LGBTQ news and entertainment
Check this notice posted in subway stations in New York City:
Service Information
HOLIDAY
June 1st-June 30th
Pride Month
No bigotry, hatred, and prejudice at this station.
How does this effect my trip?
• It doesn’t.Travel alternative:
• Sashay away
Well played.
Donald Trump may be ignoring Pride Month, but following in the U.S. Navy’s example, the Department of Defense issued this statement observing Pride Month.
The Defense Department is observing June as LGBT Pride Month to recognize DoD’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members and civilians. DoD Pride, an employee resource group, is hosting its annual celebration June 12 at the Pentagon.
Tolerance and Justice
“The struggles, sacrifices and successes among the LGBT community continue to shape our history and remind us to uphold tolerance and justice for all,” Anthony M. Kurta wrote in a memo announcing the observance today. Kurta is performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
“Integrity and respect are fundamental qualities of our military and civilian culture,” Kurta noted in the memo.
Celebrating Diversity
“As we celebrate the diversity of the total force, we honor all who have answered the call to serve, and their unwavering commitment to our shared mission,” he wrote. “During the month of June, let us celebrate the diversity of the DoD workforce and rededicate ourselves to equity, dignity and respect for all.”
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| Tyson Beckford and the Chippendales (click to enlarge) |
Some news items you may have missed:
• That time you’re at the Planet Hollywood pool in Las Vegas and notice Tyson Beckford and the Chippendales just hanging… #HappyFriday
• In this sneak peek from MTV’s The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros, Olympian Gus Kenworthy gets emotional recalling lying about his sexuality while being a professional skier.
• President Trump has no time to honor Pride Month, what with being so busy proclaiming June “National Ocean Month” and “National Homeowner Month.” As such, Ivanka Trump got a whole lotta backlash when she tweeted a bubbly message about how she “celebrates” and “honors” the LGBTQ community.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS— Tyler #ChosenFamily (@tyleroakley) June 2, 2017
Who is this “we” you talk about? Because your father isn’t celebrating us – that’s for damn sure!!— Perez (@ThePerezHilton) June 2, 2017
Sorry, Ivanka, these easy ‘up with people’ tweets don’t let you off the hook. You & your dad just flipped the bird to the world— Bill Shapiro (@Bill_Shapiro) June 2, 2017
• Chilean President Michelle Bachelet plans to send a bill to Congress later this year that will legalize same-sex marriage in her country. South America currently celebrates marriage equality in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay.
• MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough says his sources point to White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon as the “leaker” inside the Trump administration.
Joe Scarborough: Leaks for recent Kushner-Russia stories came from Steve Bannon pic.twitter.com/ZPXslKvV6f— Axios (@axios) June 2, 2017
• A North Carolina minister is accused of kidnapping and assaulting a gay parishioner. The 23 year-old victim says he was slapped, punched, choked and screamed at for two hours in an effort to exorcise his “homosexual demons.”
• The film adaptation of Wonder Woman opens nationwide today boasting a rating of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, putting it ahead of popular super hero movies “The Avengers” (92 percent), “Guardians of the Galaxy” (91 percent), and tying “Iron Man” (94 percent). Watch the trailer below.
President Trump may not have anything for LGBTs during Pride Month, but check this out fresh from the U.S. Navy:
The Navy joins the nation in recognizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month throughout June.
ALNAV 006/17 encourages participation in all the heritage celebrations and special observances throughout the year. The Department of Defense (DoD) began observing LGBT Pride Month in 2012.
Initially established as “Gay and Lesbian Month” by Presidential Proclamation in 2000, LGBT Pride Month recognizes the accomplishments of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
The LGBT community is part of One Navy Team that contributes their diverse talents, skills and service to the strength of the force.
“To remain the finest seagoing fighting force, the Navy needs men and women who are the right fit for the right job regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, creed or gender identity,” said Capt. Candace Eckert, Special Assistant for Inclusion and Diversity. “Our goal is to ensure that the mission is carried out by the most qualified and capable Sailors. If an individual can meet the Navy’s standards, they should be afforded the opportunity to be part of the One Navy Team.”
The Navy is committed to recruiting and retaining top talent regardless of race, class, sex or background. A diverse, inclusive environment allows diversity of thought and innovation to thrive.
In 2016, the DoD instituted a policy change allowing transgender individuals to serve in the military as their preferred gender.
For service members, repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 2011 allowed gay, lesbian and bisexuals to serve openly in the United States Armed Forces.
The image above accompanied the news with this caption: Capt. Craig Clapperton, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), speaks about the importance of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) celebration. Theodore Roosevelt is currently moored and homeported in San Diego and is undergoing a scheduled Planned Maintenance Availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alex Millar/Released)
Billboard asked pop culture icons to write ‘love letters’ to the LGBTQ community, and wow, what a turn out they got.
Check out the letter from superstar Barbra Streisand, long-time LGBTQ ally:
The first time I ever sang for a paying audience was at a gay club, The Lion, in Greenwich Village. I was 18 years old and had never been in a nightclub before. The gay community supported me from the start, and I will always be grateful.
Decades later, I remember sitting in a theater and watching Larry Kramer’s play, The Normal Heart, with tears running down my cheeks. It was 1985 and Ronald Reagan was president and it was heartbreaking to know people were dying while he refused to even say the word AIDS. I wanted more people to see this powerful story about everyone’s right to love, so I tried for 25 years to get it made as a movie. No one would touch it, but thank God times have changed.
Marriage equality is the law and that deserves a toast… to all of us, because we’re all unique and beautiful in our own way and entitled to love and be loved by whomever we choose.
And if you want to read even more letters to the LGBTQ community from folks like Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Dionne Warwick, Kelly Clarkson and Liza Minnelli, click here.
I’m not looking for a presidential proclamation for Pride Month to land in my in-box anytime soon.
Bill Clinton began the tradition in 1999, and issued a second in his last year in office.
And President Obama issued proclamations recognizing the month of June as LGBT Pride Month every year of his presidency, along with hosting LGBT festivities inside the White House.
But President Trump seems to have ended all that.
The Trump White House released a several Proclamations today celebrating June as “National Ocean Month”, “African-American Music Appreciation Month,” “National Homeownership Month”, and “Great Outdoors Month” – but nada for LGBT Pride Month.
But, we do have the Democrats.
Issued today from Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez:
“From Stonewall to the Supreme Court, our nation has made great strides in LGBTQ rights. LGBTQ Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate that progress, to appreciate the cultural achievements of LGBTQ Americans, and to recommit ourselves to the fight for global LGBTQ equality.
“Under the leadership of Barack Obama, America has advanced LGBTQ rights in ways unthinkable just a few years ago. This month, we celebrate the second anniversary of nationwide marriage equality. We ended Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and guaranteed transgender veterans the care they earned serving our nation. Today, hospitals receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds must extend visitation rights to LGBTQ patients. Across the country, violence against LGBTQ individuals can be prosecuted as federal hate crimes. These were hard-fought victories, but there is still much progress to be made.
“From bathrooms to boardrooms, too many LGBTQ Americans are denied the full equality they deserve. In some states, conservative lawmakers continue to advance legislation intended to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Despite their promises, the Trump administration is hell-bent on rolling back progress, starting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to end protections for transgender students. Democrats will fight those these efforts to erode the rights of LGBTQ people and continue to push for LGBTQ equality at home and abroad.
“Internationally, equality is also a long way away. According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, people in 72 countries can still be prosecuted for who they love. That is unacceptable. President Trump must use the full influence of the United States to pressure our neighbors to recognize the rights of LGBTQ people.
“However, there also are many reasons to be hopeful this Pride Month. Last Wednesday, Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, paving the way for Taiwan to become the first Asian country to legalize gay marriage. Hopefully, Taiwan’s landmark court decision is the beginning of LGBTQ equality across Asia.
“This month, we must redouble our efforts to fight for the rights of our LGBTQ family, friends, and neighbors around the world, especially those under threat from their own governments.”
From USSoccer.com:
In recognition of LGBTQ Pride month in June, U.S. Soccer will activate a number initiatives in partnership with the You Can Play Project, along with the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association and the Women’s National Team Players Association.
The You Can Play Project is an organization dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, coaches, and fans without regard for sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
As the highlight, the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams will wear pride-inspired rainbow numbers during the June friendlies.
The MNT will debut the look for the World Cup Qualifying tune-up against Venezuela on June 3 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
The WNT will wear the kits in away friendlies against Sweden on June 8, and Norway three days later.
After the games, the shirts will be auctioned off for charity. In addition, fans will be able to purchase the customized rainbow jerseys online at USSoccerstore.com.
🇺🇸 x 🏳️🌈. To celebrate LGBTQ Pride month, the #USMNT and #USWNT will wear pride-inspired rainbow numbers.— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) May 26, 2017
America’s most reliable repairman, the Maytag Man, joins in the Pride celebrations this month with this Facebook pic showing their man “dependable, powerful and stocked full of Pride.”
Last year, the Maytag Man appeared with a rainbow-colored layer cake proclaiming “Proud to be in any home.”
Not to be outdone, Maytag’s parent company Whirlpool joined in the rainbow fun with it’s own pic on Facebook.
It’s important to note that Whirlpool is the only appliance manufacturer to receive a 100 score from the Human Rights Campaign on its annual Corporate Equality Index. Not only a perfect score, but the company has done so since 2003.
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| Summer? Winter? Who cares? (via Instagram) |
Some news stories you may have missed:
• A Canadian history first: a rainbow flag celebrating Pride Month was raised at Parliament Hill, and Justin Trudeau is the first prime minister to do it.
• A “sex professor” at Men’s Health has found that 10% of men and women experience “coregasms” when working their abs and core muscles.
• Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s opposition to marriage equality ends up costing her state $500,000.
• Fox News’ Megyn Kelly calls Donald Trump’s attacks on his Trump University judge’s Mexican heritage “out of line.”
• Speaking of the Trumpster, he now says Hillary Clinton “has to go to jail” after her epic speech on his lack of foreign policy bona fides yesterday. #WrongAgain
• Things got violent outside Donald Trump’s San Jose rally in California as protesters and supporters clashed.
The White House has just released the text of President Obama’s presidential proclamation acknowledging June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month:
Since our founding, America has advanced on an unending path toward becoming a more perfect Union. This journey, led by forward-thinking individuals who have set their sights on reaching for a brighter tomorrow, has never been easy or smooth. The fight for dignity and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people is reflected in the tireless dedication of advocates and allies who strive to forge a more inclusive society. They have spurred sweeping progress by changing hearts and minds and by demanding equal treatment — under our laws, from our courts, and in our politics. This month, we recognize all they have done to bring us to this point, and we recommit to bending the arc of our Nation toward justice.
Last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage equality in all 50 States was a historic victory for LGBT Americans, ensuring dignity for same-sex couples and greater equality across State lines. For every partnership that was not previously recognized under the law and for every American who was denied their basic civil rights, this monumental ruling instilled newfound hope, affirming the belief that we are all more free when we are treated as equals.
LGBT individuals deserve to know their country stands beside them. That is why my Administration is striving to better understand the needs of LGBT adults and to provide affordable, welcoming, and supportive housing to aging LGBT Americans. It is also why we oppose subjecting minors to the harmful practice of conversion therapy, and why we are continuing to promote equality and foster safe and supportive learning environments for all students. We remain committed to addressing health disparities in the LGBT community — gay and bisexual men and transgender women of color are at a particularly high risk for HIV, and we have worked to strengthen our National HIV/AIDS Strategy to reduce new infections, increase access to care, and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV.
Despite the extraordinary progress of the past few years, LGBT Americans still face discrimination simply for being who they are. I signed an Executive Order in 2014 that prohibits discrimination against Federal employees and contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. I urge the Congress to enact legislation that builds upon the progress we have made, because no one should live in fear of losing their job simply because of who they are or who they love. And our commitment to combatting discrimination against the LGBT community does not stop at our borders: Advancing the fair treatment of all people has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and we have made defending and promoting the human rights of LGBT individuals a priority in our engagement across the globe. In line with America’s commitment to the notion that all people should be treated fairly and with respect, champions of this cause at home and abroad are upholding the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights.
There remains much work to do to extend the promise of our country to every American, but because of the acts of courage of the millions who came out and spoke out to demand justice and of those who quietly toiled and pushed for progress, our Nation has made great strides in recognizing what these brave individuals long knew to be true in their hearts — that love is love and that no person should be judged by anything but the content of their character. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, as Americans wave their flags of pride high and march boldly forward in parades and demonstrations, let us celebrate how far we have come and reaffirm our steadfast belief in the equal dignity of all Americans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.