admin - page 28

Hawaii state representative Jo Jordan made history when she became the first out elected official to vote against marriage equality. She claimed she was voting as her constituents wanted instead of her own personal feelings. Apparently, Jordan’s constituents didn’t want her to vote against her own community’s civil rights. The Democrat was defeated in Sunday’s primary election by a man who wasn’t even supposed to be on the ballot. Cedric Asuega Gates, who ran against Jordan two years ago as a Green Party candidate, beat the incumbent for a chance to face off with Republican Marc Paaluhui in November. Local Republicans…

Keep Reading

Thousands crowded the streets Monday around the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan where large-scale gay rights activism got its start in 1969. Under banners heralding the upcoming Pride Week event, people held hands and hugged. Some waved rainbow flags and others carried signs showing support for Orlando as they listened to a slew of elected officials, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Spectators watched from fire escapes and windows of nearby apartment buildings as chants of “love beats hate” rang from the crowd. Thomas Dougherty, 23, of Manhattan, said he came to the rally to feel…

Keep Reading

This Olympic race walker definitely picked up the pace in his relationship. Tom Bosworth of Great Britain revealed on Monday that he proposed to Harry Dineley on a beach in Rio de Janeiro ― and his boyfriend said yes. While Bosworth finished sixth in the 20-kilometer race, it looks like popping the question earned him something even more valuable than any medal given at the Games. The Rio Olympics have been full of romance. On Sunday, Chinese diver He Zi  won a silver medal and then accepted a proposal from boyfriend Qin Kai after the ceremony. Earlier in the Games, stadium manager Marjorie Enya asked Brazilian…

Keep Reading

An Irish drag queen used her local Pride celebrations last week as an opportunity to make a powerful and innovative statement about HIV stigma within the queer community. Electra La Cnt wore a tiara during Pride coated with HIV+ blood taken from a consenting individual with the help of a qualified doctor. The blood dried onto the tiara and became part of Electra’s look during the festivities. Electra told The Huffington Post that she was inspired to use Pride as a time to generate a larger conversation about HIV stigma based on the experiences her HIV+ friends have while navigating the…

Keep Reading

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant a deadline extension to the Virginia school board trying to bar transgender teen Gavin Grimm from using the boys’ restroom at his high school. The Gloucester County School Board wants the justices to overturn an April ruling that sided with Grimm. But first the board has to formally ask the court to hear its appeal, and the deadline for that is the end of August. If the Supreme Court takes the case, it would be the first time the justices address whether existing civil rights laws protect trans individuals. For now, Grimm is stuck in limbo. Earlier this month the…

Keep Reading

Kristen Stewart was never one to publicly gush about her relationship, even though she was in one of the most highly publicized relationships in the world.  Stewart covers the Fall Women’s Fashion issue of T Magazine and opens up about why she chooses to speak about her personal life and sexuality now that she is in a same-sex relationship.  “People wanted me and Rob to be together so badly that our relationship was made into a product,” she admits of her “Twilight” romance with co-star Robert Pattinson. “It wasn’t real life anymore. And that was gross to me. It’s not that I want to hide…

Keep Reading

The former chief executive of male escort website Rentboy.com is finalizing a plea agreement after his indictment for promoting prostitution, his lawyers said on Wednesday, in a case that has outraged gay and civil rights activists. In a letter filed in federal court in Brooklyn, lawyers for Jeffrey Hurant, 51, said they were finishing up details of the agreement, and asked that a plea hearing be scheduled for the week of Aug. 29. The filing does not detail to which charges Hurant or Easy Rent Systems Inc, which did business as Rentboy.com, would potentially plead guilty. Both were indicted on…

Keep Reading