Philadelphia-based Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput, who once said sexually active gays cannot take communion, now denies the existence of LGBTI people at all.
Archbishop Chaput claims that church documents should refrain from using the term ‘LGBTQ’ in any official documents. He also blamed the church’s sexual abuse crisis on liberal beliefs about sexuality.
‘There is no such thing as an “LGBTQ Catholic” or a “transgender Catholic” or a “heterosexual Catholic,” as if our sexual appetites defined who we are; as if these designations described discrete communities of differing but equal integrity within the real ecclesial community, the body of Jesus Christ,’ Chaput said in a 4 October speech at the church’s Youth Synod in Rome.
The full text of his speech was published online by the UK-based Catholic Herald.
While many Catholics urged the Church to become more accepting of LGBTI individuals, Chaput disagrees. A working document for the Synod said, ‘Some LGBT youths, through various contributions that were received by the General Secretariat of the Synod, wish to “benefit from greater closeness” and experience greater care by the Church.’
Chaput objected to this language.
‘“LGBTQ” and similar language should not be used in church documents, because using it suggests that these are real, autonomous groups, and the church simply doesn’t categorize people that way,’ he said.
‘Explaining why Catholic teaching about human sexuality is true, and why it’s ennobling and merciful, seems crucial to any discussion of anthropological issues. Yet it’s regrettably missing from this chapter and this document. I hope revisions by the Synod Fathers can address that.’
According to Chaput, young people are being influenced by a ‘culture that is both deeply appealing and essentially atheist’. He blamed this culture for the Church’s sexual abuse scandal that has come to light in recent years.
‘The clergy sexual abuse crisis is precisely a result of the self-indulgence and confusion introduced into the church in my lifetime, even among those tasked with teaching and leading,’ he said.
‘And minors — our young people — have paid the price for it.’
Chaput was chosen by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to represent the group at the synod. Additionally, he is a member of the synod’s permanent council. This year’s synod opened 4 October and runs through 28 October.
‘[Chaput’s message] is a perfect example of how some church leaders have been so blinded by ideological homophobia and transphobia that they cannot perceive plain human facts accurately,’ wrote Francis DeBernardo of LGBTI Catholic advocacy group New Ways Ministry.
‘His comments reflect the dangerous avoidance mentality that is the cause of the clergy sexual abuse scandal and so many of the ills which plague the Catholic Church today.’
‘There are LGBTQ Catholics and transgender Catholics and heterosexual Catholics, just as there are Italian Catholics, elderly Catholics, disabled Catholics, Latin American Catholics, traditionalist Catholics, poor Catholics, educated Catholics, and so many other distinct groups within our big tent church,’ DeBernardo continued.
‘If Chaput interprets LGBTQ as a sinister designation that must be expunged, the responsibility for such an interpretation is his own fault and a result of his own ignorance to better understand the reality of LGBTQ Catholic people.’
This new protection comes just months after the state passed three bills giving trans residents of Jersey more rights.
LGBTI advocates are celebrating New Jersey’s recent guidance. They say it’s putting the state among national leaders for protecting trans students from unaccepting families.
Still, some parent and family groups argue that schools shouldn’t be keeping such significant secrets from families.
‘We always have believed that any discussion that affects our students should be an all-inclusive discussion,’ Rose Acerra, president of the New Jersey PTA, told NJ.com. ‘[We] could never fully support anything that leaves the parent voice out.’
While parent involvement in a child’s gender identity is ideal, it’s not always a reasonable option, according to Aaron Potenza of LGBTI advocacy organization Garden State Equality.
‘If a student tells you, “If my parents hear this they are going to throw me out,” then we don’t want school districts notifying parents,’ Potenza said.
David Rubin, longtime school board attorney for New Jersey districts, is among a group of lawyers advising school districts in this instance. According to them, parents don’t necessarily need to be told their child’s transgender identity. Further, educators don’t need parental permission to embrace a student’s gender (such as using preferred pronouns) in school.
However, this new guidance is not legally binding. Rather, it’s the Education Department’s interpretation of a 2017 state law reinforcing transgender students’ rights. This means, though not legally binding, it will likely be respected.
‘It is something you can point to as at least some source of authority,’ Rubin said. ‘It provides guidance and cover for school districts who may have angry parents confronting them.’
Transgender children often face unaccepting families and hostile living situations. Discovery of one’s trans identity could lead to them being kicked out of their homes or even physically abused.
‘The sad reality is that too many transgender and gender nonconforming youth may be placed in further danger by schools forcefully outing them to unsupportive family,’ said Brenda Barron, director of public policy for LGBTI advocacy organization GLSEN.
Since the United States Department of Education began a rollback of protections for trans students, many school districts have been looking to their respective states for guidance.
‘School districts have been asking for this guidance for some time,’ said Department of Education spokesperson Mike Yaple.
New Jersey’s new guidance was drafted with the help of the recently recognized Transgender Task Force. It puts the state up with the dozen others who have sent school’s instructions for dealing with trans students.
‘I would put this up there with the best of the best,’ Potenza said of New Jersey’s guidance.
Facebook has blocked ads containing LGBTI material for being ‘political’.
Adverts for everything from a gay fairy tale cabaret in Las Vegas to a Spanish-language social group for Latino men were deemed political by the social media site’s monitors. This is despite none of them containing any form of advocacy or political views, according to The Washington Post.
This comes as Facebook tries to regulate the use of its site for political means after Russian-state actors were accused of using adverts to sway the 2016 US election and the UK Brexit vote. The site uses both automated and human monitors to filter out content.
Facebook’s new policy requires people using ads for political purposes register with the company. For this, the user would need to divulge a lot of personal information. This includes a driver’s license or passport, a personal home address, and the last four digits of a Social Security number.
However, their public database found that these innocuous LGBTI adverts were deemed ‘political’. This means they’d have to register with the company in order to post them. Many told The Post they didn’t know this option existed.
Facebook told the paper that the majority of these were made in error.
A shaky history with LGBTI people
Yet the company has taken steps recently that seem out of line with this desire to curb the use of politics on their site.
Once the news became public, the company took down the ad, blaming it on a mistake in the ‘micro-targeting algorithm’. However, it’s unclear how these ads were not considered political, as gay conversion therapy is illegal in many places around the world.
‘We are against Pinkdot in Singapore’, a group of people who oppose Singapore’s annual pride event, Pink Dot, were removed for violating the community standards.
However, the group was put back up. A Facebook spokesperson claimed that the page should not have been removed entirely, only some of its posts.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signs the bill into law surrounded by members of the LGBTI community (Photo: Twitter)
10 October 2018
New York City residents will be able to opt for the gender-neutral marker ‘X’ on birth certificates from 2019. They can also change gender without a doctor’s affidavit.
Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the bill into a law on Tuesday (9 October) accompanied by transgender and non-binary New Yorkers.
The city becomes the fifth place in the US to offer such birth certificates. California, Oregon, Washington state and New Jersey previously introduced bills.
Significantly, residents can now change their gender to male, female or ‘x’ with a personal affidavit. The legislation removed the need for a doctor’s note.
De Blasio said the bill allowed New Yorkers to ‘tell the government who they are and not the other way around’.
‘You be you. Live your truth. And know that New York City will have your back’ he told those gathered at the ceremony.
New York City council speaker Corey Johnson said ‘not a single person came to testify against the bill’. It was originally introduced under former mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The bill New York City in 2014 allowed residents to change their gender markers on documents without surgery.
‘Monumental’
Some of New York City’s LGBTI leaders were present to mark the historic legislation.
‘This might seem like a small change, but it’s monumental for many of us’ said co-founder of NY Trans Advocacy Group, Tanya A Walker. ‘We won’t longer need a doctor to decide what we know is our identity. We won’t have to be out again and again’.
Non-binary actor Asia Kate Dillon said ‘I’m not a male nor female. I am non-binary’. ‘I was assigned female at birth, but that’s not who I am or identify now’.
Janelle Monáe, Kevin McHale and Amandla Stenberg (Vivien Killilea/Getty, Leon Bennett/Getty and Paras Griffin/Getty)
Since the last National Coming Out Day, dozens of celebrities have stopped, taken a deep breath and revealed to the world that they’re gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, queer, non-binary, pansexual — and even in one controversial case, two spirit.
From singers and political figures to sports stars and Hollywood’s brightest, the past 12 months have shown, in case anyone needed reminding, that anyone can be LGBT+.
As we look ahead to National Coming Out Day on Thursday (October 11), let’s celebrate the icons who put their heads above the parapet to be representative of the community — starting with some amazing musicians.
The Dirty Computer singer came out as “a queer black woman” in April after years of speculation, revealing that she had “been in relationships with both men and women.”
Monáe explained that she had identified as bisexual at first, “but then later I read about pansexuality and was like: ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’
He continued: “I guess you could qualify me as pansexual because I really don’t care. If a person is great, then a person is great. I just like good people, if your heart’s in the right place.”
Coming out can be difficult — and so can labels. When the “I’m Yours” singer revealed in July that he had enjoyed sexual experiences with men in the past, he defined himself as two spirit.
This term, which is used by Indigenous North American and First Nations people to represent those who possess both masculine and feminine spirits and can encompass sexual, gender and/or spiritual identities, attracted backlash.
Nevertheless, it’s good that the 41-year-old musician felt comfortable enough to publicly announce his sexual orientation.
Rock band Say Anything’s lead singer also came out as queer, making the announcement in an emotional letter which also revealed that the group was breaking up.
Under the heading “GAY STUFF,” Bemis, 34, wrote: “I have always been bi-ish or queer or a straight guy who can also like boys.
“I always talked or joked about it with my friends and found it to be blatantly clear I was.”
The Finnish singer and Eurovision 2018 star came out to PinkNews in March, saying: “I am very proud to be lesbian and I feel very much like I am lesbian, totally.”
She said she was lucky enough to have never struggled with her sexual identity, saying: “My sexuality was never an issue.”
The British musician, who went to number one in more than 20 countries as a featured artist on Clean Bandit’s hit song “Rockabye,” opened up about her sexuality after releasing her debut album, Speak Your Mind.
She said: “I’ve never ever just been attracted to men. I’ve never just been attracted to women. I’ve never felt the need to tell anyone that I’m bisexual.
“I don’t feel like I am. I just feel like I’m attracted to who I like. I honestly feel like everyone is like that.”
Lorde’s sister Indy Yelich-O’Connor revealed she was bisexual in May.
The 19-year-old author took to Twitter to share the news, keeping things short and sweet by simply writing: “plot twist (I like boys and girls).”
The global singing sensation’s teen sibling then screengrabbed the tweet and shared it via an Instagram story, making sure all of her followers were up to speed on her sexuality.
Hodgson came out in April (zander hodgson/YouTube)
The British model, actor and Instagram star was one of many celebrities this year who chose to come out in a heartfelt YouTube video.
The actor, who lives in Los Angeles and has had small roles in Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and Shameless, decided to share his sexuality to inspire others who might be struggling to come to terms with their LGBT+ status.
In the video, Hodgson said: “I wanted to tell everyone that I am gay, and although that doesn’t change anything for me, and hopefully not for you, I just thought it was a really important thing to share with everyone.”
He added: “I wanted to do this video as well, because when I think about all the kids out there that are being bullied, or are really struggling with their sexuality, even teenage or adults, I just want you to know that you are not alone.”
Another model, actor and Instagram celebrity to come out this year was Derek Chadwick, who made the announcement in July, explaining that his parents were “not very accepting” when he first told them he was gay — and that he hoped his coming out would help others.
“Coming out in this way allows me to use the privilege that I have to help other people who don’t have that,” the Scream Queens actor added.
Andrea Russett came out to her 7.5 million Twitter followers and four million Instagram fans last month, the day before Bi Visibility Day, because — she said — her best friend Sandra Poenar told her she believed that queer people go to hell.
“I came out to Sandra as bisexual four years ago. (Surprise! Yeah. Not exactly how I planned to come out publicly, but s**t happens I guess),” she wrote in a lengthy social media post.
She added that she wanted to tell “anyone who is struggling with anything similar in their life, you are not alone.
“You are not any less of a person because of who you may choose to love.”
The YouTuber, who has more than 1.5 million subscribers, came out in November 2017 with a spectacular video which has so far attracted around four million views.
She told fans that her sexuality was something she had struggled to talk about to people close to her, leaving her depressed.
But after going through a personal journey, she posed in front of her rainbow-covered home and told her audience: “I’m Elle Mills and I’m bisexual.”
The racing legend and three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner, is a legendary endurance racing champ who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans across three decades – in 1977, 1983 and 1994.
The racing driver, whose sexuality had been an open secret within sporting circles for some time, publicly acknowledged he was gay at the age of 69, ahead of his autobiography being released.
He talked about helping a suicidal student in 2012 and explained: “I thought, if my voice is strong enough to help one kid, it might help two kids, or five or a hundred.”
The footballer, who plays for Major League Soccer side Minnesota United, broke a huge barrier in June when he came out as gay.
Martin wrote a statement on his Twitter account which said: “June is Pride month, and I am proud to be playing for Pride, and to be playing as an out gay man.”
The 23-year-old added: “As we celebrate Pride night I want to thank my teammates for their unconditional support for who I am.
“In light of who I am I want to encourage others who play sports professionally or otherwise to have confidence that sport will welcome them wholeheartedly.”
Harrity, who has twice picked up the US Nationals title, became the first openly gay man at the top of squash in April.
In a post to social media, the 27-year-old athlete wrote: “To everyone I know, and to all who know me, I have something that I am finally ready to get off my chest.
“I am gay, and I’m ready to live my life as an openly gay man. I have decided to come out because I am convinced that having everyone know this about me is the only way I can truly be content.”
DeVine, a swimmer on the US national team, came out as gay last month, admitting that coming out was “really tough” for him and that he was afraid of how his team would react.
He broke the ice by first telling a former teammate, who he said “did a lot” for him “and was really there for me as a friend.”
And DeVine soon discovered that his apprehension about coming out to his teammates was unfounded, as everybody around him reacted well to the news.
In September, Fujikawa became the first male professional golfer to come out as gay and said he hoped his story would help others in the LGBT+ community.
The American sportsman from Hawaii posted a photo of himself on Instagram on World Suicide Prevention Day, alongside a caption explaining why decided to go public about his sexuality.
“So… I’m gay. Many of you may have already known that,” he wrote.
“I don’t expect everyone to understand or accept me. But please be gracious enough to not push your beliefs on me or anyone in the LGBTQ community.
“My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another.”
At the age of 47, the former world champion and Olympic swimmer confirmed he was gay.
The British sportsman said: “I got really good at the dance of telling half-truths. I’ve supported the Terence Higgins Trust, Stonewall, Ben Cohen’s Stand Up to Bullying campaign.
“But I’ve always done it under the radar.”
He added: “I’ve lived an openly gay life to my friends and family. But I always hid it as a swimmer.”
The Thor: Ragnarok actress spoke publically about her sexuality for the first time in June.
Thompson, who’s best known for her appearances on dystopian drama Westworld, as well as her role as the explicitly bisexual hero Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, said: “I can take things for granted because of my family – it’s so free and you can be anything that you want to be.
“I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion.”
The 19-year-old, who made their name in The Hunger Games series and uses gender-neutral they/them pronouns, previously came out as queer and—in 2016—as bisexual.
But in an interview with lesbian pop singer King Princess—real name Mikaela Straus—in June, they said: “*Insert Ellen DeGeneres’ TIME Magazine cover squat and wide smile* Yep I’m gay.”
The actor, who has since starred in hit film The Hate U Give, added: “I’m grateful for how being gay has afforded me this ability to experience and understand love and sex, and therefore life, in an expansive and infinite way.”
In July, at the age of 23, the Arrow and Scream actor revealed that they’re non-binary.
Taylor-Klaus came out as gay in 2016 by tweeting: “hello my name is bex and yes the rumours are true I am v gay.”
And their latest announcement was made with a similar air of nonchalance, with Taylor-Klaus — who’s a series regular on Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defender — tweeting it out in much the same way.
They wrote: “I came out as trans non-binary in a room full of people today. Guess it’s time for me to do that on here, too…
“Hi. I’m Bex, and the rumours are true. I’m v enby.”
The actor, who rose to fame in Disney Channel movie series Teen Beach, came out as gay in August, revealing at the same time that he was in a long-term relationship with screenwriter Blake Knight.
Ahead of his film Reach being released, he wrote on Instagram that he had “personally dealt with suicide within my own family [and] intense bullying in high school.”
He added that “myself and the man I’ve been in a relationship with for a long time (@hrhblakeknight) have both experienced shootings within our hometown school systems, and have witnessed the heartache that takes place in affected communities after such tragic events.”
The star and co-creator of comedy series Broad City came out in April.
While promoting 6 Balloons, her Netflix film with Dave Franco, she said: “I kind of go both ways; I date men and women. They have to be funny, doing something they love.
“I don’t know — I’ve never really been interviewed about this before.”
24-year-old musician and Disney actress Alyson Stoner came out as bisexual in March.
The star, who is best known for her roles in Cheaper by the Dozen and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, opened up about her sexuality and struggles with religion in an emotional essay for Teen Vogue.
She wrote: “I, Alyson, am attracted to men, women, and people who identify in other ways.
“I can love people of every gender identity and expression. It is the soul that captivates me.”
“It is the love we can build and the goodness we can contribute to the world by supporting each other’s best journeys,” she added.
The Glee actor appeared to come out on Instagram in March, when he posted a picture of a photo of one man’s hand on top of a different male hand, with an emoji performing the hand gesture for “I love you” in ASL.
The pair both featured in When We Rise, a 2017 TV miniseries created by Dustin Lance Black that told the story of the struggle for LGBT equality in the US.
The Gotham star spoke about his sexuality publicly for the first time in March, while starring in a drama set during the AIDS crisis.
Smith, who is best known for playing Edward Nygma, aka supervillain The Riddler, on Fox’s popular Batman prequel TV series, revealed he identifies as queer.
The actor added that his own family responded with “a lot of love” when he came out.
Totah has starred in Champions and Glee (Mike Coppola/Getty)
The actress, known for her TV roles in Glee, Champions and Jessie, came out as transgender in a powerful essay for Time magazine.
Totah, 17, said she was “grateful” for roles she has played over the years, but regretted allowing herself to become known as a gay male rather than as a transgender female.
She also spoke about her faith, saying she has “come to believe that God made me transgender” and added that when it came to auditions for female parts, she was planning to “gun for those roles.”
After all, she added: “It’s a clean slate – and a new world.”
True Blood actress Rutina Wesley quietly came out in November 2017 as she revealed her engagement.
The star, who played Tara Thornton on the cult vampire show and has also appeared on Queen Sugar, uploaded a series of Instagram photos revealing her engagement to Shonda, a chef from New Orleans.
She referred to her new fiancée as the “light of my life” and “fire of my loins” in the posts, adding hashtags which read: “Always more, never less. I said yes” and “I love you more than words.”
The Steven Universe creator came out as non-binary in July.
The 31-year-old is the mind behind the popular American cartoon series, which has repeatedly earned praise for its portrayal of queer characters like lesbians Ruby and Sapphire, who got engaged earlier this year.
Sugar, who has previously worked on Adventure Time and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award five times, revealed: “One of the things that’s really important to me about the show is that the Gems are all non-binary women.
“They’re very specific and they’re coming from a world where they don’t really have the frame of reference. They’re coded female which is very important.”
Sugar added: “I am also a non-binary woman, which has been really great to express myself through these characters because it’s very much how I have felt throughout my life.”
We move on from one kind of brilliant writer to another, and Ronan Farrow’s decision in April to publicly come out.
The influential journalist, who was key in exposing Harvey Weinstein, quietly came out as he accepted an honour from the Point Foundation, which supports LGBTQ students.
The former NBC News personality, who is the son of Mia Farrow and director Woody Allen, told the audience: “Each and every LGBT person who has to go through a process of accepting themselves and turning rejection and isolation into strength is richer and more creative and more determined for that journey.”
The author and co-founder of The Toast came out in February, after realising his identity while researching for his latest book, The Merry Spinster.
“It turns out I’m trans!” said Ortberg, who has also written Texts From Jane Eyre.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking through this and going to support groups, and I started medical transition after an initial ‘trial period’ to see how I felt about it.”
He added: “I’ve been dealing with realising that the feelings I had before were not the whole story.
“How do I create a vision for the future that doesn’t negate the past? It was wild to have all of this come up consciously for me in the middle of writing the book.”
As well as culturally important people, the past year has also been notable for the political figures who have taken the brave step of revealing their true identities.
One of these was Huanwu, the grandson of Singapore’s first prime minister, who sparked celebrations in the country — where homosexuality is illegal — when he came out as gay in July.
Huanwu, who is also the nephew of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, broke the news through Out in Singapore, an exhibition for “LGBTQ persons who wish to come out to family, friends and peers in the community.”
Huanwu, 31, changed his Facebook profile picture to a photo of him and Yirui Heng, a 27-year-old veterinarian, after they were pictured together in the exhibition.
Ahlers was on Denmark’s version of Dragons’ Den (Tommy Ahlers/facebook)
The Danish cabinet minister revealed he was bisexual after years of speculation.
Ahlers, who has been the Minister of Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education since May,
said that he was coming out publicly at the age of 42 because his position as a minister meant he could not hide any part of himself.
“When people mention that they have heard a rumour, I explain to them that it is not a rumour, because there is no touch of fiction in it,” he said.
“But the truth is also that I have come to the conclusion that I like both men and women.”
The French cabinet minister, who serves as Secretary of State for the Digital Sector, came out at 33 on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
The En Marche politician wrote: “Homophobia is an ill that eats away at society, invades high schools, and poisons families and lost friends.
“Worse, it haunts the minds of gay people, and sometimes forces us to hide and lie to avoid hatred, to live.”
Jones, who sits in the Florida House of Representatives, came out as gay almost six years after he was first elected.
In doing so, the politician became the first openly gay African-American legislator in Florida.
He revealed that he had known he was gay since kindergarten, but only opened up about his sexuality around five years ago when he decided to tell his family.
Jones came out by allowing Equality Florida’s political director to include him in a list of endorsements of openly gay candidates, saying he was initially unsure if it would be the best “coming-out party” before deciding to go ahead.
And here’s one more for this retrospective, which was too ambiguous to include as a definitive coming out moment, but too amazing to leave out entirely.
Harry Styles with the Pride flag at one of his concerts (pukinghoran/twitter)
That’s right, the one and only Harry Styles provoked an outpouring of enthusiasm from fans earlier this year, after lyrics in his new song seemed to reveal he was queer.
But Styles’ lyrics for his song “Medicine” led his fans to explode with excitement and hail him as a bi icon, as the 24-year-old star sang: “The boys and the girls are here, I mess around with them, and I’m okay with it.”
He followed up those sensational lines by singing: “I’m coming down, I figured out I kinda like it, and when I sleep I’m gonna dream of how you tasted.”
Home security detained members of the Mexican Gay Men’s Chorus in Texas.
The Coro Gay Ciudad de México traveled through customs at William P Hobby Airport in Houston.
The group were traveling to Los Angeles for a joined concert with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles.
Members were forcibly detained on Sunday morning (7 October).
Officers claim the reason why is because Homeland Security discovered sheet music in their luggage.
University professor Jorge Gutierrez was also pulled aside. Gutierrez was asked to verify he was not the same Jorge Gutierrez suspected of stealing a truck, according to the LA Times.
Several chorus members discussed the concert as they waited. The officers suspected the 52-member group were entering the US as paid performers, not tourists.
An officer said he thought ‘these guys weren’t being truthful or forthcoming’.
The group faced being deported to Mexico.
However, the group assured the officer they were not being paid and explained the nature of the concert. They adviced him it would be an ‘international incident’ is they deported the chorus.
The concert host committee includes LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and US Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.
Eventually, the chorus were allowed to go to LA.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a call to comment.
A GMCLA spokesperson said they were ‘very glad’ their brothers and sisters from Mexico City arrived safely.
”We have had this trip planned for over a year, all had been granted US Visas and this came as a great shock,’ they told the Los Angeles Blade.
‘But given the serious deterioration of United States and Mexico relations under the Trump administration and the President’s endless offensive comments about the Mexican people—coupled with the appalling and inhuman treatment of people seeking asylum at the US-Mexican border—I can’t help but think they were singled out.’
‘We are here to give a message of unity between two countries,’ Professor Gutierrez added to the Los Angeles Blade.
‘For us, it’s a dream to perform with the GMCLA and that dream almost vanished at the Homeland Security Department in Houston.
‘Our only fault was to carry in our luggage, sheet music. I had to convince the officer we were not getting paid and we were only trying to fight for human rights because we think no matter what, everyone should be treated equally no matter where they come from.’
The concert will take place on 13 October at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.
Titus Burgess will host the Proud Flight (Virgin Atlantic)
The world’s first known flight fully staffed by LGBT+ people is due for take off from London Heathrow Airport in June 2019.
The LGBT+ pilots and cabin crew will head the one-off ‘Pride Flight’ to New York, which is the first American city to host the World Pride event next year, on June 28—the day marking 50 years since the beginning of the Stonewall riots.
Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays teamed up with NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing, tourism and partnership organisation, to bring the Pride celebrations to 38,000 feet above the ground.
Broadway actor and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Tituss Burgess (Virgin Atlantic)
They have enlisted Broadway actor and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Tituss Burgess to be the master of ceremonies during the flight, which promises to feature on-board entertainment including an on-board DJ, drag queen bingo, a Judy Garland singalong and inter-seat speed dating.
“At a time when we’re seeing the rights of minority groups under threat, it is more important than ever we stand up and make our voices heard,” Burgess said.
“The LGBT+ community has made enormous strides over the last 50 years, and I’m so proud to partner with Virgin Holidays and Virgin Atlantic to mark this occasion in style and celebrate the hard-won freedoms from those who came before us,” he said.
Fred Dixon, president and chief executive of NYC & Company, said the World Pride event is expected to attract more than three million visitors to the Big Apple in 2019, and promises to be “one of the largest LGBTQ events in history.”
“As a City founded on diversity, inclusivity and a welcoming spirit, we’re extremely pleased to host World Pride 2019—the first time the big event will be held in the United States, while at the same time marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising,” he added.
On-board entertainment will include on board DJ, Drag-Queen Bingo, Judy Garland singalong and inter-seat speed dating. (Virgin Atlantic)
Ticket prices start at £380 for the flight-only Economy Light experience, but holiday packages including accommodation at a New York hotel start at £699 per person.
Virgin will donate a portion of ticket sales to The Attitude Magazine Foundation to promote community initiatives in the UK, as well as arrange fundraising and raffle activities on board.
“We take our commitments to diversity and inclusion seriously, but you can rest assured we have a lot of fun along the way,” said Mark Anderson, global LGBT lead for Virgin Group and executive vice president at Virgin Atlantic, promising “a show-stopping, ground- breaking, one-of-a-kind experience.”
Virgin is the latest company announcing special initiatives for the half-century anniversary of the 1969 riots that gave birth to the gay rights movement.
In September, American baseball team the New York Yankees revealed plans to spend $50,000 on scholarships, which will act “as a springboard for young LGBTQ student community members,” to mark the occasion.
Romania’s ruling party aims to introduce legislation to legalise civil unions for same-sex couples, the state news agency quoted a cabinet minister as saying, after a referendum to curb such rights failed to draw enough voters to be valid.
Sunday’s referendum to change Romania’s constitution to prevent same sex couples from securing the right to marry was seen as a key popularity test for the ruling Social Democrats (PSD), whose attempts to weaken anti-corruption legislation have been condemned by the European Commission. But the referendum backfired as turnout was only 21 percent, below the minimum 30 percent required for validity.
Analysts said voters had viewed the referendum as a ruse by the PSD, which supported the change, to divert attention from more pressing concerns. “This draft bill is finalised and…my fellow lawmakers will submit it in parliament next week,” European Affairs Minister Victor Negrescu told the state news agency Agerpres.
The anti-gay referendum was scheduled after a concerted push by US-based Christian hate groups including the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Liberty Counsel. The referendum cost a reported $46 million.
RELATED: Last month the Romanian Constitutional Court ruled that gay couples should have the same rights as all families. In June 2018, the European Union’s top court ruled that member nations must grant residency rights to LGBT couples legally married in other EU countries. In that case, an American man had married a Romanian national in Brussels. Same-sex marriage is legal in 14 of the 28 EU member nations. Six member nations, including Romania, currently provide no recognition of same-sex relationships.
A vocal LGBTI rights opponent won the first round of Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday.Jair Bolsonaro, a congressman from Rio de Janeiro, won with 46 percent of the vote. Former São Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad finished second with 29 percent of the vote. The two men will face each other in the second round of voting on Oct. 28.
Brazilians cast their ballots in what will probably be remembered as the most polarized election in the country to date with leftist voters facing a choice between a handful of candidates who they felt would support much needed social advances. Observers have noted Bolsonaro, on the other hand, was the perfect candidate for this year’s political climate in the country.
The far-right militaristic, homophobic and misogynistic candidate represents the voice of every voter who was looking to shake-up the political class after 16 years of leftist governments under Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached in 2016.
The feeling right now in Brazil is one of fear.
People of color, women and LGBTI people organized themselves and marched against Bolsonaro in several cities and state capitals throughout the country right before Sunday’s vote.
Organizers sought to give these underrepresented groups who Bolsonaro has openly targeted a sense of belonging and unity, but this hope didn’t go very far as cases of intimidation and violence started to take place in São Paulo, where LGBTI people had already reported being assaulted by Bolsonaro supporters, and in other cities. People in São Paulo’s subway, for example, were chanting, “homos be careful. Bolsonaro will kill all faggots” before a soccer game.
As the presidential election heads into the second round with Bolsonaro going against Haddad, who is backed by Lula, many Brazilians have resigned themselves to having a far-right government run the country over the next four years.
Ciro Gomes was the last hope for many Brazilian leftists and especially for LGBTI people in the country since polls indicated he was the only candidate who could beat Bolsonaro in the second round.
The platforms of Gomes and Haddad both had proposals to protect LGBTI Brazilians, which included making homophobia a crime. Gomes only received 12 percent of the vote and has already endorsed Haddad in the second round.
But will it be enough?
Mathematically speaking, the candidates who lost the first round received enough votes to allow Haddad to become president. Observers note many voters are afraid of what Lula and leftists represent right now in the country and Bolsonaro has effectively tapped into it: Blaming women who shouldn`t earn the same salary as men because they get pregnant, gay people who will teach boys to be gay and people of color who don`t like to work for a living.
Observers note Bolsonaro’s supporters came out in force and forgot the inflammatory things he had previously said about minority groups going along with the will of the majority. Bolsonaro has also repeatedly said he is the change for which Brazilians have been waiting in this current political climate.
Most LGBTI Brazilians feel the election will have a direct impact on their lives remain hopeful that Haddad can move more to the center and focus his campaign in a way that shows he supports leftist social and more centrist economic policies. This compromise may be the price he has to pay to defeat a candidate even the right-wing has called a fascist.
Three people have been injured after a man opened fire outside a Texas LGBT+ bar.
An argument at a taco truck outside the Pegasus nightclub in San Antonio escalated after a man reportedly used a racial slur against another man, who then drove away while shooting a gun, injuring three people.
While the injuries suffered by the victims—two men and the club’s doorwoman—were not life-threatening, the attack stirred memories of the terrorist attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016, which killed 49.
The club is a popular destination for queer people in San Antonio (PEGASUS NIGHTCLUB SAN ANTONIO/facebook)
Police have told KSAT that none of the people hit by gunfire were involved in the initial argument, adding that they were working to find the shooter.
The manager of Pegasus, Mike Rodriguez, described the incident to a News 4 reporter, saying: “A nicely dressed gentleman was ordering food.
The guy behind him I guess got irritated that he couldn’t make up his mind, called him a name. They started to push and shove each other.
The road has been blocked off (news 4)
“Our security broke it up, kept one inside, and took the other one outside, just to separate them. The one inside kept on yelling through the fence names at the other one and he got upset, and at that point, he walked off.
“Then a couple minutes later he came back here to the stop sign and he had a gun and he shot three times in the air,” Rodriguez added.
“They called me to the front and I came to the front and I told all the customers, everybody, to get inside, and started pushing people inside.
Bar manager Mike Rodriguez gave his account (KristinaDeLeon/twitter)
“We got mostly everybody cleared out of our outside area and I guess he got in his car, drove around the block behind us and came down this road and open-fired at the gate.”
While the Texas shooting does not appear terror-related, LGBT+ venues have faced increased security risks.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told a committee of the National Assembly that the terrorists had a “plan of violent action” targeting “Parisian nightclubs and in particular gay clubs” in August 2017.
The Old Bailey heard that he had abused the positions at a mosque and a faith school to attempt to radicalise a number of children to build a home-grown jihadist army in the capital.
The arrest reportedly came after intelligence was provided by the US that indicated the teen was planning attacks on a gay venue and a Catholic church in the city.
