‘Closets Are For Clothes’ Video Campaign Highlights National Coming Out Day

Oct. 11 is National Coming Out Day, and a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists and allies are stripping down for the occasion.

Titled “Closets Are For Clothes,” this video attempts to bring visibility to the closet as a metaphor for LGBT individuals forced to hide their sexual orientation, and celebrate the opportunity to come out in solidarity with other members of the community.

Via Huffington Post.

Jamaica PM Simpson Miller Heckled by Gay Rights Activists

Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller was heckled by small group of gay activists in New York City on Friday as she left the offices of the Ford Foundation. Simpson Miller explicitly came out for gay rights during a televised debate in Decemeber 2011. The former opposition leader promised a conscience vote on whether Jamaica’s laws criminalizing consensual male homosexual acts—”buggery laws”—should be repealed. Activists are angry because that has yet to happen.

Details over at Rod 2.0.

Michelle Rodriguez Answers Gay Rumors

Rodriguez, needless to say, speaks her mind. She doesn’t shy away from addressing her fraught early days in Hollywood (“I was loud, obnoxious, crazy”) or even her sexuality. “I don’t talk about what I do with my vagina, and they’re all intrigued,” she says of the media. “I’ve never walked the carpet with anyone, so they wonder: What does she do with her vagina? Plus, I play a butchy girl all the time, so they assume I’m a lesbo.” When EW points out that that’s not a fair assumption, Rodriguez laughs. “Eh, they’re not too far off,” she says. “I’ve gone both ways. I do as I please. I am too f—ing curious to sit here and not try when I can. Men are intriguing. So are chicks.” She shrugs.

More on CNN.

Marina Shifrin, ‘I Quit’ Video Star, Gets Job Offer From Queen Latifah

If we’ve learned anything from Marina Shifrin, it’s that you can probably tear up your boring resume and replace it with a viral video.

Shifrin, 25, who took the Internet by storm Saturday in a YouTube video announcing to her boss (and to the world) that she was quitting her job while doing an interpretive dance to a Kanye West song, has already gotten at least one job offer.

On Wednesday, Shifrin was offered a position as digital content producer on the “Queen Latifah Show” while filming a guest appearance on the actress’s talk show.

Via Huffington Post.

Girls Self-Esteem at the Forefront of NYC’s Newest Campaign

With the onslaught of unhealthy images in today’s society, it would be relieving to find messages that celebrated each woman’s unique beauty, right? Well, New York City is taking on the challenge with a new ad campaign geared towards improving girls’ self-esteem.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg has commissioned the city to launch the “NYC Girls Project”, which features a series of mass transit ads with girls of different races and sizes (none of the individuals are professional models). Each photo includes the tagline “I’m Beautiful the Way I Am”. The city is also offering physical fitness classes for young girls through the parks department and has launched a website to provide supplemental resources for parents.

Continue reading on Clutch.

Once Alienated, and Now a Force in Her Husband’s Bid for Mayor: Chirlane McCray Plays Key Role in de Blasio Campaign

She was the seventh-grader too frightened to stand in front of the room because her white classmates would mock her, contorting their mouths to make their lips look big. She was the smoldering teenager who took to writing poems every day to wrestle with her isolation and anger. She was the eldest daughter of one of the only black families in Longmeadow, Mass., who arrived home to see their new house scrawled with racist graffiti.

Now, this onetime student of powerlessness, a woman whose early identity was profoundly shaped by feelings of alienation — because of her race, her gender and her evolving sexuality — is emerging as the ultimate insider: a mastermind behind the biggest political upset of the year and a sought-after voice as the city re-evaluates what it most wants from its first family.

More at the New York Times.

Barilla Responds To Call For Company Boycott After Traditional Family Remarks

wo of Barilla’s pasta competitors, Buitoni and Bertolli, took to Facebook to respond and capitalize on Barilla’s negative publicity. Butitoni’s Faceboook page posted an image featuring pasta with the basic message: “Pasta For All.”

Barilla has issued apologies it said for generating misunderstandings or hurting anyone’s feelings. The company chairman posted a video in English on Facebook, stating that in the interview, “I just wanted to underline the centrality of the woman’s role in the family.” But he has “the utmost respect” for gay people and “for all loving marriages and families.” He also added, “It is clear that I have a lot to learn about the lively debate concerning the evolution of the family.”

More on Black Enterprise.