Dec 28, 2021 0
Just ran a final fundraising report for 2021 and as of today, I’ve partnered with my friends Portugal. The Man to raise and donate $274,615.27 to the community since the pandemic began.
Thank you to everyone who supported our work at PTM Foundation this year! We love you.
Nov 13, 2021 0
Proud to be partnering with NOISE FOR NOW on the OUR BODIES DESERVE RESPECT campaign for trans awareness.
2021 has seen a record-breaking number of anti-trans bills introduced in states across the US, making it the worst year on record for anti-trans legislation. It’s no coincidence that the same is true for anti-abortion legislation. This wave of oppressive bills seek to control people’s bodies.
The proceeds from the sales of this t-shirt I’m wearing by Xavier Schipani will support Texas Health Action’s Kind Clinic, which serves LGBTQ+ communities with locations across Texas at no-cost for all services, and will also support Independent Abortion Clinics with trans-centered programs throughout the US via Abortion Care Network’s Keep Our Clinics.
Purchase a tee at www.noisefornow.org/shop
May 10, 2021 0
From USA TODAY:
The bar is low for the social media industry; Top platforms are unsafe for LGBTQ community, new report says.
According to GLAAD’s first Social Media Index report released Monday, the platforms have a ‘circuit breaker’ to slow down the harassment, bullying, and misinformation and discrimination, but they don’t want to do it because they are monetizing off of it, making the “entire sector effectively unsafe” for LGBTQ users and other marginalized communities.
Logan Lynn, an LGBTQ singer and musician, who has been harassed and bullied online, most notably for his provocative short film that accompanied his double album in 2019, believes GLAAD’s report is like an all-hands-on-deck call to arms that puts the platforms on notice.
“To have us all link arms and say ‘enough’ is long past due,” said Lynn, “I’m super moved that it’s going to happen.”
Full story here.
#Gucci // 📸 Polaroid i-Type Film, 2021
May 31, 2020 0
This Tuesday, June 2nd I’ll be disconnecting from work to participate in the #MusicIndustryBlackout and stand in solidarity with my colleagues, fellow artists, and the community. This is not a day off.
As gatekeepers of the culture, it’s our responsibility to not only come together to celebrate the wins, but also hold each other up during loss. Join us as we take an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change together. ✊
May 22, 2020 0
There’s a little over a week left in Mental Health Awareness Month and I just want to encourage you all to scream into the universe if that’s how you feel, eat a candy bar if you need one, watch TV until your eyes water when you can’t stop thinking about the pandemic, buy stuff you can’t afford as the prolonged isolation starts to really get to you, and give yourself a break from picturing your own death and the death of everyone you know for a day or two — but don’t stop being vigilant.
Social distancing is hard. Quarantine sucks. Being alone constantly is intense — and you’re doing great! Keep going. This won’t last forever, but right now it’s all we can do to keep each other safe.
I appreciate those of you who are taking this seriously. I see you. 💙
May 7, 2020 0
May 5, 2020 0
Today we bring awareness, solidarity, love, and a demand for justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
Nearly half of all Native American women — 46 percent — have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner. One in three Indigenous Women will, at some point in their lives, experience the violence and trauma of rape. In some U.S. communities, Native American Women are murdered at a rate more than 10 times the national average.
We stand together in our healing, and we stand together to break the cycle.
No More Silence. ✊ #MMIWpdx
Check out some of the other images from the campaign below, and follow PTM Foundation on social media for more.
Apr 28, 2020 0
I’m proud to endorse Chloe Eudaly for Portland City Council and hope you will join me in donating to her campaign! Every dollar donated today will be matched 6 to 1, meaning if you give $5 it becomes $35 and $50 becomes $350.
Chloe is a tireless advocate for our communities, fighting for renters rights and equity for people who want real change and a truly inclusive city.
Join us in this fight! ✊ —> https://www.votechloe.com/contribute
Mar 6, 2020 0
“Despite Native Americans accounting for nearly 2% (5.4 million) of the U.S. population, philanthropic funding for the population remains less than 0.5% of annual foundation grant dollars across the board. The majority of philanthropic efforts to improve people’s lives overlook the distinctive needs and issues facing Communities of Indigenous Peoples,” said PTM Foundation Director Logan Lynn. “We all need to be doing more.” ✊
Click HERE to check out the rest of this post from the Democratic Party, then join me, Portugal. The Man, Zia McCabe from The Dandy Warhols, Jillene Joseph from Native Wellness Institute, the Multnomah County Democrats, and community leaders from across the state 2 WEEKS FROM TONIGHT for the 2020 Celsi Celebration with PTM in Portland!
We will be announcing our new national grant program at #PTMFoundation at the party. Let’s do this thing together.💙
Feb 8, 2020 1
I wrote a thing for the .gay blog this week. Check it out HERE, or keep reading below.
I will never EVER stop smiling about this happy ending. Come at me, trolls, tech bros and homophobes! We’re ready.
I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
Here’s the full transcript of the post:
The internet has long been a place where LGBTQ people go to build relationships, express ourselves, and promote visibility of our lived experiences — and yet, for all the internet’s openness and accessibility, it also holds prejudice, hate and discrimination.
I’m no stranger to this experience, as an out gay man who signed his first record deal at the age of 17 and hosted a TV show on the first-ever gay cable channel — the Logo network — during a time (pre-RuPaul’s Drag Race) when very little LGBTQ content existed in the mainstream. The reality is, I was publicly gay long before it was accepted or respected. 1998 was a very different world, when my first record came out. We all watched what Ellen Degeneres had to go through and rise above, just to be herself. While I’ve been very lucky to have received all kinds of opportunities over the course of my career, I have also constantly found myself at the forefront of bigotry — often having to navigate trolling, online harassment, and bullying with very little recourse for me personally, or for my very gay brand.
I’ve spent decades fighting the tech industry to change policies that are inherently designed to sustain and profit from systemic abuse online, all in an effort to help keep LGBTQ people like myself safer. I’m proud to have some victories under my belt, but unfortunately we have a long way to go, and the work is far from over. Over the past couple of years, as online abuse directed at me reached an all-time high, I realized I was in a unique position to use my platform and story to help usher in change. It’s this fight that has led to me partnering with Top Level Design on the launch of .gay.
This year .gay is embarking on an unprecedented journey, in commemoration of the first Pride parade. As a domain, .gay will operate not unlike .com, .net, .edu, etc., but we also have the historic opportunity to create a completely new namespace for people in LGBTQ communities to celebrate and connect online. Our launch begins with what’s called the “Sunrise” period on February 10th and culminates with general availability later this year, with the same spirit as the original disruptive and passionate voices who marched 50 years ago. .gay is open to all – it’s a virtual Pride flag that honors decades of history and progress, while inspiring an inclusive, welcoming future for everyone.
“At .gay, we are committed to doing things differently.”
At .gay, we are committed to doing things differently. Our anti-abuse and harassment policies found within our “.gay Rights Protections” go well beyond industry norms to establish this domain as a gay-friendly internet space. This policy exists to ban harassment, hate-speech and anti-LGBTQ content, as well as provide specific, timely remedies for domains that intentionally use .gay to malign or harm LGBTQ individuals or groups. While this may put us out on a limb, it’s a duty that we do not take lightly, and we will continue to engage with other LGBTQ stakeholders to responsively enact this policy in order to create a safer internet for our communities.
We know that we will not be able to single-handedly turn the internet into a hate-free zone, but .gay is committed to doing our part, and we absolutely reject the status quo — which is to do nothing without a court order. While we are optimistic that our revenue donations, proud branding and sheer existence of .gay will keep hate away, we are prepared for when the haters arrive.
As someone who has spent most of his life advocating for LGBTQ communities around bigotry, violence, and mental health disparities, I am truly moved by this historic, industry-leading commitment that .gay is making. One of the most exciting parts of this endeavor is the support we’ll be providing to the community by way of the platform. For every name registered, .gay will donate 20% of wholesale revenue to support the work of nonprofits helping to address key issues facing the LGBTQ population.
In our first year, we’re proud to share this donation with GLAAD and CenterLink, two organizations that offer vital tools and life-saving services. We chose CenterLink, an umbrella organization for over 250 LGBTQ centers across the US and around the world, because of their efforts to provide safe physical spaces that liberate, dignify and empower LGBTQ lives, loves, and families. This aligns with our mission to create safe online spaces and increased visibility for LGBTQ people. We are equally honored to be partnering with GLAAD, whose preeminent legacy and continued work are rooted in fighting against misrepresentation and hate in the media. The GLAAD Media Guide is core to our marketing and policies, ensuring that all .gay registrars will represent LGBTQ people positively and accurately.
Imagine for a moment how .gay would have been received during the .com boom of the ‘90s — an era of headline violence and no established gay rights? It would have been a total nonstarter, given the social change that we were still fighting for. It’s easy to forget exactly how far we’ve come, but our time is now. .gay is a movement and I’m excited to build it, hand-in-hand with each of you.
.gay is a space for businesses, organizations and individuals to converge and stand together for something bigger than just themselves. With each domain registered we have the unique opportunity to use our platform to celebrate and grow the vibrancy of the gay internet.
I hope that you’ll join us, and be among the first to take this bold step for the tech industry.
Feb 3, 2020 0
Been a long, rainy couple of weeks in Portland, Oregon — but full of opportunities to connect and make sure the people I care about know how much they mean to me.
Lots of really exciting announcements coming up soon, but here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to with Portugal. The Man as we move toward launching PTM Foundation this year…
Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Senior Policy Advisor Cynthia Castro, Tribal Relations Director Laura John, and the Office of Government Relations have been working hand-in-hand with Communities of Indigenous Peoples and allies across the region to build a coalition of support for city-wide policy which will ensure that Land Acknowledgements take place at all City of Portland events! So awesome. Nice work, Commissioner! Thanks for hosting us last week at City Hall. We’re all super excited to support these efforts.
Later that same day, Zachary Carothers and I went to hear Tara Zhaabowekwe Houska speak about her work on the frontlines of environmental justice at the intersection of Indigenous Rights and it was nothing short of completely inspired.
We also had breakfast with Tara that morning and got to hear all about her mission and vision. So glad we got to connect while she was in town. My main takeaway is always: I have so much to learn.
The reality is, Indigenous Peoples face persistent and enduring challenges to their communities, their lands, and their basic human rights, with extremely limited support from the broad spectrum of philanthropic institutions…which is why the band has decided to launch PTM Foundation in the first place. The extreme disparity is wrong, and we’re going to do something about it.
Join special guests Portugal. The Man, Jillene Joseph from Native Wellness Institute, Multnomah County Democrats, and many other rad folks on Saturday, March 21st in Portland to help #GetOutTheNativeVote and raise crucial funds for Indigenous-led programs across the U.S.!
We’re also headed to DC this weekend for the National Congress of American Indians Awards where Portugal. The Man is being honored with the 2020 Public Sector Leadership Award!
See you soon, East Coast. 🏆
Jan 1, 2020 0
All my dreams came true this decade — even the nightmares — and I am grateful for both.
Alive is cool. 🖤
