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Published by Reuters By Jeffrey Dastin and Julia Love (Reuters) – Earlier this year, Amazon.com Inc handily defeated a historic union drive at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. But with the prospect of another vote looming, the online retailer is leaving nothing to chance. Over the past few weeks, Amazon has ramped up its campaign at the warehouse, forcing thousands of employees to attend meetings, posting signs critical of labor groups in bathrooms, and flying in staff from the West Coast, according to interviews and documents seen by Reuters. It is an indication that Amazon is sticking to its aggressive playbook. In August, a U.S. National Labor Relations Board hearing officer said the company’s conduct around the previous vote interfered with the Bessemer union election. An NLRB regional director’s decision on whether to order a new vote is forthcoming. Amazon has denied wrongdoing and said it wanted employees’ voices to be heard. Still, the moves to discourage unionization ahead of any second election, previously unreported, show how Amazon is fighting representation at its U.S. worksites. An uptick in labor activity since workers in April rejected joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), including organizing drives in New York and Canada, has pushed Amazon to react. Other prominent unions like the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are also vowing to organize Amazon. The risk: unions could alter how Amazon manages its vast, finely tuned operation and drive up costs at a time when a labor shortage is taking a toll on its profit. Wilma Liebman, a former NLRB chair, said the stakes are high. “They really, really fear any toe in the door to unionization,” Liebman said. “There’s nothing like a win, and a win can be contagious.” In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said a union “will impact everyone at the site so it’s important all employees understand what that means for them and their day-to-day life working at Amazon.” In the new campaign, Amazon has dedicated a week of mandatory meetings to warn staff that unions will force them to strike and forgo pay, a nod to the recent stoppages roiling workplaces across the country. And like last time, Amazon has said unions are a business taking workers’ money and told staff to consider what it can guarantee and what unions cannot – now in panels in bathroom stalls and above urinals. The panels carry information unrelated to unions as well. “Unions can make a lot of promises, but cannot guarantee you will receive better wages, benefits, or working conditions,” read a photo shared with Reuters. UNION SUPPORTERS PUSH BACK Some staff have challenged Amazon’s claims and posted their own pro-union signs in warehouse bathrooms, according to worker accounts. The RWDSU, meanwhile, has flown in personnel to Bessemer, facilitated nightly chats at a burger joint, and ramped up door-knocking. Home visits are a crucial part of organizing drives because unions have no guaranteed worksite access under U.S. law, said John Logan, a professor at San Francisco State University. Stuart Appelbaum, the RWDSU’s president, said the union has heard from employees who now would change their vote to join. He said he believes door-knocking gives the union a new edge. “We have a greater opportunity to engage with people every day than during the height of the pandemic,” said Appelbaum. Organizers did not conduct home visits last time because of COVID-19 fears. He added that the RWDSU’s effort is about more than Amazon. “It’s about the future of work.” A Teamsters spokeswoman said the union has attended strategy meetings on Amazon with other unions coordinated by the biggest U.S. labor federation, the AFL-CIO. Tim Schlittner of the AFL-CIO said the federation is “bringing the resources of the labor movement” to support Amazon workers. Roadblocks abound, not least that the RWDSU has to reach new staff joining the company without knowing their names until an official election is ordered. Appelbaum estimated that Amazon was hiring 200 people a week in Bessemer. Amazon had no comment on turnover. The warehouse headcount numbers more than 5,800. SCARE TACTIC On Oct. 10, just when Amazon raised hourly wages by 25 cents for more veteran staff, the company re-started mandatory weekly meetings in Bessemer to highlight different messages about unions. Amazon said the pay increase was unrelated to the meetings. For Darryl Richardson, an outspoken union supporter at the facility, strikes were a bigger focus of Amazon’s new campaign. “They’re trying to scare you more now,” Richardson said. “You don’t get paid going on a strike.” According to Richardson, Amazon falsely said a union would force workers to walk off the job and fine them if they crossed a picket line. The 52-year-old said Amazon has treated him differently as well: he was denied transfer requests, and an official walking through the warehouse to ask workers how they felt about unions had little to say after scanning Richardson’s badge … “‘You’re Darryl,’ she said. ‘Your mind is made up.'” Amazon had no comment on Richardson’s remarks. Though the company told employees they can turn away organizers showing up at their doorsteps, Richardson said he and peers have kept knocking, while Amazon is making its case on home turf. In one table-top sign Amazon put up at the warehouse, the company exhorted workers to “FOLLOW THE MONEY,” claiming the RWDSU gave Appelbaum a “$30,000 raise paid for by union dues” and last year spent nearly $100,000 on cars for its officials. Asked for comment, Appelbaum said he has no union car and that transportation is for field representatives whose jobs require travel to workplaces. Amazon is “misrepresenting the information,” he said. (Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin and Julia Love in San Francisco; Editing by Anna Driver and Bernard Orr) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Krisztina Than and Nikolaj Skydsgaard BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Coronavirus infections are hitting record levels in many countries across Europe as winter takes hold, prompting a call for action from the World Health Organization which described the new wave as a “grave concern”. Soaring numbers of cases, especially in Eastern Europe, have prompted debate on whether to reintroduce curbs on movement before the Christmas holiday season and on how to persuade more people to get vaccinated. That conversation comes as some countries in Asia, with the notable exception of China, reopen their tourism sectors to the rest of the world. “The current pace of transmission across the 53 countries of the European Region is of grave concern,” regional WHO head Hans Kluge said, adding that the spread was exacerbated by the more transmissible Delta variant. The virus spreads faster in the winter months when people gather indoors. Kluge warned earlier that if Europe followed its current trajectory, there could be 500,000 COVID-related deaths in the region by February. “We must change our tactics, from reacting to surges of COVID-19, to preventing them from happening in the first place,” he said. The region saw a 6% increase in new cases last week, with nearly 1.8 million new cases, compared to the week before. The number of deaths rose 12% in the same period. Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, reported 33,949 new infections, the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic last year. Cases in Russia and Ukraine are soaring. Austria’s daily new coronavirus infections surged towards a record set a year ago, making a lockdown for the unvaccinated ever more likely. COVID-19 prevalence in England rose to its highest level on record in October, Imperial College London said, led by a high numbers of cases in children and a surge in the southwest. Slovakia reported 6,713 new cases, also a record, while daily new cases in Hungary more than doubled from last week to 6,268. Poland, Eastern Europe’s biggest economy, reported 15,515 daily cases on Thursday, the highest figure since April. Croatia and Slovenia on Thursday both reported record daily infections. CHINA ON ALERT AHEAD OF OLYMPICS China is also on high alert at ports of entry to reduce the risk of COVID-19 cases entering from abroad, and has stepped up restrictions amid a growing outbreak less than 100 days before the Beijing Winter Olympics. Authorities have also tightened curbs in the capital ahead of a major gathering of the top members of the Communist Party next week. Since mid-October, over 700 locally transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms have been reported in China. While the number is tiny compared with other countries, it has led to a growing wave of restrictions under Beijing’s zero-tolerance policy. In Central Europe, Hungary has trimmed its 2021 GDP growth projection to 6.8% from 7.0-7.5% due to a rise in inflation, energy prices, and the risks stemming from COVID-19, the finance minister said, flagging the possibility of some new restrictions in a country where there are currently hardly any curbs in place. Slovakia’s Finance Ministry cut its forecasts for 2021 and 2022 growth in September, saying a new wave of COVID-19 cases will hit consumer demand and the labour market at the end of the year although the impact will not be as strong as earlier in the pandemic. Poland’s central bank left its projections unchanged. FRESH CURBS The Hungarian government has urged people to take up vaccines and last week announced mandatory vaccinations at state institutions, also empowering private companies to make jabs mandatory for employees if they believe that is necessary. Romania – where hospitals cannot cope with a surge in COVID-19 patients – the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland have all tightened rules on mask wearing and introduced measures to curb infections. The Czech Republic has introduced a requirement for restaurant customers to show proof of vaccination or a test. It also has tough mask regulations and some children are again being tested in schools in areas where cases are higher. In Poland, mask wearing is mandatory in enclosed public spaces while cinemas, theatres and hotels have a 75% capacity limit. The Hungarian government has not replied to Reuters questions on potential measures. (Reporting by Krisztina Than in Budapest and Nicolaj Skydsgaard in Copenhagen; Additional reporting by Jason Hovet, Alan Charlish and bureaux worldwide; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Britney Spears has a lot to look forward to. A court date is set for November 12 to determine if her 13-year conservatorship should end. “Britney is beside herself and broke down in tears of joy because she now knows with no hesitation that she is getting her life back,” an insider told HollywoodLife. “She will be able to do all of the things she has always wanted to do and with Sam [Asghari] by her side, she feels safe. He won’t let anything ever happen to her and her friends trust him more than anything,” the source explained. MEGA STRONGER THAN YESTERDAY! A DEFINITIVE TIMELINE OF EVENTS THAT LED TO BRITNEY SPEARS’ CONTROVERSIAL CONSERVATORSHIP: PHOTOS As previously reported by OK!, insiders revealed that the singer and her fiancé are holding off on making wedding plans and buying a home together until her future is determined. “Britney has been locked in hell for 13 years and she is not ready to let her dad off the hook just because he is ready to give up,” the HollywoodLife source said. “But at this point, she knows that she is free and that is all she’s wanted and prayed for for over a decade.” Jamie Spears was suspended from the conservatorship in September. “Her friends are all celebrating this and are really emotional too because everyone around her knows what a toll this has taken on her and no one who knows and loves her has ever approved of what was going on,” the source added. NETFLIX DROPS ‘BRITNEY VS SPEARS’ DOCUMENTARY TRAILER ABOUT POP STAR’S BOMBSHELL CONSERVATORSHIP CASE WITH NEW DETAILS — WATCH MEGA “Britney isn’t really doing anything to prepare for her upcoming court date,” another insider told HollywoodLife. “She’s just relaxing, spending time with Sam. She’s praying a lot.” According to the insider, the “Lucky” singer is hoping her conservatorship ends before the year is over so she can have a fresh start in 2022. “She’s feeling as hopeful as she ever has,” the source shared. “She’s excited for the future and she has no real plans if it does come to an end,” the source added. “She continues reading every single comment from her fans and they are really what have gotten her through this hell she’s endured.” ‘I JUST WANT TO HELP’: CHRISTIAN SIRIANO, SARAH JESSICA PARKER, BETTE MIDLER REACT TO BRITNEY SPEARS’ CONSERVATORSHIP AFTER DOCUMENTARY MAKES WAVES MEGA Whether Spears will continue her music career is unclear. The insider said the blonde beauty has told her friends she is “fine” if she doesn’t work again “but she has gone back and forth on that.” “She’s just going to see where life takes her,” the source explained. “She will probably celebrate on a vacation with Sam somewhere to start and spend time with her boys [Sean and Jayden Federline].” View the full article

Published by DPA Pope Francis leads the Mass for Bishops and Cardinals who died in 2021, at St. Peter's Basilica. Us Vatican Media/ANSA via ZUMA Press/dpa Pope Francis has for the first time appointed a woman to a high office in the state administration of Vatican City. Sister Raffaella Petrini was named secretary-general of the governorate of Vatican City, the Holy See announced on Thursday. She is the first woman to hold the second-highest office in governorate, which oversees the Vatican Museums and other Vatican State services such as the mint and stamp office and the motor pool. Previously, the 52-year-old from Rome was with the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which carries out missionary work. Francis has focused on women in his personnel decisions in recent months. Earlier in the year he made theologian Nathalie Becquart the first woman in the history of the Catholic Church to serve as an under-secretary in the Synod of Bishops. Then, in August, Francis named Sister Alessandra Smerilli as interim Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which focusses on migration and poverty issues. She was also named as a delegate of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission. View the full article

Thu NguyenNonbinary Candidates Make History Tuesday’s elections produced multiple victories for LGBTQ candidates in local elections across the nation, including historic wins for nonbinary election candidates. Thu Nguyen became the first nonbinary person ever elected to office in the state of Massachusetts. They claimed a seat on the Worchester City Council with a fourth place finish, garnering 10% of the vote. According to the Washington Blade, Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee, is best known for their work with the Southeast Asian Coalition, which aids communities through small business support, advocacy and addressing food insecurity. “After 38 years of lawmakers ignoring us, we set out to collect and leverage citizen signatures to compel lawmakers to finally come to the table and negotiate – and for that we succeeded,” said Trevor Thomas, Fair and Equal Michigan co-chair. Despite the defeat, there is another case set for arguments at the Michigan Supreme Court where Attorney General Dana Nessel will argue for civil rights protections based on sexual orientation. “While we are disappointed that the court won’t act to recognize legally-valid signatures thrown out by the state, it’s clear the best opportunity to achieve LGBTQ equal rights in Michigan is to place full focus on Attorney General Dana Nessel’s historic case currently before the Michigan Supreme Court,” said Thomas. Nonbinary Election: Previously on Towleroad Two Firsts Among Nonbinary Election Wins; Texas Religious Businesses Step Closer to Legal Discrimination; Michigan Effort Fails To Extend LGBTQ Rights Brian Bell November 3, 2021 Read More Trump Hitler Connections. Report that Trump told Chief of Staff that Hitler ‘did a lot of good things,’ Is One Of Too Many. Towleroad July 13, 2021 Read More 117 LGBTQ Candidates in Mexico Mid-term Elections– 2 Percent of All Running; Gay and Trans Candidates in Key Race Michael Goff June 3, 2021 Read More New California Site Offers Legit Line Skipping For A Few Hours Work At Your Local Vaccine Spot; Schools And Baseball To Open Faster as Newsom Recall Gets Real Michael Goff March 9, 2021 Read More For First Time, SCOTUS Seems Receptive to Imposing Some Limits on Partisan Gerrymanders Towleroad October 3, 2017 Read More Hackers Breach U.S. Voting Machines in 90 Minutes Towleroad July 30, 2017 Read More View the full article

Kristen StewartKristen Stewart Heading Down The Aisle Actress Kristen Stewart announced Tuesday that she and her partner, screenwriter Dylan Meyer, are getting married after Meyer proposed to the “Spencer” star. Stewart dropped the news during an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” explaining that’s Meyer’s proposal was “really cute” and everything she dreamed it would be. “I wanted to be proposed to, so I think I very distinctly carved out what I wanted and she nailed it,” Stewart said. The two have been a couple since 2019 and Stewart has long hinted at her desire to get married, shunning gender roles associated with marriage and engagements along the way. “I wasn’t specific at all. It’s not a given that I would be the one,” Stewart added. “With two girls, you never know like who’s going to fulfill what fucking gender role thing. We don’t do that or think about it in those terms. She just grabbed that bowl and made it happen. It was so fucking cute.” Superman Artists Get Police Protection The revelation of Jon Kent’s bisexuality in the upcoming “Superman: Son of Kal-El” has proven to be a lightning rod moment for LGBTQ comic readers, but it has also engendered a hateful blowback from bigoted members of the fandom as well. The worst of this reactive class resulted in DC Comics and the artists working on the new series receiving death threats simply for the book’s existence. According to TMZ, the threats became so real that DC Comics asked the Los Angeles Police Department to offer protection for its staff and its Los Angeles studio. Police patrolled outside staffers’ homes and the office. The patrols have since stopped for now after the threats weren’t acted upon, but the fact that the LAPD had to be contacted at all speaks to the level of fear the company and its workers felt due to the negative response to the progressive move. Kal Penn Opens Up On Coming Out Actor and former Obama staffer Kal Penn’s coming out announcement ahead of his memoir’s, “You Can’t Be Serious,” release has garnered praise in the last few days. Even Penn’s former boss offered him congratulations. Penn told TMZ that Barack and Michelle Obama reached out to him to congratulate him and his fiance, Josh, on their engagement and having the strength to come out publicly. Penn also detailed that many of his Hollywood friends have offered similar sentiments since he publicly came out as gay over the weekend. The “Designated Survivor” star also spoke to why he felt now was the right time to speak candidly about his life, including his sexuality. “I wanted to write a book for the 20-year-old me … for the person who, like me, was told anything you want to do is crazy,” Penn said. “Just do that thing.” Dan Levy’s “Big Brunch” With “Schitt’s Creek” in the books, Dan Levy is now set to take his fans to brunch in his new cooking competition show “The Big Brunch.” The project will debut on HBO Max in 2022 with Levy hosting a battle between undiscovered culinary artists that also celebrates the universality of cooking within culture. Contestants will compete for a “life-altering prize.” Everybody has a friend, a family member or a co-worker that is extraordinary at what they do, they just need a leg up so that their talents can be appreciated on a larger scale,” Levy, who also created the show, told Variety. “Thanks to an almost obsessive love of food, I’ve been lucky to come across many of those people in the culinary world … special humans who create communities around their cooking, hoping to take their skills to the next level. I created this show for them.” “What we love about this special show is that it serves more than mouth-watering culinary delicacies; it’s about heart, a love of cooking and spotlighting talent whose unique skills elevate the beloved brunch menu,” added HBO Max head of original content Sarah Aubrey. Kristen Stewart: Previously on Towleroad Alec Baldwin’s Daughter Ireland Rips ‘Cancerous’ Candace Owens As ‘Disgusting, Hateful’ Human Being After Shooting Remarks Towleroad October 27, 2021 Read More Alec Baldwin’s Prop Gun That Killed A Cinematographer Allegedly Used For ‘Target Practice’ With Real Bullets By Crew Members Off Set Towleroad October 24, 2021 Read More ‘Chucky’ is Back… This Time With Young Gay Protagonist, Jake; It’s a Horror Cult-Classic Meets Burgeoning Gay Love on USA/SYFY TV Series Brian Bell October 17, 2021 Read More Action Roundup: Gay James Bond Character; Venom’s ‘Coming Out Party;’ ‘Queer Family’ of ‘Marvel’s Eternals’ Brian Bell October 1, 2021 Read More Cassandra Peterson, Horror Icon Elvira, Comes Out, Reveals 19-Year Relationship in New Memoir Brian Bell September 22, 2021 Read More LGBTQ Hollywood Roundup: Bragman Establishes Coming Out Fund; Indya Moore Calls Out Met Gala; Dan Levy Signs Netflix Deal; JoJo Siwa Frustrated With Nickelodeon Brian Bell September 17, 2021 Read More Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Cattrall could still star in the second season of ‘And Just Like That…’. The 65-year-old actress played Samantha Jones in ‘Sex and the City’, and the writers are keen to entice Kim to return for the sequel series. A source told DailyMail.com: “We’ll announce eventually that the show will have a second season. This isn’t a one off, this will be a series. “It will be quite a while between the first and second series as Sarah Jessica Parker has a busy schedule and we have a lot of work to do to get Kim Cattrall back. “We all miss Kim and we hope she comes back for the second season – the door will never close on her, she is an important part of the franchise.” The first season of ‘And Just Like That…’ is currently in the “very final stages” of filming. But the enthusiasm of fans in New York has made life challenging for the makers of the show. The insider explained: “We’ve been delighted with the fan response, but it does make filming in New York City difficult because so many people show up on the street to catch a glimpse of the women as they are filming.” Kim previously claimed that she was never friends with her ‘Sex and the City’ co-stars. The actress appeared alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon in the hit TV series – but she was never close friends with any of them. She said in 2017: “We’ve never been friends. We’ve been colleagues and in some ways it’s a very healthy place to be because then you have a clear line between your professional life and relationship and your personal.” View the full article

Wednesday morning count of LGBTQ election winsIt was a hard night for Democrats Tuesday, as candidates for governor in two heavily Democratic states lost enormous support—and at least one of the two seats—to Republicans. But LGBT candidates scored some milestones. LGBTQ Election Wins Deliver Milestones The first openly LGBT Muslim won election in Georgia, winning a seat on the Atlanta City Council. The first black LGBT person won election in the state of Montana, winning a seat on the Bozeman city commission. The first transgender candidate won election in Ohio, to a local school board. And, the first openly LGBT woman won election to the Detroit City Council. The LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national group which promotes and supports campaigns of openly LGBTQ candidates, said it was tracking at least 242 openly LGBT candidates on the November 2 ballot. Although not all the races it was tracking had reported in by Wednesday morning, it reported that, so far, 59 had won, 50 had lost, and 22 had advanced to run-offs. There were more than 80 openly LGBT candidates for city and town council seats Tuesday night, plus 11 openly LGBT candidates for mayor. Only nine LGBT candidates ran for state house seats and only one for state senate. There were also at least seven LGBT candidates for various local court seats, at leave five other races for miscellaneous posts, such as town auditor, and at least 10 LGBT candidates running for school board seats. Big fights in little races Local school boards have in recent weeks become the focus of much attention. They appear to have become part of a political strategy favored by conservative Republicans to stir up controversies over LGBT books, abortions, and anti-racism curricula. Republican candidates in larger races then use those controversies to pull in moderate voters. “Glen Youngkin…was able to play on stories circulating of alleged gay pornography books in public school libraries and alleged sexual assaults by a transgender student” Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial contender, first-time candidate Glenn Youngkin, laser-focused in on “parents” in the final weeks of his successful campaign. He was able to play on stories circulating in the more Democratic northern parts of the state—stories of alleged gay pornography books in public school libraries and alleged sexual assaults by a transgender student. He promised parents he would make sure they were part of the decision-making process for local school curricula. As of This Morning The Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, was drawn into the transgender assault report when, during a September debate, a moderator noted that McAuliffe had had expressed agreement with the state’s policies in support of transgender students and the right of local governments to make their own policies. McAuliffe tried to walk a careful line, saying he likes allowing local governments to have input but that “the state will always issue guidance as we do from the Department of Education.” Youngkin, who was widely praised for running a campaign that kept former President Trump at a studied distance, also walked a narrow political line when asked about the transgender story. He said “we are called on to love everyone” and that not only should local districts make such decisions, but parents should be included in dialogue about such policies, including what books are included in libraries. The bottom line of that controversy and similar ones, noted one commentator Wednesday morning on CNN, was that “it reminds voters that Democrats are too liberal.” McAuliffe has a strong record of supporting equal rights for LGBT people and released a “Bold Plan to Advance LGBTQ+ Rights.” In his first term as governor, McAuliffe, in 2017, vetoed a bill seeking to give state-funded charities the right to refuse services to LGBT people. Youngkin, a first-time candidate, said on the campaign trail that he does not personally support same-sex marriage but that, as governor, he would support the fact that same-sex marriage is “acceptable in Virginia.” The Human Rights Campaign endorsed McAuliffe; the Log Cabin Republican group endorsed Youngkin. Log Cabin issued a statement saying Youngkin has “has demonstrated his desire to listen to and work with the LGBT community.” New Jersey Governor Still Close. LGBTQ Used as Wedge In New Jersey, incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Murray, who earned the endorsement of Garden State Equality, faced Republican State Assemblymember Jack Ciattarelli, who has alienated many with hostile remarks about LGBT people. Like the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, Ciattarelli sought to stoke controversy over LGBT issues in public schools, saying “we’re not teaching sodomy in sixth grade.” Specifically, he vowed to undo efforts to make public school curricula more inclusive of LGBT history. And we’re going to roll back the LGBTQ curriculum.” At deadline, that race was considered too close to call. LGBT race highlights Among the highlights of Tuesday’s races involving openly LGBT candidates were: First Win for Transgender Candidate in Ohio: While the results of the 10 school board races were mostly still unreported at deadline, in a small district in the middle of Ohio, candidate Dion Manley scored the first victory for a transgender candidate for office in the Buckeye State. “Dion shattered a lavender ceiling in Ohio,” said Victory Fund President Annise Parker. She said Manley’s victory “especially significant given efforts by anti-trans activists across the nation to target trans students at school board meetings.”In Virginia, transgender State House Delegate Danica Roem, who made history in 2017 as the first out transgender person to win and serve in a state legislature and the only out transgender state legislator in the U.S., won re-election to a third term. But Roem, who represents part of northern Virginia, defeated her Republican opponent by less than two points, a much smaller margin than in 2019.First Out LGBT Muslim Win in Georgia: Liliana Bakhtiari became the first openly LGBT Muslim to win election in Georgia, succeeding in her second bid to serve on the Atlanta City Council. Although two other openly LGBT candidates lost their bids for the Council, voters elected openly gay Alex Wan to return a seat he previously held.6 Out LGBTQ Winners on NYC City Council; 2 of Them The First Out Black Women: All six openly LGBT candidates for the New York City Council won, including Crystal Hudson and Kristin Richardson Jordan, the first two black LGBT women to be elected to the 50-member body. Two of the six had uncontested general election races, but all six were first-time candidates for their seats.Minneapolis Mayor: In Minneapolis, Sheila Nezhad, a former policy analyst for the Williams Institute, was still in the top two in her bid to become Minneapolis mayor. The city does ranked-choice voting and results were not yet complete at deadlineLoss in Buffalo, New York, India Walton, who identifies as queer, was not able to parlay her stunning primary win of the Democratic nomination into victory in the general election. The incumbent Democratic mayor mounted an aggressive write-in campaign that overwhelmed Walton, a first-time candidate. Local news analysts suggested Walton was “the most progressive of the progressives.”In Atlanta, with a field of more than a dozen candidates for mayor, current openly gay city council member Antonio Brown came in fifth, with only two percent of the vote. The Atlanta Journal Constitution noted that Brown had been saddled with an indictment, charging that he had engaged in bank fraud. He denies the charges but is scheduled for trial next year. Brown was the only openly LGBT mayoral candidate not to earn Victory Fund support in Tuesday’s election.And in Bozeman, Montana, Christopher Coburn won election to the City Commission, becoming the first openly LGBT black person to be elected in the state.© 2021 Keen News Service. All rights reserved. LGBTQ Election Wins on Towleroad COVID-19 Rages, Is Not Contained In Some States Rejecting Federal Funds; Idaho 5th Highest Rate, Say No To Test or Treatment $$ More Ghislaine Maxwell Reportedly Attended Former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 1990 Wedding To Kerry Kennedy, New Book Claims More Minneapolis votes ‘no’ on replacing police department after Floyd death More NRA sued for allegedly violating campaign finance laws More Mena Suvari Reflects On Unusual Encounter With Kevin Spacey On ‘American Beauty’ Set, Reveals She Had ‘Been So Used To That Scenario’ More Republicans jolt Biden with win in Virginia, close race in New Jersey More QAnon followers gather in Dallas for JFK Jr ‘reveal’ More Republican candidate in Virginia governor’s race, Glenn Youngkin, opposes marriage equality More Facebook Halting Facial Recognition System Over Privacy Fears; Says will Delete A Billion Faceprints More UK Broadcaster Faults Corruption, Lack of Gay Legal Protections With 2022 World Cup in Qatar; Hopes Cavallo Inspires Others To Come Out More Lourdes Leon Madonna Halloween Cease-fire. Both Feature Sexy Costumes, Even As Kids Leak Concern For Mom’s Legacy More Load More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andy Sullivan (Reuters) – As the resurgent COVID-19 pandemic burns through the rural U.S. state of Idaho, health officials say they don’t have enough tests to track the disease’s spread or sufficient medical workers to help the sick. It’s not for want of funding. The state’s Republican-led legislature this year voted down $40 million in federal aid available for COVID-19 testing in schools. Another $1.8 billion in pandemic-related federal assistance is sitting idle in the state treasury, waiting for lawmakers to deploy it. Some Idaho legislators have accused Washington of overreach and reckless spending. Others see testing as disruptive and unnecessary, particularly in schools, since relatively few children have died from the disease. “If you want your kids in school, you can’t be testing,” said state Representative Ben Adams, a Republican who represents Nampa, a city of about 100,000 people in southwestern Idaho. Meanwhile, the state is reporting the fifth-highest infection rate in the United States, at 369 confirmed cases per 100,000 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schools in at least 14 of Idaho’s 115 districts, including Nampa, have had to close temporarily due to COVID-19 outbreaks since the start of the year, according to Burbio, a digital platform that tracks U.S. school activity. Idaho’s experience illustrates how political ideology and polarization around the COVID-19 epidemic have played a role in the decision of mostly conservative states to reject some federal funding meant to help locals officials battle the virus and its economic fallout. For example, Idaho was one of 26 Republican-led states that ended enhanced federally funded unemployment benefits before they were due to expire in September. Gov. Brad Little claimed that money was discouraging the jobless from returning to work. At least six studies have found that the extra benefits have had little to no impact on the U.S. labor market. Idaho has also rebuffed $6 million for early-childhood education, as some Republicans in the state said mothers should be the primary caretakers of their children. The state also did not apply for $6 million that would have bolstered two safety-net programs that aid mothers of young children and working families. Little’s administration said it had enough money already for those programs. Idaho has accepted some federal COVID-19 help. In fact, the rejected funds are just a small portion of the nearly $2 billion in federal relief Idaho has spent since March 2020 to fight the virus and shore up businesses and families, state figures show. But hundreds of millions more remain untouched. Idaho has deployed just $780 million, or 30%, of the $2.6 billion it received under the federal American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law in March. Neighboring Washington state, by contrast, has parceled out nearly three-quarters of the $7.8 billion it received under that legislation. Washington has recorded roughly 60% as many cases per capita as Idaho since the start of the pandemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some in Idaho are exasperated that a state of just 1.8 million people would turn down a dime of assistance when it’s struggling to tame the pandemic. With no testing in place, nurses in Nampa schools rely mainly on parents to let them know when a child is infected, the district’s top nurse, Rebekah Burley, told the school board in September. She said she needed three or four more staffers to track existing cases and attempt to keep people quarantined. “We’re tired, we are stressed, and something needs to change,” she said. REJECTING FEDERAL MONEY The refusal by red states to accept some types of federal aid that would benefit their constituents isn’t new. For example, a dozen Republican-controlled states have rejected billions of dollars available through the landmark 2010 Affordable Health Care Act to cover more people under the Medicaid health program for the poor, which is jointly funded by the federal government and the states. Lawmakers from these places contended their states couldn’t afford to pay their share of an expansion. (Idaho initially was among them, but its voters opted in to the Medicaid expansion through a 2018 ballot referendum, bypassing state leaders.) That same dynamic has played out during the coronavirus crisis. Since March 2020, Congress has approved six aid packages totaling $4.7 trillion under Republican and Democratic administrations, including the bipartisan CARES Act in March 2020 and the Democratic-backed American Rescue Plan Act this year. Florida and Mississippi didn’t apply for benefits that would give more money to low-income mothers of young children. Four states, including Idaho, North Dakota and Oklahoma, opted not to extend a program that provided grocery money to low-income families with school-age kids in summer months. Iowa, like Idaho, turned down federal money for COVID-19 testing in schools. New Hampshire rejected money for vaccinations. Republican lawmakers in Idaho, like those elsewhere, cite concerns about local control, restrictive terms attached to some of the aid, and the skyrocketing national debt. “We are chaining future generations to a lifetime of financial slavery,” said Adams, the Idaho legislator. Yet even before the pandemic, Idaho long relied on Washington for much of its budget. Federal funds account for 36% of state spending in Idaho, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers, above the national average of 32%. State officials say they have enough money to handle the COVID-19 crisis for now. Critics say Idaho’s reluctance to use more federal aid is a symptom of its hands-off approach to COVID-19 safety. Few public schools require masks, and local leaders have refused to impose mask mandates, limits on indoor gatherings and other steps to contain the virus. “There’s a lot of people in our legislature and some local officials who really have not taken this seriously,” said David Pate, the former head of St. Luke’s Health System, the state’s largest hospital network. Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, with only 55% of adults and teens fully immunized, compared to 67% nationally. HOSPITALS FULL COVID-19 is pummeling Idaho even as cases have plunged in much of the nation. Intensive-care units statewide are full, forcing hospitals to turn away non-COVID patients. At least 627 residents died of the disease in October, well above the previous monthly death toll of last winter, records show. Idaho received $18 million through the American Rescue Plan to hire more public-health workers, but lawmakers did nothing with that money this year. Some local public health departments say they do not have enough staff to track the virus. “We have a lot of people doing two or three jobs right now,” said Brianna Bodily, a spokesperson for the public-health agency serving Twin Falls, a southern Idaho city of 50,000. The department is working with a 12% smaller budget than last year. Such staff shortages have contributed to a backlog of test results statewide, which the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says is hurting its ability to provide an up-to-date picture of the disease’s prevalence. With funding bottled up in the state capitol, Little, the governor, announced in August that he would steer $30 million from a previous round of COVID-19 aid to school testing. The Nampa school district has requested some of that money but has yet to set up a testing program, spokeswoman Kathleen Tuck said. Roughly 20% of the district’s students were not attending class regularly in the first weeks of the school year due to outbreaks, according to superintendent Paula Kellerer. Nampa resident Jaci Johnson, a mother of two children, ages 10 and 13, said she and other parents have been torn over whether to send their children to class, due to the potential risk. “Do we feed our kids to the lions, or do we keep them home and make them miserable?” Johnson said. (Corrects spelling of Nampa schools spokeswoman, percentage of students absent) (Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Marla Dickerson) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Ghislaine Maxwellreportedly attended Andrew Cuomo’s wedding in 1990. According to author Christina Oxenberg, Maxwell was present at the nuptials which took place in Washington D.C, per reports from The Sun. MEGA Oxenberg writes in the pages of her book Trash: Encounters with Ghislaine Maxwell that she ran into her for the first time when Cuomo was tying the knot with Kerry Kennedy. “The ceremony took place in a cathedral in Washington DC and was attended by scores of invited guests, the front door near-impenetrable because of the swarm of media and a mob of Kennedy fans,” the book reads. FORMER GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO HIT WITH CRIMINAL CHARGE FOR ALLEGED MISCONDUCT: REPORT “Following the church nuptials, a trimmed-down group was invited to a reception held on the rolling green grounds surrounding the elegant home of Ethel Kennedy, aka Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy, at Hickory Hill, in McLean, Virginia.” MEGA Oxenberg described the “even-more-private” lunch as “attended by only family and some tag-alongs,” as the place where she had her first conversation with Maxwell. “I was standing with my then-husband, Damian Elwes, a British painter when Ghislaine sauntered over. She and Damian burst with enthusiastic greetings,” Oxenberg writes. Oxenberg described her conversation with Maxwell as short and sweet. She also claimed that Jeffrey Epstein‘s alleged accomplice was most likely invited by Kennedy, not Cuomo. MEGA She noted that while Cuomo was always “extremely unfriendly” at the events Oxenberg attended, she was still surprised to hear about the sexual assault allegations against him because she had never seen him act inappropriately. ANDREW CUOMO HASN’T BEEN SEEN SINCE HE RESIGNED, SPECULATION CIRCULATES ON WHERE THE FORMER GOVERNOR IS CURRENTLY LIVING “[I’m] always supportive of any victims of a case involving sexual misconduct,” she said. “I don’t know the specifics but I hope justice prevails.” Cuomo resigned from office as the Governor of New York earlier this year after multiple complaints of sexual misconduct were filed against him. In August, he announced in a press conference that he would be stepping down from his duties as Governor in light of the scandal. At the time, he issued a half-hearted apology while still maintaining that he had never acted in a predatory manner. Last week, reports began circulating that the ex-governor had been officially hit with more than one criminal charge more than two months after his resignation. View the full article

Published by AFP A mural of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which is voting on whether to replace the police force with a Department of Public Safety Minneapolis (AFP) – Voters in Minneapolis, where the murder of George Floyd last year sparked worldwide protests, on Tuesday rejected the idea of replacing the city’s troubled police force. Over 56 percent voted against amending the Minneapolis City Charter to create the new department, which would provide “public safety functions through a comprehensive public health approach,” according to official election results. Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey, running for a second term, was looking at a tough second round after leading Tuesday’s vote with some 43 percent of the vote, but failing to secure more than 50 percent to win straight away. Frey had opposed the police reform and he welcomed the results of the vote. “We need deep, structural change to policing in America,” Frey told supporters, according to the Washington Post. “At the same time, we need police officers to make sure that they are working directly with the community to keep us safe.” The May 2020 murder of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, by a white police officer sparked protests against police brutality in Minneapolis and other US cities and calls in some progressive Democratic quarters to “defund the police.” The former police officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murder and manslaughter for Floyd’s death and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. If the Minneapolis ballot measure had passed, the functions of the Department of Public Safety would be determined by the mayor and the city council and there would be a greater emphasis on hiring mental health experts and social workers. The new department could have included “licensed peace officers (police officers), if necessary, to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety,” according to the ballot measure. The American Civil Liberties Union, which had campaigned in favor of disbanding the Minneapolis police force, thanked activists and supporters and said that change was still possible. “Across the country, we see the momentum to significantly reduce the excessive resources and responsibilities given to law enforcement and reinvest in communities they have harmed,” the group said. “The ACLU is committed to continuing to support the Black- and Brown grassroots groups spearheading this work.” The US Justice Department announced in April following Chauvin’s conviction that it was conducting an investigation to determine whether the Minneapolis police department systematically uses excessive force and “engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) – Gun control advocacy group Giffords sued the National Rifle Association on Tuesday for allegedly violating campaign finance laws since 2014. The powerful gun lobby made as much as $35 million in “unlawful” and “unreported in-kind campaign contributions” to seven federal candidates, including candidates for U.S. Senate in 2014, 2016, and 2018, and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to the allegations. The lawsuit seeks several forms of relief, including an order preventing the NRA from violating the Federal Election Campaign Act in future, and a penalty equal to the amount of money allegedly spent unlawfully, which the NRA would pay to the U.S. treasury – potentially as much as $35 million. The lawsuit was filed by campaign finance watchdog Campaign Legal Center on behalf of Giffords in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The NRA said the lawsuit was “as misguided as it is transparent”. “Another premeditated abuse of the public by our adversaries — who will stop at nothing in their pursuit of their anti-freedom agenda,” the NRA said in a statement. “Suffice to say, the NRA has full confidence in its political activities and remains eager to set the record straight”. New York’s attorney general said in August that the NRA had failed to root out rampant internal corruption. The association had sought to use Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reincorporate in Republican-dominated Texas and escape what it called a corrupt political and regulatory environment in New York, where it was founded in 1871. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Mena Suvari is not holding back! The actress appeared on Tamron Hall on Tuesday, November 2, and discussed her new memoir The Great Peace. The 42-year-old got candid about an experience she said she had with Kevin Spacey while filming American Beauty. “In retrospect, it was shocking to me that that was such a comfortable scenario for me,” theAmerican Pie actress said. “You know, this book was never about a blame game or pointing fingers and even towards my family. It was really me just trying to express my point of view along the way.” MEGA COMING CLEAN! LUCY HALE, BRAD PITT & MORE STARS OPEN UP ABOUT LIVING BOOZE-FREE Suvari previously told PEOPLE that the veteran actor pulled her into a separate room on set and asked that they “lay on the bed very close to one another,” to prepare for a scene together. “He was sort of gently holding me. It was very peaceful but weird and unusual,” she said at the time. “I shared that moment on American Beauty because it really was just that. It was really me, you know, like my personal life on camera. I had been so used to that scenario, you know, that dynamic of an older man,” Suvari toldHall. “I had been so used to that, I talked about a moment coming out to Los Angeles and being at The Oakwood and, you know, it was always somebody who was like nine or 10 years older than me. I always end up in that kind of situation.” “What I was fascinated by with American Beauty was that it was okay with me…I mean, with Kevin [Spacey] by then, I was of age. I was 18,” she continued. “But when you talk about those moments that I did experience as well as a younger girl at 13, I think that was really the point that I was trying to make, is that by the time that I experienced that moment with Kevin, that wasn’t something that I questioned. It was understood.” MEGA WOMEN REVEAL INSTANCES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT WITH #METOO HASHTAG “You know, it was somebody who wanted something from me or maybe needed something from me in an emotional sense. I didn’t know, I still don’t know because I haven’t been really asked that question or gotten the answer,” the Boy Meets World alum said. The blonde beauty said she was trying to point out in the book how women can find themselves in situations like that. “It’s not black and white,” she said. “To me, it was fascinating that I had become so conditioned to feeling comfortable in a situation like that, where an older man technically wanted to lay down next to me and I gave of myself.” “To me, it’s more interesting how we end up in those situations, than my experience with that particular person on that film. I shared that because it all goes together with how we can end up in these situations and sort of come out of that and wonder, you know, ‘did I approve of that? Like, was that okay? You know, am I comfortable? Am I not comfortable?'” she explained. KEVIN SPACEY SHARES DISTURBING VIDEO AS HE’S HIT WITH NEW SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES MEGA Spacey has been accused of sexual misconduct by several men. The actor denied the allegations. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax, Gabriella Borter and Jason Lange FAIRFAX, Va. (Reuters) – Republicans pushed Democrats out of the Virginia governorship and were running even in heavily Democratic New Jersey on Wednesday, signaling trouble for President Joe Biden’s party heading into next year’s congressional elections. Republican Glenn Youngkin, a former private equity executive, claimed victory over Democratic former Governor Terry McAuliffe in Tuesday’s vote after distancing himself just enough from former President Donald Trump to win back moderates who had supported Biden just a year ago. In New Jersey, Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli and incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy were locked in a virtual draw, even though registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans there by more than 1 million. Still, Democrats clung to hope because more votes were due to be counted in their strongholds. Both saw strong gains in the suburbs from independent voters who had been turned off by Trump’s style of politics. The results in states that Biden won easily in 2020 suggested that Democrats’ razor-thin majorities Congress were highly vulnerable in the 2022 elections. Republican control of both, or even one, chamber of Congress would give the party the ability to block Biden’s legislative agenda during the final two years of his current term in office. The results could also further complicate Biden’s hopes of passing twin bills worth a combined $2.75 trillion to rebuild the nation’s roads and bridges, as well as bolster the social safety net and fight climate change. They have already been held up by months of infighting between Democrats’ progressive and moderate wings and the election defeat could leave some moderates less willing to back the big-ticket bills. REPUBLICAN ROADMAP Youngkin, 54, declared victory after a campaign in which he focused on parents’ anger over schools’ handling of COVID-19, as well as teaching on race and gender issues. He walked a fine line on Trump, taking care to not alienate the former president’s hardcore base without offering a full-throated endorsement of his false claims about widespread election fraud. McAuliffe’s efforts to paint his rival, a former chief executive of the Carlyle Group Inc, as a Trump acolyte fell flat with voters at a time when Biden’s approval ratings are at the lowest level of his presidency, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos national poll, conducted last Wednesday and Thursday. “Together, we will change the trajectory of this commonwealth,” Youngkin told a rally in Chantilly, Virginia, early on Wednesday. Republican congressional campaigns may follow Youngkin’s model of focusing on culture wars and promising to give parents more control over public schools. Youngkin leaned into the Republican Party’s expressions of outrage over the discussion of systemic racism in schools. He vowed to ban the teaching of “critical race theory,” a legal framework that examines how racism shapes U.S. laws and policies, while ignoring the fact that Virginia school officials say the subject is not taught in classrooms. He drew sharp criticism from Democrats when he initially hesitated to denounce Trump’s insistence that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him, false claims that have continued to rile Trump’s supporters and led to a mob of them attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Youngkin said later that Biden had won legitimately, but then called for an audit of Virginia’s voting machines, prompting Democrats to accuse him of validating Trump’s election conspiracy theories. The Republicans also appeared to erase the Democrats’ 10-seat lead in Virginia’s House of Delegates, appearing to gain a 50-50 split or perhaps a one-seat advantage. The Republican candidates for lieutenant governor and state attorney general were also leading their races in Virginia. Virginia Republicans picked Youngkin in an unusual convention format in May, rather than by a statewide primary. That format was designed to pick a more moderate candidate, rather than one more closely allied with Trump. Even so, Trump sought to claim credit, thanking “my BASE” in a statement for putting Youngkin over the top. NEW JERSEY WOBBLES The New Jersey race remained too close to call as dawn approached on Wednesday. But a loss for Democrat Murphy would send even more chills through the Democratic Party, which has been unable to pass Biden’s signature legislation nationally despite razor-thin majorities in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Murphy, 64, ran as unabashed liberal, seeking to become the first Democratic governor to win re-election in New Jersey in four decades. Ciattarelli had faced an uphill battle in New Jersey, where Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans. Ciattarelli, 59, is a former state legislator and business owner who has criticized Murphy for requiring masks in schools and day-care facilities. He campaigned on cutting taxes and supporting law enforcement, but does not support banning abortion — an unusual position for a Republican. According to local media, Ciatterelli appeared with Trump at a “Stop the Steal” rally in November 2020 in which the then-president falsely claimed to have won the election. Ciatterelli has since said that Biden won the election fairly. (Reporting by Joseph Ax, Gabriella Borter and Jason Lange, additional reporting by Andy Sullivan, Kanishka Singh and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Scott Malone and Kim Coghill) View the full article

Published by AFP The late John F. Kennedy Jr and his wife Caroline Bessette at the White House Correspondent Association’s annual dinner in Washington in May 1999 Washington (AFP) – Hundreds of followers of QAnon conspiracy theories gathered in downtown Dallas on Tuesday in the belief that John F. Kennedy Jr, who died in a 1999 plane crash, would reappear. He did not. The Dallas Morning News said several hundred QAnon followers converged on Dealey Plaza, where JFK Jr’s father, president John F. Kennedy, was assassinated on November 22, 1963. According to QAnon postings cited by media outlets, JFK Jr would emerge from hiding at 12:29 pm on Tuesday and this would lead — somehow — to the reinstatement of QAnon favorite Donald Trump as president. The appointed time came and went with no sighting of the late president’s son. JFK Jr died on July 16, 1999 at the age of 38 along with his wife and sister-in-law while flying them in a private plane to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The far-right QAnon is a shadowy online movement with an anonymous leader. Some of its supporters believe it is JFK Jr and that he faked his own death. Some QAnon followers were among the insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a bid to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump. View the full article

Glenn Youngkin’s campaign said his stance was a private matter, but it troubles those who have considered the issue settled. Glenn Youngkin’s campaign said his stance was a private matter, but it troubles those who have considered the issue settled. Originally published by The 19th For most Americans, the question of whether or not LGBTQ+ couples should be allowed to marry has long been settled. Or at least it was. But in Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, the Republican nominee for governor, says he’s personally against same-sex marriage. He’s running against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, in a race that’s being watched for what it says about Americans’ views of the Biden administration. For LGBTQ+ advocates, it’s also about whether Virginians will pick a candidate who is against marriage equality, a striking stance for a mainstream candidate of either major party. Late last month, Youngkin told the Associated Press in an interview that he feels “called to love everyone” but, when asked if that expressed support for same-sex marriage, said, “No.” He said it was “legally acceptable” in the state and he would support the law. LGBTQ+ rights organization the Human Rights Campaign blasted Youngkin as out of touch with mainstream America. “His relentless anti-equality messaging as he closes out his campaign is proof that fundamental fairness and equality are at stake in this election, Joni Madison, the group’s interim president, said in a statement. McAuliffe rushed to highlight his own history of backing LGBTQ+ rights in Virginia, noting on Twitter that he was “proud to be the first Southern governor to officiate a same-sex wedding.” In a statement to The 19th, the Youngkin campaign further clarified the candidate’s stance as a private matter and pointed to other, more inclusive stances he had taken during the campaign. “As Glenn said, gay marriage is the law in Virginia and he will support the law as governor,” the campaign said. “Glenn spoke up when pride flags were destroyed because he believes in respecting everyone and protecting everyone.” Still, Youngkin’s public opposition to marriage equality troubles those who have considered the issue settled. According to Gallup, support for queer marriage rights in the United States is at an all-time high at 70 percent. A majority of Republicans also now support marriage equality. Virginians have also shown strong support for LGBTQ+ residents in recent years. According to the Public Religion Research Institute, 60 percent of Virginians backed marriage equality as of 2017. That same year, the state elected the county’s first out transgender representative, Danica Roem. This year, the legislature voted overwhelmingly to wipe its unenforceable marriage ban from the books. This year however, transgender people have weathered a year of unprecedented political attacks nationwide. Ten anti-trans bills have been signed into law this year in other states. The Equality Act, federal legislation that would grant nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ+ people nationwide and a key Biden agenda item, has stalled short of votes in the Senate. A year ago, while declining to hear a case, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court indicated that marriage equality should be overturned, a move that sent shockwaves through the queer legal community as the court prepared to confirm another conservative justice, Amy Coney Barrett. Equality rights organizations fiercely opposed her confirmation because of her past ties to a far-right anti-LGBTQ+ organization, the Alliance Defending Freedom. Youngkin’s stance against LGBTQ+ unions has sent up red flags for queer political organizers who fear they are losing ground on the swift progress gained since the Supreme Court declared marriage equality the law of the land in 2015. Lucas Acosta, a senior spokesperson for Democratic National Committee and longtime queer rights activist, said he anticipated backlash after 2020 presidential election and in response to the Biden administration backing LGBTQ+ rights early on. “What does surprise me is the fact that even now, some Virginia voters still consider Glenn Youngkin a moderate,” he said. “Solely based on this position alone, he cannot call himself a moderate, and I think that that is on us in the campaign in these closing days, to really drive home for voters across the state.” Polling shows a tight race in Virginia, which Biden won by 10 points last year. All 100 seats in the state House of Delegates are also up for grabs, and Democrats are defending a 55-45 majority there. photo CC License Flickr Glenn Youngkin for Governor View the full article

Published by AFP Facebook halting its controversial facial recognition system San Francisco (AFP) – Facebook is shutting down its facial recognition system and deleting a billion faceprints, its parent company said Tuesday, in response to serious concerns over privacy. The announcement from the leading social media network was made as it battles one of its worst crises ever, with reams of internal documents leaked to reporters, lawmakers and US regulators. “There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use,” parent company Meta said in a statement. “Amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate,” it added. It was not clear when the changes would take effect, but they will be widely felt with Facebook noting that more than a third of its daily users have opted in to using the facial recognition system. Shutting down that system “will result in the deletion of more than a billion people’s individual facial recognition templates,” the statement said. As the social media giant battles a whistleblower crisis, it has also changed its parent company name to “Meta” in an effort to move past being a scandal-plagued social network to its virtual reality vision for the future. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — which are used by billions around the world — will keep their names under the rebranding that critics have called an effort to distract from the platform’s dysfunction. View the full article

He can’t support 2022 world cup in Qatar after all the corruption in the bidding process. Also expresses concern over gay protections. Published by BANG Showbiz English Gary Lineker doesn’t support the 2022 World Cup being played in Qatar. The next edition of the global football tournament will take place in the Middle Eastern nation, but the decision has proved controversial due to the corrupt nature of the bidding process and the former England footballer has reservations about the event. Gary – who was part of England’s failed bid to host the 2018 tournament – told ITV’s ‘This Morning’: “At the time I was obviously perturbed by it because I was kind of brought in late as part of the English bid. “It was obviously pretty corrupt at the time and it has been proven to be so. I don’t agree that it should be there but we’ll have to report it. “But am I a supporter of the fact that it’s there? No.” Concerns have also been raised about Qatar’s attitude to gay rights, although the legendary English striker expects footballers to “get on with it” once the tournament begins next year. The ‘Match of the Day’ presenter said: “Pretty much every sport now is played in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates. I think the sportsmen will get on with it.” Lineker also hopes the decision made by the Australian player Josh Cavallo to come out as gay can inspire other players to do the same and get rid of the stigma surrounding gay players in the sport. The 60-year-old broadcaster said: “It’s unbelievable really that we even have to have this conversation. It’s a shame but at least he has (come out). “I hope other players will follow. There’s obviously lots of them in the game. We know that. It’s inevitable and there will be some in the Premier League. I hope the way it has been received so positively will encourage a player to do so.” Gary continued: “I understand the fear of doing it – even for me who has been around… it’s easy for me to say but I honestly think if they do it will be received in such a positive manner by pretty much everybody. “I just hope someone is brave enough to do it because then others will follow. It’s ridiculous that we have to have the conversation about this but hopefully that will change. Well, it will change but it’s just a question of time.” 2022 World Cup on Towleroad Lourdes Leon Madonna Halloween Cease-fire. Both Feature Sexy Costumes, Even As Kids Leak Concern For Mom’s Legacy More ‘The only person who killed’: Prosecutor paints Rittenhouse as aggressor in opening of trial More From Boeing to Mercedes, a U.S. worker rebellion swells over vaccine mandates More Net zero clothing: Biden ‘flashed by naked Scotsman’ More First Out LGBTQ Woman Confirmed to Federal Appeals Court; Highly Qualified Justice Breezes By Bizarre Republican Queries More After George Floyd, Minneapolis voters weigh replacing police department More Tom Daley found coming out ‘traumatic’ More More than 100 countries join pact to slash planet-warming methane emissions More Conservative Justices Reconsider Positions, Ask Tough Questions; Indicate Supreme Court May Be Lean Toward Blocking Texas Abortion Law More New York food delivery workers mobilize against attacks, theft More Supreme Court Spurns Catholic Hospital Appeal Of Transgender Patient; Bolsters Catholic Challenge To NY Abortion Funding Requirement More Load More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Like mother, like daughter! Despite sources squealing Lourdes Leon objects to her mom Madonna dressing provocatively at 63, the model joined in on the Halloween fun as they both showed some skin on the spooky day. The Queen of Pop shared photos from their celebration on Monday, November 1 via Instagram. The “Hung Up” singer sported some low cut red shorts, fishnets and a crop top as she was a spot-on Harley Quinn. Mega MADONNA SLAMS DABABY FOR HOMPHOBIC RANT, SAYS ‘PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE THE REASON WE ARE STILL LIVING IN A WORLD DIVIDED BY FEAR’ Lourdes looked equally as divine in a short plaid mini skirt and corset top with blood running down her neck. The Material Girl’s beau Ahlamalik Williams was also in attendance during the bash. The 27-year-old dancer and Madonna have been dating for over two years. Fans of the pop icon gushed over how she slayed her costume. “Omg! So beautiful,” one user wrote, while another commented: “Cutest little Harley Quinn.” Lourde’s indulging her mom’s sexy ways comes after OK! reported she and her brother Rocco Ritchie, 21, are frustrated with her wild antics, including going on TV and baring all. Mega The Grammy winner recently made a jaw-dropping appearance on late-night TV, in which she crawled across host Jimmy Fallon’s desk and flashed her bum to the audience. MADONNA’S DAUGHTER LOURDES LEON BRINGS THE HEAT IN MARC JACOBS SPRING COLLECTION — AND EVEN SHOWS OFF HER UNSHAVEN ARMPITS “They can’t understand why [her behavior] needs to be so hyper and gratuitous,” dished the source. Madonna’s children love and respect her, “but it makes them cringe to see her writhing around naked and making a fool of herself,” the source added, explaining that Lourdes and Rocco have “struggled for years” with her attention-seeking behavior. @madonna/Instagram The Evita actress is also Mom to David Banda, 15, as well as 8-year-old twins Stelle and Estere Ciccone. “Madonna thinks she’s being hip and irreverent and still gets this huge kick out of shocking people, but it’s reaching a boiling point,” the insider continued, noting the kids are ready to confront her before it goes too far. “[The siblings] plan to sit their mom down and tell her she needs a reset before she winds up imploding and ruining her legacy,” the source concluded. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nathan Layne KENOSHA, Wis. (Reuters) – The prosecution on Tuesday sought to portray a U.S. teenager accused of fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year as an aggressor who was an outlier in resorting to deadly force, aiming to undercut his claim of self-defense. Kyle Rittenhouse, then 17, shot dead two protesters and wounded a third man with a semi-automatic rifle amid protests over the police shooting of a Black man. In his opening statement, Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger acknowledged that chaos had engulfed Kenosha, as agitators came like “moths to a flame” to engage in arson, rioting and looting. Binger repeated seven times that Rittenhouse was the only person to have killed anyone on Aug. 25, 2020, the night he shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, now 27, in the arm. “The evidence will show that the only person who killed anyone was the defendant, Kyle Rittenhouse,” Binger said. Binger said the evidence would show that the bullet that killed Rosenbaum – who was chasing the teenager and threw a plastic bag at him but was unarmed – was to his back. Binger said Rittenhouse fled the scene without providing first aid. Rittenhouse, now 18, is charged with reckless and intentional homicides in the killing of Rosenbaum and Huber and the wounding of Grosskreutz with an AR-15-style rifle. He has pleaded not guilty and says he acted in self-defense. The unrest had been sparked by a white police officer’s shooting and wounding of Jacob Blake, just three months after the police murder of George Floyd, another Black man, in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests over racism and police brutality. The 20-person jury, composed of 11 women and nine men, will now listen to opening statements from the defense. Rittenhouse, sitting next to his lawyers, was wearing a dark gray suit and a maroon shirt and tie. The teen appeared to be listening attentively, though he yawned several times. Rittenhouse has emerged as a hero to some conservatives who believe in unfettered gun rights and see the shootings as justified during the chaos that had engulfed Kenosha, while many on the political left have labeled him a vigilante killer. Some legal experts https://www.reuters.com/world/us/prosecutors-face-tough-test-trial-us-teenage-protest-shooter-rittenhouse-2021-10-28 have said the prosecution faces a tough task in convincing a jury that Rittenhouse did not fear for his life, given video evidence showing all three men were advancing toward him, with Rosenbaum and Huber appearing to reach for his weapon and Grosskreutz armed with a pistol, when he fired. Under Wisconsin law, people can only use deadly force if they “reasonably” believe it necessary to prevent someone from killing or causing great bodily harm to them. The jury was selected on Monday after lawyers and Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder vetted candidates for biases, with many questions focused on their views on the protests and their experiences with guns. The trial is poised to be the biggest U.S. court test of a civilian’s right to self-defense since George Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, in Florida. Rittenhouse’s lawyers will likely try to portray the men he shot as bad actors involved in lawless behavior, giving him reason to fear for his safety. They may highlight the expected testimony of a reporter named Richard McGinnis, who told police that Rosenbaum tried to grab the barrel of Rittenhouse’s rifle before the teenager shot him. They are also expected to stress audio and video evidence of protesters yelling things like “Get his ass!” as Rittenhouse stumbled and fell to the ground before shooting Huber, who swung a skateboard at him, and Grosskreutz, who was holding a pistol. (Reporting by Nathan Layne; Editing by Ross Colvin, Peter Cooney and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Tina Bellon and Eric M. Johnson AUSTIN/SEATTLE (Reuters) – In Wichita, Kansas, nearly half of the roughly 10,000 employees at aircraft companies Textron Inc and Spirit AeroSystems remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, risking their jobs in defiance of a federal mandate, according to a union official. “We’re going to lose a lot of employees over this,” said Cornell Beard, head of the local Machinists union district. Many workers did not object to the vaccines as such, he said, but were staunchly opposed to what they see as government meddling in personal health decisions. The union district has hired a Texas-based lawyer to assist employees and prepare potential lawsuits against the companies should requests for medical or religious exemptions to vaccination be denied. A life-long Democrat, Beard said he would no longer vote for the party. “They’ll never get another vote from me and I’m telling the workers here the same thing.” The clock is ticking for companies that want to continue gaining federal contracts under an executive order by Democratic President Joe Biden, which requires all contractor employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8. That means federal contract workers need to have received their last COVID-19 shot at least two weeks before the deadline to gain maximum protection, according to U.S. government guidance. With a three-week gap between shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, workers must get the first jab by Wednesday. If the government holds fast to its deadline, it is already too late to choose Moderna’s vaccine, which is given in two doses four weeks apart. Workers could opt to get Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine until Nov. 24 to meet the deadline. Vaccines remain by far the most effective way to prevent COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, particularly faced with the extremely contagious Delta variant of the virus that can cause infections even among those fully vaccinated. Despite vocal opposition from some, vaccine mandates have been effective at shrinking the rates of the unvaccinated and convincing the reluctant to roll up their sleeves. Several big employers such as Procter & Gamble, 3M and airlines including American Airlines and JetBlue have imposed mandates. In some industries, including among food workers, unions have supported vaccine requirements. But the mandate has stirred protests from workers in industries across the country, as well as from Republican state officials. Opposition to the mandate could potentially lead to thousands of U.S. workers losing their jobs and imperil an already sluggish economic recovery, union leaders, workers and company executives said. More legal clashes are likely over how companies decide requests for vaccination exemptions. For the companies, time is getting tight, though the Biden administration has signaled federal contractors will not have to immediately lay off unvaccinated workers who miss the Dec. 8 deadline. Under government guidance published on Monday, companies will have flexibility over how to implement the mandate, which may allow them to avoid mass firings. “A covered contractor should determine the appropriate means of enforcement with respect to its employee,” the guidance said. For Boeing Co in the United States, more than 7,000 workers have applied for religious exemptions and around 1,000 are seeking medical exemptions, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. That amounts to some 6% of the planemaker’s roughly 125,000 U.S employees. ‘ILLEGAL, IMMORAL AND IMPRACTICAL’ At a rally last week outside Boeing property in Auburn, south of Seattle, many of the three dozen workers gathered in driving rain said they would rather be escorted off Boeing property on Dec. 8 than take a vaccine. Others said they would pursue early retirement. “The mandate is illegal, immoral and impractical,” said one veteran Boeing program analyst who attended the rally. “We are standing together against a company and government trampling on our rights.” Many legal experts have said vaccine mandates in the interest of public health are legal. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected several challenges to mandates, with the high court last week turning away a healthcare worker who sought a religious exemption to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The rebellion has put Boeing executives in a bind. The company could lose skilled staff, but must comply with a presidential order. A Boeing spokesperson said the company was committed to maintaining a safe working environment for its employees. The order’s provision for religious and medical exemptions is causing more tension. Two Textron workers who requested religious exemptions told Reuters the company’s human resources representatives quizzed them on the name of their church leaders and asked detailed questions about their faith. Textron declined to respond to questions, but in a statement said it was obligated to comply with Biden’s order and was taking steps to do so. “Employees who are unable to receive the COVID-19 vaccination due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief are being provided an opportunity to request an accommodation from this requirement,” Textron said. Spirit AeroSystems did not respond to a request for comment. Raytheon Technologies’ CEO Greg Hayes last week warned the U.S. defense firm will lose “several thousand” employees because of the mandate. A group representing FedEx Corp, United Parcel Service Inc and other cargo carriers said it would be virtually impossible to have all their workforces vaccinated by the deadline. Some companies have imposed vaccine mandates even absent immediate government regulation. Mercedes-Benz USA, the U.S. unit of German carmaker Daimler AG which is not a U.S. government contractor, told employees in an October email seen by Reuters that proof of vaccination against COVID-19 would become a condition of employment beginning Jan. 4. The carmaker said it implemented the move in anticipation of a separate U.S. government vaccine mandate that would apply to businesses with at least 100 employees, affecting some 80 million workers nationwide. Less than half of the company’s workers at U.S. import processing centers are vaccinated and many refuse to get a shot, according to a source familiar with the matter. Mercedes USA in a statement said it had given employees 90-day notice to fulfill the requirement, adding that two thirds of its U.S. employees – not including factory workers in Alabama – have provided proof of vaccination to date. “We expect that the vast majority of our employees will provide proof of vaccination before the deadline,” the company said. (Reporting by Tina Bellon in Austin, Texas and Eric M. Johnson in Seattle, Washington; Editing by Joe White and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by AFP As US president, Joe Biden is used to being the centre of attention Glasgow (AFP) – As the world’s most powerful man, he’s used to crowds and curious onlookers wherever he goes — but probably not a naked Scotsman with a mobile phone. Reporters travelling with US President Joe Biden to the UN climate change summit in Glasgow detailed the unexpected sight at an unspecified location en route from Edinburgh. “At one point when we were still on smaller country roads, a large, naked Scottish man stood in his front window taking a picture of the motorcade with his phone,” they said. It was not immediately clear if Biden witnessed the au naturel onlooker from “The Beast”, his bullet-proof limousine, nor how the man’s nationality was known. In 2016, Biden’s White House predecessor Donald Trump was serenaded by a Mexican Mariachi band, Juan Direction, when he arrived at Glasgow Prestwick airport. The unscheduled welcoming party came after the then-presidential hopeful had proposed building a wall on the US southern border to keep out Mexican migrants. pool-bur-phz/am/tgb View the full article

Table Of Contents Highly Qualified Justice Breezes By Bizarre Republican QueriesVeteran of The Battles to Protect LGBTQ Relationships, Highly Qualified VT Supreme Court Justice Breaks Another Glass Ceiling for Representationm Confirmed to federal appeals court.Federal Appeals Court on Towleroad Highly Qualified Justice Breezes By Bizarre Republican Queries By Lisa Keen, Keen News Service The U.S. Senate tonight (November 1) confirmed the appointment of the first openly LGBT woman for a seat on a federal appeals court circuit bench. Monday’s roll call vote, 51 to 45, came with no debate on the Senate floor, but followed an unusually crass interrogation of the nominee, Beth Robinson, on paper. After challenging Robinson in the publicly broadcast confirmation hearing last month, Republicans posed a sometimes bizarre series of questions through behind-the-scenes Senate questionaires. Among other things, Republicans asked Robinson: “How many biological sexes do you believe there are?” and “Do you think it is appropriate for an individual to threaten a six-year-old girl with a box cutter by telling her that he would kill her in her sleep?” One senator named two dozen landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions —from Marbury v. Madison in 1803 (which established the court’s authority to review the constitutionality of laws) to Brown v. Board (ending segregation), Loving v. Virginia (ending bans on interracial marriage), and nearly every pro-LGBT decision issued since 1997 and asked whether each was “correctly decided.” Republican senators used the televised confirmation hearing September 14 to assert claims that Robinson showed “marked hostility toward religious liberty,” ask whether she “ever represented a terrorist at Guantanamo Bay,” and insinuate that she would be attempting to “drive broader social change” on the court. Beth Robinson opening remarks in hearing for confirmation to Federal Appeals Court. Nominee Beth Robinson, a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, answered each question and, the Senate confirmed her appointment to the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The vote makes Robinson the first openly LGBT woman to be confirmed to a federal circuit appeals court seat. President Biden appointed Robinson in August to the Second Circuit, which covers Vermont, New York, and Connecticut. Robinson has been serving on the Vermont Supreme Court since 2012. Prior to that, she was involved in several prominent legal challenges seeking equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. She played a key role in the litigation that won the nation’s first civil union designation, in Vermont in 2000. She later served as chief legal counsel to then Vermont Governor Pete Shumlin, who nominated her to Vermont’s highest bench. How many biological sexes are there? Senator Ted Cruz to VT Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson as part of confirmationDuring the confirmation hearing, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee lined up against Robinson, saying that, early in her career as an attorney, she had demonstrated hostility toward religious liberty. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused Robinson of “marked hostility toward religious liberty.” His evidence was her work as a private attorney representing a client who sued a Vermont printer for refusing to print flyers for the client’s Catholic pro-choice group. Cruz said Robinson sought to “force” the printer to print “membership cards for a pro-abortion group.” Robinson pointed out that the case to which he was referring was one in which she was representing a client who was herself suing over discrimination based on her religion. “My client was a Catholic,” replied Robinson. “She was [at the printer’s] to get flyers for Catholics for Choice printed. She was deeply offended by the suggestion [by the printer] that she wasn’t a true Catholic and that was the reason why the printer wouldn’t print [the client’s] materials.” The case settled before any court ruled on the merits of the issue, recalled Robinson. In his written questionnaire to Robinson, Cruz asked, “How many biological sexes do you believe there are?” Robinson declined to respond, noting, as most nominees nowadays to, that the issue was likely to come before her in court. Beth Robinson response to Senator Durbin on transition from advocate to judge in hearing for confirmation to Federal Appeals Court. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) also attacked Robinson over the printer case, during the public hearing. On his written questionnaire to Robinson, Hawley also asked “How many sexes and genders do you believe there are?” and “Do you think it is appropriate for an individual to threaten a six-year-old girl with a box cutter by telling her that he would kill her in her sleep?” Robinson, of course, said no and explained her dissent in a case in which the court had to decide whether a box cutter constituted a “deadly weapon” in a particular circumstance. Cruz and Hawley have been criticized harshly in recent months for fanning the flames of insurrection around the January 6 attack on Congress. Their harsh questioning of Robinson—and other Biden nominees—could have been motivated in part by an effort to deflect attention away from their culpability in attempting to interfere with the certification of the 2020 presidential vote. It might also be a symptom of the ever-increasing partisan battles in Congress, attempting to derail the other party’s judicial nominee by whatever means necessary. Robinson, 56, graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Chicago Law School before beginning private practice in Middlebury and Burlington, Vermont, with the law firm of Langrock Sperry & Wool, focusing on family and employment law. Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) presented her with its 2009 Spirit of Justice Award for her work in promoting passage of Vermont’s marriage equality law in 2009. She is married to medical doctor Kim Boyman. Beth Robinson responds to Ted Cruz’s questions at hearing on her confirmation to Federal Appeals Court. Keen News Service © 2021 Keen News Service. All rights reserved. Veteran of The Battles to Protect LGBTQ Relationships, Highly Qualified VT Supreme Court Justice Breaks Another Glass Ceiling for Representationm Confirmed to federal appeals court. By Orion Rummler, The 19th The Vermont judge helped lay the groundwork for marriage equality in 1999 when she argued for legal protections for same-sex couples. Originally published by The 19th Beth Robinson, a Vermont Supreme Court judge who served as co-counsel in the country’s first case to establish that LGBTQ+ couples deserve the same legal protections afforded to straight married couples, was confirmed by a 51-45 Senate vote on Monday as President Joe Biden’s nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Robinson is the first out LGBTQ+ woman to serve on a federal appeals court, following the appointment of Judge Todd Michael Hughes in 2013 — the first LGBTQ+ person to hold such a position. Experts say that her confirmation is a historic moment that should be celebrated, but it also signals that much more LGBTQ+ representation is needed in the country’s federal judiciary. “There are 870 federal judgeships, but only 12 — now 13 — are held by openly gay or lesbian judges. Four federal circuits do not have a single openly LGBT judge,” Sharon McGowan, legal director at Lambda Legal, said in a statement following Robinson’s confirmation vote. An openly bisexual or transgender person has never been nominated to the federal judiciary, Ezra Ishmael Young, a civil rights attorney and assistant professor at Cornell Law, and Karen Loewy, senior counsel at Lambda Legal, told The 19th. “The representation of LGBTQ people on the federal judiciary is miniscule,” Loewy said. Out LGBTQ+ judges currently make up just over 1 percent of the federal judiciary, she said, citing internal data from the advocacy group. LGBTQ+ judicial elected officials in the U.S. largely serve on county and district courts, with the highest concentrations in California, Texas, and Illinois, according to the current count from the Victory Institute, which works to elect LGBTQ+ officials. “We are stunningly underrepresented” in judgeships across the U.S., said Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, over text. As the former mayor of Houston, she appointed Phyllis Frye, the first openly trans judge in the United States, in 2010. That underrepresentation matters especially in courts where judges need to understand a broad range of lived experiences, Loewy said. Robinson’s legacy arguing in the landmark 1999 Baker v. Vermont case — and her extensive background lobbying for LGBTQ+ rights as a lesbian born in Karachi, Pakistan — is an important step toward the country’s judicial system actually reflecting the communities it serves, experts say. Having an out lesbian serving on a federal appeals court should also “be the norm by now,” Young said. “She just broke a major glass ceiling here. It’s the fact that such a ceiling had to be broken in 2021 that we should be appalled by.” Robinson is aware of the importance her past work holds, and empathetic to the emotional toll that activism can take, after chairing the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force off and on for 15 years. “For a lot of people in the queer community in Vermont, 2000 was an incredibly intense time, an incredibly difficult time … that’s left its marks on people for some time thereafter,” Robinson said, reflecting on the year that ruling took effect, in a June 2020 interview with the Pride Center of Vermont. More from The 19th Meet the first trans women of color to teach at Harvard Law Senate confirms second ever woman solicitor general, who represents federal government before Supreme Court Republican candidate in Virginia governor’s race opposes marriage equality In that interview, Robinson said that during the three-year window that culminated with the country’s first recognition that LGBTQ+ relationships deserve legal protections, queer people in Vermont “found themselves called to speak up,” whether they liked it or not. “That debate really caused people all around the state, in our community, people who were living quietly, they didn’t think of themselves as activists … suddenly they found themselves called to speak up. And to speak honestly about the truth of their lives,” she said. After arguing that case, which Robinson described in that June 2020 interview as one of the first conversations that brought marriage equality and civil unions into the broader body politic, she went on to work as counsel to the Vermont governor in 2011 and joined the Vermont Supreme Court later that year. As an associate and then partner at Langrock Sperry & Wool, the private practice that Robinson worked at while arguing Baker v. Vermont, her areas of focus included family law, employment law, employment discrimination, among other areas. Alongside Robinson’s nomination by the Biden administration in August, the president also nominated Charlotte Sweeny to serve as a United States District Judge for the District of Colorado — marking another first for LGBTQ+ representation. If confirmed, Sweeny — who is currently in private practice — would be the first out LGBTQ+ federal judge in the state, and one of the few LGBTQ+ women to serve as a federal district court judge in the country. The Senate Judiciary committee held her confirmation hearing in late October. Parker, while reflecting on how LGBTQ+ and trans judicial representation has improved since she appointed Frye in 2010, said that the need for more LGBTQ+ officials has not gone away. “We keep reaching milestones. The problem with milestone appointments is, when you see a milestone, it means you haven’t reached the end of the turn. So, we need more … to even move the needle in the federal benches,” Parker said. Disclosure: Annise Parker has been a financial supporter of The 19th. Federal Appeals Court on Towleroad After George Floyd, Minneapolis voters weigh replacing police department More Tom Daley found coming out ‘traumatic’ More More than 100 countries join pact to slash planet-warming methane emissions More Conservative Justices Reconsider Positions, Ask Tough Questions; Indicate Supreme Court May Be Lean Toward Blocking Texas Abortion Law More New York food delivery workers mobilize against attacks, theft More Supreme Court Spurns Catholic Hospital Appeal Of Transgender Patient; Bolsters Catholic Challenge To NY Abortion Funding Requirement More Demi Lovato, Paris Jackson Among Young Celebrities Costumed For Hollywood Halloween. Also Paris Hilton, Sophie Turner, Joe Jonas: Photos More U.S. Congress’ November agenda not for the faint of heart More Why is video chat causing a ‘Zoom boom’ in facial cosmetic surgery? More Infected despite immunity: Why breakthroughs don’t surprises experts More Barclays CEO Staley departs after Epstein probe More Load More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Brad Brooks (Reuters) – Minneapolis voters may decide on Tuesday to scrap their police force for a reimagined department that takes a holistic approach to crime and its causes, 18 months after the murder of George Floyd sparked global protests for racial justice. Supporters say what the ballot calls a Department of Public Safety is badly needed after decades of failed attempts at police reforms. Opponents in the city of some 430,000 people say it is a mistake for Minneapolis with crime on the rise. Policing needs to be more equitable, they say, but reforms should take place within the existing structure. The city was thrust to the center of the U.S. racial justice debate in May 2020 when officer Derek Chauvin pinned his knee against the neck of Floyd, a Black man, for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was sentenced in June to 22 1/2 years in prison. Three other officers charged in Floyd’s death face trial in March. Democrats, normally allies in the largely progressive Midwestern city, have split over the ballot question. Many fear dissolving the department will provide easy election fodder for Republicans nationwide ahead of November 2022 congressional elections. Opposing the measure are Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo; Mayor Jacob Frey, up for reelection on Tuesday; U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Governor Tim Walz. Some of the state’s best-known progressives – such as U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who oversaw Chauvin’s prosecution – support the change. Nearly all of the dozens of Minneapolis residents interviewed last week said they were confused about how a new public safety department would operate, even those who support it. If voters approve the creation of the new public safety department, the mayor and the city council would then analyze what type of support residents need – from armed officers responding to violent crimes to mental-health and addiction specialists to address situations where a traditional officer with a gun is not required. (Reporting by Brad Brooks; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Howard Goller) View the full article