February 2012
133 posts
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The weird new site everyone's talking about →
Seen this one yet?
In response to recent debates over Mormons baptizing people into their faith post-mortem, a new web site popped up giving people the ability to “convert dead Mormons.”
It’s called All Dead Mormons Are Now Gay, and it lets you either enter the name of a deceased Mormon person or “choose a Mormon” and press a button to “convert” them. A...
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Ten members of Congress pose for NOH8 →
Adam Bouska’s iconic NOH8 photography campaign against Prop 8 has 10 new supporters: members of Congress who recently posed for photos for the campaign. Only one of them identifies as LGBT; the rest are allies.
Bouska set up an exclusive “NOH8 on the Hill” event for members of Congress, and ten members of Congress took photos and submitted statements of support for the...
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“As an actor, to portray this role on a show like this has been the most amazing...”
– Max Adler, who plays Dave Karofsky on Glee, about last night’s episode. More.
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Judge strikes down DOMA →
A California judge struck down a “key provision” of the Defense of Marriage Act tonight in a case involving a federal employee seeking benefits for her same-sex partner - the first ruling like this since the Obama administration announced it would no longer defend DOMA.
From ABC:
Karen Golinski, a lesbian woman married to her spouse under California law, brought the suit after...
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Study finds high suicide rate in trans* teens →
A new LiveScience story examines the high rate of mental health problems in transgender kids and adolescents.
Based partially on a 2010 study that found 41 percent of trans* people in the U.S. have attempted suicide, the article examines how having a gender identity that doesn’t match one’s body can cause serious psychiatric complications.
Researchers attributed those rates to...
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Trans* protections pass in Baltimore council →
The Baltimore County Council yesterday passed legislation protecting people from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill passed 5 to 2 and will protect trans* people “in housing, employment, education, financing or public accommodations.” Next week the bill will go to the Senate.
The bill comes about one year after the beating of...
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Prop 8 supporters seek full review →
Yesterday was the deadline for supporters of California’s Proposition 8 to request another appeal on the measure’s unconstitutional ruling, and so proponents of the law are seeking a full review by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
For those who haven’t quite followed this mess of a case, Prop 8 was ruled unconstitutional in 2010 by Judge Vaughn Walker, and a three-judge panel...
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Glee tackles suicide (SPOILERS)
Tonight was a little rough.
Dave Karofsky, the athlete who mercilessly bullied Kurt, then came out to him, then confessed his love, tries to take his own life. Through the rest of the episode, the Glee gang talks about how important it is to look toward the future when times get tough.
They visit Karofsky and pray for him, Mr. Schu shares a time when he considered taking his own life, and there...
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It Gets Better special to air on MTV tonight →
Tonight, Dan Savage’s viral It Gets Better campaign will see a new medium in the form of a special on MTV. In an interview with The Advocate published today, Savage talks about the special in the context of his recent glitter-bombing, when activists publicly shamed him for incidents of past transphobia.
Here’s the Advocate’s rundown of the tonight’s special, which takes a...
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London launches "Real Men Get Raped" ad campaign →
Starting yesterday, 140 London subway stations are displaying posters for a new campaign encouraging male rape victims to speak out about the crimes against them.
Launched by the group SurvivorsUK, the ads will run during the Six Nations rugby tournament as a way to convey that anyone can be a victim of rape. According to the organization, one man is the victim of a sexual crime every hour in...
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“The reason we’re not rushing to get married is because I don’t feel appropriate...”
– Actress Kristen Bell on why she and her fiancé Dax Shepard are holding off on getting married. Read the rest of the (really, really good) Advocate interview here.
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Nebraska study finds evidence of workplace... →
Lawmakers in Omaha, Nebraska have been in disagreement for years over a possible ordinance that would protect LGBT individuals at work. Now, the city councilman behind the legislation has proof of how badly the law is needed.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health conducted a study that found workplace discrimination to be “a growing problem” in...
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Another GayWrites PSA
Just a reminder:
GayWrites will be offline in a couple of days (I’ll let you know the exact dates soon) to boot up the newly redesigned site. If you want to stay up-to-date with LGBT news, media and culture coverage during that time, make sure to follow GayWrites on Facebook and Twitter!
Also remember to get your sweet new GayWrites stickers here! They look like this:
Support the...
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Sheriff's image shattered after he's outed →
An Arizona sheriff built a strong reputation as a conservative icon for his appearances with John McCain and public opposition to the Obama administration. He’s running for a competitive GOP nomination in a conservative congressional district and had garnered a lot of support.
That changed this weekend, when Paul Babeu had to admit publicly that he was involved in a same-sex relationship...
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Indiana conservatives fight LGBT license plates →
Remember that way-cool trend sweeping the nation where states have license plates devoted to LGBT causes?
Like clockwork, antigay activists in Indiana are working to stop the state from implementing license plates supporting the Indiana Youth Group, which supports LGBT youth. A group called Advance American is leading the way in lobbying lawmakers not to allow license plates to support...
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Student says she was punched for anti-Prop 8... →
A student columnist says she was punched in the face for publishing a column opposing California’s Proposition 8.
Destinie Mogg-Barkalow of Bridgewater State University wrote a column expressing the opinion that opponents of marriage equality are stuck in another time. The day after the article ran, she was confronted by a man and a woman in a parking lot who asked her if she had written...
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“It takes away the one thing I had,” Maher said, noting that New Jersey is...”
– Comedian Bill Maher on why Gov. Chris Christie is making New Jersey look bad. Taken from this article.
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Read this now: "Why We Should All Be Against 'Gay... →
As more and more states join the discussion about marriage equality (what up, Washington and hopefully Maryland?) it’s important to think about how we talk about the issues at hand. More specifically: why do we use the language we do?
For a while, we referred to the overall political topic of people of the same sex getting married as “gay marriage.” But that’s never been...
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Young Chinese people OK with homosexuality →
More than 80 percent of Chinese people ages 30ish and younger are accepting of homosexuality, according to a new study.
A major Chinese dating website conducted a survey and found that “83 percent of respondents born between 1980 and 1989, as well as 82 percent of those born after 1990, do not disapprove of homosexuality.” The same survey, however, found interesting statistics about...
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“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but...”
– Abraham Lincoln
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Read this now: "When Your 7-Year-Old Son... →
Remember the personal essay that circulated a while back about the mom whose young son was clearly in love with Blaine from Glee?
That little boy has since surprised his family and friends with an announcement confirming everyone’s suspicions, surprising considering he’s only 7:
I was in another room alone (I thought), explaining, “We’re not saying he’s straight,...
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WatchWatch as Jon Stewart speaks out against gay activist “glitter bombers” and what they’re trying to convey. Do you agree?
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DOJ won't defend denial of gay military spouse... →
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced it will no longer defend laws that keep same-sex spouses of service members from getting the same benefits as straight married couples.
There is no reason to treat these laws any differently than the Defense of Marriage Act, which Holder’s department is also no longer defending, he said in a letter to Congress today. Military-specific sections of the...
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Maryland House passes marriage equality bill →
The Maryland House voted Friday to pass a marriage equality bill in the state for the first time ever.
The state Senate passed a similar bill about a year ago, though that bill was ultimately shelved, but it’s expected they will pass it again. Gov. Martin O’Malley has already agreed to sign the bill into law.
Tons more details at the article above. What a week.
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Read this now: "Gay high school football player... →
Meet Jeremy - he’s 17, a football player, a runner, and by the way, he’s gay. But as an athlete in a conservative town, he’s not quite out yet.
Published on outsports.com and keeping Jeremy’s identity a secret, this article is a first-person account of what it’s like to walk in this guy’s shoes. Sometimes it’s tough. Some people have tried to out Jeremy...
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NJ governor vetoes marriage equality bill →
In an obnoxious yet unsurprising move, New Jersey governor Chris Christie vetoed a marriage equality bill today, following through on his age-old promise to do so.
The state Assembly had passed the bill yesterday and the Senate on Monday. Christie still holds that voters should decide on the bill, while others argue that civil rights are not to be put on a ballot.
Well this sucks.
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Texas A&M adds protections for LGBT employees →
The president of Texas A&M, R. Bowen Loftin, has for the first time ever included sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression into the university’s non-discrimination memo for employees.
Officials say members of the university community have responded well to the inclusion of LGBT people in a non-discrimination policy, especially because Texas is a state lacking in...
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West Virginia civil unions bill introduced →
In West Virginia this week, a delegate introduced a bill that would give same-sex couples the same legal protections as married heterosexual couples. This is the first time such a bill has been introduced in the state’s legislature.
Delegate John Doyle says he introduced the bill Thursday to start a conversation about family equality. The Jefferson County Democrat says that gay and...
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Obama administration holds LGBT health conference →
The Obama administration held its first LGBT conference of campaign season on Thursday in Philadelphia, focusing on health care issues in the LGBT community.
The conference was headlined by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, who spoke on discrimination against LGBT people in matters of health like insurance coverage and federal surveys. She gave a similar speech before the...
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New Jersey Assembly passes marriage equality bill →
The New Jersey Assembly today passed a marriage equality bill for the first time ever, with a 42-33 vote.
However, Governor Chris Christie has already promised he’ll veto the bill, and there’s discussion of a referendum. Details from the Advocate:
Legislative leaders have strongly opposed the referendum suggestion, saying that civil rights should not be put to a vote. They have...
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"Don't say gay" bill moves forward in Tennessee →
Tennessee’s controversial “don’t say gay” bill banning discussions of homosexuality in the classroom was approved in the state House of Representatives yesterday.
The measure now goes to the House Education Committee, where it could be addressed as early as next week. Dozens of students showed up at the hearing on Wednesday to protest, so many that the subcommittee had to...
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“If you have two loving adults, that should actually be held up as a positive,...”
– Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel on why he’ll lobby for Illinois’s pending marriage equality bill. Meanwhile, Governor Pat Quinn remains undecided. More.
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Northwestern publishes med school study on LGBT... →
Northwestern University this week published the results of a longitudinal study about the factors involved in LGBT youth suicide and self-harm - the first study of its kind, according to the release.
The results of the study are far from extravagant, and perhaps even a bit expected. According to the data, the LGBT youth who are most likely to consider suicide are those who are victimized for...
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Anoka-Hennepin school district votes in neutrality... →
Minnesota’s Anoka-Hennepin school district, now infamous for its high number of youth suicides, has voted to replace a widely criticized policy that prohibited discussion of LGBT issues in the classroom.
In its place is a new policy that promotes “respectful exchange of views” on topics like homosexuality. The policy’s not perfect, but the SPLC has said that it no longer...
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U of Denver tests gender-neutral bathrooms →
Residential advisers at the University of Denver have launched a “transgender awareness program” by converting a dorm bathroom into a gender-neutral bathroom for a few weeks.
Signs were posted around the building to let students know what was going on and why it was important, and organizers told campus media that the effects and reactions have been generally positive.
...
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Hockey player suspended for tweeting slur →
Houston Aeros forward Justin Fontaine has been suspended for two games for an antigay slur in a tweet responding to the Grammys.
He has since apologized for his mistake, saying it was the result of a harmless Twitter battle with his roommate, but news spread quickly anyway and The Wild decided it best to suspend Fontaine.
Prior to the season, the NHL issued a social media policy, which...
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Glee's gay Valentine's episode (SPOILERS) →
Glee tackled a lot of great big gay stuff in last night’s episode, including (don’t read on if you haven’t seen it): GASP! Physical Brittana contact.
There are two big LGBT-related storylines going on here. First, the school principal tells Santana and Brittany they can’t kiss at school, even though this is a clear double standard, as straight couples like Rachel and Finn...
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Virginia school district considering ban on... →
In an attempt to protect students from bullying and harassment, a Virginia school district is considering outlawing cross-dressing, a vague way to describe students wearing clothing that would traditionally be worn by people of the other sex.
Administrators in Suffolk, Virginia believe they’ll be keeping kids from the teasing and even suicide that has taken place across the country in...