The religious right would do better to share the streets

Politicians, pundits and preachers arguing in favor of Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs) have coalesced behind a metaphor: Tolerance is a two way street. All they want is the same respect for religion that the LGBT community is requesting for sexual orientation and gender identity. In their view, LGBT activists are on the march, aggressively…

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‘Kashish’ 2015 looks at crowdfunding to raise funds for LGBT film festival

Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival – South Asia’s biggest and India’s only mainstream LGBT film festival – has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise a part of the funds required for organizing the sixth edition of the festival. The film festival will be held May 27 – 31, 2015 at Liberty Cinema and Alliance…

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HBO: ‘Vice’ follows stories of homosexuals and transsexuals in Iran (VIDEO)

Ep. 305 Preview In Friday’s episode of HBO’s Vice, Vice Correspondent Thomas Morton follows the stories of homosexuals and transsexuals in Iran as they navigate a terrifying cultural landscape. Post-revolution Iran is notorious for its religiosity: when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979 he enforced strict Islamic custom that made homosexuality punishable by death….

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White House supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors

WASHINGTON – The White House has responded to a petition with over 120,000 signers seeking “help to ban the practice known as ‘conversion therapy.’” The petition came in response to the heartbreaking story of Leelah Alcorn, a 17 year old transgender youth who tragically took her own life after being subjected to the horrifying experiences…

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Thaw in Cuban-American relations holds promise for island’s LGBT community

Johnny Simon and Rebecca Sanchez, who have been focusing on Cuba’s shifting political, cultural and social sands for MSNBC, have taken a snapshot of LGBT life in an interesting, albeit truncated, piece this week. “Though same-sex relationships were technically decriminalized in 1979,” they write, “it wasn’t until 1993 that Fidel Castro publicly stated his opposition…

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AHF rejects claims by former employees

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the USA has rejected the claims made by three former managers of AHF who  filed Federal and Florida State Whistleblower Act claims against the company alleging illegal patient referral kickbacks. AHF is charged with defrauding Federal healthcare programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Health…

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Rep. Susan Davis leads Calif. delegation letter in support of Sally Ride statue in US capitol

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) led a California congressional delegation letter in support of having a statue of astronaut and educator Sally Ride represent California in the U.S. Capitol.  The letter to Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, who is leading the legislative effort in the Assembly, urges the California legislature to approve the resolution…

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