The Feed: Teacher claims he was fired for being gay – Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci play gay – Buttigieg on religious discrimination
Four LGBTQ stories you need to know now!
A Texas teacher claims he was fired for telling his students he’s gay, Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci team up to become the daddy gay couple of our dreams, and Pete Buttigieg shuts down religion being used as an excuse to discriminate against LGBTQ people — these are the LGBTQ stories you need to know now.
ICE Accused of Deleting Evidence After Trans Asylum Seeker Died In Custody
Attorneys for Roxsana Hernández, a transgender woman who died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody last year, have accused the agency of deleting surveillance footage that was crucial to their wrongful death lawsuit. According to Buzzfeed News, ICE is required to preserve evidence under federal rules, but when attorneys requested video of surveillance at the time of Hernández’s death, they were told it was “no longer available.” Attorney Andrew Free told Buzzfeed: “If DHS cannot be trusted to play by the rules, both before and after a detained migrant’s death based on these records, how can DHS be trusted to continue imprisoning migrants at all?”
Related: Autopsy reveals transgender woman in ICE custody was severely beaten prior to her death
Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci Will Play a Gay Couple in Upcoming Movie
The award-winning daddy pairing you didn’t know you needed, Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci will team up to portray a gay couple in upcoming film Supernova. Per Variety, “Supernova centers on Sam (Firth) and Tusker (Tucci), partners of 20 years, who are traveling across England in their old RV visiting friends, family and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with early-onset dementia two years ago, their time together is the most important thing they have.” We could comment on two heterosexual actors once again taking gay roles, but we’re willing to forgive as long as there’s at least one shirtless kissing scene. (Just us? No?) Supernova‘s release date has not yet been confirmed.
Texas Teacher Claims He Was Fired for Telling Students He Is Gay
A teacher at Grapevine High School in Texas claims he was fired after telling students he is gay. Josh Hamilton told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he was placed on leave after the school district learned that he’d talked about his coming out process with students. The school claims it was because Hamilton had been texting with a student and discussing his personal life and relationships, which is against district policy. However, Hamilton says he was texting a student who babysits for him, which necessitated discussing his dates in terms of when she’d need to work. “If we’re going to fire a teacher for texting a kid, we’re going to fire a lot of teachers in Texas,” Hamilton said.
Pete Buttigieg: Religious Freedom Doesn’t Mean You Can “Harm People in the Name of Religion”
Speaking to the National Center for Transgender Equality, Democratic presidential hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg said that religious freedom should never be used as an excuse to discriminate against LGBTQ people. “The freedom to religious expression — which is very important to me personally — does not mean that you can harm people in the name of religion and say that’s OK,” Buttigieg said. “My message to fellow people of faith on this issue is to remember that when you have policies that try to invoke religion as a way to harm people or exclude people, that isn’t just an insult to the separation of church and state — it’s an insult to religion.”
Watch Buttigieg’s full interview below:
Read more:
Tennessee Republican calls Pete Buttigieg a “queer” during anti-gay rant
Online transphobia fueled by race and politics, landmark new study reveals
Majority of Americans support workplace protections for LGBTQ people
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.