BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY

Jay Ellis is committed to finding a cure for HIV by 2020.

In commemoration of National Black HIV Awareness Day on February 7, the “Insecure” actor has partnered with leading HIV and AIDS research organization, amfAR, to help eradicate the staggering rates of HIV cases in the black community.

Ellis, a newly appointed member of the organization’s Board of Trustees, told The Huffington Post that he learned his uncle had died from the immunodeficiency virus years ago.

“Growing up in the early ‘90s it was not talked about, it wasn’t explained [what he passed from]. So growing up I actually didn’t know for a really long time that that’s what it was,” he said. “It wasn’t until I got a little bit older that I found out that’s what he passed from.”  

“So as I got a little bit older, I just always knew that it was something that was a part of me to just share my story with the world and just talk about it.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans account for nearly half of all new HIV infections each year, despite representing only 12 percent of the U.S. population. amfAR has stated that they are working to find an applicable cure for HIV/AIDS by 2020.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which was started by the Strategic Leadership Council in 1999, was founded to focus on preventive education, community mobilization, testing, and treatment of the disease, according to the organization’s website.   

As February is also Black History Month, Ellis says he thinks the month is a great opportunity to highlight HIV/AIDS awareness. 

“I think the thing that’s so important about raising awareness during Black History Month is that it’s also a moment for us to step back to realize that we still need to reach out to our community,” he said. “We still need to be helping our community and raising awareness for our community. So I think they chose a good month to do it, because the awareness is there, the spotlight is there.  And so it’s a chance for us to get the word out a little bit more and get people thinking and talking, and helping, and learning about what’s going on in our community.”

As a result, the 35-year-old actor encourages his peers in media and film to push for more dialogue surrounding the topic. 

“I think if there’s an opportunity to tell those stories, then I think those stories do need to be told,” he said. “I do think across the board, whether it’s in art, whether it’s in film, whether it’s in music, whether it’s in writing of any kind, I do believe that we have a responsibility to talk to our fan bases, talk to the people that we reach, and make sure that they know what’s going on.”

“This isn’t this thing that we need to give up hope on that it’s never gonna be finished. amfAR and their entire team have said there is a reality to beating AIDS and having a cure for HIV by 2020… And whatever they need me to do, I’ll do,” he added.

For more info on National Black HIV Awareness Day, including Six Things You Need to Know for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, click here.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

WHEN ARE YOU OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW YOUR SEXUALITY?

I recently met up with a gay man who insisted bisexuality does not exist. In fact, he said, “I don’t believe in that shit.” When I did my best to persuade him that yes, bisexuality is real, he didn’t believe me. I even attempted to prove my bisexuality to him. Something I’m typically opposed to, because it’s no one’s business but my own. But for whatever the reason, I told him about the men and women I’ve dated, my sexual history, my urges, desires, porn habits, everything. Still, he didn’t believe me. At first I was furious, but the more I thought about it, the more I was fascinated by his stubbornness. How, after everything I said, could he still be so ignorant?

In hindsight, the reason he didn’t believe me was simple: my age. Right after he said he thinks bisexuality is a sham, he asked me how old I was. When I replied, “24” he nodded, as if to say, “Oh... that explains everything.” He is, evidently, a much more mature gay man, at the wise old age of 28.

Everything I subsequently said after my age was dismissed because I was 24, which according to him, meant only two things:

1. I have raging sexual hormones; can only think about sex; and must but a proponent of the philosophy, “a hole is a hole.”
2. I am still figuring things out, sexuality included, because as a queer man in his early twenties, there’s no comprehensible way I fully grasp my sexual identity.

Therefore, nothing remotely logical or valid could come from my lips because what could I possibly know with any certainty at the green age of 24? An age, apparently, that finds anything with a hole attractive. Best keep those glazed donuts and sesame bagels away from me...

As early as elementary school, my sexuality eluded me. I thought I might be gay but would soon be thrown off by my female crushes. It took over a decade of grappling with my sexuality to finally come to terms with who I am: a proud bisexual. It took therapy, alcohol and a hell of a lot of soul-searching to feel comfortable and confident in my identity. Within seconds, I had my years on introspection ripped away from me, simply because of my youth.

Clearly, this type of biphobia is rooted in ageism — the idea that young folk (including people in their twenties) are naive and incapable of making decisions for themselves. Consequently bisexuality is just like any other weird habits kids grow out of — like mixing all the drinks at the soda fountain to create one disgusting, sugary elixir.

There’s no real way to combat the argument against ageism without sounding like a temperamental child upset over his early bedtime. My argument, in essence, is the same as his. He’s old enough to decide what time he goes to bed, just like I’m old enough to know my sexual identity. But what else is there to say? I am old enough.

There needs to be a paradigm shift in the way society views the sexuality of millennials (especially those who fall somewhere on the sexuality spectrum). Yes, sexuality is fluid. Yes, it can change, but that doesn’t mean that what we’re experiencing now is any less valid. Trivializing our thoughts at a young age only increases the already arduous process of discovering who we are, both sexually and nonsexually.

Ageism extends further than sexuality. Even as self-sufficient adults in our twenties, millennials are constantly deemed incapable of making our own decisions. This isn’t anything new. Older generations have always looked down on younger ones, believing that until we are completely “settled,” our identity is in flux. The necessary conditions for being “settled” including:

1. Having a stable job that can be deemed a “career”
2. Married with a life partner
3. Having children
4. Living in a city permanently

Only once these conditions are fully met, is a millennial considered settled, and thus an “adult.” And only then, is he capable of “knowing” himself.

That’s what makes bisexuality seem “childish” or naïve. I will never be “settled” on a single gender. Even if I decide to marry someone and end up in a monogamous relationship (and for the record, I hope that I do), I will still be bisexual. I will have settled with one person, but my bisexuality remains intact. I will always identify as bisexual because it’s who I am.

So let’s do some young folks a favor. Give them the benefit of the doubt and see where it takes them. Besides, the journey is more important than the final destination, especially since some of us will never be settled. Some of us will never stick with one job or stay in one city. Some of us will always be in transition. Some of us will always like more than one gender. That doesn’t make us any less knowledgeable about our identities. If anything, after experiencing so much, we have a better sense of who we are, and who we want to become.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

STARBUCKS TURNS 97 SEATTLE LOCATIONS INTO LGBT SAFE SPACES

Starbucks is taking steps to ensure that all members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community have a safe space in their many stores across Seattle, Washington.

According to The Seattle Times, the coffee company will partner with the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) Safe Place program, an initiative that reportedly aims to train 2,000 Starbucks employees on how to respond to and engage with LGBT victims of violence and effectively report hate crimes to police.

"We don’t have roving bands of people assaulting LBGTQ people as we did in the '80s,” openly gay Seattle police officer Jim Ritter said. "[But] the crimes are predatory, they’re picking somebody out of the herd. They’re cowards for the most part… They’re opportunistic, they do their damage and leave. They like operating in the shadows and Safe Place eliminates a lot of those shadows.”

Starbucks has a history of support for and solidarity with the LGBT community. Not only did the organization raise a Pride flag over its Seattle headquarters in 2014, but the company's CEO famously told an anti-gay shareholder that he was free to "sell [his] shares of 

Starbucks and buy shares in another company" if he had a problem with the company's pro-gay values. The company also released its first LGBT commercial in 2014 featuring drag queens Bianca Del 

Rio and Adore Delano.

Thanks for the support, Starbucks!

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

HOW TRANSGENDER TEEN STAR JAZZ JENNINGS REALLY FEELS ABOUT FAME

If you haven't heard of Jazz Jennings yet, you will soon. The 14-year-old has already been described as a pioneer, a trailblazer, a role model and a remarkable young woman. It all started when Jazz did something truly courageous at the age of 5: She came out to the world as transgender.

As one of the youngest transgender people in the spotlight, Jazz has inspired so many by living her truth and advocating for LGBTQ rights. Her story was documented on OWN in the 2011 documentary "I Am Jazz: A Family in Transition," and Time Magazine later named her one of the 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014. Now, Jazz is starring in a new reality show called "I Am Jazz," which premiered on TLC last week.

Jazz has welcomed the public interest and has been incredibly candid about her personal journey, but in the midst of the acclaim, she's like any girl navigating the complicated teen years. She tells Oprah in the above video from "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" that the attention she receives for her bravery and advocacy is just something that comes with the territory. But it's not without its pressures.

"It [can] be very overwhelming sometimes when so many people look up to me as an inspiration and a role model," Jazz admits. "I feel like I have to live up to those expectations."

Despite her celebrity, Jazz adds that she's not immune to the missteps teens make as they feel their way in the world. "I'm a normal person, and I'm going to make mistakes. I think people have to accept that," she says.

In the great scheme of things, however, Jazz has learned that her personal story resonates on a much larger level.

"I've discovered that it's not about me, but more of my message," she tells Oprah. "So, I don't care about the fame. I don't care how people treat me. I care about my message living on through other people."

Jazz's full interview with Oprah airs on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" this fall on OWN. "I Am Jazz" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

I'M A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER & HERE'S WHY I FINALLY CAME OUT

This one is gonna be kinda long and kinda personal and very real.

One of the biggest fears in my life has been rejection. I'm not sure why. I was never the most popular kid in school or in my neighborhood, but I always had a plethora of friends in many different cliques. I was never really rejected by anyone that I hung out with in one clique for hanging out with people in another, yet I always feared being rejected. But as I've grown older and continued down the road of adulthood, I have discovered that I truly don't care as much about rejection anymore. And why should I? My friends will like me for me, flaws and all. My family will love me for me. My peers will respect me for my work. And complete strangers can think whatever they want, because they're strangers and they don't know me.

That being said, it makes it much easier to post here publicly that I'm gay.

For the longest time, I claimed that I was bisexual. When I privately came out to people that already know, I told them that this was the case. And it was. However, I have no real intentions of pursuing females at this stage of my life. I still find beautiful women beautiful. I don't think that'll ever change. But I think that to continue to claim something that's not true is just continuing a streak of dishonesty, and I don't want that. Sorry, ladies. I'm officially pulling myself off of the market. Don't hate me too bad.

Many of my closest friends have known since the tail end of 2013, when I began the process of telling the people I felt should know. Some of them "knew" for much longer due to their own assumptions or beliefs. My parents know, and they support me. That should be enough, honestly. But still, the speculation that comes from one's private life always seems to make its way into the professional atmosphere, and that's unfair to me. I truly have nothing to hide anymore. I spent the majority of my life lying, hiding and depressed because I felt like I couldn't truly be who I wanted to be and live freely as I saw fit. I had to act, and that's not me. I, nor anyone else, should have to do that.

I never originally intended to make a public post about my private life. I feel that private matters should stay just that. However, with the constant speculation and discussion behind my back about a matter that could easily be brought to my face, I felt that it would just be best if I silenced everyone and told the truth publicly. Now, nobody has to suspect or assume what I do behind closed doors. And to a large extent, I'm doing this for myself to get rid of unneeded stress.

Professionally, I am exactly what the root of the word says: a professional. The last thing I ever wanted was to make anyone feel uncomfortable or uneasy. I don't believe that I've done that thus far, and nothing is going to change now. Professional wrestling is the thing I love the most and all I wanna do is entertain the fans, do what I love and continue the excellent camaraderie I have with so many of the great people I've met over the years. Hopefully, nothing changes, but if any relationships change from this post, I'll know that I didn't need those people in my life, anyway.

I hope that the fans, the promoters and everyone else doesn't change their opinion of me. I was the same person yesterday as I am right now, just now, I have a bit more weight lifted off of my shoulders -- the stress, depression and worrying that has always come from this is something nobody should have to deal with. Depression is a very real thing, and some people don't understand that. People oftentimes cannot empathize. But know this: We are all human beings. We all have our own way, traits, personalities and things that make us our own person. Keep that in mind.

To those who already knew and have supported me this far: thank you. To those who have my back: thank you. Apologies to anyone I lied to or had to keep this secret from. I shouldn't have had to do so, and if you're my friend, I shouldn't have felt the need to keep it from you. Friends are friends not because of who they're attracted to, but because friendship is real. To anyone who has ever been scared of just being real and telling the truth, you shouldn't be. Yes, I was. But if the people you care about -- or even those you don't -- are good people, it won't matter... that's the way it SHOULD be.

Thanks for reading, understanding and hopefully accepting.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

TYLENOL®#HowWeFamily CAMPAIGN USES LGBT COUPLES TO PORTRAY CHANGING FACE OF THE FAMILY

Gay and lesbian couples feature prominently in Tylenol's new #HowWeFamily campaign, which aims to celebrate the diversity of modern families.

A same-sex prom couple and two gay dads are among those featured in the campaign's first TV ad, which is directed by Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black and is slated to begin airing on TV next week. The clip launches a three-month effort that will include profiles of 10 real-life U.S. families, a "docu-short" on the changing face of the American family and the results of a national survey on families. Each of these components will soon be found on a microsite.

A voiceover declares, "Family isn't defined by who you love, but how."

Manoj Raghunandanan, Senior Director of Marketing for Johnson and Johnson's McNeil Consumer Healthcare, told Advertising Age that the ad was representative of his company's commitment to celebrating how "families look and feel different [now] than they did before."

He added, "Because we're a family brand, because we're an iconic American brand, and we want to continue to serve families into the future, I think it's important that we reflect what that family is today."

The campaign's spokeswomen are "Bring It On" actress Gabrielle Union and psychiatrist and columnist Gail Saltz.

The clip follows Tylenol's holiday-themed "For What Matters Most" commercial, which re-imagined one of Norman Rockwell's iconic "Freedom From Want" painting with a group of diverse families, including a pair of lesbian moms.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

KIDS ARE SHOWN PICTURES OF CAITLYN JENNER, & THEIR REACTIONS MAKE US HOPEFUL FOR THE FUTURE

A powerful new video is making its rounds on the Internet that shows a group of young kids discussing their thoughts about Caitlyn Jenner's transition to live as her authentic self.

The kids are shown two photos -- one of Caitlyn during her days as an Olympic athlete when the world knew her by a different name, and one of the images released in conjunction with Jenner's Vanity Fair cover. Each child is prompted to describe the person in the two photographs individually, and then asked: "What would happen if I told you they are the same person?"

The results say a lot about how the social climate for the transgender community is changing. One young girl notes, "who she wants to be is who she should be" while another wonders aloud "what if this were happening to me? What if I was the one coming through this?"

The kids are also shown examples of negative and positive reactions to Jenner's coming out on social media. Producers then ask the kids to share their opinions about why they think people would react negatively to Caitlyn Jenner.

As one little girl says, "I think it's partly because the people who are saying [these negative things] are afraid to change themselves."

Check out the powerful video above. Want to see more wise insight from kids about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights? Check out one of our favorite videos from 2013, "Kids React To Gay Marriage."

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

GAP PARTNERS WITH GLAAD, SHARING LGBT EMPLOYEES' STORIES FOR 'GOT YOUR BACK' PRIDE MONTH CAMPAIGN

Thirteen Gap employees share their coming out stories in a powerful new video for GLAAD's #GotYourBack campaign.

The video, released June 1, is the latest installment in the ongoing GLAAD effort, which aims to encourage allies to speak out in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Pride Month.

Paul Tew of Gap Inc.'s GEAR (Gay Employees, Allies and Resources) said the project was in line with his corporation's belief that "lifting voices out of isolation -- and vocalizing support -- is a critical step in achieving equality."

"As a global company, it's important to us that all of our employees and customers feel this support, from a local colleague to a Gap associate across the world," he told The Huffington Post in an email statement.

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis echoed those sentiments, noting, "From classrooms to board rooms, locker rooms to living rooms, it's critical that allies take an active role in accelerating acceptance of their LGBT friends, family and neighbors."

She then added, "By sharing the moving stories of LGBT employees, Gap Inc. is sending an important message about the power of love and acceptance."

Previously, Gap encouraged employees and customers to share messages of acceptance on social media with the #GotYourBack hashtag in the wake of Indiana'sReligious Freedom Restoration Act, which many interpreted to provide legal protections for business owners to cite religious beliefs in turning away LGBT customers.

You can read more about Gap's participation in the GLAAD campaign here.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

JULIANNE MOORE SAYS #I DO TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Too many think the battle for gay rights ends with marriage equality. Even with the Supreme Court forecasted to rule in favor of the matter come June, it takes prominent voices to shift the core thinking to a wider spectrum of LGBT issues. One person working toward that is Julianne Moore, who recently recorded a PSA for Lambda Legal's #IDo campaign to raise funds and awareness.

In the video, the reigning Best Actress winner, who nabbed the Oscar earlier this year for her touching performance in "Still Alice," enumerates reasons why the crusade for gay civil rights must continue once marriage is legal for all. Moore cites school bullying, medical care and violence against transgender individuals as three such examples, urging others to say "I do."

Those who join Moore in this next stage of the fight can donate to Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest LGBT legal organization. The organization’s board co-chair, Karen Dixon, and her wife, Nan Schaffer, will match up to $1 million in contributions, dollar-for-dollar. All said, the 54-year-old actress is the perfect spokeswoman for Lambda's efforts. Her résumé contains a diverse mix of LGBT projects, including roles in 2002's "The Hours," 2009's "A Single Man," 2010's "The Kids Are All Right" and the upcoming "Freeheld," in which she plays a terminally ill police officer who must fight to secure pension benefits for her partner (Ellen Page).

“I think it’s a very basic human-rights issue," Moore said in 2011. "Everybody has the right to marry the person they love and be represented as a couple and family. ... It’s something that people will look back on in years to come and say, ‘I can’t believe it took so long for us to recognize this.’ It’ll be like segregation and giving women the right to vote.”

Moore's PSA premieres exclusively on The Huffington Post. Learn more about the #IDo campaign at Lambda Legal.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

DERRICK GORDON SAYS HE ENCOUNTERED 'BLATANT HOMOPHOBIA' IN HIS ATTEMPT TO TRANSFER SCHOOLS

The first openly gay Division I college basketball player is moving on and speaking out.

UMass guard Derrick Gordon announced Sunday that he's transferring to Seton Hall, but he told USA Today he encountered plenty of discrimination along the way in his inquiries to potential new schools.

"During the recruiting process, a number of schools didn't want me because I'm gay," Gordon said. "To me, that's blatant homophobia. At the end of the day, no coaches will ever admit that they don't want me because I'm gay and there's baggage that comes with the attention."

He added that the reaction of many programs caught him off guard and left him hurt. "I was starting to lose hope," he told the paper. "I felt like I was being treated like an outsider, like I didn't belong in the NCAA." Gordon didn't specify any universities.

Gordon came out in April 2014, saying he was inspired to do so by Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player. But a recent survey found homophobia is still pervasive in the U.S., as well as in many other English-speaking countries.

Last season, as a guard for UMass, Gordon started all 32 games and averaged 9.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Gordon told USA Today he had no issues with the way he was treated at UMass, calling the decision to transfer basketball-motivated. The Huffington Post reached out to Seton Hall, but the school said it couldn't comment until the transfer is official.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

GAY AUSTRALIAN COWBOYS DAN & MIKI SHARE THEIR REAL 'BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN' LIFE

Two Australian men are being tauted as a real-life version of the iconic cowboy couple seen in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain."

Australia's SBS Network recently profiled Dan Smith and Miki Velickovski, a gay couple who are defying stereotypes by living and ranching in North Queensland, Australia.

"The coming out process was a bit different because I couldn't see myself living with a partner on the land, and farming and associating with other farmers and be gay at the same time," the 34-year-old Smith, who became active on the rodeo circuit in his teens, said.

That all changed, of course, when he met Velickovski, 32. The pair now lives together on a 155-acre beef cattle ranch.

"I'm not going to go and say something gooey like it was love at first sight, but it was pretty close," Smith said.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

TEEN CALLED 'GAYTARD' WHILE WORKING @ TACO JOHN'S CALLS ON OTHERS TO SHARE HURTFUL WORDS

A gay teen who was allegedly forced to wear a homophobic name tag while working at the fast-food chain Taco John's is now brandishing that very same name tag in a call for awareness and change.

Tyler Brandt, a 16-year-old from South Dakota, resigned from his position at Taco John's in Yankton in June after his manager allegedly made him wear a name tag reading "gaytard." Although a manager at the eatery claimed the incident was a joke that Brandt went along with, Brandt tells a different story.

"It wasn't my idea, and I never thought it was funny," he wrote for the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Blog of Civil Rights. "It's a mean, ugly word that makes fun of both gay people and people with developmental disabilities, and I would never call myself a name like that."

The ACLU filed a discrimination charge Tuesday on Brandt's behalf with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the South Dakota Department of Labor. The group claims Taco John’s violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- legislation that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin -- as well as the South Dakota Human Rights Act, they said in a statement to The Huffington Post.

“What happened to me was so incredibly humiliating,” Brandt said in a statement sent to HuffPost. “I just hope that telling people what happened to me can help make sure that no other Taco John’s employee will ever go through this kind of harassment again.”

Brandt and the ACLU also launched a petition demanding an apology from Taco John's along with a social media campaign on Tumblr. The campaign, titled "Taco John's Called Me a 'Gaytard,'" calls for others to share selfie photos with derogatory names that have been used against them.

The photos shared on the Tumblr page, with slurs like "dyke," "fag" and "terrorist," serve to enforce the overarching message behind Brandt's movement: "No one should have to face bullying and discrimination in their workplace or elsewhere."

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

BEN & JERRY'S SIGNS EMPLOYERS' AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF GA MARRAGE

Ben & Jerry's is making a bold new stand in defense of same-sex marriage.

The Vermont-based ice cream giant has signed an Employers' Amicus Brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review pending marriage equality ban cases in Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia.

Company representatives confirmed the news in a lengthy post on the official Ben & Jerry's website, jokingly calling the brief "fancy lawyer speak for a formal legal petition asking the Supreme Court to review these latest circuit court rulings."

“Often, it’s not enough to change the way you do business, or change the practice within your business,” Chris Miller, Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission Activism Manager, said in the post. “Unless you’re willing to stand up and advocate for the rights of others, not just here in our backyard but around the world, it’s often just not good enough.”

Miller went on to note, “This is not just a concern of the gay rights community. There is a broad base of support for a single standard across all 50 states that recognize same sex marriage.”

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST