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Police Increase Security After Racist And Anti-Gay Terror Threat Against Jackson Browne Concert

Orlando police said they will have an increased presence for Tuesday night’s Jackson Browne concert at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts after a possible threat.

Police in West Lafayette, Ind., began investigating Sunday after a banner was left at a Unitarian Universalist Church that hosted a protest to mark the one-year anniversary of the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

The banner — which includes vulgar language and misspellings — says “Die [expletive], Orlando just like Los Vegas” with “Janury 23rd” in red letters. Another banner left at the church names Browne and includes racial and anti-gay slurs.

“OPD is aware of this incident and has been in communication with police in West Lafayette, Indiana,” Orlando police said in a statement. “We are aware that there is a planned Jackson Browne concert Jan. 23 at the Dr. Phillips Center and there will be an increased security presence at the event.”

A spokeswoman for the center said it learned about the situation on Sunday and has been working with police to ensure the safety of the concert.

“The safety and security of our guests, colleagues and artists is our highest priority,” the spokeswoman said.

The sign apparently makes reference to the shooting that left 58 dead and injured hundreds of others during a concert in Las Vegas in October.

West Lafayette Police Chief Jason Dombkowski said his department notified the FBI about the incident.

Browne, 69, is a Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame member known for taking on environmental causes. His hit songs include “Take It Easy” and “Running on Empty.”

The banners prompted the city of West Lafayette to organize an anti-hate forum for Wednesday.

“Hate speech is not protected speech and we will vigorously pursue and prosecute anyone who seeks to intimidate and strike fear in our citizens,” Dombkowski said in a press release.

West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis wrote in a Facebook post that the city, which is home to Purdue University, “has been and always will be an open and welcoming community.”

“We will not allow our embracing of all that is right to be targeted by those who feel empowered to deliver a message of hate, violence and exclusivity,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

dharris@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5471 or @DavidHarrisOS

Copyright © 2018, Orlando Sentinel

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22nd Berlin & Beyond Begins February 9 at the Castro

22ND BERLIN & BEYOND FILM FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES OPENING NIGHT, CENTERPIECE
AND CASTRO CLOSING NIGHT FILMS

The Berlin & Beyond Film Festival (Feb. 9-15, 2018), presented annually by the Goethe-Institut San Francisco, proudly announces the Opening Night, Centerpiece, and Castro Closing Night films of its 22nd edition. The festival will return for the 22nd year to San Francisco’s iconic Castro Theatre from February 9th-11th with red carpet premieres and actors and filmmakers in attendance, along with screenings – for the first time – at Landmark Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley on February 12th, and at the auditorium of the Goethe-Institut in Downtown San Francisco from February 13th-15th. Full festival lineup and special guests will be announced in early January.

LGBT Films Include:

DREAM BOAT
Dir. Tristan Ferland Milewski, 2017, German, 92 min
Once a year the DREAM BOAT sets sail for a cruise only for gay men. Far from their families and political restrictions, we follow five men from five countries on the quest for their dreams. The cruise promises seven days of sunshine, love, and freedom – but on board are also their personal stories, their doubts and uncertainties…
  • Screener available.
  • Screens at Berlin&Beyond on Thursday February 15th, 8:15pm at Goethe-Institut.

MR. GAY SYRIA
Dir. Ayse Toprak, 2017, France/Germany/Turkey, 87 min – US West Coast Premiere
Husein is a barber in Istanbul, living a double life between his conservative family and his gay identity. Mahmoud Hassino is the founder of Syria’s LGBTI movement and is a refugee in Berlin. What brings them together is a dream: to participate in an international beauty contest as an escape from their trapped lives and an answer to their invisibility. Will the dream come true or will the refugee crisis and the harsh consequences of being gay in the Muslim world shatter it to pieces?

  • Winner of the Human Rights Award at the Sarajevo International Film Festival and the Silver Hugo at the Chicago Inter- national Film Festival.
  • Screens at Berlin&Beyond on Saturday February 10th, 9:45pm at Castro Theatre.

Opening Night Film:
Welcome to Germany (Willkommen bei den Hartmanns)

Fri. Feb. 9, 2018 at 6:30 PM
Castro Theatre, San Francisco / Northern California Premiere
116 mins. Germany (2016). DCP. German with English subtitles.

Director: Simon Verhoeven
Starring: Senta Berger, Heiner Lauterbach, Florian David Fitz, Palina Rojinski, Elyas M’Barek, Eric Kabongo
Screenplay: Simon Verhoeven
Cinematography: Jo Heim
Editors: Denis Bachter, Stefan Essl, Tom Seil
Producers: Simon Verhoeven, Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann, Michael Verhoeven

Recently retired teacher Angelika decides, against her skeptical husband Richard’s will, to take in a refugee. Soon afterward, the young Nigerian Diallo moves into the Hartmann home, and a whirlwind of complications ensue. These events not only disrupt the lives of Angelika and Richard’s adult children Philip and Sophie; they also put their own marriage as well as Diallo’s chances of integration to the test. Despite all the chaos, hope prevails that the family will recover its stability, confidence, and peace. A timely social comedy, “Welcome to Germany” was the highest grossing German film at the local box office in 2016 and first part of 2017 with more than 3.5 million admissions.

CENTERPIECE FILM:
The Bloom of Yesterday (Die Blumen von Gestern)

Sat. Feb. 10, 2018 at 6:30 PM
Castro Theatre, San Francisco / Special Premiere
123 mins. Germany (2016). DCP. German with English subtitles.

Director: Chris Kraus
Starring: Lars Eidinger, Adèle Haenel, Hannah Herzsprung, Jan Josef Liefers
Screenplay: Chris Kraus
Cinematography: Sonja Rom
Editor: Brigitta Tauchner
Producers: Danny Krausz, Kathrin Lemme

Totila Blumen (Lars Eidinger, “Personal Shopper“, “Clouds of Sils Maria“) is a Holocaust researcher. As such, he has no sense of fun. This applies in a general sense and specifically when his colleagues try to turn an Auschwitz conference into a corporate-sponsored media event. In the process, they trample all over the memory of the recently deceased Professor Norkus – whom Totila revered. On top of all this, Totila is lumped with an intern: a young and irritating French student named Zazie (Adèle Haenel). As she follows Totila around and has a fling with his boss, the otherwise serious and measured academic becomes a nervous wreck. But it’s no good moaning about it – certainly not to his stressed wife, who demands that he gripe less and learn to accept what his life has to offer. And so Totila ploughs on with his work, aided by the overwrought, eccentric Zazie. She, however, appears to have an agenda of her own – and it’s closely related to Totila’s background and well-guarded family secret.

CASTRO CLOSING NIGHT FILM:
Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden (Egon Schiele: Tod und Mädchen)

Sun. Feb. 11, 2018 at 8:30 PM
Castro Theatre, San Francisco / Special Screening
110 mins. Austria, Luxembourg (2016). DCP. German with English subtitles.

Director: Dieter Berner
Starring: Noah Saavedra, Maresi Riegner, Valerie Pachner, Marie Jung
Screenplay: Hilde Berger, Dieter Berner
Cinematography: Carsten Thiele
Editor: Robert Hentschel

Producers: Franz Novotny, Alexander Glehr, Bady Minck, Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu
At the beginning of the 20th century, Egon Schiele is one of the most provocative artists in Vienna. His life and work are driven by beautiful women and an era that is coming to an end. Two women will have a lasting impact on him – his sister and first muse Gerti, and 17-year-old Wally, arguably Schiele’s one true love, immortalized in his famous painting “Death and the Maiden“. Schiele’s radical paintings scandalize Viennese society while daring artists like Gustav Klimt and art agents alike are sensing the exceptional. But Egon Schiele is also prepared to go beyond his own pain and to sacrifice love and life for his art.

TICKETS
Opening Night Film, Centerpiece Film, Castro Closing Night Film – per ticket: $20.00 general; $18.00 senior / student; $17.00 Berlin & Beyond member
Castro Priority Pass (all Castro screenings Feb. 9-11 and priority entry): $250.00 general public; $200.00 Berlin & Beyond member
Prices for regular Castro screenings, Goethe-Institut screenings, and Shattuck Cinemas screenings will be announced.
Tickets are now on sale for select screenings at: tickets.berlinbeyond.com

BERLIN & BEYOND FILM FESTIVAL
Since 1996, Berlin & Beyond Film Festival has been the leading festival of contemporary German cinema in the Americas, and has presented over 500 motion pictures, along with the presence of celebrated film figures, including Fatih Akin, Moritz Bleibtreu, Daniel Brühl, Hannelore Elsner, Florian David Fitz, Bruno Ganz, Maria Schrader, Barbara Sukowa, Wim Wenders. Including seasonal programming, Berlin & Beyond receives a combined attendance of over 12,000 people annually.

Official Website: berlinbeyond.com
Social Media:
facebook.com/berlinbeyond
twitter.com/berlinbeyond
instagram.com/berlinbeyond
youtube.com/berlinbeyond
#BerlinBeyond22

GOETHE-INSTITUT
The Goethe-Institut is Germany’s official cultural center comprised of 159 institutes in 98 countries. The Goethe-Institut exists to promote art and films from Germany, the study of the German language, and encourage the international cultural exchange with Germany. Having celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2017, the San Francisco branch has been promoting German culture and language since 1967. Its year-round cultural activities include art exhibitions, film screenings, and special events with local cultural institutions.

Official Website: goethe.de/sf

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Washington State Senate Votes to Protect LGBTQ Youth from Practice of Conversion Therapy

The Washington State Senate has passed Senate Bill (SB) 5722 — legislation to protect LGBTQ youth in the state from the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy.”

“No child should ever be subjected to the dangerous and barbaric practice of conversion therapy. It amounts to nothing more than child abuse,” said HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse. “We applaud the Washington State Senate for voting to protect the Evergreen State’s LGBTQ youth. It is crucial that the Washington House of Representatives quickly pass the measure.”

“Conversion therapy,” sometimes referred to as “sexual orientation change efforts” or “reparative therapy,” encompasses a range of harmful practices that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. These practices are based on the false premise that being LGBTQ is a mental illness that needs to be cured — an idea that has been rejected by every major medical and mental health organization.

There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. To the contrary, research has clearly shown that these practices pose devastating health risks for LGBTQ young people such as depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicidal behavior. The dangerous practice is condemned by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and American Medical Association.

Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, and Rhode Island all have laws or regulations protecting youth from this abusive practice. A growing number of municipalities have also enacted similar protections, including cities and counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Florida, New York, and Arizona.

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AHF TV Ad Blasts Bill that Curtails Nonprofit Hospitals’ Participation in the 340B Program

Drug pricing advocates from AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) have rolled out a new TV and radio ad campaign in the San Diego market blasting Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA 52nd District) for sponsoring a bill that would severely curtail nonprofit hospitals’ participation in the 340B program, a federally-administered drug discount pricing program created to extend the lifeline of care and services that safety net hospitals and providers are able to deliver. Peters, a San Diego Democrat, co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN).

Days before the December Congressional Recess and with little to no public input or scrutiny, he and Bucshon introduced H.R. 4710, a misguided bill pushed by pharmaceutical industry lobbyists that will gut the federally-administered drug discount program—a program that costs the government and taxpayers nothing. Advocates assert the bill, should it pass into law, will significantly reduce healthcare access for people—including many of those in Peters’ own San Diego district.

The radio and cable television campaign in San Diego includes 264 radio spots running on KXSN (98.1 FM), KYXY (96.5 FM) and KMYI (Star 94.1 FM) as well as a ‘Let340B!’ television ad running on San Diego area Cox Cable channels. The TV ad urges Peters’ constituents to contact him to demand that he not harm the drug pricing program by continuing to back this bill. The TV ad will run for a two-week flight (Jan 15-28) and will run as more than 700 spots across different Cox channels in the San Diego market.

“H.R. 4710 is really a brazen attack on the poor being falsely characterized as ‘reform.’ It is a full-on assault being led by the pharmaceutical industry and their lobbyists and friends in Congress, like Congressman Peters,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “In reality, this is a very worthwhile and lifesaving drug pricing program that costs the government and taxpayers nothing. 340B is continually in the crosshairs of Big Pharma and their legislative friends. However, we’ve seen that the public is wise enough to know that if pharma is involved in any drug pricing issue, they—the public or the patient—is on the losing side. We will continue to fight back against attacks on 340B and urge Congressman Peters to reconsider his sponsorship of this dangerous bill.”

Peters, who has served in Congress since 2013 and is the sixth wealthiest member of Congress, has taken in more that $100,000 in contributions from the drug and biotech industries while in Congress.

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GLAAD: 45 Unconscionable Attacks Against the LGBTQ Community by the 45th President of the United States

Friday, GLAAD released research on 45 instances where President Trump has selectivity targeted the LGBTQ community during his first year in office.

Throughout the year, the Trump administration has issued constant attacks on the health and well-being of the LGBTQ community through the creation of one of the most anti-LGBTQ cabinets in recent history, vehement support for religious exemptions that seek to undermine non-discrimination laws, and bigoted polices that target the transgender community including a proposed trans military ban.

“Trump is waging a culture war with our communities, the likes of which I have not seen in my lifetime. He aims to roll back rights and protections, but also general acceptance of LGBTQ people in society and culture,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Our voices and our visibility will yield change even in an administration that tries at every step to delete us from the cultural landscape. We will not be removed.”

GLAAD has refused to back down on any these fights and will continue to hold this administration accountable with our Trump Accountability Project and by joining the voices of countless LGBTQ Americans who are sending a clear message to 45: We are not going anywhere.

  1. January 20, 2017– Minutes after Donald Trump was sworn into office, any mention of the LGBTQ community were erased from White House, Department of State, and Department of Labor websites. 
  2. February 2, 2017– ABC News reports that after previously committing to protecting LGBTQ Americans from discrimination, President Trump and his administration had drafted a “License to Discriminate” executive order which would usher in across-the-board discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
  3. February 22, 2017– With help of Attorney General Sessions, President Trump rescinded Title IX protections for transgender students in our nation’s schools.
  4. March 20, 2017– The Trump Administration erases the LGBTQ community from The National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants and the Annual Program Performance Report for Centers for Independent Living, key surveys that are used to help provide care to American seniors – including disability, transportation, and caregiver support needs.
  5. March 24, 2017– President Trump appointed anti-LGBTQ activist and former Heritage Foundation employee Roger Severino to lead the Health and Human Services Civil Rights Office, putting the LGBTQ community at risk of losing access to critical and affordable health care.
  6. March 28, 2017– The Trump Administration cancels plans to add the LGBTQ community to its upcoming 2020 U.S. Census, a survey conducted every decade by the federal government to help collect data about living Americans and the United States of America.
  7. April 10, 2017– A ProPublica investigation reveals the Trump Administration appointed James Renne, a key staffer involved in the Bush-era anti-LGBTQ purge of gay government employees, to a senior role at the Department of Agriculture.
  8. April 14, 2017– The Trump Administration files to dismiss a lawsuit accusing North Carolina of discriminating against the LGBTQ community in response to HB2, despite the similarities of the HB142 replacement.
  9. May 23, 2017– The Trump Administration reveals their budget which includes proposed slashes to programs and departments critical to the LGBTQ community, including Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Disease Control’s HIV and AIDS programs.
  10. June 1, 2017– President Trump declines to issue a presidential proclamation designating June as LGBTQ Pride Month, breaking with an eight-year precedent set by President Barack Obama to honor and support LGBTQ Americans during Pride Month.
  11. June 7, 2017– President Trump nominates Stephen S. Schwartz, who worked with North Carolina legislators in support of the anti-trans legislation HB2, to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
  12. June 15, 2017– The Department of Education rolls back the Office for Civil Rights’ expansive approach to investigating civil rights complaints that protect LGBTQ students, and other marginalized communities, from discrimination at school.
  13. June 15, 2017– The Department of Education invites Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, two anti-LGBTQ organizations, to be speakers for a day-long conference on engaging fathers in their children’s education and welfare.
  14. June 15, 2017– Department of Commerce removes sexual orientation and gender identity from the agency’s Equal Employment Policy; LGBTQ protections have been explicitly included since 2010. Only after fierce opposition did Department of Commerce Secretary Ross change it back.
  15. June 16, 2017– An obtained internal memo from the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights reveals guidelines to dismiss complaints about bathroom access filed by transgender students.
  16. June 21, 2017– Reporting reveals President Trump hired a lawyer who openly supported Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-LGBTQ law banning so-called “gay propaganda” from Russia, a law that Europe’s top human rights court found to be illegal.
  17. June 27, 2017– The Trump Administration failed to mention the LGBTQ community in their National HIV Testing Day statement.
  18. June 29, 2017– Reports revealed President Trump hired anti-transgender activist, Bethany Kozma, to the Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Rights at the US Agency for International Development.
  19. July 10, 2017– In a closed-door and unannounced opportunity, President Trump poses for a photograph with notorious anti-LGBTQ activists who wish to promote so-called “religious exemptions” that would harm LGBTQ Americans across the nation.
  20. July 12, 2017– President Trump grants a one-on-one interview with Pat Robertson, a longtime anti-LGBTQ activist and Televangelist.
  21. July 13, 2017– President Trump nominates Mark Norris, who supported legislation that allowed mental health counselors to discriminate against LGBTQ clients during his time as a TN state senator, to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
  22. July 26, 2017– President Trump announces his proposed bans on transgender service members from serving in “any capacity” in the U.S. military, threatening to fire 15,000 currently serving troops over Twitter.
  23. July 26, 2017– The Justice Department files a brief opposing workplace nondiscrimination protections for the LGBTQ community under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the case Zarda v. Altitude Express.
  24. July 26, 2017– An official White House webpage directs readers to an article published by the anti-LGBTQ Heritage Foundation that calls being transgender a “psychological disorder.”
  25. August 3, 2017– President Trump nominates L. Steven Grasz, who has close ties to the anti-LGBTQ group Focus on the Family, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
  26. August 12, 2017– President Trump refused to condemn white supremacists who chanted violently racist and anti-LGBTQ slogans during a rally in Charlottesville, VA.
  27. August 27, 2017– Reporting reveals the CIA consulted with Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, an anti-LGBTQ hate group.
  28. September 5, 2017– President Trump ends the DACA program, which protected an estimated 800,000 young undocumented immigrants, including 36,000 LGBTQ DREAMers, from detention and deportation.
  29. September 7, 2017– President Trump nominates Gregory Katsas, who worked behind the scenes to promote the implementation of the trans military ban and revoke federal guidelines that protect transgender students from discrimination, to the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals for the Circuit of D.C.
  30. September 7, 2017– President Trump nominates Jeff Mateer, who has an extensive anti-LGBTQ record including calling trans children part of “Satan’s plan,” to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
  31. September 7. 2017– The Justice Department files an amicus brief in support files an amicus brief in support of so-called “religious exemptions” to discriminate against LGBTQ Americans.
  32. September 22, 2017– The Education Department rescinds the Obama Administration-era Title IX guidance on investigating campus sexual assault; LGBTQ students experience sexual harassment at disproportionately high rates.
  33. October 3, 2017– The Department of Health and Human Services erases all mentions of the LGBTQ community and their health needs in its strategic plan for the fiscal year 2018-2022.
  34. October 5, 2017– In a Department of Justice memo, the Trump Administration reverses a policy that provided non-discrimination protections for transgender people in the workplace under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  35. October 6, 2017– The Department of Justice issues a sweeping “religious exemptions” guidance which invites taxpayer-funded federal agencies, government employees, and government contractors to legally discriminate against LGBTQ employees as long as they cite a religious belief as the reason for doing it.
  36. October 11, 2017– The Trump Administration’s National Park Services withdrew its sponsorship of New York City’s first permanent Pride Flag, located outside of the historic Stonewall Inn, and dropped out of its pre-scheduled participation in the flag dedication ceremony.
  37. October 13, 2017– President Trump becomes the first sitting president to speak at the Family Research Council‘s Values Voter Summit, a convening of fringe groups united around discrimination against LGBTQ people.
  38. October 17, 2017– President Trump delivers the keynote address the anti-LGBTQ Heritage Foundation President’s Club annual meeting.
  39. December 1, 2017– President Trump leaves the LGBTQ community and people of color out of his World AIDS Day Proclamation.
  40. December 4, 2017– President Trump endorses Roy Moore, who has a violently anti-LGBTQ record and multiple well-documented accusations of sexual assault, abuse, and assessment, in the Alabama special Senate Election.
  41. December 5, 2017– White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells reporters that President Trump backs the position that wedding businesses owners should be able to put up signs saying they won’t serve gays.
  42. December 15, 2017– Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at were instructed not to use the “transgender,” “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “fetus,” “evidence-based,” and “science-based” in official budget documents.
  43. December 22, 2017– President Trump signs the GOP tax bill, which targets low-income and LGBTQ communities, into law.
  44. January 16, 2018– President Trump promotes anti-LGBTQ religious exemptions in his Religious Freedom Day proclamation.
  45. January 18, 2018– The Department of Health and Human Services created a new department that shields healthcare workers who refuse to treat LGBTQ patients or those living with HIV by calming moral or religious objections.

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New Study Showcases the Power of LGBTQ-themed Ads

Hornet today released its first ever research with Nielsen around the efficacy of LGBTQ-themed branded advertising on the LGBTQ consumer. The custom study, which Hornet commissioned from Nielsen in 2017, examines advertising content across various industries including consumer packaged goods, hospitality, automotive and banking.

“With this study, we hope to help brands improve their marketing and advertising as it relates to the LGBTQ community,” said Sean Howell, president and co-founder of Hornet. “Our community is one of the most highly sought-after demographics, and creating campaigns that speak directly to this consumer with authentic and inclusive messaging is what distinguishes brands from general market advertising.”

In addition to better understanding the consumer impact of LGBTQ-themed ads, the study also specifically evaluates the effectiveness of a variety of ad creative from brands that feature messages of inclusion, equality and diversity. The effectiveness is compared against that of generic ad creative from the same brands that do not feature LGBTQ-targeted messaging. By using an online design, the study measures both advertising effectiveness and engagement. Key brand effectiveness measures brand recall, brand familiarity and affinity, purchase intent and recommendation intent and brand attributes. 

Amongst its key findings:

·       60% of people exposed to LGBTQ-themed ads labeled them as “progressive and inclusive”

·       Purchase impact from LGBTQ-themed ads is 44% higher

·       75% of the LGBTQ-themed ads tested outperform generic ads in driving brand recall

·       Of those surveyed, 73% agreed they don’t mind paying extra for a premium product or service

For more information click here.

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New Mormon Leader Claims the Church Loves Gay People

The new leader of the Mormon Church has insisted the religion is supportive of LGBT rights.

Russell M. Nelson, 93, was appointed head of the 16-million member church after the previous president, Thomas S. Monson died age 90.

The Church of the Latter Day Saints is opposed to gay relationships and refuses to allow women to be priests.

Asked about LGBT rights, he said there were “challenges with the commandments of God, challenges to be worthy.”

He continued: “God loves his children and we love them and there’s a place for everyone. Regardless of his challenges.”

One of his chosen counsellors, Dallin H. Oaks added: “We’ve got the love of the Lord and the law of the Lord.”

Mr Nelson, a former heart surgeon, also told reporters he wanted to stick to the “traditional teachings” of Mormonism.

A rift has grown in the church over the issue of same-sex marriage in recent years, with members leaving due to its opposition.

Since it opposed marriage equality in the case of Proposition 8 – which temporarily banned gay marriage in California – many members of the church have softened their stances on the issue.

Young Mormons in particular are increasingly approving of same-sex marriage, according to a Public Religion Research Institute poll released in June.

However, the leadership of the Church support radically different values.

The late anti-LGBT leader of the church, Thomas Monson – who died on Tuesday – is set to be replaced with an even more homophobic elder.

Monson refused to let women become priests and excluded LGBT families to the point where many removed themselves from the Church entirely.

Diane Oviatt, who has a gay son, was one of the people who left over its resistance to same-sex marriage.

“You don’t leave Mormonism easily…there is shunning that happens,” she said on VICE News Tonight on HBO.

Diane became an activist to try and change attitudes within the Mormon community, co-founding a support group for mothers of LGBT children which she called Mama Dragons.

While the Church doesn’t condemn same-sex attraction, it does require celibacy from gay people.

(youtube/vicenews)

And in 2016,  it introduced a hateful anti-LGBT policy which expelled same-sex couples and prevented their children from getting blessed or baptised until they were 18.

When it comes to members in general though, support for same-sex marriage has steadily risen since it was legalised in the US.

Mormons have also increasingly disapproved of businesses which refuse to serve gay couples.

(youtube/vicenews)

Many Mormons are confronting their crises of faith, with some of those who support LGBT rights seeking new tribes.

John Dehlin, who was excommunicated after raising questions about Mormonism on his podcast for those struggling with their faith, is a long-time supporter of LGBT youth.

He said there will be equality within the Church, but warned that it will take “20 or 30 years.”

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Lambda Legal: Senate GOP Leaders Attempting to Jam Through Anti-civil Rights Judicial Nominees

This week, under the shadow of a looming government shutdown, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on a slate of 17 of Trump’s judicial nominees, along with a number of other controversial executive branch nominees. Among the group of judicial nominees on the agenda for tomorrow are five men who have spent their careers working to undermine civil rights, especially for LGBT Americans: Kyle Duncan to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals; Supreme Court “short-lister” David Stras to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals; Matthew Kacsmaryk to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas; Thomas Farr to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina; and Mark Norris to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Lambda Legal expects Senate Majority Leader McConnell to move quickly to try and confirm more of these controversial nominees while the attention of Senators and the nation is focused elsewhere. Lambda Legal is urging senators on the committee to oppose these nominations before Leader McConnell rushes them to the Senate floor and carries out Trump’s plan to pack the court judges who won’t protect LGBT rights, relationships, and families.

According to a widely-cited analysis by Lambda Legal, the Trump Administration is attempting to pack the courts, at an alarming rate, with judges who oppose civil rights for LGBT Americans. Nearly 1 in 3 judicial nominees have explicitly anti-LGBT records, so failing to stop these nominees will result in federal courts growing increasingly hostile toward LGBT rights during Trump’s presidency and long after he has vacated the White House. The breakneck pace with which the Senate is confirming Trump’s judges is also striking, especially when compared with past administrations. In his first year alone, the analysis indicates President Trump has secured confirmations for 12 circuit court judges, which is more than the combined number of circuit court judges confirmed by Presidents Barack Obama (3), George W. Bush (5), and Bill Clinton (3) during their first year in office. Trump has also secured confirmations for 6 district court judges and a Supreme Court justice. The impact that this will have on the LGBT community will be felt for generations to come.

“It is disgraceful that, as the nation teeters on the brink of a government shutdown, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Grassley is forcing a vote on almost two dozen nominees, including a number of highly controversial judicial nominees who are being considered for lifetime appointments to the federal bench,” said Sharon McGowan, Director of Strategy at Lambda Legal. “It is the height of cynicism for Senators to be forcing a vote on these nominees at a time when millions of families are worrying about essential government services being cut off at the end of this week, and suffering in other ways as a result of Washington’s divisiveness and dysfunction.

“Chairman Grassley and Leader McConnell have discarded longstanding traditions and safeguards in order to jam these nominees through while no one is looking, and Lambda Legal is here to say: enough is enough. The failed nominations of Jeff Mateer, Brett Talley and Matthew Peterson should have sent a clear message that more time – not less – is needed to scrutinize the records of these potential lifetime appointees.  Moreover, there are two new members of the Senate Judiciary Committee – Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris – who deserve a chance to question these nominees during new hearings before any votes are cast.

“The courts play an essential role in protecting those most vulnerable in this country, and the process to appoint new judges should not be rushed. Senators who simply roll over and allow Donald Trump to pack the courts with lifetime appointees who oppose civil rights and who have often spent their careers seeking to undermine LGBT rights, are ignoring their constitutional duty to provide advice and consent in the process. We demand better, and deserve better from our Senators.”

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Civil and LGBT Rights Groups Call Out Trump’s Creation of New HHS Division

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the creation of the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division today, demonstrating the administration’s commitment to laws that license discrimination against women, LGBT people, and others. The broad language could open the door for health care institutions and providers to refuse to treat women seeking abortions, people seeking sterilizations, and others.

Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction: “Today’s announcement shows us, once again, that the administration is doubling down on licensing discrimination against women and LGBT people, all in the name of religion. The administration has already shown its hand earlier this year by adopting rules that permit virtually all manner of businesses to refuse to comply with laws providing contraception coverage.

“We may not know exactly what this new division will look like in practice, but we do know that this means they prioritize religious liberty over the health and civil rights of women, transgender people, and others. They are prioritizing providers’ beliefs over patients’ health and lives. This administration isn’t increasing freedom — they’re paving the way for discrimination.”

Rea Carey, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force issued the following statement: “We are not fooled: The new office announced this morning is meant to make it easier for people to discriminate, not to protect people of faith. Health professionals have a duty to care for all their patients regardless of one’s gender identity, sexual orientation, faith, creed, race, political views, gender, or disability, and no one should be denied care for being who they are.

“The overwhelming majority of people of faith support health care access for women and LGBTQ people. There is no contradiction between meeting your duty to care for all people and living by your moral and religious conviction. All people deserve access to care, including transgender people, those seeking assisted suicide, and those seeking reproductive health services such as an abortion or sterilization.”

“It’s painfully ironic that this decision comes on the heels of a national training we held this week for our state-based equality organizations on how to work with hospitals to improve their nondiscrimination policies,” said Rebecca Isaacs, executive director of Equality Federation. “Imagine going to the doctor and being denied service because of who is in your family or because you are living with HIV. It’s unconscionable that anyone should be afraid that when they are sick or in need of urgent medical care they could be turned away. Freedom of religion is important to all of us, but it should not equate to a license to discriminate against those in need.”

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Grammy-winning Jazz Quartet Performs at OCA

Saturday January 27 @ 7pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents: Paul McCandless/Christian Foley-Beining Collaboration. Sterling jazz quartet featuring Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist McCandless (Paul Winter Consort; Oregon) and guitarist Foley-Beining with Tom Shader on bass and Tom Hayashi, drums playing original compositions at OCA’s acoustic sweet spot. $18 Advance/$22 at the door. Cabaret seating. Fine Refreshments. Wheelchair Accessible. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. @Harmony Village, Occidental. www.occcidentalcenterforthearts.org; 707-874-9392.

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