Miley Cyrus & Ariana Grande Duet On Song For Cyrus' New LGBT Youth Group

Via Slate:

To promote her new nonprofit benefiting homeless and LGBT youth, the Happy Hippie Foundation, Miley Cyrus has been partnering with other artists to cover pop classics in a series of “Backyard Sessions.” The latest is a cover of Crowded House’s mid-’80s hit “Don’t Dream It’s Over” with Ariana Grande, who—like Cyrus—spends the entire video lounging in an animal onesie. Unlike the luminous, poppy 2003 version by Sixpence None the Richer, the duo’s cover borders on bluesy, with occasionally twangy instrumentals. The acoustic setting complements Grande’s trademark indistinct elocution, which tends to get lost in more complex productions, while Cyrus shows off the lower end of her impressive range. And Cyrus—who, as usual, is “just being Miley”—makes things wonderfully awkward by flirting with Grande during the bridge.

Cyrus launched her organization after the suicide of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn.

RELATED: Ariana Grande will be the headliner at this year's NYC Pride Pier Dance. Get tickets here.

Quote Of The Day - Vivek Murthy

"Being gay is not a disorder. Being transgender is not a malady that requires a cure. Had I been Leelah Alcorn's physician, I would have told her exactly that. And that's the message I want other doctors, nurses, health professionals, and public health leaders to help get out to parents and children who may be confronting these issues." - Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, speaking today on a conference call about White House support for bans on "ex-gay" torture.

CINCINNATI: Community Rallies In Memory Of Ohio Trans Teen Leelah Alcorn

JMG reader Andy writes:

My partner and I live in Northern Kentucky in the greater Cincinnati area and attended Leelah's vigil at the Woodward Theater in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood last night.  There were approximately 600 persons attending the vigil last night in the theater, both on the floor and in the balcony. In attendance were many of the Cincinnati LGBT community, parents and family of area Trans youth, representatives from local organizations supporting Trans persons (both religious and non-religious), City councilman Chris Seelbach and a representative from the Mayor's office, and the LGBT liaison to the Cincinnati Police Department, Angela Vance.

Andy captions the photo above: "MUSE Cincinnati Women's Choir forming a protective circle around the young transgendered persons in attendance during their musical performance, which was one of the most touching moments of the evening."

The event's primary sponsor was Heartland Trans Wellness Group, with co-sponsorship from the Trevor Project, PFLAG, HRC, Diverse City Youth Chorus, GLSEN Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Transgender Clinic, Bound by Truth and Love Ministries, and Trans-Saints Ministry.

BarbWire's Gina Miller: Trans Teen Leelah Alcorn Was Possessed By Demons

"'Transgenderism' is a deeply disturbing mental and spiritual sickness. Any person who believes he is the opposite sex has serious problems, and society’s rightful disapproval is the least of them. Not everyone will like to hear this, but demon possession certainly plays a part in homosexuality and 'transgenderism.' In the Bible, we see that demon possession was commonly acknowledged and understood to be prevalent, but the knowledge of it has been largely lost or buried today, as if our 'modern' culture is too 'smart' to give credence to the reality of spiritual forces at work in people today, just as they were then. We often read that some who are homosexual or 'transgender' have believed this since they were children. Demons do not spare children any more than adults." - Gina Miller, writing for Matt Barber's site.

OHIO: Candlelight Vigil For Transgender Teen Leelah Alcorn Draws Hundreds

Leelah Alcorn's Blog Has Been Deleted

Gay Star News notes today that Leelah Alcorn's Tumblr has been deleted. Leelah's tortured yet eloquent posts there have galvanized LGBT activists worldwide since her suicide earlier this week. It's unknown whether the deletion was requested by Leelah's family, whether they obtained her password and did it themselves, or whether it was removed for violating Tumblr rules about discussing suicide. (Tipped by JMG reader Str8 Grandmother)

Dan Savage On Leelah Alcorn

The suicide of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn has been a trending topic of Twitter for two days and there have been hundreds of stories about her in the mainstream press.

Here's yesterday's coverage by Reuters:

A transgender Ohio teen walked in front of an oncoming truck and was crushed to death on Sunday morning, leaving behind a suicide note that has resonated around the world and led to calls for a federal law to protect other transgender adolescents. Leelah Alcorn, born with the name Joshua, was 17 years old and said she had been forced to undergo conversion therapy, which seeks to change sexual orientation through counseling. The practice has been banned in two states on grounds it is medically unfounded and puts children in danger.

Since Alcorn's death, groups supporting transgenders have called for a national "Leelah's Law" to end conversion therapy, calling it "psychological torture." Nearly 80,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org supporting the proposal. The American Psychological Association has dismissed the idea that sexual orientation is a mental disorder and said mental health professionals should avoid telling clients they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments. Supporters of the practice say it is an effective way to counsel troubled youths. Transgender adults took to Twitter after Alcorn’s death, offering encouragement to transgender teens with the hashtag #RealLiveTransAdult. "I didn’t think I’d live to be 30. Don't give up," one person wrote.