Demi Lovato is once again standing up for a cause she believes in. The singer, who revealed last month that her late grandfather was gay , is featured in a new public service announcement on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign. In the footage, she makes a strong push for marriage equality across the board. “I believe that love comes in all different shapes, sizes and colors, so whether you are LGBT or straight, your love is valid, beautiful, and an incredible gift,” Lovato says, adding: “So let’s protect love and strengthen the institution of marriage by allowing loving, caring, and committed same sex couples to legally marry.” Demi Lovato Pushes for Marriage Equality Lovato served as the Grand Marshal of the L.A. Pride Parade last month, performing in front of thousands and giving the finger to haters . Ever since her rehab stint in 2010, Lovato has been outspoken on a number of issues, from sharing her personal drug experience to telling young women how they should be proud of their bodies. She also believes in mermaids . But, hey, no one is perfect. Demi Lovato Selfies 1. Demi Lovato, Makeup-Free This is an extreme close up of Demi Lovato and her freckles. The singer isn’t hiding behind any makeup.
“We really wanted to keep this beautiful day very private and special to us and enjoyed the whole day with our family and two friends. Bedford is such an amazing and romantic countryside,” Olivia Palermo says. Olivia Palermo is married! The tastemaker and style maven married German model Johannes Huebl during a very intimate ceremony in Bedford, New York, she announced on her website. Palermo pieced together an outfit by Carolina Herrera, which included a cashmere sweater, white shorts and a
From tech giants like Apple to old-line brands like General Mills, well over 300 of Fortune 500 companies now cover the medical expenses associated with transgender care, according to figures from rights group Human Rights Campaign. (Oct. 21) ap ndn
Claire Danes’ Emmy dress, her surprising new hairstyle and her husband were all the subjects of great interest among viewers of the telecast last night. She also made the list of Emmy winners for the second straight year. Ho hum. The actress’ short, apparently clipped bob was much shorter than fans are used to, even compared to her shoulder-length hair just one night earlier. Fans and red carpet hosts alike were abuzz after the Homeland star seemingly went the way of Miley Cyrus , Lena Dunham and made this drastic charge. The riddle was quickly solved, and the talents of celebrity hairstylist Peter Butler revealed. The bob was created as an illusion to elongate her neck. So to speak. Using a combination of products and techniques, he managed to alter her look dramatically based on Danes’ plunging Armani Prive gown. Styled, parted, combed, pinned and styled again, Danes’ look was complete. As for the star’s husband? He’s Hugh Dancy, a British actor ( Hannibal ). What do you think of Claire Danes’ Emmy look? Love it! She looks amazing! It’s okay. Love Claire, but not her best look. Not a fan of the look. Who dressed/styled her?! View Poll »
Veteran entertainer and occasional lightning rod Cher has unveiled her upcoming tour, kicking off in 2014 nearly a decade after her so-called Farewell Tour. The Dressed to Kill Tour, as it shall henceforth be known, is scheduled to launch March 22 in Phoenix and run through a July 11 stop in San Diego. The announcement comes just before Cher is to release a new studio album, Closer to the Truth , Tuesday. It’s her first since Living Proof in 2001. Check out the video for the album’s lead single, “Woman’s World,” which features the 67-year-old Cher in a wig made of shredded newspaper, right here: Cher – Woman’s World Would you go see Cher on tour in 2014? Yes!
Avril Nolan is positively irate. Because she is not HIV positive. The model is seeking $450,000 from Getty because it used her image in a quarter-page Division of Human Rights ad that appeared this April in the newspaper amNewYork , one that reads: “I am positive (+) … I have rights.” Woman Files Suit Over HIV Ad Nolan says the poster implies she has this disease, adding that the picture in it is from a fashion shoot two years ago and never meant to be used in such a manner. Erin Lloyd, Nolan’s attorney, says her client was “mortified” upon seeing the ad and that it has “has caused a lot of anxiety.” “Upon learning of the publication, [Ms. Nolan] became instantly upset and apprehensive that her relatives, potential romantic partners, clients as well as bosses and supervisors might have seen the advertisement,” Lloyd writes in the lawsuit. “Feeling humiliated and embarrassed, [Ms. Nolan] was forced to confess to her bosses that her image had been used in an advertisement for HIV services, implying that she was infected with HIV, in a newspaper often used by her own clients for advertising and that is distributed to tens of thousands of New Yorkers every day.” Photographer Jena Cumbo, who snapped the pic, tells The New York Daily News that a lot of people involved in this incident “dropped the ball” and that she did not comprehend her contract with Getty.
Rape is never okay, but it is especially sad when it happens to young children. Girls Raped By Congo Troops According to The Huffington Post Congolese troops fleeing the M23 rebels last November raped at least 97 women and 33 girls, some as young as 6, a U.N. report released Wednesday said. The U.S. Africa Command trained one of the units involved, Commando Battalion 391, in 2010 to be “a model for future reforms within the Congolese armed forces,” according to the AFRICOM web site. The U.N. report covered “mass rape, killings, and arbitrary executions and violations resulting from widespread looting,” U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters. A report by the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office says most of the rapes took place over Nov. 22-23 in the eastern Congo town of Minova. The report says that “One or two of the soldiers would leave with the looted goods and at least one would stand guard as the remaining (Congolese) soldiers raped women and girls in the house. Victims were threatened with death if they shouted; some were raped at gunpoint. Most victims were raped by more than one soldier.” “The victims included 33 girls aged between 6 and 17,” Nesirky said. During their occupation of Goma and Sake, “M23 combatants perpetrated serious violations of human law and gross human rights violations,” Nesirky said, including at least 59 cases of sexual violence. The mass rapes occurred in November, 2012, after the Congolese army was defeated by the M23 rebels who seized the provincial capital of Goma, in eastern Congo. The national army retreated in disorder. A small, dusty town on the shore of lake Kivu, Minova is home to several thousand people. For days, the Congolese army raped, killed and looted in anger and disarray after their defeat, before discipline could be re-established by army commanders. The report says 11 Congolese soldiers have been arrested by the Congolese military prosecutor’s office, “including two for murder, but only two for related cases of rape.” The other charges were not specified. The commanding officers and deputy commanding officers of the two main battalions suspected of committing these acts, as well as officers of eight other units, have been suspended, the U.N. said. Military magistrates from both North Kivu and South Kivu, U.N. peacekeeping and humanitarian agency staff traveled to Minova and surrounding villages from Feb. 6-13, and “military investigators took testimony from several hundred victims, including a large number of victims of sexual violence,” the report said. Roger Meece, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, said the investigation “should be pursed in an independent and credible manner.” “Those responsible for such crimes must know that they will be prosecuted,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement, calling the sexual violence outlined in the report “horrifying” in scale and systematic nature. The world can be a cruel place. SMH. Shutterstock
THG has tracked down our favorite celebrity Halloween costume of 2012. But can you guess who’s wearing it? “My name is Sofia Vergara,” said the famous female above upon debuting the outfit yesterday, which depicted the Modern Family star’s Emmy night wardrobe malfunction. “I am easy breezy beautiful CoverGirl from Colombia. Happy Halloween. As you can see, I put my pumpkins out!” So, who is it? ELLEN DEGENERES! Pretty awesome, no?
Brad Pitt has made his feelings on gay marriage very well known once again. The actor, who has vowed not to marry Angelina Jolie until every one and his/her partner can exchange vows, donated $100,000 this week to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in of the organization’s efforts in campaigning for marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington State. “It’s unbelievable to me that people’s lives and relationships are literally being voted on in a matter of days,” Pitt wrote in an email to HRC members and supporters today. “If you’re like me, you don’t want to have to ask yourself on the day after the election, what else could I have done?” The also actor donated the same figure to fight California’s Proposition 8 last year, a ballot initiative that would take away same-sex couples’ rights to wed. He has spoken out in the past and labeled New York’s gay marriage ruling an ” encouraging step .” Where do you stand on the topic of gay marriage? Support Oppose View Poll »
Conor Kennedy may need to be on the lookout for future songs penned in his dishonor… because the 18-year old son of Robert Kennedy Jr. and Mary Kennedy is totally dating Taylor Swift! Consider the evidence: On July 25, Swift and Kennedy were spotted chowing down pizza in Mount Kisco, New York, walking out of the establishment”hand in hand,” according to a People Magazine source. A few days later, they dined with friends in Cape Cod, with Taylor reportedly cozying up to Conor and “smiling a lot,” onlookers say. Ironically, Swift had previously been linked to Patrick Schwarzenegger , a distant relative of Conor’s, after photos captured her hanging out with Arnold’s son during July 4 weekend. But she was actually spending time over that holiday with Kennedy. On December 3, meanwhile, the connections will continue: Swift will be honored by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights due to her commitment to social change, notably her work against bullying and LGBT discrimination. [Photo: WENN.com]
