Ellen's comments on Trump's Travel Ban

Ellen DeGeneres attacks Trump’s Travel Ban and Immigration Policies using ‘Finding Dory’.

Please, watch below:

Breaking News: Trump's anti-LGBT executive order is coming soon

LGBTQ Nation reports:

"An executive order from Donald Trump opening up discrimination against the LGBTQ community on the basis of religious belief is expected sometime this week, possibly as soon as today. 

Several sources spoke with LGBTQ Nation on the condition of anonymity who have told us that the order will allow for discrimination in a number of areas, including employment, social services, business, and adoption.

From what we’ve heard, the executive order could be far-reaching, and could include: making taxpayer funds available for discrimination against LGBT people in social services; allow federally funded adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT parents; eliminate non-discrimination protections in order to make it possible to fire federal employers and contractors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity; and allow federal employees to refuse to serve people based on the belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and that gender is an immutable characteristic set at birth, which would impact a broad range of federal benefits."

Why do they call "religious freedom" when they want to say "freedom to discriminate"?

Watch the four-page draft order below:

Poland's President shuts the door on gay marriage

The President of Poland says same-sex marriage will never be legalised in the country, despite growing pressure from lobby groups and neighbouring European countries.

The President comes from Poland’s Law and Justice Party, a right-wing national-conservative party that strongly oppose LGBT rights.

President Duda cited the Constitution when asked about the future of marriage equality in Poland: “I unequivocally repeat: marriage in accordance with the Polish Constitution is a union between a man and a woman”, he declared.

And he continued by saying: “I do not think that the political majority today would agree to any amendment to the Constitution in this area, water down this clause and open interpretation that marriage could also include other genders”.

Over one year ago, the European Parliament urged nine European countries, Poland include, to recognize same-sex marriage and protect LGBT rights.

Russia bans Arctic Circle Polar Pride

An LGBT pride event in the Arctic Circle, in the town of Salekhard, Russia, has been banned due to the “gay propaganda law", signed by President Vladimir Putin in 2013.

Police have banned around 300 people who were looking to march in what was named Polar Pride. 

The city administration cited the so-called gay propaganda law, which bans providing information about homosexuality to minors. They claimed the march would be harmful to children’s “health and development”.

The same law was used to ban gay pride march in Moscow in 2012. Moscow Pride began having marches in 2006 and continued through 2011, in spite of repeated homophobic attacks against demonstrators.

After approving law, pride parades have been denied across Russia, in many cities as Arkhangelsk, Yekaterinburg, Cheylabinsk, Sarank, St Petersburg, Tula, Tver and Vladimir.

The Church of England still does not recognize same-sex marriage

The Church of England uphold their view that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

In a new report they added that there was still “little support for changing the Church of England’s teaching on marriage”.

The House of Bishops came to this conclusion after two years of discussions.

It’s a view that will continue to frustrate gay rights campaigners and risks the Church being further alienated from modern society’s views and attitudes.

However, despite refusing to lift their opposition on same-sex marriage, the Church did acknowledge that it needs to “repent on the homophobic attitudes” it has previously had.

What’s more, they advise that church law and guidance should be interpreted to provide maximum freedom for LGBT people.

Remember that three years ago the Church of England announced that wouldn't oppose to same-sex marriage bill for England and Wales because the large majorities expressed by both Houses of Parliament.

YouTube star raises $130,000 for Human Rights Equality Campaign

Markiplier, a Californian YouTube star, has raised $130,000 for the Human Rights Equality Campaign after appealing to his followers to donate.

Announcing its launch at the start of the week, Markiplier said in a statement: "Today we stand by our LGBTQ+ friends to ensure equality for everyone! Please help us raise $100,000 for the Human Rights Campaign to ensure the future stays bright and open for all!".

He launched his GoFundMe page on Monday asking his 16million+ followers to support the cause and, in just over two days, he has smashed the target. 

Last December, Forbes placed Markiplier in seventh place in its list of 2016’s top earning YouTube stars.

Awesome!

Overwhelming majority of Germans support marriage equality

A new survey conducted by Germany’s Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency has found that an overwhelming majority of Germans, over 83%, support marriage equality. 

The result is perhaps not so surprising for a socially liberal country like Germany, but that its government still refuses to go forward with legislation permitting same-sex marriage is.

Merkel’s typically cautious and deliberate ruling style might lend itself to this obstinate stance, as does the socially conservative base of voters that lean towards her party the CDU. 

Despite many European countries have legalized same-sex marriage during the past decade, the largest country in the European Union clings to antiquated civil unions. 

It's time Germany!

If Germany is ready, what are you waiting for?

LGBT achievements quickly vanished from White House website after Trump swearing in

Anyone looking up the White House LGBT page shortly after Donald Trump’s swearing in found only a smiling photo of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Then a few minutes later, the page was gone altogether.

Under his predecessor Barack Obama, historic gains were highlighted on the page. They included same-sex marriage becoming legal and the end of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

It also highlighted Obama’s Executive Order forbidding federal contractors and subcontractors to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

First it was the White House LGBT page, then a report on the advancement of LGBT workplace rights on the Department of Labor website. It exactly vanished 25 minutes after Donald Trump's swearing in.

Yet LGBT page was not the only one to vanish once Trump took the Oath of Office. Pages devoted to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, civil rights, climate change, and the White House Council on women and girls have also disappeared.

Demand Trump administration add LGBT rights, climate change, and civil rights back to list of issues on wh.gov site

Well, we are here and we won't disappear.

Women's March floods Washington D.C.

The National Mall in Washington D.C. has flooded with pink, as hundreds of thousands demonstrators descend for the Women's March on Washington. 

Just one day after Donald Trump's inauguration, marchers from across the country have gathered in the city to protest his agenda and support for women's rights.

Protesters in the United States and around the world are joining marches Saturday to raise awareness of women's rights and other civil rights they fear could be under threat under Trump's presidency.

"It’s more about women’s rights, human rights", one of the organizers said. "During the campaign there were lots of misogynist, racist and hateful messages, and that’s what we’re standing up against", she added.

First openly gay Secretary of Army leaves Pentagon with honors

First openly gay Secretary of Army bids farewell to the Pentagon. Eric Fanning served only 248 days as US Secretary of the Army, but it was long enough to make history.

Fanning, the first openly gay service chief in US history, was given an emotional farewell ceremony at the Pentagon.

‘It’s been the honor of my lifetime to be your secretary’, Fanning told the audience of top Army and Defense Department leaders in a packed Pentagon auditorium.

Fanning’s partner, Benjamin Masri-Cohen, posted a photo on Facebook today of he and Fanning exiting the Pentagon after a very emotional farewell. ‘While sad, I was so proud of what Eric and his team accomplished and honored to have been by his side for the adventure’, Masri-Cohen wrote.

The US Senate confirmed Eric Fanning last May 2016 as the new Secretary of the Army. He was confirmed unanimously on a voice vote. Fanning had a long record of national security service in the military and Congress which dates back more than two decades. 

Stuart Milk announces that Madrid will host the first Diversity Honors Awards

Stuart Milk, the president of the Harvey Milk Foundation, has announced that Madrid will host the first Diversity Honors Awards, which will reward those activists who stand out most in defense of the LGBT rights around the world.

He has made the announcement in a statement during the presentation of the collaboration agreement between the Foundation and the World Pride Madrid 2017 Organizing Committee.

"Gay Pride is different in every part of the world, and in many places I go there are still demonstrations, not parades, because people do not have their rights," said Stuart Milk. 

He pointed the Spanish capital as one of the cities where a greater progress has been made not only to tolerance towards the LGBT group, but also to its inclusion. 

The Foundation takes the name of the politician and activist Harvey Milk, who was the first openly homosexual person chosen for a public office in the United States, murdered in 1978 in San Francisco by a former supervisor who also killed the mayor, George Moscone.

Will & Grace is coming back

Ten years after it left the air, Will & Grace is coming back for a ninth season.

NBC announced today that it has ordered 10 new episodes of the classic sitcom starring Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally.

The sitcom ran eight seasons from 1998-2006 and won a total of 16 Emmy Awards.

All four stars had previously indicated they were excited at the prospect after they reunited for a mini episode last fall in support of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The reunion went viral and has been viewed nearly 7 million times.

Watch it below:

Trump sacks all gay ambassadors

Incoming Donald Trump has ordered the immediate removal of all ambassadors appointed by President Obama, in a departure from usual protocol.

When President Obama took office in 2008, there were no openly gay ambassadors representing the U.S. But the first publicly gay ambassador appointed by Obama was David Huebner, in 2009, as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

After that, the openly gay persons named as ambassadors under the Obama administration were Daniel Baer (OSCE), John Berry (Australia), James Costos (Spain), Rufus Gifford (Denmark), Wally Brewster (Dominican Republic) and Ted Osius (Vietnam).

However, all of them are being immediately sacked by Trump, who has issued an unprecedented notice warning all of the current President’s appointees to make arrangements to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day, without exceptions and regardless of family circumstances.

The move is a departure from existing protocol, which allowed for a staggered grace period lasting months in which politically-appointed diplomats are gradually removed as replacements are selected.

Trump is coming!

LGBT officials sign open letter to Donald Trump asking to further equality

More than 150 LGBT elected officials signed an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump, expressing concerns about his cabinet picks and asking him to further LGBT rights.

The letter, circulated by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute, urged Trump to respect the LGBT community and push for policies that would advance equality.

The letter reads: “Congratulations on being elected the 45th President of the United States. We are 156 proud lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elected officials representing millions of constituents, and we urge you to join us in embodying the highest ideals of our great and diverse nation.”

“We ask you deescalate the hostility and intolerance expressed by a small but vocal minority throughout the election season. We ask you to appoint individuals with inclusive policy situations that aim to better the lives of all Americans. And we ask you to declare full support for LGBT equality, and remain true to earlier statements promising to be a president supportive of our rights.”

The letter concludes by saying, “We sincerely hope you aim to be a president for all Americans – including LGBT Americans of every race, ethnicity, gender and religion.”

To read the full letter and for a complete list of all 156 officials, head over to NewNowNext.

More adults identifying as LGBT in U.S.

About 10 million Americans, or 4.6 percent of the U.S. population, identified as LGBT in 2016.

A new Gallup poll released the findings, the portion of American adults identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender increased to 4.1% in 2016 from 3.5% in 2012.

To determine these numbers, pollsters conducted interviews with random sample of 1.6 million U.S. adults (over age 18) for the past five years, asking, "Do you, personally, identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender?" Nearly 50,000 responded in the affirmative.

Young people born between 1980-1998 were twice as likely as other age demographics to identify as LGBT. Although they account for only 32 percent of the adult population, millennials comprised 58 percent of the total number of self-identified LGBT Americans, and they grow up from 5.8% in 2012 to 7.3% in 2016.

In addition, women (4.4 percent) were more likely than men (3.7 percent) to identify as LGBT; the former group also accounted for a greater increase since 2012.

In terms of race and ethnicity, polled demographics were white (3.6 percent), black (4.6 percent), Hispanic (5.4 percent), Asian (4.9 percent), and other (6.3 percent).

See the full report on Gallup.com.

Obama's final efforts to protect trans rights

Texas Judge Reed O'Connor barred enforcement of the Affordable Care Act's section designed to protect citizens based on gender identity, just a day before said protections were scheduled to go into effect. 

Now, President Obama has made a final stand to uphold his legislation protecting transgender people by asking a federal appeals court to dismiss O'Connor's decision.

Justice Department filed three arguments against O'Connor's ruling, which claimed the Affordable Care Act's protections of individuals based on sex exceeded the executive branch's authority. 

The Justice Department countered by saying the Affordable Care Act had not violated the Administrative Procedure Act, as O'Connor claimed.

A poll found that around 6 in 10 Americans oppose bills like HB2 in North Carolina, the legislation that demands transgender people use restrooms in fitting with their gender at birth, among other restrictions on LGBT protections.

A court ruled Peru has to recognize the same-sex marriage

Peru has to recognize same-sex marriages entered abroad, a court has decided.

The ruling was made by the seventh Constitutional Court in the capital of Lima, following a lawsuit by a gay couple. Oscar Ugarteche Galarza and his Mexican husband Fidel Aroche Reyes live in Mexico City, where marriage is open to same-sex couples.

On January 2012, Ugarteche applied to have his marriage entered into the register. It was struck down in March of the same year. He then sued the Peruvian government, demanding to recognize his marriage as legitimate and for it to be added to the register.

Last December, the court ruled in Ugarteche’s favor, in a move which has been hailed as bringing the country one step closer to marriage equality.

"The court is of the belief that our administration of justice has to be interpreted on the basis of changes to and the needs of our society", the ruling read. And thereby, it finds a great part of society speaking out for the legal equality of homosexual couples", it affirmed.

ISIS murders another gay man in Mosul

ISIS have murdered another gay man in Mosul, Iraq, in its vile campaign to rid the world of homosexuality.

New photos released by Islamic State show the ‘hisbah’, or religious police, carrying out an execution of a man accused of gay sex throwing him off a roof.

If the man survives the fall face-first, the crowd of attendants have to stone him to death.

The public executions in ISIS territories started at early 2014, and hundreds of LGBT people, included many children, have been killed because, according to Islamic extremists, they are the ‘worst of creatures’.

Always a crowd of men and young boys 

gather around to watch the man be thrown off

and, if he survives, they stone him to death

Gay-themed Moonlight wins Best Drama at Golden Globes

Moonlight, a movie about a young African-American man grappling with his sexuality, won at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

The film was nominated in six categories, losing out to the musical La La Land in most of them, but it did capture Best Motion Picture Drama. 

In his acceptance speech, director-screenwriter Barry Jenkins said: "We have to give people things not to escape to, there's a place for that, but reaffirm that if you feel something you should speak it, and people will be there to hear it".

Moonlight was a breakout hit at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and critics have fervently embraced the movie which expected to show up in force in the current Oscars race.

The Trans List

The Trans List is the latest in a series of HBO's documentaries directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. 

Like his previous films, which include The Black List, The Latino List, and The Out List, The Trans List features a sincere, straightforward style of interviewing, giving a platform for people to share their life stories in their own voices. 

From Bamby Salcedo (activist), to Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, Shane Ortega (U.S. Army Staff Sergeant), Nicole Maines (advocate and actor), Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (advocate and community leader), Kylar Broadus (civil rights attorney), Amos Mac (photographer), Caroline Cossey (model), and Alok Vaid-Menon (writer and performance artist), each shared their personal story in detail, describing in their own words their relationships with identity, family, career, struggle and achievement.

Janet Mock, journalist and advocate, co-produced the film and interviewed each of the documentary's eleven cast members, intimately from behind-the-camera.

Awesome!

100 years of men's underwear

From early-1900s one-pieces to modern-day boxer-briefs, a century's worth of men’s underwear is tried on by a model. 

Watch as he dons each decade's signature undies and learn what’s been beneath men's trousers throughout thelast 100 years.

Watch and enjoy:

Rose Parade float honors Pulse shooting victims

Survivors of the Pulse massacre took center stage at the 128th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. It's a celebration more than a century old to salute the world on the first day of the year.

The Rose Parade is watched in person by hundreds of thousands of spectators on the parade route, and is broadcast on multiple television networks in the United States.

The 2017 parade featured 44 floats, 19 equestrian units with approximately 400 horses, and 22 marching bands. The Grand Marshals of the parade were Greg Louganis, Janet Evans and Allyson Felix.

Victor Baez Febo and Isaiah Henderson, with survivor Jahqui Sevilla and Pulse’s owner Barbara Poma, rode on a float commissioned by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Impulse Group United, which honored the 49 victims and dozens of survivors of last year’s shooting at the Pulse Nightclub.

Last November, more than 150,000 people attended the Orlando’s annual Come Out With Pride parade, one of the largest Pride festivals in Florida, and remembered victims just one year after of the massacre.

Never forget!

Roy Cooper sworn in as Governor of North Carolina

The new North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper took his oath of office minutes after midnight Sunday morning, getting an early start on his duties amid bitter partisan politics in the state but saying he believed there is a way forward.

Cooper claimed victory on election night. But it was another four weeks before McCrory conceded while dozens of ballot protests were considered and a partial recount was held in Durham County. In the end, Cooper won by about 10,000 votes. 

A law McCrory signed last March limiting non-discrimination protections for LGBT people and directing which public bathrooms transgender people can use was a big issue in the fall campaign. Cooper wants the law known as House Bill 2 repealed.

Brazilian student protests against homophobia wearing red dress and heels in his graduation

Talles De Oliveira Faria, a Brazilian engineering student at the Institute of Aeronautical Technology (ITA), linked to the Armed Forces, accepted his diploma wearing a red dress and heels.

This was the way that the 24-year-old student wanted to protest against the homophobic harassment he had suffered during the past five years. He wrote an open letter on Facebook explaining his bad experiences at the ITA.

"Since the third year I knew that in my graduation I would wear a dress", said Talles. "It is my way of fighting against homophobia and also against the racism that exist in classrooms".

He got it!