Former Charlottean David Ferebee, who is disabled, was the feature of an article in South Florida Gay News which told of the controversy he has had with his retirement home, Wilton Manor’s unwillingness to install a permanent lift poolside so that he and other disabled residents can more easily enter the pool to gain much-needed therapeutical benefit. Ferebee has issued an alert to those who are thinking about moving there “that all that glitters is not gold.” (Ferebee had previously served on the board of Time Out Youth Center, NC Pride PAC and was a Don King Community Service Award winner.)
info: bit.ly/2b6aYTN.
Equality Florida, faith leaders, and family members of victims of the Pulse shooting were joined by nearly 200 local progressives on Aug. 12 outside the “Rediscovering God in America” conference in Orlando to call out Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. Exactly two months after the Pulse Nightclub shooting, presidential candidate Trump and Sen. Rubio were the headline attendees for a conference at the Orange County Convention Center, just miles from where the shooting that shook Orlando and the nation took place.
info: eqfl.org.
On Aug. 11, The Daily Beast published an article titled “I Got Three Grindr Dates in an Hour in the Olympic Village,” which can only be surmised as a gay witch-hunt that harms LGBT individuals. “The piece written by Nico Hines is a example of the everyday struggles faced by LGBT athletes and individuals from all over the world. There was no point to the story other than to drive web traffic to The Daily Beast’s website at the expense of shaming and endangering the lives of the gay athletes he outed,” Miami Out Games said.
info: outgames.org.
“A Tough Act To Follow” tells the story of what it is like to be black and LGBT in show business. It features North Carolina-bred Sampson McCormick, a touring black, LGBT stand-up comic and writer who navigates the business.
info: sampsoncomedy.com.
On August 4th Ugandan police forces raided the 2016 Uganda Pride, forcefully arrested prominent human rights activist Dr. Frank Mugisha and Pepe Julian Onziema, leaders of Sexual Minorities Uganda, among countless others. Uganda has one of the world’s worst anti-gay laws.
info: outrightinternational.org. go.allout.org.
“No League of Their Own” debuted on television on Aug. 7 and asked the question, “Do transgender athletes have a competitive edge?”
info: fusion.net.
The Massachusetts House and Senate approved a bill in early August requiring insurance coverage for the treatment of HIV-related lipodystrophy.
info: glad.org.
Nearly two months after the U.S.’s worst mass shooting in history, two local Orlando leaders have joined Pride Fund to End Gun Violence (Pride Fund) in its efforts to support and elect candidates who will act on sensible gun policy reforms and champion LGBT safety and equality.
info: pridefund.org.
Chaz Bono will be joining “Where the Bears Are” in a guest appearance in its upcoming season which premiers on Sept. 1.
info: wherethebearsare.tv.
The California Senate on Aug. 11 passed a bipartisan resolution by California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) calling for an end to federal blood donation policies that discriminate against men who have sex with men (MSM). Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 26 calls upon President Barack Obama to compel the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to repeal current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blood donor policies that discriminate against LGBT people and instead direct the agency to develop science-based policies that utilize individual behavioral risk. SJR 26 is sponsored by Equality California.
info: eqca.org.
U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi received the 21st Annual International Role Model Award by the Equality Forum’s LGBT Champion Awards on July 28. Additionally, Ed Rendell, chair of the Philadelphia Host Committee of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, received the Frank Kameny Award.
info: equalityforum.com.
Monique Tula will leave AIDS United at the end of August to accept the position of executive director for the Harm Reduction Coalition.
info: aidsunited.org.
In a message published in all of the Premiership matchday programs, LGBTI fans have been welcomed on the first day of the new season for the Scottish Ladbrokes.
info: equality-network.org.
“At The Flash,” a fast-paced dramatic comedy that depicts the history of a gay bar as seen through five stories that ricochet and collide over five eras of gay history, makes its New York City premiere in the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival on Aug. 13.
info: attheflash.com.
Adam & Eve reported findings in a survey they conducted on whether someone would be open to having a relationship with a transgender individual. It revealed that 12 percent were open to it and 23 percent said they were undecided.
info: adamandeve.com.
On Aug. 11 Equality Illinois condemned the lawsuit filed by a small handful of pastors against Illinois’ law protecting LGBT youth from harmful conversion therapy.
info: eqil.org.
As the nation focuses on disparities in policing and criminal justice, a new report spotlights how the U.S. criminal justice system is broken, which adversely impacts LGBT people of color.
info: lgbtmap.org.
“We Are Real: The Growing Movement Advancing the Human Rights of Intersex People” seeks to share and promote relevant knowledge and understanding of intersex issues and activism to people across the world — particularly funders and other actors committed to human rights. The report includes terminology, common questions, human rights and legal issues, and demands of the intersex movement.
info: astraeafoundation.org.
The American Bar Association unveiled the accomplishments of the ABA Diversity and Inclusion Commission during its Annual Convention in San Francisco in early August.
info: americanbar.org.
The Village Voice ran a feature, “Queer Teens Take On Tech,” spotlighting a week-long free summer camp for those who are interested in technology.
info: villagevoice.com.
Juan & Gee Smalls, community influencers and founders of The Gentlemen Foundation, Inc. officially launched LoveWorks, a relationship, dating, and life coaching service for single or coupled gay men and women, and single heterosexual women.
info: juanandgee.com.
Best selling author Hannah Hart will be honored at GLAAD’s San Francisco, Calif. gala on Sept. 8.
info: glaad.org.
New Ways Ministry has challenged the remarks made by Pope Francis on gender identity and children.
info: newwaysministry.org.
GALPAL is the new friendship app that connects gay men, straight women, and anyone seeking lasting relationships by matching individuals with specific interests and hobbies.
info: galpalapp.com.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” will return on Aug. 25 with some new rules and the addition of its first-ever simulcast on Logo and VH1.
info: logotv.com.
The Seattle City Council unanimously voted to protect LGBT youth in the city from conversion therapy, making Seattle the 10th jurisdiction — along with California, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Vermont, Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, and Miami Beach — to protect youth from this dangerous practice.
info: nclrights.org.
Former Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning faces indefinite solitary confinement as a result of administrative charges brought against her, which include a suicide attempt. Manning, a transgender woman, was convicted in 2013 for leaking classified government documents to Wikileaks. The latest incident is part of the ongoing mistreatment Manning has experienced at the men’s military prison at the U.S. Army Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
info: thetaskforce.org.
A jury has found Henry Richard Gleaves, II guilty of second degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Papi Edwards, who presented as a transgender female the morning she was shot by Gleaves at the Fern Valley Hotel in Louisville on Jan. 9, 2015.
info: fairness.org.
A Connecticut firearms manufacturer has partnered with Pink Pistols to offer free pistol training to LGBT community in Orlando.
info: stdgun.com.
MTV will air “True Life: We Are Orlando” on Aug. 15. It follows four survivors and heroes of the Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando.
info: orlando.electthis.com.