The GOOD NEWS Thread

[LeftWriteFemme]

A new bill to protect gay teens in California


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chana-...an%20Francisco

[MsTinkerbelly]

Democrats approve marriage equality in party platform
By Jacob Combs

This Saturday, the Democratic Party’s full platform committee, a body of around 120 Democrats, approved draft platform language that includes a full-fledged endorsement of marriage equality. The marriage language was accepted without dissent and with little debate, a sign of just how established the position has become in the party since President Obama announced his personal support of marriage equality in May.

Last Thursday, BuzzFeed’s Chris Geidner exclusively reported on the draft platform language established by the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee, which read:

We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.

We oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples. We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act.

Also included in the draft language (and also reported by Geidner) is an endorsement of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit hiring and firing based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and language regarding bullying and support for LGBT youth. The platform’s immigration reform section was amended as well to include new language which reads: “the administration has said that the word ‘family’ in immigration includes LGBT relationships in order to protect binational families threatened with deportation.”

The approved platform will be sent to delegates for a final vote at the Democratic National Convention, which will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina from September 3-6

[LeftWriteFemme]

A father dressing for his son's success!



http://mrsexsmith.tumblr.com/post/30...andonlygabriel

[LeftWriteFemme]

Chris Kluwe and the Greatest Political Statement by Any Athlete Ever
Dave Zirin on September 8, 2012 - 11:51 AM ET
Speaking out always holds the risk of a backlash: especially for pro athletes and especially when standing up for LGBT equality. The Baltimore Ravens’ Brendan Ayanbadejo experienced that reality this week. For years, the 36-year-old Ayanbadejo has been outspoken in support of Marriage Equality and LGBT rights. Now, Ayanbadejo is publicly supporting a November ballot initiative for Maryland to join the states that recognize same-sex marriage. This was too much for Baltimore County state delegate Emmett Burns. Burns, a Democrat, sent a formal letter to Ravens team owner Steve Biscotti writing, among other things, “I find it inconceivable that one of your players, Mr. Brendon Ayanbadejo would publicly endorse same-sex marriage, specifically as a Raven Football player…. I believe Mr. Ayanbadejo should concentrate on football and steer clear of dividing the fan base.” Then Burns went even farther and requested that Biscotti, “take the necessary action, as a National Football League Owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employees and that he be ordered to cease and desist such injurious actions. I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing.” Yes, you read that correctly. Burns is calling on Ayanbadejo’s boss to coerce him to shut up.

It’s worth noting that this last statement just isn’t true. Players such as Scott Fujita, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, the San Francisco 49ers team and even Sports Illustrated NFL preview coverboy Rob Gronkowski have all spoken out for LGBT rights. Ayanbadejo responded to Burns forcefully, defending his own freedom of expression and then saying to USA Today, “It’s an equality issue. I see the big picture. There was a time when women didn’t have rights. Black people didn’t have rights. Right now, gay rights is a big issue and it’s been for a long time. We’re slowly chopping down the barriers to equality.”

But the greatest response to Burns and perhaps to anything in the history of everything was made by Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. Kluwe also happens to believe in LGBT rights as well as the rights of athletes to be able to speak their minds. The punter sat down at his computer and produced the greatest political statement by any athlete ever… or at least since Muhammad Ali told the US government that “the real enemy of my people is here.” Perhaps that’s hyperbole. Certainly it’s arguable. But what’s undeniable is the greatness of Kluwe’s rant. I quote my favorite parts below, but I strongly encourage people to read it in its entirety here at deadspin. Warning that it’s brilliantly profane, or profanely brilliant, so you might not want to print it out at work and leave it lying around. Then again, if you work in a place with NFL fans prone to homophobic slurs, you might want to leave it everywhere.

Kluwe begins by calling out Burns for his “vitriolic hatred and bigotry.” He then schools Burns on the constitution, the First Amendment and the history of racism and segregation in the NFL, But the coup de grâce was his defense of LGBT equality.

Kluwe writes,

I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful c—kmonster. They won’t even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population—rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you? In closing, I would like to say that I hope this letter, in some small way, causes you to reflect upon the magnitude of the colossal foot in mouth clusterf-ck you so brazenly unleashed on a man whose only crime was speaking out for something he believed in. Best of luck in the next election; I’m fairly certain you might need it.

Sincerely,
Chris Kluwe

Kluwe then ends by writing, “P.S. I’ve also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage so you can take your ‘I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing’ and shove it in your close-minded, totally lacking in empathy piehole and choke on it. A—hole.”

For the first time in football history, a punter is truly leading the way. Thank you Chis Kluwe, for the greatest political statement made by any athlete in decades. The fact that it happens to be about LGBT rights only shows how far we’ve traveled, in the streets and in the locker rooms.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Group seeks to clean up paperwork for outed troops


http://www.stripes.com/group-seeks-t...roops-1.193841

[LeftWriteFemme]

CNN ANCHOR CAROL COSTELLO IS HAPPY TO SUPPORT THE 'GAY GESTAPO'


http://www.gay.net/news/2012/10/23/c...rt-gay-gestapo

[LeftWriteFemme]

A Factory on Bicycle Wheels, Carrying Hope of a Better Life


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/wo...bal-home&_r=1&

Story of the Week, Miracle of a Lifetime

This was featured again on NBC last night. The story of Xena, the miracle dog from here in Atlanta, who helps to reach an autistic boy, and a boy who helps to heal a severely abused dog. What a little lovin' 'll do.



Jonny Hickey has a great mom!

[*Anya*]

California has a Democrat governor, every other statewide post and supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature. As of 1/1/14, the following are new laws:

1) New procedures make it easier for transgendered people to amend the gender and name on their birth certificates.

2) Heath insurance companies are required to cover infertility treatments for same sex couples.

3) Students are entitled to compete on gender-specific sports teams and use locker rooms and restrooms based on gender identity, rather than bio sex. (This law could be put on hold if a proposed referendum on it qualifies for statewide ballot).

4) It is a crime for employers to threaten to report immigration status if workers complain about working conditions.

5) Abortions in the first trimester can be performed by nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and PA's, in addition to MD's.

6) People in this country that are undocumented, that pass the bar, may be licensed as attorneys.

These are just some of many new laws that were listed in the LA Times today.

[Jet]

This was featured on CBS News and deserves a spot in this thread. The owner of The Lift Garage should be lifted to heaven, frankly. Great story! CBS uploads its newscasts, not individual video codes. This will link you directly to the story which aired yesterday...

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyI2XkHX0_4&feature=share&list=UUAeWdyKJXG WmVAXFpgLNNTg"]Low-income Minn. drivers get lift from social worker with flair for repairs - YouTube[/nomedia]

[Jet]

The Recording Academy and Grammy Foundation recognize a real life Mr. Holland with a first-ever Educator Award.
Meet Kent Knappenberger, a passionate teacher who teaches and inspires. An uplifting story worth sharing.

http://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs_this_mo...ith-new-award/

[Jet]

Good news stories worth noting:

• Joanne Milne of the UK hears for the first time in her life after cochlear implants. Very uplifting segment.

• Soup Ladies in Washington helping after the mudslide.

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/...broadcast-n686

NBC does not post individual clips; these stories are featured in the link above.
________________________________

Pope Francis confesses openly and breaks protocol. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/po...-public-n66531

[Genesis]

The story of Sir Nicholas Winton is one of the most profound tales of humanitarianism that you've probably never heard.

After saving 669 children, most of them Jewish, from likely death at Nazi concentration camps at the onset of World War II, it was announced Monday -- on Winton's 105th birthday -- that the heroic Englishman will be awarded the Order of the White Lion, the highest order in the Czech Republic, the Associated Press reported. In the official announcement, Czech President Milos Zeman noted Winton's example of humanity, selflessness, personal bravery and modesty as reasons for the prestigious honor. The award will be given to Winton this October.

In December 1938, Winton gave up a vacation as a London-based stockbroker to travel to politically turbulent Prague, according to the Guardian. He was curious to see firsthand what was happening to refugees in what was then Czechoslovakia. Nazis had recently invaded the country, and Winton sensed the grave danger refugees there were facing.

He wasn't an elected official, a high-ranking member of the British military or even someone with a significant background in charitable work. But starting during his three weeks in Prague, Winton made one of the most impactful, single-handed efforts to save children from mass genocide.

He created advertisements for foster homes. He manipulated paperwork to sidestep government red tape that would have gotten in his way, CBS News reported. He even persuaded Germans to go along with his plan. Continuing his efforts from his home in London for the next nine months, Winton coordinated eight train evacuations of 669 children from Czechoslovakia to Britain, saving them from almost certain death.

For decades, Winton's heroic efforts largely went unnoticed -- until 1988, when a BBC program surprised him by planning an emotional reunion with several of the survivors he saved, the Telegraph reported.

So with all things considered, turning 105 years old on May 19 might have been the least of Winton's achievements.

The hero celebrated his landmark birthday with about 100 guests in attendance, many of whom are offspring of the children who Winton rescued in 1939.

According to the Guardian, there are roughly 6,000 people around the world today that owe Winton their lives.

If you ask him, though, the formula to do good is a pretty simple one.

"I work on the motto that if something's not impossible, there must be a way of doing it," Winton told CBS News last month.

Original article HERE

[LeftWriteFemme]

Scientists discover ‘genderfluid’ lioness who looks, acts and roars like a male



http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/12/23...m_source=MOBFB

[*Anya*]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A 9-year-old started his own business in order to make a very special purchase. Tristin Jacobson opened up a lemonade stand to raise money to pay for his very own adoption, according to the Springfield News Leader.

Four years ago, Jacobson's biological mother dumped him on the doorstep of a Missouri shelter on a cold January day.

Donnie Davis got a call about Tristin, and she's been taking care of him ever since.

Jacobson has always wanted Davis to adopt him, but she couldn't afford the legal fees. So this past week he opened up a lemonade stand to raise money.

Tristin’s story went viral, and Springfield News Leader reports that as of this weekend, Jacobson has enough money to pay for his adoption.

Their goal was $5,000 and they raised a total of $14,000.

Tristan’s lemonade stand and a yard sale raised about $7,100, and a fundraiser they started on YouCaring.com called Tristan’s Adoption Fund raised more than $6,900.

Davis says the extra money will go toward Jacobson's college education.

http://wgntv.com/2016/04/25/9-year-o...-own-adoption/

[~ocean]

Originally Posted by LeftWriteFemme

Scientists discover ‘genderfluid’ lioness who looks, acts and roars like a male



http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/12/23...m_source=MOBFB

COOL A BUTCH LION ~ lol