Latest news with #LGBQT
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘It's a safe place': Central Florida sports leagues embrace LGBTQ+ community
The cheers echoed through the halls of Dover Shores Community Center in Orlando on Thursday. It was the final game of the season for the players at the OUT Sports League. 'I just wanted to have a place where I could play with some of my friends some kickball and to have a safe place with the LGBTQ+ community,' said John Teixeira, who founded OUT in 2018. 'Now that it's grown, it's extraordinary. We have, in any given season, 1500 players. We're running 10 different sports.' Advertisement Practicing sports or attending sporting events is one of the easiest ways people can connect and socialize. For members of the LGBTQ+ community, that's even more important. Over the years, LGBQT+ sports groups have been offering a safe space for hundreds of people across Central Florida, and they have had great impact on the community. 'It usually puts a tear in my eye. Honestly, it really means a lot that it means so much to them, especially given the political landscape in Florida. A lot of players feel like they need connections. They need to make friends,' Teixeira said. As much as 80% of spectators and athletes have witnessed anti-LGBT+ attitudes during sporting events, according to the Human Rights Campaign – but that does not seem to be a problem among members and spectators of the OUT games. Advertisement 'Community-centered environment. I would say there's a lot of mutual support, not only like on your team but from a lot of different teams. And it's really a really, really cool experience to be part of,' said Ryan Chabot, who plays on the volleyball team. OUT Sports is not the only league in town, however. Central Florida Softball League has been around for almost 30 years. 'I never felt fully included in a sports space. And then when I found the Central Florida Softball League,' said Bobby Agagnina, the Commissioner for Central Florida Softball League. 'Then I came out here to the fields and saw people having a great time being themselves.' The softball league is a nonprofit – so the money they raise from memberships goes back to the community. Advertisement 'Not only are we having a welcoming, safe space here with like great softball on the field, but we also want to make sure that we're keeping everybody safe and supported here at home,' said Agagnina. Together, both leagues have thousands of players showing their pride on and off the courts. 'Pride, to me, is just being unembarrassed and unashamed about who you are, living your true life and your true self, and being able to be around other people that generally care about you, regardless of your creed, your background or who you love,' said Teixeira. 'I think the most proud of being in the Central Florida softball league is that we offer a safe, welcoming, family, fun experience,' said Agagnina. Anyone can join the leagues, regardless of skill level. Advertisement Click here for the team's official website. Click here to join the Central Florida Softball League. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gabriela Hearst, Willy Chavarria and Padma Lakshmi Turn Up for ACLU Event
Gabriela Hearst, Willy Chavarria and Padma Lakshmi helped the American Civil Liberties Union launch its 'Creatives for Freedom' initiative Wednesday night at The Standard, East Village. The organization's aim is to bring together leaders in fashion, film, television, social media, music, comedy and advocacy to draw attention to critical issues facing democracy. The crowd in the Cooper Square hotel's penthouse included designers Jameel Mohammed, Kim Shui and Kingsley Gbadegesin, actors Alan Cumming, Busy Phillips and Danai Gurira, rapper Joey Bada$$, artist Dustin Yellen, model Ella Snyder, as well as others like Glenda Bailey and Julie Gilhart. More from WWD Art Deco Turns 100: How Will You Celebrate? Banksy's Work Stops Shoppers at Brookfield Place Outside View: 'Let's Bring Back Jobs That Offer Skill, Stability and Dignity' Hearst, Chavarria and Lakshmi cohosted the event with the ACLU's deputy executive director for strategy and culture AJ Hikes, and its national legal director Cecillia Wang spoke of the group's ongoing efforts to protect and advance fundamental freedoms. As an ACLU member since 2017, Hearst said it's important to remember that it is a nonpartisan 105-year-old organization that 'is here to defend our rights and the Constitution.' The designer said that when Trump's second administration started in a 'dramatic, vicious and targeted way,' she inquired about doing more. Hearst spoke of Steven Spielberg's upcoming series on Netflix about the ACLU, and her $250,000 donation to the organization. 'Anyone who wants to match is welcome to. If you can't, come with whatever you can. Come with your work, your brain, your heart — everything is welcome,' she said. Chavarria, a Mexican American, spoke of having the good fortune of having been born and raised by a humble, good and working family in an immigrant community in California. 'I'm also of the LGBQT persuasion, which means that every ounce of blood in my body is really built to fight against the oppression that we are seeing right now that is stronger than ever,' he said. 'All of the creatives in this room can have such incredible impact and contact with people both emotionally and spiritually. Through our art and the way we communicate, we can really make people feel and think differently about what's going on. It's important that we do that especially at a time when so many brands, TV series and whatever are just ignoring what's going on.' Encouraging attendees to use messaging about the current situation through the beauty of fashion, makeup, music or other disciplines, Chavarria said, 'We are the ones who are probably best poised to get people to really see what's going on. We need to protect people, the institutions and the organizations that are under attack. Our ability to contribute to and guide unique and powerful cultural and topical conversations is more necessary now than ever before.' The author and Emmy-nominated TV host Lakshmi, who is also the ACLU artist ambassador for immigrants' and women's rights, said, 'Democracy is really being threatened at every turn whether it is bodily autonomy, LGBQT rights, equal rights, or First Amendment rights. There is no frontier of our society or culture that is not under attack.' Hikes spoke of the ACLU's 'millions of supporters around the country,' and its legal arguments in the Supreme Court with 'equal rights for all' being its guiding principles. Hikes and other supporters talked about the group's priorities that were designated more than a year ago — immigration, reproductive freedom, trans justice, and 'free speech — always free speech.' With 350 litigators nationwide, Hikes said, 'Even with that kind of force, we are still David to the government's Goliath.' During Trump's first administration, the ACLU took 434 legal actions and, thus far, into his second administration, more than 100 legal actions have been taken. Wang highlighted how the ACLU helped four theater groups take legal action in a Rhode Island federal court to challenge the National Endowment for the Arts from requiring that grantees' projects not promote gender ideology, per a Trump executive order. After the panel discussion, one of the ACLU's more seasoned supporters, Terry McDonnell, spoke of his commitment. Having supported the ACLU since he was 25, the media executive, literary editor and author said that was due to how, 'They echo that great thinking about 'I could agree with you, or disagree with you, or hate whatever you think, but I will die to protect your right to think that.' I hope they're still doing that. It's a First Amendment thing foremost. I'm totally in support of that.' Referring to 'the long and broad menu' that the ACLU presents to people, McDonnell said he would like to see that expand. As for the event's strong turnout, his wife Stacey Hadash said, 'I think people are really frustrated, sad, angry and feeling all different emotions. And they don't know what to do or how to organize. One of the messages that came out tonight was, 'Check us out. Do anything. Anything that you do with us is worthwhile, and that can make you feel better.'' Best of WWD The Definitive Timeline for Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Sean John Fashion Brand: Lawsuits, Runway Shows and Who Owns It Now What the Highest-paid CEOs at U.S. Fashion and Retail Companies Make Confidence Holds Up, But How Much Can Consumers Take?
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Starbucks shreds ‘nonsensical' lawsuit by store manager who claimed he was discriminated against for being straight
Starbucks has fired back at a former store manager who sued the coffeehouse chain over his claim of having faced 'egregious' discrimination because he is straight. Christopher Thevanesan's lawsuit is 'nonsensical,' 'entirely without merit,' and 'devoid of any facts' to support his allegations, according to the company's motion to dismiss. In his January 28 suit, which was first reported by The Independent, Thevanesan described himself as a 'heterosexual, gender typical man,' and said higher-ups at the Rochester, New York Starbucks location where he worked treated him 'in a materially different manner' than employees who were 'not heterosexual and/or gender typical men.' But, while Thevanesan insisted he had suffered 'extreme and outrageous' persecution at the hands of gay team members, his suit does not lay out any 'specific instances of harassment,' Starbucks argues in its motion, which was filed last Friday. '[Thevanesan] fails to allege the time, place, or manner of even a single instance of supposed 'harassment,'' the motion says. In his lawsuit, Thevanesan accused Starbucks of neglecting to properly train the employees he supervised in how to properly deal with others. Starbucks says in its motion that this argument is 'nonsensical[,] since as the Store Manager, he would be responsible for training.' And, as far as Thevanesan's firing goes, which his suit says occurred 'because he is a heterosexual, gender typical man' — it in fact 'does not set forth any facts even remotely connecting his termination to his sex or sexual orientation,' the company's motion continues. 'Plaintiff's allegations read: 'I am a straight male. I believe my subordinates were gay. I was terminated. My termination must have been because I was a straight male,'' the motion asserts. 'These conclusory allegations are insufficient to state a claim in any forum.' Jacqueline Phipps Polito, the attorney representing Starbucks against Thevanesan, did not respond on Wednesday to a request for comment. According to Thevanesan's lawsuit, which was filed under New York State's Human Rights Law, he was 'a model employee who performed the essential functions of his employment in an exemplary fashion.' At the same time, Thevanesan argued, his LGBTQ+ underlings created a 'hostile' work environment for him due to his 'gender typicality and sexual orientation,' contending he was subsequently fired for complaining about it. Thevanesan's attorney, Neil Flynn, told The Independent earlier this month that his client's heterosexuality had been 'weaponized' against him. 'Management was indifferent to his complaints,' Flynn said, claiming gay Starbucks workers in the store and surrounding area were attempting to drive out their straight colleagues. Thevanesan was hired to manage Starbucks store #47825 in 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile. The employees who worked there 'were members of the LGBQT+ community,' Thevanesan's complaint states. It says he was fired in February 2022, and calls the reasons 'pretextual,' without providing additional details. Thevanesan's grievance is, in some ways, reminiscent of a high-profile suit brought by Marlean Ames, a straight Ohio woman who sued her employer, the state Department of Youth Services, arguing she was demoted and replaced by a gay man. After a decision against Ames by the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, she took her case to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the high court now rules in favor of Ames, it could open the door for others to sue on the basis of 'reverse discrimination.' However, Starbucks maintains in its motion to dismiss that Thevanesan's suit is 'entirely without merit, because, even assuming the allegations… are true, [the suit] contains nothing more than legal conclusions and a bare recitation of the elements of each claim, devoid of any facts supporting [his] claims.' 'At best, [Thevanesan] simply claims that he falls within a protected class (heterosexual, gender typical male), and therefore anything that [he] disagrees with that happened to occur at Starbucks, must be because of the same,' the motion states. 'The law does not allow a complaint to be based on such speculation and conclusory allegations without detailed factual support,' dubbing Thevanesan's suit 'woefully deficient.' 'Accordingly,' the motion concludes, 'the Court must dismiss the [suit] in its entirety.'
