Cleveland Restaurant Owner Allegedly Faced Losing Liquor License Over Gender Neutral Restrooms

A Cleveland restaurant owner claims that a patio inspection turned into a fight over where people are allowed to pee because of an Ohio law that says bar bathrooms must be labeled for men or women.

According to Eater, Good Company’s bathrooms are labeled based on whether they have a toilet or a toilet and a urinal rather than with stick figures either wearing or not wearing dresses, which allegedly caused problems during the inspection

via Cleveland Restaurant Owner Allegedly Faced Losing Liquor License Over Gender Neutral Restrooms

YouTube removes advertising from account accused of homophobic abuse | Technology | The Guardian

Carlos Maza, a video journalist for the US news site Vox, went public last week with a complaint that the rightwing YouTube personality Steven Crowder was engaged in a long-term homophobic harassment campaign. In a compilation video Maza created of some of his mentions on Crowder’s show, the host attacks Maza as a “gay Mexican”, a “lispy queer” and a “token Vox gay atheist sprite”.

via YouTube removes advertising from account accused of homophobic abuse | Technology | The Guardian

The 5 Most Useful Things Men Can Do to Support Abortion Rights – MEL Magazine

By now, you’re no doubt aware of the war conservative politicians are waging on reproductive freedom in the U.S. So-called “heartbeat bills” are being passed with increasing frequency, access to abortion is eroding, punishments for doctors who provide the medical procedure are draconian and Roe v. Wade is in the crosshairs.
The onslaught is overwhelming, and it can be difficult to know what to do to help stop it — especially as abortion rights are often framed as a “women’s issue” that men need not trouble themselves with. But reproductive rights are human rights, not a fringe issue for men to ignore. As such, here are the five most useful things you can do right now to support the pro-choice movement…

via The 5 Most Useful Things Men Can Do to Support Abortion Rights – MEL Magazine

Mississippi State Rep Doug McLeod Allegedly Punched His Wife in the Face for Undressing Slowly

McLeod, per the incident report, was so drunk that he “had slurred speech and walked slow in a zigzag pattern.” When deputies went into the McLeod’s bedroom, they found blood on the bed and on the floor. Per the Sun Herald, his wife told deputies that “her husband was drunk and ‘just snapped,’ as he often does when under the influence of alcohol.”

Another woman who lives at the McLeod home, presumably a family member, told the sheriff’s department that McLeod’s wife ran up to her room, and shut and locked the door:

via Mississippi State Rep Doug McLeod Allegedly Punched His Wife in the Face for Undressing Slowly

What Officer Noor’s Conviction Says About Racism in America | American Civil Liberties Union

The racial aspect of this case speaks volumes about criminal justice and criminal injustice in America today. Noor, who is Black, Muslim, and a Somali immigrant, is believed to be the only police officer in Minnesota ever to have been convicted for killing someone while on duty.

At a crucial moment in the trial, Noor testified that he reacted to Damond as “the threat.” Prosecutors responded by asking him, “The whole blonde hair, pink t-shirt is a threat to you?” This line of questioning was in part about the legal standard required to convict. Under Graham v. Connor, a police officer can use force – including lethal force — if a reasonable officer on the scene would consider the level of force to be “objectively reasonable,” not whether the use of force was actually necessary in light of the various tactics and alternatives available to the officer at the time. Because this standard is so elastic, it is often very difficult to show that an officer violated it.

via What Officer Noor’s Conviction Says About Racism in America | American Civil Liberties Union

Ohio’s Anti-Abortion Heartbeat Bill One Step Closer to Becoming Law

On Wednesday, Ohio Republicans in the House approved an even more restrictive version of the so-called “heartbeat bill” passed by the state Senate in March, taking the state one step closer towards enacting one of the most draconian abortion restrictions in the country. The state’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine has already promised he will sign the bill into law.

SB 23, which has since been chillingly renamed the “Human Rights Protection Act” by the House’s Health Committee, would prohibit people from getting abortions once a heartbeat can be detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into one’s pregnancy. As Linda Greenhouse pointed out in an op-ed in the New York Times, that six-week cutoff date is so early into a pregnancy that the embryo is “not yet even considered a fetus.” If the bill becomes law, doctors in Ohio who perform abortions after detecting a heartbeat would face being charged with a felony and up to a year in prison, and face additional fines of up to $20,000. While it has an exception if the person’s life is in danger, there is no exception in cases of rape or incest.

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via Ohio's Anti-Abortion Heartbeat Bill One Step Closer to Becoming Law

Suicide on the Job Site – MEL Magazine

hankfully, my dad’s experiences haven’t been as negative. The site he currently works on, the A14 Integrated Delivery Team — the U.K.’s biggest road construction project — even runs a peer-based support network of mental health ambassadors who actually work on the job site. These are staff members in all positions who are trained in mental health first aid. This training, delivered by Mental Health First Aid England, aims to give those who undertake it a deeper understanding of mental health, helping them to understand the signs and triggers of mental health issues so that they can direct them to the right services.

via Suicide on the Job Site – MEL Magazine

What It’s Like to Date a Woman With a Chronic Illness – MEL Magazine

Zack, a 39-year-old writer and college professor in Raleigh, North Carolina, was happy to oblige. In fact, he felt the same way about his own chronic condition, a social anxiety disorder related to autism, though the metaphor he preferred was “social battery” — i.e., he could only spend so much time around others before needing to recharge by himself.
Still, Cara’s illness required Zack to adjust what he calls his “bachelor issues.” For example, when he was living alone, he never noticed toothpaste or hair piling up in the sink. But since Cara was prone to infection, such dude-dom debris wasn’t just disgusting to her, it was potentially life-threatening. Also, while Cara could walk short distances with a cane, she was predominantly confined to a wheelchair. Thus, an errant laundry basket in the hall between the kitchen and bathroom could add precious minutes to Cara’s trek to the toilet. And if she did successfully make it, a whole new set of problems arose if Zack had taken a shower earlier and left water on the floor.

via What It’s Like to Date a Woman With a Chronic Illness – MEL Magazine

Find LGBTQ-Friendly Accommodations When You Travel With Mister B&B

When you’re searching for accommodations online you can often find information about how big the place is, what kind of bed you’re sleeping in, and what sorts of restaurants are nearby. However, what you might not be able to find out in a listing is whether or not your hosts are LGBTQ-friendly.

Mister B&B is a website that exclusively lists gay-friendly accommodations around the world. The website and app work a bit like Airbnb, in that individuals can list rooms or apartments for rent. Nightly rates are determined by hosts. Unlike Airbnb, Mister B&B also lists booking options at local gay-owned or gay-friendly hotels (you can toggle the hotel option on or off when you search).

via Find LGBTQ-Friendly Accommodations When You Travel With Mister B&B

Viewpoint: Jameela Jamil on why airbrushing should be illegal – BBC News

If you buy the products airbrushing is used to advertise, you won’t look like the person in the photograph.
It’s used to smooth lines, hide blemishes, lighten skin, slim features, lengthen limbs, and brighten eyes and teeth.
It exists to sell a fantasy to the consumer that this “perfection” is indeed possible. If you have yet to achieve this beauty standard, it tells you, you should buy some expensive products immediately, because then you will look like the person in the photo. (But, as I said just a moment ago, you won’t.)

via Viewpoint: Jameela Jamil on why airbrushing should be illegal – BBC News