• Donald Trump responded to reports of the horrific attack on Empire star Jussie Smollett telling reporters in the Oval Office today, “That I can tell you is horrible. It doesn’t get worse.”
Note: There is no religious exemption to Illinois’s nondiscrimination law, and sexual orientation is specifically included as a protected class. So, you do the math…
• The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday ruled the city of Fayetteville may not continue enforcing its anti-discrimination ordinance while the city challenged the constitutionality of a 2015 law that prevents cities and counties from enacting their own LGBTQ protections not covered by state law.
• A deaf lesbian couple say Delta Airlines mistreated them when they tried to communicate with a gate agent in Detroit. The women say they wrote down their request to sit next to each other on the plane, but the agent crumpled up their note and threw it away.
• This could technically qualify as a ‘Daily Dance’ post, but I thought I’d leave this right here.
Florida-based dancer/entertainer José Adones (top of page) is giving you all kinds Latin flavor here. And I ain’t mad 🙂
New Jersey took positive steps forward on Tuesday when Gov. Phil Murphy signed new legislation into law providing important rights and protections for members of the LGBTQ community.
Murphy campaigned on a promise to protect and expand the rights of the LGBTQ community.
The first bill, SB478, allows transgender residents the ability to change birth and death certificates to reflect their gender identity. According to the new laws, people may choose to identify as male, female or undesignated.
Until now, transgender people had to undergo gender confirmation surgery and provide proof from their physician to amend their birth certificate.
According to Garden State Equality, the LGBTQ organization which helped draft the bill, New Jersey is the 17th state to enact a law dropping the surgery requirement for amending a birth certificate and only the fourth, after California, Oregon and Washington, to allow for a third gender option on the document.
Former Gov. Chris Christie had vetoed the bill twice while in office.
The second bill, SB493, allows a death certificate to reflect a person’s changed gender identity.
The third bill, SB705, provides for the creation of a Transgender Equality Task Force meant to identify barriers for transgender people in areas of housing, health care and criminal justice.
“Allowing vital records to match gender identity is an important step forward that will allow transgender individuals to control the disclosure of their transgender status,” said Gov. Murphy in a statement. “And by creating a Transgender Equality Task Force, New Jersey can ensure that all residents receive the protections they deserve. New Jersey will continue to stand with our LGBTQ residents in the continued pursuit of similar rights nationwide.”
According to a report by the Williams Institute at the University of California, there are approximately 30,100 transgender people living in New Jersey and 1.4 million trans people in the United States.
For Pride Month, NBC Out is putting the spotlight on 30 individuals who are bringing positive awareness to and for our LGBTQ community not only through their actions but living by example.
So, meet Lt. James Tracy of the Englewood Cliffs Police Department in New Jersey.
Yes, let’s stop and take in the photo and all. It’s pretty fab.
Now, aside from the biceps and chest on display (when you got a Porsche, you don’t keep it in the garage), Officer Tracy has been instrumental in bringing LGBTQ inclusivity to police departments all across Bergen County in the Garden State.
Tracy, 40, helped to initiate the Bergen County Police Academy’s very first LGBTQ bias training program in 2016. Now, the New Jersey native is working to expand this program throughout the whole state.
Last June, during LGBTQ Pride Month, Tracy started an initiative where every officer in his department wore “rainbow pride bracelets.” The program was intended to show the town’s LGBTQ community that their police officers are dedicated to inclusion and are supportive of everyone’s rights. The program also initiated a dialogue between officers and numerous residents who asked questions about the bracelets and how they could get one for themselves.
In addition to LGBTQ equality, Tracy has also been dedicated to engaging with youth and training the next generation of law enforcement officers. Tracy is the co-founder and leader of the Junior Police Academy, which is held annually in Englewood Cliffs. It’s a weeklong summer program that trains young people who may want to pursue a career in law enforcement. The program is now in its 14th year.
In true Pride Month fashion, the 40-year-old police veteran shares that he was ‘in the closet’ for the first 10 years of his career as a police officer.
Acknowledging he worked with great professionals in the police department, he was still wary of telling his co-workers the truth about his sexual orientation for fear that they would not accept him.
Eventually, the weight of his personal truth became too much to carry and he slowly began to share with his co-workers.
“The relief that I experienced after coming out can’t be described with words; it was just this enormous weight off my shoulders,” says Tracy. “After experiencing that, I wanted to help other gay officers who may be dealing with the same struggles. Ten years of hiding who I am was much too long; life is too short to hide anything about yourself.”
Because of his personal experience, Tracy helped to initiate the Bergen County Police Academy’s very first LGBTQ bias training program in 2016. And now the native New Jerseyan is moving to share that program throughout New Jersey.
Tracy says he finds “do’s” and “don’t” in bias training shuts down interaction due to fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.
“If you train people from a diversity and inclusion perspective, you don’t need to spend a lot of time on ‘don’t do this’ and ‘don’t do that.’ The LGBTQ population is the only demographic that crosses into every race, ethnicity and religion. Essentially, we are a minority within a minority, and if agencies are not providing bias training on LGBTQ issues, they are missing a huge minority segment.”
NBC Out closes it’s profile of the handsome officer by asking what pride means to him. His answer is spot on.
“Pride to me is about being proud of yourself, accepting yourself, and everything about yourself — regardless of what other people think.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Make sure you follow NBC Out’s series #Pride30 which includes Tracy, Parkland shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez, trans Virginia lawmaker Danica Roem, Hollywood producer Greg Berlanti, and a whole bunch of way impressive/inspiring LGBT folks you should know.
One more thing: I’m gonna say normally I resize photos for The Randy Report so the images fit my blog.
In this case, however, I couldn’t bring myself to deprive you of the full-size awesomeness that is Lt. James Tracy.
(images via Theodore Vidal) Theodore Vidal (L), Colin Beyers (R)
It’s prom season, and like many couples across America, teenagers Theodore Vidal and his boyfriend Colin Beyers were making the most of the end of their prom night last Friday night.
The two high schoolers, in their matching navy blue tuxes and pink bow ties, took a stroll on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, after their junior prom.
As they walked, they approached a rooftop bar where a rowdy group of quintessential “Jersey Shore bros” had been yelling at every couple who passed by to kiss.
Michael Del Moro, a producer for Good Morning America, happened to be out for ice cream with his boyfriend and family members when they noticed the rowdy “bros” and the cute couple at the same time.
Del Moro was initially worried about what might happen when the gay couple passed the group.
So was Vidal, apparently. He told the local ABC affiliate that he and Beyers readied themselves for the razzing. “It’s South Jersey. Guys pick on us for being gay a lot,” said 17-year-old high school junior. “It’s an area where you normally would get picked on and discriminated against.”
Vidal had come out when he was in 8th grade and knew well the bullying being gay can bring. He told Buzzfeed that he spent much of that year being attacked, bullied, ignored and told to “end his life.”
But, he and Del Moro were surprised when the rooftop crowd cheered, changing their chants of “Kiss her” to “Kiss him!” Vidal and Beyers hesitantly kissed one another, and rather than taunting the couple the rooftop crew went wild screaming their approval.
Vidal told ABC7, “The way it went down was amazing. It was so positive and so reinforcing that I could be myself and not get made fun of and I could be myself with who I love and not get made fun of for that.”
“A lot of people here think gay people aren’t strong or we’re more girly because we show emotion but we’ve learned it’s better to show what you are feeling and be open and who you are as long as you are pushing forward,” Beyers added.
The cute couple is now planning a summer trip to Greece together before Beyers begins his freshman year at the College of New Jersey this fall while Vidal wraps up his senior year of high school.
Del Moro later tweeted he actually knew some of the rooftop bar “bros.” They were apparently celebrating their friends’ bachelor party and loved the whole thing saying, “We are all very happy for those guys.”
Check out Del Moro’s full Twitter thread below.
A short thread from here in Seaside Heights, NJ, where—not so long ago—young men would shout the word “f****t” out their car window as we’d stroll along the boardwalk.
Last night, while out for Mother’s Day with our families (read: getting some late-night ice cream because treat yourself!) we noticed a group of rowdy bros gathered on a rooftop bar obnoxiously yelling “KISS HER!” in unison at every apparent couple that passed by.
It was quintessential “Jersey Shore” and, unfortunately, several couples obliged the request to raucous cheers thereby further encouraging the rowdiness. We rolled our eyes.
It’s prom season here, so at that time of night you’ll see high schoolers in their formal attire. As we walked by the rooftop bros, an adorable teenage gay couple passed us in perfectly fitting midnight bue tuxes, matching pink ties, holding hands.
I looked at Alec (my boyfriend), my mom, my sister, and stopped to make sure the couple was okay as they walked by… worried that something might happen. The rooftop crew quickly switched from “KISS HER!” To “KISS HIM!”
After some hesitation, the young men kissed… and let me tell you: both the rooftop crew and everyone else on the boardwalk just went absolutely wild for them and we all breathed a sigh of relief.
This is not a “look everything’s fine now, thread,” and yes… it’s New Jersey, but I just thought it was worth sharing and an encouraging moment for young LGBTQ folks out there.
Listen in as I discuss this week’s LGBTQ headlines including:
• The Texas Legislature is on its way to approving an anti-transgender “bathroom” bill
• Rhode Island becomes the 9th state to ban harmful “ex-gay therapy”
• New Jersey passes required guidance for trans students
• Star Trek Discovery will feature its first gay romantic couple
• We may soon find out if Academy Award winner Moonlight opened the door for more mainstream success for queer-themed cinema
All that and more on this episode of The Randy Report.
For past episodes, or to subscribe to the podcast for free, click here.
And, by the way, please feel free to share The Randy Report podcast with friends. It’s a great way to catch up on the week’s LGBT political, pop culture and entertainment headlines in about 15 minutes 🙂
This past Saturday, incredibly unpopular New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (only 15% of NJ approves of the job he’s doing) ordered a shut down of the state government due to a budget impasse with the Democratic controlled legislature.
The shutdown included all state parks and beaches during the July 4 weekend. The shutdown is only the second in the state’s history.
Christie’s administration has been ruthless about enforcement, kicking out a Cub Scout Pack with 25 kids from a state park.
But Christie was busted when he and his family were photographed soaking up the sun on Island Beach State Park.
On Sunday, he told reporters he “didn’t get any sun” on Saturday.
“I didn’t. I didn’t get any sun today,” Christie said.
When the pesky, inconvenient photos were brought up to a Christie spokesman, the reply was twisted into explaining that Christie “did not get any sun” because he “had a baseball hat on.”
Asked if this is fair, Christie said Saturday: “Run for governor, and you can have a residence there.”
While the Boy Scouts of America have taken long looks and made some decisions on openly gay scouts participating in their organization, the issues surrounding transgender kids is now getting some national focus as a Cub Scout pack in Secaucus, NJ, is barring an 8 year old trans boy.
One month after 8-year-old Joe Maldonado of Secaucus, N.J. joined Cub Scout Pack 87, his mother received a call that the troop sponsored by their local Catholic church had barred her son from participating. The reason, she told reporters, is because her son was assigned the gender of female at birth. Joe is a transgender boy.
And he told the Star-Ledger he’s not so much sad as he is mad.
“It made me mad. I had a sad face, but I wasn’t crying. I’m way more angry than sad. My identity is a boy. If I was them, I would let every person in the world go in. It’s right to do.”
He had joined in October with the intention of camping, conducting science experiments, and all the other fun things Cub Scouts do, like learning how to tie a variety of knots, use a pocket knife, and go on hikes with his friends. Joe’s classmates not only like him, his mother said, but some of them play with him on a boys basketball team. His school teachers have used male pronouns and have accepted him as the boy he is since second grade, Kristie Maldonado told the newspaper.
“Not one of the kids said, ‘You don’t belong here,’” said Maldonado. It wasn’t the boys in their pack; reportedly, it was their moms.
Eric Chamberlin, an executive with the Northern New Jersey Council of Boy Scouts, based in Oakland, N.J., confirmed to the paper that he called Maldonado last month, but he declined to comment further.
Effie Delimarkos, the communications director for the Boy Scouts of America, told the Star-Ledger in a statement the Boy Scouts consider membership for transgender children to be a separate issue from that of gay children.
“No youth may be removed from any of our programs on the basis of his or her sexual orientation,” and “Gender identity isn’t related to sexual orientation.”
The Boy Scouts spokeswoman declined to directly address the Secaucus troop issue and did not answer inquiries about whether local or state Scouting leaders contacted the national office about Joe Maldonado.
But in her statement, Delimarkos made it clear that “the classification on the participant’s birth certificate” would be used to “confirm legal status.”
Chamberlin did not ask to examine Joe’s birth certificate, the boy’s mother told the paper. If the Boy Scouts have ever examined birth certificates for the gender markers, Delimarkos wouldn’t say. And she declined to say whether the Scouts have a written transgender policy.
