Tag: HRC

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Human Rights Campaign To Honor Michael Sam At “Time To THRIVE” Conference

Today, HRC announced that out football player Michael Sam will be honored at HRC’s national Time to THRIVE conference in February.

Michael Sam shared this statement:

“I know first-hand what it’s like to live and come out in spaces where being LGBTQ isn’t accepted, much less celebrated,” Sam said. “So I understand the challenges that many of today’s LGBTQ youth are facing – from bullying to family rejection, even homelessness. These are heartbreaking problems that no child, no young person should have to face alone, and that people like teachers, counselors and social workers are uniquely positioned to help overcome.”

“I’m honored to be part of such an important conference, where the concerns of LGBTQ youth – particularly youth of color – are being elevated, and where the educators and professionals who serve them have a unique opportunity to learn how to better meet those needs,” he said. “I truly believe that events like Time to THRIVE can help create a better, more hopeful future for LGBTQ youth.”

The Time to THRIVE conference attracts hundreds of people who play crucial roles in the everyday lives of LGBTQ youth – from teachers, counselors, clergy, and coaches, to staff from youth development organizations including scouting and Boys and Girls Clubs.

More than 60 workshops on topics such as creating safe and inclusive schools, and supporting transgender and gender-expansive youth, are available to attendees.

(via press release)

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HRC To President Obama: Call Out Gambian President Over LGBT Crimes

“We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively.” — Gambian President Yahya Jammeh

In response to Gambia’s hideous treatment of gays and lesbians, the Human Rights Campaign calls on President Obama to restrict Gambian President Jammeh’s access to the United States and freeze his assets:

We know that President Jammeh has close connections to the United States. In fact, he owns a $3.5 million dollar home in Potomac, Maryland, and visits the US regularly. We also know that he cares about his international image and being part of the international community. So we believe that calling him out for his actions, and making it difficult for him to move around the world freely, might have an impact.

Therefore, HRC is calling on the U.S. government urgently to restrict entry to the U.S. for him and his associates, and to freeze any assets he may be holding here. It is essential that the U.S. deliver a strong message that human rights violators will not be welcome in the US, and that they must be held accountable for their crimes. Please join us in this action, and help protect LGBT Gambians. You can read and sign the petition here.

Read more at Human Rights Campaign.

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American Family Association’s Tim Wildmon Is Really, Really Mad

The American Family Association is uber-mad that the Human Rights Campaign is working towards equal rights for LGBT folks in the south.

Really, really, super mad.

And they really hate that they are being called out for the anti-gay rhetoric they dish out which can lead to gays, lesbians or transgender folks being bullied or harrassed or sometimes killed. Yes, killed.

Gasp – as if no one has ever heard of a gay person being assaulted in the name of religion.

Check what AFA President Tim Wildmon has to say below via press release:

“There is a war against the Bible in America and a war to marginalize the millions of Americans who believe the Bible,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “HRC is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside monies to undermine what Scripture teaches and to insult, denigrate and target those who hold to Scripture. For an organization that claims tolerance, HRC employs deceptive tactics and outright lies to attack those who respectfully disagree with them. This is hardly tolerance.”

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest homosexual activist organization, has begun running television ads in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. Named “Project One America,” the ad campaign is out to change the minds of individuals regarding the nature of homosexuality.

“AFA will not be fooled by this campaign to normalize homosexuality in the southern states,” Wildmon added. “And we hope others won’t be fooled either. The ads are deceptive and meant to mislead. It’s never OK to bully, harass or physically assault homosexual individuals. These ads tell outright lies claiming Bible-believers favor such hateful and violent practices. When you have to lie to make your case, it’s a clear indication your case is devoid of truth.”

(h/t JMG)

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President Bill Clinton Speaks at the 2014 Human Rights Campaign Gala

Last night, at the 2014 Human Rights Campaign Gala,  former President Bill Clinton spoke to a packed house of LGBT advocates and activists.

During the speech, Clinton addressed the 3,000 attendees – thanking them for the “poetry and prose” of LGBT activism that he said helped transform the country in regard to LGBT rights and acceptance.

From Politico:

The fired-up crowd attending the Human Rights Campaign’s national dinner at Washington D.C.’s cavernous convention center was particularly enthusiastic whenever he mentioned Hillary Clinton, a likely 2016 Democratic candidate.

The former president noted her support for gay rights during her time at State, when she said that “gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.”

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Brian Brown: “I Am An Extremist and I ‘Export Hate'”

Hate group leader Brian Brown of the ironically named National Organization for Marriage has penned an “essay” for the Washington Post in which he voices his disagreement with the Human Rights Campaign, who recently launched a new campaign which exposes some of the leaders of the anti-gay rights movement.

Part of that campaign that sheds light on Brown’s “export of hate” around the world.

Well, Brown is not very happy in this spotlight. He writes:

I readily and proudly plead guilty to the “crime” of not supporting that organization’s desire to redefine marriage. I have had the nerve to express that view not only here in America, but when invited to speak in other countries. Hence, in the distorted world of the campaign, I am an extremist and “export hate.”

[snip]

I am proud to have played some small role in this emerging global movement. One of the few things the Human Rights Campaign correctly notes is that I have spoken to conferences around the world.

However, these speeches focused not on “hate” or “division” but on the importance of individuals of different faiths, nationalities, cultures and political creeds uniting together in a shared defense of the truth of marriage and family. Working together with men and women dedicated to protecting the family is not the definition of hate, but love.

After all that high-minded hyperbole, Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod points out that Brown recently appeared at a Kremlin conference which concluded with a call for more nations to criminalize homosexuality.

So much for “the importance of individuals of different faiths, nationalities, cultures and political creeds.”

Sounds like hate to me. Read more about Brian Brown’s extremist work to undercut the rights of LGBT citizens around the world at the HRC’s “The Export of Hate.”

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President Bill Clinton Will Be Keynote Speaker at 18th Annual HRC National Dinner

HRC announced today that President Bill Clinton will deliver the keynote address at the 18th Annual HRC National Dinner to be held on Saturday, October 25, 2014, in Washington, DC.



“President Bill Clinton is a transformational leader for our nation and the world,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “His ability to build partnerships around the globe and harness the power of human potential is truly remarkable, and we are thrilled he will be returning as our keynote speaker for our national dinner.”

The dinner is sold out and expected to draw over 3,000 guests.

(via press release)

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Joe Manganiello Accepts the HRC 2014 Ally For Equality Award

Joe Manganiello accepts the 2014 HRC Ally For Equality Award

True Blood/Magic Mike star and longtime LGBT ally Joe Manganiello accepted the Human Rights Campaign 2014 Ally for Equality Award last weekend.

From Joe’s comments accepting the award:

You know I never set out to be an advocate, I’m simply a person who believes in equality for everyone. And I’m a person who believes in standing up for his friends.

And if I’m being completely honest, there’s a small part of me that felt weird about accepting an award just because I think that everyone should be treated the same – that each individual be allowed the basic human right to love whomever their heart wants to love without fear or hatred or prejudice.

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“Export of Hate” – Human Rights Campaign vs Brian Brown

Brian Brown, the president of the shadowy anti-LGBT group National Organization for Marriage, is being put on notice for his anti-LGBT advocacy worldwide.

From California to France, Brown has traveled the world spreading messages of homophobia and transphobia.

Learn more about Brown’s work here – http://www.HRC.org/ExportOfHate