A roundup of the top Black LGBT news stories (11/9/13 – 11/15/13).

Report On The Human Rights Situation Of Afro-Brazilian Trans Women

GlobalRights.org recently released a report documenting what’s happening to [our] Afro-Brazilian trans sisters, and it’s not a pretty picture.

An annual report by Grupo Gay da Bahia (Gay Group of Bahia) or GGB, a leading national organization in Brazil combating anti-TBLG [trans, bisexual, lesbian, and gay] violence against LGBTI Brazilians, noted that there was a 21% increase in murders directed at BTLG [bisexual, transgender, lesbian, and gay] Brazilians between 2011 and 2012.

There was also a 5.6% increase between 2002 and 2010 in the number of homicides of Afro-Brazilians as they declined 24.8% amongst white Brazilians during the same period.

Read more at TransGriot.

Hawaii’s Long Wait for Marriage Equality Has Ended

Hawaii legislators gave final approval to a marriage equality bill on Tuesday, and Gov. Neil Abercrombie will sign it on Wednesday — ending what has been one of the longest journeys for marriage equality so far.

Continue reading over at Advocate.

Angel Haze Is Acid-Tongued, Socially Conscious And Doesn’t Give A F-k What You Think

A desire to help others heal through her experiences is a big part of what drives Haze as an artist. She said she looks at her music as an 80, 20 endeavor: 20 percent a personal creative outlet and 80 percent a way to show her fans they are not alone. From this perspective, Haze said she often feels compelled to talk about the past, even if her frankness makes some people uncomfortable in the process.

“I’ve suffered from anorexia for 13 years, and I never shy away from talking about it, because s-t,” she said. “I still know people who f-king suffer from it. And it’s one of those things that’s an active struggle, and you have to talk about it.”

The same thing goes for her outspoken advocacy on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens.

“I’ve got fans who email me every day,” she said. “[They tell me,] ‘I’m so ashamed, I wish I could be straight so bad.’ And it’s like, why? Just be you, and that’s going to be so much better than wishing to be anything else.”

While Haze has in the past referred to herself as pansexual, she admits she’d really rather not apply any label at all. Part Native American, Haze said she’s always felt herself to be “two-spirited,” a concept others often seem to have a difficult time wrapping their heads around.

Read more at Huffington Post.

New York’s New First Lady an Inspiration to Black Women

When [Chirlane] McCray and Bill de Blasio fell in love, he was an aide to then-Mayor David Dinkins, the only African-American mayor in New York City history. She was working at the New York Commission on Human Rights, a city agency. As de Blasio continued his rise, McCray focused on communications, including working in media relations in the private sector.

Through it all, she has been an activist, poet, and even penned a now-famous essay for Essence magazine about her experiences as a lesbian. Published more than a decade before meeting the man she describes as “the love of my life,” her piece I am a lesbian was intended to shatter stereotypes surrounding gay African-American women.

Upon meeting de Blasio, her past became a talking point, but never an issue.

More on theGrio.

WATCH: Melissa Harris-Perry And Bell Hooks Discuss Black Womanhood, Politics And Media

The New School recently hosted a riveting conversation with bell hooks and Melissa Harris-Perry on race, black womanhood, politics, media, and love. What transpired was an exchange of pure brilliance, raw honesty, and smart analysis around a topic not discussed often enough — the plight and experiences of black women.

Via Huffington Post.