Religious adoption agency can’t exclude gay parents, judge rules
In a ruling hailed as “historic,” a federal judge sided with the city of Philadelphia and same-sex foster and adoptive parents.
A federal judge on Friday ruled against a religious organization that refused to place foster children with gay families on religious grounds.
Judge Petrese B. Tucker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that the city of Philadelphia can require the foster and adoption agencies with which it contracts to abide by the city’s nondiscrimination policies. The decision marks the first time a federal court has ruled that such agencies may not turn away same-sex couples who don’t meet the agencies’ religious criteria.
The plaintiffs in the case — Catholic Social Services and three foster families with whom the agency works — were quick to file an appeal.
The dispute began in early March when the commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services (DHS) discovered that two of the 30 foster care agencies with which it has contracts — Catholic Social Services and Bethany Christian Services — had policies that deny their publicly funded services to same-sex couples.
Following this discovery, DHS stopped working with the two organizations, noting that their policies regarding LGBTQ families violated the nondiscrimination clause included in the contract they entered into with DHS.
Catholic Social Services and three foster families then filed a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia, claiming, among other things, that the city’s suspension of referrals of new children to their care violated their religious and free speech rights.
Friday’s ruling found that Catholic Social Services’ practices violated the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and therefore the agency was not entitled to continue to receive public funding. According to court documents, Catholic Social Services currently has a $19.4 million contract with Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services.
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Man Considered FBI’s First ‘Black Identity Extremist’ Speaks Out After Being Jailed, In Part, Over Facebook Post
“I hope to live in a society where the federal government will actually work in the best interest of the people, and not work in interest of oppressing people.”
Article via: Blativity.com
The feds labeling outspoken black activists as terrorists is nothing new. Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, Martin Luther King Jr. are just a few civil rights leaders who were closely monitored and penalized by the government for exercising their first amendment rights.
More recently, Rakem Balogun was targeted by the FBI, labeled a terrorist and yanked from his home in December 2017 as he and his 15-year-old slept — all because of a Facebook post.
In response to Micah Johnson’s July 2016 rampage, in which he shot and killed five Dallas officers following the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, Balogun took to Facebook to share his sentiments.
According to an interview with Mic in episode 1 of the “Mic Dispatch” Facebook series, he wrote, “One man named Micah X brought the whole Dallas pig department to its knees, protesting police terrorism, and I stand with him.”
Balogun, whose real name is Christopher Daniels, was held in jail and denied bail over a period of five months. He was released in May when the case flopped, as prosecutors were unable to prove the activist is a terrorist. Because, innocent.
Michael German, a fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice, told Mic, “the only evidence prosecution and the judge would have had to justify holding him, was his political activity and online rhetoric, which seemed to be punishment for him, rather than an attempt to protect the public.”
The Texas activist is reportedly the first person prosecuted under the name Black Identity Extremist, according to The Guardian.
BIE was initiated in a U.S. government assessment following Johnson’s deadly rampage.
Little did the social justice warrior know, utilizing his freedom of speech (as a black man) would lead to a series of unfortunate events and run-ins with law enforcement. This would not only cause him to lose his house, car and job, but also his peace of mind.
“Ever since that moment, we have not been able to gain our peace back,” Balogun told Mic.
Mic✔@mic
The police arrested Balogun in a late-night raid on his home, and the event has taken a toll not just on Balogun but also on his family. http://bit.ly/2JwybtU pic.twitter.com/BcX12PcIYI
Mic✔@mic
“You know I’ve lost my job, my apartment, my car, you know, I lost the cohesiveness of my family and my children. And so, you know, every day it’s just a day of me trying to slowly regain that.” — Rakem Balogun http://bit.ly/2LrKglV pic.twitter.com/UoARoIjNnl
In his interview, Balogun tries to clear up the intent behind his support of Johnson.
“I can see why people would misconstrue that,” he said. “I do have the first amendment right to express my opinion — I have the first amendment right to support someone who possibly killed somebody, and I have the right to not empathize with the dead, just like everyone else in this country.”
While this is all true, it’s even more important to understand he has the right to not be racially profiled. What the label BIE does, and what many black activists fear, is it can spark a ripple effect of the persecution of outspoken, black community leaders.
Balogun is the co-founder of two local Texas organizations: Guerrilla Mainframe and the Huey P. Newton Gun Club; both fight against police brutality, and for the rights of black gun owners. Ultimately, a black man fighting for his rights, is a threat to our government.
But justice will eventually prevail, and we will never be silenced, because as Balogun said: “We’re going to keep our foot on the gas and keep moving forward.”
‘Self-Made’ Makeup Artist Pat McGrath’s Cosmetics Line Surpasses Kylie Jenner’s In Being Valued At $1 Billion
British makeup artist Pat McGrath is the definition of self-made. Having been born in Northampton to a mother who migrated from Jamaica, McGrath taught herself the art of makeup with Vogue declaring she is one of the most influential makeup artists of our time. She now has a cosmetics line valued at over $1 billion, reports Teen Vogue.
McGrath launched Pat McGrath Labs two years ago and consistently sells out. Eurazeo Brands, a New York investment firm, took notice and invested $60 million in the business, which gives McGrath’s line a valuation exceeding $1 billion.
“It has always been my dream to create an iconic beauty brand that goes beyond the usual limitations, that lives outside of the parameters of what is expected,” McGrath said in a statement. “I am thrilled to be working with the unique and expert team at Eurazeo Brands.”
The equity promised to Eurazeo Brands has not yet been released, and so press outlets do not know how much of a stake the firm holds, but, according to Hello Beautiful, industry sources say the company is to receive anywhere from five to eight percent of the money earned.
“We are honored to be working with Pat, whose vision, talent and trailblazing history in the beauty industry have set Pat McGrath Labs up to be one of the most authentic and innovative makeup brands to ever come to market,” Eurazeo Brands CEO Jill Granoff said in a press release. “We’re excited to combine our experience of building global beauty and fashion brands with Pat and her team’s unmatched creativity and passion.”
This collaboration has not only helped to bring McGrath’s line into the more central limelight but has also caused quite a stir considering Forbes’ recent cover naming Kylie Jenner a self-made billionaire. Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics line currently stands at a value of $800 million, but with her new investor, McGrath could easily snatch the billionaire makeup line title.
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Apparently, Kanye Wanted To Make Porn Movies To Accompany ‘The Life Of Pablo’
And according to his collaborator, the artist may still make them.
Article via Kanye Wanted To Make Porn Movies To Accompany ‘The Life Of Pablo’
Kanye has some big ideas.
Remember that time he took over Cannes to debut Cruel Summer with a movie that played on seven screens of different sizes all at the same time inside an all-white pyramid on the beach?
Kanye also has some crazy ideas.
Remember that time he said, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice!”
It turns out, one of his wild, big ideas that never came to fruition was a series of pornographic films featuring The Life of Pablo as their score.
According to NME, the movie was to be a collaboration with literary enfant terrible Bret Easton Ellis.
Known for publishing Less Than Zero when he was only 21 (and following that up with the hugely successful American Psycho), Ellis went on to make his directorial debut with The Canyons, a critically panned film starring Lindsay Lohan.
Ellis spoke about the porn project on his podcast.
The two men are friends and have collaborated before; Ellis helped created promotional material for Yeezus, a short film parodying the writer’s American Psycho that starred reality stars popular at the time of the album’s release:
While the adult film project never quite got off the ground, Ellis claims Yeezy-approved porn movies may still be on the way.
The writer said he went to the Kardashian-West compound in Calabasas to talk with the artist about reviving the project not long ago and also took some time to defend Kanye’s recent behavior.
“In the five years I had known him, I had never seen him this focused, this together,” Ellis said, arguing that ‘Ye is an artist at the top of his game, not a “drugged-out freak gibbering on Twitter.”
Jay-Z Is Beefing With the Mayor of Philadelphia
Jay-Z Is Beefing With the Mayor of Philadelphia Over His Made in America Festival
While there’s a potential beef brewing between Beyoncé and the city of Rome, there’s one already roaring between her husband and the city of Philadelphia. Jay-Z has published an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer accusing the city’s mayor, Jim Kenney, of attempting to shut down Jay’s annual Made in America Festival. Jay claims that Mayor Kenney banned next year’s festival from its usual location of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway without notice, and tried to get this year’s festival canceled.
We are disappointed that the mayor of the city of Philadelphia would evict us from the heart of the city, through a media outlet, without a sit-down meeting, notice, dialogue, or proper communication. It signifies zero appreciation for what Made In America has built alongside the phenomenal citizens of this city. In fact, this administration immediately greeted us with a legal letter trying to stop the 2018 event.
The letter goes on to slam the mayor for his failure to support a minority-owned business that financially benefits the city. Jay ends by saying he and his team “will discuss our options internally and handle accordingly,” meaning his festival could soon be on the market for a new city. Hey, Hov, your hometown is available!
Update, July 18th, at 8:10 p.m.: Mayor Kenney’s office has issued the following statement in response to the op-ed: “The City of Philadelphia supports the Made in America festival and is greatly appreciative of all that it has done for Philadelphia. We are committed to its continued success and thank them for their partnership. We hope to be able to resolve what has been an unfortunate misunderstanding. We are working with Roc Nation and Live Nation to resolve this issue and we are committed to continuing our partnership with the Made in America festival.”
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Samirah Raheem On Her Viral ‘We’re All Sluts’ Clapback And The Two Faces Sex-Positive Black Girls Are Forced To Wear
Article via: The model said she was initially embarrassed when the clip of her interview from the 2017 SlutWalk went viral.
Like many subjects of viral videos, model Samirah Raheem was merely at the right place at the right time.
She wasn’t at the 2017 Slutwalk to protest or join a movement, she was there to be a good friend.
“I was there to support a friend, a dancer who came into a woman’s body and was no longer accepted in ballet,” Raheem told Blavity. “She was having a hard time finding work and I was having the same moment as a model; not being small enough for small [or] not being big enough for big. I was just trying to support her.”
Raheem watched her friend’s performance and was waiting outside of the venue when she noticed some commotion. She said she saw girls talking to ultra-conservative Reverend Jesse Peterson and that the conversations didn’t end well.
“They seemed kind of flustered or broken when they left, and I was like ‘what is this old man telling these girls that they’re leaving feeling so frustrated,’ you know? So, when he came up to me, it’s never like me to back down from a challenge, I was like ‘okay what you want to talk about?’”
Sir Shaketh of Tables@CrisLuvsErrBody
These Slut Walk videos with Jesse Lee Peterson got me crackin’ up
Sir Shaketh of Tables
That confidence led to the video that had us cackling and declaring Raheem our new queen. But despite all the glory, her initial reaction was embarrassment. Raheem wasn’t worried about the video at first but when it started to get more attention, she was mortified.
“It was like a trickle and then a levee broke. It was like a flood of attention, it was very weird,” she said.
As affirmations poured in, Raheem said she became proud of her behavior. The attention piqued her curiosity about social justice and inspired her talk to more people, regardless of their ideological position. Raheem self-identifies as “a girl from Compton” and doesn’t consider herself an academic, but if you talk to her for five minutes, it’s clear she has one hell of a mind. Raheem has always supported the movement, in theory, but she maintained a critical lens. She’s interested to see how these movements cater to the black girls in the hood and inner cities. Her feminism isn’t only for people who use SAT words.
“That was always a conversation I was having with a lot of my friends, especially in college,” she said. “I met white girls and international girls who are feminists and I would always tell them ‘I love the work you’re doing, but how does it trickle down to girls I grew up with? Or rape culture that surrounds me?’”
Raheem also believes black women are conditioned differently compared to white women and other non-black women and that affects how black women interact with feminism.
“I think as black women it’s really tricky,” she explained. “Our mamas always want us to be safe and be careful [and] don’t say too much, just get on through. It’s kind of in the back of our minds to be polite and then when we get home to our families and our girls then we show this side, where we’re like ‘girl this is how I really feel.’ It’s like we have two different faces.”
Raheem believes that’s why the video gained so much traction, because she expressed views we’re told to keep to ourselves.
“I talk like you. I grew up in an area like you. And I feel like we have a right to this conversation in our vernacular with our attitudes and our neck rolling. It doesn’t have to be political jargon to be considered intellectually valuable,” she declared.
Speaking of language, despite her declaration that “we’re all sluts,” she said that isn’t a word she uses in real life.
“That’s why it was so funny to me because I don’t really say slut in my day to day. I will never be like ‘yes girl, I’m feeling slutty.’ I would be like ‘I’m on some hoe shit or like ‘I’m feeling myself,’ it’s actually empowering the word. I feel like whatever the word is as long as you know how you’re saying it and you know how you’re coming you really don’t have to explain yourself to anybody,” she said.
Raheem also admires the way we use and reclaim language.
“There’s so many words that we use today they aren’t using their original meaning like the word ratchet. It’s a garden tool and we have taken it and we have molded it into something totally different. I feel like with conditioning and repetition, any word or stigma can be taken out of it. Now there’s going to be a push-back, but it doesn’t matter as long as we push forward,” she continued.
Those childhood lessons might have caused Raheem’s initial discomfort, but she is willing to challenge it. Her newfound fame has encouraged her to stand up for herself. She’s done trying to conform for the sake of her career.
“At first I was always trying to please my agents and my clients. ‘Lose weight!’ Okay I’ll go lose it. ‘Gain weight!’ Okay I’ll go gain it. ‘Wear this!’ Okay I’ll go do that…I’m trying to find people who align with this instead of trying to mold me into something else. People identify with this. 16 million people love this so one of those 16 million have to be casting for somebody. I’m taking that approach,” she said.
Brands aren’t knocking down her door, yet, but she is getting more advocacy opportunities. Raheem confirmed to Blavity that she has heard from Amber Rose and will be involved in this year’s Slut Walk.
“She definitely reached out to me and she was so sweet. I was freaking out, I was like ‘oh my God, this is crazy,’” she said of Rose.
The attention has been a lesson for Raheem and she wants to share it with the rest of the world.
“I will say stand in your own and find people that support you and make a new world for yourself, a safe microcosm that you can express [yourself],” she said. “You just got a tune it out, make it background music and do your thing because you don’t know who’s going to see you, obviously.”
Oh and if you were wondering her age, she’s still simply “grown.”
“A lady never tells,” she added with a laugh.
Nickelodeon is bringing back Rugrats for a TV revival and “live-action” movie
The best thing about today’s reboot-happy culture is that none of us ever really need to grow up and move on from the things we liked as children, and nothing has ever illustrated that more clearly than Nickelodeon announcing today that it’s bringing back Rugrats. In a press release, the network announced that it’s reviving the classic baby cartoon for a new, 26-episode season and a “live-action film featuring CGI characters”—which we have a number of questions about, but we’ll get back to that.
The new season of the TV show is coming from the original creators and it’s being billed as a “relaunch,” which we assume means it’ll be a continuation of the original series and not a revival. The official art that Nickelodeon released (see above) corroborates this, as it features the two characters who were added later in the show’s run. Phil and Lil aren’t there, but we assume that’s because Tommy’s annoying brother is way too important to leave off of an image like this and not because they’re being left out of the new episodes. (Though it would be an interesting twist if Phil and Lil are like the Dale Cooper of this revival.)
As for the movie, we’re just a little anxious about how Rugrats could be a “live-action film featuring CGI characters.” Will CG versions of the Rugratscharacters be interacting with real live humans? Because as much affection as we have for these stinky babies, that sounds horrifying. Or will all of the characters be CG and, say, Spike the dog is played by a real dog? Because that seems kind of silly. Also, will Phil and Lil be there? And can the movie just be a feature-length adaptation of “Big People,” the best Rugrats episode ever made?
Anyway, the movie is being written by David Goodman and will be in theaters on November 13, 2020, so make sure to have already voted when you go see it.
Article via: Nickelodeon is bringing back Rugrats for a TV revival and “live-action” movie
Weinstein Co. Saga Comes to an End as $289 Million Sale to Lantern Closes
Weinstein was a name the general public barely knew, but drove Hollywood – that is until last fall. The NY Times wrote an expose on Weinstein last fall detailing his sexual crimes against actresses, models and other women in the entertainment industry.
With its $289 million sale to Lantern Capital Partners having closed today, the Weinstein Co. saga comes to an end. Co-founded by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein in 2005 with plans to become a major multimedia company, TWC — despite back-to-back best picture Oscar wins for The King’s Speech and The Artist as well as several Emmy trophies for shows like Project Runway— never lived up to all its grand ambitions. And, having struggled financially in recent years, it was forced into bankruptcy in the wake of the dozens of allegations surrounding Harvey Weinstein, who has since been charged with six counts of sexual assault and rape in Manhattan.
Even before he was enveloped by scandal, Harvey Weinstein’s golden touch when it came to courting Oscar had begun to lose its luster. Between their days at Miramax and TWC, the Weinsteins have claimed 341 Oscar nominations and 81 Academy Award wins. When the nominations for the 88th Oscars were announced in 2016, TWC collect 10 nominations for Carol and The Hateful Eight, but no best picture or director noms. And while the list of 2017 nominations saw Lion score six nominations, including best picture, the company’s other awards hopeful The Founder was shut out.
Now, it will be up to Lantern and the leadership it appoints to pick up the pieces. During the course of the bankruptcy proceedings, a deal was struck to move Project Runway from Lifetime back to Bravo, where it originally aired. And there are a number of unreleased films that have been stuck in limbo — period drama The Current War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch; biblical tale Mary Magdalene, starring Rooney Mara; and the odd-couple comedy The Upside, starring Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston — that could be sold off to other distributors.
Article via: Weinstein Co. Saga Comes to an End as $289 Million Sale to Lantern Closes
Papa John’s founder said it was “a mistake” to resign after he used the n-word
It seemed like a reasonable consequence: After using the n-word during a conference call in part about racial sensitivity, John “Papa John” Schnatter was forced to step down as board chair of the pizza chain. But a new report from Julie Jargon at the Wall Street Journalsuggests that Schnatter doesn’t think he should have left his job last week.
The Wall Street Journal reviewed a letter to the directors in which Schnatter questioned the board’s request for him to resign. “The board asked me to step down as chairman without apparently doing any investigation. I agreed, though today I believe it was a mistake to do so,” he said. “I will not allow either my good name or the good name of the company I founded and love to be unfairly tainted.”
In his letter, Schnatter admitted to using the n-word. As he put it, he was asked if he was racist, and he said “no,” adding, “I then said something on the order of, Colonel Sanders used the word ‘N,’ (I actually used the word), that I would never use that word, and Papa John’s doesn’t use that word.” (As Barry Petchesky at Deadspin pointed out, it’s not clear why Schnatter is convinced that Colonel Sanders, of KFC fame, used the n-word; there’s no good evidence for it.)
The Papa John’s board, for its part, doesn’t seem convinced. It has now barred Schnatter from using office space at the pizza chain’s corporate headquarters, has told him to no longer make media appearances for Papa John’s, and plans to remove him from the company’s products.
This isn’t the first racial controversy for Schnatter; he had already resigned as Papa John’s CEO, but not chair, last year after blaming falling sales on the NFL’s inability to stop national anthem protests over systemic racism and police brutality. (Papa John’s was, but no longer is, the NFL’s official pizza.)
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Watch Michelle Obama Dance to Jay-Z With Beyonce’s Mom
The Carters also debuted their collaborative song “Apeshit” during second Paris show
danced joyously to Jay-Z‘s “On to the Next One” on Sunday during the rapper’s joint concert with Beyoncé in Paris, France. The former First Lady joined Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles Lawson, in the front row – and even getting a quick onstage smile from Jay-Z.
BEYONCÉ LEGION@BeyLegion.@MichelleObama & Ms. Tina dancing at Beyoncé & JAY-Z’s show in Paris tonight. #OTRII #Round2
Another video shows Obama and Knowles walking up to their VIP spots as husband-and-wife duo the Carters performed Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love.” Fans erupted with screams and photo snaps after recognizing the celebrity guest.
The Carters also performed their single “Apeshit” live for the first time that night. They modified the song as the evening’s farewell, dropping verses to make space for “thank you”s and salutes to their band. “Please give it up for my beautiful husband,” Beyoncé said as a cinematic list of production credits scrolled across a massive screen.
The Carters and Obamas famously share a long-running bond. Last year, former President Barack Obama helped induct Jay-Z into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, calling the rapper a “true American original” in his speech. “I like to think Mr. Carter and I understand each other,” he said. “Nobody who met us when we were younger men would have expected us to be where we are today.”
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