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Monday, February 28, 2011

Court upholds foster ban on couple who oppose homosexuality


The High Court has backed a council’s decision to bar a couple from fostering children because they oppose homosexuality.

Pentecostal Christians Eunice and Owen Johns, of Derby, were told by the city council in 2007 that a fostering panel had rejected them because of their views.

They told a social worker that they could not tell a foster child that homosexuality was acceptable.

They applied to the High Court to clarify policies on foster parents who have “traditional” views on sexuality. Today, the court agreed with the council’s decision.

The Johns, who were supported by the Christian Legal Centre, say they do not recognise sex before marriage, or the validity of civil partnerships.

Mrs Johns said in November: “The council said: ‘Do you know, you would have to tell [children] that it’s OK to be homosexual?’

“But I said I couldn’t do that because my Christian beliefs won’t let me. Morally, I couldn’t do that. Spiritually I couldn’t do that.”

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said: “We’re delighted that the High Court’s landmark decision has favoured 21st century decency above 19th century prejudice. In any fostering case the interests of the 60,000 children in care should override the bias of any prospective parent.

“Thankfully, Mr and Mrs Johns’s outdated views aren’t just out of step with the majority of people in modern Britain but those of many Christians too. If you wish to be involved in the delivery of a public service, you should be prepared to provide it fairly to anyone.”
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England cricketer Steven Davies comes out as gay


Steven Davies, the England wicket keeper, has announced he is gay.

The 24-year-old came out to his family five years ago and to his teammates last year but came out publicly in an interview today.

He is the first professional cricketer to come out and just one of a handful of top British sportsmen to do so.

Mr Davies, who first played for England in 2009, told the Daily Telegraph he made the decision to tell teammates just before they went to Australia for the Ashes.

He came out after confiding in team coach Andy Flower who, with captain Andrew Strauss, telephoned every member of the team on Mr Davies’ behalf.

“[Flower] agreed I had to tell the boys,” Mr Davies said. “I couldn’t live like this any more.”

He added: “Their line was: ‘Steve wants you to know he’s gay. But it’s not an issue. Let’s just get on with it.’

“I owe them both a lot. They were 100 per cent behind me and made me feel everything would be all right. In fact, I felt I was probably making a big deal out of it.”

The team agreed to keep the news quiet to protect the wicket keeper until the spotlight was off.

Mr Davies described how he faced the team for the first time after the coach told them he was gay. He said that each man shook his hand and told him he had done the right thing.

But he said that the strain of hiding his sexuality had been hard.

“If I am brutally honest, I never enjoyed touring because of my secret and having to conceal my sexuality,” he says.

“My friendships with the guys would reach a certain level, then I’d have to take a step back.”

Gareth Thomas, who came out last year, told the Sun: “I know how hard it is to be honest about something like this when you are in the public eye.

“For him to be able to come out and talk about it at his age is refreshing and hopefully, like when I came out, will encourage and inspire others to feel they can do the same.”
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Ireland elects first openly gay TD


Ireland has elected its first openly gay Teachta Dála, the Irish equivalent of an MP.

Dominic Hannigan, a Labour politician, was one of three TDs elected to the seat of Meath East this weekend.

The former civil engineer was elected as a Seanad Éireann senator on the Industrial and Commercial panel in 2007.

In 2006, while a county councillor, he marched with his partner in the Dublin Pride march.

Ireland has had openly gay senators in the past and may have its first gay president this year, if polls prove correct.

Senator David Norris, 66, is an independent senator known for his campaigning on gay rights. Recent polls have put him at the front of the race to succeed current president Mary MacAleese in the autumn.
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President Obama appoints gay man as social secretary


US president Barack Obama has appointed a gay man as his social secretary.

Jeremy Bernard, a special adviser to the US ambassador to France and a long-time supporter and fund-raiser, will take over the high-profile position.

The job of social secretary is traditionally filled by a woman and involves planning White House hospitality, such as state dinners, galas, holiday events and tours.

The social secretary also provides support for the First Lady.

The president said: “Jeremy shares our vision for the White House as the People’s House, one that celebrates our history and culture in dynamic and inclusive ways. We look forward to Jeremy continuing to showcase America’s arts and culture to our nation and the world through the many events at the White House.”

Mr Bernard, who has been involved in gay rights work, said: “I am deeply humbled to join the White House staff as social secretary and support President Obama and the First Lady in this role.

“I have long admired the arts and education programs that have become hallmarks of the Obama White House and I am eager to continue these efforts in the years ahead.”
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Natalie Portman wins Oscar for Black Swan


Natalie Portman won a Best Actress Oscar last night for her role as a ballet dancer in Black Swan.

The 29-year-old played Nina Sayers in the psychological thriller, which saw her character striving for perfection.

The film also features an explicit lesbian sex scene between Portman and her co-star Mila Kunis, who plays a ballet rival.

Portman, who is pregnant with her first child, thanked her fiance Benjamin Millipied for his support.

She said: “Thank you to my beautiful love Benjamin Millepied who choreographed the film and has now given me my most important role of my life.”

The star joked that she would not call her unborn child Oscar.

Last night’s overall winner was The Kings Speech, starring Colin Firth.

The film won Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Director.

The Social Network won Best Adapted Picture, while Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won supporting acting awards for boxing drama The Fighter.
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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Archbishop of Canterbury says Church will fight moves to introduce gay marriage


The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has told a private meeting of influential MPs that he is not prepared to allow Church of England buildings to host religious civil partnerships.

The government intends to implement a House of Lords amendment to the Equality Act that would allow churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious buildings to host civil partnership ceremonies should the faith group wish to.

The amendment is entirely permissive, no organisation will be forced to allow gay couples to hold ceremonies there and the equalities minister Lynne Featherstone said that gay couples would not be allowed to sue churches that refuse to hold them.

However, many consider the introduction of religious civil partnerships to be the first step in the introduction of full gay marriage equality. A government consultation on the issue is to begin shortly. PinkNews.co.uk understands that the preferred option by both the prime minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg is to eventually open civil marriage and civil partnerships to all couples, whether straight or gay. The government also privately hope that religious ministers will be allowed to conduct gay marriages in the same way that they officiate at straight marriages.

Dr Williams told a meeting of MPs that while the church welcome gay clergy and allowed them to be in civil partnerships, it would not support moves to equalise gay relationships with marriage or for the couples to hold ceremonies within the Church of England. When challenged by Simon Kirby, the conservative MP for Brighton Kempton, Dr Williams said he would not countenance weakening the church’s teaching on marriage or for its stance to be dictated by ministers.

“I hoped he might be more measured in his response and reflect on the cases for both sides of the argument more evenly, but he was very one sided,” Mr Kirby told the Sunday Telegraph. “Public opinion is moving faster than the Church on this issue and it is increasingly in danger of getting left behind.

“Obviously it is a difficult issue for the Church, but it has many gay men and women who want to be treated the same way as everyone else,” he added.

Giles Fraser, canon chancellor at St Paul’s cathedral, last week criticised the Church of England saying: “Gay relationships are perfectly capable of reflecting the love of God. Which is why the church should respond more imaginatively to the idea of same-sex blessings being celebrated in church.”

A spokesman for Dr Williams said: ” The Church still believes on the basis of Bible and tradition that marriage is between a man and a woman and does not accept that this needs to change.

“Civil partnerships now provide legal securities for same-sex couples, but this does not, in itself, alter what we believe to be unique about marriage.

“The Church of England is opposed to all forms of homophobia and would want to defend the civil liberties of homosexual people, and to welcome them into our churches.”
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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Bryan Thomas vs. David Beckham

I have received an alarming amount of emails stating that "David Beckham stole your Exercise For Men Only Abdmominals cover shot!"

I had to laugh but after reviewing both covers I will admit that there are some major similarities! The look in the face/eyes,body language, and certintly the boxing warps!

For the record: My Abs cover hit stands April 2008 and David's hit September 2008!

David if you are reading this id like to challenge you to a cover model face off!
you bring your best photographer and I will bring mine!

P.S. Shirt off this time bud!

Make sure to check out Men's Health here for lots of great info on Health and Fitness!
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Midweek Matesbud


Hey, Welcome to our blog, a special welcome if you're visiting for the first time and to our new followers.
We apologize for removing the comments option,earlier blogs will explain the whole saga of the last weeks. We do appreciate your contributions and hope to reinstate this option early next month.
We are also putting together ideas for a new Poll and again we will be posting this early next month.
Coming up "Posers, How do I look?" and our weekly "Sporting Life Magazine" which this week concentrates on non competitive sports, sport for fun.
For now, enjoy and come back soon.
Cheers. Paul.
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Something for the weekend Sir?



Hey and welcome to our blog, things seem to getting back to normal...well :>} at least we are not plagued with illicit advertising via our comments option, sad really as we DO miss our regular commenter's with their witty comments, I wont mention him by name he would blush I'm sure! but by early next month we'll reinstate the option and keep our fingers crossed. The Spammer's comments are easily deleted in one go!
We hope you had a good week are all set for the weekend possibly, in the words of the barber need "something for the weekend sir?" Sadly we can't provide them :>} but we hope our today's blog will come as some small compensation.
For now, enjoy and have a great weekend, don't forget to pick up your Sunday Supplement.
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Midweek Matesbud


Hey, Welcome to our blog, a special welcome if you're visiting for the first time and to our new followers.
We apologize for removing the comments option,earlier blogs will explain the whole saga of the last weeks. We do appreciate your contributions and hope to reinstate this option early next month.
We are also putting together ideas for a new Poll and again we will be posting this early next month.
Coming up "Posers, How do I look?" and our weekly "Sporting Life Magazine" which this week concentrates on non competitive sports, sport for fun.
For now, enjoy and come back soon.
Cheers. Paul.
Read more

How do I Look? (Guys posing)


Hey, welcome to our blog, a special welcome if you're here for the first time or a new follower.
There's a mother of all thunderstorms going on outside so maybe I'll be cut off midway through this blog, so I'd better cut it short!
Today's blog is a favourite subject for me...secretly we all like to pose a bit and enjoy watching other guys,peacock like,strutting their feathers.
We added Google's new gadget showing the hits to the site and yesterday we clocked up 2,147. not bad eh?
Coming up on Sunday your sporting life magazine features sport for fun.
For now enjoy and comer back soon
Cheers. Paul
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This Is Why GOP Rep. Chris "Craigslist" Lee Resigned From Office In Such A Hurry

Once again, Gawker has the scoop:
Lee's sudden exit took many people by surprise. Hadn't other members of Congress admitted to worse than an unconsummated, PG-13 flirtation and managed to stay in office? It turns out Lee may have had good reason to step out of the spotlight so quickly: It wasn't just women that the Craigslist Congressman was hunting for on the Internet. In the past two weeks, two D.C.-area transgender women contacted us, each with a separate story about exchanging emails with the ex-congressman. One sent us an ad that Lee allegedly posted on Craigslist in search of trans women; the other sent us a never-before-seen photo that she says Lee sent her after they started chatting by email. Taken together, they present a possible explanation to those who have wondered why such a tame "sex scandal" forced Lee's hand so quickly.
Gawker also has some evidence that at least one of the trans women Lee pursued is a prostitute.
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Thrice-Married Serial Adulterer: Obama Could Be Impeached Over DOMA

Three times married serial adulterer and prospective 2012 GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich today suggested that President Obama could be impeached for his DOMA decision.
"I believe the House Republicans next week should pass a resolution instructing the president to enforce the law and to obey his own constitutional oath, and they should say if he fails to do so that they will zero out [defund] the office of attorney general and take other steps as necessary until the president agrees to do his job," said Gingrich. "His job is to enforce the rule of law and for us to start replacing the rule of law with the rule of Obama is a very dangerous precedent."
Gingrich would like to remind everybody that that marriage is between one man and one woman whom you abandon riddled with cancer on her hospital bed while you fuck the shit out of your mistress whom you later marry and cheat on with a third woman while screaming with Godly moral outrage about the infidelities of the president.
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SPLC Brands NYC Anti-Islam Blogger Pamela Geller As Hate Group

The Southern Poverty Law Center has branded vile NYC-based Atlas Shrugs blogger Pamela Geller and her fellow anti-Islam protesters as a hate group. Geller came to national prominence last year when she led the attack against the so-called Ground Zero mosque.
Stop the Islamization of America was included in the civil rights organization's annual roundup of extremist groups - a rogue's gallery that includes everything from the Ku Klux Klan to white supremacists and Nazis. Geller's group was one of the most vocal opponents of the proposed Islamic Center near Ground Zero. The group was also behind ads that were placed on city buses urging Muslims to leave "the falsity of Islam." Geller, who runs a blog called Atlas Shrugs, dismissed the Law Center as an "uber left" group that has "failed to address the greatest threat to our national security." "My group is a human rights group," she said. "And these people are taken seriously? This is the morally inverted state of the world."
Also making the new list is the Dove World Outreach Church, whose Pastor Terry Jones threatened to burn a stack of Korans if the mosque wasn't stopped.
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Sen Patrick Leahy: I Will Cosponsor Feinstein's Bill To Repeal DOMA

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) emailed his constituents today with a promise to cosponsor Sen. Dianne Feinstein's coming bill to repeal DOMA.
As a Vermonter who has been married for 48 years, I believe it is important to encourage and to sanction committed relationships; relationships that encourage us all to give back to our community; and relationships that complete our lives. Vermont led the way by being the first state to adopt a same-sex marriage law through a legislative process. Now that several states that have voted to give full marriage rights to same-sex couples, I believe that the Federal government should not interfere with those laws or discriminate between marriages sanctioned by State law. Vermont and other states have determined that committed same-sex couples and their families should be entitled to all the protection of that state-sanctioned union. The Defense of Marriage Act denies some Vermont families equal treatment, creating a system of second-class citizens. This goes against American values and it must end. In the coming days, I will join with Senator Dianne Feinstein to introduce legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. It is a core American value that all people should be treated equally by their government. Vermont has been leading the nation on this important civil rights issue and this week, President Obama and Attorney General Holder moved the Federal government in the right direction.
(Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)
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Gay Man Named WH Social Secretary

Longtime Obama fundraiser Jeremy Bernard (on left, with former partner Rufus Gifford), has been named White House social secretary. He's the first openly gay man to hold that position and the third in the job since Obama took office.
“Jeremy shares our vision for the White House as the People’s House, one that celebrates our history and culture in dynamic and inclusive ways,” President Obama said in a statement, “We look forward to Jeremy continuing to showcase America’s arts and culture to our nation and the world through the many events at the White House.” Bernard comes to the White House from the US Embassy in Paris, where he served as Senior Advisor to the Ambassador. Prior to this role, he worked as the White House Liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Obama's first social secretary departed after that dumbass Real Housewives debacle. The second left to campaign for Rahm Emanuel.
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BAHRAIN: Gay Partygoers On Trial

As Bahrain continues to be roiled by widespread civil unrest, the trial has begun for some of the 127 men arrested earlier this month at a purported "gay party." Gay Middle East reports:
Al Wasat News reported today that court proceedings commenced against 52 men who were arrested on the third of February. 49 of the 52 defendants attended the court proceeding, while two are fugitives, and one, who was released on bail, failed to appear before the fifth branch of lower criminal court of Bahrain. Al Wasat reports that 40 of the men are gay while the rest were involved in the running of the party. The men were not named but given numbers. Since there is no law against homosexuality in Bahrain the 40 defendants nevertheless were charged with incitement to immorality/debauchery and prostitution. Of the 40, 29 were also charged with engaging in immoral behaviour "in public" by dressing up like women and dancing in public. Some were also charged with cannabis consumption and being drunk "in public."
All of the defendants denied the accusations. GME notes that since the party was held in private, the charges of "offending public morality" should not apply.
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Altruistic Punishment

It turns out there's another name for that Manhattan phenomenon commonly called "sidewalk rage."
While it sounds like an oxymoron, altruistic punishment is basically how social norms get enforced. So when you expel a huffy "Excuse me!" to the rude sidewalk clogger in front of you who has stopped midstride to check his BlackBerry, you're trying to discourage behavior that endangers other members of the society. It's called "altruistic" punishment, because your efforts to protect civility come at personal cost with little chance of personal benefit: you are far more likely to get an obscene gesture or even a punch in the mouth than a thank you.

Many evolutionary psychologists believe, however, that without altruistic punishment, cooperation could not have evolved. In simulations of "selfish" versus "cooperative" strategies for living, for instance, researchers have found that altruistic or cooperative creatures beat out selfish ones only in an environment in which the failure to cooperate is actively detected and punished. Sidewalk rage — anger over the selfish violation of a cooperative social norm that protects the group — is a nice example of that.
What's the altruistic punishment for the people who argue about their coupons at Walgreens?
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Alan Keyes: Allowing Gays To Marry Is Like Granting The Right To Own Slaves

"Government doesn't endow people with the ability to procreate the species. The Creator takes care of that. Like all unalienable rights, those associated with the natural family exist in consequence of this endowment. A couple that cannot, by nature, procreate has no claim to those rights. Nor can government grant them a semblance of it without impairing the claims of one or both of the parents biologically implicated in the physical conception of the child. The DOMA simply makes more explicit the government's obligation to secure the Creator-endowed unalienable rights of the natural family. This obligation precludes government from fabricating other rights that impair them. In this respect, granting homosexuals the right to marry is like granting plantation owners the right to own slaves." - Alan Keyes, writing for World Net Daily.
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Tony Perkins: Obama Conspired With Ted Olson On Timing Of DOMA Decision

"The administration seems to be coordinating these efforts with the assault on marriage in the states. Yesterday, within two hours of the President's statement, a document was quietly filed in the Proposition 8 lawsuit. And not just any document, but a 23-page motion that noted the Justice Department's withdrawal from the DOMA case as a reason to lift the stay on Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling. Why is that significant? Because legal documents of this magnitude take days, if not weeks, to review.

"Obviously, Ted Olson's team had inside knowledge from someone at DOJ that this decision was coming down--and made sure the Prop 8 challengers were strategically positioned to capitalize on it. If this is true, and Olson's team was fed information before Congress or even the Speaker of the House was made aware, there's something fishy going on." - Family Research Council head Tony Perkins, who adds that GOP leaders have assured him that "DOMA is safe on their watch."
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Sharpton Gets Abortion Billboard Yanked

Rev. Al Sharpton says he's convinced an outdoor advertising company to pull the controversial anti-abortion billboard that went up in Soho earlier this week. Sharpton: "The billboard was offensive, especially during Black History Month, and I had intended to hold a press conference Friday in front of the billboard to protest the message of racial profiling and against a woman's right to choose."

UPDATE: Gothamist notes that the woman whose child posed for the stock photo used on the billboard is not very happy either. "I would never endorse something like that. Especially with my child's image. It's bad enough you're saying this about African Americans, but then you put a child with an innocent face. I just want the image off of it. Use another image—just not hers."
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Rick Santorum Defends The Crusades

“The idea that the Crusades and the fight of Christendom against Islam is somehow an aggression on our part is absolutely anti-historical. And that is what the perception is by the American left who hates Christendom. They hate Western civilization at the core. That's the problem." - Former Sen. Rick "Frothy Mix" Santorum, who says that Christians have never persecuted Muslims.
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ILLINOIS: Bed & Breakfasts Turn Away Gay Couple's Civil Union Ceremony

Two Illinois bed and breakfast hotels have turned away a gay couple's request to hold their civil unions ceremony, with one lodging manager emailing the couple to tell them to repent.
"We will never host same-sex civil unions. We will never host same-sex weddings even if they become legal in Illinois," Timber Creek operators told [Todd] Wathen in an e-mail. “We believe homosexuality is wrong and unnatural based on what the Bible says about it. If that is discrimination, I guess we unfortunately discriminate." When informed of Illinois's new civil unions law, Jim Walder of Timber Creek replied, “The Bible does not state opinions, but facts. It contains the highest laws pertinent to man. It trumps Illinois law, United States law, and global law should there ever be any.” Walder later sent an unsolicited e-mail of Bible passages to Wathen. He wrote, “Hi Todd, I know you may not want to hear this, but I thought I would send along a couple of verses in Romans 1 detailing how the Creator of the Universe looks at the gay lifestyle. It’s not to late to change your behavior.”
The couple has filed complaints with the state, which bans lodging discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In response, David Smith of the (SPLC-certified hate group) Illinois Family Institute has issued a bizarre demand that Gov. Pat Quinn and President Obama apologize for their support of LGBT rights. According to Smith, the owners of Timber Creek have received "poisonous, hate-filled letters and phone calls from leftists who demand that we accept their life choices." Timber Creek's website presently notes that it is an "upscale Christian" business.
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Quote Of The Day - Tony Perkins

"Never in the history of this great nation has a President so openly defied his duty to uphold and defend the law of the United States . Now, this White House is declaring war--not only on marriage--but on Congress, whose authority this President now rejects. If this congressional leadership does not intervene with the force this attack demands, then they will become complicit in behavior that is more befitting of a Middle East regime.

"To our friends who want nothing more than to leave these issues behind, this is what a social truce would look like. Republicans need to see this challenge for what it is: the White House, throwing down the gauntlet on marriage and declaring them irrelevant. That same piece of yellowed parchment that empowers this President is the one that demands, 'He shall take care that the laws be faithfully enforced.' And where he fails, Congress must not" - Family Research Council spokesbigot Tony Perkins, via press release
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Sign-Bombing CNN

The CNN reporter was unaware of the man parading back and forth behind her with his "Walker sucks Koch" sign. I had to dive for my camera and take a screen shot.
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Gay journalist Johann Hari calls for open debate on ‘Muslim homophobia’


There should be an open discussion on homophobia amongst Muslims, gay journalist Johann Hari says.

The Independent columnist lives in east London, close to where anti-gay stickers were plastered around streets earlier this month.

In this month’s Attitude magazine, he wrote: “East London has seen the highest increase in homophobic attacks anywhere in Britain. Everybody knows why, and nobody wants to say it.

“It is because East London has the highest Muslim population in Britain, and we have allowed a fanatically intolerant attitude towards gay people to incubate there, in the name of ‘tolerance’.”

Referring to a recent Gallup poll, he wrote: “No, Muslims are not the only homophobes among us. But the gap between them and the rest is startling. It’s zero per cent of British Muslims vs 58 per cent of other Brits who say we are ‘acceptable’.”

Mr Hari suggested that “solidarity” and sympathy among LGBT people for another minority group had led to “silence” on the issue.

He wrote: “It is true that British Muslims are themselves frequently the victims of bigotry. They are often harassed by the police, denied jobs, and abused in the street, and they are forced to watch as our government senselessly incinerates many Muslims abroad. (I have written many articles detailing and deploring these ugly facts.)

“So gay people are naturally reluctant to pile in onto minority who are being oppressed. We are rightly sympathetic. We know what it is like to be treated like this. We instinctively respond with solidarity, not suspicion.”

He urged for the support and funding of Muslim groups which do advocate LGBT equality, such as Imaan and British Muslims for Secular Democracy

Schools in Muslim areas should also be forced to teach that homosexuality is natural and harmless, he wrote.

“They know that many parents will go crazy,” he wrote. “Tough. It should be a legal requirement, tightly policed by Ofsted, and any school that refuses should be shut down.”

The stickers around London’s East End were first reported by PinkNews.co.uk.

Following the report, the Muslim Council of Britain and the East London Mosque condemned them.

Dilwar Khan, director of the East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre, said: “We stand together with our fellow citizens against all forms of hatred, including homophobia.

“We are committed to building strong and cohesive communities in Tower Hamlets, and our strength is that we will not let incidents of hate divide us.”

The Muslim Council of Britain said it “[stands] firm against discrimination and violence against any people”.

It added: “These stickers are wrong and not in keeping with our Islamic teaching to respect our neighbours.”
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Move to tackle racism on the gay scene


A new push to tackle racism on the gay scene is encouraging people to be “switched on” about discrimination.

Gay men’s health charity GMFA, which is leading the project, says discrimination inside the community will make it weaker.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that some black and ethnic minority gay people face prejudice on the gay scene.

A 2001, a Galop survey titled The Low Down found that 57 per cent of black and ethnic minority respondents said they had encountered racism from white LGBT people.

The project was developed by Big Up, the black gay men’s project at GMFA, which receives Big Lottery funding.

Jaime Sylla, project manager for Big Up, said: “These are big and historically complicated issues we’re dealing with. While we don’t expect to solve the problem of discrimination in one go, we hope this campaign provokes discussion and encourages everyone to recognise the benefits of ethnic diversity.

“We also hope that LGB&T people, irrespective of ethnic background, can draw parallels between the experience of homophobia and that of racism, and appreciate that our common struggle far outweighs what we think separates us.”

Matthew Hodson, head of programmes at GMFA, added: “All too often, society discriminates against us for being gay, or different. We know how hurtful and harmful that can be, so why would we perpetuate that within our own community?”

The campaign features online videos from ‘spokesmodels’ and adverts which carry the strapline: “A divided community makes us weaker.”

‘Spokesmodels’ experiences

Phyll Opoku, a black lesbian, said: “Many, many years back, when I first came out, I went to this club and I thought ‘wow, this is great!’ The women all dancing with each other.

“[I was] hoping that someone would just ask me to dance and. It didn’t happen but I got up and I danced just by myself. And then someone said, ‘You stupid, beep, beep, beep. Why don’t you just get off this dance floor? You’re in my way’.”

“They were drunk but when I say ‘beep, beep, beep…’ it was quite derogatory towards black people. So I realised that maybe that place was not for me; I didn’t see anybody that looked like me, to be able to sit there and feel comfortable with them.”

Hanaan Baig, of Muslim LGBT group Imaan, said: “There was an incident several years ago while me and other group members of Imaan were marching at London Pride.

“Other gay marchers came up to us and said, ‘I didn’t know we were marching with terrorists today!’ And that was a Pride day… yet there were other LGB&T people that felt it was necessary or perhaps even humorous to make such comments. It was pretty offensive.

“It’s very important for us to stand together because, at the end of the day, we need to make sure that we’re unified and we show a unified front.

“We will learn from each other and we will teach other people as well. By interacting with other people, [they] will learn from our behaviour, and from the way we interact with them, about our civility, about our humanity, about our friendship – and about the way we love as well.”
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Lady Gaga to be godmother to Elton John’s son


Lady Gaga is to be a godmother to Elton John and David Furnish’s new baby son.

Furnish recently let slip in an interview that the bisexual star would be an important part of two-month-old Zachary’s life.

Speaking to Canadian website macleans.ca about rumours that Gaga would be Zachary’s godmother, he replied: “We haven’t publicly confirmed that yet but your sources are very good!

“I prefer not to comment on it because we are going to make a statement about godparents later on.”

John recently described Gaga’s single Born This Way as “the new gay anthem”.

He added: “She’s all about inclusiveness and tolerance. She believes that you can be whoever you want to be and that we don’t have to live in a world of conformity and that we can all benefit from individuality.

“That’s the best message in the world. The freedom to be who you are, do what you want and love who you want to love.”
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Friday, February 25, 2011

US right hopes to make gay marriage an election issue


Following the Obama administration’s announcement that it will no longer defend the Defence of Marriage Act, US conservatives say they will make gay marriage an election issue.

According to the Washington Post, conservatives said they expect that a Republican challenger to President Obama will highlight the issue next year, even putting it on an equal footing with the economy.

Well-funded anti-gay groups such as the Family Research Council and the National Organisation for Marriage said Republicans would have to tackle the issue head-on to avoid alienating traditional supporters.

Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, told the newspaper: “It is incumbent upon the Republican leadership to respond by intervening to defend DOMA, or they will become complicit in the president’s neglect of duty.”

But Jon Davidson, legal director of the gay-rights group Lambda Legal, said he doubted how much impact the issue would have.

“I think they will try to turn this into a major election issue,” he said. “But the people who feel strongly that same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry were not going to vote for President Obama anyway.”

This week, the administration said it would not longer defend the law, known as DOMA. A Democratic senator is to introduce a bill next week to repeal the law.

DOMA restricts federal recognition of marriage to heterosexual couples – meaning that even states which want to give gay couples full equality cannot do so. It also means that married gay couples cannot file joint tax returns or receive survivors’ social security benefits.

It is not clear what effect the announcement will have on current state-level gay marriage wrangles. Gay marriage opponents are apt to claim it will strengthen their case, while supporters say it will give the ‘pro’ side a boost.

Although the President does not support gay marriage, his spokesman said this week that he is “grappling” with his views on the issue and has always opposed DOMA.

Six states currently allow gay couples to wed. Others allow forms of civil union or recognition of gay marriages performed in other states. Thirty have constitutional bans on the practice.
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Donation saves Alan Turing’s papers


A collection of computer genius Alan Turing’s papers have been saved for the nation by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

The documents were to be auctioned last year but a campaign began to raise enough money for them to stay at Bletchley Park, where Turing worked during the second world war.

The rare documents are offprints of almost of all of Turing’s published work and include his handwritten notes.

The codebreaker, who killed himself after being persecuted for being gay, did not keep much of his work and few artefacts of his achievements remain.

He had given the collection to his friend and Bletchley Park colleague Professor Max Newman.
IT journalist Gareth Halfacree began the campaign to save the papers and managed to raise £23,000 from public donations. Google and a private donor also pledged significant amounts.

Today, it was announced that the National Heritage Memorial Fund had stepped in at the last minute with £213,437, the final sum needed to avoid the papers going to auction.

Dame Jenny Abramsky, chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “This is such welcome news. Alan Turing was a true war hero and played an absolutely crucial role during the Second World War.

“The National Heritage Memorial Fund was set up in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK and this grant will now ensure that this extremely rare collection of his work stands as a permanent memorial to the man and to all those who paid the ultimate price in service to this nation.”

Simon Greenish, the chief executive of the Bletchley Park Trust, welcomed today’s announcement, saying: “The acquisition of this hugely important collection has been made possible only by the astonishing support demonstrated by the public, the media, Google, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Christies the auctioneers, whose help in brokering the purchase is gratefully acknowledged.

“We are delighted to have the collection here at Bletchley Park, which is surely its most fitting home and it will be an incredible addition to the visitor experience.”

Next year, Manchester, Turing’s hometown, will celebrate the centenary of his birth.

Scientists, computer programmers and athletes will join efforts to celebrate his life and work.
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Anonymous takes down ‘God Hates Fags’ church websites


Anonymous, the online activist movement, has taken down the website of the Westboro Baptist Church, home of the ‘God Hates Fags’ campaign group that pickets the funerals of US soldiers whose death the group blames on an acceptance of homosexuality by the USA.

It is alleged that the church made up previous threats to crash their websites by the group.

Anonymous has taken down the main website of the church together with their other websites, including the charmingly named PriestsRapeBoys.com as well as GodHatesAmerica.com, GodHatesTheWorld.com, JewsKilledJesus.com and AmericaIsDoomed.com.

The one page of the website that does resolve contains a letter from the Anonymous group that says the church’s website has been “seized by Anonymous under section #14 of the rules of the Internet.”

The church had begun a hate campaign against Anonymous and claimed that it was under threat, something that Anonymous said was a lie and a publicity stunt.

In their posting announcing the hack, Anonymous said: “Your continued biting of the Anonymous hand, however, has earned you a swift and emotionless bitchslap, in the form of this very message. Despite having had the capability to hack your sites previously, we chose not to and instead responded maturely to your threats, but you have not respected this.

“For this unremitting display of overzealousness, we award you no points. Take this defacement as a simple
warning: go away. The world (including Anonymous) disagrees with your hateful messages, but you have the right to voice them. This does not mean you can jump onto Anonymous for attention.”

The message ends with the statement: “God hates fags: assumption. Anonymous hates leeches: fact.”

In 2009, the God Hates Fags founder, Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper were banned from entering the UK.
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Maryland Senate passes gay marriage bill on third reading


A bill to introduce gay marriage in Maryland has passed its third and final reading in the Senate on Thursday evening by 25 votes to 21. Although the bill must pass in house of delegates, the state’s governor Martin O’Malley has pledged to sign it.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act will remove gender references in the US state’s marriage laws and give churches the right not to conduct ceremonies.

The debate will now continue in the House of Delegates on Friday but it is many expect that they will pass the measure.

But, Keiffer Mitchell, the Democrat sponsor of the legislation warned against complacency: “The Senate has been congenial. The House is going to be a lot more volatile. There are more personalities in the mix. I’m concerned about the tone.”

The bill currently has 58 sponsors in the House of Delegates, but 71 votes are needed for the bill to become law. Some predict that if it is passed, it may be passed to voters to decide on a referendum.

Politicians who oppose the measure will reportedly introduce controversial amendments, such as proposals to allow restaurants and hotels to ban gay couples.

If the bill turns into a law, Maryland will be the sixth US state to offer full marriage equality. The state recognises gay marriages performed in other states.

A Republican senator, Allan Kittleman, has suggested that the state should adopt a civil union bill, similar to the one signed into law by the governor of Hawaii last night.

Yesterday, the White House revealed that president Barack Obama’s administration would not defend a case brought against the government arguing that the Defense of Marriage Act is unfair. The president, through his attorney general said that defining a marriage as being between a man and a woman is unconstitutional. Other groups, in particular Congressional leaders could still defend the legal challenges to the law.
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Congressman pushes for repeal of anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act


A Democratic congressman is to re-introduce a bill to overturn the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act next week.

After the Obama administration said yesterday it would no longer defend the law, Jerrold Nadler, a representative for New York, is calling on other politicians to support his Respect for Marriage Act.

He secured the support of more than 100 co-sponsors last year but the bill failed to attract a Senate sponsor and fell flat.

The Defense of Marriage Act restricts federal recognition of marriage to heterosexual couples – meaning that even states which want to give gay couples full equality cannot do so.

In a statement Mr Nadler said: “The President has long called upon Congress to repeal this unconstitutional law and I will be reintroducing my legislation, the Respect for Marriage Act, to repeal [the Defence of Marriage Act] and ensure that committed, loving couples can rely upon the legal responsibilities and security that come with the time-honored tradition of marriage.”

According to USA Today, Mr Nadler’s office says that all four out gay congress members – Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jared Polis of Colorado, Barney Frank of Massachusetts and David Cicilline of Rhode Island – are backing it.

Mr Frank has co-signed a letter of support being circulated by Mr Nadler.

Yesterday, President Obama’s administration said it would no longer defend the law, known as DOMA.

The decision not to defend the law is as a result of two cases brought against the US government. They were filed in Connecticut and New York by gay rights groups argued that the law was unconstitutional. The plaintiffs were five married same-sex couples and a widower who have all been denied federal rights and protections because they are married to a person of the same sex.

The administration said the decision was made by Mr Obama himself, because he believes that the law is unconstitutional. However, a spokesman for the White House said that it is not a reflection of a change of the president’s position on gay marriage.

The president is still “grappling” with his personal views on the matter, however, he has consistently described DOMA as “unnecessary” and “unfair”.

*PinkNews.co.uk has used the American spelling of Defense as it is included in the title of the legislation.
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Indian TV report outs gay men


Several gay men have been outed by a TV news report in an Indian city.

Channel TV9 Telugu, which is broadcast in Hyderabad, carried out a ‘sting’ on gay internet dating profiles.

The programme, Gay Culture Rampant In Hyderabad, saw a reporter logging on to gay website planetromeo.com.

Users were labelled ‘deviants and their names and photos were clearly shown.

Extremely personal information about one man – including his penis size and preferred sexual position – was revealed by the programme.

The reporter also telephoned two men from the site to ask intimate questions about their sex lives and where they live and work.

The covertly-recorded conservations were broadcast with images of the men taken from their online profiles.

Footage was also secretly recorded inside a gay club.

According to an English translation of the script, programme-makers said that students and white-collar employees were becoming “slaves to [a] lifestyle which is against the natural way”.

NDTV reported that one young man attempted suicide after his parents saw him on the programme.

Gay campaigners and bloggers in India have condemned TV9 and called on gay people to complain to the channel.

An open letter to the channel from gay rights activist Aditya Bondyopadhyay accuses producers of “hunting down” gay people for the “titillation” of viewers. It added that this was a “clear case of entrapment”.

The letter asks for a public apology and warns that legal action may be taken.
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Most Irish people support gay marriage, poll says


A survey of Irish adults says that the majority – 61 per cent – support marriage equality for gay couples.

Just 27 per cent of voters are opposed to the idea of gay marriage, the Irish Independent/Millward Brown Lansdowne research found.

As with most polls on gay marriage, younger people and women were most in favour of the change.

Twelve per cent of respondents said they did not know.

Yesterday, Fine Gael politician Lucinda Creighton complained she had received hate mail after stating her opposition to gay marriage.

The party spokeswoman for equality issues said on Twitter last week that “marriage is primarily about children, [the] main purpose being to propagate [and] create”.

Angry Twitter and Facebook users hit back, although Ms Creighton claimed there was an “orchestrated campaign” against her.

This month, two male couples had Ireland’s first civil partnerships.

The first ceremonies were not scheduled until April 1st but it is understood that one partner in each couple was terminally ill.

As in Britain, gay rights activists are pushing for full marriage equality.
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Manchester to celebrate centenary of gay computer scientist Alan Turing


Manchester will celebrate the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth next year.

The gay computer scientist and codebreaker, who was born in 1912 and lived in the city, was persecuted for his sexual orientation and forced to undergo chemical castration.

During his career, he developed early computer software and intercepted Nazi communication. He has been hailed as the father of modern computing.

Scientists, computer programmers and athletes will join efforts to celebrate his life and work, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Turing was also a keen runner and unsuccessfully tried out for Britain’s Olympics team in 1948.

Lectures, events and award ceremonies will be held around the country in 2012, while the main event will be a three-day conference in June to discuss his contribution to science.

Manchester University and the Museum of Science and Industry will hold talks, children’s events and exhibitions about him, while events will also be held in Brazil and China.

The centenary celebrations have been organised by leading maths professor Barry Cooper, Manchester University professor Steve Furber and Turing’s nephew Sir John Dermot Turing.

Turing received a posthumous apology from prime minister Gordon Brown in 2009.

He was convicted of homosexuality offences in the 1950s and killed himself aged 41 after being punished with chemical castration and being barred from his work.

For more information about the centenary, visit http://www.mathcomp.leeds.ac.uk/turing2012/
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Hawaii governor signs civil unions bill


The governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, signed a civil unions bill into law yesterday.

The measure was approved by the Senate last week and will give gay couples almost all of the rights of marriage.

Signing the bill at a televised ceremony, Mr Abercrombie said: “This signing today of this measure says to all the world that they are welcome, that everyone is a brother or a sister in paradise. The legalisation of civic unions in Hawaii represents in my mind, equal rights.”

Around 150 gay activists attended the event, cheering as the governor as he declared the bill signed.

The first ceremonies will take place on January 1st 2012 and will make Hawaii the seventh US state to allow civil unions.

Gay rights campaigners are still pushing for marriage equality, which is legal in five states – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington DC.
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Christian website blames Christchurch Quake on gays


Members of the LGBT community in New Zealand have denounced a US-based Christian website for blaming the Christchurch earthquake on vengeance from God because of the “amoral” behaviour of gays and lesbians.

The quake, which left scores dead, took place on the day ‘Gay Ski Week’ was to begin.

The ChristchurchQuake.net website, hosted in Utah, lists a number of the major incidents that have taken place as a result of the devastating quake and blames them on gay people.

One page describes the fire pouring out of the Pike River Mine ventilation shaft that it says has left 29 men dead and 13 children orphaned.

It says this was vengeance for lesbian paedophiles: “The fire on the left is pouring out of the Pike River Mine ventilation shaft. The explosion orphaned 23 children, and killed 29 men. It happened in the heartland of NZ’s Labour Party, in the West Coast Mining area of the South Island. Why? Because the wicked, wicked women, who headed NZ’s Labour Party, conspired to orphan a little refugee girl – a little girl those lesbian paedophiles wanted to molest. The punishment was measure for measure – they tried to make an orphan of a little girl, so a Divine curse made orphans of 23 children in Labour’s heartland.

“The men who died were not guilty of the conspiracy to murder a child. But they could see what was going on, what had happened to the Labour Party. Anyone could see it – the squadron of butch women, with deep voices, dressing like men, walking like men, talking like men, taking lesbian lovers, who had taken over NZ’s Labour Party.”

The website goes on to say: “The miners were not guilty of child murder – but the whole of New Zealand was guily of turning a blind eye to the evil, to the perversion that was governing the country. A Labour Party was meant to be about protecting hardworking families. It is not meant to be a ‘fag and hag’ club for perverts, who want to exploit the rest of the population, and to molest and prey upon their children.

“Like it or not, Pike River was God’s answer — the whole country was judged guilty, and judgement began in the heartland of the party that let itself be taken over by perverts, paedophiles and murderers.”

The website warns Kiwis that they should not “tempt fate and risk another quake.” It said: “The morning of the Christchurch earthquake was the opening of ‘Gay Ski Week’. The highlight of the week was a party featuring two of NZ’s ugliest and butchest lesbians as the main event in Queenstown. Squadrons of ‘imports’ were to have been brought in for the week — from Sydney’s now booming gay and lesbian area around Oxford St, between the CBD and Kings Cross.”

Associate Professor of History at Massey University, Peter Lineham told GayNZ: “This sort of homophobic attitude generally comes from religious people who are subscribing to a Mid-Western USA frame of thought which is fearful of the world. It has its roots in a fear of what they see as a series of evils which are destroying what seems to them to have once been a comfortable 19th century kind of world. They see gays and lesbians as a threat to family life and fear lesbians in particular, as for them all submissiveness to a male authority figure has gone.”

Jay Bennie, editor of GayNZ said: “I think it’s despicable, I think it’s appallingly insensitive, not only to gays and lesbians but to the suggestion that the people of Christchurch, by embracing gays and lesbians to certain degrees in their society, have brought this upon themselves.

“It’s cruel and vindictive in the city’s hour of need. We are pretty disgusted about it and find it hard to understand how humane people could do this sort of thing,” he said.

“I would ask them to consider the lives of people in Christchurch and not use tragedy as a further opportunity to stir up hatred against gay and lesbian people.”

The website is hosted by Utah-based company Bluehost.com, who can be contacted at abuse@bluehost.com.

In 2007, the Right Rev Graham Dow, the Bishop of Carlisle, blamed the floods that devastated large parts of the UK on gay equality measures such as civil partnerships.
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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Video: Barack Obama rules US will not defend the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act


In what could be a historic advance for gay rights in the United States, Barack Obama’s administration has announced that it will not defend the Defense of Marriage Act in two specific cases because it defines a marriage as only being between a man and a woman.

The decision was made by Obama himself, because he believes that the law is unconstitutional. However, a spokesman for the White House said that it is not a reflection of a change of Obama’s own position on gay marriage.

The president is still “grappling” with his personal views on the matter, however, he has consistently described the Defense of Marriage act as “unnecessary” and “unfair”.

The 1996 federal law denies couples who have legally married in US states which allow it the same federal protection that hetrosexual couples enjoy. An US citizen can not sponsor their non-US citizen same sex spouse in the same way that straight couples can.

The decision not to defend the law is as a result of two cases brought against the US government. They were filed in Connecticut and New York by gay rights groups argued that the law was unconstitutional. The plaintiffs were five married same-sex couples and a widower who have all been denied federal rights and protections because they are married to a person of the same sex.

Mr Obama’s decision not to defend the anti-gay legislation mirrors that of former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger not to defend a case brought against the state of California’s Proposition 8, a voter initiated ban on gay marriage. But others may be able to defend claims in the place of the administration, including Congressional leaders.

In a statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said “much of the legal landscape has changed in the 15 years since Congress passed [the Defense of Marriage Act]‘.

He said there were no longer any “reasonable arguments” to deny gay married couples the same rights as straight couples.

He added: “There is, regrettably, a significant history of purposeful discrimination against gay and lesbian people, by governmental as well as private entities, based on prejudice and stereotypes that continue to have ramifications today.”

The attorney general also pointed out that the Supreme Court has already ruled that laws that criminalise homosexual behaviour are unconstitutional.

The law remains on the statute books however, until Congress repeals it or a court strikes it down. But Ted Olson, the former solicitor general to president George W Bush said that the decision is “certainly going to be persuasive in federal courts that even the government, who had a responsibility to defend the statutes if it could find a basis for doing so, felt that a ‘heightened scrutiny’ does apply.” Mr Olsen is currently leading the case against Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage in California.

“This is a monumental decision,” Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). “Congressional leaders must not waste another taxpayer dollar defending this patently unconstitutional law. The federal government has no business picking and choosing which legal marriages they want to recognize.”
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Customers of oldest gay pub in Wales lose battle to save venue


The oldest gay pub in Wales, Cardiff’s Kings Cross is to be closed and converted into a gastropub despite a campaign supported by gay rugby star Gareth Thomas to save it.

Mitchells and Butlers, the owners of the 137-year-old Kings Cross in Cardiff city centre have ignored a campaign led by Layton “Percy” Jones, who garnered the support of more than 2,000 locals to save the venue’s gay identity.

“The owners told us they intend to turn the place into a gastropub,” he told the South Wales Echo. “This place holds a lot of memories for a lot of people. It’s awful.”

Supporters of the campaign to save the gay venue included the gay former Welsh rugby captain Gareth Thomas and the leader of Cardiff council, Rodney Berman who is openly gay.

Mitchells and Butlers spokesman Andrew Roache told the newspaper: “It is our intention to carry out a significant yet sympathetic refurbishment of the building, shifting its focus from a late-night drinking venue to a pub restaurant catering for customers throughout the daytime and evening.

“As the owners of the Kings Cross for many years we recognise the pub’s importance to its existing loyal customer base.

“We are aware that many people have fond memories of the Kings Cross, but it is clear the business is no longer sustainable as a late-night drinking venue.”

Mr Berman, the leader of Cardiff council told the South Wales Echo: “This is a unique venue with a long history in the city centre. have vociferously opposed the loss of this pub have appeared to fall on deaf ears.

“I also suggested that if the company decided they no longer wished to run the venue in its current guise because of a shift in focus to operating food-led businesses, then perhaps they should consider selling the business to someone who would recognise its value.

“I wrote to Mitchells and Butlers to urge them to reflect on the strength of feeling in the LGBT community against the review and asking them to reassure customers. It concerns me greatly that the council has invested in regenerating this area of the city but this decision sends out a message, even inadvertently, that a pub aimed at the gay community appears not to be welcome there.”
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Irish politician says she received hate mail for anti-gay marriage views


Irish Fine Gael politician Lucinda Creighton has complained at heavy criticism of her views on gay marriage.

Ms Creighton, a party spokeswoman for equality issues, wrote on Twitter last week that she did not believe gay couples should be allowed to marry.

She said she “fully supports” civil partnerships but “marriage is primarily about children, [the] main purpose being to propagate [and] create”.

Her comments received strong opposition on Facebook and Twitter.

On her Facebook page, some users called her a “homophobic idiot”, a “c**t” and a “disgusting human being”.

Others urged against abusive language but attacked her views.

One user wrote: “Most of the angry people posting comments refrained from using such language.”

Another wrote: “The bigoted comments are regrettable but lets not forget who started the ball rolling – it was the EQUALITY spokesperson from Fine Gael who said YES to second class citizenship.”

Ms Creighton told the Herald: “It’s pretty vicious. I started getting text messages and calls from anonymous numbers last night.

“I’ve no problem having a discussion but this nastiness has evolved from people who want to whip it up,” she said

She has not removed the comments from her Facebook page and claims that it is an “orchestrated campaign”.

“There’s no point trying to censor it,” she said. “It’s an orchestrated campaign. It’s better to let people see the venom and nastiness that people engage in.”

These comments were quickly picked up by Facebook users, with one writing: “None of this is an orchestrated campaign, you just offended loads of people all at once.”

Fine Gael has distanced itself from her views. A party statement said: “Lucinda Creighton’s comments represent her own personal views. In 2004 Fine Gael was the first political party to call for civil partnership for same sex couples and has been fully supportive of the civil partnership legislation at all times.”
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‘The King’s Speech’ shared set with gay porn shoot


It has been revealed that The King’s Speech, winner of numerous BAFTA awards as well as hot tip for the Oscars was filmed in the same location as a gay porn film.

Much of the film was set in the office of speech therapist Lionel Logue’s, played by Oscar nominee Geoffrey Rush at 33 Portland Place in London. The same address as gay porn director ‘Jonno’ shot ‘Snookered’ for the website UK Naked Men.

However, despite a lot of attention on US blogs including the Huffington Post, there was no danger of Colin Firth accidentally stumbling into the wrong shoot. The King’s Speech began filming in November 2009, while ‘Snookered’ was filmed over a year earlier.

Amy Winehouse filmed the video for Rehab in the same building.
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Belgian gay couple to be reunited with baby son


A Belgian gay couple whose baby son was stranded in Ukraine for two years expect to be reunited with him soon.

Peter Meurrens and Laurent Ghilain had baby Samuel by surrogate in 2009 but red tape meant they could not bring him home.

The married couple have spent $125,000 trying to get the 28-month-old home, even resorting to trying to get him across the Ukrainian border with a fake passport.

Mr Meurrens told Associated Press that Samuel was issued a Belgian passport on Monday and they expect to regain custody of him at the weekend.

The baby has been living in an orphanage in Ukraine after bureaucrats decided he was not entitled to a passport, despite Mr Ghilain being his biological father.

The Belgian foreign ministry issued the document after a court ruling.

The couple decided to use a surrogate in Ukraine after failing to find a surrogate in Belgium.

They say they were reassured by Belgian authorities that there would no problems around taking their child home but believe homophobia contributed to their struggle.

Mr Meurrens said: “For the last two years, almost every month there was somebody telling us … it will take only one week and then he will be with you. Finally, I am starting to believe I will see him in a few days.”
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Comment: Stephen Twigg on the parallels of homophobia and antisemitism


February 2011 marks LGBT History Month in the UK. Together we will celebrate the achievements of the LGBT community and celebrate its diversity and that of society as a whole.

The organisers of the month encourage everyone to see “diversity and cultural pluralism as the positive forces that they are and endeavour to reflect this in all we do”. Such a positive message should go hand in hand with the responsibility to tackle the homophobic prejudices that persist.

There is an interesting comparison to be made here with the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism and the PCAA Foundation which provides the secretariat to that group. The PCAA Foundation seeks to use education as a basis for the elimination of antisemitism and states its fundamental belief to be that the struggle against prejudice and discrimination is not just the responsibility of the victims.

We have many common goals and ambitions. Indeed, in 1998 the late widow of Martin Luther King Jr, Coretta Scott King, said: “Homophobia is like racism and antisemitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanise a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood.” Sadly, she continues to be proven right.

As Michelle Goldberg of the American Prospect Magazine highlighted, the rhetoric of homophobia mirrors the tropes of classical Jew hatred, a shady crew behind the global forces of modernism and cosmopolitanism.

Such conspiracy theories are given voice by amongst others, Scott Lively, a key figure in the global anti-gay movement whose Poisoned Stream pointed to “a dark and powerful homosexual presence”.

In addition, like antisemitism, homophobia is a global phenomenon sometimes spurred on by religious zealots. Terrible abuses of gays and lesbians continue to take place in many parts of the world including Russia, the Middle East and Africa including the murder of David Kato in Uganda.

In Lithuania in November 2010, an amendment was submitted for parliamentary discussion that envisaged penalties for ‘public propagation of homosexual relations’ – perhaps unsurprising in a country which is at the centre of the movement to re-cast the Holocaust as the work of soviet Jews. Whilst in the UK, we too are not immune from homophobic bullying and attacks. And the US Right continues to mobilise against LGBT equality.

In history too we find frightening examples of hatred. At the turn of the 20th century antisemites were already casting antisemitism and homophobia in the same mould, as diseases trying to corrupt a moral and upright society. In fact the gay and Jewish communities were linked in a more positive way, for it was the Jewish doctor Magnus Hirschfeld who was a leading homosexual rights campaigner. Dr Hirschfeld suffered verbal and physical abuse to champion equality and today Jews still play a proud part in the LGBT community. Perhaps that is why many far-right white nationalists still hold the laughable view that the gay rights movement is simply a tool of the Jews to effect the downfall of society.

Thankfully much progress has been made. In the UK,civil partnerships have been legalised and Section 28 has been removed. In the USA in March 2009, President Obama signed the UN declaration for the decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide. Across Europe and Latin America there has been fantastic progress. And South Africa’s constitution enshrines anti-discrimination.

And so to the benefits of working together. I am told that the key lessons for other MPs who work with the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism are rooted in the need for education against antisemitism. In bringing together those of different faiths, academics across the Middle East and UK, or survivors of the Holocaust with children the APPG members have found talking and listening tends to lead to shared understanding of the desire for respect and acceptance. So too is education key to tackling homophobia and transphobia. In combating hate on the internet, at universities and in election campaigns the APPG is facing up to threats that target the LGB and T community too. In sharing and celebrating our successes whilst learning from one another, perhaps we can build a more understanding, proud and diverse society together.

Stephen Twigg is the Labour MP for Liverpool Derby West and the shadow minister for foreign affairs.
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Polish gay football fans ask for separate seats at Euro 2012


A Polish group of gay football fans has asked for separate seating at the 2012 European Championships to protect them from other fans.

Teczowa Trybuna 2012 (Rainbow Stand 2012) made the request to organisers, claiming that they could face harassment and violence if seated with the main crowd.

According to AP, the group said on its website: “During trips to matches of our beloved clubs … we unfortunately are often faced with unpleasantness, harassment and violence from the ‘real’ fans’.

“We dream of being able to relax in the stands – we can’t imagine not being at the Euro 2012 matches, which will be held in our country.”

But some Polish gay rights groups distanced themselves from the plea, saying that the plan could put gay fans in more danger.

Chris Basiurski, of the UK-based Gay Football Supporters’ Network, told PinkNews.co.uk that although Polish fans could be more likely to suffer violence, he did not agree with segregation.

He said: “I fully sympathise with their wish to feel safe and protected but I’m not convinced that segregation is the best option.

“We need to create atmospheres where people can be open about their sexual orientation. The best way is education for the fans and ensuring that matchday stewards understand the issues. And all football authorities need to do more.”

The city of Gdansk, which is one match venue, has already rejected the Teczowa Trybuna’s request, saying it would stigmatise gay people.

Homosexuality is legal in Poland but gay couples cannot adopt children and there is no legal recognition of their relationships.

The Polish capital Warsaw hosted EuroPride this year but gay and lesbian groups say they still face prejudice.
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Maryland Senate debates gay marriage


Maryland’s Senate began debating gay marriage today.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act will remove gender references in the US state’s marriage laws and give churches the right not to conduct ceremonies.

Debate is expected to last several days and senators who oppose the measure will reportedly introduce controversial amendments, such as proposals to allow restaurants and hotels to ban gay couples.

The support of 24 senators is the minimum needed to advance the bill and a vote is expected between Thursday and early next week.

The House of Delegates will vote on the bill on Friday.

Democratic governor Martin O’Malley is in support of the measure and a recent poll of Maryland voters found a slim majority in favour.

If the bill becomes law, Maryland will be the sixth US state to offer marriage equality. It already recognises gay marriages performed in other states.

A Republican senator, Allan Kittleman, has said he will introduce a civil unions proposal this session instead.

But gay groups have warned against legalising civil unions instead of marriage, saying the partnerships are not adequate and are not widely recognised.
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David Cameron says World Cup could make Qatar more gay-friendly


Hosting the World Cup in 2022 could make Qatar more gay-friendly, British prime minister David Cameron said today.

Mr Cameron, who is on a visit to the Gulf State, said that there is “no place for homophobia in football” and that the games could be an “engine for social change”.

Gay football fans had raised concerns that they would not be able to visit Qatar for the event as the country punishes gay sex with up to five years in prison.

Mr Cameron was speaking alongside Qatari prime minister, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al Thani when he was asked about the issue.

Press Association reports that he said: “Football is for everybody – no one should be excluded on the basis of their race or religion or sexuality.

“It is absolutely vital that is the case. I am sure that will be the case when the World Cup comes here.”

Mr Cameron continued: “Football can be a great engine for social change and a change of attitudes – we saw in our own country how football drove racism out of the stands.

“Just as that has happened, so too, we need to make sure that there is no place for homophobia in football.”

FIFA president Sepp Blatter had to apologise in December for suggesting that gay fans could visit Qatar if they refrained from sex.
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

New book claims Jesus can ‘cure’ gays and lesbians


Jesus can cure homosexuality, a new book claims.

‘Where is your brother?’, by Canadian author Marion Heath, is being published in the UK and tells the story of a gay couple who split up when one has a “dramatic experience”.

A launch will be held in Worcester by British publisher Crossbridge Books next month and Ms Heath is to take part in book signing sessions.

Crossbridge Books owner Eileen Mohr, who is a member of Far Forest Baptist Church in Far Forest, near Kidderminster, said she was expecting controversy.

“We are expecting homosexual people to object to the idea that Tony can be cured of his homosexual tendencies,” she told the Worcester News.

“We want them to read the book and find out more about the healing power of Jesus. A lot of people have been led astray and the present attitude is almost claiming that it is normal.

“Some seem to be born that way, but a lot of psychiatrists say it is a result of our environment. I know Jesus can heal them.”

The book is about two men called Ryan and Tony who enjoy whitewater rafting together.

Ryan leaves his wife and children to move in with Tony but Tony has an experience which leads him to shun homosexuality.

Crossbridge Books publishes texts with a Christian theme. Other works include a book on how Christians can convert Jehovah’s Witnesses and how prayer can cure schizophrenia.

David Allison of gay pressure group OutRage! “Frankly, this is the latest of a number of books written by people who can’t get it into their thick skulls that being gay is not an illness, an ailment or something to cure.

“Christians in particular are worried as science moves towards seeing being gay as a genetic thing – they are running out of ammunition.

“If science says this, Christians cannot say ‘you are evil’ because it’s something you’re born with, like your skin colour.

“It’s just nonsense. The book will have its moment of fame and then disappear into the remainder shelves in the bookshop.

“Most people have finally got the message that being gay is like having blue eyes or brown hair – it’s something you can’t change.”
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Tory MEP says EU funds for Africa should depend on gay rights progress


A Conservative MEP has said that EU financial aid to African countries should depend on their commitment to gay and human rights.

Dr Charles Tannock, the foreign affairs and human rights spokesman for the Tories in Europe, said he raised the issue in the European Parliament in Strasbourg last week.

He said he mentioned Ugandan gay rights campaigner David Kato, who was murdered last month. The campaigner had received threats after being outed in a local newspaper.

Dr Tannock said: “It is inevitable that in a climate of such bigotry the lives of gay rights activists would be endangered, and so it has sadly proved to be the case with David Kato. He knew the risks of publicly defending gays.

“I am sure that many of my London constituents are deeply concerned about the European Union giving financial aid to a country where such disgusting sentiments are not only tolerated but sometimes apparently officially condoned.

“I hope that parliament’s delegation for relations with the Pan-African Parliament will consider carefully what action it can take to register our anger and disgust at Mr Kato’s murder and, more generally, to underline that the EU’s continuing engagement and financial aid to African countries must be reciprocated with progress on fundamental human rights on that continent.”

This is not the first time that the suggestion has been made.

Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill has led to its annual UK aid being criticised. In 2009/10, the country received £68 million in aid from the UK.

Last year, Labour MP and former Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane said all foreign aid should be audited to ensure it does not go to “governments, faith groups or political organisation which promote homophobia at the global level”.

In 2009 Swedish development assistance minister Gunilla Carlsson suggested that her country could cut aid funding in Uganda over the controversial bill.
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Anti-gay singer Buju Banton guilty of drug charges


The homophobic Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton has been found guilty of cocaine charges.

The star was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and aiding and abetting others.

He was found not guilty of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

Banton, real name Mark Myrie, was arrested on the charges in December 2009 in Miami.

The star and two others – Ian Thomas and James Mack – attempted to buy the cocaine from an undercover US Drug Enforcement Administration officer after an informant tip-off.

Thomas and Mack pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Banton said he was innocent and claimed a defence of entrapment.

A previous case against Banton ended in a mistrial.

The star, who has been refused bail, is expected to appeal against the conviction.

A date has not yet been set for sentencing.

Banton, who won a Grammy for best album last month, has been accused of homophobia by gay rights groups.

His notorious 1988 hit Boom Bye Bye appears to incite the burning, shooting in the head and pouring acid over the faces of gay people.

The star claims he has not performed the song live for years but video footage appears to show him singing it at a concert in 2006.
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