Tag: LGBTQ ally

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Joe Biden: Passing The Equality Act Will Be Top Priority As President

Speaking at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Columbus, Ohio, former Vice President Joe Biden promised to make LGBTQ equality a priority.

Speaking at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Columbus, Ohio, former Vice President Joe Biden promised to make LGBTQ equality a priority.

In a wide-ranging speech, the 2020 presidential candidate called out the Trump administration as a “disaster for human rights,” pointing out many of its ongoing attacks on the rights and protections of LGBTQ Americans.

Biden also denounced current vice current Vice President Mike Pence for using religious freedom as a license to discriminate against LGBTQ folks.

“Just like with racial justice and women’s rights, we are seeing pushback against all the progress we’ve made toward equality,” said Biden as he discussed protections for transgender Americans. “It’s wrong and it is immoral what they’re doing.”

Biden announced during the half hour speech that signing the Equality Act would be his top legislative priority. “It will be the first thing I ask to be done,” Biden said.

In a lighthearted moment, Biden recalled announcing his support for marriage equality in 2012 before President Obama had done so.

Biden remembered many political pundits thinking, “I had just committed this gigantic blunder.” He also shared that he’d told the president if asked about same-sex marriage, “I was not going to be quiet.”

It’s a great speech – well worth the watching.

In advance of his HRC speech, Biden tweeted out his support for Pride Month:

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Dan Reynolds Uses Billboard Music Awards Speech To Call For Ending Conversion Therapy

Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons at 2019 Billboard Music Awards

During last night’s Billboard Music Awards telecast from Las Vegas, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds used the band’s acceptance speech time for winning Top Rock Artists to call for a nationwide ban on so-called conversion therapy.

“I just want to take this moment to say that there are still 34 states that don’t have laws banning conversion therapy,” said Reynolds backed by his band mates Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, and Daniel Platzman. “On top of that, 58 percent of our LGBTQ population live in those states. This can change, but it’s going to take all of us talking to our state legislature, pushing forward laws to protect our LGBTQ youth.”

“And lastly, we have seen with conversion therapy that our LGBTQ youth have double the rate of depression, triple the rate of suicide after conversion therapy,” he added. “It’s not working and needs to change.”

Major medical organizations like the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all denounced ‘conversion therapy’ which treats being gay as a mental illness.

Also known as ‘ex-gay therapy,’ the practice has been shown to lead to depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, anxiety and, in some cases, suicidal behavior.

Currently, 16 states plus Washington D.C. have banned the harmful practice on minors.

Reynolds, a longtime LGBTQ ally, has spent years standing up for the community. Growing up Mormon in Utah, he saw close friends struggle to resolve being gay with their families and faith.

Reynolds does a lot more than make speeches at award shows, though.

He teamed up with former Mormon rocker Tyler Glenn to create the annual music festival LOVELOUD which aims to raise money for LGBTQ charities and organizations like The Trevor Project and the Tegan and Sara Foundation.

He also helped produce the documentary Believer, which explores how the Mormon Church treats its LGBTQ members.

Last month, Reynolds took to Twitter calling for religious leaders to help stop the practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy.

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Charlize Theron Shares Her Eldest Child Is Trans

Academy Award winner Charlize Theron has shared in an interview with The Daily Mail that her eldest child, Jackson, is transgender.
Charlize Theron (image via Instagram)

Academy Award winner Charlize Theron has shared in an interview with The Daily Mail that her eldest child, Jackson, is transgender.

Theron adopted Jackson as a baby back in 2012. At the time, she believed the child was a boy.

“Yes, I thought she was a boy, too,” Theron tells the Daily Mail.“Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said: ‘I am not a boy!’”

“So there you go,” continued the South African actress. “I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive.”

It seems Jackson is very lucky to have a parent who can understand, adjust and continue with love.

“They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be, is not for me to decide,” she added. “My job as a parent is to celebrate them and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be.”

“And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that,” said the 43-year-old actress.

Being open and embracing of the LGBTQ community is nothing new for Theron.

Back in 2009, she announced on The View that she wouldn’t marry her then-boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, until marriage equality was the law of the land in the U.S.

And during an appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen asked her about playing a bisexual character in the film Atomic Blonde.

The response was perfect.

“It’s just so strange when we talk so much about it. It should be normalized by now,” she told Cohen. “It’s something I feel is not represented enough in cinema … I feel that when you make movies, if you’re going to hold that mirror up and reflect society, then you should reflect society.”

Folks in social media are applauding Theron’s announcement.

Transgender actress Jamie Clayton, of Netflix’s Sense8, tweeted, “@CharlizeAfrica Sending you so much love … Thank you beyond.”

And gender specialist Dr. Helen Webberley, of the online transgender medical clinic Gender GP, quoted Theron’s statement adding, “What a lucky little girl.”

Theron understands what parental love and acceptance means to children. She grew up with an abusive father who would reportedly beat her mother.

The domestic abuse continued until one day her mother had enough. One day, when Theron was 15-years-old, her father came home in a rage, carrying a gun and threatening to kill both mother and daughter.

Instead, Theron’s mother, Gerda, shot the father dead. The shooting was later ruled an act of self-defense.

So, Theron learned from a strong woman about standing up for her children and the truth.

“You can blame my mom for the fact I don’t know any better,” she shared with the Mail. “You know, I grew up in a country where people lived with half-truths and lies and whispers and nobody said anything outright, and I was raised very specifically not to be like that.”

“I was taught by my mom that you have to speak up,” she added. “You have to be able to know that, when this life is over, you’ll have lived the truth you’re comfortable with, and that nothing negative can come from that.”

What a lucky little girl, indeed.

(Source: Daily Mail)

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Hunky Taron Egerton Covers GQ Magazine UK

As Kingsman star Taron Egerton prepares for the release of his latest cinematic adventure - playing Elton John in the upcoming musical fantasy biopic Rocketman - the handsome actor makes an unexpected admission.
Taron Egerton (screen capture via YouTube)

As Kingsman star Taron Egerton prepares for the release of his latest cinematic adventure – playing Elton John in the upcoming musical fantasy biopic Rocketman – the handsome actor makes an unexpected admission.

“Without ever wishing to seem ungrateful for the Kingsmanthing,” he tells GQ UK’s Chris Mandle for this month’s cover story, “as much as I love the films, especially the first, I will always feel like something of an imposter in that world.”

Imposter? What you talking about, Taron?

“The ‘guy’, the ‘bro’, the ‘stunt guy’,” says the 29-year-old actor, highlighting the phrases with air quotes. “I’ve never been that guy. I’m just not. I’m the guy who was playing Seymour in Little Shop Of Horrors when he was 17.”

When Mandle points out that it’s all acting anyway, Egerton conceded – a bit.

“Maybe,” said the handsome actor. “But I always felt more at home in a gay club than at a football match, far more at home.”

(photo: Gavin Bond)

And speaking of “gay,” Egerton addresses the reports about a certain sex scene that was rumored to have been excised from the film, but then wasn’t.

“Well, the stuff we shot was pretty explicit,” Egerton shares. “I mean, that’s why I made the film. Those scenes are desperately -important when you have an icon of that magnitude, who means so much to one community.”

Calling Elton John “a standard bearer” for the LGBTQ community, Egerton felt it his responsibility to live up to that.

“For me, especially as a heterosexual actor, not to push the envelope as far as I can or try to make it a wholehearted celebration of being a gay man would be wrong,” he told GQ.

The Welsh actor has heard the stories about Bohemian Rhapsody being “straight-washed” for other countries where overt gay-isms don’t go over so well. He says banking box office bucks shouldn’t trump a film’s cinematic integrity.

“It’s a studio movie. It’s Elton John. We’ve got to own that. I don’t care how well the film does in Russia. It doesn’t matter. It can’t matter. What’s an extra $25 million at the box office? What are you willing to do for that? Sacrifice sleeping at night because you watered the whole thing down?”

What Egerton won’t ‘water down’ is the small amount of his life he shares on social media. Taron is going to be Taron.

Still somewhat new to Instagram, he posted a photo of a longtime friend last October, with the caption “Cutie. My boy.” Egerton learned how quickly people will read into a post and assume he was attempting to come out.

He clarified the situation in an interview, saying he’s straight, but shares the background of the post with GQ UK.

“I’ve known that guy since I was eleven,” he explained. “And he is a cutie. I call all my friend stuff like that. Anyone can tell you. [But] it doesn’t mean I want to f*ck any of them.”

In fact, Egerton isn’t all that fond of labels when it comes to how we view each other.

“I’m not someone who really subscribes to this binary view of male and female archetypes or ways of behaving,” he says. “And it’s only going to happen more and more. The lines are blurring. People are identifying and expressing themselves more fluidly. Our concept of what a straight man or gay man looks like or is expected to behave in 20 years will be nothing like it is now.”

Egerton’s GQ UK cover story (with gorgeous photography by Gavin Bond) is on newsstands now.

Rocketman hits theaters May 31.

(h/t GQ UK)

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Twitter Trolls Joe Biden For Calling Pence “Decent”

Former Vice President Joe Biden came under fire for calling current Vice President Mike Pence a ‘decent guy’ while speaking at the Chuck Hagel Forum in Global Leadership at the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Thursday.
Former Vice President Joe Biden (image via Flickr/KellyKline – CC license)

Former Vice President Joe Biden came under fire for calling current Vice President Mike Pence a ‘decent guy’ while speaking at the Chuck Hagel Forum in Global Leadership at the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Thursday.

The comment was especially stunning for those familiar with Pence’s lengthy history of anti-LGBTQ policies and positions.

The comment came as Biden brought up Pence’s recent speech at the Munich Security Conference last month. During the speech, Pence mentioned greetings from President Trump to the audience which was met with stark silence.

“The fact of the matter is it was followed on by a guy who’s a decent guy, our vice president, who stood before this group of allies and leaders and said, ‘I’m here on behalf of President Trump,’ and there was dead silence. Dead silence,” Biden told the Nebraska audience on Thursday.

Reid Epstein, political reporter for the Wall Street Journal, tweeted the comment:

Sex In The City star Cynthia Nixon called Biden out on Twitter, writing, “You’ve just called America’s most anti-LGBT elected leader ‘a decent guy.’ Please consider how this falls on the ears of our community.”

Biden responded to Nixon’s tweet less than an hour later admitting the misstep: “You’re right, Cynthia. I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn’t be given a silent reaction on the world stage. But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President.”

Biden’s comment got many in the Twitterverse upset:

But Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson points out even openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg has referred to Pence in positive terms:

Biden has a long history of being a staunch LGBTQ ally. He came out for marriage equality before his boss, Barack Obama did, and he was recently the speaker at the national Human Rights Campaign dinner.

From my perspective, I think the comment comes across as Biden just being affable in referring to Pence. I don’t think it was a full-on testimonial about Pence’s character.

I’m hoping small incidents like this don’t inspire folks to attack our allies.

And, if Biden should run and become the Democratic nominee for president in 2020, you can bet I’ll be voting for him.

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Taylor Swift Comes Out Strong For LGBTQ Rights, Announces Vote For Democrat In Tennessee Senate Race

Taylor Swift (image via Instagram)

Other than some general support for the anti-gun violence movement, pop superstar Taylor Swift has been reluctant to share her political leanings.

Until now.

Sunday night, Swift posted her thoughts on the upcoming midterm elections and how she plans to vote in her home state of Tennessee.

The 28-year-old began by stating upfront her strong support for LGBTQ rights, writing, “I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG.”

She goes on to say she has always championed electing women to office, Swift says she cannot bring herself to vote for the woman in the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Tennessee.

“Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn,” writes Swift. “As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me.”

“She voted against equal pay for women,” she continued. “She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values.”

Swift then announced, “I will be voting for (Democrat) Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives.”

She also urged all of her fans to ‘educate’ themselves, make sure they register (October 9 is the deadline in Tennessee) and specifically spoke to young people.

“So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count,” wrote the international pop-star.

She closed her message with a rainbow emoji and “Happy Voting!”

RealClearPolitics shows Blackburn with an average 2 point lead over Bredesen.

Swift has 112 million Instagram followers and 83.5 Twitter followers.

I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! 🗳😃🌈
A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

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Demi Lovato Hospitalized For Suspected Overdose

Demi Lovato (image via Instagram)

UPDATE: According to Demi’s rep, she is now “awake and responsive.”

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Demi Lovato was apparently hospitalized on Tuesday in Los Angeles after a suspected heroin overdose, according to TMZ.

TMZ reports Lovato was transported from her Hollywood Hills home shortly before noon today to a local hospital.

Paramedics reportedly found Lovato unconscious upon arrival at her home.

The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer’s condition is not currently known.

The 25-year-old actress and pop star has struggled with alcohol, cocaine and Oxycontin abuse for years.

In June, she released her song, “Sober,” as she shared that she had relapsed shortly after celebrating six years of sobriety.

Lovato was scheduled to perform at an upcoming date in Atlantic City. No announcement on whether she’ll make that date.

The singer is one of the biggest names on social media, with a combined following of over 145 million.

Developing story…

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Harry Styles: “We’re All A Little Bit Gay, Aren’t We?”

Harry Styles (photo credit: Hélène Marie Pambrun)

I love this guy.

Closing his current concert tour at The Forum in Inglewood, California, UK pop star Harry Styles stopped to read aloud a sign held up by a member of the audience.

The fan’s sign read: “I’m gay, and I love you.”

And the crowd goes wild!

Thanking the fan, handsome Harry added with a smile: “We’re all a little bit gay, aren’t we?”

Here’s the moment:

Throughout the tour, the longtime LGBTQ ally has been dedicating songs to male fans and rocking out during guitar solos with rainbow flags.

In addition to multiple super-supportive LGBTQ moments on his tour, Harry has also been selling tour t-shirts with the phrase “Treat People With Kindness” in rainbow print with all proceeds going to GLSEN, an education organization that works to ensure that LGBTQ students are able to learn and grow in a school environment free from bullying and harassment.

(h/t Boy Culture)

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Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds Wants To Change How Mormon Church Sees LGBTQ Youth

LGBTQ ally Dan Reynolds, of Imagine Dragons, wants the Mormon Church to rethink how it views LGBTQ youth
Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons

How much do we love Grammy Award-winning Imagine Dragons frontman, Dan Reynolds?

Raised Mormon, Reynolds has spent years fighting for greater LGBTQ acceptance within the church.

Growing up, the native Utahn had a middle school friend who was Mormon and gay, and he watched how the struggles of trying to resolve the two worlds wore on his friend. Reynolds also says he’s lost high school friends to suicide.

Determined to affect change, he and former Mormon rocker Tyler Glenn teamed up last year to create the annual music festival LoveLoud held in Salt Lake City which aims to raise money for LGBTQ charities and organizations like The Trevor Project and the Tegan and Sara Foundation.

This year the event takes place on July 28.

“I think the LoveLoud stage is the most important stage I will ever stand on,” the 30-year-old recently told Queerty. “The festival has helped facilitate vital conversation about what it means to truly love and accept our LGBTQ youth.”

New documentary 'Believer' follows Dan Reynolds mission to perpetuate change within the Mormon Church and how it treats LGBTQ youth

The new documentary, Believer, follows Reynolds as he launched the music festival last year and also explores how the Mormon Church treats its LGBTQ members.

“I hope people understand the importance of fully accepting and loving our LGBTQ youth,” says Reynolds about the film. “I hope people are able to watch and feel the harsh realities that our LGBTQ youth are facing in faith-based communities. I hope it perpetuates change.”

Watch the trailer for Believer below and check out info for LoveLoud Music Festival here.

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Harry Styles Loves The LGBTQ Community And We Love Him Right Back

Harry Styles is showing the LGBTQ community much love on his current summer tour
Harry Styles (photo: Hélène Pambrun – Photographe)

British singer/songwriter Harry Styles is currently on tour in the U.S. and giving us many Pride Month moments to savor throughout the tour.

In Philadelphia on last night, handsome Harry saw a Pride flag being carried by fan Karla Balcazar in the audience and asked her to hand it to him. Harry took the flag, which read “Make America Gay Again,” and held it up for the audience to see.

 And the crowd went wild:

The longtime LGBTQ ally has been dedicating songs to male fans, performing wrapped in a Pride flag and rocking out during guitar solos with rainbow flags:

And then there’s the moment when the 24-year-old pop star pointed to a male fan mid-concert and asked him what he was drinking.

When the fan said, “vodka,” Harry responded, “Straight?”
The fan said, “No, I’m gay!”
Harry then laughed and said, “No, I meant straight vodka, not ‘Are you straight?’”
“It’s vodka! Straight? No, gay!”
“Is it straight vodka? Ok, glad we cleared that up!”

How can you not love this guy?

Styles’ LGBTQ support has been evident throughout the tour, even been selling tour t-shirts with the phrase “Treat People With Kindness” in rainbow print.

All proceeds from the shirts go to GLSEN, an education organization that works to ensure that LGBTQ students are able to learn and grow in a school environment free from bullying and harassment.

Rock on, Sir Harry, rock on.