Denny’s stood up for a trans woman who was arrested after she used the bathroom

Original post: LGBTQNATION

A customer at a Shelby, North Carolina, Denny’s called police to report a 22-year-old trans woman who used the same bathroom as his wife.

When police arrived, they said she hadn’t broken any laws. In response to the incident, the national restaurant chain announced that all of its bathrooms are open to trans people, regardless of local laws or biases.

After the man called the cops on the trans woman, the woman and the man got into a dispute which gradually escalated, leading the woman to allegedly spit at the man and his family. The woman was charged with disorderly conduct.

In a company statement, Denny’s said that it “does not tolerate discrimination of any kind” and expects customers to treat people equally, according to WSOCTV.

North Carolina became infamous in 2016 for signing HB2, a law which banned trans people from using the bathroom matching their gender identity. The state lost an estimated $560 million in revenue from businesses and visitors that refused to visit after HB2 was passed; the law also contributed to the re-election loss of then-governor Republican Pat McCrory.

But even when the law was repealed in January 2017, it didn’t grant bathroom access to trans people. Rather, it left bathroom regulation up to state lawmakers, essentially returning North Carolina to the status quo before its city of Charlotte passed a 2016 ordinance allowing trans people to use restrooms matching their gender identity.

So while Denny’s allows trans people to use the restrooms best matching their identities, trans people living in North Carolina may be less sure whether the law approves or disapproves of their right to use the restroom in peace. Few likely realize that a federal court ruled that the state can’t legally ban trans bathroom users.

However, the HB2 repeal said that cities and the state can’t pass any pro-trans bathroom ordinances until December 1, 2020, essentially leaving trans people subject to the court’s interpretation of current state law rather than giving them an ironclad law that unequivocally states their right to public accommodations.

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So I came out during my valedictorian speech

From Twitter: @maasonbleu

So I came out during my valedictorian speech. It was definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever done but the reaction was amazing. Thank you to everyone who supported me! #Pride2019 #LGBTQ 

LINK TO TWITTER VIDEO

The overarching theme of the speech was about being proud (it is pride month) so I decided that I couldn’t tell people to be proud of who they are when I was in hiding for so long. Anyways, I did this not only for me but for anyone else who has struggled being closeted.

If anyone wants to talk to me about anything my DMs are open. I know what it feels like to be closeted and think that no one else is like you but trust me you’re not alone. I played basketball, baseball, football, and am pretty masc + black. I felt like a total outcast.

With that being said, you’re not alone. Reach out to me or anyone else you trust. I’ll definitely be willing to talk to anyone. ♥️ thank you so much and happy pride! - Mason @maasonbleu 6/29/2019

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Lil Nas X Seemingly Comes Out as Gay on the Last Day of Pride Month

Original Post: LINK

"Old Town Road" rapper Lil Nas X seemed to come out as gay on Sunday, the final day of Pride Month 2019.

In a series of tweets, the rapper began by saying, "some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure."

He followed it up with a tweet of the cover of his EP, showing that one the buildings in the background had rainbow coloring. He captioned the pic, "deada-- thought i made it obvious."

The song Lil Nas X is referring to in the tweet is called "Closure" and contains lyrics that include:

Ain't no more actin', man that forecast say I should just let me grow.
No more red light for me, baby, only green, I gotta go.
Pack my past up in the back, oh, let my future take ahold.
This is what I gotta do, can't be regrettin' when I'm old.

Lil Nas X burst onto the scene earlier this year with "Old Town Road," his country rap song that was initially deemed to be not country enough for Billboard's country charts.

The song became so popular, Billy Ray Cyrus appeared on a remix and it subsequently went on to be streamed 143 million streams in the U.S. in just one week in April.

The two performed it live for the first time at Stagecoach back in April. The rapper had what would have to be his most adorable performance of the song for the 5th-grade students at Lander Elementary in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.

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A Black Queer Man Writes About Black Queer Life for Black Queer Kids

Original post: The Root

Written by: Angela Helm

With All Boys Aren’t Blue, George Johnson is the latest at-bat in what is shaping up to be a burgeoning, yet bountiful genre, that of black queer men coming of age. Yet, unlike Darnell Moore’s No Ashes in the Fire or Michael Arceneaux’s I Can’t Date Jesus, or DeRay Mckesson’s On The Other Side of Freedom, Johnson is speaking directly to young adults.

“The ultimate goal of this, in addition to making sure black queer kid literature is out there, is that I wanted to tell a different black story. A story of a black family that may not have always got it right, but they did the best they could with the knowledge that they had,” says Johnson via phone with The Root.

Johnson, a black queer journalist and activist, also said he wanted to tell a story that was not totally steeped in trauma and tragedy, but one where his family and community smothered him in love and affirmation.

“I wanted to show myself and be this vessel of someone who was resilient because anytime you say anything that’s about a black queer person, it’s like, Oh, he must’ve got beat up. Yeah, I had those experiences but I also had this amazing mother and this amazing grandmother who stepped in. And my father who was this black police officer from the South, but he still never made me feel like something was wrong with me. “

In writing All Boys Aren’t Blue, slated to debut in March 2020 (the cover, seen above, debuts today, during Pride 2019, exclusively on TheRoot and Out.com), Johnson says he was forced to delve deeply into his emotions because young people want to know.

While turning in one chapter, in particular—that of having sex for the first time—Johnson said his editor pushed back and urged him to crack himself open. He, on the other hand, said he feared being “salacious.”

“Sometimes with adult memoirs, you have a little bit more control or license over where you want to go. But with young adults … you need to go there; kids are harsher critics than adults, and kids actually understand politics. They want to know the whole story,” Johnson says. “In particular, when I was writing about the first time having sex, I wrote it very technically, And my editor was like, This is boring! You gotta spice this up!”

Johnson said he had to go back to the mind (and ostensibly, the raging hormonal body) of his adolescence, and delve into the ways he was inquisitive about and thought about sex. He notes that this is not encouraging kids to go out and have lots of gay sex. “If you read about it, would it make you go out and do it? No, but it would have been helpful to read about someones’ experience so that … others will know what it’s like to navigate that space.”

When I asked Johnson what else—besides seeing themselves represented—black queer kids might need, he noted that visibility is only the beginning.

“I always say that visibility and representation is a starting point. What happens after you see us? What black queer kids need is they need support; they need policies that speak to them, policies that matter to them,” he says.

“What do black queer kids need? They need people around them to understand that even though they have an additional oppression, even though they identify differently, they’re still connected to blackness. Something as simple as learning black history that includes LGBT people that are black. Who are also Civil Rights pioneers, like Marsha P. Johnson; Sylvia Rivera; Miss Major? And so, the biggest thing black queer kids need is way past visibility and representation; it’s actual structural changes so that they’re being taught about themselves.

In essence, Johnson wants to provide a “blueprint” for the kids themselves, for black families and communities to take the lead in affirming and uplifting our nonbinary, gay, queer, trans, and questioning children.

“That’s what queer kids need—not only love and support at home but also at the barber shop, but also at the church. Any other place where they should have just as much access and right to be in as any other black kid.”

All Boys Aren’t Blue is available for pre-order here. 

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Trans activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to get New York monument

Original Post: PINK NEWS

Transgender activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera will be commemorated with a monument in the city of New York.

It may be placed down the street from the Stonewall Inn, where the 1969 Stonewall Riots took place led by Johnson and Rivera.



The two transgender women of colour led the uprising against homophobic police raids, an era-defining moment in the struggle for LGBT equality.

Rivera and Johnson also later co-founded the organisation STAR, or Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, a group dedicated to helping homeless young drag queens and trans women of colour.

The monument will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and it is proposed for the Ruth Wittenberg Triangle in Greenwich Village, the New York Times reported.

It will also be one of the world’s first monuments dedicated to transgender people.

New York’s first lady, Chirlane McCray, told the newspaper: “The LGBTQ movement was portrayed very much as a white, gay male movement.

“This monument counters that trend of whitewashing the history.”

The Stonewall Riots

On June 28 1969, the police stopped by The Stonewall Inn on the grounds of checking for alcohol law violations and other transgressions, which is something they did regularly.

What actually occurred was police intimidation and demands for payoffs in return for not arresting or publicising the names of customers.

Johnson, known for her fierce activism and advocacy of homeless queer people and sex workers, was one of the first to resist police intimidation at the bar, and Rivera is rumoured to have thrown the first bottle.

The riot reportedly broke out when lesbian activist Stormé DeLarverie was attacked by police for saying her handcuffs were too tight.

Other Stonewall customers threw bottles, coins and other items at the officers as tensions boiled over when those inside the bar were dragged outside by police.

Both Johnson and Rivera, instrumental in the LGBT rights movement, are credited with playing major roles in the backlash against police brutality at the Stonewall Inn.

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Google Grants $1.5 Mil to Trevor Project for LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Research

Original post: LINK

The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, is one of twenty recipients of $25 million in grants from Google. 

Through the Google AI Impact Challenge, an open call to nonprofits and research institutions, the Trevor Project was selected to receive $1.5 million to "to assess suicide risk level of LGBTQ youth in crisis more quickly." 

According to a press release, Trevor Project will work closely with Google AI experts to "incorporate machine learning and natural language processing into its crisis services, which save young LGBTQ lives by supporting them via phone, chat, and text. With Google’s help, The Trevor Project will be able to assess suicide risk level of youth in crisis more quickly, allowing counselors to better tailor their support and to provide relevant resources and consistent quality of care."

Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project, is excited to put the money to good use.

"The Trevor Project estimates that each year more than 1.5 million LGBTQ youth in the U.S. experience suicidal ideation or some form of crisis - and many of their moments of crisis are unique and extremely personal," he said. "Our crisis counselors work tirelessly every day to support these LGBTQ youth. This support from Google will allow our counselors to leverage AI and leading-edge technology to identify highest risk youth faster and serve them with even higher quality of care."

Jacquelline Fuller, President of Google.org, is thrilled to work with the Trevor Project.

"At Google, we have seen how AI can help us accomplish daily tasks and travels, and we believe in its potential to help address some of the world’s biggest humanitarian challenges," she said. "We are excited to support The Trevor Project’s work to use AI to achieve even greater social impact." 

The Trevor Projects emphasized how AI technology will become a cornerstone in their suicide prevention work.

"Vulnerable communities including LGBTQ youth deserve to be supported with the latest innovations in health technology," said the Chief of Staff, Sam Dorison.

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Straight penguins are now the minority at this aquarium. Most of them are gay couples.

Original post: LINK

Most of the penguins at the Oceanworld Aquarium Dingle in Ireland are in same-sex couples.

Animal manager Louise Overy told the Irish Mirror that, while other zoos are proud to have one same-sex penguin couple, they have four among their population of 14 penguins.

“We have two homosexual pairs and two lesbian ones,” she said.

“You cannot tell a male penguin from a female by their sexual organs so the only way we know is when we see them mating and not producing chicks.”

Overy said that the penguins eventually figure out that they aren’t going to have a chick unless they take more drastic measures.

“The lesbian ones will take action if they feel broody. They will waddle over to a male to do what needs to be done and rear the chick with their female partner.”

She explained that the aquarium’s queer penguin population has grown over the last few years.

“We have had a gay couple here before. Five years ago Penelope and Misty got plenty of coverage but we never expected it to catch on.”

Two years ago, a lesbian king penguin couple in New Zealand who were nicknamed “Thelma and Louise” got international attention when they raised a chick together.

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