Arizona artists win suit over same-sex wedding invitations
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a local nondiscrimination ordinance violated two Christian wedding invitation calligraphers’ free speech.
PHOENIX — The free speech rights of two Christian artists who make wedding invitations were violated by an anti-discrimination ordinance in Phoenix that makes it illegal to refuse service to same-sex couples for religious reasons, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday.
The 4-3 decision reversed lower-court rulings favoring the city.
The state Supreme Court said its ruling is limited to only the creation of custom wedding invitations by Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski and isn’t a blanket exemption from the ordinance for all their business operations.
The artists, who believe a marriage should be between only a man and woman, had argued that the ordinance would violate their religious beliefs by forcing them to custom-make products for same-sex marriage ceremonies.
The high court said the city can’t force them to make same-sex wedding invitations.
“Duka and Koski’s beliefs about same-sex marriage may seem old-fashioned, or even offensive to some,” the court majority wrote. “But the guarantees of free speech and freedom of religion are not only for those who are deemed sufficiently enlightened, advanced, or progressive. They are for everyone.”
In the dissenting opinion, the court’s minority said the case doesn’t concern the content of custom wedding products but instead pertains to the identity of customers.
“Today’s decision is also deeply troubling because its reasoning cannot be limited to discrimination related to same-sex marriage or based on the beliefs of any one religion, but instead extends more broadly to other claims of a ‘right’ by businesses to deny services to disfavored customers,” the opinion states.
The majority ruling said the city and dissenting justices claimed that if the court were to dare to let the artists express their beliefs, “we, in essence, run the risk of resurrecting the Jim Crow laws of the Old South.”
Lawyers for the city are examining potential grounds for an appeal.
Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat, emphasized that the ordinance remains in effect.
“I want to be clear: The city of Phoenix does not and will not tolerate hate in any form,” Gallego said. “That doesn’t change with today’s ruling, and we will not stop with our fight.”
In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, finding thst state’s civil rights commission showed anti-religious bias when it ruled against the baker for refusing to make the cake.
The Supreme Court decision, however, didn’t address the larger issue of whether a business can invoke religious objections to refuse service to gay and lesbian people.
An Arizona state law that bars discrimination by businesses doesn’t include sexual orientation as a protected class. Phoenix, Tempe, Flagstaff and Tucson have passed ordinances banning businesses from discriminating on that basis.
So far, Phoenix hasn’t taken any enforcement actions stemming from the ban.
A lawyer representing the Arizona artists portrayed the state high court ruling as a sweeping victory, even though the justices limited their ruling to custom wedding invitations.
“Regardless of one’s view on marriage, this is a win for all citizens of Arizona, because a government that can crush Joanna and Breanna can crush any one of us” said Jonathan Scruggs, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative advocacy organization that brought the case.
Scruggs acknowledged the ruling doesn’t automatically protect other business owners, who would need to seek their own court order to avoid running afoul of the nondiscrimination ordinances in Phoenix or other Arizona cities.
Jenny Pizer, law and policy director for the LGBTQ-rights group Lambda Legal, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the city’s position, said that the ruling was troubling.
“The court misguidedly has concluded that free speech protections allow businesses to express anti-gay religious views by denying particular custom-design services to customers because of who they are,” Pizer said.
Article via NBCNews
For 1 in 16 US women, first sexual intercourse experience was rape, study says
The first experience with sexual intercourse for more than 3 million U.S. women, many in their teens, was forced or coerced, according to a study published Monday.
Those women faced more long-term health consequences compared with peers who had a voluntary first experience, according to the study in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers based their analysis on an annual survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which asked women ages 18 to 44 if they chose to have sex for the first time. Of the respondents who answered no, sometimes reporting multiple types of coercion, about 56% described being verbally pressured, 46% said they were held down and 25% said they were physically harmed.
“Any sexual encounter (with penetration) that occurs against somebody’s will is rape. If somebody is verbally pressured into having sex, it’s just as much rape,” said lead author Laura Hawks, an internist and Harvard Medical School researcher.
Among the 6.5% of respondents who indicated their first experience was rape, they said it happened at age 15 on average and the man was often several years older.
After the sexual assault, which the World Health Organization defines as forced sexual initiation, women reported more reproductive health problems, including pelvic pain and menstrual irregularities, than those who had a consensual experience. They had more unwanted pregnancies and abortions, the study says, and reported fair or poor health at double the rate of others.
Rape at college: Why back to school is so dangerous for women
Depression, feelings of powerlessness, sleeplessness and risky behavior are other long-term effects of sexual assault, previous research shows.
The study, which suggests one in 16 U.S. women, or about 3.3 million, were raped in their first sexual encounter, follows a CDC report that nearly one in five women have been raped in their lifetime.
Sex education specialist Dan Rice said inadequate sex education in U.S. schools contributes to the problem.
“Our culture teaches people not to be raped instead of teaching people not to rape,” he said.
The new study does not include information on women’s relationships with the men they had their first sexual experience with, such as whether they were strangers or boyfriends.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or go online to hotline.rainn.org/online for confidential support.
Article via USAToday
He was a Yale graduate, Wall Street banker and entrepreneur. Today he’s homeless in Los Angeles
Article via CNN
Shawn Pleasants has the kind of resume that would attract the attention of any job recruiter: high school valedictorian, economics major from Yale University, Wall Street banking jobs, small business entrepreneur. But a few wrong turns in life 10 years ago left him homeless, and today he’s living underneath a tarp in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles. He’s been told before that a smart and capable person like him should not be in this situation.”But I’m like, should anybody be here? Who should, then?” Pleasants said.
Last week, Trump administration officials came to Los Angeles to examine the homelessness crisis. The President, who clashes with California politicians on a number of issues, has made frequent reference to the state’s failure to solve the problem.
Trump is visiting the West Coast this week, amid reports that his administration is about to launch a crackdown on homelessness — potentially involving dismantling encampments and moving the homeless en masse into a government facility, according to the Washington Post. (It’s not clear how this would work or whether the President has the authority to order this kind of action.)Against that backdrop, Pleasants’ story is a reminder of how complex the problem of homelessness can be. “It means it can happen to anybody. It’s a problem we all could face,” Pleasants said, standing on a sidewalk in front of his weathered belongings. A couple of unopened cereal boxes that he just collected from a food pantry sit atop his things.
“I am responsible for my own choices. I own all my decisions,” he said plainly before telling his story.Pleasants, 52, is one of 60,000 people living on the streets of Los Angeles County. The situation has been worsening in recent years — between 2018 and 2019, the number of homeless people went up 12% in the county and 16% in the city, according to the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. Along LA’s skid row downtown, tents line entire blocks, and encampments in other neighborhoods have been growing.Mike Dickerson, an organizer for the homeless advocacy group Ktown for All, says the stories of many people living on the streets might surprise you.
“I think a lot of people have this perception that danger lurks in the encampments,” he said. “And for myself and for other volunteers, what we found is people who are just people like everyone else, who have fallen into hard times, whether that’s because of their own personal issues of because their landlord evicted them or because the rent rose in a way they could no longer pay.”
One man’s journey into homelessness
Pleasants grew up in San Antonio, Texas, the product of a stable, loving family who always excelled in school, according to his younger brother, Michael.Their mother was a teacher, while their father made a career in the Air Force.”He was always as a young child taking things apart and putting them back together,” said Michael Pleasants, who followed his brother’s footsteps to Yale. “He was a whiz kid.””He (Shawn) played trombone and won several civic awards around the city.”
Pleasants also overcame a physical disability. He was born with a club foot and wore leg braces throughout his childhood, his brother said. His doctor joked he would never run a marathon. In fact, his brother said, he’s run several, and was in peak physical condition through his 20s.Pleasants was a high school valedictorian, who had offers from multiple colleges, according to his brother.Shawn chose Yale and said he received grants and several academic scholarships, which covered most of his tuition. CNN has verified that he graduated from the university.
He majored in economics, and after a few years toiling on Wall Street, including jobs at Morgan Stanley, he landed in California. Trying to fulfill a Hollywood dream, he started a photography and filmmaking company. It was the mid-’90s, and as the DVD industry soon exploded, his company got involved in the then-lucrative world of the adult film industry. They made so much money that Pleasants wound up buying a large home in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. “It was a beautiful house, something you’d see on MTV,” said his brother.
But amid squabbles with his co-founders, the income dried up. “By the time it was all sorted out, there was no business,” Shawn Pleasants said.
About 10 years ago, around the same time, he also lost his mother to cancer, and her death sent him into an emotional and physical tailspin.He went from living one place to another, eventually living out of his car before he lost that as well, his brother said.
Pleasants is gay, and considers himself to be married to another homeless man he’s been with for 10 years, since before they were on the streets.They live on the streets together, acting as a sort of team. They’ve held court on the same Koreatown sidewalks for six years. “We’re actually in the middle of a move,” he said, explaining that some of their things are few blocks away.
He grimaced at the notion of ever going to a shelter.”They’re always set up with such rigid protocols. I would leave the place immediately,” he said.
Pleasants believes a shelter would restrict his freedom and is concerned he wouldn’t be able to keep all of his things due to a lack of space. “I would prefer to be somewhere where I can still go to the library and do the things I need to do when I need to do them.”
Like many of the nation’s homeless, drugs, specifically meth, are a part of Pleasants’ life. He said he began using the drug before he became homeless, but insists it’s not what led him to the streets.His brother says his path toward addiction began while he was recovering from a back injury before he was homeless. “It started with pain killers, and then when they were too expensive or not accessible he medicated with other things.”Shawn Pleasants said he takes meth a few times a week as both an escape and to help him stay awake at night.”Every time you sleep, that’s when you lose and when people come and take your things,” he said.”I’m a heavy sleeper. I lose a lot.”
Surviving on the streets
Pleasants has both a laptop and a cell phone. The phone and its service are free under an Obama-era program. He spends a lot of time at the library, accessing the internet and staying on top of current events.
He has sustained himself by understanding the schedule of where and when to get free meals — using his natural intelligence to develop an efficient schedule.
“There’s certain churches (that provide meals), certain food pantries — you learn those schedules,” he explained.When asked whether Pleasants suffers from mental illness, his brother said, “I think he has episodic depression. He can go through periods of extreme depression where he will self-medicate, but then he can go through periods of being equally upbeat, resilient, and energetic.” The family has tried repeatedly to get him help, his brother said. There is a standing offer for him to move in with his 86-year-old father in San Antonio. Long-term, they would like to see him find an affordable option close to them — perhaps through a government assistance program. But Pleasants is defiant.”I am not trying to bring another family member down,” he said.
“I fell into it. I have to climb my way out of it.”
The fact that he graduated from an Ivy League school, owned a house and made a nice living, he said, should not come as a shock.Gesturing to a nearby tent encampment, he said, “You’ll find musicians, there’s a photographer, you’ve got all different types of people.”Dickerson says that to get people off the streets, more affordable housing needs to be created.”I think people point to things like mental illness or like drug abuse, which do exist in this population, but they aren’t the primary problem,” he said.”The idea that we’re going to force people into a facility that’s probably located in a very remote area is not a solution. That’s not going to connect people to jobs, to housing, to services (like) mental health and addiction treatment.” “And more importantly, putting thousands of people into a giant building isn’t going to get them housed if there’s nowhere for them to permanently live that they can afford,” he added.Pleasants said more practical measures such as bathing facilities are desperately needed.”We need places to shower, if you don’t want us to have hygiene issues,” he said. “And in order to get a job, we need to have clean clothes. Where do I iron? How do I keep them pressed?”When asked how he’ll eventually find his way out of this life, Pleasants expressed the kind of confidence that originally made him a standout. “I’m gonna start a small business again,” he said, flashing a smile.
Jeannie Mai’s Love For Jeezy “The Most Beautiful Experience”; Spills Tea About Relationship
Jeannie has some details to soil about her relationship and you might justify call her very lucky.
Jeannie’s Beautiful Romance
For the first time since going public with their romance, Jeannie Mai is spilling the tea about her romantic life. She had been in a relationship with Jeezy, 41. The couple has been quietly going on since 2018 and ultimately went public in August.
They made their first public appearance at Atlanta’s Snoball Gala. On the season premiere of The Actual on September 16, the 41-year-old panelist talked about their relationship. “I need to tell you getting to know J — you guys know him as Jeezy, he’s J to Me — has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.”, she said. Jeannie gushed how he was introspective, passionate, deep and visionary. She also said that he did great services for the community.
Deepness Is What She Craved
“What’s crazy is that the items that I’ve been criticized for my whole life and in my past relationships — ‘Jeannie, you’re too deep, you think that concerning things an excessive amount of — like why’s everything gotta have a purpose?’” she explicit. She further explains how she wanted to have deep conversations with people. “and I found my equal,” she concluded to cheers from the viewers and her co-hosts.
The 2 met on the set of The Actual, final Nov and Jeannie says she “really got to know him after their initial date.” She disclosed that she met up with him at a sushi restaurant. This is where she first found out his official name that is Jay Wayne Jenkins. She also revealed that she shared vulnerable moments with him. They had a very deep conversation about life and it’s lessons.
The Date Goes On
Jeezy then took her salsa dancing because he didn’t want the date to end. She also disclosed an awkward moment that followed the dance. Jeezy put his hands in her shoulders. At that moment she prayed he didn’t kiss her because she didn’t want their date to be regular. Jeannie then revealed something surprising. He goes, “Can I provide you with a school assignment?’…I need you to think about the last eight hours we spend together.”
Who is Jeannie Mai?
Jeannie Camtu Mai is an American Television star who is best known for How do I look? She is also a coveted fashion stylist. Jeezy is an American rapper and actor. His major-label debut, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 was certified platinum. He is known to bring trap music into the mainstream.
Article via TheInnerSane
Old Clip Resurfaces After Jeannie Mai Goes Public With Jeezy: “I keep my dark meat on the side! ?
Chipotle adds steak dish carne asada in rare addition to menu
(Reuters) – Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc <CMG.N> said on Tuesday it would add a new steak dish to its menu nationwide for the first time in three years, as the Mexican food chain looks to drive sales in a crowded U.S restaurant market.
Carne asada, a dish of thin steak slices seasoned with signature spices, will be offered on the menu for a limited period of time. It was piloted in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Fresno, California, Chipotle said.
“It performed incredibly well in the test markets,” said Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer of Chipotle.
Chipotle has been working to rebuild its image under Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol after a series of food safety lapses hit the company’s reputation in 2015. It has been testing new menu items in addition to other initiatives such as new ad campaigns and loyalty program to boost its turnaround.
In July, Niccol teased the national rollout of new additions to the menu including carne asada, quesadillas, desserts and nachos.
Last year, Chipotle added condiment queso cheese to its menu, but was initially met with bad reviews from some Twitter users calling it a “crime against cheese”, forcing the company to tweak the recipe.
The latest rollout begins on Tuesday for Chipotle Rewards loyalty program members through its app and would be made available to all customers on Sept. 19, the restaurant chain said.
In January, the company launched a new line of “lifestyle bowls”, including paleo and keto salads for online customers.
Shares of Chipotle, which have risen 85% so far this year and outperformed the broader S&P 500 Restaurant index’s about 27% gain year-to-date, were up about 3% at $826.09.
Article via YahooNews
Pittsburgh Doctor Claims Antonio Brown Repeatedly Farted In His Face, Owes Him $11,500
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Pittsburgh area doctor is the latest to file a lawsuit against former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Monroeville’s Dr. Victor Prisk has filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania claiming that Brown owes him $11,500 in unpaid fees.
Not only that, according to the NY Post, Dr. Prisk claims Brown repeatedly farted in his face and laughed about it during a consultation where he showed up three hours late.
Dr. Prisk said he was wary of signing Brown because of his “flighty” reputation for not paying his bills, Sports Illustrated reported.
TMZ even obtained video of the appointment in August of 2018 where Brown can be heard farting and laughing about it as Prisk tests his body fat.
“It seemed just childish to me,” Prisk told Sports Illustrated. “I’m a doctor and this man is farting in my face.”
Prisk runs Prisk Orthopaedics and Wellness in Monroeville, he filed the suit earlier this month.
The new allegations are part of a Sports Illustrated report in which another woman accused Brown of sexual misconduct in 2017 in Pittsburgh.
The first accusation came days after the wide receiver was released from the Oakland Raiders and signed with the New England Patriots hours later.
His former trainer filed a federal lawsuit against Brown, accusing him of three separate accounts of sexual assault and rape.
Now, the Sports Illustrated report details the story of an anonymous woman who claims she was hired by Brown to paint a mural of him in his Pittsburgh home.
According to the report, Brown flirted with her and made her uncomfortable before the atmosphere “curdled.”
The woman told Sports Illustrated that she was kneeling and painting when she turned to find Brown standing behind her “naked, holding a small hand towel over his genitals.”
Article via Pittsburgh
Fantasia Thinks Women Need To Submit: “That’s Why You Can’t Find A Man”
The conversation about submission is always a slippery slope.
Fantasia Barrino’s life has endured quite a few ups and downs, many of which occurred before she stepped into the spotlight in 2004 on American Idol. Her career, along with her love life, has experienced hills and valleys, but the married mother of two is back with new music and a fresh outlook on life.
The 35-year-old recently sat down with The Breakfast Club to talk about her highs and lows, and the conversation turned into a discourse about relationships. Fantasia believes that there are too many women who are trying to take on a man’s role when they should yield and submit to their partners.
“Most women are trying to be the leader. That’s why you can’t find a man,” she said. “You can’t be the king in the house. Fall back and be the queen and let your man lead the way.” She added that a woman being the leader in her household isn’t how things are supposed to be. “That’s why we bump heads. I feel like it’s a generational thing. We can go real deep on that, but it’s a generational curse and how society have placed our men and women have to stand up and be the mother and the father.”
She goes on to say that women become so independent that when a man does come their way looking for a romantic relationship, the woman comes across as too masculine. “You have to find how to submit. You can still be a queen,” Fantasia added. “The queen plays a part. The king needs his queen. There’s certain things that he can’t see that we see.” Swipe through the Instagram post to check out Fantasia’s full statement below and let us know what you think about her opinion.
Article via HotNewHipHop
Pizza Hut introduces massive Cheez-Its stuffed with cheese
Pizza Hut finally found a new place to hide cheese… inside of a giant Cheez-It.
The pizza chain just announced the addition of a brand new item to their menu, called the Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza. It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
Now available nationwide, the new “pizza” looks like a giant Cheez-It, albeit stuffed with mozzarella cheese (pepperoni is also available). A single order comes with four large squares containing the mozzarella inside a cheese-baked crust. It also comes packed with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.
The concept was apparently born when Pizza Hut realized that Cheez-Its were popular among the chain’s largest fan base: college students. According to a press release, customers crave “these kinds of mashups between beloved food brands.”
“We pride ourselves on being the go-to for unexpected pizza innovations, and I can’t think of a better partner than Cheez-It to bring our next original menu item to life,” said Marianne Radley, chief brand officer of Pizza Hut. “Not to mention, as fellow NCAA partners, this collaboration is the perfect way to kick off football season, combining America’s go-to gameday cravings into one next-level snack.”
“The Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza is an example of two great companies leveraging their strengths to delight guests with a new experience on a classic favorite,” adds Wendy Davidson, President of Kellogg’s U.S. Specialty Brands.
The Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza is available for a limited time nationwide, starting today.
Article via FoxNews
Moniece Slaughter Responds After Apryl Jones Says Fizz Was Her Savior After Omarion Left Her
Apryl Jones opened up about her breakup on the latest episode of “Love And Hip Hop Hollywood.” She said that she was blindsided by Omarion ending the relationship. And it was a difficult time for her emotionally. She lost weight and couldn’t eat. Alcohol also became a vice. But then Fizz came in the picture to help her with the kids.
After the episode aired, Moniece had some opinions of her own. And while Fizz may have been a savior for Apryl, Moniece says Fizz was the source of her problems.
Lil Fizz’s relationship with Apryl Jones continues to be a hot topic. And both are addressing the rumors on “Love And Hip Hop Hollywood.” Apryl doesn’t feel like it’s scandalous to be in a relationship with Fizz. She says he’s her biggest supporter and he came through after Omarion left her. In fact, he’s been there for her and the kids.
As for Moniece, she claims Fizz hasn’t been as helpful with their own son. In fact, she says there were times she needed Fizz to help out with Kam and he refused. Moniece shared her thoughts on the official “Love And Hip Hop” Instagram page. Check out the video and screenshots below.
Article via UrbanBelleMag