Rai, the Italian state broadcaster, has stoked controversy with plans to create TV channels based around heteronormative gender stereotypes.

Rai, the Italian state broadcaster, has stoked controversy with plans to create TV channels based around heteronormative gender stereotypes.

Under the plans there would be one channel aimed at men, airing films such as Rambo, with a separate service for women.



Amid an instant backlash, a source told The Guardian: “There are lots of channels that are targeted according to age and gender. Take, for example, the film Rambo. It’s obvious that this would appeal more to a male audience.”

“There are lots of channels that are targeted according to age and gender.”

The source added that the idea was to allow advertisers to target audiences more effectively, and called the row “ridiculous.”

“This plan is not intended to discriminate. It never came to mind to create a channel about sewing or one called Rai Men and another called Rai Woman. That would be offensive.”

Italian leaders criticise plans

Vladimir Luxuria, an Italian actor and LGBT+ who became Europe’s first openly trans MP in 2006, has called for a boycott of Rai should the plans go ahead.

She told PinkNews: “This plan seems quite antiquated to me. We live in a time where gender shouldn’t preclude women from being astronauts (like the Italian, Samantha Cristoforetti), truck drivers or political leaders.

“Do we need a specific channel for women? Would it be a channel with romance movies, kitchen shows and gossip? Taste overcomes gender, so why not let audiences decide what they want to watch regardless of gender.”

Salvatore Margiotta, a Democratic senator, called the proposals “frankly incomprehensible.”USIGRai, the Italian journalists’ union, said in a statement that the “division on the basis of gender is unacceptable and risks opening up the door to the worst stereotypes.”

“As we try to overcome gender discrimination, in 2019, having one public channel that is dedicated to a female audience and another to a male audience is crazy. But it seems to be in line with the subculture of this government,” he said.

“Having one public channel that is dedicated to a female audience and another to a male audience is crazy.”

—Salvatore Margiotta, Italian senator

It was first reported on Friday (April 19) that Rai would reorganise its content along gender lines to replace two ailing channels: Rai Movie and Rai Premium.

While the stations bring in a reported €30m (£26m) in annual advertising revenue, they both suffer from low ratings.

Rai is part-funded by an annual television license, with the remainder of its budget coming from advertising sales.

This isn’t the first time that Italian media has come under fire for archaic views on gender and sexuality.

In January, the newspaper Libero ran a headline which appeared to link economic decline with an increase in LGBT+ people.

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Charlize Theron has revealed that her eldest child Jackson—who was originally introduced to the world as a boy—is actually a girl.

Charlize Theron reveals that her child Jackson, who was introduced to the world as a boy, is actually a girl (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty)

Charlize Theron has revealed that her eldest adopted child Jackson—who was originally introduced to the world as a boy—is actually a girl and now being raised as one.

When asked about Jackson’s gender identity yesterday by The Daily Mail, Theron replied: “Yes, I thought she was a boy too. Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said: ‘I am not a boy!'”



The actress said she has “two beautiful daughters” and said she hopes to see them both thrive.

Charlize Theron on her daughters: ‘Who they want to be is not for me to decide’

The acclaimed actress continued: “They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be, is not for me to decide.”

She told the publication that her job as a mother is to celebrate and love her children regardless of their identities.

Theron also said that her parenting has been inspired by her own mother.

“Yes, I thought she was a boy too. Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said: ‘I am not a boy!'”

– Charlize Theron on her daughter Jackson

“I was taught by my mom that you have to speak up; you have to be able to know that, when this life is over, you’ll have lived the truth you’re comfortable with, and that nothing negative can come from that.”

Theron has spoken in the past about her difficult upbringing with an alcoholic and violent father.

Charlize Theron reveals that her child Jackson, who was introduced to the world as a boy, is actually a girl (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty)

Charlize Theron: ‘Who wants to tell that story?’

The actress told Howard Stern in 2017 that her mother shot and killed her father in self-defence.

“I just pretended like it didn’t happen. I didn’t tell anybody—I didn’t want to tell anybody. Whenever anybody asked me, I said my dad died in a car accident. Who wants to tell that story? Nobody wants to tell that story.”She said that people did not know “how to respond” when she told them the story, and said she did not want to “feel like a victim.”

“I struggled with that for many years until I actually started therapy,” she said.

This is not the first time Theron has opened up about Jackson’s gender identity. In an interview with Access last year, Theron hinted that her child was a girl.

“I look at my two beautiful girls, and I think I have the worry that every mother has out there. I don’t think it’s any different. I want them to be safe, and I want them to live their full potential,” she said.

Charlize Theron is a long-time LGBT+ activist

Theron is a long-time LGBT+ activist. In 2009, she said she would not marry her then boyfriend Stuart Townsend until equal marriage was a reality across the US.

In 2017, she played a bisexual spy in Atomic Blonde. That same year, she revealed in an interview with Andy Cohen that she has had same-sex sexual experiences.

“Ooh! When I was young, yes. When you’re young you’re just kind of exploring it all. But it was pretty clear that I really like dudes.”

Asked about playing a bisexual character, she said: “Why not? It’s just so strange when we talk so much about it. It should be normalised by now.

“It’s something I feel is not represented enough in cinema… I feel that when you make movies, if you’re going to hold that mirror up and reflect society, then you should reflect society.”

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Falconairy Comic on Indiegogo

           Falconairy: A transgender superhero in a Steampunk World.
         If you are fans of the Wizard of Oz, like LGBTQ and Steampunk Stories?
         You are going to love this teen and work friendly comic for Channel 17Uinn.
         

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/falconairy/x/20660962?create_edit=true#/

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Men's Channel 17 Uinn tee shirts.

Get your official, Channel 17Uinn #CH17AreUinnOrOut? Men's tee shirts, $24 each.

https://channel17uinnstore.kincustom.com/

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FDA Updates Warning on Link Between Textured Breast Implants and Rare Cancer

 

A smooth implant on the left and textured on the right.

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• TOPIC: Reconstruction
• TAGS: Saline Implant, Silicone Implant, Planning/Considering Reconstruction, and After Reconstruction

On March 21, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its 2011 warning about a link between breast implants and a very rare form of cancer: anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. Because the cancer is linked to breast implants, the FDA calls the cancer breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).

Read the FDA safety announcement on breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.

Lymphoma is cancer in the lymphatic system.

According to the FDA, “All of the information to date suggests that women with breast implants have a very low but increased risk of developing anaplastic large-cell lymphoma compared to women who do not have breast implants.”

If BIA-ALCL develops after a breast implant is placed, the lymphoma is almost always only in the capsule of scar tissue that forms around the implant. So the BIA-ALCL usually can be successfully treated by removing the implant and the scar tissue capsule. Additional treatments such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy usually aren’t needed, but may be recommended in some cases.

While the exact number of cases of BIA-ALCL has been difficult to figure out because of limited worldwide reporting, the FDA did say that it had received 359 reports of the cancer and that nine women had died from the disease.

The risk of BIA-ALCL is higher in women who have textured implants, which have a bumpy surface, as opposed to smooth implants, according to the FDA.

Of the 359 reported cases of BIA-ALCL, the FDA had information on the surface of the breast implant in 231 cases:

• 203 were textured implants
• 28 were smooth implants

The material inside the implant didn’t seem to affect the risk of BIA-ALCL. The FDA had information on the implant fill material in 312 BIA-ALCL cases:

• 186 were filled with silicone gel
• 126 were filled with saline (salt water)

Most women who have mastectomy to treat breast cancer go on to have one or both breasts reconstructed. There are two main ways to reconstruct a breast:

• using tissue transplanted from another part of your body (such as your back, belly, or thighs)
• inserting an implant that's filled with saline, silicone gel, or a combination of the two

Saline implants are the most common implant used. A saline implant has a silicone shell that is filled with saline. Silicone gel implants are filled with liquid or firm silicone gel. They tend to feel softer than saline implants and some women think the texture is more like natural breast tissue.

Doctors estimate that anaplastic large-cell lymphoma is diagnosed in one of every 500,000 women, making it very uncommon. Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma can develop in other places in the body besides the breast. A BIA-ALCL diagnosis is quite rare: out of 100 million women, it's estimated that only 3 cases would be diagnosed in a year.

Most of the women who were diagnosed went to their doctors and were diagnosed with BIA-ALCL because fluid had collected around the implant (called a seroma) YEARS after the implant was placed. In some cases, testing the seroma fluid led to the diagnosis. In other cases, BIA-ALCL was diagnosed after a mass was found in the breast or because the tissue capsule tightened (called capsular contracture) and caused discomfort or cosmetic problems.

If you have an implant, the FDA recommends:

• regular monitoring for symptoms of BIA-ALCL
• if you have no symptoms of BIA-ALCL, there is no need to remove the implant and no need to change your routine medical care and follow up

If you are considering breast reconstruction with an implant, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of implants, including the differences between textured and smooth implants.

Still, there are two questions that don't have good answers:

• Does it make sense to leave an implant with no problems in place if the opposite breast had an implant and tissue capsule removed because of BIA-ALCL?
• Is it safe to replace an implant removed because of BIA-ALCL with a new implant?

More research is needed to address these issues.

It’s important to know that the FDA emphasized that the risk of ALCL in women with breast implants is extremely low. The FDA doesn’t think that the link should discourage women from implant reconstruction.

If you have a breast implant, be reassured by the FDA's advice for women and their doctors about implants. Still, don't hesitate to call your doctor if you're concerned. Definitely call your doctor if you have symptoms or problems with your implant, such as pain, lumps, swelling, or asymmetry, especially if these problems develop years after the implant was placed.

Visit the Breastcancer.org Breast Reconstruction section to learn more about breast implant surgery and other breast reconstruction options.

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Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” was inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” was inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

Each year, the registry adds 25 American recordings that are at least ten years old to its collection, selecting works with “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significance.

This year’s theme was “American changemakers.”

Sylvester’s 1978 hit, according to the Library of Congress, “reflected his childhood background in both African American gospel music and his work as a drag performer in San Francisco.” His biographer called it “a song of freedom.”

He grew up going to a Pentecostal church in Los Angeles but stopped going at age 15 as his sexuality became known in his community. His parents didn’t accept him and he moved out when he was in his teens.

Sylvester eventually moved to San Francisco and joined the drag group the Cockettes, who he left to pursue a solo career when they were touring in New York City.

When “You Make  Me Feel (Mighty Real)” was released his career took off.

                                                 


He appeared in The Rose with Bette Midler, won several Billboard Awards, and collaborated with Patrick Cowley on another hit, “Do Ya Wanna Funk.”

                                     

Sylvester passed away in 1988 due to complications related to HIV and bequeathed all future royalties from his work to HIV/AIDS organizations.

                        

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Trump is using HIV funds to cage kids & invited Brazil’s anti-LGBTQ president to the White House

By Daniel Villarreal ·

 Saturday, March 9, 2019

Shutterstock

Trump continues to disappoint LGBTQ Americans and their allies with two recent decisions: inviting Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s rabidly anti-LGBTQ president, to the White House, and reallocating millions from HIV-prevention and other health programs to shelter migrant kids at the border.

Bolsonaro’s visit will occur on March 19, 2019. The men will discuss “defense cooperation, pro-growth trade policies, combatting transnational crime, and restoring democracy in Venezuela” and “playing [a major role] in the effort to provide humanitarian assistance to Venezuela,” according to a press release from the Office of the Press Secretary.

Bolsanaro has said that he’d shoot his son if he ever came out as gay. He has also pledged to removed all pro-LGBTQ content from Brazilian schools, calling it “gender ideology” which threatens the country’s Christian values. Most recently he tried to shock fellow Brazilians with an obscene and homophobic video of two men engaging in public sex acts.

Related: Here’s why some gay Brazilians support their country’s rabidly anti-LGBTQ president

During his tenure, former U.S. President Barack Obama also met with anti-LGBTQ world leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as anti-gay politicians from Kenya.

But Obama’s record on queer rights made Americans more confident that he’d push for pro-LGBTQ policies abroad.  Trump’s LGBTQ rights record, in comparison, is abysmal and corrosive.

Using HIV funds to detain immigrant children

Also this week, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Arez told Congress that HHS plans on reallocating over $385 million from health programs addressing Alzheimer’s, cancer, HIV-prevention, childcare, refugee resettlement and other issues to pay for additional shelters for immigrant children detained at the southern U.S. border.

The images of children dwelling within cages at the border have illustrated Trump’s “zero tolerance” policies against undocumented immigration. Thousands of these children have allegedly been sexually abused while in detainment.

In a statement responding to HHS’ reallocation of funds, Democratic House Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut wrote, “We cannot continue to spend taxpayer dollars on the President’s manufactured crisis at the border, which is government-sanctioned child abuse… [The HHS is]robbing vital health and human services initiatives in order to pay for their failed policies.”

DeLauro serves as the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee’s health panel.

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