instituted a “non-essential” ban on city employee travel to North Carolina due to the anti-LGBT H.B. 2 recently passed. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has done the same. Good going, North Carolina!
Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia held a press conference this morning to announce he will veto the so-called “religious liberty” bill HB 757.
The anti-LGBT legislation would have allowed faith-based organizations to deny services, educational, chariable, social or otherwise to people who, in the view of the organiztion, violate the organization’s “sincerely held religious belief.
The legislation also allowed these organizations to fire employees whose “religious beliefs or practices or lack of either are not in accord with the faith-based organization’s sincerely held religious belief.”
Major organizations that spoke out against the legislation include Apple, the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Hawks, Dell, Disney, the Dow Chemical Company, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Hilton, Intel, Intercontinental Hotels, Live Nation Entertainment, Marriott, Marvel, MailChimp, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Microsoft, the NFL, Paypal, Salesforce, Square, Time Warner, Turner, Twitter, Tyler Perry Studios, Unilever, The Weinstein Company, Virgin, and Yelp.
And more – AMC, Viacom, Starz, 21st Century Fox, Lionsgate, Netflix, CBS, Sony, Comcast, and MGM. The list of corporations concerned about losing business over hateful legislation was very long indeed.
Factoring into Deal’s decision to veto had to be the news that Chris Riley, chief of staff for the governor, emailed this to Spiro Amburn, top aide to House Speaker David Ralston:
“We received official notification this morning that Georgia was dropped from contention from two pending economic projects we had been working at gdec prior to any decision being made on the bill,” Riley wrote, referring to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “Both projects cited Hb 757 as why they were removing Georgia from consideration.”
The bill was bad. As we’ve seen across the country, these bills do more to divide Americans than bring us together.
Good for Gov. Deal and good for Georgia.
#Forward.
Update – LGBT organizations respond:
Lambda Legal:
Today we feel very fortunate that LGBT people and people with living with HIV were spared the terrible consequences of HB 757. We applaud today’s veto by Governor Deal and thank him for his willingness to listen to the voices explaining the damage this bill could have caused.
In the end, Governor Deal did not allow hate and fear-mongering to dictate state policy; instead he chose to act reasonably and with compassion and demonstrated that equality is a Georgia value. He listened to the business community, hundreds of ministers, and tens of thousands of Georgians who opposed the bill. Freedom of religion does not give any of us permission to discriminate against others.
HB 757 would have allowed anyone to use religion to treat LGBT people, and others, unfairly and to ignore anti-discrimination policies. As is always the case when discriminatory laws target LGBT people and people living with HIV Lambda Legal is poised to defend the rights of our community.
Human Rights Campaign:
“Our message to Governor Nathan Deal was loud and clear: this deplorable legislation was bad for his constituents, bad for business, and bad for Georgia’s future,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Today, Governor Deal heard the voices of Georgians, civil rights organizations, as well as the many leaders in the entertainment industry and private sector who condemned this attack on the fundamental rights of LGBT people, and he has set an example for other elected officials to follow. Discrimination and intolerance have no place in the United States of America, and we hope North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and the North Carolina General Assembly are paying close attention to what has transpired in Georgia. They must undo their disgraceful attack on LGBT people in the state’s upcoming legislative session.”
The Human Rights Campaign has sent a letter on behalf of dozens of entertainment industry leaders who will abandon production in the state of Georgia should Gov. Nathan Deal sign the anti-LGBT H.B. 757 into law.
HB 757 would undermine local non-discrimination ordinances that protect LGBT people, permit hospitals to refuse to provide medically necessary care, or even allow a taxpayer-funded service provider to discriminate by denying a job because of the applicant’s religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Here is the text of the letter in full.
“Dear Governor Deal,
As leaders in the entertainment industry, we have deep concerns about H.B. 757, which would sanction discrimination against LGBT people and others in Georgia.
As you know, Atlanta is often referred to as the Hollywood of the South. During the last fiscal year, at least 248 films and television productions were shot in Georgia, adding at least $1.7 billion in direct spending to the state’s economy. Additionally, the entertainment industry helped to bring more than 100 businesses to Georgia through relocation or expansion in the past fiscal year. Only two states — California and New York — have a larger entertainment industry footprint and both have statewide non-discrimination protections on the books. Unfortunately, Georgia not only lacks such protections, but could soon move from a bad situation to worse with H.B. 757.
We pride ourselves on running inclusive companies, and while we have enjoyed a positive partnership on productions in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere if any legislation sanctioning discrimination is signed into state law.
We urge you to veto H.B. 757 and send a strong message that Georgia will not tolerate discrimination against citizens, employees and visitors to the state.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this urgent issue.”
Ali Adler, Writer and Producer
Greg Berlanti, Writer and Producer
Matt Bomer, Actor & Simon Halls, Publicist
Dustin Lance Black, Screenwriter and Filmmaker
Bradley Bredeweg, Executive Producer and Showrunner
Kristin Chenoweth, Actress and Singer
Diablo Cody, Writer, Producer and Director
Bruce Cohen, Producer
Lee Daniels, Producer and Director
Dana Fox, Writer and Producer
John Goldwyn, Producer
James Gunn, Writer and Director
Anne Hathaway, Actress
Alan Hergott, Entertainment Attorney
Nina Jacobson, Producer
Dan Jinks, Producer
Kathy Kennedy, Producer
Zoe Kravitz, Actress
Bryan Lourd, Talent Agent
Seth MacFarlane, Producer and Filmmaker
Laurence Mark, Producer
Frank Marshall, Producer and Director
Neil Meron, Producer
Julianne Moore, Actress
Ryan Murphy, Producer
Peter Paige, Executive Producer and Showrunner
Rob Reiner, Actor, Director and Producer
Sarah Schechter, Producer
Adam Shankman, Director and Producer
Aaron Sorkin, Screenwriter and Producer
Marisa Tomei, Actress
Gus Van Sant, Producer and Director
Harvey Weinstein, Producer and Film Studio Executive
Craig Zadan, Producer and Director
(via press release)
As Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal comtemplates whether or not to sign into law a divisive bill which formally legalizes anti-gay discrimination, major businesses like Viacom and Disney are saying they will take their businesses elsewhere should the legislation become law.
Additionally, the NFL has categorically told Georgia the law will deeply affect the state’s chances to host the 2019 or 2020 Super Bowls.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Disney and its Marvel Studios film unit will not shoot future movies in Georgia if a controversial bill that critics contend would legalize anti-gay discrimination is signed by that state’s governor. Viacom as well as the AMC Networks, which films The Walking Dead in the state, has called on Gov. Nathan Deal to veto the legislation.
“Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law,” a company spokesman said Wednesday.
Marvel has filmed such movies as Ant-Man and the upcoming Captain America: Civil War and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in Atlanta, taking advantage of Georgia’s attractive tax incentives. While Disney’s statement specifically mentioned Marvel, other Disney units like ABC Studios and Disney Studios would also take part in the boycott.
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| NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell |
As Georgia’s newly passed House Bill 757 – the so-called ‘Religious Freedom’ legislation – heads to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk for signature or veto, big businesses are weighing in and they don’t like what they see.
While pretending to protect religious freedoms, what HB757 actually does is legalize discrimination against LGBTs.
Now, the NFL has sent a non-too-subtle message to Gov. Deal – veto the hate or lose the Super Bowl.
From Outsports:
“NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard. Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites.”
Atlanta is one of the four finalists to host the Super Bowl in 2019 and 2020. The Atlanta Falcons have been embroiled in a controversy of their own this month after reports of coaches asking prospective players if they are gay.
Meanwhile, Falcons owner Arthur Blank has publicly opposed the bill:
“One of my bedrock values is ‘Include Everyone’ and it’s a principle we embrace and strive to live each and every day with my family and our associates, a vast majority of which live and work in Georgia. I strongly believe a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Georgia is critical to our citizens and the millions of visitors coming to enjoy all that our great state has to offer. House Bill 757 undermines these principles and would have long-lasting negative impact on our state and the people of Georgia.”
It wouldn’t be the first time the NFL moved a Super Bowl over perceived discrimination. In 1992, the League moved the Super Bowl from Arizona to Los Angeles when the state refused to recognize Martin Luther King Day.
After incorrectly dismissing the crowd at a graduation ceremony before the valedictorian’s speech, Principal Nancy Gordeuk, founder and principal of TNT Academy in Stone Mountain, Ga., stunned those in attendance by saying, “Look who’s leaving, all the black people.”
The comments, captured on cellphone video, sparked immediate outrage at the ceremony, as dozens of students and parents erupted, leaving in protest. The footage quickly circulated on social media, with some calling for Gordeuk’s resignation.
“A terrible mistake on my part of the graduation ceremony on Friday night,” Gordeuk wrote in an email to parents published by WXIA-TV. “The devil was in the house and came out from my mouth. I deeply apologize for my racist comment and hope that forgiveness [is] in your hearts. We all make mistakes and anyone who knows me realizes that I try my hardest to work with the students for them to obtain their goal of a high school diploma.”
Yo….wow pic.twitter.com/4ISp9ecl0U
— Henn Griffey Jr. (@IAMKRIS24) May 9, 2015
Robert Lee, the pastor of Ten Commandments Church in Milledgeville, Ga., recently changed the sign outside his church to read, “Homosexuality is a death worthy crime.”
Lee would seem to be calling for the death of homosexuals.
From Talking Points Memo:
“Homosexuality is an abomination, and the Bible says that homosexuality is a death worthy crime,” Lee told WGXA.
The sign references Leviticus 20:13, which reads, “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
Lee told WGXA that he hoped his sign would have an impact and said he would oppose a Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage.
“The institution of marriage was instituted by God and it should not be changed by people who deserve not to live,” he said.
The Georgia lawmakers closed their legislative session without passing a controversial “religious freedom” bill. Similar legislation has held the nation’s attention this past week thanks to bills in Indiana and Arkansas.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Gov. Nathan Deal, who has repeatedly said he would support legislation that mirrored the 1993 law, signaled the debate has become too toxic. He said in an interview that supporters ensure that anti-discrimination language is in the measure next year if they want to earn his signature.
“That’s the most important thing. And that is a delicate thing to do,” he said. “There’s been so much hyperbole. It’s hard to identify what can you say without saying too much, what can you say without saying too little, and what will people read into either version that you like.”
A version of the legislation was swiftly approved by Senate lawmakers, but it was tabled in the House after three Republicans joined with Democrats to add an anti-discrimination amendment. And the uproar over similar bills in Arkansas and Indiana, along with growing pushback from iconic Georgia businesses, seemed to seal its fate.
CNN’s Gary Tuchman interviewed several florists in rural Georgia and asked if they would provide certain services to gay people.
All five said “no” based on their deeply held religious beliefs. Clearly, they follow every word of the Bible, right?
Well, maybe not all of them.
It turns out being an adulterer doesn’t disqualify you from being served by Melissa Jeffcoat.
Check out this excerpt from the segment:
Tuchman: … In the Ten Commandments, it says you can’t commit adultery…
Jeffcoat: Right.
Tuchman: It says you need to honor your father and mother.
Jeffcoat: Mhmm.
Tuchman: If someone didn’t honor their parents or committed adultery, would you serve them?
Jeffcoat: Yes.
Tuchman: Well, why would you serve them but not serve someone who is gay?
Jeffcoat: It’s just a different kind of sin to me and I just don’t believe in it.
So, when the conservative nuts tell you it has nothing to do with the gays and just their “deeply held religious beliefs,” remember that some sins are just “different.” #Hypocrisy