THIS FATHER TRAVELED HUNDREDS OF MILES TO SEE HIS SON'S FIRST DRAG PERFORMANCE

In a heartwarming tale of family acceptance, a dad surprised his son by traveling almost 300 miles to be there for his first-ever drag performance.

The father of 20-year-old Alex Truesdale – whose drag name is Rosebud – traveled from Northern Ireland to West Lancashire, England to see the performance.

“He arrived at my door at 10 am, I couldn’t believe it. I was like ‘Why are you here?'” Truesdale told The Echo. 

“It was such a wholesome moment my dad being there cheering me on like he always has since day one. My dad is my hero. He’s annoying and frustrates me sometimes but we always build a bridge, dry the tears and move on. I can tell him anything, especially since I flew the nest.”

Truesdale, a makeup artist, has loved drag since the age of four, but it took much longer for him to fully embrace it.

“I was in an extremely lonely place at the age of 11 and in that place of feeling isolated, I felt like I couldn’t turn to anyone. I began watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and I started using makeup as a way to project my emotions. When I turned 16, I finally came out and it gave me that boost of confidence I needed to try drag for the first time after religiously being captivated by RuPaul.”

Truesdale does not have a good relationship with his mother and said he dealt with nightmares and eating disorders after their relationship imploded. He grew up in Northern Ireland and endured endless bullying but refused to let it stop her from embracing her true self. Her dad, she said, has been her rock through it all, always supporting her and loving her for exactly who she is.

That doesn’t mean life wasn’t challenging, though.

“I used to get bullied daily in school up until the moment I came out,” he said. “I finally came to the realization that what everyone was saying was facts. I am gay and I am proud.”

“But being openly gay and happy was something a lot of people didn’t agree with that,” he went on. “There were plenty of moments when I wanted to just give up. But I didn’t because I reminded myself of four-year-old me who fell in love with [drag].”

Drag, he added, is “an escape from reality.”

“Drag helps me express how I feel in so many amazing ways. I would be lost without it. It’s my hobby, my passion and something that separates my boy job as a makeup artist from the crazy drag life as Rosebud. People think it’s the same person, but to me, it’s my safety blanket. Once I cake my face in makeup, chuck those heels on and throw a wig on I feel invincible, more so than I would as Alex.”

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

BLACK EYED PEAS ANGER POLISH POLITICIANS BY WEARING RAINBOW ARMBANDS DURING NEW YEAR'S TV CONCERT

 

All four members of the pop group The Black Eyed Peas angered anti-LGBTQ+ politicians in Poland by wearing rainbow armbands during a live TV New Year’s Eve performance broadcast throughout the country.

While performing on the TVP channel’s “New Year’s of Dreams” show, the group’s frontman Will.i.am spoke against discrimination faced by the LGBTQ+ community and other groups. The band’s performance was seen by an estimated 8.3 million viewers.

“We dedicate this next song to those who have experienced hate throughout this year,” Will.i.am said. “The Jewish community, we love you. People of African descent around the world, we love you. The LGBTQ community, we love you. This song that we’re going to do is called ‘Where’s the Love?’ and it’s dedicated to unity.”

During the broadcast, TVP presenter Tomasz Kammel said onstage that every aspect of the event was pre-planned and approved by broadcasters, “including every element of [performers’] outfits.”

The display angered deputy agriculture minister Janusz Kowalski. He wrote via Twitter, “Homopropaganda on TVP for $1 million,” mentioning the event’s production cost.

Marcin Warchol, a member of Poland’s anti-LGBTQ+ Law and Justice Party (PiS) was also angered.

“LGBT promotion in TVP2. DISGRACE!” Warchol tweeted. “It’s not a New Year’s Eve of Dreams but a New Year’s Eve of Deviance.”

At the start of 2020, PiS began a push to declare regions across the country as “LGBT-free zones” in an attempt to remove LGBTQ+ “propaganda” from the public as a form of “Western decadence” that “threaten[s] our identity, threaten[s] our nation, threaten[s] the Polish state.” Both the U.S. and the European Union condemned the zones as violations of human rights.

Will.i.am responded to Warchol’s tweet, writing, “#WHEREStheLOVE??? Unity, tolerance, understanding, oneness, respect, diversity & inclusion…THATS LOVE…people are people & we should all practice to honor & love all the different types of people on earth & learn from them…I LOVE YOU your country…”

Warchol responded by asking the performer why he didn’t “boycott the Qatar World Cup over [the] country’s treatment of women, migrants, and the LGBTQ+ community?”

“You sold principles for profit,” he wrote. “Hypocrisy.”

Will.i.am responded, “We went to these places to spread LOVE…why boycott when you can go directly to the source that needs to be inspired and try your hardest to inspire them and spread LOVE…it’s called #LOVE.”

Will.i.am simultaneously live-streamed his New Year’s Eve performance through his social media, holding his cameraphone while speaking and singing to the audience, his rainbow armband clearly in view. He even continued speaking to his live-stream viewers after he went backstage.

“We stand for unity, love, tolerance, oneness. Listen to our music,” he said on his live-stream. “And sometimes you gotta go to where people don’t have the same views to inspire them on difference, to inspire them on what tolerance looks like.”

“Poland is an awesome country,” he continued. “Never forget your heart, purpose, and standing together when people need a voice, when people can’t be there to speak for themselves…. Let’s pray for them, send them positivity, uplift them as we get ready to enter into this new year 2023.”

Former Spice Girls star and LGBTQ+ ally Melanie Chisholm had initially planned to perform for Poland’s New Year’s Eve broadcast, but declined, citing “issues that do not align with the communities I support.”

In November 2022, the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland ruled that the country could potentially recognize same-sex marriages of Polish citizens that were performed in other countries, even though the country itself still doesn’t perform marriages between two people of the same sex.

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

DEMOCRATIC LEADERS CHEER SENATE VOTE ON RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT

On Wednesday, the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) cleared a major barrier to passage in the Senate. Twelve Republicans joined Senate Democrats in voting to advance the law, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and require all states to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages performed in other states. It now will be debated and possibly amended by the full Senate.

Lawmakers and LGBTQ advocates cheered the landmark bipartisan vote.

“Love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Today’s bipartisan vote brings the United States one step closer to protecting that right in law.”

“The Respect for Marriage Act will ensure that LGBTQI+ couples and interracial couples are respected and protected equally under federal law, and provide more certainty to these families since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs.”

“I want to thank the Members of Congress whose leadership has sent a strong message that Republicans and Democrats can work together to secure the fundamental right of Americans to marry the person they love. I urge Congress to quickly send this bill to my desk where I will promptly sign it into law.”

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden retweeted the president’s tweet, writing simply, “Love is love.”

“No one in a same-sex marriage or an interracial marriage should have to worry if their marriage will be invalidated,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote on Twitter. “No one should be discriminated against because of who they love.”

Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who will face Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a runoff election next month, praised the vote on Twitter. “Today, the Respect for Marriage Act made significant progress in the Senate,” Warnock wrote. “This is an important step in the right direction when it comes to securing marriage equality for all.”

“Thankful for the leaders who have worked to negotiate and advance the #RespectforMarriageAct, and hope to see it pass very soon,” tweeted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “By now our marriages shouldn’t even be in question—but this bill is timely, needed, and the right thing to do.”

In a tweet following his vote for the Respect for Marriage Act, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took a shot at the Supreme Court.

“Maybe just maybe, the Supreme Court should realize they have no business telling anyone who they can and can’t love and marry,” he wrote. “I was proud to cast my vote today to finally make marriage equality – including same-sex and interracial marriages – the long overdue law of the land.”

In a statement, the Human Rights Campaign’s incoming president Kelley Robinson noted why the Respect for Marriage Act is so necessary right now.

“The devastating United States Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was a clear reminder that we are just one Supreme Court decision away from losing too many of our hard fought for rights. In the concurring opinion, Justice Thomas made the outrageous suggestion that Lawrence v. Texas and Obergefell v. Hodges should be next to be challenged. It is clear there is an urgent, dire need to ensure, once and for all, that the days of debate around marriage equality are over. The will of the people is on our side,” Robinson said.

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

😡 TRANSGENDER WOMAN IN HONDURAS SHOT DEAD AFTER SEEKING ASYLUM IN U.S. 🏳️‍⚧️

A transgender activist who was deported back to Honduras in July after seeking asylum in the U.S. was shot dead by gunmen there on October 18.

Melissa Nuñez, 42, was killed in Morocelí, 40 miles east of the capital Tegucigalpa, by unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle, local media reported. According to nonprofit Reportar Sin Miedo, Nuñez was leaving home when she was fatally shot by “hooded individuals”.

Police said Nuñez had dropped friends off and was leaving their house talking on a cellphone when she was gunned down, according to the Associated Press. “The motive behind the crime is thought to be a personal issue with her enemies,” police spokesman Miguel Carranza said. Nuñez’ sister, Glenda de Jesús Nuñez, said Nuñez had lived in the US for about 25 years before visiting family in Honduras.

Indyra Mendoza, general coordinator of Cattrachas, a Tegucigalpa-based lesbian feminist organization, said Nuñez had traveled home to Honduras in December of 2021, but tried to return to the U.S. in July, when she was denied entry. She was living in Miami at the time, after many years in New York. Mendoza told the Washington Blade that Nuñez had sought asylum in the U.S. but did not know on what grounds.

An initial investigation indicated that Nuñez was killed by two shots to the head, Mendoza told Reportar Sin Miedo.

According to Cattrachas, Nuñez is the 34th LGBTQ individual killed in Honduras this year. “They continue to kill us, they continue to violate our rights,” said Danny Reyes, who is with the LGBTQ advocacy organization Rainbow Movement. “We demand that the Honduran government do its best to start ensuring social justice.”

“The violence in Honduras continues to increase,” said Merlin Eguigure, coordinator of the Visitación Padilla Women for Peace Movement. “The government should declare a state of emergency on this issue.”

Friends and trans advocates gathered in Queens last month at a candlelight vigil organized by Make the Road New York. The Corona Plaza gathering in Queens featured pictures of Nuñez and signs with messages including “#NotOneMore! Stop killing us!”, “#JusticeforMelissa” and “No transwomen safe in Central America.”

Nuñez “fought for trans communities to be able to walk in public without being harassed by the police, to decriminalize sex work, to create more protections for all immigrant communities,” said Make the Road New York in a statement. “Let us transform this anger… into action so that the incarceration and deportation of our trans sisters ends now.”

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

LGBTQ MOVIES WILL NEVER BE AS POPULAR AS STRAIGHTS ONE, WE DON'T NEED THEM TO BE

It’s understandable to get defensive when you see people criticizing something that you worked hard on, especially when it’s not as popular as you’d hoped. This is why a recent Twitter thread by Bros actor and producer Guy Branum is easy to forgive.

“Until we can show Hollywood that stories by us, about us are a way of directly generating money, we will not have the opportunities, or control over our own stories that straight cis people have always enjoyed,” he laments. “This movie doing poorly at the box office limits the opportunities which will be in our future.”

While the film’s star Billy Eichner mostly blamed straight people, Branum targeted, in part, LGBTQ people looking for a more reflective film than the trailers seem to portray – even if the cast was almost all queer. This theory is incredibly common across the community whenever something one of us does isn’t as successful as we’d hoped.

We had too little faith! We blew it. We didn’t support our own enough! Our straight bosses will never give us a chance again.

First, let’s put aside the deeply problematic way Universal Pictures marketed the film, somewhat unfairly maligning what is seemingly an enjoyable, substantive work Eichner, Branum, and everyone else can be proud of. The studio killed the movie’s image at the outset, seemingly orienting the trailers and advertisements to straight people who have never actually met a gay person but who totally support marriage equality – in theory.

Ignoring that, in general, are we even responsible for LGBTQ works not being as lucrative for studios or popular across society as straight ones?

LGBTQ people account for around 5-10 percent of the overall population. There will always be a problem with estimating our true size, but the 21 percent  Gen Z claims is an outlier.

Even at five or 10 percent, we matter. We have just as much of a claim on American pop culture as other minority communities, and we appear across all groups, too. Jewish Americans are only about 2.4 percent of the nation’s population and Black Americans are only about 14 percent.

Will we LGBTQ folks alone ever have the economic or political might of mainstream society? That sounds a little hopeful in a “detached from reality” sense. This idea also kind of punches down.

For all our bluster about the power of pink dollars, we’re also a community that, like the mainstream, concentrates wealth amongst a few while most struggle. Unlike the mainstream, we seem to have higher incidence of high school dropouts, poverty, substance use, and suicide than straight peers. 

This reality runs headlong into the tiresome claim that if only we had supported something, it would be doing better. Because we simply don’t have that power or those resources. 

It’s more than just a raw numbers problem, though.

Stories “about us by us” as Branum calls them will never be as interesting to straight society as straight stories are. Competing with them isn’t realistic. But thank God for that.

From the terrible and fatalistic “Romeo and Juliet” to the dreadful consequences of straight people having children as detailed in “Mommie Dearest,” straight stories are unsettling and speak to a truly miserable, seemingly mentally unstable population. Likewise, based on the work of straight comedians, I am to surmise that marriage is an unfortunate, depressing institution where one partner is held hostage by the other.

As John Waters once observed even decades before Herschel Walker ran for U.S. senate or Alabama’s Roy Moore was banned from the mall for trying to pick up adolescent girls, “The world of the heterosexual is a sick and boring life.”

Boring, I’m not so sure. A trainwreck is hardly boring, even if tragic.

Contrast this with queer relationships, improvised family structures, and friendships inherent in the LGBTQ experience often formed as a direct result of the toxicity of heterosexual culture. Surely our relative health in these ways makes our stories less identifiable amongst straight society.

And that’s OK.

Communities like ours, be they racial or religious or gender-based or otherwise, float as life rafts in a morally impaired majoritarian sea. 

Stories by us about us, then, wouldn’t resonate with “most” people.

Sure, we might be tokens some of the straights can trade in. Absolutely, we might have some true allies who do share the same level of interest in our stories as they do their own. And of course some themes amongst our stories are universal.

Still, acting like it’s our failure, that we’re bad gays for the failure of a film or play or anything else to rise to the same level of interest as Love, Actually is the LGBTQ community equivalent of an abusive pastor saying people are poor because they didn’t have enough faith. 

There is a reason why we have our own newspapers, verticals within magazines, content channels, pride month, and parades. In 2022, it’s still about safety for many but it’s also about the fact that we’re at our most powerful when we focus ourselves together in opposition to the norm. That is literally the definition of queer. Our issues are not mainstream society’s issues all the time. Our thoughts are not their thoughts.

To me it’s welcome self-segregation, not problematic ghettoization. Many of us recognize the inherent peril in mainstreaming ourselves too much. Let us not erase ourselves into box office success and hostage situation marriages.

If you ask me, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever have an overtly LGBTQ movie be as popular as a straight rom-com. Even movies that come close are done for the straight gaze and typically enjoy cult classic status more than immediate box office success, like The Birdcage.

I’d happily retain our “non-traditional” community, even if it means a smaller market share and films more suited for streaming, off-beat venues, and arts festivals. Let us have different metrics of success for ourselves than a blockbuster lining the pockets of clueless straight executives at Universal Pictures who think we’re all Jack from Will & Grace.

Besides, given the condition of straight society, I’d much rather be an outsider.

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

HOW DWAYNE WADE IS PROTECTING HIS TRANS DAUGHTER'S MENTAL HEALTH FROM NASTY INSTAGRAM COMMENTS

Dwyane Wade opened up on Friday about why his family decided to turn off the comments on his trans daughter Zaya’s Instagram account.

In an interview with the Today show, the former NBA star it was a matter of protecting the 15 year-old’s mental health. Wade said the family wanted to leave “the hate out of it.”

Zaya came out three years ago as trans. Now that she has her own popular Instagram account, Wade said she’s vulnerable to the effects of being a public figure on the popular social platform.

“Well, we have a 20-year-old, Zaire, who went through it a few years before Zaya, of jumping on social media and all of the negativity that comes with social media and the comments,” Wade said.

“And so we went through it once and we saw how it affected him.”

For his daughter Zaya, Wade said, it’s “a whole different conversation… going on in the world and it’s way uglier.”

“Zaire’s conversation was about sports,” explained Wade. “Zaya’s is about what a lot of people don’t even understand and get.”

“And so we sat down with Zaya about being on social media. Her, my wife, and I, we just talked about, we want to make sure if she’s going to be on social media, if she’s going to show people some of her life, it’s going to be the people that she wants, that’s in her circle.”

Wade told her it was important to make those choices about who she was interacting with to protect her own mental health. Part of that was disabling the “noise” that comments could bring.

“Everybody on the outside, that noise on the outside, that [doesn’t] matter. What matters is the voice that you allow in your circle,” he said.

“And so that’s the people we wanted to follow her journey and follow her life. And so that’s what we did and we left the hate out of it. There’s enough of that in the world. She gets enough of it. We didn’t want it to be on her comments so she can read it.”

Wade and wife Gabrielle Union have been vocal in their support of Zaya’s transition since she came out at age 12. This year, Wade petitioned a Los Angeles court to change their daughter’s name.

As the daughter of public figures, Zaya has already been attacked by anti-LGBTQ extremists, even before her Instagram was a concern. In 2021, Zaya was the subject of a far-right rant by notorious Black Trump supporter Candace Owens.

“We know what we are in this world,” said Wade. “Mental health is a very – this is an important topic in this world. It’s very important for us as parents to protect the health of our kids, both physically and mentally, so we wanted to do that.”

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

🏳️‍🌈 ANTHONY BOWENS IS THE FIRST OUT GAY ALL ELITE WRESTLING CHAMPION 🤼‍♂️

Anthony Bowens has made history as the first out gay wrestler to become an All Elite Wrestling (AEW) champion.

Under the team name, The Acclaimed, Bowens and his wrestling partner, Max Caster, won AEW’s Tag Team Championship on Wednesday. Video of the victory shows the crowd going absolutely wild as confetti fills the arena and Bowens and Caster celebrate.

On Twitter, Bowens used the win as a moment to honor his late grandmother.

“When my Nana passed in 2015 I promised her I’d be a success,” he wrote. “Nana, I made it! AEW’s first Gay Champion. Most tag team wins in AEW. Most popular team in wrestling. EVERYONE LOVES THE ACCLAIMED.”

Bowens came out in 2017 as bisexual and in 2019 as gay.

“I’ve loved pro wrestling ever since I was 5 years old and I didn’t want my experience ruined because of other wrestlers thinking I got into it for the wrong (sexual) reasons,” Bowens wrote when he first came out. “The ring is my sanctuary, where nothing else matters. I couldn’t bear to think that if I came out, I’d spend most of my time worrying if the person I was wrestling was uncomfortable and didn’t want to work with me.”

Last year, Bowens made waves for kissing his boyfriend, Michael Pavano, in front of anti-LGBTQ protestors. He posted a picture to his Instagram of the pair locking lips in front of signs held by protestors that said, “Trump, Make America Great Again: Ban Homo Marriage” and “HOMOS GO TO HELL.”

“#Standup against hate,” he wrote in the caption.

After Bowens’s AEW victory, Pavano wrote on Twitter that he is “so unbelievably proud” of him. “It was truly a surreal experience and I can’t think of anyone more deserving. I love you so much.”

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

😡 TRANSGENDER MAN ON HIS HONEYMOON DIES UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES 🏳️‍⚧️

 He was detained by customs officials upon his arrival in Indonesia and never saw his spouse again.

A transgender man traveling on his honeymoon in Indonesia was arrested and died under suspicious circumstances earlier this month, according to his family.

Rodrigo Ventocilla Ventosilla, 32, arrived in Indonesia on August 6th and was detained by customs officials, who claim they seized an herb grinder, prescription medications and a half-pound of cannabis edibles carried in his luggage.

According to the Harvard Crimson, Ventocilla, from Peru, was a master’s candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and was a founding member of the Peruvian trans rights advocacy organization Diversidades Trans Masculinas.

In a statement released Tuesday, the families of Ventocilla and his spouse, Sebastián Marallano, allege Ventocilla was arrested in an “act of racial discrimination and transphobia,” deprived of basic rights, and subjected to police violence while his family and lawyers were denied access and information about his condition.

Marallano was detained by authorities after he arrived on a separate flight and attempted to aid Ventocilla. He was later released without charge.

Bali Police told Indonesian news outlet Bali Radar that three days into his detention, Ventocilla consumed unseized drugs. Police said he was taken to Bhayangkara Hospital after experiencing stomach pain and vomiting. When his condition deteriorated, he was transported to the Sanglah Central General Hospital, where he died on August 11.

“The cause of death is a complete failure of body function that causes impaired kidney function and impaired liver and nervous system function to the patient’s brain,” Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto, a Bali Police spokesman said.

“The Indonesian police obstructed access to the hospital at all times to the lawyers hired by the family, as well as the Harvard students who came to their aid,” the family wrote. “We do not know the real causes of his death” because “the Indonesian authorities have not allowed” an independent autopsy.

The family alleges Bali police demanded “exorbitant sums of money,” up to $200,000, to free Ventocilla and Marallano from custody.

As well, the family says, Peruvian consulate officials in Indonesia “did not show up to provide support” until after news of Ventocilla’s death.

“The consulate’s actions were late, negligent and hindered the family’s request for help when Rodrigo was still alive,” the family’s statement said.

On Wednesday, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry defended its actions.

“The Consular Section of the Peruvian Embassy in Indonesia has been providing consular assistance and following up on the case, within the framework of its competencies and with respect for local laws, while maintaining uninterrupted communication with their families.”

A lawyer for the couple’s families responded, demanding “a process that determines those responsible for the torture, extortion and violation of human rights that led to the death of Rodrigo.”

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

⚧ BARBIE HAS RELEASED ITS FIRST-EVER TRANSGENDER DOLL, STYLED AFTER ICONIC ACTRESS LAVERNE COX 🏳️‍⚧️

To celebrate the upcoming 50th birthday of iconic transgender actress and activist Laverne Cox, Mattel is releasing a Tribute Collection Barbie doll made in her likeness. It’s sure to become a collector’s item for fans of the trailblazing artist.

Barbie worked with Cox to make sure the doll captures her fashion savvy. It comes with her trademark blonde hair, a deep oxblood red tulle gown, heeled boots, silver earrings, and a sparkling silver metallic bodysuit that shows off her fierce, fun sense of style.

“As a four-time Emmy nominated actress, Emmy winning producer, and the first transgender woman of color to have a leading role on a scripted TV show, Laverne Cox embodies the values of the Tribute Collection,” Mattel said in a statement.

In an interview with People Magazine, Cox said, “I’m just so grateful that I’ve been able to be in this process. It’s a process of reclaiming my inner child, healing her, giving her what she didn’t have the first go-round. So to be turning 50 years old and be transgender and have a Barbie in my life, that feels just like a full-circle kind of healing moment.”

The collection, which launched last year, honors powerful women who have inspired others and changed history. The collection kicked off with comedienne Lucille Ball and English monarch Queen Elizabeth II in celebration of her 96th birthday.

Since few children have likely seen Cox’s performances in Orange is the New Black, Doubt, or Rocky Horror remake, the doll will probably be most sought after by her adult fans.

The doll marks the first time Mattel has released a transgender Barbie doll. But notably, the doll isn’t the first LGBTQ person to be turned into a Barbie. In 2019, Barbie released a doll fashioned after champion lesbian athlete Billie Jean King as part of its Inspiring Women Series.

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

GABRIELLE UNION SHADES DISNEY OVER "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL WHILE WALKING RED CARPET FOR NEW DISNEY FILM

Actress Gabrielle Union didn’t flinch when she was asked about Disney’s controversial stance, lackluster response, and subsequent apology over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

She didn’t hold back – even though she was walking the red carpet for her new Disney film, Cheaper by the Dozen. The film is about a family with ten children and devoted parents.

Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill would stop teachers from mentioning LGBTQ people in elementary schools. The bill has passed the Florida legislature and is awaiting the Governor’s signature.

The controversy began when it was revealed that Disney had donated money to the bill’s main sponsors. In addition, Chapek initially refused to publicly condemn the measure. He wrote that “corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds” and “are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame.” Instead, he highlighted the company’s commitment to telling diverse stories and told employees who were unhappy with his decision to go see a therapist.

Chapek then said he would meet Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to discuss somehow preventing the bill from being weaponized against LGBTQ people. In response, DeSantis said that he refused to bow down to “woke corporations” and released a video accusing LGBTQ people of trying to  “inject transgenderism into kindergarten.”

Trying to do damage control, Disney said it would donate $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and other LGBTQ rights organizations. HRC rejected its donation and said Disney needed to take more direct action to combat the bill. Chapek eventually apologized to employees for not denouncing the bill.

Union and her husband, former basketball star Dwyane Wade, have a transgender daughter.

“I don’t want to say shock because hatred doesn’t shock me at this point. I’ve been a Black woman in America since ’72. Nothing shocks me, but the fear that gripped me because I know what this leads to,” Union said. “Every moment in history, there has been this moment. We know how this ends. We know where hate and oppression lead. And it can start now with the LGBTQIA community, but if you think that it’s just a them problem. Oh baby, you’re next.”

Then she spelled it out for any corporate flacks who still didn’t understand what she was saying.

“If you’re going to take a stand and be all about diversity and inclusion – and it’s not just about black boxes after George Floyd died – you need to actually put your money where your mouth is,” Union said.

“You can’t stand against hate and oppression and fund hate and oppression. That doesn’t work. Obviously, our family has a big spotlight. My child is one child. There are countless children who deserve peace and the ability to survive and thrive in this world, just like everybody else. And if you think that your kid isn’t next, you are so sadly mistaken.”

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

Ft. Lauderdale fired its first gay police chief for promoting a handful of minority officers

The first gay police chief of Ft. Lauderdale has been fired after only six months. City Manager Chris Lagerbloom terminated Chief Larry Scirotto after multiple employees complained that he was prioritizing minority employees for promotions.

Lagerbloom said the city supports “a very diverse organization” but that “there are just certain ways that you can do that and do it legally, and other ways that meet that muster.” There is no evidence that Scirotto did anything remotely illegal.

After Scirotto promoted a group of minority officers, one Hispanic and three white officers filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), according to NBC-affiliate WTVJ.

“None of them were promoted because they were in a protected class,” Scirotto told CNN. “They were promoted because they were the best candidates.” He added that of the 15 people he promoted over a period of three months, six were gender or ethnic minorities.

Scirotto was fired after the city concluded an investigation into his promotion practices, an investigation he claimed was “vague on facts” and “built on hearsay.”

The investigation report mentioned Scirotto calling a wall of photos of department leaders “too white” and saying he wanted to “change that.”

Another incident in the report alleges that he asked, “which one is blacker” when deciding between two men of color for a promotion, a comment he has denied making – though he did admit to saying the wall of photos was too white.

“The bottom row had several white males and one white female,” Scirotto explained. “And we’re talking in conversation as it relates to our community and the expectation of a diverse and inclusive organization. And how do I purport we have that when the entire bottom row are white men?”

Scirotto also emphasized to those conducting the investigation that he would “consider diversity at every opportunity.”

The report concluded that “almost every witness was dissatisfied” with Scirotto’s promotion practices and said “most believed that Chief Scirotto made clear his intention to promote based on race, gender or sexual orientation.”

Scirotto has expressed plans to sue the city for wrongful termination.

“If promoting diversity is the hill I’m going to die on, I will sleep well tonight,” he said. “I won’t allow them to tarnish my reputation. I won’t allow them to tarnish the work that I’ve done in the 24 years I’ve been in this profession.”

Multiple community leaders have also spoken out in support of Scirotto.

“The new chief came to town. He started making positive changes that would impact the whole community in a more positive direction than we had been in,” said activist Jackie Scott.

Cecil Stone, head of the Fort Lauderdale Black Police Association said that “the tactics used by a few officers to discredit the promotions of Black and minority officers with masters degrees, stellar reputations, and exemplary work history, are nothing short of appalling.”

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

🏳️‍⚧️ TRANSGENDER WOMAN MURDERED IN HOUSTON FLED GENDER VIOLENCE IN LATIN AMERICA 😡

The transgender woman shot to death in Houston has been identified as 29-year-old immigrant Paloma Vazquez.

Vazquez, who was not identified in initial reports, was found dead in her apartment just days before Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state to interpret trans-affirming care as child abuse. According to the Organization for Latina Trans in Texas, Vazquez immigrated to the United States six months ago.

“As most trans women who are here from Latina America, they are here because they are scared of being killed in their own country,” a friend of the victim, Gia Pacheco, told KTRK Houston. “She had just moved into her new apartment and was very excited about decorating.”

Another friend, Valentin Terrazas noted that Latin America can be particularly dangerous for transgender women. Transgender women, particularly Black and Latinx women, also face high rates of violence across the United States.

“There’s a lot of transphobia in Latin America,” friend Valentin Terrazas added. “They come here for refuge and to better their lives and have a future here.”

Vazquez was discovered by her boyfriend Saturday night and appeared to have been deceased since some time that morning. According to KPRC Click2Houston, the apartment door was unlocked and there were no signs of forced entry.

Police are still investigating the incident, and have not yet identified next of kin or a suspect. While they have not shared any theories about a motive for the murder, Pacheco has a theory.

“Whenever a trans person is killed, they are killed because they are trans,” they explained.

Vazquez is the latest in a long list of transgender women to be murdered in Texas in recent years, including Muhlasia Booker, Chynal Lindsey, Tracy Williams, Karla Patricia Pavón, Brittany White, Nicole Hall, Brandy Seals, Erykah Tijerina, and others.

“Texas is one of the deadliest places in America for trans women and that’s important to look at,” Courtney Sellers, executive director of LGBTQ nonprofit Montrose Grace Place, told KTRK after police found Vazquez’s body.

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE MALCOLM KENYATTA IS FIGHTING FOR THE SOUL OF DEMOCRACY

If you ask Pennsylvania Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Malcolm Kenyatta (D) what he is most proud of in his political career, he will tell you that the moment hasn’t happened yet.

“My big hope will be that there is some kid right now who is watching this campaign who is saying to themselves, ‘You know what, I can do that too,'” Kenyatta told LGBTQ Nation. 

Kenyatta could become the first out gay man elected to the U.S. Senate, as well as the first Black senator from Pennsylvania.

“Those distinctions are important,” he said, “but it’s less about it being important to me and it’s more about the ripple effect I hope it creates for people who see themselves and therefore understand that their possibilities are limitless. It is so difficult for kids to be something they can’t see.”

Kenyatta announced his Senate run last February and has long been considered a rising star in the Democratic party.

In a landslide victory in 2018, he became the first LGBTQ person of color to be elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly at the age of 28.

Chronicled in a short documentary called Going Forward, Kenyatta’s intense passion and commitment to change has captivated many.

At the 2020 Democratic National Convention, he was one of 17 rising star Democrats to deliver the keynote address and one of the first three out LGBTQ people to ever do so.

He decided to run for U.S. Senate because he believes that right now, there is “an assault on the core question of whether or not democracy could work for people.”

Kenyatta thinks it should work for working families and believes in what he calls a “basic bargain” that says everyone should have access to safe and affordable housing, quality healthcare, a safe education, and clean neighborhoods.

“That pretty basic bargain has been out of reach for a lot of people and certainly was out of reach for my family,”  he said. “I think if we don’t ensure that basic bargain is accessible to all people, then you continue to have the erosion in people’s faith and trust in democracy’s ability to work.”

Kenyatta has racked up dozens of endorsements in his senatorial campaign, including from feminist icon Gloria Steinem, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS), the LGBTQ Victory Fund, the American Federation of Teachers, and Brand New Congress – the organization that helped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) win her Congressional seat.

And if elected, he has a big agenda.

Among his major priorities as a Senator would be advocating for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act – both of which have been blocked by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) refusal to support filibuster reform.

“If you don’t have the ability to vote… then you don’t even have the capacity to really participate in a democracy, which is the floor of all of this. So we have to get rid of the filibuster and pass [this legislation].”

Kenyatta also wants to focus on expanding healthcare access, raising the minimum wage and increasing federal education funding – including prioritizing universal pre-K and affordable childcare.

Fighting the climate crisis is also key to that “basic bargain” of getting to live in a safe and clean neighborhood, he said.

Kenyatta also made it clear that he is not willing to entertain the “lies, misinformation, and disinformation,” in which the Republican party has been trafficking.

“We have one party who has decided that the core of what they believe is that the election was stolen, even though that is completely false, and if their person doesn’t win they should change the rules.”

“It’s not just two sides who disagree, there is one side, Republicans, who are actively anti-Democratic… If Republicans want to join us in reality I’m willing to work with them on whatever we can.”

Kenyatta said he “will push back every time there is nonsense being spewed,” but that he also believes in working as hard on the issues the two parties agree on as the ones they disagree on.

“I am willing to work with anybody if they are trying to advance a thoughtful solution to any of those buckets I mentioned around America’s basic bargain. When you grow up in a working poor family the way I did, you don’t give a damn who the solution came from… What people want are solutions to the problems facing them in their lives.”

He added that as a state representative, he introduced one of the bills most dear to his heart, Phillip’s Law, with a Republican. The bill, named for an 11-year-old boy in his district who died by suicide, sought to expand mental healthcare access to students in schools. It did not become law, but Kenyatta hopes to prioritize expanding mental health access for youth as a senator.

Kenyatta follows a rich family legacy of standing up for his community. His grandfather, the late Muhammad Kenyatta, was a civil rights activist who he often thinks about in his own fight for justice.

“As has often been said, we are our ancestors’ wildest dreams, and I certainly feel that I am the wildest dream of my grandfather and my ancestors, but what I also think about is the fact that this idea of expanding the basic bargain so it reaches everywhere is sadly not a new pursuit.”

He remembers his grandmother calling him up in 2019 about an issue being debated on the floor of the Pennsylvania House. “She saw it and said, ‘Baby I’m so sorry. I thought we had fixed some of this stuff.'”

“I refuse to have a conversation like that with my grandkids,” Kenyatta declared. “This is our opportunity to get this stuff done… If government doesn’t work for working families, this experiment in democracy is at risk… Every generation has a responsibility to make it work and pull us closer, even if that means kicking and screaming, to what the American promise is for every single one of us.”

Editor’s note: This article mentions suicide. If you need to talk to someone now, call the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860. It’s staffed by trans people, for trans people. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for LGBTQ youth at 1-866-488-7386. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

🏳️‍⚧️ HERE’S WHERE YOU CAN HONOR TRANS LIVES ⚧

This Saturday, November 20, will be the 23rd annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), a day to honor the lives of transgender and non-binary individuals who have been lost to anti-trans violence.

TDOR was started in 1999 by trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was murdered in November 1998.

The day involves community vigils and events around the country, providing space to mourn and raising public awareness of the epidemic of anti-trans violence in the United States.

Raising this awareness is, unfortunately, more relevant than ever.

Earlier this month, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)  declared 2021 to be the deadliest year on record since the organization began tracking murders or violent deaths of transgender people.

This year, HRC reports that at least 46 trans and gender non-conforming people have been killed by violent means.

Since January 2013, HRC has recorded at least 254 victims to anti-trans violence, while acknowledging that the number is likely higher due to deaths that “go unreported, or misreported.” At least 66% of the victims HRC tracked were Black trans women.

For those looking for a space to honor the lives that have been lost, we’ve compiled some events taking place around the country.

There are, however, so many more events taking place in cities and towns all over the United States. If you don’t see your hometown on this list and you can’t find an event in your town online, you can participate in one of the many virtual events planned for Saturday.

Virtual 

New York City’s LGBTQ community center is hosting a virtual event on Thursday, November 18 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST. The event will include a healing ceremony, speeches by trans advocates, performances, a reading of names, support from Center staff, and more. Those interested in attending can register here.

The Transgender Education Network of Texas will also hold a virtual event on Saturday at 6:00pm CST. In addition to a ceremony, the organization will also offer mental health support in Zoom breakout rooms.

New York City 

New York City’s LGBTQ community center will also host an in-person event on Saturday, November 20 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., located at The Glade in Little Island.

Chicago 

The city’s Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ community center, Brave Space Alliance, will hold a vigil, town hall, and community luncheon on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This event will specifically honor five Black trans women killed in Chicago this year. It will take place at the organization’s space at 1039-1041 E. 43rd St.

San Francisco 

The San Francisco Community Health Center will hold a community gathering on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fluid Co-op, 332 Golden Gate Ave.

Washington, D.C.

The D.C. Center for the LGBT Community will hold an event on Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, 474 Ridge St. NW.

Omaha, Nebraska

The River City Gender Alliance will host a performance by the River City Mixed Chorus. The event will also include speakers, the reading of names, a candlelight ceremony, and dessert reception. It will take place at the First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street.

Jackson, Mississippi 

In Jackson, the TRANS program will host a ceremony in the Yates Chapel at Millsaps College from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be a reception afterward. Those who cannot be there in person can join via Facebook livestream.

Indiana

The ACLU of Indiana has posted a slew of events taking place across the state. Click here to find out more.

Albuquerque, New Mexico 

The Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico will host an outdoor event at 5600 Domingo Rd NE in Albuquerque. There will be altars, an open mic, music, and light refreshments.

St. Louis 

The Metro Trans Umbrella Group will host an event beginning at their headquarters, 3133 Oregon Ave in St. Louis, at 5:30 p.m. CST. Participants will then walk together to the group’s Transgender Memorial Garden, where a vigil will take place.

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION