Meet Canada’s New LGBT Friendly Prime Minister

On Tuesday, pro-LGBT candidate Justin Trudeau became the New Prime Minister of Canada! Trudeau of the Liberal Party beat out the incumbent Conservative Party member Stephen Harper as well as Tom Mulcair of the New Democratic Party.

Trudeau is Canada’s second youngest prime minister. He’s famous for his progressive politics, being a feminist and a tireless advocate for gay rights. Per The Advocate, Trudeau had this to say about last summer’s monumental Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage:

We’re celebrating 10 years of taking the decision the Supreme Court in the U.S. just took,” Trudeau said during an interview with Canada’s Global News at Toronto Pride this year, shortly after the U.S. marriage equality decision. “It’s a great day for freedom. It’s wonderful to see political leaders, celebrating this.”

Justin Trudeau is the son of late Pierre Trudeau who served as prime minister from 1968 to 1984.

800,000 People Came Out This Year On Facebook

Amidst status updates about what folks had for lunch or who they’re voting for, something big is happening on Facebook in 2015. The company reports over 6 million people have come out on the social media site as LGBT including 800,000 over the past year.

Facebook released a statement on National Coming Out Day:

Over the past year, approximately 800,000 Americans updated their profile to express a same-gender attraction or custom gender. Further, not only has the total number of Americans who have come out on Facebook risen dramatically, but so has the number coming out each day. As the chart demonstrates, the number of people on Facebook coming out per day is on track to be three times what it was a year ago.

The company also notes that, “Additionally, in the days following the June 26 Supreme Court decision, we saw more than 26 million people display a rainbow filter on their profile picture.”

Proudly Yours “Wears” Purple In Support of Spirit Day

Today, if your social media sites are all purple and you don’t know why it’s because it’s Spirit Day! Started in 2010 by a teen who wanted to bring awareness to LGBT bullying. The rules were simple: wear purple or post purple pictures on social media to show your support. The event has now grown into a phenomenon and has garnered the support of corporations, celebrities and even the White House!

We’ve gotten in on the act by posting “spirit-fied” versions of our photos on Instagram and you can too by downloading the free Spirit Day App.

Justice Sotomayor officiates same sex wedding

Supreme Court Justices Ginsberg and Kagan,respectively, recently officiated same-sex weddings. And retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor also officiated a gay wedding. On Saturday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined their ranks and became the 4th justice to do the same.

The couple, Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino of Washington D.C., are friends of the justice. The pair founded the high-powered DC consulting firm, D&P Creative Strategies. Pino and Duran are well-known activists for the LGBT, women and Latino civil rights. Also in attendance at the ceremony, according to SheWired.com, “U.S. Treasurer Rosa Gumataotao Rios, Rep. Xavier Beccera (D-Calif.), Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).”

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Celebrate happy news of your own with one of our stunning cards!

Do You Have Spirit?

On October 15th, if you see people decked out in purple on social media: there’s a reason. October 15th is the fifth annual Spirit Day. The event, which focuses on fighting LGBT bullying, was started by teenager Brittany McMillan.

“I started it in 2010 after hearing the devastating news about the deaths of several LGBT teens. I was so upset. I knew I had to do something. As a young person myself, I know how hard it can be for LGBT youth at school, on the playground, and in their neighborhoods. More than half of LGBT students say they feel unsafe because of who they are or who they love. That’s just not okay,” McMillan says. She has partnered with GLAAD who, “worked to involve millions of teachers, workplaces, celebrities, media outlets and students in going purple on social media or wearing purple, a color that symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag.”

So how do you show your spirit? It’s easy. Visit the site and pledge to go purple!

Who says you can’t send a card on Spirit Day? Nobody that’s who! And we’ve got good ones.

Rainbow Doritos Debut In Support of LGBT Youth

ece1e441e73806c987dc8444c014cc793cfe5ba7 Over the years, we’ve seen everything from cookies to beer don the rainbow colors in honor of gay pride. This week, Doritos hopped on the bandwagon with the tagline, “There’s nothing bolder than being yourself” along with new limited-edition Doritos decked out in rainbow colors. But it’s all for a great cause. The festive chips can be yours if you make a donation of $10 or more to the It Gets Better Project, a non-profit devoted to improving the lives of LGBT youth. According to the Advocate, “With each donation, the Pepsico-owned food company Frito-Lay will ship you one bag of Doritos Rainbows chips from its limited supply. Doritos also encourages donors to share how it gets #BoldAndBetter on social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter.” The chips will not be sold in stores and are expected to sell out as limited edition food items are hotly sought after items.

“Time and again, our consumers have shown us, there really is nothing bolder than being true to yourself and living life to the fullest,” Ram Krishnan, chief marketing officer for Frito-Lay said in a statement. “With Doritos Rainbows chips, we’re bringing an entirely new product experience to our consumers to show our commitment toward equal rights for the LGBT community and celebrate humanity without exception.”

Supreme Court Rules Against Anti-Gay Marriage Clerk

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled against the Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. The clerk arrived at work Tuesday morning to face her moment of truth.

According to the Washington Times, “Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis will have to choose whether to issue marriage licenses, defying her Christian conviction, or continue to refuse them, defying a federal judge who could pummel her with fines or order that she be hauled off to jail.” The latest reports say that Davis is, as of this afternoon still denying, marriage certificates. Several denied couples have now filed lawsuits against Davis. Lawyers for the defendants are asking, “Since Defendant Davis continues to collect compensation from the Commonwealth for duties she fails to perform, impose financial penalties sufficiently serious and increasingly onerous” to “compel her immediate compliance without delay.”

Davis cannot be fired from her $80,000 a year job because she is an elected official. A proposed impeachment couldn’t happen until the Legislature’s regular session next year. Legal action against Davis, however, including arrest could happen as soon as today.

Openly Gay Author Oliver Sacks Dead at 82

Sad news this weekend when word came that openly gay author and renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks had passed away at the age of 82. Sacks came out as gay in 2015 in his autobiography On the Move: A life.

The British writer is perhaps best known for his work Awakenings which was later turned into an acclaimed film with Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams. Last winter, Sacks revealed that an earlier case of melanoma in his eye had spread to his liver and was in the late stages of terminal cancer. Of the cancer Sacks wrote, “A month ago, I felt that I was in good health, even robust health. At 81, I still swim a mile a day. But my luck has run out – a few weeks ago I learned that I have multiple metastases in the liver.”

Sacks gained notoriety for a series of books which profiled rare medical conditions including Awakenings which was based on his work with patients treated with a drug that woke them up after years of being catatonic.

Cyndi Lauper’s Residence for Homeless LGBT Youth Celebrates 4 Years

Pop music legend Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Residence in Harlem, N.Y. is celebrating a major milestone this fall. The residence, which serves as a shelter for homeless LGBT youth, opened its doors for the first time in September 2011. According to Towleroad:

Lauper’s 30-bed housing facility was designed for youth 18-24 and comes with indoor and outdoor community spaces and created with energy efficiency in mind. Residents do have to pay rent, but the rent is adjusted to the residents’ income level; counseling and job placement services are also available on the premises to assist residents.

Lauper, a longtime LGBT activist, appeared before a Senate subcommittee on Capitol Hill earlier this year discussing efforts on alleviating homelessness among LGBT youth and addressing factors that lead to LGBT homeless.

Gay Rugby Star Says Support Has Been “Overwhelming”

The world of professional sports has been slower to embrace openly gay athletes but thanks to courageous folks like rugby player Keegan Hirst, that might be changing. Hirst, the Batley Bulldogs captain recently became “the first professional rugby league player to come out publicly as gay, is speaking out about the positive reactions he’s received from teammates and those on social media since his revelation,” according to Towleroad News.

In an interview with BBC 2’s Naga Munchetty, Hirst said:

I told two of my close teammates first and they were both fantastic and took it really well. One of them said he knew all along. Really supportive. Got behind me 100%. And then of course when it got filtered out to the rest of the team and coaching staff, nothing but positive messages. It’s really, really overwhelming.

In the interview, Hirst shared why he decided to come out now, how his wife took the news, when he realized he was gay, and whether he sees himself as a crusader for a cause.

“I suppose it’ll break down stereotypes. And that can only be a good thing. I’m just trying to get that message across. It’s okay.”