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| Cynthia Nixon (L), Gov. Andrew Cuomo (R) |
Out New York gubernatorial candidate and award winning actress Cynthia Nixon is finding no love from prominent LGBTQ advocacy organizations when it comes to endorsements for her nascent campaign.
Both the Stonewall Democrats and the Human Rights Campaign have issued announcements throwing their support for incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo instead of the openly lesbian actress.
HRC proudly endorsed NY Gov Cuomo for re-election because he has been a champion for LGBTQ equality during his 7 years in office.He banned “conversion therapy” for kids, enacted protections for trans people & led the fight to win marriage equality in 2012. https://t.co/OBoMcSz7MI— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) April 16, 2018
In terms of the LGBTQ community, Cuomo believes his record on gay issues shows results not ‘rhetoric.’
“The governor is focused on results. We’ll leave the baseless election-year rhetoric to others,” said Cuomo spokesperson Abbey Collins. “With LGBTQ rights under attack from Trump, New Yorkers know they can count on Governor Cuomo to stand up and fight back.”
The Grammy/Tony/Emmy Award winning actress, however, points to what she says are lapses in the governor’s record including no ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the state. She also believes she did more heavy-lifting in the fight to bring marriage equality to New York state.
“Gov. Cuomo may have signed the bill, but Cynthia was fighting alongside other activists for the right to marry her now wife, Christine,” Nixon spokesperson Sarah Ford told Buzzfeed. “She understands the needs of the LGBTQ community as a wife and mother of a transgender son on a deeply personal level.”
Aside from the political posturing, though, the endorsements by HRC and Stonewall Dems raises an important question: should LGBTQ advocacy groups focus their support on candidates from the community? Or should experience carry the day?
Allen Roskoff, president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in New York, criticized the HRC’s endorsement of Cuomo saying, “The Human Rights Campaign has been more interested in their real estate, high salaries, and hobnobbing with middle-of-the-road Democrats — while, in many cases, thumbing their nose at labor and other civil rights groups.”
“Their endorsement is not based on what’s best for the community – it’s about what’s best for their brand,” he added.
But Marty Rouse, HRC’s national field director, told BuzzFeed his organization backed Cuomo because “we stand with elected leaders who stand with us.”
The most recent polling, from Siena University, shows the Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner trailing 31 points behind Cuomo 29% to his 60%. That same poll showed Cuomo’s favorability at 67% and Nixon’s at 29%.
The primary is scheduled for September 13.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time the HRC has been accused of ignoring LGBTQ candidates over straight, cisgender nominees.
One example – earlier this year, this writer interviewed openly lesbian, black, female state Sen. Patricia Spearman prior to the state primary for the 4th Congressional District of Nevada.
Even with years in the state legislature, having a BA in political science, a Doctor of Business Administration degree, a Masters in Divinity and being a 29 year veteran of the U.S. Army where she achieved the rank of Lt. Colonel, she says the Human Rights Campaign never called her to even inquire about how they could help her campaign.
Instead, the HRC backed former congressman Steven Horsford, a straight, cisgender male, who won the Democratic nomination.
Some political folks have chimed in on the subject saying the Trump administration is an example of what can happen when ‘celebrities’ with no prior experience in public service take office.
What do you think, readers?
Should our advocacy groups focus on backing candidates from the community who step up?
Or should experience count more?
Study Of 12,000 LGBTQ Teens Shows Only 26% Feel Safe In Classrooms
After interviewing over 12,000 LGBTQ teenagers, the HRC Foundation and the University of Connecticut has released the largest-of-its-kind survey detailing the anxiety and challenges so many of them face going regarding their daily lives at home, at school and in their communities.
With teens ranging in age from 13 to 17, and from all 50 states and Washington D.C., the survey reveals teenagers are not only experiencing stressful levels of apprehension and angst, but only a small minority (26%) feel unsafe in their own school classrooms.
The researchers found that:
• 79% of LGBTQ teenagers surveyed report feeling depressed or down over the past week
• 95% of LGBTQ youth report trouble sleeping at night
• LGBTQ youth of color and transgender teenagers experience unique challenges and elevated stress — only 11% of youth of color surveyed believe their racial or ethnic group is regarded positively in the U.S., and over 50% of trans and gender expansive youth said they can never use school restrooms that align with their gender identity
• More than 70% report feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness in the past week
• A scant 5% say all of their teachers and school staff are supportive of LGBTQ people
• 76% report that they’ve heard family members make negative comments about LGBTQ people
To protest the harmful effects the Trump/Pence administration is having on young LGBTQs, artist Robin Bell and HRC projected a message on the U.S. Department of Education building (above).
The projection read, “Betsy DeVos, How do you sleep at night when only 26% of LGBTQ youth always feels safe in class?”
You can read the full survey from HRC and the University of Connecticut here.
Just In Time For Mother’s Day – HRC Announces “Moms For Equality”
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| Oscar winner Sally Field with son Sam |
With LGBTQ youth still facing inordinately high rates of bullying, anxiety and depression today, no one is a more relentless protector than a mom.
So just in time for Mother’s Day, the Human Rights Campaign has announced a new “Moms for Equality” campaign featuring mothers of famous LGBTQs urging their fellow parents and allies to join the fight for equality.
Kelly Rippon, Sally Field, Betty DeGeneres, Jodie Patterson and more share tributes and truth in the new campaign, chronicling their journeys to becoming fierce advocates of LGBTQ people.
“Everyone, LGBTQ or otherwise, should get to live as freely as Adam does –– and, as one of HRC’s Moms for Equality, I’m committed to making that happen,” says Kelly Rippon, mother of out Olympic bronze medalist (and “America’s sweetheart”) Adam Rippon.
“This whole campaign has become such a family affair. All of us are in this fight for LGBTQ equality for Adam, of course, but also for all those young people like him who haven’t had an easy time openly being themselves,” added Rippon. “They need allies to support them, now more than ever!”
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| (image via HRC) |
“At 20, Sam came out proudly as a gay man: to us and to a world where some still hate you just for being different. Ten years later and that hate seems to have only gotten stronger,” says Oscar winner Sally Field writes in a touching tribute for the “Moms for Equality” campaign. “But with you, we can help stop hate in its tracks.”
“It’s on us to change the world for these kids and make it a better place. Just like my Ellen did 21 years ago and continues to do to this day,” says Betty DeGeneres, mother of Ellen DeGeneres. “I’m a proud Mom for Equality and a longtime member of HRC.”
Jodie Patterson, recently named one of “The 20 Most Influential Moms of 2018” by Family Circle magazine, shares, “As a mom, I’ve always wanted to fix things. But, as I soon realized, there wasn’t anything about Penelope that needed fixing. He, like every transgender child, was simply announcing to me and to the world how he truly saw himself.
“He was boldly claiming his identity,” said Patterson. “I joined the fight for transgender equality that very day and I’m here, seven years later, to keep that fight going as one of HRC’s Moms for Equality!”
Limited edition “Fight Like A Mother” t-shirts are available to those who join the campaign through Mother’s Day.
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| Out Olympian Adam Rippon with his mom, Kelly Rippon |
HRC To Honor Adam Rippon With 2018 Visibility Award
Today the Human Rights Campaign announced this year’s Visibility Award with honor out gay Olympian Adam Rippon at the 2018 HRC Los Angeles Dinner this Saturday, March 10, 2018.
“One word best describes Adam Rippon — fierce,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “By being out and proud, Adam is bringing LGBTQ visibility to a whole new level while capturing the hearts of millions around the world with his incredible talent and personality. He isn’t afraid to use his global platform to speak out for equality, and we are proud to honor him with the HRC Visibility Award at the 2018 HRC Los Angeles Dinner.”
Adam Rippon made history as the first openly gay U.S. American male figure skater to compete in the Olympic games. Rippon publicly sparred with Mike Pence in the press and on social media, bringing a new focus on Pence’s long anti-LGBTQ record. Rippon publicly voiced his concern over Pence leading the diverse U.S. delegation to the Olympics.
In an exclusive interview with HRC, Rippon said, “At first, I had a few hesitations to come out, because I was afraid of repercussions that it might have. But at the end of the day, I felt like it was important, and it was an opportunity to shine a light on a subject that was bigger than me. I know when I was coming out I drew strength from learning about other people’s stories and hopefully my story will do the same for others.”
The HRC Los Angeles Dinner brings together more than 1,000 of HRC’s most active members and supporters in the greater Los Angeles area to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ equality.
Fellow out Olympian Gus Kenworthy will also be in attendance. Kenworthy was honored by the HRC with the same award last year.
Podcast: America’s 1st Out Winter Olympian, Possible Once-A-Week HIV Pill On The Horizon, Bette Midler Says “So Long” To Hello, Dolly!
In this week’s Randy Report podcast:
• America has it’s first openly gay Winter Olympian – figure skater Adam Rippon
• The Human Rights Campaign released its annual report ranking state LGBT rights and protections
• A possible once a week pill for HIV patients looks promising in testing studies
• A Wisconsin school district is dropping its challenge to a transgender student’s lawsuit for bathroom privileges
• Woofy out Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy stars in a new Head & Shoulders commercial touting all kinds of pride
• Bette Midler says “So long, dearie” to Hello, Dolly! on Broadway
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
How Does Your State Rate In Terms Of Statewide Laws For LGBTQ People?
I’m happy to see the three states (New York, California, Nevada) I’ve lived in during my adult life are all three in the top category.
From the Human Rights Campaign:
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and the Equality Federation Institute released their annual State Equality Index (SEI), a comprehensive state-by-state report detailing statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ people and their families and placing states in one of four categories based on their pro- and anti-LGBTQ state laws.
The SEI assesses statewide LGBTQ-related legislation and policies in the areas of parenting laws and policies, relationship recognition and religious refusal laws, non-discrimination laws and policies, hate crime laws, youth-related laws and policies and health and safety laws and policies. Based on that review, the SEI assigns states to one of four distinct categories:
• Thirteen states and the District of Columbia are in the highest-rated category, “Working Toward Innovative Equality”: California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington
• Five states are in the category “Solidifying Equality”: Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico
• Five states are in the category “Building Equality”: Hawaii, Indiana, New Hampshire, Utah, Wisconsin
• Twenty-Seven states are in the lowest-rated category “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality”: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming
Additionally, HRC polling data collected by Hart Research Associates shows:
• 58% support laws that would prevent discrimination against LGBTQ people in the workplace
• 58% support laws that would prevent discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing
• 38% of voters incorrectly believe there are federal laws that protect LGBTQ people regarding employment, housing and access to government benefits.
HRC & West Elm Team Up For #GivingTuesday “Love Is Love” Collection
The Human Rights Campaign has teamed up with West Elm to launch a special “Love is Love” collection on Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.
The “Love is Love” collection includes a trinket dish, candle, dinnerware, ornament and mug.
More from the Human Rights Campaign:
Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.
To honor the day, West Elm is committing 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of items in its “Love is Love” line, available online and in stores, including the popular “Love is Love” mug, to HRC’s work protecting historic gains the LGBTQ community has made in recent years, fighting discriminatory laws and practices, and mobilizing members and supporters to advance equality.
For more than a year, half of the proceeds from the sale of the unique mug at West Elm and the rest of the Williams-Sonoma family of brands, as well as other “Love is Love” items, have helped HRC continue its increasingly essential work.
The mug, candle, trinket dish and dinnerware are patterned with multi-colored tiny hearts, while the ornament is filled with multi-colored hearts. On all of the products, the statement “Love is Love” is featured prominently. The “Love Is Love” mug is also available online at the HRC store, with proceeds benefitting the organizations and its work fighting discriminatory laws and practices, and mobilizing members and supporters to advance equality.
Hillary Clinton At The Human Rights Campaign National Dinner 2017
What can I say? Hillary Clinton addressed the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner in Washington, D.C. last night.
Via Politico:
Clinton took aim at the White House’s efforts to roll back the Affordable Care Act and ban transgender service members, as well as its silence on international LGBT issues, during her remarks at the national dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT rights organization.
…”You know and [Trump] knows that transgender people have fought and died for this country,” Clinton said, adding that it was “insulting and wrong” for his administration to suggest transgender troops are unfit to serve.
Trump’s Justice Department has also argued in court that LGBT people are not protected from discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, reversing a legal position trumpeted by the Obama administration. It also voted against a United Nations resolution that condemned use of the death penalty against those who engage in consensual same-sex relationships.
“We cannot rely on this administration or the Supreme Court to uphold LGBT rights,” Clinton said. “We need to be agitating to pass the Equality Act,” she added, referring to proposed legislation that would make housing and workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity illegal.
Clinton touched on many other topics, including the upcoming anti-gay Colorado baker lawsuit coming to SCOTUS: “It is just wrong that in 2017 you can lose your job, lose your home, or, if this administration gets its way, be denied a wedding cake simply because of who you are or who you love,” she said.
There’s much more, but really, hit the play button below.
Please watch. Please. #ShesWithUs
AT&T Announces Winners Of “Live Proud On Campus” Scholarship Contest
In August, I wrote about AT&T’s first-ever Live Proud on Campus scholarship contest.
The contest called on college students 18+ to submit a video pitch for an LGBT-supportive project they’d like to see at their schools.
The public voted on 15 semi-finalist videos, narrowing the field down to 6 finalists, and the Human Rights Campaign chose the 3 grand prize winners. To watch their submission video click on the hyperlinks.
• Amy Kelley (University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania)
• Leyth Swidan (Columbia University in New York)
• Ryan Wells (Elon University in North Carolina)
The winning projects support the LGBT community and focus on LGBT equality, visibility and/or acceptance on college campuses.
Each of the winning students will receive a $10,000 scholarship, $2,500 in funding to execute their campus project, a semester-long mentorship experience with HRC to help develop their projects, and more.
Additionally, the winners will also be flown to Washington, D.C. to attend the HRC National Dinner on Oct. 28.
But wait – there’s more! AT&T is will also contribute $25,000 to the Human Rights Campaign to support their continued efforts to uplift the LGBT community.
Big thanks to AT&T for the awesome support.