THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • Being Gay Is A “Behaviour” According To Anti-Gay Group

    With US Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage just a month a way, the opposition is up to its usual dirty tricks with it’s latest highly offensive action.

    Faith 2 Action, Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, Judicial Action Group, American Family Association of Pennsylvania and Conservative Republicans of Texas are among groups behind a campaign making itself known on billboards that are now springing up around Michigan.

    These anti-gay billboards claim that homosexuality is a behaviour and not a civil right and advertise a website called ‘Restrain the Judges’ which urges people to send a ‘Restraining Order’ to every member of the Senate and the House along with each of the United States Supreme Court Justices.

    @RogerWalkerDack

  • Gay Kiss At Dodgers Stadium Makes History

    There is nothing that defines culture in our society more than sport.

    It is still the biggest reason why people are glued to the television in larger numbers than even the Eurovision Song Contest. It is also one of the last major bastions of homophobia in our society, so every single breakthrough we make is very significant. This week saw yet another heart-warming incident that indicates that maybe the tide is turning, albeit at a trickle at a time.

    Last Saturday at the Dodgers game versus the Arizona Diamondbacks, the infamous Kiss Cam was making its usual way around the stadium, putting couples up on the big screen so people could see them awkwardly smooch. The camera then landed on two men, which used to be a stupid joke before most professional sports organizations banned it, but this was no joke. This was just another couple, and the Dodgers wanted to include them in the corny fun.

    What happened next was extra special. When the couple kissed and smiled at the camera, the entire stadium cheered, because they knew they were witnessing something they would not have seen merely five years ago.

    One of the crowd Steve Hartline told The Gaily Grind:

    “I was at the Dodger/Diamondbacks game on Saturday evening at Dodger Stadium. Kiss Cam comes on, and after a few standard awkward couple moments, the camera focuses on two men. My natural instinct was this was for a gag/cheap laugh, but the two men turned to each other and kiss, indicating they are a real-life loving couple, not a punchline. I’m glad I was there, as it felt historic, and was proud of the loud, enthusiastic response from the crowd. Not one person around me groaned or made derogatory remarks, and seemed genuinely pleased with the moment.”

    The couple in the video, married couple of 20 years Steven and Rick Simone-Friedland, spoke about the big moment and what the heartwarming reaction meant to them.

    “All we did was kiss,” Steven said. “What made everyone’s day was the crowd reaction. I don’t think anybody was expecting that reaction. I kiss my husband every single day. That’s not the big deal. The big deal is what happened immediately after. That’s just the most amazing thing.”

    It was a very big change from the summer of 2000, when two women were thrown out of a Los Angeles Dodgers game for kissing. They were surrounded by eight security guards and escorted out because they exposing children to disgusting acts of horror, like love and engaging in public displays of affection that every straight couple engaged in that same evening.

  • Record Number Of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual MPs Voted In

    More than 25 openly LGB politicians have gained seats in this parliament. However no trans candidates have been elected.

    A record number of openly gay, lesbian and bisexual candidates have been successful in turning their campaigns into seats for parliament. There are over 25 out MPs in the UK now. However no trans candidates managed to win a majority in their constituencies.

    Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive, Stonewall:

    “We’re encouraged that people took to the polls and voted. More than 25 openly lesbian, gay or bisexual MPs have been elected, making this the largest group of openly LGB MPs elected to date. Our Parliament is richer and stronger for the diversity of voices and experiences within it, however, it is certainly disappointing not to see any openly trans people represented amongst our MPs.

    Looking ahead, our MPs cannot forget the manifesto commitments they made to the LGBT community. We must see those words translated into tangible actions. The Conservatives, alongside the Liberal Democrats, have had an impressive track record at Westminster over the last five years, and we look forward to working closely with the new government towards achieving equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, here and abroad.”

    Emily Brothers, Labour’s first out trans candidate lost out in Sutton and Cheam.

    Three openly HIV-positive candidates failed to win any seats. Two Lib Dem and one Green candidates who revealed their HIV status in the run up the election lost out in yesterday’s election.

    Religious parties who would have looked to undo the rights of gay people in England, Wales and Scotland failed to achieve 7000 votes.

  • Luxembourg: Only Gay Prime Minister In The World To Marry?

    Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is to wed his partner Gauthier Destenay next week, according to Yahoo News, just a few months after the tiny duchy legalised same-sex marriage.

    Bettel, who became prime minister in 2013 at the age of just 40, has said little about his plans in a bid to minimise press coverage in the tiny, conservative and mostly Roman Catholic duchy.

    “He does not want to put his private life in the public spotlight and he has turned down requests from the celebrity magazines to cover the event,” one of the sources said.

    In August, Bettel said he would marry Destenay, an architect, with whom he has been in a civil union since 2010.

    “He asked me and I said ‘yes,’” he told the Los Angeles Times.

    Mr Bettel is currently the only out gay Prime Minister in the world, although previously there were Belgium’s Elio Di Rupo and Iceland’s Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir .

  • Religious Political Parties Against Gay Rights Fail To Achieve 7000 Votes

    Two political parties that would have would have looked to undo equality for LGBT people in the UK have faired terribly in the UK general elections as fewer than 7,000 people voted in favour of religious based politics.

    The Christian People’s Alliance which was staunchly against the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples and would have looked to repeal women’s right to choose, by abolishing the 1967 Abortion Act has at time of publish just 3260 votes failing to declare any seats in Parliament.

    The Christian Party faired no better with just 3205 votes.

    According to the The Christian Party’s website it believes that there is a “homosexual agenda” and a “militant homosexual lobby” and they are alone in “opposing the redefinition of marriage to include civil partnerships”.

    The CP would have wanted civil partnerships to be redefined to a civil contract.

    On their official website the Christian Party suggest that the “homosexual agenda” is a moving one, which began with the campaign to decriminalise what two people do in the privacy of their own homes, toleration, equality and fairness, coming out and now it believes“, and it is now in the coersion phase; it plans to move on to the paedophilia phase soon”.

    Neither party managed to gain any seats in any of the constituencies they were standing for.

    Currently, the Conservatives have 325 seats with over 11 million votes, Labour has 228 seats with 9.2 million votes, and Liberal Democrats has 8 seats with 2.3 million seats.

  • This woman wants to sue you, for being gay

    You Are Being Sued – panic not, as we will all be in the dock with you if Sally Ann Driskell gets her own way.

    The Nebraska resident who identifies as an ambassador for God and Jesus Christ has filed a Federal Lawsuit in the US against ALL homosexual people on the planet for breaking “religious and moral laws.” (We are assuming she means Earth.)

    According to the Lincoln Journal Star, 63-year-old Ms. Driskell argues in a seven-page, handwritten petition delivered to the US District Court of Omaha that:

    “Homosexuality is a sin and that the homosexuals know it is a sin to live a life of homosexuality

    “Why else would they have been hiding in the closet(?)”

    Sadly spelling is not one of her better skills and so she challenges US District Judge John M. Gerrard to not “judge God to be a lier (sp),” and slams gay people as “liers (sp), deceivers and thieves” in the case, filed simply as Driskell v. Homosexuals.

    “I never thought that I would see a day in which our Great Nation or our Great State of Nebraska would become so compliant to the complicity of some people(’s) lewd behavior,” she notes.

    “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not.”

    Don’t rush to go pick out a little black number to wear as it is most unlikely her petition will not go any further.

    It’s a pity as we think it could have been fun taking the Stand.

  • Gay Marriage: Our Tomorrow

    More than 100 LGBTQ organisations have launched a social media campaign called “Our Tomorrow” in advance of the Supreme Court ruling on marriage in June.

     

    The campaign encourages LGBTQ individuals and allies to “share their hopes, fears and ideas in their own words.”

    Masen Davis, Our Tomorrow’s outreach director announced:

    “Our Tomorrow is dedicated to engaging the full diversity of the LGBTQ community — from all parts of the country and all walks of life — in helping to shape our future.”

    Yesterday the group released a launch video containing seven inspirational stories.

  • Call For New Psychology Standards For LGBT Community

    Collaborating counselling psychologists at Regent’s University London, Dr Markus Bidell and Professor Martin Milton, are calling for the development of international lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) psychology and psychotherapy standards.

    winter depression

    Both academics say that LGBT people encounter serious mental health disparities that can be critically worsened by discriminatory and prejudicial LGBT policies and human rights violations.

    In an international symposium at the British Psychology Society’s (BPS) annual conference in Liverpool over 5-7 May, Dr Bidell and Professor Milton will highlight the psychosocial problems negatively impacting many LGBT individuals, along with the historic and current role of psychologists in addressing LGBT civil rights in the UK and US.

    Most significantly, they add, prejudice and discriminatory policies in many countries are directly connected to mental health problems and civil rights violations experienced by many LGBT people.

    Dr Bidell explains:

    “UK and US psychological organisations have played a defining role in furthering LGBT human rights by supporting professional policies, clinical treatment, research, and training which reject biased perspectives that LGBT people were mentally disordered, immoral, or social deviants.

    “Current psychological standards in the US and UK affirm LGBT people have a sexual orientation and gender identity that is normal, healthy, and legitimate.

    “These shifts amongst US and UK psychologists have had tremendously positive social, policy, and legal implications for LGBT civil rights, such as same-sex marriage, discrediting conversion therapy, employment protection and transgender equality.

    “However, we’ve been shocked by the number of international psychologists who’s thinking is not just outdated in this area, but extremely damaging to LGBT people. By creating an international set of LGBT psychological standards we hope to strengthen and advance equality, public policy, and human rights for LGBT across nations.”

    Professor Milton adds:

    “The psychology standards we are proposing mirror the very best research, treatment and training available. Our goal is to create an established code of LGBT affirmative psychology, which will strengthen LGBT equality in our countries and advance similar types of LGBT civil rights and public policy advancements in countries that still criminalise and pathologise LGBT people.”

     

  • NYC Hotelier: “Gays Are Cheap”, “Gays Are Entitled”

    A gay hotelier who was slammed last week after hosting an anti-gay Republican Senator has hit out at the gay community, calling them “entitled” and cheap, complaining that his venture the Out NYC hasn’t yet shown a profit.

    Speaking to New York Magazine, Ian Reisner, was talking about how hard he has found it making profit from the gay community. Last Monday a rally was organised outside his New York hotel The Out, after he controversially hosted a reception for Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who has opposed marriage equality, protecting LGBTs from discrimination and banning conversion therapy.

    Reisner said that he wanted to invite everyone at the boycott in for an open dialogue, however the police and security suggested that he didn’t.

    Speaking about hosting Mr Cruz, Reisner took to Facebook to say:

    “…I made a terrible mistake.

    “I was ignorant, naive and much too quick in accepting a request to co-host a dinner with Cruz at my home without taking the time to completely understand all of his positions on gay rights.

    “I will try my best to make up for my poor judgement. Again, I am deeply sorry.”

    However in his latest interview with New York Magazine speaking about the incident out side his Hotel he said,

    “You know, it’s so ironic — I wanted to build kind of a community center in the gateway to Hell’s Kitchen, which in 2008–2009 was already a gay place and now it’s even gayer.

    “Very close to Broadway. We decided there’d be so many different ways to give back to the community. We show gay artists there.

    “For gay performers, we have let this cabaret club go on for three and a half years. And you don’t make money when you let drag queens in on Tuesday night and 30 people drink at $10 a drink and you have to pay five people to watch over the place.

    “You don’t make money … My only point is, this has not been a profitable venture. Gays are cheap. They’re frugal; gays are frugal. Let me retract that … gays are entitled …

    “Do you know how challenging it is to make a penny off a gay person? ‘I’m gay, I don’t pay cover. I’m gay, where’s my comp drink?’ [Everyone laughs.]

    No, I’m being serious! The Out NYC has not shown a profit yet …

  • UK YouTube Sensation Georgie Comes Out As Gay

    UK based Vlogger Georgie, 16, has officially come out on YouTube on his one year anniversary of Vlogging in a video called simply, Coming Out.

    During his 12-minute video, Georgie talks about his experience of coming out at school and the bullying he was subjected to. His torments were so bad after the news spread around his school, he said he had to get changed for PE/gym class, at a separate time from the rest of his male classmates and had to be escorted to the changing rooms by a teacher.

    He posted the video along with this message:

    “This video is in honor(sic) of my Channelversary, some of you may’ve known and some not. This was a very hard video for me to post, I’m not sad in this because I can now say that i’m happy and confident with who I am, I hope this helps some of you who are going through the same thing or something similar, just remember that you’re never alone. I hope you still support me, love you always x”

  • ISIS Execute “Gay” Man By Stoning As He Lays Defenceless On Ground

    Islamic State fighters have reportedly thrown another man, accused of being gay, off a building and stoned him to death after he survived the fall.

    The campaigning group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a Syrian-based campaign against ISIS and the Assad regime, have reported that a man accused of being gay was thrown from a building in Iraq and stoned on the ground after surviving the fall.

    A crowd on the ground watched as a number of masked men, some of whom were pointing assault rifles at the victim, threw the man from a two storey building, a fall that would not have resulted in his death, but one that would have resulted in painful injuries.

    One of the photos published shows the man mid-fall from the building, as up to eleven men are seen on top of the building. One of the men is flying a flag apparently bearing the symbol of ISIS. Meanwhile, a photo shows a large crowd of spectators, including children, watching the entire execution.

    Homosexuality is forbidden under Islamic State. Men who are accused of homosexuality are often thrown from building tops, before being stoned to death as they lay defenceless on the ground from injuries sustained by the fall.

    The pictures surfaced less than a month after two men were hugged by ISIS fighters before being put to death in Homs, in Syria.