Welsh political party, Plaid Cymru have pledged to end the discriminatory blood ban placed on gay and bisexual men who have had sex in the previous 12 months.
Plaid Cymru has said they will end the discriminatory blood ban that forbids gay and bisexual men from donating blood if they have had sex with someone of the same sex in the previous 12 months.
The party who had three MPs in the last government have unveiled a raft of LGBT+ pledges including a policy to prioritise the development of a gender identity clinic, working with schools to end homophobic bullying and promote LGBT participation in sport.
Plaid Cymru Assembly candidate for Cardiff Central Glyn Wise said,
“Plaid Cymru is committed to creating a Wales which secures equality and acceptance without question for all Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people.
“To achieve this, we would introduce a range of measures to tackle discrimination and end stigma currently facing so many members of the LGBT community.”
Mr Wise added,
“A Plaid Cymru government would end the discriminatory twelve month donation ban for gay men, using risk to determine suitability for donation.
“We will also work towards the implementation of a framework for Primary Care Services for trans people, with the development of a Gender Identity Clinic as a high priority.
“Plaid Cymru wants to take action to help young people facing homophobic bullying by requiring school in Wales to keep a register of bullying incidents related to sexuality.
“As part of broader efforts towards healthier lifestyles, a Party of Wales government will promote LGBT participation in sport and work with clubs and organisations to reduce homophobic and sexist behaviour.
“Our vision is of a more open, tolerant and accepting society. A Plaid Cymru government would work closely and constructively with organisations and individuals alike to deliver this.”
A rare posthumous wedding has taken place, between Xavier Jugelé and Etienne Cardiles, following Mr Jugele’s death in a terrorist attack in Paris in April.
Etienne Cardiles has posthumously married his partner, Xavier Jugelé. Along with the marriage, Mr Jugelé was also awarded the Legion of Honour, one of France’s highest awards.
The couple were civily wed, called a Pacte Civil de Solidarité (PACS) before Mr Jugelé death but now the partnership has been changed to a marriage.
Mr Jugelé was the sole fatality of a terrorist attack in Paris in April. Mr Jugelé was described by the New York Times as a “proud gay man”. He had been a serving officer since 2010.
The 37-year-old officer was shot by a gunman who was later killed by French security forces as he tried to flee the scene.
Mr Jugelé was sitting in a police vehicle near the world-famous Champs-Élysées when the gunman opened fire.
The shooter, 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, was apparently known to security services had been a list of suspected terrorists. He lived in the city’s suburbs. ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Twitter has changed its Pride and #LoveIsLove heart icon from a singular rainbow to a rainbow along with a blue and pink element.
Twitter has added a gender element to its #LoveIsLove and #Pride2017 heart icon to celebrate the start of Pride month across the world. The full rainbow icon was launched last year with the trending of the #LoveIsLove hashtag, but has now had a blue and pink element, which echoes the transgender pride flag, added to the left-hand side of the heart, which some had said has added a sense of unity for the community.
Twitter users took to the social network to show their love for the new design, with many users commenting how “cute” the new design was.
The British Transport Police (BTP) has released CCTV footage following a “homophobic” incident on a train in London.
(PICTURE REMOVED)
The images of three men caught on CCTV have been released as police by they look to question them in connection with an alleged homophobic incident on a train.
The 21-year-old victim was travelling on a London Overground train from Highbury & Islington to Willesden Junction when he was allegedly targeted with homophobic abuse.
A statement from the BTP said,
“Officers have conducted a number of enquiries and are now in a position to release CCTV images of three people they would like to speak to in connection with the incident, which took place around 10.30pm on Friday 31 March. Do you know who they are?
Anyone with information is asked to text to 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 386 of 31/05/2017. Alternatively, ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Brian Canchola’s trial has been delayed until October after witness illness cancels a court hearing.
The family of Stephen Sylvester will have to wait until October to learn the outcome of court proceedings against Brian Canchola, who stands accused of killing his boyfriend. The 18-year-old victim was found unconscious by police at his home, but died later from injuries sustained in an attack.
Kxan.com reports that a witness illness caused the delay after a hearing on Friday was cancelled. The judge pushed the trial until October 16th 2017.
Canchola was charged with first-degree murder after allegedly beating his 18-year-old boyfriend, Stephen Sylvester, to death. According to Canchola’s co-workers, the pair had been dating for two months.
In 2015, a roommate told police that he had heard fighting between the two boyfriends after he arrived home in the early morning and it was then that Canchola accused Sylvester of cheating. An alleged fight apparently escalated with the roommate hearing “banging and violent crashing”.
According to an affidavit, supplied by the roommate, the roommate also heard Sylvester’s pet dog crying out in pain after Canchola reportedly threatened to kill it.
The roommate found Sylvester after the fight, conscious but with bleeding coming from the back of his head and transported him to University Medical Center Brackenridge. However, Sylvester left the hospital before receiving medical treatment. He returned back to his apartment, where he lost consciousness, was transported back to a hospital and later died.
Canchola, who is now 22, is currently out on bond.
The scene… hold on I hear you say? Why do I hate the scene? It’s the place to be, to socialise and meet other like-minded individuals! But as you shall see my friends, The Scene is fraught with obstacles and dangers that lurk in the dark underbelly of that glitter infused world
1. The Shade, The shade of it all…
This one would probably be the most obvious of things to dislike about the gay scene. The natural bitchiness that seems to infest the community. Whether it’s simply snide comments, or outright nastiness, there is a constant feeling of being judged by your taste in music, or who you are, if you don’t subscribe to the idea of perceived gay perfection.
2. It costs a lot of money to look this cheap…
Recently there is a fashion to go towards having the most up to date underwear, the most on fleek eyebrows and enough makeup on your face to smother a cow. I’m first to admit I’ll happily slap a thin layer of foundation and powder on in order to have a more even skin tone, but taking out shares in Boots makeup counter is not something I really feel the need to do. Plus hotels probably charge for leaving that amount of fake tan on the pillows.
3. You can’t sit with us…
Unless you’re 18, with perfectly styled hair and weigh enough to make a Twiglet look morbidly obese, you’re painfully looked down upon. God forbid you should be over 30 with a receding hairline and carrying a few extra pounds and still want to go out and have a dance and a drink. Cliques are frustrating if you simply don’t fit into one. Yet trying to find a group of people you do fit in with, can usually result in meeting people who probably strangled small animals as a child.
4. Jimi Hendrix deceased, drugs. Janis Joplin deceased, alcohol. Mama Cass deceased, ham sandwich…
Most club DJ’s seem to forget any music existed between 2000 and 6 months ago and before 1990 and unless you ask for it, the brilliant music from the past is completely passed over for the mind-numbing tunes that you’re not entirely sure where one ends and the next begins because of the same beat traversing through the tracks. Not every gay person enjoys the same music, and even the most dedicated of club goers can get bored by the same tracks being played week in week out
5. Nissed as a pewt…
With the way most jobs are these days, shift work causes a natural tendency to go out and get absolutely wrecked on alcohol. I don’t just mean louder and not caring how you look on the dance floor drunk, I’m talking as drunk as possible before passing out. And this can lead to many unfortunate accidents and waking up next to the creature from the black lagoon. Find your limit of where you’re still an acceptable human being to be around and bloody stick it.
6. We’ve got one night only…
Let’s face it, the gay club scene is usually not where you’re going to find the love of your life. But most people seem to expect it and this leads to disappointment that Prince Charming didn’t come in on a white horse and sing at you. But it is disheartening when the most you can usually expect is a fumble behind a skip
7. Calm down Beyonce…
We’ve all seen them, and we’ve all been on the receiving end of them. The diva queens who insist they are the dog’s proverbials. Strutting around like the world owes them something, pushing in at the bar because they think they should be served first, but as soon as you call them out on it, it’s like you’ve somehow insulted THEM and aren’t bowing down to their sense of entitlement.
8. No, no, you said it. It’s out in the open. We have to live with it now…
The girl that guy is trying to get with goes to a club with her best gay friends, he tags along, and then acts surprised by the fact he’s in a gay club. Then the questions start… the endless questions and the protestations of: “no I’m fine with gay guys, just don’t come on to me”
Consider it flattery, just say you’re straight and move on. Don’t act offended, you’re in a flipping gay club with men who are attracted to men.
9. A dog’s not just for life, it’s for Christmas…
The girls who are on the lookout for a new “pet gay” Their old one has moved on, or got into a relationship and these girls are on the shop. While it’s always nice to make new friends, we certainly aren’t looking for someone who only wants a gay friend as some kind of fashion accessory and to boast to their lady friends. We also shouldn’t be used by these female strangers as a way for them to call judgement on and or pull the tall guy we fancy ourselves, and no I won’t come shopping with you tomorrow.
10. My god, it’ll be beautiful…
When your local club announces it’s going to have a “refurbishment” and closes down sections for weeks with endless announcements of the re-opening with all the special promotions that go with it. You gussy yourself up, get all your friends out. Have a few pre-drinks, because those club drinks don’t come cheap. You queue outside anxiously waiting for this little slice of gay heaven to open it’s doors. You go in with sparkles and rainbows in your eyes to be greeted with a new mirror ball, a smoke machine that fails after an hour and the walls being painted blue. Oh the humanity!
A survivor of last year’s ISIS attack on a gay bar in Orlando has died following a head-on car crash in Orlando.
Jahqui Sevilla has tragically passed away after a head-on car crash nearly one year on from the Pulse nightclub massacre which left 49 people dead. The 20-year-old college student died on State Road 417 when her vehicle drifted into the opposite lane and hit another car head-on. Both drivers were killed.
Sevilla survived last year’s terrorist attack on the Pulse nightclub. After the gunman opened fire, one of her friends was hit in the forearm, Sevilla applied pressure to the wound and stayed with the friend, helping her move to safety, outside the club where emergency services were able to help.
In a video posted earlier today, Kathy Griffin said that she had “gone too far” after the picture of a decapitated President Trump attracted a major backlash from all sides of the political spectrum.
In the video, which she published on Twitter she said,
“I sincerely apologise. I’m just now seeing the reaction to these images. I’m a comic, I cross the line. I move the line, then I cross it. I went way too far. The image is too disturbing.
“I understand how it offends people. It wasn’t funny, I get it. I beg for your forgiveness, I went too far. I made a mistake and I was wrong.”
Singer Ariana Grande is returning to the UK for a concert which will raise money for the victims of the Manchester bombing last week.
Ariana Grande will be joined by Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That and Niall Horan to perform in Manchester in aid of the victims of last Monday’s terrorist attack in Manchester, in which 22 people were killed and over 100 others injured.
The concert is called the One Love Manchester benefit concert and it will take place on the 4th June. The concert will take place at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground. General admission and hospitality tickets will be on sale through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.co.uk/arianagrandemanchester) fromThursday 1 June 2017 at 10:00 AM
Ariana Grande called on the biggest international names in music to join her for the evening, including Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That, Niall Horan, and others. The concert will be broadcast on BBC Television, and on BBC Radio and Capital Radio Networks. The BBC will be the host broadcaster for international television networks.
All net ticket proceeds of the show will go directly to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund which was set up by the Manchester City Council in partnership with the British Red Cross, in aid of grieving families and victims of the horrific attack.
Ariana Grande said, in an open letter posted on her social media accounts:
“My heart, prayers and condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones. There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.”
“We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win… Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.”
“Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy. So that is what it will continue to do for us. We will continue to honour the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans and all affected by this tragedy. They will be on my mind and in my heart everyday and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life.”
The attack – which took place after Ariana’s Dangerous Woman concert at Manchester Arena on Monday 22 May – killed 22 people, seven of whom were children, and injured hundreds of others.
Hundreds of people turned up to a memorial held in the memory Martyn Hett, who died along with 21 others during the Manchester bombing last week.
At the end of a one minute’s silence, Martyn’s friend, Rob – sung an emotional, heartbreaking tribute of “Till The End Of Time” a Mariah Carey track from her second album, Emotions.
A minutes silence broken by a phenomenal rendition of a Mariah Carey track by Martyn Hett's friend, Rob. pic.twitter.com/J7AJByS4xL
— Hits Radio News | Manchester (@hitsmcrnews) May 28, 2017
Martyn Hett was 29 when he was killed by a suicide bomber at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena last week. He was one of 22 fatalities.
Speaking at the memorial his mother called Martyn an “iconic diva” and thank everyone for their messages of love and support since his death. She also called the family’s liaison officers “absolute angels”.
She said that she was never going to go down the route of hate or anger for whoever was responsible and the goodness that she’s seen since his death had “by far outweighed the darkness”.
The White House seemingly edited out the name of Luxembourg Prime Minister’s husband, Gauthier Destenay.
The official White House picture, which included the spouses of Nato leaders, was published on the official White House Facebook page however at the time of publishing they omitted the name of Luxembourg Prime Minster’s husband, Gauthier Destenay.
The picture formed part of a album of 97 pictures taken during President Donald Trump’s first international visit since taking office in January.
The picture included First Lady Emine Erdoğan of Turkey; Iceland’s Thora Margret Baldvinsdottir; the First Lady of France Brigitte Trogneux; First Lady Melania Trump; Slovenia’s Mojca Stropnik; Bulgaria’s Desislava Radeva; Luxembourg’s Gauthier Destenay; Belgium’s Amélie Derbaudrenghien, and Norway’s Ingrid Schulerud.
Luxembourg’s Prime Minster Xavier Bettel is the world’s only openly gay head of state.
The omission of Gauthier Destenay’s name caused an immediate backlash on social media. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, was swift to respond to the post asking, why Mr Destenay was left out of the credit.
The White House then updated the picture, to include his name, nine hours after publishing.
