Transgender Zombies Take Manhattan in Music Video

Just in time for the Right Out TV Music and Video Awards, transgender cantador StormMiguel Florez has released first music video to celebrate his nomination. The video for Florez's popular song "I've Been To Manhattan" has a heartbroken zombie who finds his true nature in this ode to the legendary cocktail of the same name. Sounding like a sexier transgender answer to Johnny Cash, Florez is a Mexican-American folksinger to watch out for, and the video is chock full of of other trans pop-cultural cameos from other San Francisco-based artists including indie rocker Shawna Virago and dancer Sean Dorsey.

Florez is up for a Right Out Award in two categories: Best Video DIY (along with Blinded by Stardust, Charles K Brown, Kat Devlin, Brett Every, Sonasfly, Corday) and Fan Favorite (along with a number of other LGBT artists including Melange LaVonne, Ladi G, and Grrlz Will Be BoiZ).The awards are meant to honor the contributions of out LGBTI musicians and fans can vote on the latter category until tomorrow at RightOutAwards.com.Winners will be announced October 29.

Another Big Name Company Supports Marriage Equality in Washington

The latest big company to support marriage equality in Washington is Nordstrom, the national high-end retailer.

The Washington-based company's president, Blake Nordstrom, sent a memo today to employees along with Pete Nordstrom, the president of merchandising, and Erik Nordstrom, president of Stores.
"It is our belief that our gay and lesbian employees are entitled to the same rights and protections marriage provides under the law as our other employees," the Nordstroms wrote. "We also believe supporting freedom to marry will help us create a more attractive and inclusive workplace for our current and prospective employees."

They conceded there are "differing opinions" on the issue, as Washington voters head to the polls in November to decide whether to uphold a marriage equality law signed earlier this year.

It is one of many Washington companies to join in supporting the bill, including Microsoft, Starbucks and Nike. Some have faced pushback from the religious right with threatened boycotts as a result.

GMA's Sam Champion Comes Out, Reveals Wedding Plans

Good Morning America weatherman Sam Champion has come out as gay and announced plans to marry his partner.

Champion came out in a New York Times story published online today on the wedding of journalist Thomas Roberts and pharmaceutical executive Patrick Abner last weekend.

Champion, one of about 170 guests at the New York City ceremony, “took a turn on the dance floor with his partner, the photographer Rubem Robierb,” the Times reports. Champion turned to a reporter and said, “We’re getting married New Year’s Eve in Miami,” but Robierb added, “We’ll do it here officially, and then have a party in Miami.”
Champion is the first cohost of a network morning program to announce he is gay, notes the Times’ Media Decoder blog. He is likely to discuss his wedding plans on GMA Monday.

His sexual orientation was well known to his colleagues and competitors, Media Decoder reports, but he had never acknowledged it publicly. “He exuberantly showed off his engagement ring to colleagues the day after becoming engaged and brought Mr. Robierb to parties with fellow co-hosts,” the blog reported.

Champion issued a statement on the ABC News website today saying, “We are thrilled and so excited and thank everyone for their good wishes.” Meanwhile, GLAAD president Herndon Graddick noted, “Sam has been a good friend and longtime supporter of GLAAD, and I wish him and Rubem the absolute best.”

63 former Catholic priests: We support Ref. 74

A group of 63 former Catholic priests, with a total of more than 800 years of clerical service, will announce Thursday their support for Referendum 74, which would make Washington the seventh state in America to support same-sex marriage.
They will take issue with the state’s four Roman Catholic bishops, who are campaigning against marriage equality with pastoral letters, policy statements and videos.
Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain has issued both a pastoral letter and a video, and supplied material to pass out in parishes. Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima on Sunday claimed that Referendum 74 “jeopardizes freedom rather than expands it” and “endangers our religious liberty and the right of conscience.”
“We are uneasy with the aggressive efforts of Catholic bishops to oppose R-74 and want to support the 71 percent of Catholics (Public Religious Research Institute) who support civil marriage for gays as a valid Catholic position,” the former priests said in a statement late Monday.
The former priests are all married, and belong to three Seattle parishes.
“This is the first public action we’ve taken: We are used to fun and games within the Church, but this (opposition) is such a violation of church-state separation,” said Pat Callahan, formerly a priest for 15 years, said Monday.
The former priests are following in the footsteps of a group of retired and resigned priests in Minnesota, who have taken on Minneapolis-St. Paul Archbishop John Nienstedt.
Minnesota is voting on a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine marriage as between a man and a woman. Nienstedt has warned active priests to keep silent if they have reservations. The Church has poured more than $1 million into the campaign for the amendment.
But retired and former priests, not subject to ecclesiastical retaliation, have spoken out in opposition to the amendment.
Already in Washington, two prominent Catholic laypersons have championed the cause of marriage equality, Gov. Christine Gregoire and State Sen. Ed Murray, chief sponsor of same-sex marriage legislation in the Washington State Senate. Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Catholic, has backed Maryland’s marriage equality law.
“Our approach is not going to be getting into a big peeing match with the Bishops, but there are so many good-willed Catholics in the laity, that it’s time for us to give some witness,” Callahan said.
The former priests will deliver their statement at 10 a.m. on Thursday at St. Clement of Rome Episcopal Church, a parish of Anglo-Catholic tradition in Seattle’s Mt. Baker neighborhood. The statement will come hours after a Bellevue appearance by former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, a longstanding, often-intemperate opponent of gay rights legislation and same-sex marriage.

Pflugerville ISD to Offer Same-Sex Partner Benefits

The Pflugerville school district says it will offer insurance benefits to same-sex couples in domestic partnerships.
Chuck Smith with the gay rights group Equality Texas says this may be the first school district in the state to adopt the policy.
“I think they’re doing it for the same reasons that for-profit businesses do it,” Smith said. “They’re doing it in order to be competitive in the marketplace and attract good teachers.”
Pflugerville Superintendent Charles Dupre says that was part of the equation, but says it the decision to extend benefits to the partners of same-sex employees came out of discussions about workplace diversity.
“We can talk about being inclusive and talk about valuing people, but if you have people in your organization who feel like you have practices that are discriminatory, then why don’t you make some of these changes that will make me feel included?” Dupre said.
The new policy takes effect Jan. 1.

About Pflugerville ISD

Pflugerville Independent School District is preparing Each Child for Their Future in Our World. These phrases, highlighted in the District logo, offer a daily reminder of the District’s commitment to provide every student with quality educational experiences, which will prepare them to be productive members of the global community.

Founded in 1902, Pflugerville ISD is a fast growing district located in Northeast Travis County. The District encompasses approximately ninety-five square miles and includes all or part of six municipalities including Pflugerville, Austin,Coupland, Hutto, Manor and Round Rock. It serves approximately 23,000 students in 19 elementary schools, five middle schools, three traditional high schools and two alternative schools.

PISD has a rich history of more than 100 years, with a tradition of excellence that continues today through a strong vision for the future. Even as the District grows and the demographics change towards that of an urban district, PISD has maintained a small town feel with a focus on supportive relationships. The District is widely recognized as a destination for families who are seeking a family oriented community in which to raise children and a place where their children can receive a quality education that will prepare them for the future.

Maryland NAACP Releases Radio Ad for Marriage Equality

The NAACP of Maryland launched a radio ad Tuesday that features NAACP chairman emeritus Julian Bond urging voters to support Question 6, the referendum to uphold the new marriage equality law, because approving the measure “is the right thing to do.”

“I know a little something about fighting for what’s right and just,” says Bond in the ad, which will air in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore markets, according to The Washington Post. “Maryland’s gay and lesbian families share the same values, and they should share in the right to marry,” he says.
Bond and the NAACP, whose national board endorsed marriage equality after President Barack Obama did, speak to the important African-American constituency in the solidly Democratic state. Blacks make up about one quarter of voters in Maryland, and while recent polling indicates that more than half of likely African-American voters support marriage equality, opponents are still trying to reach black voters through churches.
In the one-minute ad, Bond says the referendum is not an issue of religion but civil rights. Radio ads in North Carolina used a similar message in the weeks before voters ultimately passed a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and similar unions by a wide margin.
“I believe people of faith understand this isn’t about any one religious belief — it’s about protecting the civil right to make a lifelong commitment to the person you love,” says Bond.
The ad arrives as the campaign enters its final four heated weeks. Marriage equality opponents released their first TV ad on Monday with a focus on the “thousands of years” of marriage between men and women, and claims about marriage’s effect on the well-being of children. Advocates will begin to air ads Wednesday.

Keith Patron Charged WIth Hate Crime For West Third Street McDonald's Attack

GREENWICH VILLAGE — The alleged hate crime attacker who slashed a 22-year-old transgender woman at the West 3rd Street McDonald's last week is under arrest, police said.
Keith Patron, 44, turned himself in at a Bronx precinct Monday, saying he recognized himself in the video released by cops, police said. He is expected to be charged with assault as a hate crime after allegedly yelling anti-gay epithets at the victim and another transgender patron when they tried to enter the woman's bathroom at the fast food chain on Sept. 19.
"You're going to the wrong bathroom," Patron told the women, according to sources. The man then threatened to "f--- them up."
The women left the McDonald's, but the more than 300-pound man followed them outside and allegedly took a swing at one of them.
One of them punched back at him and then kneed him in the groin, sources said.
That's when Patron pulled out a razor blade and repeatedly slashed the woman in the elbow, face, back and neck, according to police.
The woman was rushed to Bellevue Hospital after the attack, where she received stiches.
The West 3rd Street McDonald's has long been troubled by fights and wild behavior. Former McDonald's worker Rayon McIntosh was arrested in 2011 after beating two woman with a aluminum rod after they jumped over the counter to confront him. He was later cleared of felony assault charges. McDonald's franchise owners previously defended their store, saying the incident took place outside. They said they are cooperating with police.

Sally Field's Amazing Speech About Her Gay Son

Sally Field accepted the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality Award in Washington, D.C., and shared her experiences being a mom to a gay son. Sally Field, beloved for her roles in films like Places in the Heart, Steel Magnolias, and Norma Rae, talked about being the proud mom to a gay son as she accepted the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality Award on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
The actress discussed how her youngest son Sam, who introduced his mother at the event, was different from his two older brothers and how she supported Sam on his journey to come out, which he did at age 20.
"Nature made Sam, it wasn't a choice," Field said.

After sharing her own experiences with Sam, Field said it was unacceptable for parents to toss LGBT kids out of their homes or hearts. She also thanked the audience and said, "You all have fought for him as surely as you were one of his parents. You've changed and are changing the lives of little boys and girls who realized somewhere along the way they're just different from their other brothers and sisters. And so the fuck what." Watch the entire speech below.