Tag Archives: LGBT

Barilla Pasta Announces ‘Diversity And Inclusion’ Campaign Following Gay Backlash

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Italy’s Barilla Pasta came under fire in September when the company’s chairman made comments that sparked a backlash and boycott from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

On Nov. 4, the company made an announcement that seeks to change all of that, telling that public that they would be introducing a Diversity & Inclusion Board to the company and a Global Diversity Officer. In addition, they would participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index.

via Barilla Pasta Announces ‘Diversity And Inclusion’ Campaign Following Gay Backlash.

Screw you, Barilla. Anybody who doesn’t understand the words corporate pandering doesn’t understand what’s going on here.

Gay Couple Legally Wed in Oklahoma Despite Statewide Ban

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Gay couple in Oklahoma legally wed despite state ban on same-sex marriage – LGBTQ Nation.
My new favorite tribe! Congratulations!

Oklahoma-gay-wedding

In this photo provided by All Shots Photgraphy, the Rev. Floyd Black Bear, left, officiates the wedding of his son, Darren Black Bear, second from left, to Jason Pickel, second from right, at Fort Reno in Oklahoma. They are the third same-sex couple to be issued a marriage license from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes since 2012.| Brandi Duvall AP

Despite a gay marriage ban in the Oklahoma Constitution, Darren Black Bear, 45, and Jason Pickel, 36, wed before about 50 friends and family members at the Fort Reno chapel after being granted a marriage license from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. 

Christie Withdraws Appeal of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling in N.J.

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Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey announced on Monday that his administration would drop its legal challenge to allowing gay marriage in the state…

via Christie Withdraws Appeal of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling in New Jersey – NYTimes.com.

I sometimes get the feeling the Christie WANTS to be a progressive, but just can’t quite get there. I applauded him during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, stood up for him when Clinton’s former doctor called him fat, and decided that I would do anything I could possibly do to unseat him after this marriage equality debacle.

Not only is his referendum idea wrong on its face — you never allow the electorate to vote on basic human rights — but it’s laughable to think that somehow the courts are not a part of government. They are. They did their jobs. Lick your wounds and move on.

Or, perhaps more to the point, you realized that you can’t win another election on the wrong side of history.

Congratulations, Garden State. Fourteen is a lovely number. Fifteen’s a better one.

Report: Hollywood is less gay-friendly off-screen – LGBTQ Nation

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The online survey of nearly 5,700 SAG/AFTRA members also found that more than half of the gay, transgender and bisexual respondents had heard pro ducers and directors make anti-gay comments while working on-set.

The performers’ union, which is holding its annual convention in Los Angeles, said it pursued the first-of-its-kind research at the request of a committee that represents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members and as a methodical way to explore an issue usually discussed through anecdotes.

via Report: Hollywood is less gay-friendly off-screen – LGBTQ Nation.

OHMIGOD! How many times have I said this on this blog alone? THIS IS NOT NEWS. News would be actually fixing this problem. LGBT discrimination in Hollywood? Yes. Every day. Dammit.

I am Cassandra!

Aaron Hicklin on Steve Grand: His success as an out gay musician couldn’t have existed decade ago

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Aaron Hicklin on Steve Grand: His success as an out gay musician couldn’t have existed decade ago | Out Magazine.

There’s something infectious about hanging out with someone whose life is on the brink of change. Grand was like a boy who’d won the golden ticket — well-behaved and gracious, and enjoying every minute. It was one of his first public performances, and the fact that it was in an opulent Chicago institution that’s received every president since Harry Truman spoke volumes about where America finds itself in this particular moment.

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Out magazine’s Aaron Hicklin chatting with Steve Grand in Chicago. |Image: Out magazine.

Technology, says Out’s Aaron Hicklin, that’s what we’ve got to thank for Steve Grand and for the plethora of entertainment options from across the spectrum that are now available to us thanks to the Innerwebs.

It’s a lovely article. Read it. 

Also, search around for Hicklin’s Q&A with Grand from that event. I’ve seen it, but I can’t recall where. Towleroad, maybe? Anyhow, it’s a nice interview. The cut above has a video embed of Grand playing his debut, All-American Boy, at the Hilton.

Below is a link to a recent piece I did, featuring a video embed of his latest, Stay.

Steve Grand Would Like You to Stay

 

Wentworth Miller Attempted Suicide Before Coming Out As Gay

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Wentworth Miller Attempted Suicide Before Coming Out As Gay

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Out actor Wentworth Miller.

No one is glad that it happened, but people need to know what no matter how well-known you are, you can be affected by the same demons that gnaw at many of us “regular” folks. Miller should certainly be praised for his courage. Many people can dis this, but I’ve said it a thousand times, Hollywood is the most homophobic place in the world.

Towleroad has Miller’s comments about suicide made at an HRC event.

Remembering Bayard Rustin

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Bayard Rustin, prior to the 1963 March on Washington. |Image: AP via BuzzFeed

Really great piece this morning on BuzzFeed about Bayard Rustin, the architect of the 1963 March on Washington, which occurred 50 years ago today.

Rustin, the piece argues, has been mostly ignored by history because of his refusal to hide his homosexuality, even then, and his Quaker faith and temperament, which caused him to forswear all violence.

President Obama will posthumously bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Rustin this year.

 

Takei to Receive Leadership Award for LGBT Advocacy

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The extraordinary George Takei. Who better to receive this award? No one that I know of. |Image: Examiner

 

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced iconic Star Trek actor and LGBT advocate George Takei will be the recipient of the organization’s 2013 National Leadership Award, reports the Associated Press.

via George Takei to Receive Leadership Award for LGBT Advocacy | Advocate.com.

‘Harry Potter’ Star: Hollywood Gay Casting ‘Ridiculous’

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“If you are a romantic lead, there is a perception — I don’t know if it is true or not — that you will no longer be cast as straight people,” [Jason Isaacs] told the Telegraph. “Even when casting gay roles, there is a tendency to cast straight people, so they are lauded for their transformation. It’s ridiculous. The notion that a gay actor can’t seem like they are in love with a woman on screen is so patently absurd I can’t believe it still exists.”

via Jason Isaacs, ‘Harry Potter’ Star: Hollywood Gay Casting ‘Ridiculous’.

I couldn’t agree more. Of course, I looked at the photo and went, “Who in the hell is Jason Isaacs in Harry Potter?” That’s because Jason Isaacs is this guy:

jason-isaacs-la-premiere-of-bully-01He’s Lucius Malfoy!

I know, right?

Astonishing what a little slap and a blonde wig’ll do for ya!