Tag: LGBT

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Erick Erickson Calls Atlanta LGBT Activists “Terrorists”

Erick Erickson of RedState, writing on his personal blog, compared LGBT activists in Atlanta who brought attention to a fire chief who distributed his anti-gay book to employees to the terrorists who killed 12 in Paris today.

From Media Matters:

On January 6, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed dismantled conservatives’ claims that Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired over a book that he wrote which contains anti-gay remarks, explaining that Cochran’s lack of judgment in distributing the book to his employees, and not following instructions regarding his month-long suspension over publishing the book without notice to the city, is what led to his termination.

On January 7, hours after a horrific terrorist attack against staffers of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris that left 12 people dead, Erickson wrote a blog post that likened the LGBT community to terrorists for objecting to the former Atlanta fire chief’s book, and stated that “the terrorists won.”

Erick Erickson wrote this on his site:

A publisher published something that offended. It mocked, it offended, and it showed the fallacy of a religion. It angered.

So the terrorists decided they needed to publicly destroy and ruin the publisher in a way that would not only make that destruction a public spectacle, but do it so spectacularly that others would think twice before publishing or saying anything similar.

The terrorist wants to sow fear. The destruction of an individual is not just meant to be a tool of vengeance, but a tool of instruction. It shows others what will happen to them if they dare do the same. It is generates self-regulating peer pressure. Others, fearing the fall out, will being to self-police and self-regulate. They will silence others on behalf of the terrorists. Out of fear, they will drive the ideas from the public square and society will make them off limits.

[snip]

So when a publisher published something that mocked and offended a group prone to offense at such things, something had to happen.

The terrorists did what had to be done to publicly destroy and ruin the offender.

So they demanded the Mayor of Atlanta fire the Chief of the Fire Department for daring to write that his first duty was to “glory God” and that any sex outside of heterosexual marriage was a sin.

And the terrorists won in Atlanta.

UPDATE: Erickson read his “op-ed” on his radio show today. You can him read the piece at the 3:00 mark below. He prefaces the reading saying he knows he’ll offend people.  At least he got that part right.

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Amazing Night In Florida As Same-Sex Marriage Begins

What a gorgeous night for marriage in Florida last evening as marriage equality finally came to the Sunshine State.

Lots of joy being shared by Equality Florida on Twitter, here’s just a few. Plus, a video from the first ceremonies to take place in Broward County compiled by the Miami Herald.

Big props to Joe Jervis for following the celebrations over JoeMyGod.

Midnight mass marriage ceremony in Palm Beach County
Via Twitter. Click to enlarge.

First same-sex marriages begin in Central Florida
Via Twitter.

And then there was the midnight wedding of Aaron Huntsman & William Lee Jones, who were the plaintiffs in the Monroe County/Key West lawsuit.

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Same-Sex Marriage Begins In Scotland!

Check out Joe and Malx, who were the very first gay couple to marry in Scotland last night at the stroke of midnight. Congratulations Scotland!

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Ohio: 17 Year Old Transgender Teenager Commits Suicide, Leaves Heartbreaking Suicide Note

Very sad to read the story of Leelah Alcorn, a 17 year old transgender teenager who committed suicide this past Sunday morning by walking in front of a tractor trailer on the highway.

Leelah struggled with her parents reaction to her coming to the realization that she was trans.

From her suicide note which appeared on her Tumblr account hours after she died:

If you are reading this, it means that I have committed suicide and obviously failed to delete this post from my queue.

Please don’t be sad, it’s for the better. The life I would’ve lived isn’t worth living in… because I’m transgender. I could go into detail explaining why I feel that way, but this note is probably going to be lengthy enough as it is. To put it simply, I feel like a girl trapped in a boy’s body, and I’ve felt that way ever since I was 4. I never knew there was a word for that feeling, nor was it possible for a boy to become a girl, so I never told anyone and I just continued to do traditionally “boyish” things to try to fit in.

When I was 14, I learned what transgender meant and cried of happiness. After 10 years of confusion I finally understood who I was. I immediately told my mom, and she reacted extremely negatively, telling me that it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl, that God doesn’t make mistakes, that I am wrong. If you are reading this, parents, please don’t tell this to your kids. Even if you are Christian or are against transgender people don’t ever say that to someone, especially your kid. That won’t do anything but make them hate them self. That’s exactly what it did to me.

[snip]

My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say “that’s fucked up” and fix it. Fix society. Please.

Goodbye,

(Leelah) Josh Alcorn

In a follow-up post, Leelah apologized to friends and family but had this to say her parents:

Mom and Dad: Fuck you. You can’t just control other people like that. That’s messed up.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression there are resources for help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

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Taco Bell – We Didn’t Make Gay Commercial, But We Sure Like It

Yesterday, I posted what seems to be a “commercial” for Taco Bell featuring an apparent gay couple cavorting around before work after having breakfast at the fast food establishment.

Questions abounded on the interwebs wondering if the ad was real.

Turns out it’s not, but Taco Bell is mighty impressed.

Via Gawker:

We didn’t create this ad, but we can see the people who did share the same Live Mas passion for our brand—and our breakfast—as we do. Although we cannot condone unauthorized use of our intellectual property, we are impressed with their work and would be open to meeting with them.

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Desperate Housewives’ Tuc Watkins vs Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Over the weekend, an “inner-tribe” debate began between Tuc Watkins (formerly of Desperate Housewives and Showtimes Beggars and Choosers) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (of Modern Family).

In a recent Facebook post, Tuc said he found it difficult to watch Modern Family because the gay couple (played by Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet) were too stereotyped: ‘It feels a little bit like the gay equivalent of “blackface.” It doesn’t feel “modern” at all.’

Tuc went on to say, ‘I’m sure I scrutinize their characters more than the others. Maybe I can’t see the forest for the trees. But there’s probably a kid stuffed into a high school locker answering to that stereotype who doesn’t think it’s very funny either. The writers on that show are some of the funniest writers on television today. Why spend their time promulgating stereotypes that polarize us?’

Ferguson issued a rebuttal of sorts in the form of an open letter to Watkins:

Sorry you feel that way Tuc. I know lots of guys who are just like Cam and lots of guys who are just like Mitch. We can’t be expected to represent every gay person. We can only represent these two people.

Also, Mitch is basically a version of me…so I never know how to take it when people say that he is stereotypical. And in defense of Cam, I still can’t figure out how a clown & football coach who also happens to be gay is a stereotype.

When all is said and done, it’s a family sitcom. I feel our writers do a fantastic job of servicing 11 characters each week in just 22 minutes.

I am incredibly proud to play Mitch and I have a lot of pride in our show. As a closeted kid of the 80′s I would have loved to have had a show like Modern Family to watch with my parents. It would have meant a lot to me to see who I secretly was reflected on television.

TV has come a long way and it continues to forge new ground. I am thrilled with the work that you did on Desperate Housewives. It opened the door for shows like ours and hopefully we can hold that door open for many more shows to follow us. At the end of the day we can’t please everyone..and we shouldn’t try to.

Kinda just like life, right?

Take care. Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

So, today, Watkins comes back with an apology of sorts. Kinda sorta.

Dear Jesse,

I’m glad to see that a FB post can stoke a fire that burns in the LGBT community, and supporters of our community.

Many doors have opened in gay people’s fight for equality. Civil rights, marriage rights, and depictions of us individually and collectively on television. Great strides have taken us from tolerance into acceptance and towards true equality.

Stereotypes still exist. They probably always will. And while the truth is usually somewhere in the middle, stereotypes polarize us. No news there. But while an explanation of a stereotype can make good, logical sense, it still leaves the stereotype intact.

I’m glad to have played gay characters, but at the same time have been frustrated by the stereotypes I feel I’ve been party to in playing those roles. I’ve begged wardrobe designers so I wouldn’t have to wear paisley shirts, directors to reconsider a “snap” at the end of a scene, and writers to remove “Hey, gurl!” from dialogue.

I did it because when I was growing up, trying to figure out where I fit it in, I couldn’t seem to locate a role model. The stereotypes I saw made me think, “Well, I don’t identify with that so I must not be gay.”

I can appreciate that one man’s roadblock may be another man’s role model. I feel like my growth was stunted, but understand that another person’s may have been bolstered. I believe that, as a community we want to make the path easier for those who come after us. I want that. I’m certain you do to.

Some audience members can laugh through a character, but it can also distance others. We each come to the fight with our own baggage…as well as our own weaponry. “Revolutionary times call for revolutionary means.” My comments were extreme, and my use of the word “blackface” inexcusable. I regret creating dissension among the ranks, especially when we’re all in this fight together.

I see your point. I hope you’ll consider mine.

Sincerely, Tuc

What do you think readers? Does the Modern Family couple of Cam and Mitch hurt or help the LGBT community more?

(via Gay Star News)

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International Olympic Committee Adds Sexual Orientation To Principle 6

From Buzzfeed: On Monday, the International Olympic Committee voted unanimously to add sexual orientation to the list of traits for which an athlete can not be discriminated against.

Recommendation 14 was to add sexual orientation to the 6th Fundamental Principle of Olympism, which currently reads:

“Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.”

The issue of LGB discrimination in the Olympics has been a hotly debated subject since the 2014 Sochi Olympics due to Russia’s many discriminatory laws.

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FBI Study Shows 20% Of Hate Crimes Due To Sexual Orientation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its annual Hate Crime Statistics report today which revealed that 20% of hate crimes in 2013 were due to bias based on sexual orientation.

Of the 1,402 hate crimes in 2013 based on sexual orientation, 60.6% were classified as anti-gay bias.
 
The total number of reported hate crimes in 2013 (5,928) was down slightly when compared to 2012 statistics which saw a reported 6,573 hate crimes.

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“Enter Miss Thang” wins two USA Best Book Awards

Big congrats are in order for Brian Edwards and his autobiography – Enter Miss Thang – which ends 2014 as one of the most honored LGBT non-fiction books of the year as the tome just won 2 USA Best Book Awards.

At the USA Best Book Awards announced this morning in Los Angeles, “Enter Miss Thang” received top honors for “Best Gay & Lesbian Non-Fiction” and (not surprisingly) “Best Humor.”

I wrote about the terrific read here when it was released in late 2013.

Openly gay Brian Edwards – talent executive, multi-award winning producer, writer and occasional performer – may have a lot of hyphenates to his job descriptions, but to friends such as Cindy Crawford and Vanessa Williams, he is known quite simply as “Miss Thang.”

Edwards released Enter Miss Thang late last year to great fanfare, and considering the pedigree, why not?  The late, great Joan Rivers wrote the foreword to the humorous & touching autobiography, and Crawford penned the introduction. Touching, funny, irreverent, and chock full of A-list celebs, I couldn’t put the book down.  I loved it.

A total of ten national and international awards have been added to Edwards’ mantle this year in various categories, in addition to dominating the field of LGBT Non-Fiction with wins at The International Book Awards, The Beverly Hills Book Awards and The National Indie Excellence Awards, where it was also named Best Autobiography of the Year.

Make sure you check it out on Amazon or any other major retailer.

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Egypt: Eight Men Sentenced To Three Years In Prison Due To One Minute Wedding Video

Although determined “not gay” via forensic inspection (think about that one), eight men in Egypt have been sentenced to three years in prison for “debauchery” in relation to a video depicting what authorities say represent a “gay wedding.”

From CNN:

By the big smiles, warm hugs and loud cries of ululation, the video seems to show a joyous celebration.

An Egyptian prosecutor looked at the same footage and saw something very different: a “satanic ceremony” with images that are “shameful, regrettable and anger God.”

However it is characterized, the event has landed eight men in jail for three years, an Egyptian court ruled Saturday. The men will face three years of probation upon their release, according to Egypt’s state-run Ahram Online.

It’s all because of a roughly 1-minute video set upon a Nile riverboat. It shows several well-dressed men, one of which pulls out a ring and slips it on another man’s finger. The two had a brief kiss, then hug — all as others on the boat cry out happily around them. There’s a cake with two men’s picture on it.

“May your night be filled with pomp and ceremony,” one man says.

The video went viral after posting online.

(h/t JMG)