In ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ Mystique shows the importance of representation; Washington Post, 5/27/16

Kristen Page-Kirby, Washington Post; In ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ Mystique shows the importance of representation:

"Representation builds on representation; once the first person in a category proves that people aren’t going to lose their minds about a female/black/gay/trans/disabled/Asian/Latino superhero/president/romantic lead/Ghostbuster, then you get more and more of the same. In “Apocalypse,” it took seeing someone like Mystique being celebrated on TV to make Storm realize that she wasn’t the problem; the problem was those who kept on telling her that what made her special meant she was made wrong.

Too many people hear that too often, and the more diversity we see on screen and in comics and toys (WHERE IS MY KAMALA KHAN FIGURE, FUNKO?!), the more that people can see that they are visible. And being visible means they are valued — not in spite of their differences or their freaky powers, but because of them."

When “X-Men: Apocalypse” fails its heroes of color, it fails the “X-Men” spirit; Salon, 5/30/16

Nico Lang, Salon; When “X-Men: Apocalypse” fails its heroes of color, it fails the “X-Men” spirit:

"As Angelica Jade Bastien wrote in a review of the film for RogerEbert.com, it’s “deeply troubling” that the X-Men series continues to “[trade] in the language and ideas of the Civil Rights Movement without caring one iota about its characters of color.” That linkage is not an accident: The comics are overtly an allegory for racial equality. “X-Men” No. 1 hit shelves in 1963, a year before the passage of the Civil Rights Act. According to Lee, he wanted to explore societal marginalization and the status of outsiders, calling it a “good metaphor for what was happening with the civil rights movement.” Lee told The Guardian, “Instead of them just being heroes that everybody admired, what if I made other people fear and suspect and actually hate them because they were different?”

The film series, however, has doubled as both a civil rights metaphor and an allegory for queer liberation—in ways that are extremely overt. In “X2: X-Men United” (which many believe to be the franchise’s best entry), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) comes out to his family as a mutant, a scene in which they could easily be discussing something else. “Have you ever tried not being a mutant?” his mother asks. Many young LGBT folks have probably heard a version of that question. In “Days of Future Past,” director Bryan Singer (who is bisexual) is even less subtle. Whitelaw explains, “Magneto dons his maroon cape and helmet, floats up above the White House in front of dozens of TV cameras, and urges closeted mutants to literally ‘come out.’”

These themes, however, remain little more than subtext. While the “X-Men” films might draw on the experiences of racial minorities and LGBT people for inspiration, these groups rarely get play a major role in telling their own stories. This is true not just of Singer’s series: People of color are routinely whitewashed in comic book movies, with more bankable white actors cast in their place. In the Batman comics, Ra’s al Ghul is Middle Eastern. He was played, though, by the Liam Neeson in “Batman Begins,” who was born in Northern Ireland. The Anglo-Scottish Tilda Swinton will appear as The Ancient One in “Doctor Strange,” despite the fact that the character is Asian."

LISTEN: FANS CALL "X-MEN'S" SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS; Comic Book Resources, 5/29/16

Lauren Gallaway, Comic Book Resources; LISTEN: FANS CALL "X-MEN'S" SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS:

"Last week Fox released a viral video for "X-Men: Apocalypse" designed to look like a 1980s recruitment commercial for Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Hosted by Jubilee (Lana Condor), the fake spot ended with a voiceover from Stan Lee encouraging viewers to call a 1-800 number.

And, boy, did they ever.

More than 75,000 responded, with some leaving rather creative messages. In a followup, the studio has unveiled a new video that offers a sampling of just some of those calls."

Black man is washed whiter in China’s racist detergent advert; Guardian, 5/28/16

Emma Graham-Harrison, Guardian; Black man is washed whiter in China’s racist detergent advert:

"The company behind a Chinese advert for detergent that has been dubbed the most racist ever has defended the bizarre content, saying any discrimination is in the eye of the viewer.

In the advert a pouch of Qiaobi cleaning liquid is forced into the man’s mouth and he is then bundled into a washing machine by a smiling woman. After a cycle of muffled screams, she opens the lid and a grinning Asian man climbs out. He winks at the viewer before the slogan flashes up on screen: Change begins with Qiaobi.

The commercial had apparently aired for months in China, without generating much debate, until a flicker of online discontent was picked up by a local English-language website. It posted a link to the ad and within hours it had gone viral, sparking a global conversation about racism in a country that is officially home to 56 ethnic minorities but is dominated by Han Chinese, and can feel very monocultural.

“Qiaobi Detergent Ad Might Be The Most Racist TV Commercial Ever Made,” said the Huffington Post, as global outrage grew. But a spokesman for Leishang cosmetics company, which produces the detergent, said critics had overreacted. “The foreign media might be too sensitive about the ad,” a man named only as Wang told the local Global Times tabloid. “We meant nothing but to promote the product, and we had never thought about the issue of racism.”"

The Observer view on Donald Trump; The Observer, 5/28/16

The Observer Editorial; The Observer view on Donald Trump:

"A line must be drawn. Illusions must be discarded. The truth must be told. Trump, with his innate, rich man’s hostility to social justice and equal rights, with his greedy love of big business and corporate tax cuts, with his scornful disdain for green policies and climate change science, with his alarming ignorance of strategic realities in the Middle East and east Asia, with his cruel and ruthless contempt for the weak, the less privileged and the vulnerable of this world, with his foolhardy isolationism and protectionism, with his loathsome self-adoration, and with his hateful fear-peddling is a menacing problem, not a passing phenomenon.

Something not dissimilar to the rise of Trump is happening across Europe, where xenophobic and racist parties of the right are advancing, most recently in Austria last week. Trump-ism, for want of a better word, is not something with which tidy, reasonable compromises can be made. It must not be appeased, bought off or left to fester. The only thing to do with Trump-ism, wherever it appears, is to oppose it, fight it, and defeat it. As Elizabeth Warren says, that critical fight must start now."

Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person; New York Times, 5/28/16

Alain de Botton, New York Times; Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person:

"The person who is best suited to us is not the person who shares our every taste (he or she doesn’t exist), but the person who can negotiate differences in taste intelligently — the person who is good at disagreement. Rather than some notional idea of perfect complementarity, it is the capacity to tolerate differences with generosity that is the true marker of the “not overly wrong” person. Compatibility is an achievement of love; it must not be its precondition.

Romanticism has been unhelpful to us; it is a harsh philosophy. It has made a lot of what we go through in marriage seem exceptional and appalling. We end up lonely and convinced that our union, with its imperfections, is not “normal.” We should learn to accommodate ourselves to “wrongness,” striving always to adopt a more forgiving, humorous and kindly perspective on its multiple examples in ourselves and in our partners."

Was a Va. firefighter humiliated by co-workers online before she killed herself?; Washington Post, 4/25/16

Petula Dvorak, Washington Post; Was a Va. firefighter humiliated by co-workers online before she killed herself? :

"The trolls were horrid to her while she was alive. And they continued to be awful after her death.

Fairfax County firefighter Nicole Mittendorff, 31, killed herself in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, the state medical examiner concluded. But even after the search for her was over, her body was identified and memorial candles began to burn, the cyberbullies — who claimed they were her fellow firefighters — kept scorching away at Mittendorff online.

If these trolls are actually members of her firehouse family, then Mittendorff becomes another example of a new form of workplace harassment. Instead of happening in the office, it happens publicly online.

There is an investigation at Mittendorff’s firehouse to find out who posted the vicious online attacks and whether they played a role in her suicide."

Marvel editor-in-chief: 'Writing comics was a hobby for white guys'; Guardian, 5/26/16

Sam Thielman, Guardian; Marvel editor-in-chief: 'Writing comics was a hobby for white guys' :

"Alonso’s Marvel looks very different: one of two Spider-Men is a biracial kid named Miles Morales, Thor is a white woman, one of the Captains America is a black man, Ms Marvel is Pakistani American and the Hulk is Korean American. All this happened with comparatively minimal backlash from notoriously tetchy readers, because Alonso and the company’s writing and editing teams have made changes carefully, switching costumes among established characters and stacking the deck with popular creators when the possibility of fan rage – which is always at least ambient – seems likely. Marvel has intra-company crossovers about twice a year; when Civil War II launches, its lineup of superheroes will look much, much different than they did in even last year’s Secret Wars...

As the company changes, its iconography grows more powerful: beyond making bestseller lists, Ms Marvel has taken on symbolic value outside her own adventures, with fans pasting cutouts of the character over anti-Muslim bus ads in San Francisco.

This isn’t just a form of altruism. Disney (which bought Marvel in 2009) has excellent business reasons for pursuing a more diverse marketplace. Since the company acquired Marvel, it has given the publisher access to the vast reams of focus-group and test-market data that Disney employs elsewhere in its operations, MacDonald said. In mainstream superhero comics, a minority readership has always been present, if often underserved. Now it makes financial sense for companies to cash in.

“There’s money to be made and that’s why Disney does it,” said MacDonald. “It’s always the right thing to do, to create comics that look more like the real world, but it’s definitely backed up in that way.”"

How the X-Men changed my life; Vox, 5/26/16

Alex Abad-Santos, Vox; How the X-Men changed my life:

"Every day, the X-Men show up to fight for a world that would rather they not exist.

Their story is about survival, not only as an act of living from one day to the next but also as a form of love or even defiance — a faith that there's something better than the world they've been given, and that they can achieve it by existing.

In the eyes of a kid who got in massive trouble for loving them in sixth grade and who's now a grown man still reading them today, they were (and still are) everything I needed them to be, even at times when I didn't know it."

America’s Global Campaign for Gay Rights; New York Times, 5/26/16

Ernesto Londono, New York Times; America’s Global Campaign for Gay Rights:

"When President Bill Clinton signed an executive order in 1995 barring the government from denying security clearances solely on the basis of a person’s sexual orientation, the Family Research Council warned that “in all healthy societies, homosexuality is recognized as a pathology with very serious implications for a person’s behavior.” In 1999, when Mr. Clinton announced the first nomination of an openly gay person for an ambassadorship, then-Senator Chuck Hagel questioned whether an “openly, aggressively gay” diplomat could “do an effective job.”

Today, Mr. Berry, the State Department’s first envoy for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, draws on that history often as he makes the case abroad that societies can and should become more inclusive...

In 2011, the United States established the Global Equality Fund, a private-public initiative to support gay rights advocates around the world. Since then, through the fund, the government has spent $30 million to expand access to health care, legal reforms and police education abroad. The State Department’s annual human rights report recently began including a section on the state of L.G.B.T. rights in each country.

Advocates have made notable strides around the world since 2011."

X-Men: Apocalypse Is Overstuffed, but It’s Not the End of the World; Vanity Fair, 5/26/16

Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair; X-Men: Apocalypse Is Overstuffed, but It’s Not the End of the World:

"As is often said, in the X-Men movies, the personal is political, and vice-versa. These are stories largely about personhood and identity, struggles with self hyper-magnified to become battles for humanity. That’s a stark difference from Marvel’s Avengers movies, which are all about (or have become about) the larger civic politics of government and diplomacy, questioning systems of power and control in a globalized world. Both series can be read as contemporary allegories, with the Avengers’ stories grappling with our current fears and concerns about U.S. adventurism overseas, while the X-Men run parallel to, say, the maddening debate over who can use what bathroom. Perhaps that’s simplifying things—but the X-Men movies have (almost) always felt closer to the bone, more immediate and oddly relatable, than their shinier cousins.

Which is why it’s a shame that Bryan Singer’s latest X-Men film, X-Men: Apocalypse, contends with not a clash between man and mutant—a war so cleverly, and movingly, escalated in 2014’s spectacular, brain-itching time-travel epic X-Men: Days of Future Past—but with an ancient being, named Apocalypse, who aims to do nothing more interesting or creative than end the world so he can rule whatever comes after. Sure, sure, those are some mighty high stakes. But the X-Men are our tortured, emo superheroes, so I like when their fights are coming from within. You know, Magneto (a commanding Michael Fassbender in the last few films) going on some messianic, destructive tear while Charles Xavier (James McAvoy, always giving it his all) tries to talk him off the ledge. Yes, other big things (missiles, robots) get involved, but these clashes can always be boiled down to people trying to define and defend who they are."

Times Readers Have Their Say on ‘Redskins’; New York Times, 5/25/16

Lela Moore, New York Times; Times Readers Have Their Say on ‘Redskins’ :

"A Washington Post poll recently found that nine out of 10 Native Americans did not find the name of the Washington Redskins offensive. Seven in 10 said they did not find the term “redskin” disrespectful at all.

The New York Times asked its readers, including many Native Americans, for their opinions about whether the term is a slur and who gets to decide if it is."

Kenneth Starr, Who Tried to Bury Bill Clinton, Now Only Praises Him; New York Times, 5/24/16

Amy Chozick, New York Times; Kenneth Starr, Who Tried to Bury Bill Clinton, Now Only Praises Him:

"Mr. Starr now is contending with criticism of his own leadership over Baylor’s handling of sexual assault charges leveled against several of its football players.

In the panel discussion last week, he reached back to an earlier presidency — that of Lyndon B. Johnson. Saying today’s divisiveness “deeply concerns me,” he recalled Johnson’s appealing for comity before a joint session of Congress.

“I remember this so vividly — he said, ‘Come, let us reason together.’ Can we talk with one another?” Mr. Starr said. “The utter decline and erosion of civility and discourse has, I think, very troubling implications.”

He quoted E. Gordon Gee, the president of West Virginia University, saying, “The world has become a shouting match.”

“There are always places for shouts and strong feelings, but the genius of American democracy and of presidential leadership,” Mr. Starr continued, “is to bring unity out of our diversity. E pluribus unum — out of many, one. And we don’t seem to hear too many voices saying, ‘Let us find common ground.’”"

Major-league homophobia: San Diego Padres’ “national embarrassment” highlights a persistent problem in pro sports; Salon, 5/24/16

Nico Lang, Salon; Major-league homophobia: San Diego Padres’ “national embarrassment” highlights a persistent problem in pro sports:

"Saturday should have been a celebratory evening for San Diego’s queer community. As part of the team’s recent push for greater LGBT inclusion, the Padres invited the local gay men’s chorus to sing the national anthem during its evening game. Last year, the team became one of the few in professional sports to host an official LGBT night for fans—although the Padres have held an “unofficial” version since 2001. Fifteen years ago, they were one of the first sports teams to do so.

The Saturday game, however, was marred by a controversy as shameful as it is unnecessary: As OutSports reports, “the control room… played a track of a woman singing the National Anthem as a few dozen gay men stood speechless on the field.” It was a national disgrace.

Following the incident, critics have pointed the finger at homophobia to explain how such a thing could have occurred. Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in the NBA, alleged that it was yet another case of “deliberate” anti-gay bigotry in baseball. Cyd Zeigler, the editor of OutSports, however, claims that it’s unlikely that the occurrence was a product of a “homophobic conspiracy.” His investigation concluded that it was merely a “disastrous, yet unintentional, mistake.”...

But despite Major League Baseball’s efforts, the league continues to send the gay community a mixed message when it comes to inclusion. As The Atlantic pointed out, the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling on marriage equality was a brand holiday on Twitter—with businesses across the country proving their LGBT-friendliness by tweeting their support for the community. One industry that was notably silent? Professional sports. Not a single sports team outside of the notably liberal haven of California posted about the groundbreaking decision. (And that’s in either the MLB, NFL, NBA, or the NHL.)"

'Sounds And Sweet Airs' Remembers The Forgotten Women Of Classical Music; NPR, 5/22/16

NPR Staff, NPR; 'Sounds And Sweet Airs' Remembers The Forgotten Women Of Classical Music:

"Rachel Martin: Your book profiles a handful of women composers dating back to the 17th century. What was it about the sexism of the time that made it so hard for them to be recognized for the music they were composing and creating?

Anna Beer: Well, sexism, like everything, changes over time. So I think we've got two broad kinds of sexism working: one in the earlier period, and one which brings us right up to today. In the earlier period, there were beliefs about the appropriate spheres and appropriate behavior for women. But if you were an exceptionally talented composer, and you did produce astonishing, wonderful music, people would make a kind of exception for you. They'd say, "Your music is equal to men."

The only thing you had to be very careful of, as a woman, was to behave. You'd have to watch out for being described as courtesan, and you had to marry who you were told to marry, and be innocent and chaste and all the rest of it. But under certain circumstances, in the right place and the right time — particularly if there's a really powerful female monarch in place who wants somebody to justify their rule and their power, [and] might want a kind of poster girl for female talent — you could succeed."

Youth advocates share model policies with Pa. schools on LGBT identity; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/23/16

Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Youth advocates share model policies with Pa. schools on LGBT identity:

"The Pennsylvania Youth Congress, a statewide LGBT youth advocacy organization, on Friday sent a model policy for supporting transgender and gender-expansive students to the 50 largest school districts in the commonwealth.

Additionally, the PYC launched a “Dignity for All” project as an online resource for school districts in supporting transgender students. Both the online resource and the model policy are available at http://​dignityforall.payouthcongress.org.

The release of both follows by a week a letter sent by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education to every school district in the country offering their guidance that gender identity is a protected class under Title IX.

“A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so,” the letter said."

Sophie Turner Grows Into Her Powers in Game of Thrones and X-Men; Time, 5/24/16

Eliana Dockterman, Time; Sophie Turner Grows Into Her Powers in Game of Thrones and X-Men:

"It’s a conversation that has since shaped her views on how women are portrayed on TV and in film. “I wasn’t thinking about these issues when I first started acting. But it’s made me think a lot more about it,” she says. “In my opinion, Game of Thrones is not sexist, and it’s accurate to medieval times. The show puts social boundaries on the women, and they break out of those boundaries. I think it’s quite a feminist show.”

In fact, she says the debate pushed her toward Jean Grey, who in this latest X-Men installment teams up with Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique and others to defeat an ancient and evil mutant named Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). Throughout the series, the mutants have faced discrimination, and the moral of every film–including, spoiler alert, this one–is that embracing diversity will save the world. “What we’re going through today with conversations around sexism and racism, I think the themes of X-Men will really resonate with everyone,” she says...

There will be two more seasons of Thrones, and X-Men director Bryan Singer has teased an Apocalypse sequel based on the Dark Phoenix plot from the comic books with Jean Grey at its center. Meanwhile, debates about empowerment and representation will continue. Under pressure, Turner, like Sansa and Jean, is slowly discovering her powers and will soon be ready to fully employ them."

US colleges cut ties with scholarships that ban HIV-positive applicants; Guardian, 5/21/16

John Power, Guardian; US colleges cut ties with scholarships that ban HIV-positive applicants:

"Wagner expressed concern that HIV-positive applicants unaware of their status could be subject to harassment and discrimination if outed in the country, where the virus is heavily stigmatized.

“The nightmare scenario that I want to see avoided is what I saw happen to a student I represented in 2009 who was outed as HIV positive in an extremely hostile manner,” he said. “He was threatened with expulsion from the university, told his status would be disclosed to faculty and pressured to leave the country.

In South Korea, HIV/Aids is often associated with prostitution, homosexuality and drug use, all of which are widely seen as morally degenerate. The country tests certain foreigners for the virus, despite the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination ruling the policy to be discriminatory last year. South Korea has defended its policy as necessary to protect public health.

Apart from American colleges, the scholarships are also being advertised by universities in Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Spain, Greece and Poland, and on the official website of the government of Canada."

An Openly Gay Man Runs the Army; New York Times, 5/21/16

Editorial Board, New York Times; An Openly Gay Man Runs the Army:

"Last week an openly gay man, Eric Fanning, became secretary of the Army. Read that sentence again and contemplate what it reveals about how much and how quickly American society has changed. Only five years ago, openly gay people were barred from serving in its armed forces. During Mr. Fanning’s lengthy confirmation process, his sexual orientation was simply not an issue. That is a tribute to those who fought so hard to repeal the ban, and a measure of the nation’s at times uncertain, but as yet unfailing, march toward equality.

In retrospect the fight that convulsed this country over whether gay Americans should serve in uniform seems senseless, almost absurd. Yet it is instructive, if only because a Pentagon plan to allow transgender Americans to serve openly in uniform remains stalled by a similar, albeit quieter, debate.

There is broad agreement that prohibiting openly gay people from serving was a cruel policy that abetted bigotry. It legitimized the notion that being gay was shameful and incompatible with the valorous profession of arms. It cut short the careers of talented people who had been performing vital work in wartime, which weakened the military."

Don’t Blame Diversity for Distrust; New York Times, 5/20/16

Maria Abascal and Delia Baldassarri, New York Times; Don’t Blame Diversity for Distrust:

"IN June, the Supreme Court is expected to determine the fate of affirmative action in American higher education when it delivers its decision in Fisher v. University of Texas. Responding to Abigail Fisher’s claim that the University of Texas at Austin denied her application fair consideration because she is white, school administrators contend that they need to consider race because a diverse student body enhances students’ educational experiences. Social scientists, though, disagree about the consequences of diversity...

The current debate on affirmative action is playing out in the context of widespread anxieties about the changing face of the nation. Research that links diversity to negative outcomes legitimizes these anxieties. And it doesn’t help that this research has found its way into arguments against affirmative action. But disadvantage and unequal opportunities, rather than diversity, present the biggest obstacles to our getting along. By doing away with affirmative action and limiting access to higher education for blacks and Latinos, we will aggravate the disadvantages these groups face, while accommodating the intolerance of whites toward minorities."

"X-MEN: APOCALYPSE'S" JUBILEE HOSTS "TOTALLY RAD" ENROLLMENT VIDEO; Comic Book Resources, 5/19/16

Stephen Gerding, Comic Book Resources; "X-MEN: APOCALYPSE'S" JUBILEE HOSTS "TOTALLY RAD" ENROLLMENT VIDEO:

""Sometimes, being gifted doesn't feel like a gift," laments Jubilee (Lana Condor) in a video promoting Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The short is the latest '80s-themed retro teaser for "X-Men: Apocalypse," following a similar vintage-style spot for a mystery series "In The Footsteps Of...""

Muirfield Golf Club Picks Discrimination Over the British Open; New York Times, 5/19/16

Karen Crouse, New York Times; Muirfield Golf Club Picks Discrimination Over the British Open:

"Golf’s return to the Olympics this summer after a 112-year absence is rooted in inclusiveness. As Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour commissioner, noted last week, golf’s power brokers showed little interest in joining the Olympic family until they commissioned a study that showed that dozens of countries that invest government money in sports invest only in sports that are in the Olympic program.

“We agreed to go into the Olympics primarily focused on growing the game and recognizing that overnight there would be coffers from governments opened up to provide financial support to grow the game,” he said.

But it’s duplicitous to expect to grow the game through the biggest multisport spectacle on the planet even as one of the game’s most affluent and influential clubs refuses to expand its membership. It’s like building a new course in the middle of a drought. No matter how impressive the blueprint, if the ground, or base, is arid, the project is doomed."

University of Miami Establishes Chair for Study of Atheism; New York Times, 5/20/16

Laurie Goodstein, New York Times; University of Miami Establishes Chair for Study of Atheism:

"With an increasing number of Americans leaving religion behind, the University of Miami has received a donation in late April from a wealthy atheist to endow what it says is the nation’s first academic chair “for the study of atheism, humanism and secular ethics.”

The chair has been established after years of discussion with a $2.2 million donation from Louis J. Appignani, a retired businessman and former president and chairman of the modeling school Barbizon International, who has given grants to many humanist and secular causes — though this is his largest so far. The university, which has not yet publicly announced the new chair, will appoint a committee of faculty members to conduct a search for a scholar to fill the position.

“I’m trying to eliminate discrimination against atheists,” said Mr. Appignani, who is 83 and lives in Florida. “So this is a step in that direction, to make atheism legitimate.”

Religion departments and professors of religious studies are a standard feature at most colleges and universities, many originally founded by ministers and churches. The study of atheism and secularism is only now starting to emerge as an accepted academic field, scholars say, with its own journal, conferences, course offerings and, now, an endowed chair.

“I think it’s a very bold step of the University of Miami, and I hope there will be others,” said Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and atheist luminary who is the author of “The God Delusion.”"

Countries Celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia; Voice of America, 5/17/16

Aline Barros, Voice of America; Countries Celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia:

"Meanwhile in Kosovo, a few hundred people held their first pride parade seeking acceptance and respect of their rights in the conservative society.

Participants marched under heavy police presence through downtown Pristina, and organizers said the rally was for "LGBT persons who could not be part of the march because they are surrounded by homophobia and transphobia in Kosovo."...

International Day Against Homophobia is celebrated in more than 120 countries each year. It was created in 2004 to draw political leaders' attention to the violence and discrimination that LGBT people face."

Statement by the President on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia; The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 5/17/16

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary; Statement by the President on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia:

"On May 17, Americans and people around the world mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia by reaffirming the dignity and inherent worth of all people, regardless of who they love or their gender identity.

Our nation is committed to the principle that all people should be treated fairly and with respect. Advancing this goal has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and I am proud that my Administration has made advancing the human rights of LGBT individuals a specific focus of our engagement around the world. I am also proud of the great strides that our nation has made at home in recent years, including that we now have marriage equality as a result of last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision.

At the same time, there is much work to be done to combat homophobia and transphobia, both at home and abroad.‎ In too many places, LGBT individuals grow up forced to conceal or deny who they truly are for fear of persecution, discrimination, and violence. All nations and all communities can, and must, do better. Fortunately, human rights champions and good citizens around the world continue to strive towards this goal every day by lifting up the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights. The United States honors their work and will continue to support them in their struggle for human dignity."

UN Free & Equal: Why We Fight; U.N. Human Rights, 5/12/16

UN Human Rights; UN Free & Equal: Why We Fight:

"The global movement for lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) equality encompasses millions of individuals, groups, organizations and campaigns all of whom are fighting for change in their own countries and communities. See https://unfe.org/en/actions/fight

To celebrate the International Day against Homophobia & Transphobia on 17 May 2016, we asked people to help us create a video that captures some of the strength and spirit that LGBT activists and allies bring to their work, and the sheer diversity of causes that help make up the movement globally. The result is a celebration of activism – and a reminder of why we fight.

Thanks to singer-songwriter Rachel Platten for lending her powerful “Fight Song” to serve as the soundtrack to this year’s video. Finally, special thanks to the many activists around the world who contributed time, energy and enthusiasm to the making of the video – and whose daily struggle against stigma and discrimination is the inspiration for this project. This fight song is dedicated to you."

Newfoundland To Shutter More than Half its Libraries; Library Journal, 5/10/16

Bob Warburton, Library Journal; Newfoundland To Shutter More than Half its Libraries:

"Outrage grows across Canada over a plan to close 54 of 95 public libraries in the eastern province of Newfoundland and Labrador, many of them in rural or sparsely populated areas.

Twenty-seven libraries will be shut this year and 27 more in 2017, leaving only 41 facilities to serve the entire province, under a plan being implemented by the Provincial Information and Library Resources Board (PILRB), which saw its federal funding slashed. Dale Kirby, Newfoundland and Labrador’s minister of education and early childhood development, whose office controls provincial library funds, cut library funding by $1 million to about $10.7 million, PILRB executive director Andrew Hunt told LJ. The 2016 provincial budget originally included a $1.7 million cut for libraries, but Hunt said an additional $700,000 was restored as a “reinvestment” for services. That money, he said, will help improve ebook and books-by-mail programs, ensure that capital programs will stay funded, and protect money for software maintenance and upgrades.

Sixty-four employees will lose their jobs as libraries transition to a regional service model."

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Highlights the Struggle for Acceptance; New York Times, 5/15/16

Jenna Wortham, New York Times; ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Highlights the Struggle for Acceptance:

"Chi Chi DeVayne, a sweet Louisiana queen with a thick, country-fried accent, praised Bob the Drag Queen, a gifted, tenderhearted New York comedian, on her work in support of marriage equality.

“I wish that I had the guts to stand up for gay rights,” she said wistfully (the contestants often use male and female pronouns interchangeably).

Bob smiled and replied, “Go do it, you can start anytime.”

Ms. DeVayne, dazzling in full makeup and a fuchsia ball gown, shook her head firmly. “You can’t do it in Shreveport,” she replied. “They’ll blow your head off.”

That exchange reflected the cultural significance of “Drag Race,” for this particular moment in time.

Queer and gay culture has been so widely co-opted and incorporated into mainstream popular culture that it can feel commonplace, embraced by default. On the surface, that feels like a positive thing — queer narratives, like those featured in “Carol,” “The Danish Girl,” “Modern Family” and “Transparent” go a long way toward humanizing difference. We may live in troubled times, but this visibility suggests people are finding their way.

Yet, pop culture has barely started grappling with more complex and ugly contemporary narratives, ones that make clear that universal acceptance is still a fantasy — like North Carolina’s law limiting bathroom access to transgender people. This is what makes “Drag Race,” which airs its Season 8 finale on Monday night, so valuable."

Robert De Niro dings Donald Trump at GLAAD Media Awards; Entertainment Weekly, 5/15/16

Christopher Rosen, Entertainment Weekly; Robert De Niro dings Donald Trump at GLAAD Media Awards:

"De Niro closed his speech by getting serious, and calling out the North Carolina bathroom law that discriminates against trans men and women. “As an actor, I don’t judge the characters I play. As a person, I don’t judge the characters I play with,” he said. “I was fortunate to grow up in an atmosphere where freedom of expression in art and in life were the norms. And now, we have to look outside our bubble to the world where – because of religious beliefs or ignorance or mean-spiritedness – it’s not so easy.”

He added, “It’s been quite a year. A landmark decision for marriage equality. But also new, repressive laws like the ones in North Carolina that let us know the struggle continues, and challenges us to be vigilant and aggressive in all our rights. I’m happy to be part of a community that is so active in this quest.”"

John Cho Appears in Popular Movie Posters to Address Lack of Diversity in Hollywood; Ad Week, 5/13/16

Katie Richards, Ad Week; John Cho Appears in Popular Movie Posters to Address Lack of Diversity in Hollywood:

"Yu took a number of big movies from the past year and a few highly anticipated ones for 2016 and replaced faces of lead characters with Cho's to address the serious lack of diversity in Hollywood.

Chris Evans as Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron suddenly becomes John Cho. Matt Damon in The Martian, Daniel Craig in Spectre, Ryan Gosling in The Nice Guys, all replaced with Cho's face. Yu went with Cho because the actor is one of the most well-known Asian-American actors in Hollywood and, with a starring role in the Harold & Kumar franchise and a role in Star Trek, Cho "has both the presence and the bankable talent to build a tent pole around," Yu said."

Germany Says It Will Rescind Convictions for Homosexuality; New York Times, 5/11/16

Sewell Chan, New York Times; Germany Says It Will Rescind Convictions for Homosexuality:

"From 1949 to 1969, under a law inherited from the Nazi regime, about 50,000 men in West Germany were convicted of homosexuality. Many served time in prison.

Although the law — known as Paragraph 175 for the section it was part of in the country’s Criminal Code — was eased in 1969, it stayed on the books. As a result, another 3,500 men were convicted before the law was finally rescinded in 1994, four years after the reunification of Germany. Even then, the convictions stayed on the men’s criminal records. (Communist East Germany decriminalized homosexuality in 1968.)

The German government on Wednesday announced that it would finally correct what it called a longstanding injustice.

The justice minister, Heiko Maas, said the government would put forward legislation that would overturn the convictions and allow for financial compensation to the men who suffered under the legislation."

Why Black Panther is one of the best parts of Captain America: Civil War; Vox, 5/12/16

Alex Abad-Santos, Vox; Why Black Panther is one of the best parts of Captain America: Civil War:

"At Howard University's commencement on May 7, the leader of the free world talked about a superhero. President Barack Obama spoke about the possibilities awaiting the class of 2016 — running a company, changing politics, or becoming a boundary-breaking musician like Prince — and he also mentioned Marvel's Black Panther.

"You can write a book that wins the National Book Award, or you can write the new run of Black Panther," he told the graduates. "Or, like one of your alumni, Ta-Nehisi Coates, you can go ahead and just do both."

The president name-checking Black Panther, a.k.a. T'Challa, is a pinnacle for the hero, a moment that signifies that the character has finally arrived.

Obama was referring to Coates's collaboration with artist Brian Stelfreeze for a new, stellar Black Panther comic book that Marvel released last month. This past weekend, Marvel introduced comic fans to a live-action version of the character played by Chadwick Boseman in Captain America: Civil War. And in 2018, Black Panther will star in his own solo movie before joining up with the Avengers in the epic two-part Infinity War."

Coalition pushes for more diversity in national parks; USA Today, 5/9/16

Bill Theobald, USA Today; Coalition pushes for more diversity in national parks:

"A first-of-its kind coalition of more than 30 civil rights, environmental justice and conservation groups is pushing for greater efforts to promote diversity in national parks and other public lands.

The group calls itself the Centennial Initiative because of this year’s 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and is hoping to increase:

-- the use of national parks by minorities

-- employment of minorities at parks

--the number of parks and monuments that highlight the role of minorities in American history.

At the same time, a group of 36 House Democrats, led by Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, has written a letter to Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, using the centennial to push for some of the same improvements in the inclusiveness of public lands."

Dozens Testify in Support of Monument to Gay Rights Near Stonewall Inn; New York Times, 5/9/16

Noah Remnick, New York Times; Dozens Testify in Support of Monument to Gay Rights Near Stonewall Inn:

"The meeting on Monday, attended by a host of local politicians and led by Representative Jerrold Nadler of Manhattan; Sally Jewell, the United States secretary of the interior; and Jonathan B. Jarvis, the National Park Service director, was the latest step in a growing effort to recognize the area as a national monument. Mr. Nadler and Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, both Democrats of New York, introduced legislation to have Congress designate the area as a unit of the national park system, and President Obama is considering executive action. Although the White House would not confirm its support, several officials last night expressed confidence that the president would follow through, and some even thanked him prematurely for his support.

“We are long overdue for recognition of the struggle for L.G.B.T. civil rights in our national park system, and there is no better way to begin telling those stories than at Stonewall,” Mr. Nadler said, to applause from the audience.

Ms. Jewell said, “The National Park Service is America’s storytelling, and we know there are stories yet to be told.”...

Two-thirds of America’s national park sites are dedicated to issues of cultural and historic significance, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. Still, there are no sites within the National Park Service dedicated solely to the gay rights movement."

Loretta Lynch’s Enlightened Defense of Transgender People; New York Times, 5/9/16

Ernesto Londono, New York Times; Loretta Lynch’s Enlightened Defense of Transgender People:

"In her remarks on Monday, Ms. Lynch, a native of North Carolina, seemed to go further than other administration officials in casting the quest for transgender equality as a civil rights movement. She did so with grace and conviction.

“This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them – indeed, to protect all of us,” the attorney general said. “And it’s about the founding ideals that have led this country – haltingly but inexorably – in the direction of fairness, inclusion and equality for all Americans.”

Ms. Lynch acknowledged that the support for bathroom bills and other discriminatory measures “reflect a recognizably human fear of the unknown.” But, she added: “This is a time to summon our national virtues of inclusivity, diversity, compassion and open-mindedness. What we must not do – what we must never do – is turn on our neighbors, our family members, our fellow Americans, for something they cannot control, and deny what makes them human.”

Ms. Lynch concluded her remarks with comforting words for transgender people who are unsettled and frightened by a political debate that has included plenty of crude, hateful and even violent messages.

“This country was founded on a promise of equal rights for all, and we have always managed to move closer to that promise, little by little, one day at a time,” Ms. Lynch said. “It may not be easy – but we’ll get there together.”"

New York City and Nonprofit Clash Over Accessibility of Roosevelt Memorial; New York Times, 5/9/16

David W. Dunlap, New York Times; New York City and Nonprofit Clash Over Accessibility of Roosevelt Memorial:

"Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park opened on Roosevelt Island four years ago, City Hall has been arguing with the nonprofit group that built and runs the park over whether it is fully accessible to disabled people.

The little-known dispute has now reached an impasse, with the de Blasio administration declaring categorically that the park is not accessible and needs to be fixed.

President Roosevelt himself would have been unable to use a 12-by-60-foot sunken terrace at the southernmost end of the memorial. He was paralyzed from the waist down and depended on a wheelchair for mobility.

“There is a particularly tragic irony in a park commemorating the legacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt — one of this country’s great historical figures with a disability, and a role model to so many — that is not completely accessible to those with disabilities,” said Natalie Grybauskas, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat."

North Carolina says it will defy Justice Department over LGBT law: 'We're not going to get bullied'; Los Angeles Times, 5/5/16

Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times; North Carolina says it will defy Justice Department over LGBT law: 'We're not going to get bullied' :

"A political showdown between North Carolina and the federal government loomed Thursday as Republican state leaders vowed to defy the U.S. Justice Department’s deadline to repeal the state’s contentious new bathroom law.

The Justice Department notified Gov. Pat McCrory in a letter Wednesday that the state’s House Bill 2, which restricts transgender bathroom access and has become a focus in the LGBT rights fight, violates sections of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It gave the state until Monday to “remedy” the violations.

On Thursday, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore said legislators would not meet the federal government’s deadline.

“We will take no action by Monday,” Moore told reporters in a video broadcast by the Raleigh News & Observer. “That deadline will come and go. Obviously, we don’t ever want to lose any money, but we’re not going to get bullied by the Obama administration to take action prior to Monday’s date. That’s not how this works.”"

White Student Sues Diversity Internship For ‘Discrimination’; Daily Beast, 5/4/16

Kelly Weill, Daily Beast; White Student Sues Diversity Internship For ‘Discrimination’ :

"The Getty Foundation’s Multicultural Internship for arts studies had strict guidelines. Only undergraduate students of African-American, Asian, Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander descent—groups frequently underrepresented in the arts—were eligible.

But one white applicant missed the memo.

Samantha Niemann, an undergraduate at Southern Utah University, is suing the Getty Foundation for discrimination, claiming the group wrongfully barred her from its program aimed at increasing diversity in the arts. In a lawsuit filed last Friday in Los Angeles’ Superior Court, Niemann accused Getty of “harassment, discrimination, and retaliation” for failing to hire or consider her for an internship...

...[H]artwig added that Getty had decided to open the internship to white applicants in recent months."

Obama May Create Monument to Gay Rights Movement; New York Times, 5/3/16

Michael D. Shear, New York Times; Obama May Create Monument to Gay Rights Movement:

"The White House is considering the creation of a national monument to the gay rights movement on a small piece of Greenwich Village parkland across the street from the Stonewall Inn, where a 1969 uprising helped inspire the push for equality, advocates said on Tuesday.

The interior secretary, Sally Jewell, and other federal officials are scheduled to attend a listening session next week in New York, during which supporters of such a park will make their case. The advocates include Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Representative Jerrold Nadler, both Democrats from New York...

“Whether it’s the right to marry the person you love, or the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ we’ve come so far in the push for equal rights,” Ms. Gillibrand said in a statement. “It’s past due for a national monument honoring the legacy and events that took place at Stonewall and the L.G.B.T. rights movement in our country.”"