Tag: LGBTQ Pride

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No Pride Love From Trump Administration For 4th Year In A Row

Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David

Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David
While Donald Trump and Mike Pence took the time to acknowledge Global Coptic Day today, for the fourth year in a row they failed to recognize Pride Month. In response, Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David issued the following statement:

“This June, the Trump-Pence administration has yet again failed to recognize Pride Month to honor the history of the LGBTQ community and acknowledge the ongoing movement toward full equality,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “In a global pandemic and national crisis highlighting ongoing racial violence and police brutality across the country — violence that particularly targets Black lives — Trump and his administration have stoked division, hate, and anger with continued attacks on LGBTQ people, people of color, immigrants, and other vulnerable communities.

“The first pride started with protest. LGBTQ people — led in large part by transgender women of color — resisted police brutality and violence at Stonewall, the Black Cat, and Compton’s Cafeteria, among others. In this moment, we must unite like never before and take action, combat racism in all its forms and end white supremacy, not as necessary corollaries to our mission, but as integral to the objective of full equality.”

In order to help the LGBTQ community and its allies celebrate Pride Month in this moment, HRC is today officially launching its #PrideInside toolkit, a series of resources to help HRC members, the LGBTQ community and its allies celebrate Pride. The toolkit can be found at HRC.org/pride.

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Podcast: NYC Pride’s Big 2020 Plans, Uganda, Albania, Daytime Emmys, PrEP

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • Prosecutors in Uganda have dropped charges against 19 LGBTQ people held in jail for 49 days • A ‘once every two months’ injectable version of PrEP has shown very positive results in clinical trials • Albania bans so-called ‘conversion therapy’ • NYC Pride has announced a huge 50th anniversary Pride television special featuring Billy Porter, Dan Levy, Janelle Monae, and more. • The 2020 Daytime Emmy nominations are out with big love for LGBTQ actors and shows Here’s the link to my recent interview with the Emmy Award-winning creators of the Amazon series ‘After Forever’ • Out singer/songwriter Clinton John’s new single “Cry” taps into those frustrating times when you realize you’re really not over that lost love. Link to download “Cry.” All that in this episode of The Randy Report.

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New Pride Ad From Sprite Celebrates The Support Of Family

A new ad spot for Sprite, released last week in Argentina to coincide with the 28th annual Buenos Aires Pride, has gone viral for its pro-LGBTQ message. Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, celebrates Pride each year (known as Marcha de Orgullo) on the first weekend of November to commemorate the origin of Nuestro Mundo (English: Our World).  Nuestro Mundo, the first pro-LGBTQ group in Argentina, began in 1967 working to bring awareness to the oppression of homosexuals in the South American country. This year’s Pride event drew an estimated 300,000 people. With Carousel’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” for musical background, the ad features several young people preparing to attend the annual Pride festival: A mother helping a son with makeup, a young girl helping her trans brother get dressed, a grandmother helps her grandson dress in drag, a family paints Pride banners and a dad takes his gay son and the son’s boyfriend to the festival. The short video ends with the text, “Orgullo: Lo que sentís cuando alguien que querés elige ser feliz” (“Pride: What you feel when someone you love chooses to be happy”) and “No estás solx” (“You’re not alone”). The look on the father’s face at the end totally lands. On Twitter, the spot has been retweeted over 20,000 times and garnered nearly 60,000 Likes.

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Sydney, Australia, Will Host WorldPride 2023

WorldPride will head ‘down under’ in 2023 as Sydney, Australia, has won its bid to host the biennial LGBTQ+ celebration. Choosing between Sydney, Montreal, and Houston, members of the worldwide InterPride network of Pride organizations gave Sydney 60% of the vote.

The celebration, comprised of cultural activities, parades, and festivals, will take place at the same time as the 2023 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. With its winning bid, Sydney becomes the first city in the southern hemisphere to host the event. In 2021, WorldPride will be hosted by two cities in two countries for the first time. The events will be held from August 12-22 in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark and the Swedish neighboring city Malmö in the Řresund Region. The two cities are a short 15-minute commute from each other. This past summer, WorldPride was held in New York City to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, long considered the birth of the gay rights movement.

Back in 2012, during my first visit to Sydney, I made this travelogue video about the gorgeous men city:

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News Round-Up: October 14, 2019

Michael and I getting our Pride on at Las Vegas Pride this year
Some news items you might have missed: • Pride: We do LGBTQ Pride later in the year here in Las Vegas because June, the traditional month for Pride, is swelteringly hot. That’s Michael and I (above) briefly striking a pose. Check out more from Las Vegas Pride 2019 at the bottom of this post via Instagram. • Boy Culture: Scotty Bowers, the purported pimp and hustler to a slew of Golden Age of Hollywood stars, praised by some for his frankness and bashed by others as a fabulist, died Sunday at 96. • Politico: Sen. Elizabeth Warren is increasing pressure on Facebook to police false political ads on the social media platform. Her campaign made an ad with false claims and it was quickly approved.

• Unilad: This gay couple from Argentina adopted a baby living with HIV that was rejected by ten other families. • Instagram: Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Holland (currently starring together in Spiderman: Far From Home) almost broke the internet when jokingly posting, “Forget the Biebers… We’re getting married.”

• Deadline: Billy Porter on trying to break into Hollywood, “We must speak life into ourselves, even when everyone around us is doing the opposite. I never saw anything that looked like me, and visibility – when we see ourselves reflected back – is so important.” And now, more shiny, happy people (including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Chasten Buttigieg) at this year’s Pride celebration here in Las Vegas:

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Las Vegas – Come Get Your Pride On Today!

Hey Las Vegas! Time to get your Pride on! Michael and I are heading down to take part in the Las Vegas Pride Festival today, so come on down and join in the festivities. This year’s Pride weekend began with the Pride Night Parade on Friday in downtown Las Vegas. It was quite the event with Parade Grand Marshal Lisa Vanderpump, plus Governor Steve Sisolak marched in the parade. This was the first time a sitting Nevada governor has taken part in the Las Vegas Pride Parade. Today’s celebration will feature a unique set of lively events crafted for attendees of all ages. The weekend’s events will include over 100 vendors, assorted food and beverage options, pop up drag shows, special appearances, and live entertainment including Bob the Drag Queen (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and rapper Cazwell. The festival will take place at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. Click here for more info. This year, Las Vegas PRIDE is PET-FRIENDLY and has combined with Las Vegas PRIDE Pets. For more information about Las Vegas PRIDE Pets, visit the event page. The PRIDE Festival is open to the public today from noon to 1 am on Saturday, October 12th. Please note that the festival will become age-restricted (18+ ) at 8 pm. All youth will be required to exit the festival grounds at that time.

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Podcast: Suicide In Tennessee, Swimmer Booted For Being Gay, Music Video Highlights Domestic Violence

In this week’s headlines: • A Tennessee teen commits suicide after being outed by fellow students (If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255) • The Trump administration tried to wipe out Pride crosswalks • A suspect has been arrested in brutal crime where a gay man was tied to a minivan and dragged through the streets of Jacksonville • Collegiate swimmer says he was kicked off Stanford’s swim team for being openly gay • Tom Goss’s new music video ‘La Bufadora,’ dives into domestic violence among LGBTQ couples All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report. Reminder – if you enjoy catching up on LGBTQ news in a quick podcast, I’d appreciate if you would share The Randy Report with your friends 🙂

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Trump Administration Orders Rainbow Crosswalks Removed, City Says No

(image via Ames, Iowa)
When the Trump administration wrote to the city of Ames, Iowa, instructing the town to remove its rainbow-themed crosswalks, the Ames City Council said, “Thank you, but no.” At the intersection of Fifth Street and Douglas Avenue, the city has installed rainbow crosswalks as a sign of LGBTQ inclusion for the city. This year’s Ames PrideFest was held at the intersection on September 7.

Two of the crosswalks use the colors of the inclusive Pride flag which adds black and brown to the traditional rainbow flag designed by Gilbert Baker in the 1970s. Another utilizes the colors of the transgender Pride flag (blue, pink, white) and the fourth features purple, yellow, black and white representing gender-nonbinary pride. The Ames Tribune reports that on September 5, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sent the city a letter saying the crosswalks could “compromise pedestrian and motorist safety by interfering with, distracting from, or obscuring official traffic control devices.” Mark O. Lambert, City Attorney for Ames, penned a memo to the mayor and city council saying the FHWA has no jurisdiction over the streets where the crosswalks are installed since they are not part of a federal highway and Ames receives no federal funds for their upkeep. Lambert’s interpretation of the law was that the state of Iowa should decide whether the federal standards should apply to city streets. “With the system of federalism in the United States, the federal government does not have jurisdiction over everything,” Lambert summed up in his memo. Lambert also noted that the FHWA’s letter didn’t threaten any penalties regarding the crosswalks, and had only ‘requested’ the removal of the crosswalks. During a meeting of the Ames City Council, members discussed the issue and decided no action would be taken. City Council member Chris Nelson said during the discussion, “Can we just accept the letter and say thank you?” One resident even pointed out that the FHWA had gotten its own rules wrong. “The crosswalk lines are white pavement markings that identify the crosswalks,” said resident Bill Diesslin reports the Ames Tribune.  “The rainbow crossing in Ames has white lines demarcating, so it’s consistent with federal recommendations.” Rainbow crosswalks have been a fixture in the United States for years. From West Hollywood, which installed colorful walkways in 2012, to San Francisco’s The Castro which celebrated Pride with the rainbow crosswalks in 2014. Philadelphia, Seattle, Key West and more have all embraced the rainbow. https://www.instagram.com/p/4xKhAvIkR6/ https://www.instagram.com/p/4X199ThyJ3/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BIanWmOA6MU/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BCoXaWmAp-A/ (Source: Ames Tribune)

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Visits Gay Bar In Advance Of Vancouver Pride

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (image via Twitter/JustinTrudeau)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made headlines yesterday when he stopped in at the Fountainhead Pub in Vancouver’s West End in advance of the city’s Pride celebration this weekend.

Many believe this may have been the first time a sitting Prime Minister dropped by a gay bar.

According to Taran Parmar, reporter for City News 1130, Trudeau walked around the pub shaking hands and posing for photos for about fifteen minutes.

Parmar described the scene as, “Lots of cheering, lots of excitement, a lot of people that tried to rush him and take a picture as well as take his hand.”

“Vancouver is gearing up for #Pride weekend right now, but the spirit of pride and inclusivity is strong here all year long!” wrote Trudeau from his own Twitter account. “Thanks to the folks at @fountainheadVAN for the warm welcome today.”

The prime minister has a strong history of supporting the LGBTQ community.

In 2016, Trudeau became the first sitting prime minister to take part in Toronto’s Pride Parade, the largest LGBTQ pride celebration in Canada.

In 2017, he issued a public apology to gay Canadians who were fired from jobs and dismissed from the military from the 1950s through the 1990s. “It is our collective shame that you were so mistreated,” said Trudeau speaking at the House of Commons.

Additionally, he introduced the Expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act, which erased the records of Canadians who were previously convicted of “consensual homosexual activity.” That legislation was passed last June.

Social media celebrated the visit by Trudeau posting selfies with the Prime Minister.

One Instagrammer wrote, “When the Canadian Prime Minister comes into a gay bar in Vancouver and asks your name,” adding the hashtag #LivingMyBestLife.

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How To Drive Away The Haters In One Sexy Kiss

Two Pride attendees found they could get rid of a hater by simply kissing

When attending Pride events, eventually we come across the protesters – you know, the haters with their icky signs telling us all how we’re going to Hell.

Although now that Gay Hell exists in Michigan, who knows? Maybe we’ll take a road trip.

Anyway, most of the time I think we all just ignore them. Who knows what kind of crackpot they might turnout to be?

But other times, they can make you want to break out in a robust chorus of Taylor Swift’s, “You Need To Calm Down.”

In a video posted to Twitter, one proud gay decided he’d fight fire with lust.

There the hater stood with his “God Hates Pride” sign, complete with sayings like “When PRIDE cometh, then cometh SHAME;” “A man’s PRIDE shall bring him low;” and “The PRIDE of thine heart DECEIVED thee

Bible in hand while wearing a t-shirt with sleeves covered with large letters spelling, “REPENTANCE, the protester stood there, making his sad contribution to the day.

And then, up walks a hottie in tank top and gym shorts who begins making out with a furry, shirtless, gay wearing a rainbow bandana.

The passionate kiss works its magic quickly as the protester can’t get out of there fast enough.

Our heroes are left there to enjoy Pride (and the kiss) in peace.

#LoveIsLoveIsLove

Watch the quick clip below via Twitter.

(h/t Queerty)