LGBTQ news and entertainment
Some news stories you may have missed, starting with the very hunky and handsome rugby playing Burgess brothers of Australia pictured above. From left to right: George, Luke, Sam and Thomas. Lots more Instagrams of the brothers at the link.
• Over 50 Texans working in law enforcement file a brief in support of same-sex marriage in Texas
• College football player Conner Mertens reflects on life a year after coming out
And don’t we need at least one more of the Brothers Burgess?
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| James Alexander |
Twenty year-old James Alexander, a student at the University of Houston, has shared his coming out story in a moving and compelling essay for LGBTQNation.
It’s really a must read for folks who realize the depth of our fears and concerns when figuring out how and when to come out.
James beautifully chronicles the moment he came out on Facebook to his high school friends and the support he received; and the long and painful journey he and his parents shared in accepting his sexuality.
Just an excerpt from James’ story:
My first week in community college I made several friends and kept contact with those I had made at the University as well. I went to class, talked with friends, and then I’d go home to study.
My second week of school I decided to join the LGBT alliance to meet new people who may have been in the same position as me. The club became a haven for me. I felt safe and validated there, but at home things started to get increasingly worse. My father, mother and brother-in-law made several homophobic remarks on a regular basis that ate away at my self-esteem which became apparent after several weeks.
I kept doing the same routine: school, study, sleep, repeat. Sleep became increasingly cumbersome as my mental health started to deteriorate. I started having dreams where I’d speak, but not be heard. Over many of this reoccurring dream I would speak to the crowds of people around me in an ever increasing volume and received no response.
Then, my dreams started to get violent. I remember waking up from a very graphic and brutal nightmare and then knew I had two choices: come out, or sit by while my mental health plummeted. I chose to come out.
Like James, I grew up in conservative Texas. I understand much of the mindset and opinions that are so pervasive throughout the state’s culture.
But, I was lucky to have a father who supported my dream of being an actor, let me attend the best school I could get into (even if it was across the country), and when I did finally address my sexuality – he barely blinked.
With all the progress the LGBT community has made in recent years, I think we may have made a mental leap that misses the reality that there are still difficult coming out stories. Everyone doesn’t get a hug and an ice cream cone in these huge life moments.
For some – like James – coming out is a slow, but forward process. For others, like Daniel Pierce in Georgia, whose coming out went viral when a video of the event documented verbal and physical abuse, it’s still a very emotionally raw life event.
The good news is we have strong, courageous men like James and Daniel, who had the clarity of heart to not only stand up for themselves, but share their stories. And in their stories, other young people will find strength and self-confidence.
I urge you to read James’ essay at LGBTQNation.
And remember National Coming Out Day is October 11th. If you are closeted – at any age – and feel you need to talk to someone, reach out to folks who are always there, like at The Trevor Project. Or hell, email me here if you want to share.
Thanks to James – one more important journey that shows it does get better.
Having been indicted on two felony charges for abuse of power, Texas Gov. Rick Perry reported to the Travis County Court in Austin today to have his mug shot taken.
Following the photo shoot, Perry held a short press conference where he addressed the indictment by a grand jury:
“The actions that I took were lawful, they were legal and they were proper. This indictment is fundamentally a political act that seeks to achieve at the courthouse what could not be achieved at the ballot box.”
And then he got an ice cream cone.
Gov. Rick Perry addressed his recent indictments by a grand jury regarding abuse of power.
It’s interesting here that Perry says he had the authority to veto the funding of the state’s ethics watchdog unit. Apparently no one disputes that.
The problem seems to be that he threatened to cut funding unless Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg resigned after being arrested for drunken driving in April 2013.
The issue at hand seems to be that he THREATENED to do so first, which is what made the case that Perry seemed to leverage his power and force an elected official from office.
A Texas judge then assigned a special prosecutor to investigate. That is how the grand jury – after months of testimony – arrived at charges of abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant, which are both felonies and carry possible prison sentences.
The idea that Gov. Perry would “defund” an elected official’s office because they were arrested for being drunk – in TEXAS – is a difficult thing to wrap one’s head around. I grew up in Texas. If every elected official was run out of office for being arrested while intoxicated, there would be a LOT of offices with revolving doors.
Note Perry’s pivot to the border crisis for deflection…
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has become the first sitting Texas governor in over a century to be indicted.
Raw Story has the details:
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), a possible Republican presidential candidate, was indicted on Friday for allegedly threatening to cut a state agency’s funding unless a local district attorney quit, Politico reported.
The indictment by an Austin grand jury states that Perry threatened to veto $7.5 million slated for the state public integrity unit, which operates out of the office of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. Perry reportedly demanded Lehmberg, a Democrat, resign after spending 45 days in jail on drunk driving charges. When she refused to comply, Perry allegedly carried out his threat, forcing the agency to cut staff by either firing or laying off prosecutors and other employees.
The indictment is the first against a sitting Texas governor in more than a century.
Despite the fact that two federal appeals courts have rejected procreation as a legal reason to deny same-sex couples the right to marry, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has chosen to use that very argument (creative) in his filing to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
From the Statesman:
“By recognizing and encouraging the lifelong commitment between a man and woman — even when they do not produce offspring — the state encourages others who will procreate to enter into the marriage relationship,” Abbott said in the state’s first brief, filed late Monday at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Promoting opposite-sex marriages “increases the likelihood that children will be born into stable environments where they are raised by their mother and their father,” Abbott argued.
Such family structures are good for the children’s well being and good for the state because they increase the likelihood that parents, not society, “will bear the cost of raising these children,” the brief said.
“Because same-sex relationships do not naturally produce children, recognizing same-sex marriage does not further these goals to the same extent that recognizing opposite-sex marriage does,” Abbott said.
The legal landscape has significantly changed since February, when U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ruled that the Texas ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional because it relegates gay couples to “second-tier status” and demeans their dignity for no legitimate reason.
Garcia, who also tossed out Texas’ ban on recognizing same-sex marriages legally performed in other states, was the fourth federal judge to make a similar ruling since late December, following jurists in Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia.
Federal judges in 10 other states have overturned same-sex marriage bans saying the laws violate the US Constitution.
Plus, two federal appeals courts have upheld such rulings. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling yesterday that Virginia’s ban prohibited same-sex couples “from participating fully in our society.” And the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in similar rulings for Utah and Oklahoma.
Both the 4th Circuit and the 10th Circuit specifically addressed the issue that procreation is no justification for discriminating against gays and lesbians.
I recently reported on the latest plank added to the Texas Republican Party platform endorsing “ex-gay” therapy for gays and lesbians who are “seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle.” The same therapy has been denounced and called harmful by the American Psychological Association.
Anderson Cooper spoke to Texas state Rep. Bryan Hughes about the party’s decision to endorse the therapy, and the fact that all major medical organizations denounce the practice. Hughes tries to introduce the “there are opinions on both sides” argument and Cooper stops him in his tracks:
“It’s really just not accurate to say that doctors are evenly divided. I could give you a list: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselors’ Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers. They represent half a million mental health professionals, they all say this is not a mental disorder. It’s not something that needs to be cured….Does it concern you, again, that your party is now backing a form of therapy which basically every major medical organization says doesn’t work, can be harmful, and which many of the people who have been through it say it doesn’t work and is bad for kids?”
Hughes tried to soften his rhetoric a bit:
“No one is saying that God doesn’t love people as they are. There’s nothiing in the platform about that. No one is trying to take that position. Every one of us makes mistakes, makes decisions we’re not proud of. God loves each one of us, and he offers us a way for us to deal with sin and bad choices. But I do strongly disagree with what he said about God not loving people.”
Anderson pushed back again:
“The fact that you view being gay, or you characterize it as a ‘mistake,’ or something that should be changed really kind of maybe says more about your position than what your words actually say.”
You can watch the interview below. Good for Anderson for having facts at hand and calling out the lies by Hughes.
(via Towleroad)
Over the weekend, the Texas Republican Party voted to endorse controversial “ex-gay” therapy as a plank to the state GOP’s platform.
More than 10,000 attendees voted to add the following language to the party platform:
‘We recognize the legitimacy and efficacy of counseling, which offers reparative therapy and treatment for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle. No laws or executive orders shall be imposed to limit or restrict access to this type of therapy.’
According to CNN Cathie Adams, president of the Texas Eagle Forum, championed the inclusion of conversion therapy.
‘Nothing is mandatory,’ Adams said to CNN. ‘If a person chooses counseling, then it should be made available. California and New Jersey have passed bills outlawing it altogether, which is under litigation. It’s a freedom issue.’
The American Psychological Association has stated that “ex-gay” therapy, also known as “reparative therapy” is ‘unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm.’
Once again, the Log Cabin Republicans have been kicked to the curb by their fellow conservatives.
The Texas State Republican Convention will not allow the LCR to host a booth next week at it’s annual convention.
Via press release:
“Overall, Log Cabin Republicans of Texas has found incredible support within the Republican party — Texans, like the rest of the country, are evolving on LGBT rights issues,” said Log Cabin Republicans of Texas Chairman Jeffrey Davis.
“The Republican Party of Texas has even welcomed many of our members as delegates to the Texas State Republican Convention. However, the party has denied our several attempts to host a booth in the convention exhibit hall, citing archaic language in the party platform to support their actions.
“We deserve to occupy a booth just like anyone else, and it’s time that the Texas GOP’s hypocritical policies and procedures are replaced by new ones that match the general opinion of Texan Republican voters.”
According to Texas GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri the group was denied not because they are gay but because “of the association with the promotion for gay marriage” – which is not in the party’s platform.