From CBS:
Jets quarterback Tim Tebow was photographed out of uniform for a new issue of Vogue. Gayle King reports.
Paris Hilton on men of Grindr: 'They're disgusting. Dude, most of them probably have AIDS'
Paris Hilton is in hot water: A New York cab driver on Sept. 7 recorded a conversation between the heiress and a gay model friend, according to RadarOnline, which has posted some of the audio:
On the audio Paris says at one point, Gay guys are the horniest people in the world. They're disgusting. Dude, most of them probably have AIDS."
RadarOnline also included a response from a Hilton spokesman, who says her comments are in response to being shown the hook-up app Grindr:
"Paris Hilton is a huge supporter of the gay community and would never purposefully make any negative statements about anyone’s sexual orientation.
Click here to listen to the RadarOnline audio.
Broward County becomes first major school board to pass resolution supporting LGBT History Month
Broward County School Board members on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month, which takes place every October. Board member Nora Rupert said an environment that is supportive of gay students has been proven to reduce the frequency of suicide attempts by gay or lesbian teens.
“We want to promote equality for all of our children,” Rupert said.
Here's a news release from Equality Forum, the Philadelphia-based organization that sponsors LGBT History Month:
The School Board of Broward County, Florida unanimously passed a resolution today declaring its support of LGBT History Month, October 2012. In doing do, the school district becomes the first in the nation to issue an official resolution supporting LGBT History Month. The Broward County School District is the sixth largest school district in the nation and includes Fort Lauderdale.
The resolution states:
Lesbian Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society…Encompassing a number of historically important days, this October is set to remind both the LGBT and wider communities of important roles LGBT people have taken in creating the social, legal and political worlds we live in today.
The School Board of Broward County, Florida appreciates and recognizes the importance of LGBT History Month as an effective means of educating and calling to action the citizens of Broward County to work together to promote equal protection of all Broward County students and staff, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
“The Broward School Board is to be commended. They have broken the cocoon of invisibility, affirmed the important role of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans and taken a pioneering step in embracing diversity, inclusion and respect,” stated Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director, Equality Forum, and founder of LGBT History Month.
In 2010, the federal government recognized LGBT History Month when Secretary Arne Duncan led a U.S. Department of Education ceremony. In 2011, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi issued a proclamation for LGBT History Month.
Equality Forum coordinates LGBT History Month. Each day in October, an Icon is featured with a video, biography, bibliography, downloadable images and other educational resources. These resources are available without charge at www.lgbtHistoryMonth.com. Started in 2006 with 31 Icons per year, there are 217 Icons with resources archived on the site.
Organizations, educational institutions, workplace groups and individuals can obtain for free the featured Icon’s video for each day in October. An easily embedded video player provides the Icon’s video, which is automatically updated daily.
October 2012 LGBT History Month Icons1. Roberta Achtenberg – Government
2. Gloria Anzaldua – Author
3. Ann Bannon – Author
4. Katherine Lee Bates – “America the Beautiful” Songwriter
5. Mary Bonauto – Lawyer
6. Glenn Burke – Athlete
7. Paul Cadmus – Artist
8. Truman Capote – Novelist
9. Chris Colfer – Actor
10. Kate Clinton – Comedian
11. Ramon Cortines – Educator
12. Marlene Dietrich – Actor
13. Jodie Foster – Actor/Director
14. Jean Paul Gaultier – Designer
15. Henry Gerber – Activist
16. Billy Haines – Actor
17. Mary Kay Henry – Labor Activist
18. Chris Hughes – Facebook Co-founder
19. Christine Jorgensen – Transgender Pioneer
20. Arthur Laurents – Playwright/Director
21. Don Lemon – News Anchor
22. Federico Garcia Lorca – Poet
23. Irshad Manji – Muslim Reformist
24. Katherine Miller – Activist
25. Holly Near – Singer
26. RuPaul – Entertainer
27. Pierre Seel – Holocaust Hero
28. Billy Strayhorn – Composer
29. Jon Stryker – Philanthropist
30. Tom Waddell – Gay Games Founder
31. Rev. Robert Wood – Gay Pioneer
Equality Forum (www.equalityforum.com), a national and international LGBT civil rights organization with an educational focus, coordinates LGBT History Month worldwide, produces documentary films, undertakes high-impact initiatives and presents annually the largest national and international LGBT civil rights summit.
Gay film fest to screen 'Joshua Tree, 1951: Portrait of James Dean' Wednesday at Botanical Garden
From the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival:
HBO LATIN AMERICA PRESENTS:
MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL’S
MONTHLY MOVIE SERIES “GLOW MIAMI”
“JOSHUA TREE: 1951 A PORTRAIT OF JAMES DEAN”
Pre-Screening Reception and Meet & Greet with Filmmaker Matthew MishoryRain or Shine. In Case of Rain, the Screening Will Move Indoors at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden
MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL MONTHLY MOVIE SERIES: “GLOW MIAMI”
The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival starts up its monthly movie series “GLOW Miami” (Gays & Lesbians on Wednesdays) by presenting “Joshua Tree: 1951 A Portrait Of James Dean,” directed by Matthew Mishory.
Part portrait, part love story, part road trip exposé, “Joshua Tree: 1951” presents an intimate, untold portrayal of James Dean and those closest to him. Illustrated through dreamlike sequences that jump back and forth in time, the film melds historical and fictionalized accounts of Dean’s life to depict an icon-in-the-making who is at once childlike and world-weary; brutish and romantic; playboy and sensitive; all wrapped up in complicated sexuality.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
6:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception
8:00 p.m. Screening
Miami Beach Botanical Gardens
2000 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, FL, 33139Advanced: $15 Members / $20 Guests
Box Office: $20 Members / $25 Guests
+ $2 transaction fee per order
Tickets are available here.
or 800-927-0939
Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen on the gay slur maricón: 'In my house, we call (each other) that word every 20 seconds'
Suspended without pay for three games, Yunel Escobar -- paid $5 million a year, according to the Associated Press -- explained in a New York news conference that he meant no harm writing in his eye black on Saturday, "TU ERE MARICON," or "You are a faggot."
Escobar, who agreed to work with GLAAD as his non-monetary penalty, told reporters:
"I have friends who are gay. The person who decorates my house is gay. The person who cuts my hair is gay," he said. "Honestly, they haven't felt as offended by this. There's a different understanding in the Latin community with this word."
Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen -- suspended for five games by his team in April because of comments that he loves Fidel Castro -- agrees with Escobar, according to AP:
On Tuesday, Guillen said he didn't think Escobar meant to be offensive.
"I think he just did it for fun. I know he didn't mean to hurt anybody's feelings. Nobody is that stupid," he said before the Marlins hosted Atlanta.
"In my house, we call (each other) that word every 20 seconds. I've got three kids," Guillen said. "For us, it's like 'What's up, bro? What's up, dude?' It's how you say it and to who you say it. But that's our country. We have to respect this country. Sometimes for us it's funny, for other people it's not."
Click here to read the complete AP news story.
Click here to watch Yunel Escobar's news conference on Deadspin.com
Broward School Board expected to honor Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month
BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ, MRVASQUEZ@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Broward County School Board members on Wednesday are expected to approve a formal resolution in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month, which takes place every October.
The LGBT History Month tradition, started in 1994 by a Missouri high school teacher, has previously been recognized and promoted by a wide assortment of politicians, including members of Congress and Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia. In all of Philadelphia’s municipal buildings, for example, a rainbow flag is flown alongside the U.S. flag every October.
Honoring gay history within the realm of K-12 education is still a groundbreaking (and potentially controversial) public statement. Unlike California, which last year added LGBT history to the state’s education curriculum, Broward’s resolution is nonbinding, and largely symbolic.
The resolution seems to leave the door open for schools to voluntarily promote LGBT History Month, if they so choose.
“Administrators, teachers, staff, parents and students are encouraged to take part in LGBT History Month in any way that is most positive and uplifting to their schools and communities,” the proposed resolution states. “And to coordinate efforts to highlight exemplary role models from the LGBT community.”
In Florida, where a Republican-dominated state Legislature has shown little interest in gay-rights issues, there is little chance of LGBT history being added to the state’s education curriculum anytime soon. Still, a supportive resolution from Broward, the nation’s sixth-largest school district, would be significant. Gay-rights advocates say LGBT History Month showcases civil-rights pioneers who are an important part of American history, and it can also boost the self-esteem of adolescents who may be struggling with their own emerging sexual identities, and who are often the targets of bullying.
“It gives youth a role model to look up to,” said Michael Rajner, a former member of the Broward school system’s Diversity Committee. “And to realize that they themselves are a wonderful human being, and can be a productive, important member of our society.”
Rajner has pushed for adoption of a LGBT History Month resolution, as has Broward School Board member Laurie Rich Levinson.
Levinson couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday, but Rajner expressed confidence the resolution would be approved, as School Board members have been strongly supportive of the LGBT community in the past.
Yunel Escobar suspended 3 days, will work with GLAAD after 'TU ERE MARICON' eye-black blunder
Escobar must also work with GLAAD:
The Toronto Blue Jays today met with Yunel Escobar, Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Association and it has been agreed upon that Escobar will be suspended for three games, beginning tonight. The suspension is the result of his decision to display an unacceptable message while participating in a Major League Game.
The salary lost by Escobar during his suspension will be directed by the Toronto Blue Jays to You Can Play and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Yunel will participate in an outreach initiative to help educate society about sensitivity and tolerance to others based on their sexual orientation. His participation will be conducted in consultation with all parties involved. Escobar will also participate in a sensitivity training program in accordance with the Blue Jays and Major League Baseball.
The Blue Jays want to reaffirm that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. The club looks forward to supporting the efforts of You Can Play and GLAAD to help promote education for players and fans alike and to help keep language like this out of the game and society.
GLAAD has just issued the following statement:
Today, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that shortstop Yunel Escobar will work with GLAAD and the You Can Play project, after he was seen with an anti-gay slur written in Spanish on his eye-black over the weekend. The team also announced that Escobar will serve a three-day suspension. GLAAD has been in conversations throughout the day with the team and with Major League Baseball (MLB) about the incident.
"Today's actions show that MLB and the Toronto Blue Jays are committed to creating an environment that all fans and families can enjoy, not a place where discriminatory language and anti-gay attitudes are accepted," said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick.
The Blue Jays released a statement last night, saying the team "(does) not support discrimination of any kind nor condone the message displayed by Yunel Escobar during Saturday’s game." In announcing Escobar's suspension and intent to work with GLAAD and You Can Play, the team today stated "The Blue Jays want to reaffirm that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. The club looks forward to supporting the efforts of You Can Play and GLAAD to help promote education for players and fans alike and to help keep language like this out of the game and society."
Last year, through our relationship with MLB, GLAAD sent a list of recommendations and suggestions to each of the teams who participated in the It Gets Better project. In 2010 we also worked with the New York Yankees on a zero-tolerance policy for anti-gay discrimination in the stands.
Ballplayer Yunel Escobar wears eye black during game: 'TU ERE MARICON,' or 'You are a faggot.'
Cuban-born Major League Baseball player Yunel Escobar of the Toronto Blue Jays is in hot water for wearing eye black at Saturday's game that read, "TU ERE MARICON," or "You are a faggot."
From Associated Press:
TORONTO -- Major League Baseball is checking reports that Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar played Saturday's game against Boston wearing eye-black displaying a homophobic slur written in Spanish.Pictures posted online show Escobar with the message written in his eye-black, a sticker players wear under their eyes to reduce glare from the sun. The slur did not appear to be directed at any person in particular.
MLB spokesman Pat Courtney confirmed the commissioner's office is looking into the reports.
"The club takes this situation seriously and is investigating the matter," the Blue Jays said in a statement Monday night, adding they "do not support discrimination of any kind nor condone the message displayed by Yunel Escobar during Saturday's game."
The team said Escobar will be available to the media Tuesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium along with general manager Alex Anthopoulos, manager John Farrell and coach Luis Rivera.
Liebe Gadinsky new co-chair, Roger F. Thomson treasurer of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
News release from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation Board of Directors announced the election of two Floridians to key posts. Liebe Gadinsky has been elected co-chair and Roger F. Thomson as treasurer. Both are residents of Miami Beach. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is the oldest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organization and the leading progressive voice for full LGBT equality.
Liebe Gadinsky has distinguished herself as a strong supporter and advocate for human rights. Through her volunteer efforts for SAVE Dade, she worked tirelessly to help pass and defend the Miami Dade Human Rights Ordinance.She served as vice-chair on the Board of Governors of The Miami Foundation. Gadinsky also serves on the foundation's GLBT Community Projects Fund Advisory Board. Her active engagement helped secure the success of this grant-making initiative, a collaboration with the Task Force, as it provides support to local organizations serving the community. She has been a member of the Task Force's board since January 2010.
"I am deeply inspired by the people of all ages and circumstance, from all backgrounds and parts of the country, who step up every day to create positive change in their communities. The Task Force has been doing this for nearly 40 years, and has been vital to every major step forward of the modern LGBT rights movement," she says. "While we've made many gains, there is still more to do - from securing federal LGBT job protections, to ending hate violence, to making marriage equality a reality for all, to racial and economic justice. The Task Force is on the front lines of each of these efforts to create lasting change and opportunity for all."
Roger F. Thomson is executive vice president, chief administrative officer, general counsel and secretary for Brinker International. He previously served as senior vice president, general counsel, secretary and director for Burger King Corporation, and as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of S&A Restaurant Corporation. Thomson, who is actively involved in community organizations such as the Task Force and Lambda Legal, has served on the Task Force board since January 2012."Critical battles are taking place to secure freedom and fairness for LGBT people," says Thomson. "It is both exciting and a privilege to be part of this effort through the work of the Task Force. We know the power of the individual, and of working together, to create change. We can all make a difference."
To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, visit www.theTaskForce.org (http://www.thetaskforce.org) and follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce (http://www.twitter.com/thetaskforce).
