With the alarming ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law coming into effect in Florida, campaigning company, Lush Cosmetics jumped into action releasing a limited-edition Gay is OK Soap to support Equality Florida, the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.
Signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law limits or prohibits classroom instruction on LGBTQ issues in schools across the state. Lush’s twelve Florida shops from Miami to Destin will participate in the campaign standing in solidarity with LGBTQ youth, their families, and educators across the state who will be harmed by this outrageous law.
The gold and sparkly soap with an important message is now available in Florida stores and online and 100% of the purchase price of the soap (minus the taxes) aims to raise $50,000 for Equality Florida’s defense fund to support those impacted by the new legislation.
“Young LGBTQ people and their families are facing a political onslaught aimed at stigmatizing and erasing them. This toxic climate will make schools less safe for the youth that need our support most. It is vital that the businesses that uplift values of diversity and inclusion speak up at a time when their employees, customers and the broader community are under attack. Each of us is called to the fight to ensure every student is protected and every family is respected”, said Nadine Smith, Executive Director, Equality Florida.
At Lush, we believe the state has a responsibility to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for all children and the Don’t Say Gay legislation does just the opposite. At a time when youth need our support the most, they and those that love them are being targeted. We are proud to stand with Equality Florida’s work to support the queer community at this critical and uncertain time.
In addition to the financial support, Lush is encouraging customers to learn more about Equality Florida, which is part of a lawsuit against the State of Florida in opposition to the Don’t Say Gay law, and their Free To Say Gay campaign.
Lush has a long history of supporting the queer community, including hosting campaigns in support of marriage equality, transgender rights, The Equality Act and more. Through the sale of the Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion, Lush North America has been able to donate $2.2M to 115 queer groups working on the frontlines of change. An additional $750,000 has been raised through in-store campaigns such as the one taking place across Florida this week, to 126 organizations fighting for equality and queer rights.
Come into the beautiful world of Lush and Lush USA.
The National AIDS Memorial will mark the 35th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Quilt with an historic outdoor display in Golden Gate Park that will feature nearly 3,000 hand-stitched panels of the Quilt.
The free public event will take place on June 11 & 12 from 10 am – 5 pm each day in Robin Williams Meadow and in the National AIDS Memorial Grove. Expected to draw thousands of people, the display will be the largest display of the Quilt in over a decade and the largest-ever in San Francisco history.
This year’s historic community display will be a beautiful celebration of life and a recognition of the power of the Quilt today as a teaching tool for health and social justice. The Quilt is an important reminder that the HIV/AIDS crisis is still not over and there is much work to be done, particularly in communities of color, where HIV is on the rise in many parts of the country.
John Cunningham, CEO National AIDS Memorial
The two-day 35th Anniversary event, presented by Gilead Sciences, will feature 350 12’x12′ blocks of the Quilt laid out on the ground, each consisting of eight 3’x 6′ individually sewn panels that honor and remember the names and stories of loved ones lost to AIDS. Visitors will be able to walk through the display to experience each panel, remember the names, and see first-hand the stories sewn into each of them. Featured Quilt blocks will include many of the original panels made during the darkest days of the pandemic and panels made in recent years, a solemn reminder that the AIDS crisis is still not over.
“The Quilt remains an important symbol of hope, activism and remembrance that reaches millions of people each year, opening hearts and minds”, said Alex Kalomparis, Senior Vice President, Gilead Sciences, a long-time partner of the Quilt and its programs. The company provided a $2.4 million grant to the National AIDS Memorial in 2019 to relocate the Quilt from Atlanta back to San Francisco. “Through community displays such as this, the Quilt is connecting the story of HIV/AIDS to the issues faced by many people today, touching their lives in a very personal, compelling way”.
An opening ceremony and traditional Quilt unfolding will start at 9:30 am on the 11th, followed by the continuous reading of names of lives lost to AIDS aloud by volunteers, dignitaries, and the public on both days. There will be panel-making workshops, community information booths, stories behind the Quilt, displays of memorabilia, and the ability for the public to share their personal Quilt stories. Volunteer opportunities and community/corporate partnerships are available. The public is also invited to bring new panels that can be displayed in a special area to become part of the Quilt.
More than 100 new panels will be seen for the first time at the San Francisco display. Many of them were made through the Memorial’s Call My Name panel-making program, which helps raise greater awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS in communities of color, particularly in the South, where HIV rates are on the rise today. Panel-making workshops are organized around the country, working with church groups, quilting guilds and AIDS service organizations to continue the Quilt’s 35-year legacy of bringing people together and to serve as a catalyst for education and action by pulling the thread from then to now for justice.
Jada Harris (2nd from left) National AIDS Memorial Call My Name Quilt Program Manager shares stories about two newly created panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt that will be displayed at an historic display of the Quilt on June 11 & 12 in Golden Gate Park, which will mark 35 years since the first panels of the Quilt were first created. From L to R: Alex Kalomparis, Senior Vice President, Gilead Sciences; Jada Harris; Cleve Jones, Co-Founder, AIDS Memorial Quilt; Duane Cramer, Quit Community Engagement Director, National AIDS Memorial; Marvin White, Minister of Celebration, Glide Memorial Church; John Cunningham, CEO, National AIDS Memorial; and Gert McMullin, Quilt Conservator, National AIDS Memorial. Photo Credit: National AIDS Memorial or Kevin Herglotz, National AIDS Memorial
“The AIDS Quilt has always been an important part of Glide Memorial Church and many Black churches around the country. Throughout the years, we have made panels and displayed them from the pulpit as a backdrop to worship, with parishioners calling, singing, and preaching their names,” said Marvin White, Minister of Celebration at Glide. “We are honored to be a community partner of this historic display, to celebrate their lives and to share their stories so future generations always remember”.
According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, while new HIV infections in the U.S. fell about 8% from 2015 to 2019, Black and Latino communities — particularly gay and bisexual men within those groups — continue to be disproportionately affected. In 2019, 26% of new HIV infections were among Black gay and bisexual men, 23% among Latino gay and bisexual men, and 45% among gay and bisexual men under the age of 35. African American and Hispanics/Latinos account for the largest increases in new HIV diagnoses, 42% and 27% respectively. Disparities also persist among women. Black women’s HIV infection rate is 11 times that of white women and four times that of Latina women. Racism, HIV stigma, homophobia, poverty, and barriers to health care continue to drive these disparities.
The first panels of the Quilt were created in June of 1987 when a group of strangers, led by gay rights activist Cleve Jones, gathered in a San Francisco storefront to document the lives they feared history would forget. This meeting of devoted friends, lovers and activists would serve as the foundation for The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Each panel made was the size of a human grave and they saw the Quilt as an activist tool to push the government into taking action to end the epidemic.
What started as a protest to demand action turned into a national movement that served as a wake-up call to the nation that thousands upon thousands of people were dying. Today, the Quilt is just as relevant and even more important, particularly in the wake of Covid-19, and the fact that the struggles we face today that result from health and social inequities are the issues we will face again in the future if we don’t learn from the lessons of the past.
Cleve Jones, Gay Rights Activist
That year, the nearly 2,000 panels of the Quilt traveled to Washington, D.C. for its first display on the National Mall. It then traveled to several cities, including a large display at the Moscone Center in San Francisco to raise funds for AIDS service organizations.
Today, the Quilt, considered the largest community arts project in the world, is under the stewardship of the National AIDS Memorial and has surpassed 50,000 individually sewn panels with more than 110,000 names stitched into its 54 tons of fabric. The Quilt continues to connect the history of the AIDS pandemic to the ongoing fight against stigma and prejudice through hundreds of community displays around the country and educational programs that reach millions of people each year. In 2021, an outdoor Quilt display system was constructed in the National AIDS Memorial Grove, located in Golden Gate Park, which allows for regular outdoor displays.
“Golden Gate Park has long been a place where history is made and where people come together for change, to heal and express themselves,” said Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. “The National AIDS Memorial is an important part of that history, and we are honored to be part of this event that will bring thousands of people to our beloved park to honor a national treasure”.
A special web page at aidsmemorial.org has been created for the public to plan their visit to see the display that will be updated regularly with the latest details and information about this historic event.
Fully being who you are, showing how you feel, and being proud of your true self. That’s what Pride is all about. And that feeling of being able to be completely yourself was the thing that inspired Utrecht student Elias van Mourik (22). He came up with the idea to make the longest rainbow bike path in the world.
Elias found support for his idea within three parties: Hogeschool Utrecht, UtrechtUniversity and UMC Utrecht. Together they brought this initiative to life. The result? A 570-meter long rainbow bike path at Utrecht Science Park. “When I go somewhere and see a rainbow flag, that’s when I feel like I can be myself,” Elias explains. “The world can sometimes be a scary place, so we might as well paint it in beautiful colors to make it less scary”.
The world can sometimes be a scary place, so we might as well paint it in beautiful colors to make it less scary.
Elias van Mourik
The location of the cycle path is of course also important. The three institutions that participated in this initiative want to show that everyone – students and teachers – is welcome to be who they are”, says Elias. “As a student on this campus, where thousands of people attend, I know how difficult it can be to be 100% yourself. With this statement, I want to show that everyone can be free and proud”.
What Elias hopes to achieve with this initiative? “I hope that this symbol inspires others and it starts a culture change for more diversity and inclusion”. At VanMoof, we fully support this idea. Our Team Lead Recruitment Christian Tran is part of VanMoof’s internal Pride Group. He thinks it’s important to raise more awareness around difficult situations that the LGBTQ+ community go through. “Elias’s initiative inspires not only our generation, but all generations that have faced discrimination. This also indicates that we are entering a new future. A future of acceptance”.
These colors symbolize the acceptance of people from the LGBTQ+ community, but I rather see it as the acceptance of everyone.
Elias van Mourik
People should feel like they belong, no matter who you are or who you love, and that’s our top priority. Pride Amsterdam offers the perfect opportunity to pay extra attention to this. As a company, we have therefore organized a Pride Ride, in collaboration with Pride Sports. We cycle along iconic LGBTQ+ locations throughout Amsterdam on our e-bikes. “During this ride, we want to educate our employees and tell them what happened at each location”, says Christian.
Are you ready for a ride on the longest rainbow path ever? The cycle path starts at Padualaan 97, near the colored building of the Hogeschool Utrecht. Enjoy your ride!
And with a bit of luck, you will not only see a rainbow on the ground but also in the sky. Just like them while shooting this video. Come into the beautiful worlds of Elias van Mourik, and vanMoof.
Pride Month is a moment when we, those who identify as LGBTQ, stand proudly and celebrate the journey, the struggles, and the progress we’ve made as a community. I am proud to lead an organization that cares to make a difference by leading with love. I invite you to take a few moments and allow me to share a few thoughts about why it is Neiman Marcus Group’s duty to advocate for LGBTQ rights, both in and outside of the workplace, during and outside of Pride month.
Geoffroy van Raemdonck, Chief Executive Officer at Neiman Marcus Group
LOVE will always lead the way! This is why we love Neiman Marcus soo much! Come into the beautiful world of Neiman Marcus.
It is Global Pride Day. Global Pride is the world’s biggest ever LGBTI+ celebration. They stream 24 hours of content from Pride organisations, and you could watch anywhere with Wifi and a smartphone, tablet or computer.
Through a number of video channels and via Facebook, you can watch performances by various artists throughout the day, including Thelma Houton, Olivia Newton John, Pabllo Vittar, and Ava Max. LGBTI activists, civil society groups, politicians and world leaders also have their say. Millions of viewers are expected worldwide.
Your safety is important to Global Pride
Some Global Pride viewers will be watching in a country where being LGBTI+ is not easy, or even criminalised. Or they might not be ‘out’ to their family or friends. They have put together this guidance to help you watch as safely as possible.
Watching Global Pride 2020
Use a safe browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla or Tor
Make sure your browser is updated
Make sure your browser plugins are updated
Use your browser in ‘Privacy Mode / Private Browsing’ or enable ‘do not track’ in your browser
Block pop-ups
Use an ad blocker
Use Disconnect to block advertisers and social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, from tracking which websites you visit
Use a VPN to hide your IP address such as Proton, Windscribe, HideMe or NordVPN
If you would like to use your social media profiles to engage with Global Pride 2020:
Use a strong and UNIQUE password for each one of your social media profiles
Use two-factor authentication when available
Make sure you still have access to the email/phone number you registered when signing up
Avoid password recovery questions such as “What city were you born in?” or “What is the name of your pet?”
If being outed is a concern for you, change your profile setting to private. You could also consider not using LGBTIQ+ mentions and visuals from your bio
Make sure your identity is concealed, and you are not using a username that refers to your legal name or to a nickname that may identify you
Don’t agree to friend requests from people you don’t know on social media networks – people are not always who they say they are
In case of a social media anti-LGBTIQ+ cyber attack
Do not engage with trolls; report them and invite others to report them
Do NOT click on uninvited or suspicious links you receive in comments or in your inbox (DM). Some links could download a virus or collect your information. Verify links with senders you know. Ignore and delete links from senders you don’t know, or who don’t respond to you. Delete suspicious links from comments to protect your followers from inadvertently clicking on them.
Ensure you have up-to-date antivirus and firewall protection.
If the trolling intensifies, change your profile setting to private. You could also consider deactivating comments on posts.
Remain calm and polite no matter what. Do not fall for provocation.
Screenshot and record the trolls’ actions and messages. Report them repeatedly if necessary.
Be responsible. Do not share information that you are not sure is correct. Imprecise information creates panic. Panic makes us more vulnerable to aggressions.
Keep in mind that love is always stronger than misunderstanding and hate.
Global Pride 2020 will never ask for your real/legal name and for your password.
All Global Pride 2020 social media accounts are verified to help you find the right content to share. The links to the channels are:
Jared ®, a specialty retail jewelry chain in the U.S., announced today to help celbrate Pride Month by creating a limited-edition ring to commemorate the five-year anniversary of marriage equality. The brand also announced that, through sales of the ring, it has committed to raising $400,000 to support the six charitable partners involved in iHeartMedia and Procter & Gamble’s ‘Can’t Cancel Pride’: A COVID-19 Relief Benefit for the LGBTQ+ Community virtual celebration.
Love Proudly Multi-Color Rainbow Ring
Whoever you love, complete the look with this 14K gold masterpiece, featuring 9 natural semi-precious gemstones including black spinel, smoky quartz, garnet, citrine, peridot, blue topaz, amethyst and white sapphire to pay tribute to the Pride rainbow and engraved with the date in which the Supreme Court passed the Marriage Equality Act.
The 4mm Love Proudly Ring Multi-Color Rainbow is available in 14K Yellow or white gold for $499.99
Profits from sales of the ring, for sale through July 5, 2020, will go to the Can’t Cancel Pride Fund at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation with a minimum contribution of $400,000. The ‘Can’t Cancel Pride Fund’ supports organizations that have a track record for creating positive change within the LGBTQ+ communities, including GLAAD, SAGE, The Trevor Project, the National Black Justice Coalition, CenterLink and OutRight Action International.
While Pride month certainly looks different this year, Jared remains passionate about showing its support for the LGBTQ+ community and more importantly, helping those in need during this difficult time. As a brand that believes in celebrating life and expressing love, we can think of no better way to extend our #LoveCantWait campaign than by partnering with P&G and iHeartMedia for this celebration.
Bill Brace, Chief Marketing Officer and Jared Executive General Manager
Jared joins iHeartMedia and P&G to inspire and uplift people through this virtual benefit, which aims to raise awareness and funds for LGBTQ+ communities most impacted by COVID-19. As part of the event, Jared will support a special in-broadcast segment and is asking people to share their Pride by posting stories of spectacular displays of love on their own social media platforms using the hashtag #CantCancelPride
Leading iHeartMedia on-air personality Elvis Duran and actress and LGBTQ+ advocate Laverne Cox will host the upcoming event, bringing together allies of the community and today’s biggest names in both culture and entertainment through powerful programming. The event will stream on iHeartRadio’s Facebook and Instagram pages, iHeartRadio’s PrideRadio.com, on the iHeartRadio app, and will air on iHeartMedia stations nationwide on June 25 at 9 p.m. ET local time.
‘Mi hermano – My Brother’ tells the story of Alberto, a young Spanish gay man who lives in Berlin a very different life than the one he led in his Castilian town with his conservative family. But after a call, he must return there to face the tragedy and his own lies that he built to get away from his family.
I like to think that the book he wrote at the end for his brother is real, published and available to purchase. It would be a beautiful dedication to all those who experienced the same all over the world.
So so beautiful and touching and poignant and meaningful. A beautiful and much needed story about our youth! Brilliant….. he wrote an ending for his brother that the 15 year old should have had if it weren’t because of the horrible parents.
You are not alone!
A Parandroid Films & InOut Filmmakers productie
with Álvaro de Juan, Marta Belaustegui, Jeff Frey, Flora López en Fernando de Juan.
Although all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights, there are still discriminatory laws, policies and practices in the world against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI +) people. In some countries, they are even re-emerging after being dormant for several years.
That is why we must take the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia as an opportunity to increase awareness of the human rights of LGBTI + people, without forgetting that it also represents a unique opportunity to celebrate our diversity.
We never talked about politics on Yakymour. I had the thought that your favorite online glossy should be ‘positive and fun’. But in the years our regular readers could read between the lines how we think about things. But sometimes you must be more clearly.
At Yakymour, our values include tolerance, respect and an unwavering dedication to diversity and inclusion. We stand in solidarity with our readers to take action. The responsibility is on all of us and we pledge to continue sharing our ongoing efforts.
We’re listening and we hear you. We haven’t said enough and we’ll raise our voice. We stand against any act of discrimination and injustice in our society.
At Yakymour we want to use the privilege of our platform to make a difference. The events that are happening are painful reminder that we have so much further to go.
It is up to all of us to make a change. I stand with the black community and everyone working to end systemic racism and inequality.
Yakymour 