• InstaHunk Guto Oliveira went blond (again) because, you know what they say… #InstaBlondsHaveMoreFun
• Washington Post: The Trump administration’s State Department has launched a panel focused on human rights and ‘natural law.’ Natural law is a term sometimes used in association with discrimination against marginalized populations. You know, like, the gays.
• Buzzfeed News: A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Arizona on Thursday by a man who told police he did it because the boy’s rap music made him feel “unsafe.”
• Netflix: The streaming platform dropped the trailer for Season 4 of Queer Eye, which will be available on July 19. Try not to cry…
• Politico: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law Monday authorizing the release of state tax returns to a handful of congressional committees, opening a new avenue for Democrats to get their hands on some of President Donald Trump’s closely guarded finances.
• New York Times: Senator Elizabeth Warren raised $19.1 million for her presidential campaign in the past three months, ahead of her biggest opponent for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Sen. Bernie Sanders ($18 million).
• Colombian pop star Maluma set his Instagram on fire when he posted this sexy selfie-dance video teasing his new track, “Instinto Natural,” and 44 million followers simultaneously drooled. Follow those ‘instincts,’ Maluma 😉
Donald Trump’s former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, will now serve seven and a half years in prison after Judge Amy Berman Jackson of Federal District Court in Washington added 3.5 more years to his sentence on Wednesday.
In issuing her ruling, Judge Jackson said Manafort “spent a significant portion of his career gaming the system.”
Judge Amy Berman Jackson of Federal District Court in Washington sentenced Mr. Manafort, 69, on two conspiracy counts that encompassed a host of crimes, including money-laundering, obstruction of justice and failing to disclose lobbying work that earned him tens of millions of dollars over more than a decade.
“It is hard to overstate the number of lies and the amount of fraud and the amount of money involved,” she said, reeling off Mr. Manafort’s various offenses, rapid-fire. “There is no question that this defendant knew better and he knew what he was doing.”
Each charge carried a maximum of five years. But Judge Jackson noted that one count was closely tied to the same bank and tax fraud scheme that a federal judge in Virginia had sentenced Mr. Manafort for last week. Under sentencing guidelines, she said, those punishments should largely overlap, not be piled on top of each other. Mr. Manafort was also expected to get credit for the nine months he has already spent in jail.
Per Judge Jackson’s sentence, Manafort received for Count One 60 months, of which 30 months will run concurrent with last week’s sentence.
For Count Two, he received a sentence of 13 months which will run consecutive to count 1 and the earlier sentence in Virginia.
The Timesreports that Manafort begged Judge Jackson not to add to his time in prison. “This case has taken everything from me, already,” he said as he listed the assets he’s forfeited. “Please let my wife and I be together.”
Donald Trump hasn’t said definitively if he will pardon the 69-year-old, but he’s repeatedly spoken well of Manafort calling him “a brave man.”
The new state charges against Mr. Manafort are contained in a 16-count indictment that alleges a yearlong scheme in which he falsified business records to obtain millions of dollars in loans, Mr. Vance said in a news release after the federal sentencing.
“No one is beyond the law in New York,” he said, adding that the investigation by the prosecutors in his office had “yielded serious criminal charges for which the defendant has not been held accountable.”
The indictment grew out of an investigation that began in 2017, when the Manhattan prosecutors began examining loans Mr. Manafort received from two banks.
This complicates Manafort’s life much more.
While Donald Trump may pardon Manafort for his federal crimes, and it’s appeared that Manafort is counting on that, Trump has no pardon power over state charges.
Thanks to new Democratic control of the New York state Senate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was finally able to sign two important LGBT bills into law today.
With an American flag, a New York state flag, a rainbow flag and a transgender flag displayed prominently, the governor signed his name at a ceremony held at the New York City LGBT Community Center.
After many years of fierce advocacy and activism, we are thrilled to see GENDA and the conversion therapy ban signed into law! Thank you @NYGovCuomo for your commitment to our community. #RiseOutpic.twitter.com/7twVZG4XBs
One, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA, adds gender identity to the New York Human Rights Law to which bans discrimination in employment, housing, public spaces and education.
GENDA took a 16 year journey to receiving a New York state governor’s signature. While it was passed 11 times in the state Assembly, the Republican-controlled Senate kept the important legislation out of reach.
New York is now the 20th state in the country with statewide protections banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at signing ceremony at NYC LGBT Community Center
The second piece of legislation bans the use of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ on LGBTQ youth.
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.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, issued a statement which read:
“Today, with Governor Cuomo’s signature, New York has made bold, historic progress by making GENDA the law of the land and banning the abusive and life-threatening practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ on LGBTQ youth.
“These laws will literally save lives, and their passage would not have been possible without the tireless work of advocates and allies across New York over the last decade. We also owe today’s celebration in large part to Senator Hoylman and Assemblymembers Gottfried and Glick for their strong leadership on this legislation, and to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, who made them a top priority this session.”
New York is now the 15th state to prohibit the harmful practice on LGBTQ youth.
Other states that have enacted similar laws are Connecticut, California, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire, as well as the District of Columbia.
It’s a great day to celebrate in New York state.
Check out video from the event today in New York City below.
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs new voting reforms into law
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that he has signed new voting legislation into law that brings his state “into the 21st century,” including (finally) allowing for eight days of early voting before an election.
Democrats have tried for years to enact early voting laws, but have been blocked by a Republican-controlled Senate until this new legislature.
• Establish early voting: Enacting early voting will make voting more convenient for voters whose professional or family obligations make it difficult to physically get to the polls, as well as reduce waiting times and ease logistical burdens for poll workers.
• Synchronize federal and state elections: New York State currently holds separate primary elections for state and federal elections. With the addition of a presidential primary every four years and a general election, this means that in some cases New York is holding four different elections in a year. This can be confusing to voters and wastes administrative resources. This bill will unify the federal and state primaries once and for all and ensure that voters only go to the polls once to choose their nominees.
• Provide for pre-registration for minors: New Yorkers are not permitted to register to vote unless they will be 18 years of age by the end of the year, and by the date of the election in which they intend to vote. This bill will allow 16 and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, meaning that a voter will automatically be registered on his or her 18th birthday.
• Universal transfer of registration: When New Yorkers move to a different county, their voter registration does not move with them. This requires the voter to re-register with his or her new local board of elections as if he or she were registering for this first time. This bill will ensure that when a voter moves elsewhere in the state, his or her voter registration will seamlessly go with them.
• Close the LLC Loophole: This bill will close the LLC loophole by limiting political spending by an LLC to a total of $5,000 annually, which is the same limit as corporations. The bill will also require the disclosure of direct and indirect membership interests in the LLC making a contribution, and for the contribution to be attributed to that individual.
The new laws make New York the 38th state to hold early voting.
After years and years of attempting to protect transgender New Yorkers, the New York state legislature has passed GENDA, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act.
The legislation explicitly bans discrimination in the state based on gender expression and gender identity. The bill won passage with a vote of 100-40 in the Assembly and 42-19 in the Senate.
Transgender and gender non-conforming people will now be protected in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations.
“This is truly an historic day,” Eric Lesh, executive director of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, told The Daily Beast. “We are finally welcoming a fairer and more equal New York because of the bold and tireless leadership of trans and gender non-conforming New Yorkers.”
According to the Human Rights Campaign, GENDA passed in the state Assembly 11 times over the years, but the GOP-controlled Senate would kill the bill. Only now that Democrats control the Senate has the legislation finally passed and will head to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk to be signed into law.
#BREAKING: The New York State Senate just passed the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity or expression and adding protections for transgender NYers to the state’s Hate Crimes Law.
Additionally, a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ passed in both chambers, making New York the 15th state to protect LGBTQ youth from the harmful practice.
The legislation passed in the state Assembly 134 to 3, and in the state Senate by a vote of 57-4.
“Today’s historic action in New York is the result of years of hard work and it is a vivid illustration of the importance of electing pro-equality lawmakers,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin in a statement.
“Due to the efforts of countless advocates and leaders, transgender New Yorkers will now be explicitly protected from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and LGBTQ youth will be protected from the dangerous, debunked practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy,'” he added. “This is a monumental day for fairness and equality across the Empire State.”
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.
So-called ‘ex-gay therapy’ has been shown to lead to depression, anxiety and, in some cases, suicide.
A judge in upstate New York has resigned after allegedly telling a lawyer he should get a hotel room with a certain movie star and “suck each other’s d**ks.”
The story begins back in January when Judge John W. Hallett was speaking to a lawyer who was involved in the promotion of a film festival honoring actor Viggo Mortensen.
According to a complaint filed against Hallet, who has served as a town court justice in Jefferson County since 2003, he allegedly told the attorney that the film festival was “about the gayest thing I have ever heard.”
He then – allegedly – added, “You and Viggo Mortensen should get a hotel room and suck each other’s d**ks.”
But wait – there’s more!
Five months later, while speaking to the same lawyer, he apparently made a gesture simulating oral sex and then patted the attorney on the cheek and said, “There, there little boy.”
It would seem that the judge has a strong fixation on blow jobs, no?
According to TMZ, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct opened an investigation into Hallet’s odd and homophobic behavior.
While the commission hasn’t handed down an opinion on the complaint, Hallett – whose current term was scheduled to end in 2019 – has offered his resignation.
“Homophobic remarks and anti-LGBTQ sentiments have no place in the lexicon of the courts or the vocabulary of a judge,” Robert H Tembeckjian, the commission’s administrator, said in a statement to The Times Union in Albany.
“Such statements undermine public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, which demands that a judge be and appear fair-minded and unprejudiced toward all who have business in the courts,” he added.
In light of Hallet’s resignation, and his promise to never serve in any judicial capacity again, the commission dropped its investigation.
His resignation will take effect at the end of this year.
Last night marked the end of one of 2018’s most high-profile political campaigns by an LGBT candidate as Sex in the City star Cynthia Nixon came up short in her attempt to become the Democratic nominee for governor in New York.
With 99% of the votes counted, incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo trounced Nixon by more than 30 points winning the Democratic primary 65.6% to Nixon’s 34.4%.
Nixon, a political novice who’s never held public office, had an uphill race pitted against Cuomo, who now heads into the general election seeking his third term as governor.
Nixon took to Twitter to thank her supporters and also take credit for pushing Gov. Cuomo further to the left on some issues.
“While the result tonight wasn’t what we had hoped for, I’m not discouraged. I’m inspired. I hope you are too. We have fundamentally changed the political landscape in this state.”
“This isn’t just a symbolic victory. This campaign forced the Governor to make concrete commitments that will change the lives of people across this state.”
While the result tonight wasn’t what we had hoped for, I’m not discouraged. I’m inspired. I hope you are too. We have fundamentally changed the political landscape in this state.
This isn’t just a symbolic victory. This campaign forced the Governor to make concrete commitments that will change the lives of people across this state.
Nixon went on to list several issues like legalizing marijuana, fixing the New York City subway system and banning plastic bags as issues her campaign helped to move the governor into making promises to address.
Out New York gubernatorial candidate and award winning actress Cynthia Nixon is finding no love from prominent LGBTQ advocacy organizations when it comes to endorsements for her nascent campaign.
Both the Stonewall Democrats and the Human Rights Campaign have issued announcements throwing their support for incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo instead of the openly lesbian actress.
HRC proudly endorsed NY Gov Cuomo for re-election because he has been a champion for LGBTQ equality during his 7 years in office.He banned “conversion therapy” for kids, enacted protections for trans people & led the fight to win marriage equality in 2012. https://t.co/OBoMcSz7MI
In terms of the LGBTQ community, Cuomo believes his record on gay issues shows results not ‘rhetoric.’
“The governor is focused on results. We’ll leave the baseless election-year rhetoric to others,” said Cuomo spokesperson Abbey Collins. “With LGBTQ rights under attack from Trump, New Yorkers know they can count on Governor Cuomo to stand up and fight back.”
The Grammy/Tony/Emmy Award winning actress, however, points to what she says are lapses in the governor’s record including no ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the state. She also believes she did more heavy-lifting in the fight to bring marriage equality to New York state.
“Gov. Cuomo may have signed the bill, but Cynthia was fighting alongside other activists for the right to marry her now wife, Christine,” Nixon spokesperson Sarah Ford told Buzzfeed. “She understands the needs of the LGBTQ community as a wife and mother of a transgender son on a deeply personal level.”
Aside from the political posturing, though, the endorsements by HRC and Stonewall Dems raises an important question: should LGBTQ advocacy groups focus their support on candidates from the community? Or should experience carry the day?
Allen Roskoff, president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in New York, criticized the HRC’s endorsement of Cuomo saying, “The Human Rights Campaign has been more interested in their real estate, high salaries, and hobnobbing with middle-of-the-road Democrats — while, in many cases, thumbing their nose at labor and other civil rights groups.”
“Their endorsement is not based on what’s best for the community – it’s about what’s best for their brand,” he added.
But Marty Rouse, HRC’s national field director, told BuzzFeed his organization backed Cuomo because “we stand with elected leaders who stand with us.”
The most recent polling, from Siena University, shows the Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner trailing 31 points behind Cuomo 29% to his 60%. That same poll showed Cuomo’s favorability at 67% and Nixon’s at 29%.
The primary is scheduled for September 13.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time the HRC has been accused of ignoring LGBTQ candidates over straight, cisgender nominees.
Even with years in the state legislature, having a BA in political science, a Doctor of Business Administration degree, a Masters in Divinity and being a 29 year veteran of the U.S. Army where she achieved the rank of Lt. Colonel, she says the Human Rights Campaign never called her to even inquire about how they could help her campaign.
Instead, the HRC backed former congressman Steven Horsford, a straight, cisgender male, who won the Democratic nomination.
Some political folks have chimed in on the subject saying the Trump administration is an example of what can happen when ‘celebrities’ with no prior experience in public service take office.
What do you think, readers?
Should our advocacy groups focus on backing candidates from the community who step up?
Sherrie Eriksen, a town clerk in Root, New York, this week denied a marriage license to a gay couple based on her religious beliefs. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he is investigating.
Dylan Toften, one of the men seeking the license wrote on his Facebook: “Town of Root clerk is a bigot!!!! Refused to do our marriage license. She said make an appointment to have her deputy do it… do your job.”
“Sherrie didn’t process the two men’s marriage license application because they failed to make an appointment with her, as everyone is required by her office to do. She has a religious objection and has referred the matter to her deputy clerk, who has no such objection and will issue the license when they make an appointment. The clerks are both part-time and don’t man the office Monday through Friday. Of course, the two men are free to go to another jurisdiction to obtain their license.”
Gov. Cuomo has asked that an investigation be launched to look into the matter.
The denial of a marriage license to a same sex couple yesterday in Montgomery County is an unconscionable act of discrimination that goes against our values as New Yorkers. I am directing an investigation into this incident to ensure that it never happens again. https://t.co/NAX9963vDt
Incredible as it may seem, the New York state Assembly has approved legislation prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity for 11 years in a row.
And for the 11th year, the NY state Senate (controlled by Republicans) has killed that bill in committee. The legislation failed on a party line 5-4 vote.
Any hopes that New York would join other states this year and enact a law explicitly prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity were dashed Tuesday when a Republican-controlled Senate committee voted down a transgender rights measure.
The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA, was defeated in the New York Senate Investigations & Government Operations Committee by a 5-4 party-line vote.
The measure would have amended the state human rights law to bar discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression and would have added transgender people to the state human rights law.
Sen. Brad Hoylman, the only openly LGBT member of the New York state Senate, was disgusted. His office issued this statement:
“In 21st century New York State, it’s appalling that Senate Republicans would vote along party lines against GENDA. Human rights shouldn’t be a partisan issue – and they aren’t in other states.
“Earlier this month, in fact, the Republican legislature in New Hampshire passed protections for LGBT people, making it possible that New York will soon be the only state in the northeast without statutory protections for its transgender citizens.
“As the Trump Administration continues to roll back protections for LGBT Americans, New York has the obligation to protect its transgender citizens from discrimination and hate crimes.
“Unfortunately, the State Senate failed miserably in its duties. Moving forward, I’ll continue to fight for passage of GENDA in a new State Senate after the midterms.”
