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Published by BANG Showbiz English Alyson Stoner chose to undergo gay conversion therapy. The 27-year-old singer-and-actress – who came out in 2018 – felt “wretched” about her sexuality so decided to try the controversial treatment, only for it to send her “into a spiral” because of the things she was told. She told Insider: “I felt stuck. I felt wretched. I felt like everything was wrong with me, even though I, in my heart of hearts, only desired to be a devoted follower of God… “To hear from people you trust, from people you respect, from people you might even aspire to become, that you at your core are ‘rotten,’ ‘abominable,’ that the devil has a target on your back because of your position in Hollywood…it just sends you into a spiral, at least for me, because I just wanted to do the right thing.” The ‘Step Up’ actress admitted she still has nightmares about the “dangerous” therapy sessions. She said: “My mind doesn’t want to even go there. My legs started shaking at the thought of reliving some of it. “I know firsthand how dangerous it is for me as someone who had access to therapy and other forms of support. And I still was considering whether my life was worth living or, if everything was wrong with me, then what good was it for me to be around, starting to see myself as someone who only brought harm to other people to society.” And Alyson can’t even bring herself to speak about the “specifics” of what happened during her treatment. She said: “Even if someone comes out of it on the other side and says, ‘Hey, no, I’m living a great life,’ there are scars there. There are shadows. “So yes, I’m not capable yet of going back and recounting specifics, which is an indicator of just how difficult that chapter was for me.” Alyson Stoner previously on Towleroad Miss Nevada USA Beauty Pageant Crowns First Out Trans Woman as Queen; ‘My win is our win. We just made history’ July 1, 2021 Read More Camp Marilyn Monroe Statue is Back as ‘Eiffel Tower of Palm Springs,’ An Eyeful of ‘Underpants’ Post-Museum, Or Misogynist Exploitation July 1, 2021 Read More Biden Responds to ‘Hundreds Of Anti -LGBTQ bills’ across States; White House Reviewing Trans Protections Across Nation July 1, 2021 Read More BET Praises Lil Nas X’s First Gay Kiss At BET Awards. Rapper Flames Critics, Celebrates 2 Years Out; ‘I Love Who I Am and Whatever I Decide To Do’ July 1, 2021 Read More Royalty Road: Nashville Dedicates Bianca Paige Way in Honor of Drag Queen and HIV/AIDS Advocate Bianca Paige June 30, 2021 Read More Court Stalls Trans Toilet Attack, Dumps First Case; But Alito, Thomas Can Flush Minor LGBTQ Win By Waiting For a Looser No. 2 Case: Busy-Bee Days End Session June 30, 2021 Read More Dutch Prime Minister Tells Hungary’s Orban to Respect LGBT rights or leave EU June 25, 2021 Read More President Biden Names Jessica Stern U.S. LGBTQI+ Special Envoy, Signs Pulse National Memorial into Law June 25, 2021 Read More View the full article

Beauty Pageant: Miss Nevada USA Kataluna EnriquezFashion designer and LGBTQ advocate Kataluna Enriquez made history in the beauty pageant world on Sunday when she became the first out trans woman to be crowned Miss Nevada USA. “Huge thank you to everyone who supported me from day one,” Enriquez exclaimed in a post-victory Instagram post. “My community, you are always in my heart. My win is our win. We just made history. Happy pride.” Her win on Sunday in Las Vegas cements her spot as Nevada’s representative in the Miss USA pageant later this year, making her the first out trans woman to compete in the event’s history. Enriquez, a healthcare administrator who designs and operates her own clothing line (KatalunaKouture), is no stranger to the pageant scene. She began competing in 2016 but didn’t make the switch to cisgender pageants until last year. She told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she made the change to advocate for trans rights and visibility in addition to increased diversity. “With pageantry, people think it is only about beauty. But it’s how you present yourself, what you advocate for, what you’ve done and the goals you have,” Enriquez said. That goal wanting to be “more than just a body” was front and center as she captured the crown wearing a rainbow-sequined gown she designed and made herself “in honor of pride month, and all of those who don’t get a chance to spread their colors.” Enriquez continues her advocacy work through her #BEVISIBLE campaign, which aims to “combat hate through vulnerability.” as well as working with organizations to support LGBTQ youth. Enriquez earned her opportunity at the crown by becoming the first out trans woman to win the Miss Silver State title earlier this year. Her win on Sunday in Las Vegas, NV cements her spot as Nevada’s representative in the Miss USA pageant later this year, making her the first out trans woman to compete in the event’s history. Beauty Pageant: Previously on Towleroad Miss Nevada USA Beauty Pageant Crowns First Out Trans Woman as Queen; ‘My win is our win. We just made history’ Brian Bell July 1, 2021 Read More Harry Styles Beauty Company Next Project for Well-Connected Iconic Singer? Towleroad May 30, 2021 Read More YouTube Beauty Star NikkieTutorials Comes out as Transgender: ‘It is Time to Let Go and Be Truly Free’ — WATCH Andy Towle January 13, 2020 Read More Maybelline Makes Manny Mua the Company’s First Ever Male Brand Ambassador Andy Towle January 6, 2017 Read More Obama Campaign Manager’s Allegedly Homophobic Political Ad: VIDEO Brandon Thorp and Penn Bullock June 16, 2012 Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Norma Galeana (Reuters) – The Marilyn Monroe Statue is back in Palm Springs, California, in a big way – but not everyone is thrilled. A 26-ft (7.9-m) tall statue of the Hollywood icon in her famous billowing white dress was unveiled in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum, facing Palm Canyon Drive, the city’s main tourist strip, on Sunday. The artwork, sculpted by John Seward Johnson II in 2011, was inspired by a scene from the film, “The Seven Year Itch.” It first came to Palm Springs in 2012 as a rental for 26 months and moved to New Jersey in 2014, said Aftab Dada, chairman of P.S. Resorts, a local hospitality group. The statue is already popular for snapshots and the community is expecting it to increase visitor traffic based on past experience, Dada said. “And at that time in 2012, ’13, ’14, the social media explosion wasn’t as great as it is now,” he added. Palm Springs resident John McDermott, 77, stopped by on his morning bike ride. “I speak for the vast majority of the residents of Palm Springs, where everybody is ecstatic to have her back here, absolutely ecstatic,” McDermott said. “It’s good for the community, it’s good for the businesses. This is going to be the Eiffel Tower of Palm Springs.” But the view turned off Brooks Thomas, 50, a Palm Springs resident for eight years. “It’s absurd that you’re going to leave the museum and see the backside of someone’s underpants,” he said. “People have all kinds of issues with other things that they find obscene, but this you know, they think it’s acceptable.” When the statue was unveiled, protesters including the Women’s March Foundation chanted that it was misogynistic and exploitative. Its location also rankled critics. Chris Menrad founded the Committee to Relocate Marilyn, which filed a lawsuit citing public codes, and has raised more than $70,000 to remove it. The statue was in the middle of a new street that had been created to open up the museum and connect it to Palm Canyon Drive, Menad said. “We have an issue with placing a large statue that is blocking that view on a quote unquote, temporary basis that everybody knows is not going to be temporary,” said Menrad. ‘Forever Marilyn’ is expected to stay in Palm Springs for three years. (Reporting by Norma Galeana; Editing by Richard Chang) Marilyn Monroe Statue previously on Towleroad Biden Responds to ‘Hundreds Of Anti -LGBTQ bills’ across States; White House Reviewing Trans Protections Across Nation Read More BET Praises Lil Nas X’s First Gay Kiss At BET Awards. Rapper Flames Critics, Celebrates 2 Years Out; ‘I Love Who I Am and Whatever I Decide To Do’ Read More Royalty Road: Nashville Dedicates Bianca Paige Way in Honor of Drag Queen and HIV/AIDS Advocate Bianca Paige Read More Court Stalls Trans Toilet Attack, Dumps First Case; But Alito, Thomas Can Flush Minor LGBTQ Win By Waiting For a Looser No. 2 Case: Busy-Bee Days End Session Read More Dutch Prime Minister Tells Hungary’s Orban to Respect LGBT rights or leave EU Read More President Biden Names Jessica Stern U.S. LGBTQI+ Special Envoy, Signs Pulse National Memorial into Law Read More Free Britney. Strange Bedfellows: Cher, Gaetz + Jordan, Megan McCain, the Justice Reporter From ‘The Nation’, Andy Cohen, Rose McGowan, and Amnesty F’in International Read More RuPaul All Stars 6 Premiere: Variety Extravaganza, Blue Ball and a New Viewing Experience [RECAP and RANKINGS] Read More Gay WW2 Hero Alan Turing Memorialized on New British £50 Note; ‘A Celebration of His Remarkable Life’ Read More View the full article

The Biden administration wants to address employment discrimination, homelessness and other issues that have a disproportionate effect on transgender people. The White House on Wednesday said it would gather federal agencies in the coming weeks, including the Justice Department, Defense Department and Department of Health and Human Services, to revise policies driving poverty, violence, and discrimination against transgender people. The announcement comes after the Biden administration had already pledged to reverse Trump-era policies that disproportionately impacted transgender Americans and restricted LGBTQ+ access to health care, housing, and equal treatment in prisons. The administration’s latest policy change affecting trans people came from the State Department, which said it would allow nonbinary and intersex people to obtain IDs and passports with an “X” gender marker instead of an “M” or an “F.” President Joe Biden with Youth Trans Leader Ashton Mota, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg marking “Pride back in the White House”Members of the White House initiative announced Wednesday, headed by the Gender Policy Council and Domestic Policy Council, plan to meet with trans advocates in the next few weeks to hear their policy recommendations. Meeting with advocates will be the group’s first step to address issues including employment discrimination, homelessness, abuse, and school bullying, White House spokesperson Matt Hill said. The White House has focused on trans rights at several events commemorating Pride month, culminating with a virtual “transgender equality” event on Wednesday that included U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, HHS Secretary Rachel Levine and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke as speakers. “So far this year, hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures,” Biden said at his Pride speech last week in the East Room. “These are some of the ugliest, most un-American laws I’ve seen, and I’ve been here awhile. Many of them target transgender children, seeking to prevent them from receiving the appropriate medical care, for using the bathroom at high schools while they’re — the one where they’ll be most safe, even preventing them from joining sports teams with their classmates,” he said. Ashton Mota, the 16-year-old Human Rights Campaign ambassador who introduced Biden at his Pride speech last week, thanked the administration on Wednesday at the virtual transgender equality event. “After coming out and receiving support from my family, that’s one of the best things I could have asked for — because it’s given me a platform and a pedestal to be able to use my voice and represent a community that usually isn’t given a seat at the table to have these important conversations,” he said. Originally published by The 19th Trans protections previously on Towleroad BET Praises Lil Nas X’s First Gay Kiss At BET Awards. Rapper Flames Critics, Celebrates 2 Years Out; ‘I Love Who I Am and Whatever I Decide To Do’ Royalty Road: Nashville Dedicates Bianca Paige Way in Honor of Drag Queen and HIV/AIDS Advocate Bianca Paige Court Stalls Trans Toilet Attack, Dumps First Case; But Alito, Thomas Can Flush Minor LGBTQ Win By Waiting For a Looser No. 2 Case: Busy-Bee Days End Session Dutch Prime Minister Tells Hungary’s Orban to Respect LGBT rights or leave EU President Biden Names Jessica Stern U.S. LGBTQI+ Special Envoy, Signs Pulse National Memorial into Law Free Britney. Strange Bedfellows: Cher, Gaetz + Jordan, Megan McCain, the Justice Reporter From ‘The Nation’, Andy Cohen, Rose McGowan, and Amnesty F’in International RuPaul All Stars 6 Premiere: Variety Extravaganza, Blue Ball and a New Viewing Experience [RECAP and RANKINGS] Gay WW2 Hero Alan Turing Memorialized on New British £50 Note; ‘A Celebration of His Remarkable Life’ Bi-partisan Effort To Move 20,000+ Sexual Assault Cases/Year Out of Command Chain Gets Surprise Support of Defense Secy. Austin View the full article

Lil Nas XThe reign of Montero in the culture continued at Sunday’s BET Awards when out gay rapper Lil Nas X ended his scorching performance by locking lips with one of his backup dancers, giving the BET Awards stage its first gay male kiss ever. The moment capped off another stellar performance of the artist smash hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” that drenched itself in Black queer expression. Lil Nas X hasn’t been shy about embracing his queer identity since coming out as gay in 2019, openly expressing it through his music, fashion and performances in ways that mainstream hip-hop has never seen. Sunday’s kiss garnered a standing ovation from the live crowd made up of Lil Nas X’s peers in music and other media. He even got to share a backstage moment with Tyler, the Creator, another popular rapper who hasn’t been shy about expressing his LGBTQ-ness through his music, most notably on his 2019 album “Igor.” Lil Nas X previously praised Tyler and Frank Ocean for being examples of queer Black men in hip-hop that “made it easier for me to be where I am comfortably.” Lil Nas X’s performance wasn’t the only moment from Sunday’s BET Awards that placed that initiative in the forefront. Out rapper/actor Queen Latifah received the Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday night, thanking her longtime partner, Eboni, and declaring “Happy Pride” during her speech. The days after the event have also been significant for LIl Nas X. He released a trailer reminiscent of Marvel Studios touting the release of his first album, “Montero,” and celebrated the two-year anniversary of his coming out on Wednesday. “I have officially been gay for two years,” he said. ” Wow that was fun what should I do next!?” Lil Nas X: Previously on Towleroad Lil Nas X’s BET Awards Liplock Praised as Rapper Flames Homophobic Critics, Celebrates Two Years of Being Out; ‘I Love Who I Am and Whatever I Decide To Do’ Brian Bell July 1, 2021 Read More ‘I Will Never Trust Pants Again;’ Lil Nas X Humorously Details ‘SNL’ Wardrobe Malfunction Brian Bell May 25, 2021 Read More Lil Nas X Gay Expectations: Disdainful of ‘sense of responsibility’. It’s not my job to be a good role model Towleroad May 11, 2021 Read More Stranger Things 4; Lil Nas X; Rainbow Capitalism; Apex Legends; Will Smith’s Dad Bod; Arm Wrestling; Edith Surreal; Adele; EFFY: HOT LINKS Brian Bell May 6, 2021 Read More Kids Ask Lil Nas X About The Closet (Sort of); His ‘Diamond Record’, And His Nicki Minaj Costume; Plus a Response Video Michael Goff April 16, 2021 Read More Mega-Post Update — Nike Sues; Church of Satan endorses Lil Nas for ‘giving middle finger to those who said he’d burn in hell’; Lil Nas X Coronation Day 4 Michael Goff March 29, 2021 Read More View the full article

Nikole Hannah-Jones Created the 1619 Project, Was not offered tenure 1619 Project Curriculum Backlash Part of Culture War Over Teaching Truth 1619 Project: Tenure Not Offered, Mega-Donor Influence 1619 Project Curriculum and Critical Race Theory 1619 Project: Federal and Military Take on Racism Critical Race Theory: What Does America Think? 1619 Project Curriculum: Previously on Towleroad By Amanda Becker Originally published by The 19th 1619 Project: Tenure Not Offered, Mega-Donor Influence Her 1619 Project curriculum is at the center of a political battle over what students can learn about race in America. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s board of trustees voted on Wednesday to grant tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones after initially delaying the customary job protection for the incoming journalism professor, who is best known for her award-winning work reexamining how slavery shaped the United States’ founding. The board’s vice chair, R. Gene Davis Jr., who was among those who voted to offer tenure to Hannah-Jones, said that UNC “is not a place to cancel people or ideas. Neither is it a place for judging people and calling them names, like woke or racist.” “In this moment at our university, in our state, and in our nation, we need more debate, not less. We need more open inquiry, not less. We need more viewpoint diversity, not less. We need to listen to each other and not cancel each other, or call each other names. If not us, who?” Davis added in remarks after the 9-4 vote. Davis alluded to the controversy that has surrounded the delay in granting Hannah-Jones tenure by saying “members of the board have endured false claims and been called the most unpleasant of names over the past few weeks.” Hannah-Jones’ next steps were not immediately clear. Attorneys representing the MacArthur Foundation “genius” grantee and Pulitzer Prize winner said last week that she would not join UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media as its Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism unless it was with tenure, as professorships funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation traditionally are. Hannah-Jones’ lawyers said UNC’s initial offer of a five-year contract, not tenure, reflected “race and sex discrimination and retaliation” as well as “viewpoint discrimination” in violation of state and federal laws. The latter was a reference to Hannah-Jones’ work on the 1619 Project, a ground-breaking series of essays, poems, graphics and visual art pieces she led at The New York Times Magazine that examined the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to the United States more than 400 years ago. The UNC board’s deferment of Hannah-Jones’ tenure came over the objections of the faculty committee and amid concerns from a university mega-donor for whom the journalism school is named, the newspaper magnate Walter Hussman, who has subsequently said publicly that he was troubled by parts of the 1619 Project. Hussman suggested parts of history were embellished to bolster the project’s narrative. The fallout from the tussle over Hannah-Jones’ tenure demonstrates how university boards increasingly receptive to political influence can make it more difficult for colleges to recruit and retain top-tier faculty if they are concerned their scholarship or research, or even their diverse backgrounds, might lead to political backlash. It also illustrates how classrooms, whether at state colleges or in public elementary schools, have become the latest high-profile battlefronts in a partisan war over who gets to have a voice in reexamining and retelling how race and slavery shaped our country’s history. The 1619 Project is at the center of the maelstrom. Just one year after crowds took to the streets in cities across the country to protest race-related police shootings in a moment that many thought was a racial reckoning or turning point for White people, support for the Black Lives Matter movement has plummeted. At least 26 state legislatures have moved to restrict the teaching of what academics call critical race theory, and legislators in at least 48 states have proposed restrictive voting measures that experts believe would disproportionately impact voters of color. (Some, like in California, have little chance of passing Democratic-controlled legislatures.) The 1619 Project has become the bogeyman because it “unsettles the narrative” of our country’s founding that has long been seen and taught from a White perspective, Hannah-Jones told MSNBC’s Joy Reid earlier this month that moves to limit teaching structural racism in classrooms and to restrict who can easily vote are a “reaction” to the racial awakening that some White Americans experienced last summer. The 1619 Project has become the bogeyman because it “unsettles the narrative” of our country’s founding that has long been seen and taught from a White perspective, Hannah-Jones said, and “in unsettling that narrative, people are afraid it unsettles power.” “It is really a need to hold onto and maintain that power and divide that social movement towards justice by making White Americans, at least a segment of them who will be susceptible to this message, believe that ‘actually no, you’re under attack, they’re trying to take your history, they’ve gone too far,’ and that’s why wedding this together is working so successfully,” she said. The 1619 Project was published in August 2019, but it wasn’t until more than a year later that then-President Donald Trump invoked its impact when he signed an executive order establishing the 1776 Commission — named for the year the Declaration of Independence was signed — which he said would counter “recent attacks on our founding” that were “one-sided and divisive.” (President Joe Biden has since dismantled the commission). “By viewing every issue through the lens of race, they want to impose a new segregation,” Trump said at the White House. “Critical race theory, the 1619 Project and the crusade against American history is toxic propaganda, ideological poison, that, if not removed, will dissolve the civic bonds that tie us together,” he said. 1619 Project Curriculum and Critical Race Theory Critical race theory is not new. It is an educational framework developed 40 years ago by legal scholars. Its central tenet is that racism is not only a belief held by some individuals but also embedded in societal institutions, and that individuals can, via the choices they make, support racist systems. One example would be “redlining,” a Depression-era federal housing program that segregated residents by race. The practice was ended in the 1960s but its impacts persist today. They were discussed during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary when Elizabeth Warren incorporated a housing bill she had introduced in the Senate into her primary platform. Racism is not only a belief held by some individuals but also embedded in societal institutions, and that individuals can, via the choices they make, support racist systems. The 1619 Project, which was accompanied by a related suggested curriculum that explores the legacies of slavery, thrust critical race theory to the forefront of arguments that have for years played out between liberals and conservatives over what subjects should be taught in schools. Some historians criticized portions of the 1619 Project, saying they did not “question the significance of slavery in the American past” but thought the project offered a “historically-limited view of slavery” given it was not confined to the United States. Debate intensified when the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting began releasing the 1619 Project’s lesson plans. Even as increasing numbers of Americans — 76 percent of adults, including 83 percent of women and 68 percent of men — agreed that racism and discrimination were a “big problem,” Trump’s Education Department, as part of a broader federal crackdown, began investigating whether its employees were discussing “anti-American” ideas and to identify any trainings or “propaganda” that discussed critical race theory or White privilege. In the year since, bills have been signed into law in at least six states — Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Texas — that restrict the teaching of critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism in their lessons, according to Education Week. In Idaho, Republican Gov. Brad Little signed such a law in April. Separately, there is an education “indoctrination” task force led by Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who recently met with Trump and who is running for governor. Idaho high school students, who protested the law at the statehouse, recently told Education Week they are worried the task force will further prevent them from learning the fullest version of U.S. history. The Utah State Board of Education approved a rule earlier this month that limits how teachers can teach racism or sexism. Florida’s board recently prohibited educators from teaching critical race theory or the 1619 Project. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudson last month issued a binding opinion that bars teachers from asking students to “reflect, deconstruct or confront” their racial privilege. Arizona Republicans proposed a law that would fine teachers $5,000 for failing to present “all perspectives of a controversial issue,” but it did not pass. A conservative group in Nevada proposed outfitting teachers with body cameras to review whether they were teaching critical race theory. Many of the laws, both proposed and passed, are vague and broadly written, raising free speech concerns that will likely lead to legal challenges. They nevertheless indicate the country has entered a “very dangerous period,” Hannah-Jones told MSNBC. “When you read the language of them, they appear very silly, but when you think about what this is actually trying to do, we know that it is narrative that allows us to enact really dangerous policies, it is narrative that allows citizens to kind of accept these erosions of civil rights,” she said, adding: “It is not incidental that the same states that are introducing these anti-critical race theory, anti-1619 laws, are also introducing voter suppression laws.” Also from The 19th: Read Next: Meet some of the women behind the walkout over Texas voting bill Texas Democrats staged a walk-out in May to deny their Republican counterparts the quorum they needed to vote on a restrictive voting law. In May, GOP Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, signed a law to purge infrequent voters from the state’s popular Permanent Early Voting List. 1619 Project: Federal and Military Take on Racism On the federal level, a Democratic bill to expand voting rights has stalled in Congress. Critical race theory held up Kiran Ahuja’s confirmation to lead the Office of Management and Budget. \Republican Sen. Tom Cotton from Arkansas earlier this year introduced a bill that would prohibit military institutions from teaching structural racism, saying it was “anti-American.” Republican lawmakers last week questioned military leaders about whether military schools such as West Point were teaching critical race theory, citing specific courses and a seminar titled “White rage.” “I want to understand White rage and I am White,” said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. “What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the constitution of the United States of America? What caused that? I want to find that out,” he added, referencing the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Milley served under both Trump and Biden. Critical Race Theory: What Does America Think? For now, critical race theory and the 1619 project are dominating headlines, but not the minds of the average American voter — at least by name. A recent Morning Consult poll showed that 35 percent of voters have not heard of it, and another 17 percent have heard of it but have no opinion. Women were more likely than men to say they were unaware of the educational framework and, if they did, reported having less strong feelings about it either way. A Bellwether Research poll published on Wednesday indicates that the terms “critical race theory” and “1619 Project” are not yet widely known among women voters and offered a mixed view of how women feel about their underlying concepts. The Bellwether poll showed that 34 percent of women voters had not heard of critical race theory and 53 percent had not heard of the 1619 Project. Among mothers of K-12 students, 38 percent said it was a “major concern” that there was “too much focus on race and racism” in their child’s school and another 30 percent said it was a “moderate concern.” But, among women more broadly, 40 percent said they “strongly agree” and another 27 percent said they “somewhat agree” that students should be taught about racial inequality. Those percentages dropped to 31 percent and 24 percent, respectively, when asked the same question about structural racism. Only 21 percent strongly agreed that it was appropriate for state legislatures to limit what can be taught about race and racism. Seventy percent of the survey’s respondents were White, and among them, 45 percent of college-educated mothers with a K-12 student said it was “major concern” that there is too much focus on race and racism in their child’s school, and 28 percent of non-college educated mothers agreed. Thirty-eight percent of college-educated and 20 percent of non-college educated mothers said there was too little focus on events that were significant to Black Americans such as the Tulsa race massacre or Juneteenth. It is not surprising that White Americans would hold muddled and sometimes contradictory views on race — and that terms and framing can have significant impacts on whether they support, for example, the teaching of racial inequality versus structural racism. The terms themselves have been the subject of education efforts. Overall views on race among White Americans also shift — and policy shifts back and forth along with it. Barack Obama, the first Black U.S. president, would often expand on civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s idea that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” “Progress will come in fits and starts,” Obama said in his 2012 reelection victory speech. “It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path,” he added. 1619 Project Curriculum: Previously on Towleroad Bowen Yang, Joel Kim Booster to Star in Gay Rom-Com ‘Fire Island;’ A Gay ‘Pride and Prejudice’ July 2, 2021 Read More Disney Star Alyson Stoner Believed She Was ‘Abominable’; Still Suffers From ‘Dangerous’ Conversion Therapy. Came Out Gay in 2018 July 2, 2021 Read More Miss Nevada USA Beauty Pageant Crowns First Out Trans Woman as Queen; ‘My win is our win. We just made history’ July 1, 2021 Read More Camp Marilyn Monroe Statue is Back as ‘Eiffel Tower of Palm Springs,’ An Eyeful of ‘Underpants’ Post-Museum, Or Misogynist Exploitation July 1, 2021 Read More Biden Responds to ‘Hundreds Of Anti -LGBTQ bills’ across States; White House Reviewing Trans Protections Across Nation July 1, 2021 Read More BET Praises Lil Nas X’s First Gay Kiss At BET Awards. Rapper Flames Critics, Celebrates 2 Years Out; ‘I Love Who I Am and Whatever I Decide To Do’ July 1, 2021 Read More 1619 Project Curriculum Creator Nikole Hannah-Jones Offered Tenure. Bad News is Race Theory/Free Speech Backlash Expands: ROUNDUP July 1, 2021 Read More Royalty Road: Nashville Dedicates Bianca Paige Way in Honor of Drag Queen and HIV/AIDS Advocate Bianca Paige June 30, 2021 Read More Court Stalls Trans Toilet Attack, Dumps First Case; But Alito, Thomas Can Flush Minor LGBTQ Win By Waiting For a Looser No. 2 Case: Busy-Bee Days End Session June 30, 2021 Read More By Amanda Becker Originally published by The 19th View the full article

Bianca PaigePride was memorialized on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday when city officials renamed a street for Bianca Paige, one of the city’s most legendary drag queens and HIV/AIDS activists. Nashville city officials, including Mayor John Cooper, dedicated the former Carney Street as Bianca Paige Way at a dedication ceremony Saturday. The location is significant to Paige’s history as the gay bar Trax, where Paige regularly performed and held court, is located on the street. “Today, I joined so many to celebrate and honor the life of Bianca Paige, a Nashville legend,” said Cooper. “It’s really amazing. Mark’s legacy in town is so memorable, and everything he’s done for HIV and AIDS. Eleven years later, we’re still celebrating him and honoring him,” Ron Sanford, a close friend of Paige, told News4 Nashville. Brought to life by performer Mark Middleton, Paige was a staple at drag performances across Nashville for decades until his death from lymphoma in 2010, but Middleton’s true legacy lies in his fundraising efforts for HIV/AIDS research and treatment. He put a face to the cause in Nashville in the mid-90s when he publicly revealed his HIV-positive status on-stage during a performance. “Mark decided that he was going to be the one, to be the only performer, to use his stage and his persona to get it out there,” Sanford said. “He was determined to not only tell kids and people what was going on, but to get tested and to know your status.” Middleton donated tips from his performances to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Pediatric and Adolescent HIV/AIDS clinic. Middleton and Sanford founded the Bianca Paige Awareness Network to continue their HIV?AIDS advocacy and Middleton added charity events and advocacy work with Nashville Cares, ultimately raising upward of $1 million dollars for the cause before his death. “That’s how we took care of our sick. If we – our own people – would not have come in and done the things that we did, there would have been thousands and thousands more that died,” Sanford told the Nashville Scene. “When we lost Mark 11 years ago, Nashville became a little less colorful and a lot less raucous,” Cooper said. The city celebrated Paige during Pride month in Nashville with Bianca Paige Day celebrations since 2011. We have to keep the name out there and get people revitalized with it Ron SanfordCooper and others claimed during the dedication that Bianca Paige Way was the first street named for a drag queen, but there have been at least two streets previously rechristened to honor notable queens. The first known street to hold that honor is San Francisco, CA’s Jose Sarria Court, named for groundbreaking drag performer and political activist Jose Sarria in 2006. Sarria, proclaimed as Empress Jose I, founded the League for Civil Education in 1960, the Imperial Court of San Francisco in 1965 and became the first out gay man to run for political office when he pursued a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. In 2019, Columbus, OH renamed Hull Alley to Nina West Way for notable Rupaul’s Drag Race competitor Nina West. Even if Bianca Paige Way isn’t the first in the nation, the historic nature of its dedication isn’t lessened. It guarantees that the memory of Nashville’s most prolific and beloved queen will persist and inspire for years to come. “Do I think that he thought that he would ever have a street named after him? No. He knew he was doing good,” Sanford said. “He used to say, ‘My talent is God’s gift to me. What I do with that talent is my gift to God and my community.’ … we have to keep the name out there and get people revitalized with it.” Nashville: Previously on Towleroad Royalty Road: Nashville Dedicates Bianca Paige Way in Honor of Drag Queen and HIV/AIDS Advocate Bianca Paige Brian Bell June 30, 2021 Read More Tennessee GOP Lawmakers Block Resolution Honoring Gay Country Musician TJ Osborne Brian Bell May 6, 2021 Read More Nashville Bomber’s Girlfriend Told Police a Year Ago That He Was ‘Building Bombs in the RV’ Andy Towle December 30, 2020 Read More 14 Victorious LGBTQ Candidates Who Made History in the 2020 Election Andy Towle November 4, 2020 Read More Tennessee Highway Patrol Fires Trooper Who Ripped Face Mask Off Man in Viral Video Andy Towle August 15, 2020 Read More Maskless Tennessee Cop on Power Trip Rips Face Mask Off Man Filming State Troopers: WATCH Andy Towle August 12, 2020 Read More View the full article

Trans toilet illustration. Simple symbol from UCSD, Meme compiles. Credits at end.Trans Toilet Case: In a limited but important victory for transgender access, the U.S. Supreme Court announced June 28 that it would not review a lower court decision that favored a transgender student’s restroom access at a public high school. The court declined a request by a Virginia public school district to review a decision of the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which covers five states—Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Maryland. By refusing to hear the appeal, the high court leaves the favorable decision intact for those states. The case, Gloucester v. Grimm, has been on the U.S. Supreme Court docket before. In 2017, the high court vacated a previous Fourth Circuit ruling in favor of high school student Gavin Grimm, who was represented by the ACLU. Grimm had filed suit after he began transitioning and sought use of the boys’ restroom because he said girls reacted negatively to his presence in the girls’ restrooms because they perceive him to be a boy. School officials initially accommodated Grimm’s request, but the school district intervened after some parents complained. The ACLU pressed Grimm’s case and won, and the Fourth Circuit repeatedly ruled in Grimm’s favor. In the latest go-round, the Fourth Circuit ruled in Grimm’s favor, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling last year in Bostock v. Clayton (that “sex discrimination” under Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act includes sexual orientation and gender identity). The appeals court said the same logic should apply to the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education. “After the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, we have little difficulty holding that a bathroom policy precluding Grimm from using the boys’ restrooms discriminated against him ‘on the basis of sex’,” said the Fourth Circuit. Trans Toilet Opinions. Photo By Quinnanya In UCSD RestroomThe Gloucester school district in Virginia appealed again to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that, under Title IX of the federal Education Amendments Act, schools are allowed to provide separate bathrooms for the sexes. By refusing to hear the appeal, the Supreme Court does not take a position on the issue, but the impact is meaningful. “This is an incredible victory for Gavin and for transgender students around the country,” said Josh Block, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s national LGBTQ & HIV Project. Paul Castillo, an attorney with Lambda Legal, also called the Supreme Court’s refusal to take the appeal an “incredible victory.” “There should be no doubt that federal law requires schools to protect all students. Courts all over the country, as well as the federal government have made crystal clear that LGBTQI+ students are protected by federal law and have a right to an equal education, to be protected against harassment and discrimination, and to a school environment where they can be their authentic selves,” said Castillo. Specifically, the Fourth Circuit ruled—and the Supreme Court allowed to stand—that Title IX of the Education Amendments Act and the equal protection clause of the constitution “can protect transgender students from school bathroom policies that prohibit them from affirming their gender.” Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito indicated they dissented from the court’s refusal to take the appeal. The Supreme Court did not indicate June 28 whether it will hear two other LGBTQ-related appeals. One, Arlene’s Flowers v. Washington, is making its second appearance on the high court’s potential case list. It, like Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado, asks whether a business serving the public can deny service to a same-sex couple because of the business owner’s religious hostility to same-sex marriage. The other, Dignity Health v. Minton, asks whether a Catholic-run hospital can deny a hysterectomy to a female-to-male transgender patient as part of treatment for gender dysphoria. The hospital chain in question says its Catholic-run hospitals would be violating Catholic “religious directives” to provide such treatment. © 2021 Keen News Service. All rights reserved. Trans Toilet previously on Towleroad Credits first image: Images by Sara Mirk, @_michaelhughes1, vectorpocket , Combined image may be used at no charge under (CC BY-NC 2.0) View the full article