Hallmark, Lifetime, and the LGBTQ Question

by Mark Segal, November 17, 2019

Like me, I'm sure you're beginning to think about the holidays. The Hallmark Channel and Lifetime are already running holiday romance movies 24/7. This year, not only do they have holiday movies for the Black community, they even have one that has a Jewish storyline. Wonder if they have a Chanukah bush? These new movies are an attempt to be diverse and inclusive.

So, Hallmark and Lifetime, how long are we going to have to wait for that LGBT holiday romance movie? After all, the channels produce at least 32 new movies each for the holiday extravaganza — 64 films between the two of them. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and other streaming services also add to the holiday-movie producing spectacle with many of their own.

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New York Restores State Benefits to LGBTQ Veterans Who Were Denied An Honorable Discharge

WASHINGTON, November 12, 2019 —

The Modern Military Association of America (MMAA), the nation’s largest non-profit organization for the LGBTQ military and veteran community, released the following statement praising New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for signing into law the Restoration of Honor Act.

The legislation gives LGBTQ veterans who were denied an honorable discharge because of their sexual orientation or gender identity the right to apply to have their New York State veterans' benefits restored. On Friday, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed similar legislation into law. 

Read more: New York Restores State Benefits to LGBTQ Veterans Who Were Denied An Honorable Discharge

Celebrate Halloween At The Winchester Mystery House

By Chris Narloch

You have until Nov. 2 to enjoy Halloween at the spookiest house in Northern California, San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House, a sprawling four-story Queen Anne Style Victorian mansion that its original owner, Sarah Winchester, reportedly built to appease the ghosts of people killed by Winchester rifles.

The 161-room structure is creepy even in the daylight, but this time of year, the tourist destination by day is turned into a real haunted house, with an after-dark attraction appropriately named “Unhinged” that gives visitors a fully-immersive, multi-sensory Halloween experience like no other.

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Pete speaks on LGBTQ history, historic campaign

by Mark Segal

Pete Buttigieg, who has served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana since 2012, came out as a gay man in a self-penned essay published by the South Bend Tribune.

This past April he declared his candidacy for president of the United States.

Mayor Buttigieg and I spoke on the phone about his campaign, his values and who he looks up to in the LGBTQ community.

Read more: Pete speaks on LGBTQ history, historic campaign