HEROES

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Strength in numbers for LGBT refugees at border.

August 12, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Strength in numbers for LGBT refugees at border.

Moments before presenting themselves at the border in Nogales, Arizona, 16 gay and transgender refugees from Central America stood hand in hand for a moment of reflection. The journey to this point had been long, and it wasn’t over yet. Most of them had met each other for the first time on their way to Mexico, and all of them had faced persecution in their home countries. Some of them fled violence by police and gang members. Others fled violence from their families. They’d all heard stories of being turned away at the border, and so they banded together in a caravan.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

“The Gay Man’s Guide to Open and Monogamous Marriage.”

August 12, 2017 compassq Comments Off on “The Gay Man’s Guide to Open and Monogamous Marriage.”

I had the opportunity to talk with psychotherapist and author, Michael Dale Kimmel, about his new book, “The Gay Man’s Guide to Open and Monogamous Marriage.” Having written a book of my own on modern marriage, I am particularly interested in how Kimmel not only provides a necessarily specific guide for male-male marriages, but also how this wisdom can be utilized by all couples, regardless of gender.

HEROES

Nigerian gay rights activist granted asylum in the UK.

August 12, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Nigerian gay rights activist granted asylum in the UK.

A Nigerian gay rights activist who was told by a judge that she was faking her sexuality has won a 13-year battle to be granted asylum in the UK.  Aderonke Apata feared being killed or imprisoned if she returned home, but her application for asylum was rejected for a second time in 2015 after the judge said he did not believe she was a lesbian.

HEROES

A celebration of black gay men.

August 12, 2017 compassq Comments Off on A celebration of black gay men.

This Sunday, Native Son is going to the West Coast for the first time, in celebration of Black Gay Men’s Wellness Month. The event also marks the 20th anniversary of In The Meantime Men’s Group, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF).

HEROES

A safe space for “fat identified” LGBT students.

August 12, 2017 compassq Comments Off on A safe space for “fat identified” LGBT students.

Montclair State University offers a “weekly discussion group” exclusively for LGBTQ students who are “fat-identified.” The discussion group, colloquially referred to as “F.A.B.” (“Fabulous and Big”), is just one of several identity-related discussion groups put on by the school’s LGBTQ Center, some of which are “open to anyone” while others are described as “confidential spaces designed solely for people who share the identity of that specific group.”

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Deep pockets + LGBT activism = Freedom for all

August 10, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Deep pockets + LGBT activism = Freedom for all

A Colorado high-tech multimillionaire backing LGBT activism warns that his foundation will “punish the wicked”—those who oppose the political agenda advanced in the name of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. Tim Gill created the Gill Foundation with a $300 million endowment to promote LGBT legislation. The foundation, based in Denver, has worked against religious freedom measures since 1994.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Ex NFL & gay – “Life is great now!”

August 10, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Ex NFL & gay – “Life is great now!”

Inside Ryan O’Callaghan’s home, the only evidence that he played in the NFL is an action photo of him lined up at offensive tackle for the New England Patriots as quarterback Tom Brady prepared to take the snap. The photo sits on a shelf above a lamp shaped in the form of men’s buttocks. With a couple of visitors in tow, O’Callaghan patted the lamp and, with a hint of mischief, watched it change colors.