#Many criticize Caitlyn but if the same things happened to you that happened to her what would you do?

[selenestarmoon]

It should be mentioned that Caitlyn's first contact with Jinx was during the terrorist attack Jinx made in Piltover to steal the hextech gem where Caitlyn almost died and her companions died after falling into the trap Jinx set for them, blowing up the building they were in in the process.

Before fainting as a result of the injuries she suffers from the attack, Caitlyn glimpses Jinx's figure in the distance, which is why Caitlyn fears Jinx and from there every contact Caitlyn has with Jinx goes from bad to worse, making her anger and fear for Jinx grow, with her mother's death being the straw that broke the camel's back and if that wasn't enough she and the other piltovians are attacked at the funeral of her mother and the council members who died and in her worst mental state she becomes head of the Kiramman family, Caitlyn is literally given no time to process everything that has happened and Ambessa takes advantage of her pain to manipulate her.

Caitlyn's actions have no justification but you have to understand that from her point of view Jinx is a terrorist who almost killed her and killed her partners, kidnapped her in her own home, tries to instigate Vi to kill her and kills her mother after Caitlyn was kidnapped. It's obvious that the damage Caitlyn suffers from Jinx's terrorist attack is collateral damage but the other attacks Jinx does to Caitlyn are completely deliberate. She didn't become like that out of nowhere but that she became like this because of the bad circumstances that happened to her and her family.

This is like Guts and Griffith from Berserk in the sense that Guts acts in a violent and amoral way and reacts irrationally when he sees Griffith because Griffith inflicted pain on him and, to top it off, Griffith deliberately targets Guts every chance he gets and someone appears to Guts and Caitlyn (Skullknight and Ambessa) who take advantage of their pain and wrath to manipulate them to achieve their own agendas. Guts and Caitlyn feel this way about Griffith and Jinx not only because of the pain they inflicted on them but also because they are afraid that Griffith and Jinx will hurt them again and they feel that as long as Griffith and Jinx exist, Guts and Caitlyn will never be safe.

ahh caitlyn my beloved.

let's talk about the trauma she has around jinx, in particular, in a way i think is more related to being targeted by jinx than just grief.

don't get me wrong- grief is a huge part of why caitlyn is all over the place this arc (season?). she probably came to the conclusion that her softer, pacifistic attitude from the first season is the reason she ended up hurt. clearly the rocky relationship she had with her mother adds a layer of bitterness and regret caitlyn is feeling regarding her death. alongside a million different reasons, which i might discuss in a different post.

but there's a clear difference between the anger and coldness we see from caitlyn when she discusses catching jinx and bringing her to justice, than when she faces jinx head on. in the latter, she suddenly loses her cool and acts all frantically, so unlike anything we've seen from caitlyn so far.

in her mind, in episode 1, she sees herself as collected and calm, aiming her rifle at jinx. btw, take note of how jinx is depicted here. her eyes are glowing.

but in reality, she's very much NOT cool and collected when she thinks that exact scenario is about to be replicated.

that's caitlyn's pov btw:

again jinx with the glowing eyes- caitlyn had seen what jinx looks like in other circumstances, but THIS is the version of her that she visualizes and then irrationally reacts to.

we see it again when she shoots jinx in the finger

no composure, no deep breathe, no thinking. she just shoots on instinct. it's nothing like she used to.

and then her frantically calling vi to move out of the way as she keeps firing, almost like shes blind to everything but jinx- the kid and vi, who are both in harm's way, don't stop her.

i know it's easy to just paint it as anger and grief here, but there's something about it that strikes me as almost like animalistic fear. she sees jinx and just goes feral mode, but its almost more of a prey instinct than a predator.

and i think it's because whenever she faces jinx, properly, it's not the grief and radicalized anger she's feeling, it just sends her back to this moment

with all the "jinx murdered her mom" talk its easy to forget that jinx also directly, and cruelly, targeted caitlyn, tried to kill her, kidnapped her and held her hostage for who knows how long. it's not just anger that caitlyn feels towards jinx. it's a trauma response. and like, welcome to the club, caitlyn! most of the arcane cast are acting out of trauma. but i better not see people think her trauma is somewhat lesser than some... other.. characters.

[aldana-brillantina]

HERO OF MY OWN STORY, A VILLAIN IN OTHERS'.

Nobody is good in Arcane(maybe Ekko). If you watch the show you can take a side depending on who you empathize with the most or who you consider their reasons to be good and justifiable to a certain point. This is a story of sides, of perspectives.

Caitlyn is a good person, who has never had anything bad happen to her and lives in a perfect world where her city is an example of progress, she is a person raised in a peaceful environment and she never had the need to be bad or wish evil. That makes her naive, like a baby. That makes her even somewhat insensitive in very specific occasions like when she sees a reality that is not hers (You don't have parents? You're wrong) but it also makes her feel empathy because she doesn't conceive that someone can live like garbage (when she hugs that man addicted to shimmer, when she criticizes her mother and the council for the situation in undercity). But what Jinx generates is what I want to discuss. Before her encounter with her, Cait had never been in danger and bad things classified as horror movies had happened to her, that was in the past. That's when you start to think, she was good because she never had or felt the need to be anything else. Hate can warp a person, and someone like Cait who never felt it, really felt it, well. She's still a person.I think bad situations are the ones that really bring out some hard truths about a person. But also, do we all process trauma the same way? No, does that justify any wrong you do? No, it makes it understandable.I think people are very unfair to Cait, Jinx, Vi, and even Jayce. I think it's because we all judge them from one reality, our own. But they have many.

If we look at it from Piltover's perspective, the Enforcers are heroes, people who protect them from those who want to harm them and risk their lives all the time, that it is thanks to them that they sleep peacefully in their beds and that it is thanks to the council and their good management that everyone has what they need to live. If I grew up under that reality, the Zaunites are wild animals, less than them.Jayce did not belong to the elite in the beginning of the series, he really worked hard to reach the position he is in and he believes that with enough dedication one can achieve their dreams. That is not Viktor's reality, because no matter how hard he tries or how much effort he puts into it, he is a Zaunite and people will always look down on him. That is when two realities collide without letting the other be a lie. Because Jayce really tried hard and Viktor is still less.

Jinx is a killer, a monster in Piltover, the bogeyman who took the city of progress out of peace and balance. She is Silco's attack dog, his pet for most of Zaun. She is the daughter of her boss, for Sevika. His daughter, the representation of the city he always wanted and his greatest weakness for Silco. But I think the worst thing is that she is a product of a violent environment, an environment that never saw any other way to survive than by stealing like rats or kicking others, and this was Piltover's fault. How much of the damage she does is justified if we look at it from the Zaun perspective?

For Undercity, Zaun, Piltover's live off their blood and beat them in the streets since before Silco. How many of them lost families, friends and lovers at their hands? The protests are the result of rage, pain and hunger. My dad said that if there's one thing you never forget it's hunger, guys, this is a city that lives hungry and on crumbs. No, Enforcers are not heroes, they're boogeymen and it's been a reality for, if my calculations are correct, over 150 years (I'm guessing a bit here, taking into account Vi's birth date and Piltover's founding in the lore). So the Zaunite mentality is different, like, you slaughter us for a few when you slowly killed thousands over all these years? It's not right because I'm sure there are innocent people in Topside who live in ignorance of the cost of all the pleasures they enjoy and probably see them even more as animals after these "senseless" attacks. But this makes a lot of sense to them. And Caitlin along with Mel's mom, how many lives will they take, how many mothers? She would be someone else's Jinx.

I remember Silco, in his meeting to remind the chemis of their place, mentioned the mines and how they all breathed shitty air and did they remember it. They don't look old, they started young. Vander and Silco met there, young. Because, here I am playing devil's advocate, Silco despite being a shitty person did not invent child labor or all evil as some of us like to believe, he is a product and he grew up with it, it is normal for him. And yes, at some point, even before he died, he wanted something more, believed he deserved something more when many people simply continued to think they belong under the boot of topside. But he also poisoned his people and did not change the reality for younger generations, he only made it harder for them to prosper. Because in his reality, people who want to survive will do so at all costs, for him only the one who manages to reinvent himself deserves to remain standing, because that's what he did to live. Swim or you sink, there's no other option.

And isn't that the reason why Ekko and his community are still alive? They reinvented themselves, but by lifting each other up rather than tearing each other down. And that's their reality. They didn't need to leave anyone behind because they all contributed to the boat instead of swimming individually.

People who work for Silco, do they have families? Children, siblings. When you hurt someone, regardless of whether they're bad or good, it's someone's brother, someone's child, someone's friend. Someone always gets hurt, directly or indirectly. The Firelights are the good guys, probably the most well-intentioned organization in the series. That doesn't change that how much they screw up those Silco jobs (for good reason) they put other people in danger who may have children or family and they'll think, even if they're wrong, that they're the bad guys.

But did Silco have Vander and were leaders in their own movement for independence? Well, it didn't work out and they lost everything. That formed Silco. What would Ekko do if he lost everything? Even though he's done it once, can he do it again?

That's the litmus test for every character, who you are, what's left, after a great loss. You become like Jinx or Cait, who get lost in their grief and punish people regardless of whether they're responsible or not. Or like Ekko, who like a tree, resists blows because his roots are stronger.

[danothan]

im hoping i didnt misread your tone reading the tags and you do want to hear violyn shippers out but if u were /gen the reason that they appeal to me so much is the fact they are very different in every single way down to how they were raised but at the same time they are very similar with their motivations and goals in life they both want to help people and do good and while they certainly have quite a few hurdles to jump over they work together well and clearly trust each other very much despite their contrasts and differences and how they do have to jump a few hurdles to have a strong bond and might not click instantly but that doesn't mean the potential isn't there. also yeah youre right im a basic bitch and like tropes when ur a lesbian you gotta settle sometimes when it comes to rep. anyway hope u enjoyed the rant because it was a struggle to not make this longer

yes i was being genuine! i like getting other ppl’s perspectives, esp if it’s on smth i don’t understand. warning tho, i get pretty negative and definitely wordy underneath the cut

i think “potential” is the keyword here. i get the whole oil vs water metaphor in concept, but the execution leaves more to be desired. like you said, they’re fundamentally opposed in their upbringings and values. i mean after all, the first scene in arcane is the destruction caused by enforcers, ending on a shot of young vi glaring at them as she’s being carried away from her dead parents. that’s the kind of thing that sets the tone for the rest of the show, so it makes me wonder why we never feel the weight of that trauma after act 1. you’d think being wrongfully imprisoned for 6-7 years would make vi’s resentment grow even MORE, but i feel like she’s just toned down from her younger self if anything. before, she’d have a shouting match with vander over his betrayal of making deals with enforcers. couple episodes later, she’s teaming up with an enforcer herself? what changed?

i feel like they don’t have many shared goals either, esp not anything to bond over. so far all they really have in common is that they want to find jinx (for very different reasons) and they want to stop silco, which isn’t very romantic common ground lol. i’m not even sure i’d agree that they have the same motivation to help people bc vi is completely out of touch with the current political state of zaun and pretty much only has tunnel vision for finding her sister. and while caitlyn definitely wants to help people, she isn’t willing to listen to vi or ekko’s criticisms bc she gets too defensive over the idea that she might be part of a corrupt system. they’re barely ever on the same page

you say they clearly trust each other despite their differences, but i don’t think they should given this history. OR, if they did, it should be like my bookclub partner said and have vi fall headfirst into the relationship. and if this were to be the case, it would have to lean into vi’s emotional immaturity + lack of experience and give caitlyn growth + more awareness of their situation. but neither of these options happen, so caitvi toes the line without being able to commit to either side. it makes their relationship feel inconsistent and trivial to me

my bookclub partner and my sibling also brought up separate but enlightening points on the portrayal of their dynamic. f0r mentioned how they would be generic and frustrating to watch if the main conflict of their relationship was internalized homophobia, so it was a good writing choice to not include homophobia/sexism as a part of their society, and i agree with this. it’s an overdone trope used in place of actual substance, fantasy bigotry being a 1-to-1 with the real world just feels lazy. then my sibling noted that even though they technically don’t use this particular trope, their dynamic still carries the same story beats. their struggles and resistance towards each other feels subjective instead of being based on core themes of the story, like it’s a personal issue or a difference in personality and not the fact that they represent opposing sides of a class war?? this is why i don’t get what the big deal is over their break up. it felt like forced tension bc i wasn’t all that convinced they were in love after a few days, not to mention the breakup didn’t even last, so narratively i don’t see the point of having them separate if they were immediately going to get back together

again, if you’re going to use the oil vs water metaphor, lean into their differences. it shouldn’t be brought up when drama calls for it (“what, you don’t have parents?”), it should be the foundation of all of their interactions. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, jayvik represent the oil vs water metaphor better with the way external forces play into the difference in their values and create a divide between them despite their history and compatibility. hell, i feel more of that zaunite vs piltovan conflict between cait and jinx bc at least jinx’s trauma is written into their interactions

it almost feels like they’re having fun on their secret mission until vi remembers she’s supposed to hate cait. it’s the whole forbidden lovers trope that doesn’t actually feel forbidden bc there are no consequences for them being together. everything is just inferred because, well, they’re supposed to be opposites! so of course they’re on-and-off! but drawing conclusions from character fun facts is not the same as seeing those elements being purposefully utilized. this is what i mean when i say shippers have to rely on speculation. ultimately, caitvi is an underdeveloped on-and-off relationship that doesn’t commit to being either enemies OR lovers. it just feels like a messy high school love story in the middle of more interesting politics, found/unfound family, xenophobia/classism, magic, drugs, and terrorism

it’s a shame you say you have to settle, especially in a show like arcane where they don’t pull their punches for heavy and nuanced subjects. i feel like they set the bar too high to settle for a basic shipping trope. the other relationships in this show are intrinsic to and enhanced by the plot, and vice versa: you know they love each other but external forces play into their personal values and dynamics. caitvi deserves the same complexity and chemistry given to these other relationships

and for the record, i like both characters individually. i can see myself enjoying their relationship as it gets more developed. i think they have a lot of good moments in the show. but as of right now, based on canon only, caitvi is the weakest part of arcane’s writing

[jenroses]

I'm 50 and came out in 1990. I was a baby queer, 18 years old, and there were SO MANY people older than me, the community I moved into was already there and populated by my elders, those who were at that point already in their thirties, forties, fifties, older... In my mid-20s I knew multiple lesbian retirees, one couple living on their farm raising animals, it must have been ehhh 1998? I knew another couple 20 years or so older than me who were just fostering all the kids they could. One bi woman was in her 50s at the time and had hair-raising stories of pre-Roe abortions involving iuds.

And even at that point we were having a lot of very familiar arguments about whether bi people were "queer enough", for example, and if you didn't fit in to whatever the local group considered acceptable things got awkward. None of this shit is new. None of it.

I fight for radical acceptance, for people to stop expecting everyone to fit their idea of what the labels mean in order to treat them kindly and make them feel welcome. Because the problems we face are worse when we're isolated, and very little is gained by defining people out of the community we should have.

The science of it shows us that excluding people is incredibly toxic, like neurologically and physically toxic, and we should be working to help teach people how to embrace the fact that we aren't all the same and don't have to be the same in order to get along. Cis lesbians and cis gays can do as much or more harm than straight people by excluding bisexual and trans people. Binary trans people can actively damage nonbinary trans people through exclusion. And there's no good reason to try to make the community smaller. This isn't about who gets to sit at your table, this is about how big the crowd is marching in the streets for the right of EVERYONE to decide who to love and how and how to express gender. It isn't just specifically cis gays and lesbians who get hurt by homophobia. It isn't even just queer people who get hurt by homophobia. Stephen fucking Colbert publicly identifies as a straight cis man and talks about being called queer and gay as a kid. This isn't just for the rights of binary trans kids to go stealth, it's for the rights of ALL kids to explore their gender expression without some rightwing asshole calling children's services on their parents.

I know gender euphoric kids who have been harassed for wearing the wrong fucking color of shoes. Like, that right there is the shit we need to be fighting, the attitude that says pushing people to conformity is acceptable.

If we don't fight for all of us, we protect none of us. This is not a limited resource to be horded, it's something that flat out can't exist when we buy into the idea that conformity is ever a desirable outcome.

You know why a bunch of people started being very public about being trans/nonbinary in 2015 and moving forward? It wasn't Caitlyn Jenner. It was the fact that in making marriage un-hinged from gender, it made gender, publicly, matter a whole lot less in this one specific critical area of civic law. I know people who came out before that who got divorced in order to transition, or transitioned and then immediately used that transition as a way to get legally married.

For me, transitioning never had to involve worrying about my marriage at all, in any way, because it happened after 2015.

My kid is almost 11 and he told me the other day that a kid had said something negative at his school... and then said, "And that's HOMOPHOBIC."

I wasn't even aware of having met anyone who was gay or lesbian before I went to college. It is such a different world now.

i think i'm just about ready to snap and start unhinged yelling about generational neglect in the queer community

[patriotsnet]

Why Do Republicans Hate Gay People

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-do-republicans-hate-gay-people/

Why Do Republicans Hate Gay People

Presidency Of George W Bush

George W. Bush did not repeal President Clinton’s Executive Order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the federal civilian government, but Bush’s critics felt as if he failed to enforce the executive order. He retained Clinton’s Office of National AIDS Policy and was the first Republican president to appoint an openly man to serve in his administration, Scott Evertz as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy. Bush also became the second President, after President Clinton, to select openly gay appointees to his administration. Bush’s nominee as ambassador to Romania, Michael E. Guest, became the second openly gay man U.S. Ambassador and the first to be confirmed by the Senate. He did not repeal any of the spousal benefits that Clinton had introduced for same-sex federal employees. He did not attempt to repeal Don’t ask, don’t tell, nor make an effort to change it.

In April 2002, White House officials held an unannounced briefing in April for the Log Cabin Republicans. On June 27, 2002, President Bush has signed a bill allowing death benefits to be paid to domestic partners of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty, permanently extending a federal death benefit to same-sex couples for the first time.

The 2004 Republican Party platform removed both parts of that language from the platform and stated that the party supports anti-discrimination legislation.

Two Reasons Why The Bathroom Bill Targeting Trans People Is Flawed

We believe this bill is flawed for two reasons. First, as conservatives who believe in liberty and in supporting small businesses, we do not think that government should single out businesses for special public censure if they do not enforce the governments current social views.

Americans are still sorting out how they feel about trans people and how they can be tolerant or hospitable neighbors even if they disagree. Government should not use private businesses as pawns in an ongoing culture war, especially with something as private as their customers genitalia.

Second, the bill is counterproductive. We understand that the legislature wants to give parents peace of mind that their daughters will not use the same restroom as biological males. Parents want to make sure their kids are safe this is a completely reasonable concern. But forcing trans women to use the same restroom as young boys can be more disturbing and disruptive to businesses.

Hear more Tennessee Voices:

Dads: imagine walking into the mens room with your son and seeing Caitlyn Jenner, in a dress, fixing her makeup.

More disturbing still is when trans men who are far along in their transition  people who look, act, and identify as male  must use the same restroom as young girls.

More:Tennessee Voices, Episode 118: Chris Sanders, Tennessee Equality Project

The Fairness For All Act Is A Republican Response To The Equality Act

In March, House Democrats introduced the Equality Act, the first comprehensive LGBTQ civil rights bill to pass the House. While it has been stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate, it would provide sweeping non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in the US in housing, employment, public accommodations, education, and health care for the first time under federal law.

At the time, there were that some conservative groups were working on a compromise bill, and it appears the Fairness For All Act is that compromise.

A small coalition of religious conservative groups led by the American Unity Fund and including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1st Amendment Partnership, Center for Public Justice, and Council for Christian Colleges and Universities have rallied behind the bill.

Im excited about the solutions that are embodied in the legislation, because I think that those are the exact ideas that were going to need to pass federal civil rights for LGBTQ people, said Tyler Deaton, senior adviser at the American Unity Fund.

The Fairness For All Act would provide many of the same protections for LGBTQ Americans, but it also provides ample exceptions for churches and religious organizations to continue to discriminate against queer people.

What we like about it is the stated intentional desire for fairness and a proposed process that will encourage collaboration because weve seen that work in our state, he said.

Republicans May Begin To Embrace Gay Rights

As Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus pointed out, gay marriage and gay rights are platforms that a higher and higher percentage of Americans support. Priebus warns Republicans to be more open to other views on the issue, and less set in their ways. However, Republican strategist Ed Rogers points out the catch-22 in this situation. Most current Republicans still oppose gay marriage. Where 58 percent of Americans now support gay marriage, only 39 percent of Republicans support it, with 59 percent of Republicans opposing it. This leaves the Republican Party in a tough spot. They must either reform their views to bring in new members and gain support in coming elections, which would risk pushing away those that have stuck with the Party through the years, or stand by their age-old platform, and risk continuing to lose support throughout the nation.

The Disney Vault Is Annoying

Disney has drawn the ire of many adoring fans because it only releases its movies to the public for home consumption for a limited amount of time. They even coined a term for this tactic, The Disney Vault. Audiences think this is corporate greed at its ugliest. Disney has a commodity, and they try to build fervor and revenue by only letting the consumer have access to it for a short period. Its basically the same business model McDonalds uses with the McRib and we all know how much everyone hates that. Can you imagine if the Star Wars movies were only sold periodically? Thatd be an outrage, right? Well, you can expect it to happen since Disney bought the rights in 2012 to all things Star Wars, from George Lucas for over $4 billion. Its no wonder why Disney movies have been pirated since VCRs came on the scene in the 1980s.

American Views Of Transgender People: The Impact Of Politics Personal Contact And Religion

As the Supreme Court examines cases it has already heard this term about the rights of gay and transgender people, the American public in the latest Economist/YouGov poll are for the most part tolerant and supportive of transgender employment rights. However, Republicans take different positions.

The overall public supports laws prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, with Republicans closely divided.

More than one in three people know someone who is transgender, and the probability of this is even higher among Democrats and younger adults. Those with personal contact are more likely to believe there is a great deal or a fair amount of discrimination against transgender people. Half of Republicans and 88 percent of Democrats say there is a fair amount or a great deal of discrimination against transgender people.

One in five adults believes employers should be able to fire transgender workers who wear work clothes that match their gender identity. About three times that percentage disagree. Republicans are more closely divided on this question: a third say employers should be able to fire those employees, while 44 percent say that should not be allowed.

There appears to be greater acceptance of female to male transitions than male to female ones. Men generally accept a female to male as male , but also believe that someone transitioning male to female is still male .

Image: Getty 

Here’s Where We Stand On Different Lgbt Issues

LGBT leftists tend to hate us because we put our principles first. We believe in religious liberty, free speech, God-given human dignity, limited government, and economic opportunity. 

For that reason we frequently oppose radical gender theory and leftist policies like the Equality Act. We support a nuanced, science-based approach to transgender policy issues. 

We recently spoke out in support of the legislature’s initiative to keep youth sports organized according to biological sex we find the effort to let biological males play girls’ sports anti-science and offensive.

As a result of stances like these, LGBT leftists regularly picket us, ban us, destroy our property, and call us ugly names.

Recently, our entire leadership team was kicked out of Nashvilles primary LGBT networking Facebook group, in contravention of that groups written rules, because the admins hated us.

We hope this background demonstrates our conservative bona fides. If we oppose a Republican LGBT bill, it is out of principle, not identity politics or blind devotion to those in the LGBT community who reject us. We were not asked to comment on the bill before it was passed, but we feel we would be remiss not to offer our perspective.

More:Tennessee’s anti-LGBTQ bills target vulnerable citizens who are worthy of dignity | Plazas

Views On Religion Its Role In Policy

When it comes to religion and morality, most Americans say that belief in God is not necessary in order to be moral and have good values; 42% say it is necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values.

The share of the public that says belief in God is not morally necessary has edged higher over the past six years. In 2011, about as many said it was necessary to believe in God to be a moral person as said it was not . This shift in attitudes has been accompanied by a rise in the share of Americans who do not identify with any organized religion.

Republicans are roughly divided over whether belief in God is necessary to be moral , little changed over the 15 years since the Center first asked the question. But the share of Democrats who say belief in God is not a condition for morality has increased over this period.

About two-thirds of Democrats and Democratic leaners say it is not necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values, up from 51% who said this in 2011.

The growing partisan divide on this question parallels the widening partisan gap in religious affiliation.

About six-in-ten whites think belief in God is not necessary in order to be a moral person. By contrast, roughly six-in-ten blacks and 55% of Hispanics say believing in God is a necessary part of being a moral person with good values.

International AffairsEconomic ConditionsTrust, Facts & DemocracyClimate, Energy & EnvironmentRace & EthnicitySame-Sex Marriage

Lgbt Conservatism In The United States

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LGBT conservatism in the United States is a social and political ideology within the community that largely aligns with the American conservative movement. LGBT conservatism is generally more moderate on social issues from social conservatism, instead emphasizing values associated with fiscal conservatism, libertarian conservatism, and .

Changing Views On Acceptance Of Homosexuality

Seven-in-ten now say homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with just 24% who say it should be discouraged by society. The share saying homosexuality should be accepted by society is up 7 percentage points in the past year and up 19 points from 11 years ago.

Growing acceptance of homosexuality has paralleled an increase in public support for same-sex marriage. About six-in-ten Americans now say they favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.

While there has been an increase in acceptance of homosexuality across all partisan and demographic groups, Democrats remain more likely than Republicans to say homosexuality should be accepted by society.

Overall, 83% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say homosexuality should be accepted by society, while only 13% say it should be discouraged. The share of Democrats who say homosexuality should be accepted by society is up 20 points since 2006 and up from 54% who held this view in 1994.

Among Republicans and Republican leaners, more say homosexuality should be accepted than discouraged by society. This is the first time a majority of Republicans have said homosexuality should be accepted by society in Pew Research Center surveys dating to 1994. Ten years ago, just 35% of Republicans held this view, little different than the 38% who said this in 1994.

Acceptance is greater among those with postgraduate and bachelors degrees than among those with some or no college experience .

Reasons Why Conservatives Hate Democrats

November 5, 2014 by Samuel WardeNo Comments

20 Reasons Why Conservatives Hate Democrats

1. Democrats believe in higher education.2. Democrats believe in preserving the environment.3. Democrats believe in science.4. Democrats believe that carbon dioxide is dangerous.5. Democrats do not believe that minimum wage created our nations unemployment.

6. Democrats do not believe armed rebellion is a viable alternative to elections.7. Democrats do not believe that corporations are people too.8. Democrats do not believe that the sexual revolution created AIDS.9. Democrats do not know the proper height for trees.10. Democrats do not understand decent God-fearing Americans need missile launchers at home.

11. Democrats do not understand that banning abortions for high risk pregnancies can be a positive experience for women.12. Democrats do not understand that intelligent design is a proven scientific theory.13. Democrats do not understand that marriage is related to national security.14. Democrats do not understand that the media is a threat to national security.15. Democrats forgot that Hitler coined the phrase separation of church and state.

16. Democrats seem oblivious to the fact that most good Americans oppose gay marriage.17. Democrats seldom bring guns to crowded public events.18. Democrats want to force innocent multi-millionaires to pay taxes.19. Democrats want to let gays vote.20. Democrats want to let immigrants vote.

Log Cabins Better Record On Gay Issues

While Stonewall was cheerleading Obamas do-nothing Democrats, Log Cabin sued the government to kill DADT. In 2010, Log Cabin won an injunction preventing the administration from enforcing DADT. Only after fighting that injunction, and losing, did Obama finally repeal the law.

Log Cabin has also withheld its endorsement from high-profile Republican candidates who opposed marriage equality unlike Stonewall, we resist partisan groupthink, even when it costs us. We wouldnt be endorsing President Trump in 2020 if he werent truly an ally.

Trump openly supported LGBT equality before any of Stonewalls endorsees did. In 1999, while Democrats defended DADT, Trump opined that gays and lesbians serving openly was not something that would disturb me. In 2000, Trump proposed an amendment of civil rights law to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which would have rendered moot the employment discrimination case currently before the Supreme Court.

In 2015, though Trump needed religious conservative votes to win the Republican primary, he nevertheless stated publicly that religious freedom and LGBT rights are not mutually exclusive. He even rebuked his running mate-to-be, Mike Pence, for initially undervaluing LGBT interests in Indianas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, on which Pence ultimately reversed. Today, President Trump still has our back.

Stonewall Incorrectly Attacks President Trump

Stonewalls article censures Russia for orchestrating an industrial-scale genocide of gay men in Chechnya. Russias behavior is indeed alarming. So President Trump, collaborating with his Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, has launched a historic initiative to decriminalize homosexuality worldwide. Basham conveniently omits this fact.

Stonewall calls Trumps plan to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission by 90 percent within 10 years lip service because HIV+ immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are separated from other immigrants. But this policy is intended to provide HIV+ immigrants, some of whom face untreated AIDS, with needed medical care. Stonewall also neglects to mention that Trumps budget included $291 million to fight HIV in 2020 alone. Trump also convinced the antiviral research group Gilead to donate billions of dollars of HIV prevention medication for 200,000 people. That is hardly lip service.

Stonewall further insinuates, ludicrously, that Trump is bigoted for halting Obama-era attempts to tell public schools which bathroom transgender students can use. We say, good: The well-being of children who do not identify with their biological sex is vitally important, but it does not fall under the originally intended purview of Title IX and would thus be better explored at the state and local level without federal intervention. Executive overreach in the name of LGBT rights does nothing to recommend our cause.

Relies On Star Power Not Plotlines

Back in the day, Disney movies sold themselves because their plots were incredible. They showcased fairytales and chronicled the rise of the underdog. This worked in Disneys animated and live-action movies, and the company was untouchable for decades. Then, they had a string of flops like Mulan, Pocahontas and Hercules. Suddenly, Disney was fallible. So, instead of hiring better writers, they took the easy way out they started to hire big name talent to headline its projects. And they havent looked back. Disney has hired giants in the film industry to voice its characters, like Miley Cyrus and . And of course, Disney puts the most popular celebs in its live action movies, like Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

Disney even has upcoming projects with Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon and Emma Watson. But what good is it to have a big star in a movie if the plot is weak? The only good thing about this change in direction is that it finally steered Disney away from cramming cultural sensitivity down everyones throats. There was a period of time when it made sure to give every minority group its own movie, from Hawaiians in Lilo and Stitch to African Americans in The Princess and the Frog. Audiences perceived this to be the pandering that it was.

How Out Of Step Is The Republican Party On Gay Rights

The wedding wasnt the only reason conservatives targeted Rep. Denver Riggleman in a party convention , but it was the driving one. Which raises the question: How out of step with the nation is the Republican Party on same-sex rights?

Its an especially pertinent question on Monday, now that the Supreme Court, with the support of one of President Trumps nominees, just voted 6-3 that existing federal law protects gay and transgender workers from discrimination based on sex.

Thats a sea change in the legal landscape of protections for LGBTQ Americans. Before this ruling, in about half of the states, you could be legally fired for being gay or transgender. Now, you cant under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which the court ruled extends to LGBTQ Americans because it prevents discrimination on the basis of sex.

But like the Republican voters in Virginia who ousted Riggleman in favor of social conservative Bob Good, there is an active wing of the Republican Party seeking to push back on the march toward expanding legal protections for gay and transgender Americans. And they have powerful allies.

The Trump administration opposed interpreting the Civil Rights Act to encompass LGBTQ workers. The leader of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network called the six justices who supported this ruling, one of whom was Trump appointee Neil M. Gorsuch, activists, implying the court got ahead of where the public is on the issue.

Emily Guskin contributed to this report.

Mike Pence Accidentally Admits The Real Reason Republicans Hate Democrats So Much

Common Dreams

The grassroots organization People for Bernie on Tuesday advised the Democratic Party to take a page from an unlikely sourceright-wing Vice President Mike Penceafter Pence told a rally crowd in Florida that progressives and Democrats “want to make rich people poorer, and poor people more comfortable.”

“Good message,” tweeted the group, alerting the Democratic National Committee to adopt the vice president’s simple, straightforward description of how the party can prioritize working people over corporations and the rich.

Suggesting that a progressive approach to the economy will harm the countrydespite the fact that other wealthy nations already invest heavily in making low- and middle-income “more comfortable” by taxing corporations and very high earnersPence touted the Republicans’ aim to “cut taxes” and “roll back regulations.”

The vice president didn’t mention how the Trump administration’s 2017 tax cuts overwhelmingly benefited wealthy households and powerful corporations, with corporate income tax rates slashed from 35% to 21%, corporate tax revenues plummeting, and a surge in stock buybacks while workers saw “no discernible wage increase” according to a report released last year by the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Popular Democracy.

Pence’s description of progressive goals was “exactly” correct, author and commentator Anand Giridharadas tweeted.

“Yes, and what’s wrong with making poor people more comfortable?” asked Rep. Ilhan Omar .

Gw College Republicans Invite Log Cabin Republicans And Lgbt Conservatives To Talk About What It Means To Be Gay And Conservative

Kicking off a discussion on the inclusion of LGBT people in the Republican Party, Charles Moran, the managing director of the conservative gay group the Log Cabin Republicans, told George Washington University students that they dont have to be a Democrat because youre gay.

The forum at the Marvin Center Amphitheater Tuesday night, hosted by GW College Republicans, brought together what Josh Kutner, director of political affairs for the group, described as an all-star panel of Republican and conservative political and media consultants: Dave McCulloch, managing partner at Capitol Media Partners; Brad Polumbo, an editor and columnist at The Washington Examiner; and Edith Jorge-Tunon, political director for the Republican State Leadership Committee.

Mr. Moran, who has 14 years of experience managing local and national Republican political races, started the discussion by asking panelists to explain how they came out as conservative and where they fit on the conservative spectrum.

Mr. Polumbo said he realized he was a conservative when he was dropped into the liberal bastion of the University of Massachusetts and wound up persona non grata in the gay community.

A Rand Paul libertarian and technically not a Republican, he said, I definitely have a very right-wing philosophy. I am more than willing to punch at both sides.

Live your life honestly, Mr. Moran advised. Be present. Share and be aware. Accept them for who they are and who they are not.

We’re Portrayed As A Perversion

From the left, right, and even a few biased researchers, people accuse transgender people of being perverts, fetishists, and likely rapists. This is in great part why the right-wing tactics against non-discrimination ordinances have been so successful: the right wing tells people that it’s a choice between protecting their wives and daughters or a tiny group of perverts.

Many Trump Supporters Are Lgbt

So Stonewall is wrong. But something more important is going on here. What really infuriates Basham is that Log Cabin has given cover for the presidents claim that some of biggest supporters are LGBT. As if saying so were a crime Trump commits in secrecy while his fabulous gay accomplices at Log Cabin run interference. But its just a fact: Many of Trumps most fervent supporters are LGBT people.

Left-wing gay activists, however, depend on creating the impression that all LGBT people are Democrats. Democrats then use this false narrative to consolidate unearned moral authority. That is why, when the prominent gay billionaire Peter Thiel expressed support for Trump, The Advocate promptly ran a piece arguing he isnt actually gay he just has sex with men.

The point of such chicanery is to insinuate that all Republicans are homophobes, and all homophobes are Republicans. That only works if Democrats speak for all gays. So just one prominent gay or trans Republican punctures the lie that the left has a monopoly on gay rights.

Log Cabin Republicans stand to disabuse the public of that lie. The Stonewall Democrats dont want you to know we exist. But we do, our ideas are better than theirs, and were not going anywhere.

Trans Rights: A Perplexing Issue

Like many other gay conservatives, however, he seems to disconnect gay rights and transgender rights. Kabel recalled a recent article with a quotation from the conservative activist Tony Perkins that contrasted the Democratic and Republican platforms in 2016.

“The only issue Perkins raised was the transgender bathroom issue,” Kabel said. “And I thought, ‘That means we won.'”

Kabel called transgender equality “one of the most perplexing issues going.”

“Transgender people deserve support and protection just like anybody else, but it’s a very complex issue,” he said. “It’s remarkable when you hear their stories, but it’s just a very perplexing issue about how to really address it and do it so that they’re protected but other people aren’t hurt, so that people’s religious views are actually taken into consideration.”

Transgender visibility is all but absent in the Log Cabin Republicans, from their leadership to their messaging.

An OUTSpoken Instagram post compares the LGBT left to the LGBT right by putting an image of a person who appears to be transgender or gender-nonconforming next to a shirtless picture of former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, while the campaigns store sells T-shirts bearing slogans like “gay for Tucker” “gay for Melania” and “gay not stupid.

OUTspoken sent Brokeback Patriot, who has stated trans women are not women, to New Orleans Southern Decadence party to ask passersby if they think Trump is pro-gay.

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, May 11

Cover: Meghan Markle’s divorce ultimatum to Prince Harry -- she forbids him to make peace with royals or she’ll take away his little boy Archie 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Owen Wilson holding tennis racquets, Olivia Wilde wearing a mask during a stroll, James Kyson works out 

Page 3: Amy Poehler, Kate Hudson and baby Rani, Mr. T 

Page 4: Scorned Meg Ryan has rebounded from her messy breakup with John Mellencamp straight into the arms of ex-lover Russell Crowe 

Page 5: Lady Gaga is so googly-eyed over new love Michael Polansky that she’s tagged the tech tycoon to be her baby daddy 

Page 6: Ellen DeGeneres has gone to pieces after her stomped-on staff savaged her as a boss from hell -- the nasty onslaught has left Ellen dubbed by many as the Queen of Mean barely able to sleep and crippled with anxiety 

Page 7: Bill Cosby died during a massive stroke in prison but emergency surgery brought him back to life 

Page 8: Cover Story -- Tormented Prince Harry’s desperate bid to make peace with the royal family spectacularly exploded in a divorce ultimatum from his diva wife Meghan Markle 

Page 10: Alicia Silverstone says her 1997 turn as Batgirl became a hurtful experience when cruel critics dubbed her Fatgirl and she stopped loving acting for a very long time, The Voice is close to croaking as fierce feuding and inflated pay set to kill the show -- big-money musical mentors Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson and John Legend are being pushed to take pay cuts or take a hike 

Page 11: Bruce Willis has no issues with wife Emma Heming even though he’s self-isolating in an odd-couple arrangement with ex-wife Demi Moore and their three adult daughters in Idaho 

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- David Charvet juggles a load of laundry, furious Ricky Gervais isn’t joking when he rants about stinking-rich celebs whining about COVID-19 stay-at-home mandates like Sam Smith, Grey’s Anatomy star Caterina Scorsone’s new daughter was originally named Arwen but she changed her mind four months later and now calls the baby by her middle name Lucinda or Lucky for short, Naomi Campbell likes slipping into Elizabeth Taylor’s old kaftans

Page 13: Jillian Michaels shares a picnic with her galpal and a pup, Natalie Morales, Joel Kinnaman and girlfriend Kelly Gale, Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra started out on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant in 2009 broke and unwed but now after years of documenting their lives on the series Teen Mom OG the pair owe over $800,000 in tax debt 

Page 14: Overprivileged Presley Gerber seemingly desperate for more attention debuted new tattoos -- the numbers 310 which is his crazy-rich parents ritzy area code and a gun on his hip bone because he’s such a Malibu gangster, Julianne Hough and husband Brooks Laich aren’t living under the same roof during the pandemic and she’s hunkering down with and going for walks with other men like handsome British actor Ben Barnes in LA while Brooks is stuck in Idaho with their husky, Fashion Verdict -- Brie Larson 10/10, Dakota Johnson 9/10, Taylor Swift 6/10, Selena Gomez 1/10 

Page 16: Alex Trebek bares agony and buried secrets in new tell-all 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Dolly Parton, Kelly Ripa has revealed the secret to her sizzling sex life with husband Mark Consuelos, Kanye West has fessed up to battling the bottle and admits he used to start his day by belting back booze 

Page 20: True Crime 

Page 23: Power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have brought their rocky 22-year marriage back from the brink, jealous Jennifer Aniston is ticked off at former Friends castmate Lisa Kudrow for muscling in on her friendship with Steve Carell -- Jen had a wonderful rapport with Steve working together on The Morning Show and Jen has always had a huge crush on Steve but now Lisa and Steve are working together on Space Force and Jen is not jumping for joy 

Page 24: Hollywood’s Heftiest Stars -- Chrissy Metz, Jack Nicholson 

Page 25: Gabourey Sidibe, George Wendt, William Shatner, Mariah Carey 

Page 26: Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hill, Carnie Wilson, Jorge Garcia, Kirstie Alley 

Page 27: Lizzo, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood 

Page 30: Health Report 

Page 32: Reese Witherspoon says becoming a mother messed with her mental health, Brian Dennehy took a shocking secret to the grave -- he was an alcoholic who began guzzling right after the curtain went down 

Page 33: Jackie Kennedy got steamed when her personal chef shared her recipes with Weight Watchers magazine in 1968 and fired Annemarie Huste for flapping her gums, Khloe Kardashian says she may borrow some sperm from ex Tristan Thompson to give their two-year-old daughter a full-blooded sibling, George Clooney won’t have to flush his plans for an outhouse at his English estate as the toilet was finally approved by local officials 

Page 34: Martha Stewart has been tossing back booze during lockdown and worried pals are begging her to put a cork in it, Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager got to the root of her hair troubles while in quarantine by touching up her dye job on live TV 

Page 37: Fictional TV physician Ellen Pompeo has attacked out of touch real-life TV doctors like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz and Dr. Drew for their comments on the coronavirus and said they should not be doling out medical advice on TV 

Page 38: Real Life 

Page 40: Pining for the United States Matt Damon has been guzzling up a storm during his coronavirus quarantine in Dalkey a posh seaside suburb of Dublin where Bono lives, Tom Cruise thought he was a goner when he leaped off a 200-story skyscraper while filming Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in 2011 and the movie stunt suddenly went terribly wrong 

Page 42: Caitlyn Jenner is worth $100 million but she’s such a tightwad she makes housemate Sophia Hutchins sit in the dark to save on electricity and is now insisting Sophia pay half of the utility and grocery bills but she used to be a sugar mommy and Sophia is wondering what happened, Drew Barrymore said her feet grew three sizes after childbirth, Val Kilmer’s romantic riverside date with then ladylove Cindy Crawford almost ended with a crocodile attack in 1996 while at the African game reserve where he was filming Thee Ghost and the Darkness 

Page 44: Straight Talk -- Religious leaders are supposed to care for their flocks but that idea seems lost of Louisiana preacher Tony Spell of the Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge who urged his followers to fill up his church and even bused them in after strict social-distancing rules were put out to save lives from coronavirus 

Page 45: Matthew McConaughey is living a separate life from his wife Camila Alves and their three kids -- he’s holed up in his luxury Airstream while they’re holed up in the family’s palatial mansion, after quitting RHONYC and crowing that the show’s viewership was sinking without her Bethenny Frankel is now fuming because show bigwigs insist everything’s dandy in her absence 

Page 47: Bizarre But True 

[testedtransgressor]

Warning/s: Stalking, PTSD

A/N: From here on, I’ll be (trying) to stick to twice weekly posts and increasing the length of these chapters. Also, feedback is always appreciated - feel free to hit up my messages, constructive criticism welcome.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5

If Elena had expected her life to take a dramatic turn after her encounter, she was sorely disappointed.

When uni started back, she found herself so snowed-under with assignments and homework that she barely had time to think about anything other than work and coursework.

Six weeks later found her sitting in the lounge room of one of her classmates, listening as they argued about political bias in media.

"Bread and circuses," Leo insisted, "Have some sources that cater to whatever the bias is, but not at the expense of facts, and certainly not in mainstream media. Everyone else should be unbiased."

"What about personal experience?" Caitlyn demanded. "So many journalists use personal experience as a marker on whether an incident is likely to be true or not--"

"Then they need to make sure that they actually do reporting properly, and not let their emotions about the incident pepper their retelling; it's not that difficult to grasp."

"Guys, this isn't even on topic," Shay, their host, pointed out, "We're supposed to be addressing how bias is formed THROUGH media. Like, y'know, biased reporting leading to Trump getting re-elected or something."

"Because people are idiots, that's why," Elena shrugged, reading over the task sheet for their assignment again. "But yeah, can we try and get some research reading done?"

"Yeah, last thing any of us wants is to get caught at the checkpoints after curfew," Caitlyn agreed.

Brisbane had changed radically in the past year. Nobody was entirely sure what the catalyst had been, but over the course of several weeks, the city had gone from a welcoming, new-age city with some activist problems, to a full-scale riot hub. Police brutality had clashed with apparent gang wars, racism run rampant with the support of the Covid viral outbreak, and the government introducing stricter measures each day in a futile attempt to restore peace, resisted by a populace that balked at the idea of becoming a "Nanny state". It had culminated in the military being dispatched.

Checkpoints now blocked most of the major roads in and out of the city centre, and those living and working in the central zone were subjected to strict curfews. Elena, unlike her journalism classmates, was one of those who held a working pass that allowed her to be out after curfew - so long as she was near her workplace, or travelling to or from work. Fortunately, the curfew was only effective within the central zone - once a person exited the checkpoints, they were essentially free.

Despite getting their attention back on track and dredging up old samples of politically-biased news reports, the group didn't finish up until just after sunset.

"You'llbe fine to get home, won't you?" Shay asked Elena as they walked to the front path of the complex. Elena chuckled.

"Buses still run. So long as I make it to one of those, I'll be fine."

Shay looked at her carefully, as if assessing her, then sighed theatrically. "Fine, if you'resure. I was gonna say, Damien will be finishing in an hour; you can hang around if you'drather not walk about at night alone."

"The bus goes from Brunswick Street all the way to my place," Elena reminded her, "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure," Shay replied, though she didn't seem too convinced. She hugged Elena briefly, before smiling at her. "Let me know when you get home, then."

"I always do," Elena smiled back, before she started off down the footpath. There was still plenty of light, but she knew that it would fade fast, and with the latest cold snap, she wasn't eager to be caught out without a jacket.

She became aware of the figure as she reached the main road, but paid it no attention; people were still allowed to be out at this time, since the curfew didn't fully kick in until seven. Her paranoia, however, got the better of her, and she slowed her pace to see if the tail matched. When he didn’t grow closer, she felt the beginning of panic.

He might not be following you, she told herself, it could just be coincidence.

The memory of her encounter with the mugger returned to her mind, and she had to fight to stop herself forgetting where she was. Pausing to catch her breath, she sat at an unfamiliar bus stop, waiting for the youth to pass while she tried to calm her breathing.

Elena kept her eyes on her phone, pretending to text someone, as the male teenager ambled over to the bus stop's timetable. He read the list and swore softly, before digging out his own phone.

"Yeah, it’s me. Tell them I'm gonna be late... Yeah, missed the bus. Next one's in twenty minutes. I'll be home after that."

It was just a coincidence. Elena felt giddy with relief, and almost laughed at her own paranoia. There were so many people in the city, the odds of her being targeted twice in the space of a couple months was laughable.

She checked the time and stood up again. Her own bus passed the stop every fifteen minutes or so, but she wasn’t eager to stay in the city too much longer than necessary. If worst came to worst, there was also a convenience store that she could probably hide in as well.

She glanced back to see the youth had also left the bus stop, though. Immediately, the anxiety was back, and she sped up without meaning to. Maybe she should try to shake him, if he was tailing her? He could just be heading to the shop to get a drink or something, her brain suggested, but the paranoia was already shading her thoughts.

Elena turned down one of the side streets, hoping that maybe he would walk past and she could relax again. When he turned the corner though, she felt her heart rate increase. She crossed the road, speeding up slightly, and glanced back to see him do the same. He was focused on his phone, but what if that was just a ruse?

There's a park around here, maybe I can lose him by hiding there until he goes away, she thought, turning down another side street. A part of her brain tried to rationalise what was happening, but with each turn and change in pace, it became harder to deny that she was definitely being tailed. The guy was persistent, but patient enough that he didn't force anything. Maybe he had no ill intentions?

By the time Elena had reached the park, however, the twilight had faded and she was completely reliant on street lights. To make matters worse, her phone battery was low, and she wasn't sure if she should try to call the police while she hid, or just wait for the male to give up and leave.

The park was darker than she had expected, and she almost bailed on the idea of entering - but there was enough shrubbery to cover her if she did decide to stick with her plan. If it didn't work, she could always run - the park was only one block from Ann Street, which would still be rather busy with the restaurants and bars that were permitted late trading licenses.

She turned, following the path as if to cut through the park and putting a large sculpture and tree between herself and the tail’s line of vision. Quickly, she dived into the garden, wincing at the loud crunch of the undergrowth and mulch that was used to create the bed. Shuffling, she put herself behind the small hedge that bordered the path, using a flowery shrub for extra cover. She could still see the path and anybody on it, but she didn’t know it she was easily visible, or if he’d seen her duck down.

The mulch had barely settled before she heard footsteps, hurrying forth and stopping as the youth looked around the dark area. He swore softly, and Elena closed her eyes, praying for him to just give up and leave. All he had to do was look down at the garden, and he would see her...

[radfem-lysistrata]

In defense of Rebecca Tuvel

Or: In which social scientists can’t be social scientists unless they don’t do their job and refuse question accepted social theories or risk witch hunts.

Logical fallacies riddle many of the arguments made in defense of trans theory. Woman becoming meaningless. Gender being a state of being rather than a social construct. Sexual distinctions being regressive. The list goes on. In 2015, one of the many logical fallacies within trans activism came to light when it was revealed that Rachel Dolezal, head of the Washington chapter of the NAACP, was actually a white woman with a perm and bronzer. Black Americans were justifiably outraged; how dare a white woman, with all her privilege, appropriate blackness for her own end, and make a career out of it. Although I am neither black nor American, I agreed with their sentiments. I can’t possibly understand the experiences of black Americans, and I am not entitled to their narrative by appropriating it with a tan and curly hair.

Trans activists, allied with the Black Lives Matter movement, and other assorted social justice collectives, condemned Dolezal as well, disgusted with her appropriation of the black experience in the U.S. And when those critical of their movement questioned them, asking: How is Dolezal any different than Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner, and Lana and Lilly Wachowski? How is Dolezal any different from all these transwomen whose careers have been improved by appropriating the narrative of womanhood? Of course, there was no good explanation. The only one offered is that it is not; that the comparison is offensive, that the experience of transpeople is different than the experience of Rachel Dolezal. How? Radio Silence. Mentioning statistics of transwomen’s alleged high rates of suicide and murder (no mention of how privileged upper class transwomen are not at risk for this). And again, it’s just offensive to even make the comparison.

In Rebecca Tuvel’s “In defense of Transracialism,” she poses the same question as radical feminists have; why is one different and the other is not? Tuvel, in no way attempting to disparage transgenderism, wonders, “In any case, it is not clear how one can affirm that it is possible to feel like a member of another sex but deny it is possible to feel like a member of another race.” Although I disagree with her on her conclusions that transracialism can be an acceptable force in today’s society (because we do not exist in a post-racial society where race does not factor into how one is socialized and the experiences thereof), it can’t be denied that the acceptance of transgenderism in mainstream society does give room to the acceptability of transracialism. 

This point cannot be argued coherently. All those trans activists who are no aiding in this witch-hunt against Tuvel decry her conclusion but don’t seem to be able to say why it is wrong. In the open letter, discussed here, nitpicks the article but doesn’t actually engage with Tuvel’s arguments. It becomes immediately clear that they can’t argue with Tuvel because she’s right - accepting transgenderism means that transracialism is also acceptable. They can only criticize her use of terms and mischaracterize her statements. 

Considering liberals claim to be on the side of science, against conservatives’ denialism, it seems strange that they are so eager to tear into an academic. Of course, it’s not surprising, since they were willing to denounce Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for daring to insinuate that the experiences of transwomen could not be equalled to those of women born women. But it, like the acceptance of transgenderism, is a huge logically fallacy within the ideology of the regressive left. You accept things as they are, uncritically, because they sound like they’re the nicest thing. It sounds nice to be uncritical of transpeople, they, after all, are The Most Marginalized Group. It’s purely reactionary to the unkind conservatives. This is why this witch-hunt, and others like it, will continue to happen, stunting academic progress against bankrupt social theories that don’t fit a particular narrative.

[ethn2atlien-blog]

For the third notebook, I have decided to go broader, and add reference to Donald Glover’s music. Hip hop artists often rap about their own lives in their music, so I thought that digging into his lyrics may help give context to the show. However, it is important to note that the difference between the rise of Childish Gambino (Donald Glover’s rap moniker), and Paper Boi, is that Donald Glover came into the rap game already established as an actor. Paper Boi is trying to make a name for himself off the streets.

                 Atlanta is a comedic television series created and starred by Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino. FX aired the pilot season in 2016 and the second season is scheduled to be aired in 2018. Donald Glover plays the character Earnest “Earn” Marks, an unemployed college dropout living with his ex girlfriend, Vanessa, and their daughter in Atlanta. While at work one day, Earn is shown a music video by a coworker, in which Earn recognizes his cousin, Brian. Earn realizes that his cousin is his ticket out of poverty and approaches him to become his manager. The first season looks at Earn and Brian, “Paper Boi”, navigating the Atlanta music industry as black men, as well as Earn’s tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend.

                 The location of the series is important to understand the larger context. Atlanta in 2016 is the hottest location in the world for the rap industry with hip hop artists such as Quavo, Swae Lee, Slim Jimmy, Metro Boomin, 2 Chainz, and Gucci Mane consistently dominating the hip hop billboard charts. While these artists are rising to international stardom, the same cannot be said for every “ATLien”, as Atlanta leads the nation in income inequality and in 2015 had a murder rate higher than that of Chicago. Poor neighborhoods are difficult to make it out of because of institutional barriers such as poor infrastructure and lack of mass transit. Atlanta examines this contrast, as although Paper Boi has a hit single, both he and Earn live in poor conditions. In fact, the first episode shows Brian murdering someone for vandalizing his car, and throughout the season Brian deals drugs to make money because the music isn’t making much for him.

                 Black culture and its appropriation in American society is a reoccurring theme in the show. The two episodes that are the best example of this are titled ”Nobody Beats the Biebs” and “Juneteenth.” In the former, Paper Boi plays in a charity basketball game, in which Justin Bieber is playing as well. Justin Beiber is played by a black man. I believe this was done so deliberately to highlight the immaturity and questionable behavior that Justin Beiber in real life has displayed, and his adoption of black hip hop culture with actions such as the use of the n word in his music. Furthermore, the episodes seems to make the claim that Justin Beiber would not be able to get away with the public displays of miscreant behavior if he were black. In the show after doing things like pissing in the corner of the locker room and getting in a fight on the basketball court, he makes a trite apology and bursts into a new pop song at the post game press conference while all the journalists sing along. In the episode “Juneteenth,” Earn and Vanessa attend a bourgeoisie dinner party at the home of an affluent white man married to a black woman. The title of the episode refers to abolition of slavery in Texas. The host of the dinner party is a man who is overly sensitive to the plight of the black man in the United States, while his wife has disdain for the ghetto black community and kicks Earn and Vanessa out once she discovers Earn manages Paper Boi.

                 Gender roles are the major theme in episodes such as “Value” and “B.A.N.” Donald Glover seems to channel some of the criticisms he has received as a hip-hop artist in real life (Childish Gambino), into the show. Childish Gambino is often criticized for being too soft, another way of saying not masculine enough, with his style of rap. This is in stark contrast with Paper Boi, who in one episode is characterized as the “last real hard street rapper” left. Donald Glover’s character Earn, is also “soft” in the show. One example of this is how in the first episode a white radio jockey openly uses the n word around him, but does not dare to do so around Brian. In episode seven, “B.A.N.”, Brian is doing a talk show interview when he is bombarded with questions in regards to him stating he would not be down to have sex with Caitlyn Jenner. The interviewer argues it’s a result of society being uncomfortable around transgender people as it threatens their masculinity, while Brian states that he is being asked unfair questions and that this act of being tough may be a result of America not caring about what happens to him as a black man in this country. Later in the episode, a black teenager is interviewed who believes that he is a white man in his thirties. When asked why, he says that he always felt he never got the respect he deserved. One day he “realizes” that he’s a middle aged white man and begins wearing Patagonia and playing golf. This part of the episode mirrors the 2015 Rachael Dolezal incident. Rachael was a white woman who self identifies herself as black and is president of her local NAACP chapter in Washington. She caught a lot of criticism over the fact that she self-identified as black. Episode eight, Values, considers the gender roles for women in the black community. Vanessa meets up with an old friend over dinner. Their lives have taken very different paths. While Vanessa is going through a tumultuous relationship with Earn and has a child out of wedlock, her friend Jayde lives the WAG, wives and girlfriends of high profile athletes, lifestyle. Vanessa is clearly uncomfortable between the separate paths that their lives have taken. At one point Jayde goes as far as stating “we used to laugh at black girls in the situation that you’re in.” Jayde believes that as beautiful, cultured, and educated black women that the two of them should be getting their money’s worth sleeping around with rich men. This is opposite of the lifestyle the Vanessa has chosen, as she is making her living by teaching elementary school.

                 Donald Glover seems to have a lot to say in regards to conflicts with racial identity in his music, and we can see this paralleled with his character Earn, in Atlanta. A recurring theme referenced to in Childish Gambino’s debut studio album, Camp, is being too black for the white kids and too white for the black kids. This is a result of growing up in Stone Mountain, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. This dichotomy is best represented by the following line from the song, That Power:

“And every black "you're not black enough" “Is a white "you're all the same"

This conflict between how you are supposed to act when white or black, and how you racially identify yourself regardless of skin color, is touched on upon in many episodes of Atlanta, whether its Justin Beiber casted as a black actor or the white business man performing Def Jam poetry at the dinner party. Earn also goes through this struggle as one hand he is an ivy league Princeton drop out that white people feel comfortable enough to say the n word around, while on the other his cousin is a drug dealer trying to make it off the streets as a rapper. In both the show and music, you get the feeling that Donald Glover has not felt accepted by the environment around him for who he is.

[fixthisnation-blog]

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Whiplash: Harvard Quickly Reverses Course on Chelsea Manning

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Apparently in their rush to make a oh-so-politically-correct STATEMENT on the beauty of the transgender movement, Harvard University forgot that Chelsea Manning did not become famous because of her much-publicized sex change. Before she cast off her “Bradley” identity, she was best known as an American traitor who leaked classified information that could have easily put lives in danger. And for that reason – regardless of what you may think about her absurd decision to “become a woman” – she should never again be respected or honored by anyone with an ounce of patriotism.

But we’ll gladly call her by her preferred name and pronouns, because if there’s anyone who has ever lost the right to be called a man, it’s Chelsea Manning.

Manning, along with Trump team luminaries Sean Spicer and Corey Lewandowski were invited Thursday to become fellows at Harvard for the upcoming semester. But Manning’s invitation immediately sparked a fierce backlash, one that resulted in at least one individual’s resignation. Former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morell resigned as a fellow after the announcement, blasting the decision to honor Manning as “wholly inappropriate.”

“It is my right, indeed my duty, to argue that the school’s decision is wholly inappropriate and to protest it by resigning from the Kennedy School,” Morell wrote.

Morell was not the only one with CIA ties to blast the decision. Current Director Mike Pompeo quickly withdrew from a speech he was expected to give that night at Harvard for the same reason.

“Ms. Manning betrayed her country,” Pompeo said in a letter to Harvard officials. He insisted that his withdrawal had nothing to do with Manning’s gender confusion. “It has everything to do with her identity as a traitor to the United States of America and my loyalty to the officers of the C.I.A.”

Facing down criticism from all angles, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf backed down after a day and revoked his invitation to Manning.

“I see more clearly now that many people view a visiting fellow title as an honorific, so we should weigh that consideration when offering invitations,” Elmendorf wrote. “I apologize to her and to the many concerned people from whom I have heard today for not recognizing upfront the full implications of our original invitation.”

No apology necessary. In fact, it’s a good thing this happened, because it served to remind the country that Manning is not Caitlyn Jenner, Part II. This is a traitorous nutjob who should actually still be in prison, not giving special classes at one of America’s finest institutions. The sooner we let her fade from the public eye, the better.

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/lady-gaga-born-way-starbucks-cameron-diaz-hiatus/

Lady Gaga is Born This Way for Starbucks and Cameron Diaz hiatus

You may or may not have noticed, but romantic comedy actress Cameron Diaz has been away from the Hollywood spotlight for quite some time now. While she used to be in several movies a year and seen at some of the industry’s biggest events, she has since decided to lead a much more private lifestyle. On Saturday, Cameron stopped by the Goop Wellness Summit in Culver City, California, in support of her friend and fellow actress Gwyneth Paltrow. While there, Cameron sat alongside starlets Nicole Richie, Tory Burch and Miranda Kerr, and discussed her recent hiatus from the spotlight. At the Summit, Cameron explained her leave of absence that came about after she starred in the 2014 movie Annie. Cameron told the crowd, “I just went, ‘I can’t really say who I am to myself.’ Which is a hard thing to face up to. I felt the need to make myself whole.” Later during the star-studded event, the 44-year-old beauty was asked about her new life as a married woman (note: she is married to Good Charlotte front man Benji Madden). While addressing why she didn’t get married until “later” in life, Cameron noted, “I think it’s a matter of I just hadn’t met my husband, you know? I had boyfriends, before. And there’s a really, really distinct difference between husbands and boyfriends. And I have a husband who is just my partner in life and in everything. Talk about two very different people! We are so different from one another, but we share the same values - we’re totally two peas in a pod. We are both just weird enough for each other…we women are objectified so much. Somehow my husband has just been able to kind of show me what it’s like not to have that be a part of a relationship, and being an equal.” Nonetheless, from the interview Cameron gave at the Goop Wellness Summit, it sounds like she is almost ready to return to Hollywood, at least to some extent. Now that the whole Unicorn Frappuccino craze has died down, Starbucks is looking for their next big thing. Fortunately, they were able to convince pop starlet Lady Gaga to lend her name and image to their brand, as they are collaborating with the star on a line of purposeful drinks. On Monday, Starbucks announced that they would be launching a line of four new “Cups of Kindness” beverages in participating Starbucks stores in both Canada and the United States. According to the company, they will be donating 25 cents from each cup sold (from June 13th to June 19th) to Lady Gaga’s charity, the Born This Way Foundation. Subsequently, money raised will go toward programs that support youth wellness and empowerment. In a statement about her surprising collaboration with Starbucks, Lady Gaga said, “We’re healthier and happier when we live our lives with compassion and our communities are stronger when we treat one another with generosity and respect. Born this Way Foundation and I are so excited to partner with Starbucks to help inspire positivity and love through the Cups of Kindness collection.” The “Perfect Illusion” songstress went on to gush, “I adore the entire collection and I instantly fell in love with the Matcha Lemonade.” The Cups of Kindness collection debuted at Starbucks stores across the US and Canada on Tuesday, June 13th. Nearly 2 years after her father, Lamar Odom, overdosed in Las Vegas, Nevada, 18-year-old Destiny Odom decided to talk publicly about the terrifying ordeal. In an all-new interview with People/Entertainment Weekly, the star’s daughter recounted exactly what she was doing when she found out about her formerly troubled father. Destiny told the media publications, “It was a school night when I found out. We all thought that he was, that this was it for him and he was going to pass away. But, life is so crazy.” Lamar’s daughter went on to note that she believes her very first visit with her father post-overdose, which lasted just 30 minutes, played a critical role in his miraculous recovery. Destiny explained, “The next morning [after my first visit] he was ripping tubes out of his mouth and I don’t really think that’s a coincidence. I think he was meant to be here because of me and my brother. It sounds like a cheesy movie, but I think that everything happens for a reason.” Later in the interview, Destiny revealed that she has seen drastic changes in her father and his behavior. She gushed, “When you parent is an addict and they get clean it’s like a whole new world. A whole new person, really. It’s crazy what therapy and rehab can do to a person. He’s just a lot more clear and in the moment and he’s more apologetic. He’s able to see more the pain that he’s caused when he’s clean.” Hopefully, Lamar continues on this path and continues to build a stronger relationship with his kids and the rest of his family. It was certainly a family affair for the Teigen-Legend gang on Tuesday, June 6th. Celebrity couple Chrissy Teigen and John Legend brought their 1-year-old, adorable daughter Luna with them to throw the ceremonial pitch at the Seattle Mariners game. Subsequently, the Seattle baseball team faced off against the Minnesota Twins at Safeco Field. Throughout the experience, both John and Chrissy posted pictures of their family outing to their various social media accounts. In one photo, posted by John, little Luna is seen reaching for a bucket of the Mariners players’ bubblegum. The “All of Me” singer captioned the sweet picture, “Mommy and daddy posing. Luna stealing the Mariners’ bubble gum #LunasFirstTour #Seattle.” John Legend, Instagram post: Currently, John, Chrissy and Luna are on the road as John is in the midst of his current tour, The Darkness & Light Tour. John and his crew were already in the Seattle area for the baseball game, as he had performing in Woodinville, Washington on June 3rd and 4th. After the family threw out the ceremonial first pitch, the Mariners tweeted out a post thanking the famous trio. The baseball team posted, “Many thanks to [Chrissy Teigen] and [John Legend] for letting Luna throw out our first pitch. It was a heater right down to the pipe.” Seattle Mariners, Twitter post: https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/872320371512442881 According to recent media reports, Caitlyn Jenner’s memoir The Secrets of My Life didn’t just cause a rift between her and the Kardashian family. This week, a source close to the star told the press that even Caitlyn’s two daughters, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, are distancing themselves from her. While discussing the two young stars’ relationship with their father, the source explained, “Kendall is loyal to Kris and has very little to do with her dad. The more time that has passed, the more she feels Caitlyn has let her down with the things she has said and with her actions.” The source went on to reveal that Kylie is slowly finding herself unable to stay completely out of the inner-family drama between the Kardashians and Caitlyn. The source elaborated, “Kylie has really made an effort to take side and to be supportive of Caitlyn. She really wants to have a relationship with her dad, but Caitlyn has hurt Kris tremendously and it’s made it very difficult. With everyone in the family on Kris’s side, it’s hard on Kylie…She tries to keep it separate and doesn’t want to discuss it with the rest of the family.” As shown recently on the family’s weekly reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, tensions are at an all-time high between Caitlyn and the rest of the clan. The same source went on to divulge to the press, “Both [Kendall and Kylie] really struggle with not being close to Caitlyn…It’s left a big void in their lives to not have the father they grew up with. She was a part of their lives every single day.” Here are the biggest takeaways from Caitlyn's book, The Secrets of My Life:

She felt she didn’t deserve the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Caitlyn writes that she doesn't necessarily feel "brave" because she chose to go public with her gender identity issues, despite the fact that her decision is often described that way. "For me it was a form of cowardice to wait so long," she says, adding that she doesn't think she deserved the award bestowed on her by the ESPYs back in 2015, "but nobody would turn down such an honor."

But wants you to know that it was not a prearranged publicity stunt. Because the ESPYs took place so soon after Caitlyn's Diane Sawyer interview andVanity Fair cover, rumors circulated that she only agreed to do the 20/20 special if she got the award. "It is 100 percent wrong, complete bullshit," Caitlyn writes. "The actual interview took place months before I was told I would be receiving the Arthur Ashe award."

Caitlyn’s publicist first killed a story about her gender identity in the 1980s. After finding out that theNew York Times had been looking "to pin down a story" on Caitlyn wearing women's clothing, Caitlyn told her publicist Alan Nierob about her feelings and had him kill it. "He pounds the crap out of the Times," Caitlyn writes. "It works."

She did a screen test for Superman but didn’t want to cut her hair for the role. "My hair is one of the few ways I can feel my femininity, and it is these tentacles that keep me going, make me feel some tiny piece of my authentic self."

Caitlyn’s relationship with Khloé remains fractured. This much is obvious if you've seen any recent episodes ofKUTWK, but according to Caitlyn, her relationship with Khloé has not fully recovered since her transition. "Khloé has the hardest time with it," she says. "It is something Khloé and I should talk about privately, as we have on many occasions on other sensitive subjects. But we have not, although I have tried. We have not been the same since."

The Kardashians were intentionally left out of the first Diane Sawyer special. If you watched20/20 and thought it seemed like there wasn't very much Kris and the gang, you were right. "They are right to feel slighted," says Caitlyn. "They were slighted on purpose because of research showing that anytime a Kardashian is on television, many in the public tend to think it is a publicity stunt to make money."

During her marriage to Kris, Kris had total control over Caitlyn’s finances. According to Caitlyn, she did not have a checking account during the peakKUTWK days and her credit card purchases were "carefully pored over."

Caitlyn really did not like O.J. Simpson. Caitlyn got to know him via Kris's friendship with Nicole Brown Simpson and never enjoyed spending time with him: "He was the most narcissistic, egocentric, neediest asshole in the world of sports I had ever seen, and I had seen a lot of them."

Caitlyn thought O.J. was guilty, and according to Caitlyn, so did Kris and Robert Kardashian. Caitlyn says that she and Kris "believed he had done it the minute we heard of her murder and the circumstances surrounding it." As for Kardashian, who died in 2003, Caitlyn claims that he once said while in a car, "I would've been OK with it if they'd gotten him in the first trial."

Rumors that Caitlyn regretted transitioning are completely untrue. Ian Halperin, who wrote the unauthorized biography Kardashian Dynasty, claimed in 2016 that Caitlyn regretted her transition. Caitlyn slams these rumors as "100 percent wrong and garbage and swill."

She may have been the real brains behind the KUTWK operation. In one throwaway line, Caitlyn hints that she's actually the person who came up with the idea to film the Kardashian family. "The house is awash in puberty and adolescence and young adulthood and two parents with very different styles," she writes. "It seems to me something is there for television." Then, in a new paragraph: "Kris says she is the one who came up with the idea and decided to actively pitch it to Ryan Seacrest." Care to weigh in, Ryan?

Caitlyn’s family was embarrassed by KUTWK. Caitlyn says her aunt Ellie sent a letter to her and Kris after the show debuted about how Caitlyn had become a "disappointment" to her fans. "The implication is that I have sold myself out, willingly destroyed what positive reputation I have left," she writes. "Pretty much on the mark."

But Caitlyn says her depiction on the show was more or less accurate. "I come across in the reality show as a well-meaning but slightly doddering patriarch who has no life of his own and is subsumed by the women who surround him and only does what his wife tells him," she writes. "In other words: a totally true depiction."

Burt, Brandon, and Brody Jenner hated Caitlyn’s Vanity Fair cover. Caitlyn says it had less to do with the photograph being "risqué" and more to do with the fact that she "did not gauge how a son would feel seeing his father in a cream-colored bustier."

Kim was a little disappointed that Caitlyn spelled her name with a "C." Caitlyn's recollection of this conversation makes it seem like Kim was joking, but Caitlyn also had this to say about Kim even asking about it: "Spoken like a true Kardashian."

Caitlyn had gender confirmation surgery, which she calls "the Final Surgery," in January 2017. While this is not something a transgender person ever has an obligation to discuss (and Caitlyn herself reiterates several times that it's no one's business but the person who's having it), Caitlyn says she chose to include it because she wanted to be able to stop talking about it. "I feel not only wonderful but liberated," she writes. "I am telling you because I believe in candor. So all of you can stop staring. You want to know, so now you know. Which is why this is the first time, and the last time, I will ever speak of it."

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

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Celebrities are always under the microscope. For many, it’s like living in a fishbowl. Everyone gets to watch as you live your life. Of course, people are going to screw up when the cameras are rolling 24/7. If you spend long enough in the public eye, some sort of scandal will eventually rise and threaten your career. Some are more personal and forgivable problems (like drug abuse), but others completely change the way the public views a celebrity. Some celebrities never escape the scandals in which they’re caught-up. They continue to fall until they’re all but forgotten by their fans. Other celebrities are able to revitalize their career after a scandal. They continue to work and hope the public forget about their colored past. Even in some of the most reprehensible cases, the public has found the ability to forgive some celebrities. The world of sports (the NFL in particular) is often criticized for only caring about on-field production rather than off-field behavior. This is the reason Ray Rice (who stinks) was virtually kicked out of the league and players like Greg Hardy were still able to find work. The same thing happens in entertainment, though. If they’re good enough, we’ll forgive almost anything.

#1 Paul Reubens You may not know the name Paul Reubens, but you certainly know the character he played in Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee Herman became a cult success when it was first introduced to the world in 1982, and became the focal point of Reubens’ career. Reubens committed completely to the role, giving all of his public appearances in character as Pee-wee Herman. Reubens’ scandal came in 1991, when he was arrested for mast*rbating in an adult theater. He became the butt of the joke at this point, and withdrew from the public eye and his Pee-wee character. Toy stores took the Pee-wee toys off of the shelves, and it seemed it would be the last we heard from the character. Eventually, Reubens made his comeback by playing supporting characters in multiple movies and TV shows. He found his greatest success in the film Blow, starring Johnny Depp. Now, Reubens is back to doing his Pee-wee Herman character full-time with his new show, and hardly anyone remembers the embarrassing scandal surrounding him in the ’90s.

#2 Rob Lowe Rob Lowe has come far enough away from his scandal, that virtually no one remembers he was in the middle of one to begin with. For those who don’t know, the Parks and Rec and The West Wing star was embroiled in a possibly career-ending scandal in the late 1990’s. Lowe became a famous actor at a young age, and he enjoyed the spoils of being a Hollywood heartthrob. In the 1980’s, he met two girls at a club who agreed to be videotaped while having s*x with him. Of course, the video was leaked to the public, and it turned out that one of the girls was underage. Lowe settled the lawsuit out of court, but it wasn’t the last time he would be defending himself in such a manner. Lowe sued two of his employees in 2008 for defamation (among other charges) for saying that the actor made s*xual advances on them. It wasn’t anything on the caliber of his s*x tape, but it certainly wasn’t a good look for him. Despite his controversies, Lowe was able to land roles on two hit television shows. It appears that his acting ability outweighed his questionable decision-making in the past.

#3 Mel Gibson Mel Gibson has been involved in some of the more high-profile scandals in Hollywood. He’s offended pretty much everyone who isn’t a white Christian, dating back to some homophobic remarks he made in a 1991 interview. The most damning controversy Gibson has been a part of took place in 2010, when his voice mails to Oksana Grigorieva were released to the public. In these tapes, Gibson can be heard saying the ‘N’ word among other reprehensible phrases. He’s been accused of antisemitism both in his public life and in his film The Passion of the Christ. For a while, Gibson was blackballed by the entertainment industry. He found it hard to find work, and even harder to find critical acclaim. Eventually, Hollywood softened on Gibson, even nominating his 2016 film, Hacksaw Ridge, for an Academy Award.

#4 Woody Allen Woody Allen is thought by many to be one of the greats in the comedy realm. He is strange and eccentric, but many of his films are used as examples in film classes around the world. There has been some controversy surrounding Allen, and if it’s true, it certainly taints his legacy to a massive degree. During Allen’s divorce to Mia Farrow, Farrow alleged that Allen molested her daughter. Dylan Farrow, Mia’s daughter, corroborated those claims and said that she was molested during a visit with Allen after the two had split up. The judge did not convict Allen of any crime, but barred him from visiting her after the divorce. While some of the children who were raised in the Allen-Farrow household disputed their sister’s claims, Dylan Farrow doubled-down on her allegations in 2014. The truth of the matter may never be known, but this scandal is virtually forgotten today.

#5 Caitlyn Jenner Not many people know this, but before Bruce Jenner transitioned to Caitlyn Jenner, there was an even bigger story that got overshadowed by her transition. Jenner, who had yet to come out publicly as a transgender, was the cause of a multi-car crash in Los Angeles that cost the life of Kim Howe. Jenner faced multiple lawsuits after the crash which, by all accounts, was due to her own negligence. It was determined that she may face a manslaughter charge, but any criminal charges were ruled out soon after the accident. Jenner has tried to pass the buck multiple times since the crash. She’s tried to blame the paparazzi to get out of her multiple lawsuits, and some even theorize that part of the reason she came out as transgender was to avoid criminal prosecution (though I’m not sure how that would be effective). It’s been largely overshadowed by her transition, but the fact remains, her negligence behind the wheel cost someone their life.

#6 Tiger Woods Tiger Woods can’t seem to get out of his own way. Just last weekend, he was arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence of prescription drugs. It’s probably the final nail in the coffin for Tiger, but it won’t stop fans from saying he’ll come back to form someday. Tiger Woods’ s*x scandal was one of the most embarrassing and career-wrecking controversies in recent memory. His private s*xual endeavors were broadcast to the world (including peeing on girls) and his image was compromised. Still, in the years following the scandal, Tiger Woods’ fans stuck by him. Despite the fact that Woods’ body seemed to be breaking down and he continued to withdraw from tournaments, fans continued to say that Tiger would be back to the level that he attained earlier in his career. Woods may not be in the clear as far as public image, but it’s become apparent that his fans will disregard everything he does off of the golf course.

#7 Bill Cosby Before you say, “But wait, he’s basically dead to the world right now,” here me out. These Bill Cosby r*pe allegations were nothing new. They came to light again when Hannibal Buress made a joke about them during his set, but they were available for public consumption long before they reemerged. If this wasn’t the case, Hannibal wouldn’t have had the nerve to make a joke about it. These allegations took place long before the internet was around, so he flew under the radar to some degree. The other part of the reason he got away with it was because he was comedy at that time. He was the face of family-friendly material, and no one wanted to believe he could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. There have been over 50 allegations against Cosby. That number is too high to be false. If even 10% of the allegations is true, then, we’re still looking at a serial rapist. He may have lost the adoration of the country in his old age, but Cosby survived the scandal for far too long.

#8 Drew Barrymore Drew Barrymore suffered from drug addiction and depression during the early part of her career, which many people attribute to the fact that she was a child star. She got her first role when she was only a baby, and her career continued to grow from there. Many child stars go on to have rough lives after their stint in the spotlight is over, but Barrymore was able to resurrect her career after what seemed to be the end. Barrymore was addicted to drugs and alcohol at a young age, and had to spend time in rehab to combat her drug problem. After her second trip to rehab, Barrymore even attempted suicide in her apartment. Thankfully, Barrymore was able to turn her life around and establish a career for herself in Hollywood. Now, she can be seen starring in movies alongside famous co-stars.

#9 Hugh Grant Hugh Grant almost lost his career before it really got going when he was arrested in June of 1995 for receiving oral s*x in a public place from a prostitute. Grant was just beginning his career as every American woman’s perfect British man, and almost had it fall flat on its face. The act itself isn’t the worst thing on this list. The timing may have been. Grant was just about to start a press tour for the move Nine Months, his first major studio film. Grant appeared on shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Larry King Live, where he was grilled about the incident. Many people respected his response to the scandal, as he seemed to take responsibility for his actions and laugh at himself. Thankfully, Hugh Grant was talented at damage control, or else, some of the better chick-flicks of the late ’90s to early 2000’s wouldn’t have been made.

#10 Peyton Manning It may come as a surprise to you that Peyton Manning has been mixed up in some scandals, as not many people have even heard of some of the things he’s done. The media loves Peyton Manning, and the Manning family mafia has been effective at shutting most of these stories down before they get legs. There is the recent steroids scandal, where Peyton Manning was revealed to have been using HGH to recover from his neck injury. The media acted like this was no big deal, and focused on Tom Brady’s deflated footballs instead. This, though, isn’t the scandal to which I’m referring. Manning, while at the University of Tennessee (for brevity’s sake), tea-bagged a female trainer during an examination. According to the court documents, Manning “forcefully maneuvered his naked t*sticles and r*ctum directly on her face with his p*nis on top of her head.” What followed was a cover-up of epic proportions. It looks like this “squeaky-clean” quarterback has more than a few skeletons in his past.

#11 Mike Tyson Mike Tyson offered one of the more surprising comebacks on this list. He was considered by many to be a complete psychopath. His out-of-ring behavior was notably unsavory, and his legacy of being one of the best boxers of all time is somewhat overshadowed by the infamous ear-biting situation against Evander Holyfield. Tyson’s most polarizing and detrimental public scandal came in the form of his 1991 r*pe conviction. Tyson spent three years in jail for this offense, and returned to boxing with mixed reviews. Tyson maintains his innocence in the matter, but his career continued in the wake of this conviction. Tyson’s later career was equally controversial, and many fans considered him to be legitimately insane. Despite this fact, Tyson has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry after his boxing career. He’s had a successful one-man show in Vegas, released books, and appeared in movies such as The Hangover. People seem to have forgotten the previous image of Mike Tyson, which works to his advantage for his current fame.

#12 Michael Vick In 2007, Michael Vick pleaded guilty to the charge of financing a dog fighting operation. There are a lot of divisive issues in this country, but when it comes to a man forcing dogs to fight to their death, virtually, everyone is on the same side. Vick was sentenced to 23 months in jail for his involvement in the dog fighting ring, and was suspended without pay from the NFL. Vick remains one of the most athletic individuals to ever play the quarterback position, and was able to find work after he got out of jail. He was the backup to Donovan McNabb on the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007, and eventually went on to start once McNabb was traded to the Redskins. He continued to play in the NFL after his stint in Philadelphia ended, playing for the Jets and the Steelers, respectively. Even though Vick was able to revitalize his career to some extent, most people remember the sickening scandal he was a part of. Many can separate on-field productivity with off-field behavior, but Vick never fully escaped the shadow of his past actions.

#13 Donald Trump U.S. President Donald Trump is one of the most bulletproof individuals ever to grace the public eye. No matter what you think of his policies or his individual contribution to this country, you have to, at least, appreciate his ability to roll with the punches. Donald Trump has, and continues to, put his foot in his mouth at nearly every turn. He’s been alleged to have done pretty much everything, but nothing seems to stick to him. Many people thought it would be the end of Trump when the Access Hollywood tape revealed his classic “Grab em by the pu**y” comment, but he went on to win the election. That tape cost Billy Bush his career, but Donald Trump kept chugging along in Bush’s wake. Now that he’s president, the allegations against Trump have become more serious, but he continues to prosper. It’s as if Trump creates his own reality, and in that reality, no one cares what he says or does.

#14 Robert Downey Jr. The way Robert Downey Jr. turned his life and career around after his drug scandal is the mark of a true Hollywood success story. Downey Jr. was one of Hollywood’s top actors in the early part of his career, landing roles in some blockbuster films and making him a household name. Unfortunately, his career took a turn for the worse when he was arrested multiple times for drug possession. He later admitted that he had been addicted to drugs since he was a child, and his addicted father was the first one to introduce him to such substances. In 1996, Downey Jr .was arrested for possession of cocaine and a handgun. While on parole for these charges, he broke into a neighbor’s home under the influence and passed out on their bed. He was sentenced to three years on probation for this, but missed a drug test and was forced to spend six months in jail. Downey Jr. eventually got his act together, and through friendships and his talent, he got his acting career back on track. Now, he’s one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood and has the role of a lifetime in Iron Man.

#15 Chris Brown Chris Brown‘s comeback has to be one of the most impressive turnarounds in entertainment history. Brown was one of the hottest stars on the planet. His music was a commercial success and his acting career was just getting going, but it all crashed down on him one night in 2009. As everyone probably knows, Chris Brown was arrested for the assault of his girlfriend and fellow singer, Rihanna. To make matters worse, the pictures of Rihanna’s face after the attack were sickening. Brown’s music was pulled from many radio stations and he was effectively shunned by many of his fans. Chris Brown persevered after his domestic violence scandal…almost to an alarming degree. Brown released F.A.M.E in 2011, and it was as if he had never been in the middle of such a scandal. Most people remember what happened, but Brown’s abuse has been largely swept under the rug by the entertainment industry.

Source: TheRichest

[matteorossini]

A reprehensible witch hunt in academia: feminist philosopher equates the defenses of transgenderism and of transracialism—and gets crucified

Gender is widely agreed by the Left to be a social construct, not a biological reality. If that’s the case, why isn’t race? Why was someone like Rachel Dolezal, who was white but claimed to be black, vilified and fired from her job as the Spokane, Washington head of the NAACP, while a man who claims to be a woman (or vice versa) is defended and her courage lauded? The distinction has always baffled me, especially because race is also seen to be a social construct.

Those were the questions asked in an article recently published in the feminist philosophy journal Hypatia by Rebecca Tuvel, an assistant professor of philosophy at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Her piece is called “In defense of transracialism“, and is free online (reference and link below).  I have only skimmed the full piece, but it’s dissected by Jesse Singal at New York Magazine’s “Intelligencer column” “This is what a modern-day witch hunt looks like.” And indeed, merely for pointing out that the arguments used to support transgender rights are similar to those that could be used to support transracial rights, Tuvel has been excoriated by academics, and the journal asked to retract the article. She has received a ton of hate mail. It is truly a Leftist witch hunt—a purity test that Tuvel apparently failed big time.

First, the abstract and first footnote in Tuvel’s paper:

And her concluding paragraph:

Haslanger writes, “rather than worrying, ‘what is gender, really?’ or ‘what is race, really?’ I think we should begin by asking (both in the theoretical and political sense) what, if anything, we want them to be” (Haslanger 2012, 246). I have taken it as my task in this article to argue that a just society should reconsider what we owe individuals who claim a strongly felt sense of identification with another race, and accordingly what we want race to be. I hope to have shown that, insofar as similar arguments that render transgenderism acceptable extend to transracialism, we have reason to allow racial self-identification, coupled with racial social treatment, to play a greater role in the determination of race than has previously been recognized. I conclude that society should accept such an individual’s decision to change race the same way it should accept an individual’s decision to change sex.

For this she is being crucified in public by her fellow academics, who accused her of not only being transphobic (not true at all), but perpetrating tangible harm and even violence on both the black and trans communities (another lie).

Part of Singal’s analysis:

Tuvel structures her argument more or less as follows: (1) We accept the following premises about trans people and the rights and dignity to which they are entitled; (2) we also accept the following premises about identities and identity change in general; (3) therefore, the common arguments against transracialism fail, and we should accept that there’s little apparent logically coherent reason to deny the possibility of genuine transracialism.

Anyone who has read an academic philosophy paper will be familiar with this sort of argument. The goal, often, is to provoke a little — to probe what we think and why we think it, and to highlight logical inconsistencies that might help us better understand our values and thought processes. This sort of article is abstract and laden with hypotheticals — the idea is to pull up one level from the real world and force people to grapple with principles and claims on their own merits, rather than — in the case of Dolezal — baser instincts like disgust and outrage. This is what many philosophers do.

Tuvel’s article rebuts a number of the arguments against transracialism, and it’s clear, throughout, that Tuvel herself is firmly in support of trans people and trans rights. Her argument is not that being transracial is the same as being transgender — rather, it’s “that similar arguments that support transgenderism support transracialism,” as she puts it in an important endnote we’ll return to. It’s clear, from the way Tuvel sets things up, that she’s prodding us to more carefully examine why we feel the way we do about Dolezal, not to question trans rights or trans identities.

Usually, an article like this, abstract and argumentatively complex as it is, wouldn’t attract all that much attention outside of its own academic subculture. But that isn’t what happened here — instead, Tuvel is now bearing the brunt of a massive internet witch-hunt, abetted in part by Hypatia’s refusal to stand up for her. The journal has already apologized for the article, despite the fact that it was approved through its normal editorial process, and Tuvel’s peers are busily wrecking her reputation by sharing all sorts of false claims about the article that don’t bear the scrutiny of even a single close read.

The biggest vehicle of misinformation about Tuvel’s articles comes from the “open letter to Hypatia” that has done a great deal to help spark the controversy. That letter has racked up hundreds of signatories within the academic community — the top names listed are Elise Springer of Wesleyan University, Alexis Shotwell of Carleton University (who is listed as the point of contact), Dilek Huseyinzadegan of Emory University, Lori Gruen of Wesleyan, and Shannon Winnubst of Ohio State University. (Update: As of the morning of May 3, all the names had been removed from the letter. A note at the top of it reads “We have now closed signatories for this letter in order to send it to the Editor and Associate Editors of Hypatia.”)

In the letter, the authors ask that the article be retracted on the grounds that its “continued availability causes further harm” to marginalized people. The authors then list five main reasons they think the article is so dangerously flawed it should be unpublished. . .

Singal goes on to point out that four five of those reasons are based on a total misreading of Tuvel’s article, whose main point is given above and by Singal in his second and third paragraph. (The other criticism is trivial.) He then rebuts each of the “reasons,” and goes on to show how Tuvel is being ripped to shreds, unjustly, by academics. She has even been accused of “perpetrating violence” and “enacting harm”

The letter’s authors, presumably Leftists, are doing all they can do demonize Tuvel for–what? None of the objections recognize that the transgenderism and transracialism are both based on people feeling that they’re different from how their external appearance has led society to categorize them. One is based on genitalia, the other skin color.  If a biological male feels that he is really a woman, why can’t a white person feel that they’re black? And regardless of which sex is “privileged,” people transition in both directions. But of course never underestimate Regressives’ tendency to reach a conclusion first (“white people have privilege and just can’t say they feel or are black”) and then find arguments to support it.

Singal concludes:

I could go on and on. This is a witch hunt. There has simply been an explosive amount of misinformation circulating online about what is and isn’t in Tuvel’s article, which few of her most vociferous critics appear to have even skimmed, based on their inability to accurately describe its contents. Because the right has seized on Rachel Dolezal as a target of gleeful ridicule, and as a means of making opportunistic arguments against the reality of the trans identity, a bunch of academics who really should know better are attributing to Tuvel arguments she never made, simply because she connected those two subjects in an academic article.

The Chronicle of Higher Education shows how the craven journal Hypatia apologized (you can see the journal’s reprehensible Facebook apology here, but I want to reproduce it because it so resembles the apologies of the accused during China’s Cultural Revolution:

From the Chronicle:

The article, ”In Defense of Transracialism,” by Rebecca Tuvel, an assistant professor of philosophy at Rhodes College, drew a significant backlash following its publication, in late March. The article discusses public perceptions of racial and gender transitions by comparing the former NAACP chapter head Rachel Dolezal’s desire to be seen as black with the celebrity Caitlyn Jenner’s public transition from male to female. [JAC: the article does far more than just draw a parallel!]

Since a backlash erupted on social media, more than 400 academics have signed an open letter to the editor of Hypatia calling for the article to be retracted. “Our concerns reach beyond mere scholarly disagreement; we can only conclude that there has been a failure in the review process, and one that painfully reflects a lack of engagement beyond white and cisgender privilege,” the letter says.

The journal’s Facebook apology responded to those concerns by saying that it would be looking closely at its editorial processes to make sure they are more inclusive of transfeminists and feminists of color, whom the journal said had been particularly harmed by the article. The journal also apologized for its initial response to the backlash, saying that an earlier Facebook post had “also caused harm, primarily by characterizing the outrage that met the article’s publication as mere ‘dialogue’ that the article was ‘sparking.’ We want to state clearly that we regret that the post was made.”

Tuvel has responded to the criticism (see here), apologizes for one or two items, like “deadnaming” Caitlyn Jenner (giving her pre-transition name), but ends in this way:

Calls for intellectual engagement are also being shut down because they “dignify” the article. If this is considered beyond the pale as a response to a controversial piece of writing, then critical thought is in danger. I have never been under the illusion that this article is immune from critique. But the last place one expects to find such calls for censorship rather than discussion is amongst philosophers.

Indeed. Philosopher Russell Blackford has been defending Tuvel on Twitter and criticizing the witch hunt in a series of tweets, calling attention to others’ defenses of Tuvel. I am proud to call him my friend. Read the following from bottom up, in chronological order:

And Yale’s Paul Bloom, Ceiling Cat bless him, has also defended Tuvel:

A bizarre and ugly attack by a group of philosophers directed toward a junior prof. https://t.co/gvbEr6rE2v

— Paul Bloom (@paulbloomatyale) May 2, 2017

Hypatia should be mocked and vilified for its cowardice, as should those academics who went after tuvel because her Gendankenartikel violated the Regressive Left’s norms of purity. These are not students attacking Tuvel—they are professional academics, and I have nothing but contempt for them. (Remember, today’s students are tomorrow’s professors.) I am appalled, but not surprised. I’ll end with Singal’s words:

. . . what’s disturbing here is how many hundreds of academics signed onto and helped spread utterly false claims about one of their colleagues, and the extent to which Hypatia, faced with such outrage, didn’t even bother trying to sift legitimate critiques from frankly made-up ones. A huge number of people who haven’t read Tuvel’s article now believe, on the basis of that trumped-up open letter and unfounded claims of “violence,” that it is so deeply transphobic it warranted an unusual apology from the journal that published it.

We should want academics to write about complicated, difficult, hot-button issues, including identity. Online pile-ons cannot, however righteous they feel, dictate journals’ publication policies and how they treat their authors and articles. It’s really disturbing to watch this sort of thing unfold in real time — there’s such a stark disconnect between what Tuvel wrote and what she is purported to have written. This whole episode should worry anybody who cares about academia’s ability to engage in difficult issues at a time when outrage can spread faster than ever before.

h/t: Grania

______

Tuvel. R. 2017. In defense of transracialism. Hypatia 32:263-278, DOI: 10.1111/hypa.12327

from Why Evolution Is True http://ift.tt/2qFHnTW via IFTTT

[patriotsnet]

Why Do Republicans Hate Gay People

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-do-republicans-hate-gay-people/

Why Do Republicans Hate Gay People

Presidency Of George W Bush

George W. Bush did not repeal President Clinton’s Executive Order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the federal civilian government, but Bush’s critics felt as if he failed to enforce the executive order. He retained Clinton’s Office of National AIDS Policy and was the first Republican president to appoint an openly man to serve in his administration, Scott Evertz as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy. Bush also became the second President, after President Clinton, to select openly gay appointees to his administration. Bush’s nominee as ambassador to Romania, Michael E. Guest, became the second openly gay man U.S. Ambassador and the first to be confirmed by the Senate. He did not repeal any of the spousal benefits that Clinton had introduced for same-sex federal employees. He did not attempt to repeal Don’t ask, don’t tell, nor make an effort to change it.

In April 2002, White House officials held an unannounced briefing in April for the Log Cabin Republicans. On June 27, 2002, President Bush has signed a bill allowing death benefits to be paid to domestic partners of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty, permanently extending a federal death benefit to same-sex couples for the first time.

The 2004 Republican Party platform removed both parts of that language from the platform and stated that the party supports anti-discrimination legislation.

Two Reasons Why The Bathroom Bill Targeting Trans People Is Flawed

We believe this bill is flawed for two reasons. First, as conservatives who believe in liberty and in supporting small businesses, we do not think that government should single out businesses for special public censure if they do not enforce the governments current social views.

Americans are still sorting out how they feel about trans people and how they can be tolerant or hospitable neighbors even if they disagree. Government should not use private businesses as pawns in an ongoing culture war, especially with something as private as their customers genitalia.

Second, the bill is counterproductive. We understand that the legislature wants to give parents peace of mind that their daughters will not use the same restroom as biological males. Parents want to make sure their kids are safe this is a completely reasonable concern. But forcing trans women to use the same restroom as young boys can be more disturbing and disruptive to businesses.

Hear more Tennessee Voices:

Dads: imagine walking into the mens room with your son and seeing Caitlyn Jenner, in a dress, fixing her makeup.

More disturbing still is when trans men who are far along in their transition  people who look, act, and identify as male  must use the same restroom as young girls.

More:Tennessee Voices, Episode 118: Chris Sanders, Tennessee Equality Project

The Fairness For All Act Is A Republican Response To The Equality Act

In March, House Democrats introduced the Equality Act, the first comprehensive LGBTQ civil rights bill to pass the House. While it has been stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate, it would provide sweeping non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in the US in housing, employment, public accommodations, education, and health care for the first time under federal law.

At the time, there were that some conservative groups were working on a compromise bill, and it appears the Fairness For All Act is that compromise.

A small coalition of religious conservative groups led by the American Unity Fund and including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1st Amendment Partnership, Center for Public Justice, and Council for Christian Colleges and Universities have rallied behind the bill.

Im excited about the solutions that are embodied in the legislation, because I think that those are the exact ideas that were going to need to pass federal civil rights for LGBTQ people, said Tyler Deaton, senior adviser at the American Unity Fund.

The Fairness For All Act would provide many of the same protections for LGBTQ Americans, but it also provides ample exceptions for churches and religious organizations to continue to discriminate against queer people.

What we like about it is the stated intentional desire for fairness and a proposed process that will encourage collaboration because weve seen that work in our state, he said.

Republicans May Begin To Embrace Gay Rights

As Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus pointed out, gay marriage and gay rights are platforms that a higher and higher percentage of Americans support. Priebus warns Republicans to be more open to other views on the issue, and less set in their ways. However, Republican strategist Ed Rogers points out the catch-22 in this situation. Most current Republicans still oppose gay marriage. Where 58 percent of Americans now support gay marriage, only 39 percent of Republicans support it, with 59 percent of Republicans opposing it. This leaves the Republican Party in a tough spot. They must either reform their views to bring in new members and gain support in coming elections, which would risk pushing away those that have stuck with the Party through the years, or stand by their age-old platform, and risk continuing to lose support throughout the nation.

The Disney Vault Is Annoying

Disney has drawn the ire of many adoring fans because it only releases its movies to the public for home consumption for a limited amount of time. They even coined a term for this tactic, The Disney Vault. Audiences think this is corporate greed at its ugliest. Disney has a commodity, and they try to build fervor and revenue by only letting the consumer have access to it for a short period. Its basically the same business model McDonalds uses with the McRib and we all know how much everyone hates that. Can you imagine if the Star Wars movies were only sold periodically? Thatd be an outrage, right? Well, you can expect it to happen since Disney bought the rights in 2012 to all things Star Wars, from George Lucas for over $4 billion. Its no wonder why Disney movies have been pirated since VCRs came on the scene in the 1980s.

American Views Of Transgender People: The Impact Of Politics Personal Contact And Religion

As the Supreme Court examines cases it has already heard this term about the rights of gay and transgender people, the American public in the latest Economist/YouGov poll are for the most part tolerant and supportive of transgender employment rights. However, Republicans take different positions.

The overall public supports laws prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, with Republicans closely divided.

More than one in three people know someone who is transgender, and the probability of this is even higher among Democrats and younger adults. Those with personal contact are more likely to believe there is a great deal or a fair amount of discrimination against transgender people. Half of Republicans and 88 percent of Democrats say there is a fair amount or a great deal of discrimination against transgender people.

One in five adults believes employers should be able to fire transgender workers who wear work clothes that match their gender identity. About three times that percentage disagree. Republicans are more closely divided on this question: a third say employers should be able to fire those employees, while 44 percent say that should not be allowed.

There appears to be greater acceptance of female to male transitions than male to female ones. Men generally accept a female to male as male , but also believe that someone transitioning male to female is still male .

Image: Getty 

Here’s Where We Stand On Different Lgbt Issues

LGBT leftists tend to hate us because we put our principles first. We believe in religious liberty, free speech, God-given human dignity, limited government, and economic opportunity. 

For that reason we frequently oppose radical gender theory and leftist policies like the Equality Act. We support a nuanced, science-based approach to transgender policy issues. 

We recently spoke out in support of the legislature’s initiative to keep youth sports organized according to biological sex we find the effort to let biological males play girls’ sports anti-science and offensive.

As a result of stances like these, LGBT leftists regularly picket us, ban us, destroy our property, and call us ugly names.

Recently, our entire leadership team was kicked out of Nashvilles primary LGBT networking Facebook group, in contravention of that groups written rules, because the admins hated us.

We hope this background demonstrates our conservative bona fides. If we oppose a Republican LGBT bill, it is out of principle, not identity politics or blind devotion to those in the LGBT community who reject us. We were not asked to comment on the bill before it was passed, but we feel we would be remiss not to offer our perspective.

More:Tennessee’s anti-LGBTQ bills target vulnerable citizens who are worthy of dignity | Plazas

Views On Religion Its Role In Policy

When it comes to religion and morality, most Americans say that belief in God is not necessary in order to be moral and have good values; 42% say it is necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values.

The share of the public that says belief in God is not morally necessary has edged higher over the past six years. In 2011, about as many said it was necessary to believe in God to be a moral person as said it was not . This shift in attitudes has been accompanied by a rise in the share of Americans who do not identify with any organized religion.

Republicans are roughly divided over whether belief in God is necessary to be moral , little changed over the 15 years since the Center first asked the question. But the share of Democrats who say belief in God is not a condition for morality has increased over this period.

About two-thirds of Democrats and Democratic leaners say it is not necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values, up from 51% who said this in 2011.

The growing partisan divide on this question parallels the widening partisan gap in religious affiliation.

About six-in-ten whites think belief in God is not necessary in order to be a moral person. By contrast, roughly six-in-ten blacks and 55% of Hispanics say believing in God is a necessary part of being a moral person with good values.

International AffairsEconomic ConditionsTrust, Facts & DemocracyClimate, Energy & EnvironmentRace & EthnicitySame-Sex Marriage

Lgbt Conservatism In The United States

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LGBT conservatism in the United States is a social and political ideology within the community that largely aligns with the American conservative movement. LGBT conservatism is generally more moderate on social issues from social conservatism, instead emphasizing values associated with fiscal conservatism, libertarian conservatism, and .

Changing Views On Acceptance Of Homosexuality

Seven-in-ten now say homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with just 24% who say it should be discouraged by society. The share saying homosexuality should be accepted by society is up 7 percentage points in the past year and up 19 points from 11 years ago.

Growing acceptance of homosexuality has paralleled an increase in public support for same-sex marriage. About six-in-ten Americans now say they favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.

While there has been an increase in acceptance of homosexuality across all partisan and demographic groups, Democrats remain more likely than Republicans to say homosexuality should be accepted by society.

Overall, 83% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say homosexuality should be accepted by society, while only 13% say it should be discouraged. The share of Democrats who say homosexuality should be accepted by society is up 20 points since 2006 and up from 54% who held this view in 1994.

Among Republicans and Republican leaners, more say homosexuality should be accepted than discouraged by society. This is the first time a majority of Republicans have said homosexuality should be accepted by society in Pew Research Center surveys dating to 1994. Ten years ago, just 35% of Republicans held this view, little different than the 38% who said this in 1994.

Acceptance is greater among those with postgraduate and bachelors degrees than among those with some or no college experience .

Reasons Why Conservatives Hate Democrats

November 5, 2014 by Samuel WardeNo Comments

20 Reasons Why Conservatives Hate Democrats

1. Democrats believe in higher education.2. Democrats believe in preserving the environment.3. Democrats believe in science.4. Democrats believe that carbon dioxide is dangerous.5. Democrats do not believe that minimum wage created our nations unemployment.

6. Democrats do not believe armed rebellion is a viable alternative to elections.7. Democrats do not believe that corporations are people too.8. Democrats do not believe that the sexual revolution created AIDS.9. Democrats do not know the proper height for trees.10. Democrats do not understand decent God-fearing Americans need missile launchers at home.

11. Democrats do not understand that banning abortions for high risk pregnancies can be a positive experience for women.12. Democrats do not understand that intelligent design is a proven scientific theory.13. Democrats do not understand that marriage is related to national security.14. Democrats do not understand that the media is a threat to national security.15. Democrats forgot that Hitler coined the phrase separation of church and state.

16. Democrats seem oblivious to the fact that most good Americans oppose gay marriage.17. Democrats seldom bring guns to crowded public events.18. Democrats want to force innocent multi-millionaires to pay taxes.19. Democrats want to let gays vote.20. Democrats want to let immigrants vote.

Log Cabins Better Record On Gay Issues

While Stonewall was cheerleading Obamas do-nothing Democrats, Log Cabin sued the government to kill DADT. In 2010, Log Cabin won an injunction preventing the administration from enforcing DADT. Only after fighting that injunction, and losing, did Obama finally repeal the law.

Log Cabin has also withheld its endorsement from high-profile Republican candidates who opposed marriage equality unlike Stonewall, we resist partisan groupthink, even when it costs us. We wouldnt be endorsing President Trump in 2020 if he werent truly an ally.

Trump openly supported LGBT equality before any of Stonewalls endorsees did. In 1999, while Democrats defended DADT, Trump opined that gays and lesbians serving openly was not something that would disturb me. In 2000, Trump proposed an amendment of civil rights law to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which would have rendered moot the employment discrimination case currently before the Supreme Court.

In 2015, though Trump needed religious conservative votes to win the Republican primary, he nevertheless stated publicly that religious freedom and LGBT rights are not mutually exclusive. He even rebuked his running mate-to-be, Mike Pence, for initially undervaluing LGBT interests in Indianas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, on which Pence ultimately reversed. Today, President Trump still has our back.

Stonewall Incorrectly Attacks President Trump

Stonewalls article censures Russia for orchestrating an industrial-scale genocide of gay men in Chechnya. Russias behavior is indeed alarming. So President Trump, collaborating with his Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, has launched a historic initiative to decriminalize homosexuality worldwide. Basham conveniently omits this fact.

Stonewall calls Trumps plan to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission by 90 percent within 10 years lip service because HIV+ immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are separated from other immigrants. But this policy is intended to provide HIV+ immigrants, some of whom face untreated AIDS, with needed medical care. Stonewall also neglects to mention that Trumps budget included $291 million to fight HIV in 2020 alone. Trump also convinced the antiviral research group Gilead to donate billions of dollars of HIV prevention medication for 200,000 people. That is hardly lip service.

Stonewall further insinuates, ludicrously, that Trump is bigoted for halting Obama-era attempts to tell public schools which bathroom transgender students can use. We say, good: The well-being of children who do not identify with their biological sex is vitally important, but it does not fall under the originally intended purview of Title IX and would thus be better explored at the state and local level without federal intervention. Executive overreach in the name of LGBT rights does nothing to recommend our cause.

Relies On Star Power Not Plotlines

Back in the day, Disney movies sold themselves because their plots were incredible. They showcased fairytales and chronicled the rise of the underdog. This worked in Disneys animated and live-action movies, and the company was untouchable for decades. Then, they had a string of flops like Mulan, Pocahontas and Hercules. Suddenly, Disney was fallible. So, instead of hiring better writers, they took the easy way out they started to hire big name talent to headline its projects. And they havent looked back. Disney has hired giants in the film industry to voice its characters, like Miley Cyrus and . And of course, Disney puts the most popular celebs in its live action movies, like Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

Disney even has upcoming projects with Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon and Emma Watson. But what good is it to have a big star in a movie if the plot is weak? The only good thing about this change in direction is that it finally steered Disney away from cramming cultural sensitivity down everyones throats. There was a period of time when it made sure to give every minority group its own movie, from Hawaiians in Lilo and Stitch to African Americans in The Princess and the Frog. Audiences perceived this to be the pandering that it was.

How Out Of Step Is The Republican Party On Gay Rights

The wedding wasnt the only reason conservatives targeted Rep. Denver Riggleman in a party convention , but it was the driving one. Which raises the question: How out of step with the nation is the Republican Party on same-sex rights?

Its an especially pertinent question on Monday, now that the Supreme Court, with the support of one of President Trumps nominees, just voted 6-3 that existing federal law protects gay and transgender workers from discrimination based on sex.

Thats a sea change in the legal landscape of protections for LGBTQ Americans. Before this ruling, in about half of the states, you could be legally fired for being gay or transgender. Now, you cant under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which the court ruled extends to LGBTQ Americans because it prevents discrimination on the basis of sex.

But like the Republican voters in Virginia who ousted Riggleman in favor of social conservative Bob Good, there is an active wing of the Republican Party seeking to push back on the march toward expanding legal protections for gay and transgender Americans. And they have powerful allies.

The Trump administration opposed interpreting the Civil Rights Act to encompass LGBTQ workers. The leader of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network called the six justices who supported this ruling, one of whom was Trump appointee Neil M. Gorsuch, activists, implying the court got ahead of where the public is on the issue.

Emily Guskin contributed to this report.

Mike Pence Accidentally Admits The Real Reason Republicans Hate Democrats So Much

Common Dreams

The grassroots organization People for Bernie on Tuesday advised the Democratic Party to take a page from an unlikely sourceright-wing Vice President Mike Penceafter Pence told a rally crowd in Florida that progressives and Democrats “want to make rich people poorer, and poor people more comfortable.”

“Good message,” tweeted the group, alerting the Democratic National Committee to adopt the vice president’s simple, straightforward description of how the party can prioritize working people over corporations and the rich.

Suggesting that a progressive approach to the economy will harm the countrydespite the fact that other wealthy nations already invest heavily in making low- and middle-income “more comfortable” by taxing corporations and very high earnersPence touted the Republicans’ aim to “cut taxes” and “roll back regulations.”

The vice president didn’t mention how the Trump administration’s 2017 tax cuts overwhelmingly benefited wealthy households and powerful corporations, with corporate income tax rates slashed from 35% to 21%, corporate tax revenues plummeting, and a surge in stock buybacks while workers saw “no discernible wage increase” according to a report released last year by the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Popular Democracy.

Pence’s description of progressive goals was “exactly” correct, author and commentator Anand Giridharadas tweeted.

“Yes, and what’s wrong with making poor people more comfortable?” asked Rep. Ilhan Omar .

Gw College Republicans Invite Log Cabin Republicans And Lgbt Conservatives To Talk About What It Means To Be Gay And Conservative

Kicking off a discussion on the inclusion of LGBT people in the Republican Party, Charles Moran, the managing director of the conservative gay group the Log Cabin Republicans, told George Washington University students that they dont have to be a Democrat because youre gay.

The forum at the Marvin Center Amphitheater Tuesday night, hosted by GW College Republicans, brought together what Josh Kutner, director of political affairs for the group, described as an all-star panel of Republican and conservative political and media consultants: Dave McCulloch, managing partner at Capitol Media Partners; Brad Polumbo, an editor and columnist at The Washington Examiner; and Edith Jorge-Tunon, political director for the Republican State Leadership Committee.

Mr. Moran, who has 14 years of experience managing local and national Republican political races, started the discussion by asking panelists to explain how they came out as conservative and where they fit on the conservative spectrum.

Mr. Polumbo said he realized he was a conservative when he was dropped into the liberal bastion of the University of Massachusetts and wound up persona non grata in the gay community.

A Rand Paul libertarian and technically not a Republican, he said, I definitely have a very right-wing philosophy. I am more than willing to punch at both sides.

Live your life honestly, Mr. Moran advised. Be present. Share and be aware. Accept them for who they are and who they are not.

We’re Portrayed As A Perversion

From the left, right, and even a few biased researchers, people accuse transgender people of being perverts, fetishists, and likely rapists. This is in great part why the right-wing tactics against non-discrimination ordinances have been so successful: the right wing tells people that it’s a choice between protecting their wives and daughters or a tiny group of perverts.

Many Trump Supporters Are Lgbt

So Stonewall is wrong. But something more important is going on here. What really infuriates Basham is that Log Cabin has given cover for the presidents claim that some of biggest supporters are LGBT. As if saying so were a crime Trump commits in secrecy while his fabulous gay accomplices at Log Cabin run interference. But its just a fact: Many of Trumps most fervent supporters are LGBT people.

Left-wing gay activists, however, depend on creating the impression that all LGBT people are Democrats. Democrats then use this false narrative to consolidate unearned moral authority. That is why, when the prominent gay billionaire Peter Thiel expressed support for Trump, The Advocate promptly ran a piece arguing he isnt actually gay he just has sex with men.

The point of such chicanery is to insinuate that all Republicans are homophobes, and all homophobes are Republicans. That only works if Democrats speak for all gays. So just one prominent gay or trans Republican punctures the lie that the left has a monopoly on gay rights.

Log Cabin Republicans stand to disabuse the public of that lie. The Stonewall Democrats dont want you to know we exist. But we do, our ideas are better than theirs, and were not going anywhere.

Trans Rights: A Perplexing Issue

Like many other gay conservatives, however, he seems to disconnect gay rights and transgender rights. Kabel recalled a recent article with a quotation from the conservative activist Tony Perkins that contrasted the Democratic and Republican platforms in 2016.

“The only issue Perkins raised was the transgender bathroom issue,” Kabel said. “And I thought, ‘That means we won.'”

Kabel called transgender equality “one of the most perplexing issues going.”

“Transgender people deserve support and protection just like anybody else, but it’s a very complex issue,” he said. “It’s remarkable when you hear their stories, but it’s just a very perplexing issue about how to really address it and do it so that they’re protected but other people aren’t hurt, so that people’s religious views are actually taken into consideration.”

Transgender visibility is all but absent in the Log Cabin Republicans, from their leadership to their messaging.

An OUTSpoken Instagram post compares the LGBT left to the LGBT right by putting an image of a person who appears to be transgender or gender-nonconforming next to a shirtless picture of former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, while the campaigns store sells T-shirts bearing slogans like “gay for Tucker” “gay for Melania” and “gay not stupid.

OUTspoken sent Brokeback Patriot, who has stated trans women are not women, to New Orleans Southern Decadence party to ask passersby if they think Trump is pro-gay.

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/kim-kardashian-admits-oversharing-plus-caitlyn-jenner-making-kris-jenner-nervous/

Kim Kardashian admits to oversharing plus Caitlyn Jenner making Kris Jenner nervous

Promptly after the whole robbery incident went down in Paris involving reality star Kim Kardashian, people began noting the dangers of excessive social media use. Prior to the robbery, Kim was known for her frequent – nearly constant - social media posts. Almost every hour, Kim would post something on one of her many social media pages, such as Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter. In the teaser for the upcoming episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim opens up about how she thinks her former social media habits may have led to the scary Paris robbery that occurred in October 2016. In the short clip, a notably emotional Kim is seen discussing the terrifying ordeal with her sisters, Khloe and Kourtney. During their chat, Kim admits that she had been basically documenting her whole Paris trip on her Snapchat, which likely helped the robbers plan out their break-in. The 36-year-old also reflected back on her stay in Paris, noting that she had actually told her entire fan base (via Snapchat) that she “was home and that everyone [else she was with] was going out.” While talking with her 2 sisters, Kim is heard saying, “What I think happened now, after thinking about it so much, is that there was probably a group of guys that were following us the entire trip…I was Snapchatting that I was home and that everyone was going out…So I think they new [our body guard] Pascal was out with Kourtney and I was by myself.“ Post-robbery, Kim has made some changes to the way she uses social media. While she continues to have a strong presence on many of her online platforms, she has definitely taken a step back from sharing everything with her followers. While the robbery was undoubtedly a terrifying and undeserving event, hopefully other celebrities are able to learn from Kim’s experience (and just how dangerous social media can be). In other semi-Kardashian news, former Keeping Up star Caitlyn Jenner is gearing up for the release of her tell-all memoir. In the book, which is titled The Secrets of My Life, Caitlyn shares stories and details about her life – going from a male US Olympian to a female transgender reality star. With the impending release of The Secrets of My Life, insiders are telling various media outlets that fans can expect some pretty in-depth secrets from Caitlyn’s unique life journey. According to one source, Caitlyn discusses her marriage with Kris Jenner in the book and even accuses Kris of previously disapproving of her female identity. The insider went on to tell the press that Caitlyn felt Kris “made her suppress her true self” and even “pushed her into the closet” during their marriage. The palpable tension and underlying issues between Caitlyn and her ex Kris Jenner were very evident on both I Am Cait and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. However, after attempting to hash things out (on multiple occasions), it seemed as though Kris and Caitlyn agreed to let bygones be bygones, mainly for the sake of their 2 daughters, Kylie and Kendall. Nonetheless, if the speculative contents of Caitlyn’s soon-to-be-released book end up being [even somewhat] accurate, it is safe to say that Caitlyn and Kris’s relationship will once again be on very shaky ground. RuPaul is a newlywed. The host of "RuPaul's Drag Race" announced Wednesday that he married his longtime boyfriend earlier this year. The 56-year-old entertainer said he and Georges LeBar tied the knot on their 23rd anniversary in January. RuPaul revealed their recent nuptials during an appearance on TV's "Hollywood Today Live." He said he and LeBar met "on the dance floor at the Limelight" in 1994. RuPaul said LeBar owns a farm in Wyoming and "doesn't care about show business at all." Ivana Trump, the first wife of President Donald Trump, is writing a memoir that will focus on the couple's three children. "Raising Trump" will be published Sept. 12, Gallery Books told The Associated Press on Wednesday. According to Gallery, Ivana Trump is writing a story of "motherhood, strength and resilience" and also will reflect on her "childhood in communist Czechoslovakia, her escape from the regime and relocation to New York, her whirlwind romance, and her great success as a businesswoman." "As her former husband takes his place as the 45th president of the United States, his children have also been thrust into the media spotlight - but it is Ivana who raised them and proudly instilled in them what she believes to be the most important life lessons: loyalty, honesty, integrity and drive," the statement reads. Donald and Ivana Trump divorced in 1992 amid revelations that Donald Trump had been having an affair with Marla Maples, who became his second wife. (They divorced in 1999 and six years later Donald Trump married Melania Knauss.) Gallery is calling the book "non-political," and it's also unlikely to be critical of the president, whose candidacy Ivana Trump supported. Her divorce from him included a nondisclosure agreement, and her children with him - Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric - are close to their father and are contributing memories to the book. The three younger Trumps said in a statement that they were "excited" about "Raising Trump" and called Ivana an "amazing mom, teacher and inspiration to all of us." Ivana Trump said in a statement that "Raising Trump" was in part a response to compliments she receives about her children. "I was a tough and loving mother who taught them the value of a dollar, not to lie, cheat or steal, respect for others, and other life lessons that I'll share now in 'Raising Trump,' along with unfiltered personal stories about Don, Eric, and Ivanka from their early childhood to becoming the 'first sons and daughter,'" she said. Ivana Trump has written books before, including "The Best Is Yet to Come: Coping with Divorce and Enjoying Life Again" and the novel "For Love Alone," which led to a legal battle with her ex-husband. In 1992, Donald Trump sued Ivana for $25 million, claiming the novel was based on their marriage and violated the nondisclosure portion of the divorce decree. Ivana Trump countersued over other parts of the divorce agreement and, in 1993, the two settled their differences. Gallery is part of Simon & Schuster, which under its Threshold Editions imprint published Donald Trump's campaign book "Crippled America," released in paperback as "Great Again." You can be sure there won't be any salacious parts in this book as Ivana redacted her long ago claim that Donald Trump raped her during their tumultuous divorce. MSNBC’s big “Trump tax return” scoop has caused friction between the cable news network and parent NBC, according to insiders. “[MSNBC] announced it on Twitter, and [NBC] found out when [the general public] did,” said a source. “[MSNBC president] Phil Griffin was trying to undermine [NBC News president] Noah Oppenheim. There was never a conversation. They overplayed their hand in a huge way.” Host Rachel Maddow teased the story on Twitter, then withheld the story till later in her program, revealing in a big ­anticlimax that Trump paid $38 million in taxes in 2005. “It’s their cable network, but it’s still NBC News. [NBC] did not appreciate being kept in the dark . . . To hype such a big story and not really deliver is a bit embarrassing. Airing a story you’ve hyped 20 minutes into your broadcast makes it a lot less of a ‘breaking news’ story.” A rep for NBC insisted there’s no tension between the execs. “They’ve been friends for 20 years — ever since Phil hired Noah straight out of college to work on ‘Hardball.’ They’re supertight.” A new war of words has broken out over Leah Remini‘s show, “Scientology and the Aftermath” after A&E renewed it for a second season on Wednesday. Remini — the “King of Queens” TV star who broke from the religion about four years ago — said in a statement of her show being picked up, “It became clear to us that although we were telling painful stories of former members of the Church of Scientology, this show was resonating strongly with people everywhere.” She added, “The show is really about standing up for what is right and not letting bullies have their way. I feel it is important for people to know that you can take action to bring about change, both for yourself and for others.” A&E’s prepping an Emmy campaign for the series’ first season, which has been pulling in solid ratings with an average of three million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But a rep for Scientology responded on Wednesday by alleging Remini’s “teamed with A&E to shamelessly turn religious hate into a commodity by treating it as entertainment” and accused the network of “compensating Remini’s sources” for the show. “Real transparency would be for A&E to detail all forms of compensation made to sources spreading religious hate and bigotry on Leah Remini’s show,” a Scientology rep said in a statement to media outlets. “When the network cancelled ‘Generation KKK,’ the network claimed that paying sources violated company policies. Yet at the same time it was hypocritically compensating Remini’s sources with money and significant in-kind payments. A&E can’t have it both [ways].” Last year, A&E canceled a series on KKK members before it aired, saying it learned that producers paid some participants. TMZ reported in December that a lawyer for Scientology wrote A&E alleging a double standard by canceling “Generation KKK” while keeping Remini’s on the air. But Variety reported an unnamed TV source saying of the situation, “We’re talking about payments made to hate group members versus payment to Leah, the [executive producer] of the show” and “It’s apples and oranges.” The religion’s rep further alleged to media outlets, “A&E has a duty to conduct a thorough investigation into the extent to which Leah Remini’s show violates its own internal policies,” and, “The Church has repeatedly asked A&E to investigate the production of the Remini series and financial payments, especially in the wake of numerous violent threats generated against the Church, its leaders and parishioners coinciding with the airing of the series. Those hate crimes include death threats and acts of vandalism, many of which have been and are now the subject of law enforcement investigations.” The church — which has created an entire Web site dedicated to Remini’s show, leahreminiaftermath.com — alleges that one person paid for the show is former member Mike Rinder. An A&E rep declined to comment. Meanwhile, the first season of Remini’s show has already sparked controversy. The LAPD is investigating actor Danny Masterson after three women — reportedly inspired by Remini — came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against the “The ’70s Show” star. Masterson has vigorously denied the allegations, and his rep turned the finger back on Remini for instigating them.

As the “blizzard” raged in New York on Tuesday morning, “T2 Trainspotting” star Ewan McGregor still showed up to his press day — but found no reporters there.

The actor Instagrammed an empty hotel hallway, saying, “Where are the press though?”

On Seth Meyers’ show, the Scottish actor commented on the weather, “It’s more of a sort of rainy day in Glasgow.”

He shoots “Fargo” in Canada, saying, “This is a walk in the park compared to what it’s like in Calgary.”

https://twitter.com/mcgregor_ewan/status/841676029479571464

Thankfully, plenty of people, including Helena Christensen, director Danny Boyle, Rosario Dawson, Gina Gershon and Lucy Liu, showed up to a Cinema Society screening later that night, and McGregor also took questions on Twitter, telling one fan who asked about drugs, “I got clean and sober when I was not that young of a person, 29 . . . It’s changed my life for the better for sure.”

Tori Spelling’s husband will avoid the slammer for now. Dean McDermott was held in contempt of court last week over unpaid child support — but the judge allowed him and ex-wife Mary Jo Eustace to make a deal that would spare him jail time. Per an arrangement they hashed out in a courthouse waiting area, McDermott coughed up a $2,500 installment of the cash. The next payment is due April 1. As previously reported, Eustace — who shares a son, Jack, with McDermott — will not hesitate to re-file paperwork that could land her ex in jail if he breaks the terms of their current arrangement. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen continue to define #relationshipgoals — even during tough times. “For me as a husband, it was my job to do the best I could to support her and understand what she was going through,” Legend, 38, told People magazine about Teigen’s battle with postpartum depression. “I feel like that’s the least I could do,” he said. Teigen, 31, revealed her struggles since having the couple’s first child, daughter Luna Simone, to Glamour magazine. “I think it was powerful for her to let a lot of women know they’re not alone, and no matter how much money you have or fame, anybody can feel that.” he said. And in her essay, the Sports Illustrated model described just how supportive Legend was. “John would sleep on the couch with me, sometimes four nights in a row,” she wrote. He was also present for her diagnosis during a physical. The “La La Land” musician also had some advice for other couples facing postpartum depression. “[As a man] you don’t know internally what it feels like. You should read about it and understand what it is and really just be there to help,” he said. While the Fifty Shades franchise has somehow managed to make fans out of thousands – if not, millions – of people around the world, there is one particular star who has avoided watching the racy movies altogether. In a new interview with fashion publication Elle, actor Charlie Hunnam spoke candidly about his opinion on the whole Fifty Shades frenzy. As you may recall, the Sons of Anarchy star was initially casted as Christian Grey, the male lead in the Fifty Shades franchise. However, he later dropped out of the role and was replaced by the franchise’s current star, actor Jamie Dornan. In his interview with Elle, Charlie admitted that he has not seen Fifty Shades of Grey, mainly because of his “traumatic experience” during casting. Charlie explained, “I developed a friendship with [director Sam Taylor-Johnson], but [the casting for the movie] was a somewhat traumatic experience for me. I didn’t want to open that wound.” While the actor did not offer any further details about what led him to drop out of the role of Christian Grey, previous reports claim that he was not comfortable with some of the film’s controversial and explicit intimate scenes. Later on in his Elle interview, Charlie also confessed to being “profoundly germophobic,” which inevitably didn’t mesh well with what his former Fifty Shades of Grey role entailed. On Tuesday, Batman star Ben Affleck posted a candid message to his fans via his Facebook page. Over the years, Ben has had several notable incidents involving evident substance abuse issues. However, he has continuously (for the most part) abstained from talking publicly about his substance-related issues. Subsequently, Ben’s post to his Facebook page on Tuesday caught followers by surprise, as he bravely confessed to having just completed a stint in rehab. In the post, Ben told his fans, “I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I’ve dealt with in the past and will continue to confront. I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step. I’m lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I’ve done the work I set out to do. This was the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery.” With Ben referring to his [possibly, ex] wife Jennifer Garner as a “co-parent,” it is unclear whether or not the 2 stars have reconciled (romantically). Back in June 2015, the duo announced that they were getting a divorce after over 10 years of marriage. However, just recently, media outlets reported that the couple retracted their divorce filing. One source told Hollywood Life, “Ben and Jennifer still have an undeniable chemistry, even after all these years. And that is part of the reason, along with their love for their children, why they are struggling with their divorce.” Nonetheless, it is good to see Ben getting the help he needs and hopefully this is the beginning of a fresh, new chapter for both him and his family. While we are less than 3 months into 2017, singer Ed Sheeran has already made his mark on the year. After stepping away from the spotlight for just over a year, Ed recently made his triumphant return with the release of his latest album ÷   (Divide). On Sunday, music publication Billboard revealed that Ed’s album has set a new record for 2017. Specifically, Divide debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart with the biggest album debut of 2017 so far. Evidently a big milestone for the UK-born crooner, many of his close famous friends took to social media to congratulate him on the accomplishment. Ed’s friend, and well-known DJ, Calvin Harris took to his Twitter page to playfully call out the singer for knocking him out of the top spot in the UK. Calvin posted on his page, “Ed Sheeran just beat my UK record top 10s from 1 album in ONE WEEK. Congrats Ed, but also f*** you I love you but also f*** you.” Calvin Harris, Twitter post: https://twitter.com/CalvinHarris/status/840362015864442880 Impressively, 9 of Ed’s songs off of his new album made the Top 10 on the UK Official Singles chart – including his hit tracks “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill.” Prior to the release of Divide, Calvin had held the record for most UK Top 10s from 1 album with his album 18 Months (which featured hit tracks like “Feel So Close,” “We Found Love”, and “I Need Your Love”). Fortunately, Ed still has a bit of time to soak in all of the accolades and records Divide is currently receiving, as he is not set to start his North American tour until June 29. Mere days after news of their blossoming romanced surfaced, superstar songstress Jennifer Lopez and former MLB player Alex Rodriguez are already taking things to a whole new level – or, at least, a whole new place. Last Friday, the new couple was spotted relaxing at the Bakers Bay Golf & Ocean Club, which is an exclusive owners-only resort, in the Bahamas. According to news outlet Page Six, Jennifer and Alex flew by private jet to the exclusive venue. Shortly after they touched down, Jennifer and Alex hopped on a speedboat and made their way to their weekend accommodations. Onlookers were able to get photos of the 2 lovebirds, snuggling up in the boat as they made their way to their final destination. While it has not been confirmed, insiders claim that the duo is planning to spend their time in the Bahamas at a friend’s private estate. While the public has only known about J-Rod (Jennifer and Alex’s couple name) for a couple of days, many outlets are reporting that they have been casually seeing each other for a few weeks now. It appears that both stars made quite the effort to keep their romance out of the spotlight, which was evidently successful. In addition, most fans and media outlets were too fixated on Jennifer’s short-lived fling with rapper Drake to realize that she had moved on to another beau. Nonetheless, with the news of their romance now public, jetting off to a private estate in the Bahamas was probably the only way for J-Rod to get some much-needed privacy. The SXSW (South by Southwest) Festival kicked off on Friday, March 10th. At this annual event, fans and stars come together to present and celebrate interactive media. While the 2017 Festival is still underway, guests at the event have already revealed some very exciting news about what is to come in music, movies and TV. On Sunday, the show runners of the HBO hit action-drama Game of Thrones, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, told fans that they could expect to see a very familiar face in the show’s 7th season. They went on to reveal that UK-born singer Ed Sheeran did a guest spot in the upcoming season. The show runners told the SXSW audience and press, “For years we were trying to get Ed Sheeran on the show to surprise Maisie, and this year we finally did it.” While you would think there would be no downsides to being invited to do a guest spot on a show like Game of Thrones, David and Dan told the crowd that it is sometimes an overwhelming experience for those coming from a non-acting background. Dan elaborated, “A lot of [music artists] say they would like to [be on the show], and then we tell them [shooting a scene] is so boring. You’re gonna hate this – you’re going to be sitting around 3 days for 12 hours a day.” Nonetheless, the HBO team was successful in convincing Ed to schedule some GOT set time into his super busy schedule. Game of Thrones season 7 is set to premiere later this year – keep an eye out for Ed! A few weeks back, TV personality Nick Cannon shocked fans when he announced he would no longer be hosting the hit reality competition America’s Got Talent. Nick’s sudden decision to end his hosting stint on AGT came after he was accused of breaching his contract with NBC when he made a joke about the network during one of his stand-up comedy shows. In a lengthy letter posted to his Facebook page, Nick explained, “I write this from a deeply saddened and dolorous mindset. After days of deliberating over some extremely disappointing news that I was being threatened with termination by Executives because of a comedy special that was only intended to bring communities closer together, I was to be punished for a joke.” Fortunately, NBC has found a celebrity to replace Nick, who had been hosting the series for 8 consecutive seasons. On Sunday, supermodel and business mogul Tyra Banks announced that she would be hosting the upcoming season of AGT. On her Twitter page, Tyra posted, “Surprise! Ty Ty is the new host of #AGT…” Tyra Banks, Twitter post: https://twitter.com/tyrabanks/status/841067045340950528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw With Tyra now on board, the cast now includes: Tyra Banks, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel.

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