Worse Than It Looks: On the Same-Sex Marriage Bill Many More Republicans This Time Really Showed Up – to Vote No

I guess I’m more similar to will than I thought

Theatre Three’s ‘The Elephant Man.’ (Photo by Jeffrey Schmidt.)

The Queen of Pop, Madonna, affectionately known to many of her fans as Madge, is apparently planning an anniversary tour, with dates already booked in “London’s O2 Arena for multiple events,” reports The Sun. Reports say the tour would start at the end of the year and feature her biggest hits, and that she’s been in talks with Jamie King, the creative director who first worked with her in 1995 to choreograph the her video “Human Nature,” then went on to work on several of her tours, including the most recent, her 2019 Madame X Tour.With older tracks such as “Frozen” and “Material Girl” proving popular on TikTok, Madonna wants to present her body of work to a fresh new audience, sources told The Sun. She has also released a demo of the original version of “Back That Up to the Beat”; a reworked version appeared on the deluxe edition of Madame X. The demo version has gone viral on TikTok, with another version posted to Instagram.

Actor Noah Schnapp of Stranger Things fame has come out as gay.Schnapp, 18, came out in a TikTok video Thursday. He captioned the video, “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought,” a reference to his Stranger Things character, gay teenager Will Byers, who is coming out as well.“When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was ‘we know,’” he wrote on the video, in which he lip-synchs to audio of a speaker saying, “You know what it never was? That serious. It was never that serious.

Noah Schnapp of Stranger Things fame came out as gay on social media on Thursday afternoon.The 18-year-old actor shared the news in a TikTok clip where he wore a gray hoodie while laying on a white pillow.'When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know,' he wrote over the video.He also said in the video: 'I guess I'm more similar to Will Byers than I thought!'   His news: Noah Schnapp of Stranger Things fame has come out as gay on social media. On Thursday the actor shared the news in a TikTok clip where he wore a hoodie while laying on a pillowIn the video he is mouthing a woman's voice as she says, 'You know it never was that serious, it was never that serious, quite frankly we will never be that serious.'His real life seems to be mimicking his reel life. Back in July, Noah confirmed that his Stranger Things character Will Byers is gay and in love with his best friend Mike Wheeler, admitting he was previously careful in discussing the topic to avoid spoilers.  In a recent interview the actor opened up about growing up alongside his onscreen persona and the importance of his sexuality's 'slow arc'.Speaking to Variety, the breakout star said: 'Obviously, it was hinted at in Season 1: It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends? Now that he's gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing.'Now it's 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike.

Out and proud! Noah Schnapp publicly came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a TikTok video shared on Thursday, January 5.

 

Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California has again failed to become speaker of the House, with his colleagues having taken nine votes as of Thursday afternoon without a majority settling on a speaker — and the House can’t do any other business until that happens.McCarthy, a former majority and minority leader in the House, is opposed by many members of his party’s far right, even though he’s pretty far to the right himself.

From left: Nikki Kuhnhausen, Jaylow McGlory, and Zoe SpearsMost transgender homicide victims in the U.S. are Black women, and most of them knew their killers, but the legal system has failed them in many ways and few of their cases result in murder convictions, according to a new analysis by Insider.The publication looked at 175 killings of trans and gender-nonconforming, nonbinary, and two-spirit people from 2017 through 2021.

As of Sunday, people logging on to the Internet in Louisiana wishing to watch pornography must first upload their driver’s license.According to the law that went into effect this year, websites that publish pornography are required to verify a user’s age before granting access to adult content. To access the material, users must verify their identity with the state’s digital driver’s license app, LA Wallet.“Due to advances in technology, the universal availability of the internet, and limited age verification requirements, minors are exposed to pornography earlier in age,” the law reads.

(CNN) -- The South Carolina state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state's six-week ban on abortion violates the state's constitution.The 2021 law had banned abortions once ​what it called a "fetal heartbeat" is detected, which can be as early as ​four weeks, and more commonly, six weeks ​into pregnancy, with exceptions for ​fetal anomalies, risk to the life of the mother​, or in ​some cases of rape or incest. ​In a 3-2 ruling, the court concluded that the law ran afoul of the state constitution's privacy protections, with Justice Kaye Hearn writing in the lead opinion that the "state constitutional right to privacy extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion."While the state can impose some limits on those rights, Hearn wrote, "any such limitation must be reasonable and it must be meaningful in that the time frames imposed must afford a woman sufficient time to determine she is pregnant and to take reasonable steps to terminate that pregnancy."In a dissent penned by Justice John Kittredge and joined in part by Justice George James, Kittredge wrote that he "would honor the policy decision made by the General Assembly," adding that the issue of determining abortion policy in the state rests with its elected lawmakers."Abortion presents an important moral and policy issue.

By Christopher Kane  |  Washington BladeCourtesy National LGBT Media Association

Miley Cyrus has confirmed her comeback with her upcoming new record, Endless Summer Vacation, which is set to arrive on March 10 via Columbia.

Maintaining good health is essential for the well-being and success of a family. One way to ensure that all family members are healthy is through the use of healthcare consulting and caregiving. Healthcare consulting helps families navigate the complex world of healthcare, while caregiving provides much-needed support and assistance to those in need. In this article, we will explore the importance of family health, the benefits of healthcare consulting and caregiving, and how these two approaches work together to improve the health of a family.

On Tuesday, while the U.S. House of Representatives was in disarray due to Republican infighting, a lawmaker in Texas introduced his version of a “don’t say gay” law.State Rep.

The Florida family accused of beating a gay man so badly last year that it left him blinded appeared in a court this week.Husband and wife Yehven and Inna Makarenkjo, and their son Oleh, remained defiant outside of court on Wednesday after asking the judge overseeing their case to appoint public defenders to represent them. The three family members are accused of breaking into the Pompano Beach home of the unidentified man, who claimed he was having a sexual relationship with Oleh, also known as Alex, last August and attacking him, leaving him blind and with other serious injuries.“The state knows that he’s lying.

Seth Forbes first became estranged from one side of her family at 13. By 27, she was estranged from the other.

President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act as Vice President Kamala Harris, openly-lesbian Sen. Tammy Baldwin, openly-lesbian U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, First Lady Jill Biden, former senator Diane Feinstein and others look on. (Screen cap from White House’s live video stream of the event)

Taylor Small, the first out transgender state legislator in Vermont, had something extra to celebrate at President Joe Biden’s signing of the Respect for Marriage Act Tuesday — she got a marriage proposal from her partner of four years, Carsen Russell.“I, of course, said YES and could not think of a more fitting way to celebrate this moment,” Small tweeted along with pictures of her and Russell on the White House South Lawn. Her post was headlined “We’re officially en-GAY-ged!” Small, from Winooski, was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 2020, when she was only 26, and was reelected this year. She is a Democrat and is also affiliated with the Vermont Progressive Party.

Of the more than 5,300 assembled guests and officials at the White House bill-signing ceremony on Tuesday, one person, the vice president, received a special memento.After signing the Respect for Marriage Act into law, President Joe Biden passed along the pen with which he signed the legislation and handed it to Vice President Kamala Harris. The gesture is a significant acknowledgment by Biden, who was ahead on the marriage equality issue ten years ago, that Harris has stood firmly with the LGBTQ+ community her entire career.Presidents often sign historic legislation with several ink pens, which they hand out as gifts to those integral to the bill’s passage.

Joe Biden has signed landmark legislation which requires all US states to recognise same-sex marriages in what he described as “a blow against hate in all its forms”.

Civil rights groups are over the moon at President Joe Biden’s signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, but they note that more needs to be done to assure LGBTQ+ equality in all aspects of life.The act, which Biden signed into law Tuesday, will protect marriage rights and recognition for same-sex and interracial couples no matter what the Supreme Court does. It also repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, which is unenforceable due to Supreme Court decisions (that could be reversed) but remains on the books, and offers protections against discrimination based on a couple’s identity.Here is a sample of statements released by civil rights organizations and elected officials.Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson: “Today is a historic day and a much-needed victory for our community.

The White House again drew on celebrity activists as it marked another legislative milestone: Cyndi Lauper performed and spoke briefly to reporters on Tuesday as President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that will protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights at the federal lebel.

In front of a crowd of nearly 3,000 people, President Joe Biden (D) signed the Respect for Marriage Act, a law which officially repealed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that forbade the federal government from legally recognizing same-sex marriages.

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law Tuesday afternoon, assuring that marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples will remain the law of the land no matter what the U.S. Supreme Court does."Today's a good day," Biden said as he stepped before the audience outside the White House. He recalled when he first came out for marriage equality 10 years ago, when he was vice president.

The Respect for Marriage Act, which President Joe Biden is scheduled to sign into law Tuesday, is a great win that’s happened because our community has changed hearts and minds, says Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign.But much remains to be done, she says, as anti-LGBTQ+ legislation will continue to be introduced around the nation.Robinson spoke with The Advocate’s Tracy E. Gilchrist shortly after the U.S. Senate passed the bill.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took a moment during Tuesday’s White House Press Briefing to reflect upon the historic nature of the day.Speaking from the Brady Briefing Room podium, Jean-Pierre celebrated that President Joe Biden would be signing the Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies same-sex marriage and interracial marriages in federal law, before an assembled crowd on the South Lawn later in the afternoon.The Biden-Harris Administration has put LGBTQ+ people at the forefront. For example, Biden nominated the first out gay cabinet secretary, Pete Buttigieg, and the first Senate-confirmed transgender person, Admiral Rachel Levine.

(CNN) -- One Sunday morning in May of 2012, Vice President Joe Biden shocked the country with an unexpected declaration delivered in an interview on NBC's Meet the Press: He came out in public support of same-sex marriage for the first time."I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties," Biden said when asked whether he was comfortable with same-sex marriage.Those words -- which Biden insisted in subsequent years were unplanned -- marked a stunning personal evolution for the longtime creature of Washington, who as senator had voted to block federal recognition of same-sex marriages and previously insisted that marriage should only take place between a man and a woman. The interview would also turn out to be a watershed moment in modern American politics, prompting then-President Barack Obama to stake out the same position several days later and giving permission to other national leaders to also follow suit.This week, a little more than 10 years after that famous TV moment, Biden is marking another important milestone as a staunch protector of LGBTQ rights.

Two separate complaints have been filed against the North Carolina Blue Cross and Blue Shield claiming discrimination against HIV patients.The suits, filed by the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute and the North Carolina AIDS Action Network, claim the insurance company places almost all HIV drugs, including generic PrEP, on the highest drug tier. This effectively causes those living with and vulnerable to HIV to pay the excessively high costs for their drugs.With the complaints respectively filed to the North Carolina Department of Insurance and the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S.

CRESTON, Iowa (KCCI) – Hot Air Brewing in Creston and the town’s mayor are facing some backlash after publishing a “Father Figures” calendar where the mayor appears naked.KCCI received almost a dozen complaints and news tips from people offended by the picture on the month of November’s page: Creston’s mayor, Gabe Carroll, in a nearly naked portrait posing with a baked chicken.“That’s just weird,” said Bailey Niedermann, who works in Creston. “Being the mayor, I would not even publicize that at all.”“He’s got underwear on, I mean the only thing naked is the chicken.

U.S. Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), a self-described “biblical conservative” and far-right ultra-MAGA extremist, delivered angry, ugly, and false statements on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives during Thursday’s debate on legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages. The bill passed 258-169, with all no votes coming from Republicans.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the amended version of the Respect for Marriage Act on a bipartisan vote of 258-169, clearing the way for the legislation to head to President Joe Biden for his signature. The vote came early today (Thursday, Dec. 8).

Marriage equality is one step closer to being codified into federal law. The House of Representatives voted 258-169 in favor of the legislation.

The US House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill that would enshrine federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriage.

The House gave final passage on Thursday to legislation to ensure federal recognition of same-sex and interracial unions, clearing a final milestone in Congress before going to President Joe Biden.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects same-sex and interracial marriages at the federal level and requires states to recognize those marriages if they were legal at the time they were entered into. The legislation comes after far right Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called for cases to overturn rulings that made constitutional contraception, same-sex intimacy, and same-sex marriage.

(CNN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law a bill that expands a ban on so-called LGBTQ "propaganda" in Russia, making it illegal for anyone to promote same-sex relationships or suggest that non-heterosexual orientations are "normal."The ban was rubber-stamped by Putin just days after a harsh new "foreign agents" law came into effect, as the Kremlin cracks down on free speech and human rights as its military operation in Ukraine falters.The new laws significantly broaden the scope of a 2013 law which banned the dissemination of LGBTQ-related information to minors. The new iteration extends the ban on promoting such information to adults as well.The new laws make it illegal to promote or "praise" LGBTQ relationships, publicly express non-heterosexual orientations or suggest that they are "normal."The package of amendments signed by Putin include heavier penalties for anyone promoting "non-traditional sexual relations and/or preferences," as well as pedophilia and gender transition.

(CNN) -- As the Supreme Court gathered for more than two hours on Monday to discuss whether a graphic designer can refuse to do business with same-sex couples, the justices somehow strayed into dueling hypotheticals concerning Black and White Santas and dating websites.Hypotheticals are nothing new at the high court as the justices probe how cases before the court could impact different challenges down the road.

A recent court ruling in Japan has delivered mixed results on the issue of marriage equality.A Tokyo District Court on Wednesday upheld the country’s ban on marriage equality, but also ruled the lack of legal protections for same-sex partners and their families infringed on their human rights. Japan is currently the only state among the G7 nations that does not recognize marriage equality.“This is actually a fairly positive ruling,” Nobuhito Sawasaki, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told Reuters.

On World AIDS Day, President Joe Biden and his administration are celebrating the advances made in fighting the disease and highlighting their efforts for further progress toward ending the epidemic at home and abroad.Among other things, the State Department has announced a new five-year strategy to guide PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, a global program that has been in place since 2003.“We are at a pivotal moment in the global AIDS response,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in a document on the PEPFAR strategy, “Fulfilling America’s Promise to End the HIV/AIDS Pandemic by 2030.” “We are closer than ever to reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ending the global AIDS pandemic as a public health threat by 2030. That goal is within reach thanks in part to nearly 20 years of unwavering bipartisan U.S.

The number of same-sex couple households documented by the U.S. Census Bureau exceeded 1 million for the first time in 2021, according to Census data released in late November.The figure came to 1.2 million, including 710,000 households where same-sex couples were married and 500,000 where the couples were unmarried.

This is President Joe Biden’s statement following passage of the Respect for Marriage Act:

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) lashed out with a Bible verse Wednesday morning, after the Senate passed legislation protecting same-sex and interracial marriage, while rejecting his attempt to infuse special religious rights through an amendment that even some Republicans refused to support.

For anyone wondering what marriage means to one of the best-known gay men in the U.S., Chasten Buttigieg has an answer.“My marriage has filled this house with so much love it makes me want to be a better husband, father, and citizen every day,” the husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote in a Tuesday post on Medium. “It’s called me to something bigger than myself while recognizing that my kids are now the most important thing in life, and I’d do anything to protect them.

By a vote of 61-36, the Senate has passed the Respect for Marriage Act.

LGBTQ+ politicians, civil rights activists, and allies are thrilled with the U.S. Senate’s passage Tuesday of the Respect for Marriage Act, which will write marriage equality into federal law and protect it from being rescinded by the Supreme Court.The House of Representatives has already approved the bill, but since the Senate amended it with a religious freedom provision, it has to go back to the House for another vote.

Far right activists and organizations for months have been falsely claiming legislation to protect same-sex marriages would destroy different-sex marriages and take away religious rights from ordinary Americans, but early Tuesday evening on a bipartisan basis the Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act, 61-36.

The U.S. Senate voted 61-36 Tuesday to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which will write marriage equality into federal law, maintaining it even if the Supreme Court overturns its 2015 ruling that established equal marriage rights nationwide.The bill has already been passed by the House of Representatives, but the Senate added an amendment to it aimed at protecting religious freedom, so the new version needs to be voted on by the House before it can go to President Joe Biden for his expected signature.“Today, after many rounds of bipartisan talks and after many doubts that we could even reach this point, we are taking the momentous step forward for greater justice for LGBTQ Americans,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote.He said the first person he would call after the vote would be his daughter Alison, who is in a same-sex marriage."What a great day," he added after the vote finished.The push for the Respect for Marriage Act came after Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Obergefell v.