Happy Sunday Funday, y’all! It’s time to sit back, relax, and reflect on some good queer news. So let’s get to it!
Equality All Around the World
+ In Argentina, a new law demands that the government in Buenos Aires and its surrounding areas place trans employees in at least 1% of its jobs. It passed unanimously on Thursday and may be the first law of its kind in the world, which is a refreshing change from other laws in my humble opinion.
+ Lawmakers in Nepal approved a new constitution this week that explicitly addresses LGBT rights.
“It’s phenomenal that Nepal is embracing GSM (gender and sexual minority) citizens and started establishing our identity, rights and representations through the new constitution,” said Sunil Babu Pant, a gay lawmaker who founded the Blue Diamond Society, a Nepali LGBT advocacy group.
Ty Cobb of the Human Rights Campaign described approval of the new constitution as a “momentous step forward for LGBT equality in Nepal.” “The nation’s leadership has affirmed that its LGBT citizens deserve the constitutional right to live their lives free from discrimination and fear,” said Cobb.
+ In Florida, a Republican State Representative is pushing to put anti-LGBT discrimination laws on the books.
This Kid Is All Of Us, I Think
This is the most epic and also most Scottish way to take down anti-queer weirdos ever. Let us all follow suit immediately.
This Thing Called the Affirmation Conference
500+ LGBT Mormons came together this weekend in Utah to love themselves.
“Overall people will leave here having a prayer answered,” Thacker said. “They will feel a lot more hope for their own future.
“We get messages after conferences from individuals saying it was the most healing moment of their lives. People say they felt the spirit stronger than they had in years, or they felt it again as they hadn’t for some time.”
Thacker outlined the four objectives of Affirmation: acceptance, forgiveness, service and finding a vision and a voice. When those steps are in effect, it gives hope for the future.
“We can find our vision, lose the fear, find our voice,” he told the audience. “What lies ahead is truly glorious, and you are all glorious.”
This Is a Sea Otter Using an Inhaler
Mishka the sea otter has asthma. And she’s gonna be okay.
Equality All Around the World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x88Z5txBc7w
I had forgotten how awesome this is
Cuteness overload <3
And of course Palestine is missing :(
This is from the 90’s.
Wait, he mentions Palestine. It’s at the very end.
Yay laws of the non-persecutive kind and bagpipes you guys.
They are loud, after that big marching band drum I don’t know the name of they’re the best solo instrument I can think of to drown someone out live and in person.
Years of experience as a parade goer and that one bishopric funeral, trust me on this.
And kudos to that musical David.
That’s a pretty neat idea in Argentina. I’d love to see similar legislation proposed here in the States.
That headline about Florida was a little hard to follow – at first I couldn’t figure out if the proposed law was an anti-LGBT law, or an anti-discrimination law. Then I realized it was Florida, and it was a Republican, so that’s pretty much the answer, but it might be a good idea to just rephrase that differently?
No, I clicked the link. Pretty sure this guy is trying to bring in laws to protect lgbt people from discrimination.
The headline could have read: ‘Bagpipe Blasts Away Bigotry’… best use of street musician power I’ve seen in a while.
@carmenrios Also, the hyperlink for the story about the Mormon Affirmation conference currently takes you here: http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2015/09/18/president-nominates-first-openly-gay-army-secretary/72414970/
which I don’t think was the intended link?
Thanks for the round-up of articles!
And I’m going to bed after 1) A video of an awesome kid playing bagpipes and 2) A smile on my face after watching that Animaniacs video.
I LOVE YOU Autostraddle <3.
Beautiful first step, now we need to make that law in Buenos Aires a national law.
The St. Andrews video gave me life.
I shared it with my mom and she responded, “My people! Best video ever! Made my day! Scotland the Brave!”
That might be the most exclamation marks I’ve ever seen her use in one message, so thanks for that :)