The Gay Thread

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

Got my Principle 6 shirt from American Apparel today. Looks and feels great (not just the shirt, but supporting the Russian LGBT community).

Only two weeks until the Winter Olympics. I encourage anyone with a little money to head over to the AA store and snag something from the P6 line to help the cause.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

Indiana vote on constitutional ban on gay marriage faces hurdle

[Tazer That Evil, Yellow Bastiche Find all posts View Profile Close Tazer]

Yo.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/30...-bathroom-her/

Maine court: Transgender student should have been allowed to use bathroom of her choice

Tazer

[JohnnyV Pictionary Master Find all posts View Profile Close JohnnyV]

We're just making shit up to fight against at this point.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

If you live near New York, are you free tomorrow (Wednesday 5th Feb) to come along to an All Out event about Russia? They're happening in 19 cities so far!

Just 2 days before the Olympics, it'll be our biggest ever chance to get Olympic sponsors to speak out against Russia's anti-gay laws, to help build pressure on the Russian government to scrap them.

The office team has designed some great posters you can print out and take along. And when All Out members email in photos, we'll send them to hundreds of journalists worldwide and follow up with phone calls.

That'll help make sure the top executives at McDonald's, Coca Cola and the rest read reputation-damaging media stories the day before the Opening Ceremony. It could threaten to blow their expensive Olympics advertising campaigns out of the water, if they don’t speak out.

But it needs lots of us to show up on the day! Can you make it?

Near New York? Click here for the time and place to meet:
https://www.facebook.com/events/664458466930844/

Live somewhere else? Click here to find out how to quickly set up an event near you:
https://www.allout.org/p6events

Can I get an "I <3 NY"?

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

It's working. The huge corporation AT&T, a sponsor of the US Olympic Committee, has condemned Russia's anti-gay law! Now one big sponsor has spoken out, the pressure is doubled on others.

If lots more people sign the petition, global sponsors McDonald's and Coca-Cola could soon decide their multi-million dollar Olympic ad campaigns are in critical danger of being ruined by bad publicity – and the only way they can fix it is by speaking out.

While corporations hesitate, new footage has just been released showing young Russians hunted down by anti-gay gangs. Can you share the petition with friends and family and ask them to sign now?

Click here to share on Facebook:
Share on Facebook

Or forward this email and ask them to sign the petition here:
https://www.allout.org/olympic-sponsors

This good news came as All Out members gathered in more than 20 cities around the world yesterday, calling on Olympic sponsors to speak out. In London, we handed the 130,000-strong petition direct to McDonald's Head of Communications, in the glare of TV cameras from CNN and Al-Jazeera.

In Mexico, the local Russian cultural attache argued with All Out members until he was ushered away by police for making a scene. In Times Square, New York, All Out members gathered in front of a flagship McDonald's on a freezing winter's night.

All Out members in Paris yesterday*

And in St. Petersburg, Russia, incredibly brave activists held up signs at the Sochi Olympics countdown clock reading "Berlin 1936 = Sochi 2014" comparing the Games to those held in Germany before the Second World War.

Click here to share on Facebook:
Share on Facebook

Or forward this email and ask them to sign the petition here:
https://www.allout.org/olympic-sponsors

Russia isn't the only country in the world with anti-gay laws that are forcing people to live in silence and secrecy, and fuelling violent attacks. It's happening in Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon and too many more.

All Out members have a chance now to force some of the world's biggest, most powerful companies to act on the principles they claim to hold. And not just in countries where it's convenient and popular for them to do so, but in the countries where it really, really matters that they speak out, because lives are on the line.

Please sign:
https://www.allout.org/olympic-sponsors


Thanks for going All Out,

Andre, Guillaume, Hayley, Jeremy, Leandro, Marie, Pablo, Sara, Wesley and the rest of the All Out team.


PS: 1.9 million All Out members have won over companies before. Like when we got Apple to remove a dangerous gay "cures" app, and when we got Avis, Budget Car Rental, Expedia.com and Hotels.com to cut their ties with an organsiation that allowed customers to donate part of their purchases to hate groups. We can do it again: https://www.allout.org/olympic-sponsors


SOURCES:

AT&T speaks out against Russia's anti-gay laws - USA Today, 4 February 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...-laws/5210651/

Gay and Russian: 'It's hunting season, we are the hunted' - Channel 4, 5 February 2014
http://www.channel4.com/news/gay-rus...are-the-hunted

Rights group releases video of Russia anti-gay attacks ahead of Sochi - GlobalNews.Ca, 4 February 2014
http://globalnews.ca/news/1128646/ri...head-of-sochi/

Sochi Protests Planned Over Anti-Gay Laws - AmericaBlog, 18 January 2014
http://news.sky.com/story/1206682/so...-anti-gay-laws

Sochi: Athletes, fans set for Russia's Winter Olympics spectacle - CNN, 6 February 2014
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/06/wo...nter-olympics/

All Out Russia Campaign Timeline
https://allout.org/en/russia-timeline

Photos of the global speak out events in 20+ countries:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allouto...7640502634476/

Good news.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

Google indirectly kicks Russia right in the fucking balls

[myuserid Lantern Hex Find all posts View Profile Close myuserid]

Mizzou Defensive End Comes Out Before NFL Draft

Not sure if this should go here or the NFL thread.

Kind of surprising to me that the first openly gay NFL player will be a kid who hasn't even been drafted yet. Brave of him to do, and good for him.

[Tazer That Evil, Yellow Bastiche Find all posts View Profile Close Tazer]

Yo.

+ YouTube Video

Tazer

[Darth_Primus Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Darth_Primus]

Mizzou Defensive End Comes Out Before NFL Draft

Not sure if this should go here or the NFL thread.

Kind of surprising to me that the first openly gay NFL player will be a kid who hasn't even been drafted yet. Brave of him to do, and good for him.

Word! It's somewhat of a Jackie Robinson landmark event.

I look forward to the day where a gay athlete becomes a non-issue, just like a black baseball player.

[Lantern A-train Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Lantern A-train]

I think that every time man. Eventually it will happen though.

[JohnnyV Pictionary Master Find all posts View Profile Close JohnnyV]

When I read the story, I took a more pragmatic approach; hoping his stock drops far enough that the Green Packers are able to scoop him up. Who cares who is doing what in a bedroom? If you can get after the QB come game time, you can sack or be sacked by whomever you choose in the bedroom.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

hoping his stock drops far enough that the Green Packers are able to scoop him up.

As opposed to the Fudge Packers?

[JohnnyV Pictionary Master Find all posts View Profile Close JohnnyV]

As opposed to the Fudge Packers?

[Lantern A-train Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Lantern A-train]

I literally laughed out loud at this at work.