Leaving the gay ghetto behind

by Mark Segal

 

A national network news show did a segment on LGBT voters in this presidential-election year last week. The piece was centralized in San Francisco. Although it was accurate, it was only accurate for San Francisco. Why is it that when a broadcast media want to point out a generality of our community, they turn to San Francisco?

May I remind the media that we LGBT people live in every other corner of America. (Hey, don’t take my word for it: Take the U.S. Census’ word.)

So what’s wrong with using San Francisco as the pivotal center of the gay world in the vision of news directors?

First and foremost, San Francisco — as San Franciscans will tell you — is not a typical city. It is among the most left-leaning cities in the nation. In my book, that’s a plus, but not for a majority of the nation. And the political base, gay or otherwise, does not represent most other people’s political views around the nation. If that were not enough, the right wing has consistently linked our community with San Francisco ... and if, like me, you note the tricks of media and political manipulation, you noted the way it was done. They used every stereotype video they could find: men in underwear, drag queens, loving same-sex couples kissing each other.

Read more: PGN-The Philadelphia Gay News. Phila gay news. philly news - Leaving the gay ghetto behind

 

Face Cream At Studio C Artists

“I ran out of my effing expensive face cream!” jumpstarts this delightful romp now appearing at Studio C Artists, a gay-owned theatre in Hollywood, CA.

You want to laugh about aging? Go see it.

Veteran LA actress, Rhonda Lord delivers a star-turned, multi-level and hilarious performance as her character, Christina is plagued by her insensitive husband, (Patrick Munoz) as well as her ongoing battle with aging. Can you say Diva? Munoz acts as a competent counterpart as his character constantly says the wrong thing.

The play itself reads like an unending argument, but director John Coppola steadily steers this ship through the murky waters of self-esteem and vanity. Coppola’s strong hand leads us to the everlasting power of love as it irons out the wrinkles.

Studio C Artists

6448 Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

Performances Run Thursday-Sunday
Continues On Alternating Dates Through August 25th 

http://facecream.studiocartists.com/

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=181a3ed8ec3c3ab8403c10054&id=057426e8f2

Google Launches "Legalise Love" Campaign

You go Google!

Statement from their site:

At Google, we encourage people to bring their whole selves to work. In our more than 70 offices around the world, we’re committed to cultivating a work environment where Googlers can be themselves and thrive. Legalise Love is our drive to ensure that all of our employees have the same inclusive experience outside of the office as they do at work.

How to target the diverse LGBT community?

by David Renner

In my last post I pointed out why it is favorable to consider the LGBT community as an own marketing segment. But actually, before thinking about the economic advantages of a target group we should take one step back and think about one essential question which comes up when we talk about the LGBT community: Is it actually possible to consider this diverse group consisting of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders with quite different socio-economical characteristics as one target group? And as a consequence of this diversity is it possible to address them with the same messages?

Read the rest of the article on OutFront

S'well Water Bottles Introduces "His & His", "Hers & Hers" Bottles

S'well water bottles are designed to keep drinks cold (up to 24 hours) and are a safe alternative to plastic water bottles – keeping drinks hydrated during the hot summer months. The His and Hers bottles are perfect for hot days on a honeymoon, and the 25 oz/750 ml Ours bottle keeps wine or champagne cold all night!

The Couples Collection is an elegant, sustainable and charitable gift set that can be ordered in any combination (His+His, Hers+Hers, and Hers+His). This set is available at Swellbottle.com for $85. We think all couples are S’well; I’m sure you agree, so celebrate love with the His+Hers bottles every day.



Echelon Magazine reviewed a sample and is a great way to save money on water and keep it nice and chilly. Really swellllll!

For more information, please visit www.swellbottle.com.

Shop in underwear at Un Style de Vie

On next July 8, the swimwear and underwear store for men Un Style de Vie will propose you a very light shopping!  The store will give a free underpant to the 50 first customers who have the audacity to do their shopping wearing only their underpant.

Premiere in Canada
Offering exclusive local and international premium products, Un Style de Vie is the first store in Canada to propose to their customers a unique shopping experience in Quebec City.  Customers will be invited to come get a free underpant.  To participate, they will undress in store and shop in underpant to take advantage of the promotion.  This event will take place from 9 to 11 o’clock on Sunday, July 8.

www.unstyledevie.com

Star Witness For Prop 8 Case Changes Heart, Now Supports Marriage Equality

Evolution on issue reflects Americans’ growing acceptance of marriage for gay and lesbian couples

Today the Human Rights Campaign – the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – applauded David Blankenhorn, the founder of the Institute for American Values and a key witness in the Prop 8 trial for upholding the law, who today came out in support of marriage equality in an op-ed in the New York Times.  In the Perry case brought by the American Foundation for Equal Rights, when AFER attorney David Boies asked how marriage for gay couples would hurt the marriages of straight couples, Blankenhorn famously replied, “I don’t know.”

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin issued the following statement:

“David Blankenhorn’s evolution on marriage equality is emblematic of the paradigm shift we are experiencing as a country on this issue.  Loving gay and lesbian couples should not be denied the ability to make the same lifelong commitment as everyone else and Blankenhorn’s agreement with that proposition puts him in the mainstream of American opinion.

“What David Blankenhorn has shown the world is that through careful deliberation and a deepening understanding of LGBT people, one can only draw the conclusion that the answer is full equality.  While it can be difficult as a public figure to change course, I applaud him for taking a courageous and principled stand.  His experience wrestling with the issue of marriage equality and coming out on the right side of history will be an inspiration to millions of fair-minded Americans who are in the same place.”

Grindr Reaches 4 Million+ Users

Hot on the heels of this month’s Pride celebrations across the globe, Grindr today unveils that it has now reached more than 4 million total users and 1.1 million active daily users. To deliver an even better experience to these millions of users and to continue to reach ever more guys, a whole new Grindr is set to be unleashed this summer.

“With 4 million men, Grindr is the best place to meet guys, and we’re introducing the new Grindr, which makes your search a lot easier and faster, with new features such as filters and communities,” said Joel Simkhai, founder and CEO of Grindr. “The new Grindr continues our commitment to innovation and our belief in leveraging location-based technologies to help gay men find one another.”

For a sneak peek of some new Grindr screenshots, check out Grindr.com/new.

Senate Testimony on ENDA Provides Clear Evidence of Employment Discrimination

In official testimony delivered today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), Williams Institute Research Director M.V. Lee Badgett shared research of sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in the workplace and the likely positive impact of the federal protections offered by a law like S. 811, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2011 (ENDA).  As currently drafted, ENDA would prohibit a wide range of employers (non-religious) with at least 15 employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity in hiring and other employment decisions.

“Decades of social science research have demonstrated that employment discrimination against LGBT employees occurs across the country and evidence suggests that a federal prohibition on such conduct would reduce discrimination” said M.V. Lee Badgett.

During her testimony, Badgett referenced the decades of economic and social science research demonstrating that employment discrimination against LGBT Americans occurs in workplaces all across the country and that this discrimination harms LGBT workers.  Such discrimination cuts across employment sectors, including both private sector employment and public employment in state and local governments.  For example:

• According to the 2008 General Social Survey, 42% of a national random sample of LGBT people had experienced, at some point in their lives, at least one form of employment discrimination because of their sexual orientation.

• In the largest survey of transgender people to date, 78% of respondents reported experiencing at least one form of harassment or mistreatment in the workplace because of their gender identity, with 47% reporting discrimination with regards to hiring, promotion, or job retention.

• Gay and bisexual men earn from 10% to 32% less than similarly qualified heterosexual men.

Absent further federal protections, the current patchwork of local, state, and federal protections offered for LGBT workers and LGBT-inclusive corporate policies still leave millions of LGBT workers at risk of employment discrimination, as noted in a recent Williams Institute study on the legislative impact of federal legislation prohibiting LGBT workplace discrimination.  Click here to view this study published in the Loyola Law Review.

Williams Institute Faculty Advisory Committee Member Kylar W. Broadus, Associate Professor of Business at Lincoln University, also testified at the hearing.

Click here for the full testimony.

Trans United for Obama Launches Nationwide Volunteer Effort

Trans United for Obama, a national volunteer effort, has launched a campaign to rally transgender people, their allies, families, and supporters in the re-election campaign of President Barack Obama.

The campaign, organized by a group of transgender advocates, educators, bloggers, authors, and their families and allies, aims to educate people about the historic changes that the Obama Administration has accomplished in the past three and a half years to secure equal rights and protections for all Americans, including transgender people.

Among the victories achieved during President Obama’s first term is the removal of onerous and outdated requirements to change gender markers on legal documents such as passports, immigration documents, federal employee records, Veterans’ Administration records, and birth certificates for American citizens born outside of the US.  In addition, discrimination based on gender identity is now banned in areas like federal employment and public housing programs, and President Obama signed the first federal law aimed at addressing the rampant violence that transgender people face.

Trans United for Obama (TU4O) will work closely with the president’s campaign and will hold regular national calls to coordinate and boost trans and allied people’s participation in the re-election campaign. One of its goals is to register new trans voters and support others who may be prevented or discouraged from voting by new and discriminatory voter ID laws in several states. Supporters can register at the website to volunteer, donate money to the campaign through the grassroots fundraising site, and express their support for the re-election of President Obama and for his ongoing efforts to secure equal rights for transgender Americans.

Trans United for Obama can be found at http://www.transunitedforobama.org/index.html.

Rainbow Crosswalks

Throughout the month of June, the City of West Hollywood will emblazon two crosswalks along Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard with the colors of the LGBT rainbow flag in celebration of PRIDE Month. (The decorated crosswalks run along Santa Monica Boulevard between U.S. Bank and American Apparel; and Citibank and the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department.) As a symbol of PRIDE and as a symbol of LGBT rights, the brick pattern area within the crosswalks will be painted with the colors of the rainbow flag.

Openly Gay Football Player, Marcus Urban Gets Political

Euro 2012: Germany's First Openly Gay Pro Football Player Calls On Merkel to Denounce Anti-Gay Laws in Ukraine - Scheduled for Vote in 2 Weeks

Two days before the kick off of Euro 2012, All Out members are joining with the first openly gay professional football player in Germany, Marcus Urban, in urging Merkel to use the Euro 2012 to denounce human rights violations and the anti-gay crackdown happening now in Ukraine.

"We just learned that the anti-gay law is now scheduled for vote in two weeks, said Olena Shevchenko, Chair of the Ukrainian LGBT organization Insight. In a move to make it illegal for anyone in Ukraine to say the word "gay" in public, this anti-gay law - Law 8711 - is advancing through the Ukrainian Parliament, with no public opposition from the highest level of Ukrainian authorities."

The letter from Marcus Urban and signed by almost 20,000 All Out members reads "Chancellor Merkel, as Ukraine's key trade partner, you should give Yanukovych a "red card" by refusing to attend this month's Euro Cup and strongly urging him to denounce the laws in his Parliament that want to make saying "gay" illegal."

SEE SIGNATURES AND COMMENTS FROM SIGNERS: http://allout.org/euro2012