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‘Hypocrite’ Trump axed transgender protectionsposted in Gay News
President Trump appears to have lost control of his administration – after officials went ahead to scrap anti-discrimination protections just days after the President intervened.
Last week the President said he would not repeal Obama’s executive protections for LGBT people, with Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner said to have convinced the President to ignore his strategists on the issue.
In a official statement just days ago, the White House claimed: “President Donald J. Trump is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community. President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election.
“[The order which] protects employees from anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination while working for federal contractors will remain intact at the direction of President Donald J. Trump.”
However, despite Trump’s assurances, it emerged over the weekend that newly-confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions has pulled the federal government’s legal support for Obama administration anti-discrimination protections for transgender students.
The implementation of the educational anti-discrimination protections were previously postponed after a legal challenge from a string of Republican states.The case was meant to be heard this month, but rather than defend the protections, Sessions filed a bid to postpone the court date indefinitely – meaning the order will likely never come into force as the case may never be heard.
The government’s short court submission says: “Defendants-appellants hereby withdraw their pending November 23, 2016 motion for partial stay pending appeal.
“The parties jointly move to remove from the Court’s calendar the February 14, 2017 oral argument currently scheduled for that motion.
“The parties are currently considering how best to proceed in this appeal.”
The protections for school students, while distinct from the executive order protecting LGBT workers, fundamentally applies the exact same principle of LGBT non-discrimination as the order that Trump claimed to support.
Activists believe the shift shows just how little control the President has over his Cabinet, given Sessions’ long record of anti-LGBT activism.
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said: “After being on the job for less than 48 hours, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has signalled his intent to undermine the equal dignity of transgender students.
“Transgender students are entitled to the full protection of the United States Constitution and our federal nondiscrimination laws.
“It is heartbreaking and wrong that the agency tasked with enforcing civil rights laws would instead work to subvert them for political interests.
“President Trump must immediately reverse course and direct the DOJ to uphold guidance protecting transgender students.” -
Britain’s Next Top Model gets its first ever trans contestantposted in Gay News
The beauty queen from Birmingham says she is “instantly recognisable” and that she is “versatile”.
Brown says she can “win the competition because there is no one like her”.
The show will still feature Abbey Clancy and Paul Culfor as co-lead judges, and will be joined by fashion director Hilary Alexander and celeb photographer Nicky Johnston.
Brown is one of twelve consestants to take to the show in 2017.
Clancy says: “I’m so excited to be returning for the second series on Lifetime.
“These girls are really pushed to the limit in a series of testing shoots and challenges. Expect tears, tantrums, triumphs and surprise departures!”
This year’s series will feature the models’ personal stories, as they aim to become professional models and win the show.
It will also feature Millie Mackintosh, Estee Lalonde, Savannah Miller and Matthew Williamson.
Brown in 2015 started her transition but said she still wanted to have children that are biologically hers even if it means being a single parent.http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/02/08/britains-next-top-model-gets-its-first-ever-trans-contestant/
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First openly same-sex AFL player coupleposted in Gay News
This is the brave new AFL. New thanks to a competition launched one short week ago, to rapturous audience acclaim, by this country's pre-eminent sports code. Brave because never in the storied history of the Victorian Football League-turned AFL has an elite male player declared his homosexuality.
Suddenly, in this infinitely more progressive reality where women are determining what AFL scoreboards say, we have Demon Clifford and Magpie Cula-Reid, a woman who already has serious form in high-profile pioneering.
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Milestones abound for AFLW couple
And just as their love story becomes public today with football as a backdrop, it has the sport at its origin. Cula-Reid and Clifford first laid eyes on each other on a footy field. A humble patch of grass in St Kilda, Melbourne, called the Peanut Farm Reserve and home to many an amateur Aussie Rules game.It was six years ago. Clifford was a newcomer to the St Kilda Sharks women's football team and Cula-Reid was something of a footy legend, having been the face of a landmark Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal case that saw females win the right to play against males beyond age 12.
To command Clifford's attention, and also to teach her a lesson, Cula-Reid literally threw herself at the first-timer to Sharks training.
"I'd never played a proper game of women's football," Clifford told Fairfax Media this week.
"I'd been travelling for three-and-a-half years around Australia, my cousin was training with the Sharks down at St Kilda and so I went along.
"In that first session a ball was kicked deep into the pocket and all I've seen is this girl come across, punch the ball out of my hands and say: 'You have to do better than that to get into this team'.
"I was like: 'Who is this person and who does she think she is, it's my first training!'. But that was Penny; that's my first memory of Penny."
Cula-Reid, a lifelong Collingwood supporter and Sharks player since age 16, remembers the same moment vividly.
"It was probably a classic sandpit situation where you throw sand at the person you like," she reflected before her AFLW debut.
Both women had close families that supported their choices in life, relationship-related and beyond.
"I have gay uncles and aunties and cousins," said Clifford, a full-time landscape gardener and, until recently, one-eyed Geelong fan.
"I was brought up to love the person not the gender, but when I met Penny I wasn't 100 per cent sure what direction I was going."
What about Clifford captivated Cula-Reid?
"The way Mia played her footy," she said.
"It was very fierce. And that's how she attacked her life as well.
"Mia's also a very genuine, caring person. She holds her family and her friends really close to her heart."
And traits of Cula-Reid that stood out to Clifford?
"I didn't even know Penny's history but thought it was just amazing to see a girl with so much skill who, at the same time, was so driven," she said.
"I was the free spirit. Penny has always had goals and ambitions. I think that's rare to find in people these days: people with genuine goals who know what they want."
There was no memorable out-on-a-limb romance moment. The pair didn't ever really arrange a first date. Making their relationship "official", about six months in, meant introductions to nearest and dearest rather than a "coming out".
There was no need for explanation at their footy club.
"I'm sure there are others – both genders – in similar situations in sports codes throughout the world," said Cula-Reid.
Why, then, does the duo think the same story hasn't emanated from a male AFL setting?
"I ask the same question but I don't have an answer," Clifford said.
"I guess if there are men who are gay in the AFL it will just take one or two people to come out and things might change. But until that day happens I don't think they know how to handle that."
Cula-Reid senses the time is nigh.
"I like to think people are generally more accepting of everything: of race, religion, sexuality," she said.
"It's all about love, more, now."
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Grammys add 1st man, transgender woman as trophy presentersposted in Gay News
LOS ANGELES (AP) — At Sunday's Grammys, a man and a transgender woman will join the so-called trophy girls who bring music's top honors onstage.
It's a change that puts the Grammys in the front ranks of awards diversity.
"To be honest, the idea of a 'trophy girl' has felt antiquated for some time now," Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, said in a statement Friday. "Who wrote that rule anyway? The ability to present a trophy has nothing to do with one's gender."
The change wasn't made to be provocative or buck convention, he added, but to acknowledge that "music's universal power lies in its spirit of inclusion" for all people and their voices.
In recent years, the Academy Awards has replaced its female trophy presenters with male and female film students, both American and from countries including China and Zimbabwe. That mix stood in contrast to the largely white slate of nominees, finally relieved this year by several nods for African-American artists including Denzel Washington ("Fences").
Changing up the Grammy trophy presenters isn't window-dressing. The awards increasingly have honored a variety of artists in different genres, from rap to country to jazz to classical, with Beyonce and Adele among the top contenders this time around.
The three trophy handlers at Sunday's ceremony are transgender model Martina Robledo; model and actor Derek Marrocco, and model and actress Hollin Haley. The ceremony airs live on CBS from 8-11 p.m. EST with James Corden as host.
Robledo, who's from San Diego, said she was honored to join Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox and other transgender people in the more-inclusive media spotlight. But she expects viewer reaction to her presence will be mixed.
"I know it's going to make some people uncomfortable and make others weep for joy," she said. "I'm just going to step out there and strut and make sure I deliver my best, because there's people out there looking up to me."
That may include transgender boys and girls or other minorities, she said, calling them "the people I want to speak for … to let them know that there is a better world out there for us."
Marrocco, who's modeled for top designers including Valentino and Ralph Lauren, called his selection an honor that makes a point.
"No matter what your gender is, if you're qualified, you're qualified," he said.
He may be scoring another first among presenters: Marrocco played football and basketball in college, for Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, before transferring to Fairleigh Dickinson University in his native New Jersey to earn his bachelor's degree.
Haley, a Texas native who moved to New York and then Los Angeles to pursue her career, said in a statement that being a presenter is a "dream come true." She arrived in LA just weeks before she was selected for the Grammy job.
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Trump’s war against marriage equality is just getting startedposted in Gay News
In his first interview after winning the presidential election, Donald Trump said he considered same-sex marriage to be a settled issue and that he was “fine” with it.
This was a reversal of his comment calling the Obergefell v Hodges decision, which made marriage equality the law of the land, “shocking,” saying he was in favor of states deciding the issue for themselves. He also campaigned on appointing judges “in the mold of” the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was certainly no friend to the LGBTQ community.
Related: The only argument for marriage equality anyone should need
The plaintiff in that case, Jim Obergefell, said that he did not believe Trump when he claimed he would not go after gay marriage.
“He flips on pretty much everything he says,” he said. “Saying it’s settled law — that doesn’t mean anything.”
It seems Obergefell’s distrust was well founded, as we begin to see how LGBTQ rights are likely to wind up on the chopping block in the not too distant future.
There have been reports of a religious freedom executive order that would allow for a license to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, a draft of which shows that it would go even further to erode equality than originally feared.
While the Trump White House has done their best to quiet those concerns, and sources claiming his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner were successful in stopping its progress after public backlash amid media reports, LGBTQ advocates remain on watch.
And for good reason, as Trump spoke at length about the importance of “religious freedom” at the National Prayer Breakfast, and his pick for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, ruled in favor of such exemptions in the Hobby Lobby case.
Congress could also pass the First Amendment Defense Act, which would also allow for discrimination against the LGBTQ community, by protecting those who would refuse goods and services based on the beliefs that: “(1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.”
Trump has pledged to sign it if passed, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently defended it in an exchange with Sen. Al Franken during his confirmation hearing process.
Related: Anti-Trump protest at Stonewall draws huge crowd
Providing a religious carve out to equal protections under the law could mean that while you get to stay married, you may find your rights in areas like employment, healthcare, housing, and private business quickly disappearing.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Tennessee have introduced the “Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act,” which would result in the state only recognizing marriages between one man and one woman, and would require state agencies to ignore the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.
It is for this reason that the LGBTQ rights movement better kick itself into full gear, sooner than later. There is no time to waste.
https://www.queerty.com/trumps-war-marriage-equality-just-getting-started-20170211
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This drag queen helped appoint Germany's new anti-Trump president (Pink News)posted in Gay News
Jones, real name Oliver Knobel, arrived to the ceremony in a wheelchair after receiving a leg shortening operation to reduce her height by 6cm, down from 2.07 metres (6ft7).
The drag queen joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other high-profile German’s at the event.
Jones signified earlier this month that one day she aspires to be president herself.
“The role would suit me wonderfully,” she said adding that her time in office “would not be boring”.
“I am a very political person. This is where I get to speak with the right people. This is where my message needs to get to. My presence and appearance alone set an example,” she said.
Coined Germanys answer to RuPaul Jones has always been politically motivated and previously pressed charges against the right wing party, Alternative for Germany (AfD) after they compared gay people to paedophiles.
The presidential role in Germany is largely for ceremonial purposes, but is respected international as it is seen as a moral position.
Steinmeier, who was formerly the foreign minister, was popular for the position.
The Social Democrat has described Donald Trump as a “hate preacher” and criticised those who “make politics with fear”.
He won with 931 out of 1,260 votes and will be appointed on March the 19th.
Many hope his election will signify a boost for his party, the Social Democrats, who hope to unseat Angela Merkel in the upcoming September elections. -
Government reveals over 100,000 visas revoked due to travel banposted in Politics & Debate
February 3 at 5:42 PM
More than 100,000 visas have been revoked as a result of President Trump’s ban on travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries, an attorney for the government asserted Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Va.The number came out during a hearing in a lawsuit by two Yemeni brothers who arrived at Dulles International Airport last Saturday and were quickly put on a return flight to Ethiopia because of the new restrictions. While the government is working to resolve that case and return the brothers to the United States, lawyers at the hearing addressed the broader impact of the ban.
The 100,000 figure was immediately disputed by the State Department, which said the number of visas revoked was roughly 60,000. A spokeswoman said the revocations have no impact on the legal status of people already in the United States. If those people leave the United States, though, their visas will no longer be valid.
Immigrant advocates, attorneys and the media have been pushing the Trump administration to offer an accounting of how many people were affected by the controversial executive order.
In response to a question from a judge, Erez Reuveni, of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, told the U.S. District Court that there were tens of thousands abroad holding visas when Trump signed his order a week ago
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Trump has lowest approval ratings of any new president ever polled: pollposted in Politics & Debate
A majority of respondents, 53 percent, disapprove of how Trump is handling his job in the CNN/ORC International poll released Friday, while 44 percent approve.
CNN reported that Trump is the only president to hold a net negative rating this early in a presidency. However, the vast majority of respondents, 78 percent, say Trump is handling the presidency as they would have expected.
The network compared Trump's ratings to past presidents, noting that Ronald Reagan's first approval rating measured at 51 percent from Gallup in 1981 — 7 points above Trump's rating in the CNN poll — but Reagan's disapproval number was far lower than Trump's at just 13 percent, compared to Trump's 53 percent.
George W. Bush, the last president to be elected without winning the popular vote, also held a more positive approval rating at 57 percent in February of his first year in office.
Trump's first two weeks as president have been punctuated by national protests over his executive order denying entry to nationals from seven predominantly Muslims nations for 90 days while suspending the U.S. refugee program for 120 days.
A majority of those polled by CNN, 53 percent, oppose Trump's executive order, while 47 percent say they favor the action.
Trump's executive order to construct a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border also faces opposition, with 60 percent of Americans surveyed by CNN opposed to the proposal. Trump said last week that construction on the wall could begin in "months."
The CNN poll of 1,002 adults was conducted Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 via landlines and cellphones with an overall margin of error of 3 percentage points.
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Trump just tweeted about 'Islamic terror' attack that killed 0\.posted in Politics & Debate
Earlier today, a suspected terrorist attempted to attack a French soldier with a machete near Le Louvre art gallery in the capital Paris.
Details remain thin on the ground, but the head of Paris police confirmed that they "are dealing with an attack from an individual who was clearly aggressive and represented a direct threat, and whose comments lead us to believe that he wished to carry out a terrorist incident.”
The attacker was shot five times and was shouting “Allahu akbar,” Mr Cadot added.
Responding to news of the incident, Donald Trump tweeted:
A new radical Islamic terrorist has just attacked in Louvre Museum in Paris. Tourists were locked down. France on edge again. GET SMART U.S.
dtrump.png
Mr Trump's speed at condemning the attack comes at no surprise of course. He is famed for his reactionary tweeting style.
However, what is interesting is his selectiveness of which incidents he reacts to in a public forum.
Earlier this week, the residents of Quebec were left in mourning after a shooting at a city mosque left six dead.
The man charged in connection with the terrorist attack is French Canadian student Alexandre Bissonnette , who was a fan for Donald Trump and far-right nationalist politician Marine Le Pen.
Along with the six people killed, five were left in a critical condition and 12 others suffered minor injuries.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a “terrorist attack on Muslims”.
So far, Donald Trump is yet to tweet anything to his many followers about the attack against the mosque in Quebec.
He did however, call Mr Trudeau privately to express his condolences.
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Gay couple brutally attacked in Ohio ‘thought it was the end’posted in Gay News
After leaving a bar in the early hours of Saturday, January 28, the couple initially received a wave of abuse, including being told that “God hates fags” and you’re going to hell”, from a number of men who were heading toward their car.
When the couple stopped to take a photo of their licence plate, the group were joined by a second car, who joined the four or five initial men in attacking the pair.
Speaking of the event, Mr Beier said he thought he was going to die.
“I thought for sure this was the end,” he added.
Both men were forced to the ground where the group then took turns at punching and kicking them.
“All of the sudden they start, they punch me in the face, throw me on the ground. and next to me he was going through the same thing with the other five black guys,” said Mr Sandhu.
“Each took a turn- punch, kick. Punch, kick. They were like, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ Punch, kick. ‘You like that?'”
Mr Beier added: “I don’t know if it was like my own personal self-protection or what, but my vision went black and my brain just kind of shut down and I almost stopped feeling for a minute.”
Mr Sandhu’s face was swollen and streaked with blood and although Mr Beier’s injuries were less visible, but he says his body is bruised and his nose fractured.
The City of Columbus don’t have any LGBT hate crime legislation but the local police force said it will investigate and present a case to prosecutors
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/02/02/gay-couple-brutally-attacked-in-ohio-thought-it-was-the-end/ -
Partnered gay men earn less than straight counterparts, but lesbians earn moreposted in Gay News
The report stated that the difference in earnings between partnered lesbians and partnered straight women was around 5.5 percent and regarded as “statistically significant”.
However, when only single women were compared earning differentials were practically non-existent.
The opposite was true for partnered gay men, who were found to be penalised for being in a relationship.
Single gay men and straight men had “near zero” difference between their earnings.
In regards to employment status, the study found that gay men were 4.5 percent less likely to be working full-time than their straight counterparts.
When this is isolated to just a comparison of those in a relationship, the figures rises to 6.1 percent.
Bisexual men are twice as likely than gay men not to be working full-time with almost 12 percent (11.9) not working full-time when compared to heterosexual men.
For women, however, the reverse is true.
Lesbians were 8.2 percent more likely to be working full-time than straight women, though bisexual women were 5.4 percent less likely.
Again, when only the partnered sample is considered, lesbians in a relationship are 15.4 percent more likely to work full-time.
Authors of the study stated that their results were consistent with previous studies.
“Traditional heterosexual partnerships typically involve gendered specialisation, with the man more engaged in market activities than the woman, particularly given the prevalence of children among heterosexual couples,” they said.
“Even if the degree of household specialisation were the same in heterosexual and gay male households, gendered heterosexual specialisation means that the average partnered heterosexual man will be more focused upon market activities than the average partnered gay man.”
In a study last year, it was found that bisexual men earn a third less than gay colleagues.
Bisexual people were also found to be more likely to live in poverty or have poor health.