Tag Archives: petition

NJ Mayor Orders Investigation Into Homophobic Remarks Made By NJ Teachers in Zoom Training Class

NJ Mayor Orders Investigation Into Homophobic Remarks Made By NJ Teachers in Zoom Training Class

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Screenshot of Dumont High School teachers' chat.

Dumont, N.J. Mayor Andrew LaBruno has ordered an investigation after two N.J. high school teachers were caught cracking homophobic jokes and remarks during a Zoom training class.

“Why is that kid with the gay gym teacher?” asks one, according to a screenshot of the chat posted online. “Is that her adopted kid? Who is gonna be all f—-d up growing up watching 2 chicks kissing and calling them both mom,” says another, according to the screenshot.

Mayor LaBruno called the chat “disturbing and extremely appalling.”

“These homophobic comments do not reflect our community’s values, nor do they represent our beliefs in the borough of Dumont,” the mayor said. “We are an inclusive and welcoming community.

“While there is still much work to be done fighting against inequalities and standing up for human rights, our educators mold our children’s minds,” LaBruno said, ” and these comments have no place in our education system. Dumont is one big family, and together we must ensure that all of our neighbors know that hate has no home here.”

It was not clear if students were also on the call at the time, or who took and then forwarded a screen grab of the chat.

An online petition launched by former DHS graduate Matthew DeMarco says the comments are “unacceptable and should not be tolerated by the school district or its employees, and should result in their forced resignations immediately.

“This behavior is unacceptable and should not be tolerated by the school district or its employees, and should result in their forced resignations immediately,” the petition states.

Over 4000 people have so far signed the petition. You can add your name to it by clicking HERE.


Chicago's Gay Historic "Boystown' Neighborhood Now To Called "Northalstead" To Be More Inclusive

Activists Demand Chicago’s Gay Neighborhood “Boystown” Name Be Changed To Be More Inclusive

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A petition, created by local “queer” non-binary activist Devlyn Camp is demanding that the historic Chicago gay neighborhood of “Boystown” change it’s name claiming it perpetuates sexism and other discrimination in the neighborhood.

The petition posted on Change.org reads in part:

The Castro, Greenwich Village, West Hollywood, and many more. LGBTQ neighborhoods exist for all intersections of queer identity. Chicago’s is the only gendered nickname. Systemic transphobia, racism, and sexism have plagued our neighborhood for decades, and it begins at the top, with the all-male board of the Northalsted Business Alliance. It begins with the BOYSTOWN signs down our street announcing that this neighborhood is “for the boys,” though the signs hang above our diverse Legacy Walk of several LGBTQ icons in our history.”

(SNIP)

“Many of our transgender siblings must visit the Center on Halsted to utilize necessary resources. Many of them have experienced transphobia in the North Halsted area. Our LGBTQ siblings of color looking for inclusive bars have been met with racism. Many women frequenting and working in North Halsted businesses have been met with sexism. When police shut down the bars early after Pride in 2018, many on the Northalsted Business Alliance praised the police.”

Northalsted Business Alliance board said in a written statement that it had formed a committee to begin outreach to businesses and community members, with the goal of gaining “important perspective” on a possible name change.

“This process will likely take a few months, as we listen to the community feedback and engage in broad-based efforts beyond just a possible name change, but a commitment to learning how to ensure the neighborhood moves forward as an inclusive and welcoming neighborhood for all,” the statement said.

The boundaries of the neighborhood stretches from about 3100 to 3800 North Halsted. The unofficial designation of Boys Town as an area dates back 50 years to 1970’s The neighborhood has always been predominantly populated by gay men and lesbians.

At the time of this post 1300 people have signed the petition. But blowback by many who live and work in the neighborhood have been equally strong against the name change.

Do you think the name change of Boystown to something more inclusive is justified or is it really much ado about nothing?

Sound off in the comments below.

Scotland's Only Chick-fil-A Shut Down After Boycott Over Anti-LGBT Funding

Scotland’s Only Chick-fil-A Shut Down After Boycott Over Anti-LGBT Funding

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Scotland’s only Chick-Fil-A which opened in the food court of the Macdonald Aviemore Resort in October, has been closed after a furious public backlash over its funding of anti-LGBT causes.

After opening a spokeswoman for the Macdonald Aviemore Resort said: “Chick-fil-A is an enormously successful business, with over 2,300 restaurants in the US, and we are pleased to have them invest in the Aviemore economy, where the restaurant is proving extremely popular. It’s vital to underline that, in both our recruitment and our customer care, we treat everyone with respect, regardless of race, religion, sexuality or gender.”

In 2017 alone, Chick-Fil-A contributed over $1.8 million into anti-LGBT organisations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which requires staff to accept “sexual purity” and opposes same-sex marriage.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie encouraged a boycott of the restaurant and other MacDonald hotels across the country, urging the chain to “end their commercial relationship with sponsors of prejudice and hatred.”

A petition to have the eatery removed from the hotel attracted more than 1,200 signature on Change.org.

Macdonald Aviemore Resort has responded to the boycott and widespread criticism by confirming the restaurant had closed its doors over the weekend.

A brief statement posted on the resort’s website reads: “Our pop-up restaurant Chick-fil-A is closing on Saturday, January 18.”

Scotland’s only Chick-fil-A closing comes on the heels of England’s only UK based franchise closing in Reading last year after opting not to extend its licence beyond the initial six-month period after another backlash for the same reasons.

19 Attorney Generals Petition Congress To Protect Transgender Military Personnel

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The top legal officers in 18 states and the District of Columbia have asked Congress to pass legislation prohibiting discrimination against transgender service members. Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin sent the letter dated Thursday in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement, via Twitter a day earlier, that he would ban transgender people in the military.

The letter asks the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees to reaffirm in legislation that transgender people may not be banned from serving in the military. It urges lawmakers to include transgender protections in the National Defense Authorization Act. Eighteen other attorneys general, who like Chin are all Democrats, also signed the document.

The president’s position would put in place a policy that “violates fundamental constitutional and American values,” the attorneys general said. “The new ban harms our states’ transgender residents and marginalizes an entire group of people based solely on gender identity,” the letter said.

Attorneys general from the following joined Hawaii in signing the letter: California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. –  via The AP

 

“All the Attorney General’s who signed were Democrats.”  Anyone shocked by this?

 

ABC News Dumps FRC Hate Group Pres. Tony Perkins From Program After Public Outcry

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ABC News Dumps FRC Hate Group Pres. Tony Perkins From Program After Public Outcry

Late last week ABC News released a preview of its guest line-up for This Week, its Sunday morning political talk show. Among those listed to join the “Powerhouse Roundtable” was Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (FRC)  offering a platform for the LGBT hate group leader to discuss the Orlando shooting as a “Christian leader”.

Faithful America quickly launched a petition calling on ABC to drop Perkins from the lineup. (Which we shared on Facebook) Noting that Perkins “has repeatedly accused gay men of molesting children,” the petition also pointed out that no other Christian leader was scheduled to offer a different perspective on behalf of people of faith.

The petition read:

In the aftermath the horrific massacre in Orlando, ABC News is turning to an anti-gay hate group leader to speak for Christians.

On Sunday, This Week with George Stephanopoulos is scheduled to feature Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. Perkins has repeatedly accused gay men of molesting children, causing the Southern Poverty Law Center to formally designate FRC as a hate group.

Other media outlets have increasingly stopped offering a platform for Perkins’ vitriol after hearing from thousands of us who are outraged by his claim to speak for everyday Christians.

But so far ABC News is promoting Perkins’ Sunday appearance without mentioning that he’s a hate-group leader, and they haven’t scheduled another Christian leader to offer a different perspective.

This morning Tony Perkins did not appear on the program.

Expect plenty of bitching and the gnashing of Ms. Perkins fangs this week over the “dumping”.

 

Trans-Activist Start Petition Against “Zoolander 2” Over “Cartoonish Portrayal” Of “Trans” Character

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zoolander 2 petition boycott

Trans-activists have begun an online petition to boycott the film Zoolander 2 over the “controversy” of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson’s characters make light of Benedict Cumberbatch’s clearly androgynous male/female model character.

Sarah Rose, the petition creator, said of the problematic issues regarding the Zoolander sequel:

“Cumberbatch’s character is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority. Like any rational person, I think there’s a place for discourse and humor in society, but the last thing the transgender community needs at this moment is another “harmful, cartoonish portrayal of our lives.

If the producers and screenwriters of Zoolander wanted to provide social commentary on the presence of trans/androgyne individuals in the fashion industry, they could have approached models like Andreja Pejic to be in the film. By hiring a cis actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, they film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large.”

Is  a pretentious, androgynous model and a gender non-conforming or trans person the same thing?

The problem is that the whole movie is over the top cartoonish mockery. ALL the characters are over-the-top and cartoonish.  If Ms. Amber Rose was serious her disgust it should be directed at that cartoon character known as Caitlyn “Republican Qusiling” Jenner.  She’s as far removed from the community as one can get.  And much more dangerous.

 

#LGBTFlashback! – 11/25/2010: Nancy Sinatra Tweets For LGBT Equality And An End To DADT!

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Lets go back in time to 2010 when “Old Blue Eye’s” little girl and iconic singer and personality Nancy Sinatra took to her Twitter account to help end LGBT inequality and tolerance in the military and spoke out to repeal DADT.

Nancy posted the above tweet complete with a link to Democracy For America’s “End “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Now” petition.

Way to go Nancy! Brava Diva!  Walk those boots all over them guuuurl!

 

Ohio Public School Considers Rabidly Anti-Gay, ‘Christian’ Commentator “Coach Dave” for Job

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Coach Dave and Porno Pete

Rabidly anti-gay “Christian” con-servative commentator Dave Daubenmire, who refers to himself “Coach Dave” in his hateful and insane YouTube and radio rants is one of three finalists for the vacant head-coaching job at Lakewood Public High School,  35 miles east of Columbus in Licking County.

Daubenmire, runs Pass the Salt Ministries, which organizes spiritual “boot camps” for men with a slogan, “Real Men Under Construction.” and also runs something called “Minutemen united”, a group of people who disrupts church services to proclaim their anti-gay stance and  advocates revolution to obliterate the distinction between church and state, and  he has called Fred Phelps and the Weastboro Baptist Church  “part of the body of Christ”, and defended them at length

In October, he posted a commentary saying he was “sick and tired of hearing about bullying” and called anti-bullying efforts part of the “homosexual agenda, to try to get people to not criticize or make fun of or poke fun at homosexuals.”

This is definitely not someone who should be around children or other any other human beings for that fact.

Equality Ohio is urging the LGBT community to sign a Change.org petition to stop the hiring of Daubenmire because of his “blatantly homophobic and pro-bullying” ways.

Sign the petition and take it one step further and call Lakewood High School directly at (216) 529-4028 and tell them not to hire Dave Daubenmire.

Do it NOW!

The 2.5 Billion Dollar Truth Behind P&G’s Relationship With Russia Goes Beyond The Olympics

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P&G Russia

Procter & Gamble Russia – Key Facts

P&G in Russia

Operating in Russia since 1991, P&G Russia is now one of the fastest developing subsidiaries of the Procter & Gamble Company. It has in Russia a solid portfolio of over 70 brands, the key of them are Ariel, Tide, Fairy, Blend-a-med, Pampers, Always, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Wella and possesses leading market shares in 3/4 of the categories where it operates, esp. detergents, shampoos and diapers.

Major Local Manufacturer Ca. 50% of all P&G products sold in the Russian consumer market are already manufactured locally in Russia. Since 1993 P&G owns the OOO “Procter & Gamble – Novomoskovsk” plant in Tula region and now turned it into the most significant detergent manufacturer in CIS. Today overall investment of P&G in Novomoskovsk is close to $250 millions.

New production lines were installed in the plant for Ariel, Tide, Myth and Tix detergents, Comet and Mr. Proper cleansers, Ace bleach, Fairy dishwashing liquid and Lenor fabric conditioner. New production for Pampers Sleep & Play diaper manufacturing  began in September, 2005.

Another plant producing hair care products, Capella, in Nizhny Novgorod region has arrived with the Wella acquisition. As a result of integration of P&G and Gillette companies the third production site has moved into P&G family. It is “Peterburg Products International” that produces disposable razors and blades.

Important Local Employer
P&G directly employs in Russia more than 2300 people. There are around 1000 workers at Novomoskovsk plant.  Local employees including managers in very senior roles run the majority of the business. In addition, P&G operations trigger jobs for more than 14000 people at P&G’s business partners in Russia. For example, regional companies engaged in P&G products distribution employ over 10000 people.

Major Exporter
Ca.25% of OOO “Procter & Gamble – Novomoskovsk” output is exported to neighboring countries. OOO “Capella” and ZAO “Peterburg Products International” also make products for export including Europe.

Taxpayer Info
Since the start of its activities in Russia, until 2006 P&G contributed more than $1,2 billion US dollars in taxes and duties to federal, local and regional budgets in Russia today that amount has almost doubled.

P&G has a large investment in Russia and not only profits greatly from its Russia businesses but economically boosts and supports the country and its anti-gay government as well..

While P&G claims to be LGBT inclusive and supportive to its employees and the community at large, it needs to make a public statement statement of support not only to Russia’s LGBT community but also to its own LGBT Russian workers by pulling its support of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games and taking a stand against Russia’s draconian anti-LGBT laws which are not only contrary to P&G’s corporate mantra of inclusion but also to basic human rights itself.

Sign the petition below to P&G and other USA corporate sponsors to pull out of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

http://www.change.org/petitions/stand-against-russia-s-brutal-crackdown-on-gay-rights-urge-winter-olympics-2014-sponsors-to-condemn-anti-gay-laws

*FULL DISCLOSURE:  I worked for P&G for one year in 2005 at the Cincinnati, Ohio Headquarters and I know these facts to be true.

 

SIGN THE PETITION! – Tell CNN To STOP Portraying Hate Group Leader Tony Perkins As A “Christian”

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Tony Perkins CNN Hate group Leader

Carlos Maza of  Equality Matters writes:

More than 32,000 people have signed a petition asking CNN to stop hosting anti-gay hate group leader Tony Perkins to speak on behalf of America’s Christians following Perkins’ appearance on the network to discuss the Supreme Court’s recent marriage equality decisions.  Just minutes after the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on June 26, CNN invited Perkins – president of the anti-gay hate group Family Research Council (FRC) – to peddle lies about the decision’s impact on religious liberty. No other Christians were interviewed during the segment, despite the fact that a majority of Christians oppose DOMA.

It’s long past time that we stand up and demand integrity and accountability from CNN and other news outlets that host Perkins and portray him as the voice of “Christian American” on political and LGBT subjects when he is not.  Would CNN have KKK Grand Wizard David Duke on to discuss the Zimmerman verdict?  No.  Because the outrage would be far too great.  It’s time for us to show some outrage.  GLAAD will not ask CNN directly to ban Perkins it might upset the very people who don;t give a damn about us.  So if they won’t do it, we must.

Sign the petition!

Redditt it, Tweet it, and pass it along.

It’s time to get Perkins off the air once and for all and show those who have him on that we will no longer stand  for it.