Attorney General Eric Holder Blasts Boy Scouts Over Discriminatory Ban on Gay Leaders

In remarks delivered to Lambda Legal on Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder slammed the Boy Scouts of America’s refusal to allow gay adults in the organization, saying the ban “perpetuates the worst kind of stereotypes.”

NBC News reports:

"If these men and women are fit for military service, then surely they are fit to mentor, to teach, and to serve as role models for the leaders of future generations."

Holder said the Boy Scouts of America is "an iconic American institution." But he said its policy is "a relic of an age of prejudice and insufficient understanding."

Last month, BSA President Robert Gates, who oversaw the end of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 2011, said that while he personally supports gay scoutmasters, he opposes any further attempts to address the policy now.  

John Oliver Slams Qatar’s Selection as World Cup Host By ‘Comically Grotesque' FIFA: VIDEO

On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver took aim at the FIFA bribery scandal and applied his “sausage principle”– the theory that says if you love something, never find out how it was made - to his beloved World Cup.

Oliver went on to criticize FIFA’s decision to choose Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, stating that there are “between one and fifty reasons why that is a horrible idea” Among those reasons listed are the country’s scorching temperatures and its slave state working conditions, with presumably one of the other 48 reasons being that homosexuality remains illegal in the country.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP… 

 

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Defeated by Tea Party Challenger in Primary

House Majoriy Leader Eric Cantor has lost the Republican primary for his House seat, the AP reports:

Economics professor Dave Brat won a stunning upset victory against Cantor on Tuesday in the 7th District Republican primary contest, which is in the Richmond area. Cantor is the second-most powerful member of the U.S. House and was seen by some as a possible successor to the House speaker.

Wow.

The WaPo adds:

Brat’s victory gives the GOP a volatile outlook for the rest of the campaign season, with the party establishment struggling late Tuesday to grapple with the news and tea party conservatives relishing a surprising win.

“This is an earthquake,” said former Minnesota congressman Vin Weber, a friend of Cantor’s. “No one thought he’d lose.” But Brat, tapping into conservative anger over Cantor’s role in supporting efforts to reform federal immigration laws, found a way to combat Cantor’s significant financial edge.

That vomiting sound you hear is wise R's who just realized what the '16 nominee will have to say & do to get thru primary. #Cantor

— Jim Messina (@Messina2012) June 11, 2014

100+ Lawmakers Urge John Kerry to Drop Brunei from Trade Talks Over Anti-Gay Stoning Law

More than 100 members of Congress sent a letter to secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman urging the U.S. to tell Brunei to repeal its law that calls for gays to be stoned to death or be expelled from trade talks, according to the Hollywood Reporter:

"We write to express our concern over the Government of Brunei Darussalam’s recently adopted penal code, which threatens the human rights of minority groups including women, religious minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and urge you to insist that Brunei address these human rights violations as a condition of the United States participating with them in any further Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations," according to the letter drafted by Congressman Mark Pocan, a Democrat from Madison, Wisconsin.

The letter is going to Kerry on Thursday, according to Pocan, who hopes to get more lawmakers signed on before then.

Read the full text of the letter at THR....

66 Gay Clips from '90s Nightly News: WATCH

How many of these stories do you remember?

Dave Evans, who made the gay supercuts of the '70s and '80s news clips, has released the latest in his series.

This video shows clips on an early anti-gay Scouting lawsuit, protests in California over Governor Pete Wilson's veto of a gay-rights bill, Clinton becoming president and the protests over gays in the military, the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and the Matthew Shepard hatecrime and aftermath. 

Watch the powerful video, AFTER THE JUMP...

New Doc 'What's the T?' Investigates Lives Of Transgender Women: VIDEO

"When I told my father that I wanted to be a woman, he told me that I would be the ugliest woman."

"I had to admit to myself that I was a real girl."

"I'm just a human being."

These are a few of the raw sentiments on display in a new documentary, directed by Cecilio Asuncion, that is making waves at LGBTQ film festivals around the country. What's the T? explores the lives of five transgender women, through ups and downs, and emotional highs and lows. It looks to be an in-depth and informative cinematic experience, as well as an emotional roller coaster ride for the five women involved. 

Check out the trailer, AFTER THE JUMP...

What's the T? - Official Trailer from Eye Film Releasing on Vimeo.