#WhyWeFight: International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia

Today is International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia! The day is a part of the United Nations Free & Equal campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. Per the UN:

The global movement for lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) equality encompasses millions of individuals, groups, organizations and campaigns all of whom are fighting for change in their own countries and communities.

To celebrate the International Day against Homophobia & Transphobia on 17 May 2016, we asked people to help us create a video that captures some of the strength and spirit that LGBT activists and allies bring to their work, and the sheer diversity of causes that help make up the movement globally. The result is a celebration of activism – and a reminder of why we fight.

Thanks to singer-songwriter Rachel Platten for lending her powerful “Fight Song” to serve as the soundtrack to this year’s video. Finally, special thanks to the many activists around the world who contributed time, energy and enthusiasm to the making of the video – and whose daily struggle against stigma and discrimination is the inspiration for this project. This fight song is dedicated to you!

The inspiring campaign also features videos from LGBT activists from around the world like singer Melissa Etheridge, NBA star Jason Collins and parents who have been affected by hate and homophobia in their own families. Today, the United Nations is using the hashtags #WhyWeFight and #IDAHOT to spread the word on social media and we hope you do the same!

Italy Votes to Approve Same-Sex Civil Unions

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On May 11, the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved a civil unions bill which is a huge step towards marriage equality for the staunchly Catholic nation. The vote comes on the heels of months of heated debate, and the law was only passed after a provision for adoption was removed from the original bill.
“The approval of the civil union law is a milestone in the struggle toward legal recognition for same-sex-couples in Italy,” said Boris Dittrich, advocacy director in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights program at Human Rights Watch. “But restrictive adoption provisions for same-sex couples deny some children the legal protection and security they deserve.” According to the HRW, “Since 2010, a number of Italian courts have ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to partnership recognition, and major cities, including Rome and Milan, have allowed same-sex couples to symbolically register marriages conducted abroad. In July 2015, the European Court of Human Rights held that Italy violated the right to privacy and family life in failing to provide sufficient and reliable legal protection for same-sex relationships.” It should be noted that civil unions are not the same as same-sex marriage which is legal in the European Union member states of Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland.

“The Civil Union Act is a watered down version of a bill first introduced by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party in 2014. While opponents introduced thousands of amendments, the most controversial provision in the original bill would have given a partner in a same-sex couple the right to adopt their partner’s children. In February, the Senate approved a compromise text that removed this option, paving the way for the vote in the Chamber of Deputies. According to article 73 of the Italian Constitution, the President of the Republic needs to promulgate the law. It is expected he will do so,” the HRW writes.

While the Italian LGBT community celebrates this step forward, the adoption issue is an important one. Dittrich said “Italian politicians should ensure that the best interests of children are the primary consideration in all adoption proceedings. Lawmakers should revise Italy’s adoption legislation to allow unmarried couples in a civil union, irrespective of their gender, and individuals, to adopt children and to also allow stepchild adoption.”

VIDEO: Watch Loretta Lynch’s Historic Speech in Favor Transgender Rights

This week transgender activists, the LGBT community and fans of basic civil rights everywhere applauded the speech by Attorney General Loretta Lynch given in response to North Carolina’s “bathroom bill.” Lynch took to the podium in a press conference to denounce the bill, saying it violated civil federal rights. According to Lynch:

The North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 2 in special session on March 23 of this year. The bill sought to strike down an anti-discrimination provision in a recently-passed Charlotte, North Carolina, ordinance, as well as to require transgender people in public agencies to use the bathrooms consistent with their sex as noted at birth, rather than the bathrooms that fit their gender identity. The bill was signed into law that same day. In so doing, the legislature and the governor placed North Carolina in direct opposition to federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity. More to the point, they created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals, who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security – a right taken for granted by most of us.

Last week, our Civil Rights Division notified state officials that House Bill 2 violates federal civil rights laws. We asked that they certify by the end of the day today that they would not comply with or implement House Bill 2’s restriction on restroom access. An extension was requested by North Carolina and was under active consideration. But instead of replying to our offer or providing a certification, this morning, the state of North Carolina and its governor chose to respond by suing the Department of Justice. As a result of their decisions, we are now moving forward.

Today, we are filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state of North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina. We are seeking a court order declaring House Bill 2’s restroom restriction impermissibly discriminatory, as well as a statewide bar on its enforcement. While the lawsuit currently seeks declaratory relief, I want to note that we retain the option of curtailing federal funding to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina as this case proceeds.

In a career that thus far has been quietly off the radar, Loretta Lynch’s words have been heralded as a turning point in the current discrimination battle brewing in the south. Watch the entire speech here!

Actor Colton Haynes Comes Out

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly published yesterday, 27 year-old actor Colton Haynes officially came out. The announcement comes after months of social media speculation about the former Arrow and Teen Wolf star. Per EW,

A Tumblr post in January sparked an Internet firestorm after a fan commented on Haynes’ “secret gay past,”regarding racy modeling photos Haynes took while underage. Without giving it much thought, Haynes offered a coy reply: “Was it a secret?” The comment was picked up by bloggers as his coming out – but it wasn’t. Not yet.

“It was a complete shock. I wasn’t ready to be back in the headlines,” says Haynes, who is in fact gay but has never publicly addressed his sexuality (and, like many others on his path, took advice early in his career to subdue it). “I should have made a comment or a statement, but I just wasn’t ready. I didn’t feel like I owed anyone anything. I think in due time, everyone has to make those decisions when they’re ready, and I wasn’t yet. But I felt like I was letting people down by not coming forward with the rest of what I should have said.”

The article also talks Haynes’ struggle with anxiety, a main reason why he left the hit series Arrow in 2015. “I asked to step away because I cared more about my mental and physical health than my career at the time,” Haynes told EW. “I’ve had terminal anxiety my entire life. Physically ill, fainting. I’m 27 years old, and I have an ulcer. I had to step back.” Haynes said keeping his sexuality under wraps didn’t exactly help with his anxiety. “People want you to be that GQ image that you put out, but people don’t realize what it’s like to act 24 hours a day. I’d go home and I was still acting,” he says gently. “People who are so judgmental about those who are gay or different don’t realize that acting 24 hours a day is the most exhausting thing in the world.” After months off, the star says, ““I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and healthier than I’ve ever been, and that’s what I care about.”

Marriage Equality Comes to Colombia

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More good marriage equality news from across the globe!

According to NewNowNext, “The Colombian Constitutional Court declared that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional in a 6-3 decision issued Friday, fully legalizing same-sex marriage and restoring benefits to same-sex couples who are already married. The rights of married same-sex couples in Colombia have been in limbo for years as the Constitutional Court and Congress fought over which should make the decision.” Colombia is now the fourth South American country, right behind Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, to make same-sex marriage legal. Colombia has slowly since 2007 passed laws to protect same sex-couples. Adoption, healthcare, pension and social security rights have been granted to LGBT couples but only as common-law marriages.

“The right to marry and to form a family are fundamental rights that States must protect. Limiting marriage to heterosexual couples violates the right to nondiscrimination and equality,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Executive Director of the Human Rights Watch Americas Division, in an impassioned speech before the court. “The court’s decision to grant all Colombians, regardless of their sexual orientation, the right to marry the people they love is a landmark move for human rights in the country.”

Have friends tying the knot here or abroad? A Proudly Yours card looks great on every gift!

Openly Gay Wrestler Wins Championship Titles and Does it In Drag

cassandro_london_school_of_lucha_libre_resistance_gallery_2 Viva individualidad!

Mexican wrestler Cassandro El Exotico is reinventing Mexico’s idea of a professional lucha libre wrestler. This must-see video from Great Big Story profiles a showman and athlete turning a beloved a national pastime on its ear. The twist? Mexico loves it! From sparkly capes to fake eyelashes, Cassandro bends genders while making jaws drop on his way to the ring. Inside the ring however, he kicks ass. Cassandro is a championship title holder and has been in sport for over 20 years. Of himself and other gay lucha wrestlers (referred to as “exoticos”) Cassandro told the Guardian, “Nowadays a lot of the fans that really know about lucha libre, they know that some of us – not all of us – have really dignified, with our skills and talent, our gender, the exoticos. Yeah, we are gay, but we do know how to wrestle.” Watch Cassandro’s incredible story here!

Frank Ocean Pays Tribute to Prince

<> on June 14, 2014 in Manchester, Tennessee.

Openly bisexual singer/songwriter Frank Ocean took to his Tumblr to pay tribute to music icon Prince, who died yesterday at the age of 57. The post, written in all caps, lauds Prince for his fearlessness and Ocean says the artist helped him embrace his own sexuality. Per Pink News, here’s what Ocean had to say about the legend:

I’M NOT EVEN GONNA SAY REST IN PEACE BECAUSE IT’S BIGGER THAN DEATH. I NEVER MET THE MAN (I WAS TOO NERVOUS THE ONE TIME I SAW HIM) AND I NEVER SAW HIM PLAY LIVE, REGRETTABLY. I ONLY KNOW THE LEGENDS I’VE HEARD FROM FOLKS AND WHAT I’VE HEARD AND SEEN FROM HIS DEEP CATALOG OF PROPELLANT, FEARLESS, VIRTUOSIC WORK. MY ASSESSMENT IS THAT HE LEARNED EARLY ON HOW LITTLE VALUE TO ASSIGN TO SOMEONE ELSE’S OPINION OF YOU.. AN INFECTIOUS SENTIMENT THAT SEEMED SOAKED INTO HIS CLOTHES, HIS HAIR, HIS WALK, HIS GUITAR AND HIS PRIMAL SCREAM. HE WROTE MY FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIME, ‘WHEN YOU WERE MINE’. IT’S A SIMPLE SONG WITH A SIMPLE MELODY THAT MAKES YOU WISH YOU THOUGHT OF IT FIRST, EVEN THOUGH YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE – A FLIRTATIOUS BRAND OF GENIUS THAT FEELS APPROACHABLE. HE WAS A STRAIGHT BLACK MAN WHO PLAYED HIS FIRST TELEVISED SET IN BIKINI BOTTOMS AND KNEE HIGH HEELED BOOTS, EPIC. HE MADE ME FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH HOW I IDENTIFY SEXUALLY SIMPLY BY HIS DISPLAY OF FREEDOM FROM AND IRREVERENCE FOR OBVIOUSLY ARCHAIC IDEAS LIKE GENDER CONFORMITY ETC. HE MOVED ME TO BE MORE DARING AND INTUITIVE WITH MY OWN WORK BY HIS DEMONSTRATION – HIS DENIAL OF THE PREVAILING MODEL…HIS FIGHT FOR HIS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – ‘SLAVE’ WRITTEN ACROSS THE FOREHEAD, NAME CHANGED TO A SYMBOL… AN ALL OUT REBELLION AGAINST EXPLOITATION. A VANGUARD AND GENIUS BY EVERY METRIC I KNOW OF WHO AFFECTED MANY IN A WAY THAT WILL OUTRUN OBLIVION FOR A LONG WHILE. I’M PROUD TO BE A PRINCE FAN(STAN) FOR LIFE.

Prince was found dead in his home in Minneapolis on April 22.

Good News From The South! Louisiana Bans LGBT Discrimination

New-Orleans In a couple of weeks filled with really bad news coming out of the south, this little nugget from Louisiana is a real gem.

On Wednesday, Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order prohibiting discrimination against LGBT Louisianans. The order overturns an executive order by Edwards predecessor, Republican Bobby Jindal which protected employers and agencies that wouldn’t serve the LGBT community. Edwards said order was “bad for business, tourism and the Louisiana economy. Per NBC News, “Louisiana has no law protecting LGBT residents from employment discrimination. Edwards’ order protects state employees from discrimination over a variety of reasons, including race and religion in addition to sexual orientation and gender identity.” Edwards’ bill also explicitly protects transgender people. The nonprofit Forum for Equality called the order “a bold stroke to broaden equality in Louisiana,” while Equality Louisiana said it should spur the Legislature “to extend these employment protections to all workers in Louisiana, in both the public and private sectors.” The order was signed after months of pressure from gay rights groups and companies like IBM which worried that Jindal’s order would “create a hostile environment for our current and prospective employees.”

Greg Louganis Finally Gets His Wheaties Box

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Four-time Olympic diving gold medalist and five-time world champion Greg Louganis can now be found in the cereal aisle at your local grocery store. After a 30 year career, Louganis will be featured on one of three Wheaties box honoring Olympic legends. Swimmer Janet Evans and hurdler Edwin Moses, respectively, can be seen on the other boxes. In previous interviews, Louganis has said he understood he wasn’t featured on Wheaties boxes during the 1980’s because he didn’t fit the brand’s wholesome image. Louganis came out as gay and HIV-positive in 1995. “[It’s] so incredible to be honored with the likes of Edwin Moses — we were in our first Olympic games in 1976 together,” Louganis told NPR’s All Things Considered. “Janet Evans — we trained at Mission Viejo together — I watched her grow up.” Louganis is the only man to sweep Olympic diving events in consecutive games, winning gold medals in both platform and springboard diving at the 84′ and ’88 Olympics. Louganis’ career is an inspiration to contemporary divers like Tom Daly, who is also openly gay. Daly told NPR,””I would have always wanted someone like him as a role model on the front of a cereal box,” Daley told NPR’s Ari Shapiro. “He’s a great model and forever will be the greatest diver to walk this earth.”

A recent Change.org petition, which garnered over 45,000 signatures to get Louganis his own Wheaties box, didn’t play a part in this recent series however. “We were aware of the petition, as we see this all the time from fans wanting their favorite athlete on the box,” Mike Siemienas of General Mills said. “But appearing on a Wheaties box is not a popularity contest. Wheaties chooses athletes based on their achievements on and off their field of play.” Although decades after his appearance at the Olympics, Louganis is thrilled that his Wheaties moment is happening now. “Back in ’95, I wasn’t expected to live very long because we thought of HIV-AIDS as a death sentence, so to be here today, now 56, the box means so much more to me than it would have then because I feel like I’m being embraced as a whole person, not just for my athletic achievements.”

Openly Gay Police Chief Sworn In

033016magnusDSC_7068 In a few weeks filled with bad news for the LGBT community, here’s something to smile about! Although he’s been serving as Tucson’s top cop for the last two months, Chris Magnus was officially sworn in last week. Magnus, an openly gay man, previously served as police chief in Richmond, CA. Magnus married Terrance Cheung in 2014 and is believed to be the first gay police chief to ever get legally married. “I’m grateful and proud that I can now serve the people of Tucson,” he told a crowd of about 120 city officials last Wednesday. Prior to being sworn in, Magnus had to pass a series of tests administered by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. According to the Tucson Sentinel, “Assistant Chief John Leavitt said that Magnus has been the ‘first to arrive and the last to leave’ at headquarters each day, and that despite the budget crunch that the city faces, Magnus is allowing the department to tackle projects ‘that we never thought possible.'” Tucson is Arizona’s second largest city with over 525,00 residents.