An Australian newspaper has caused outrage after it published a cartoon by controversial right-wing cartoonist Bill Leak depicting a rainbow coloured Nazi army.
The Australian newspaper has caused widespread offend today after it published an illustration by the controversial right-wing cartoonist Bill Leak. The picture features rainbow suited Nazi troopers, with the caption Waffen-SSM which seems to link same-sex marriage to the Nazi’s military Waffen-SS wing.
The Australian is owned by media mogul Murdoch.
Australia is currently debating whether same-sex marriage should be made legal. The Government is planning to hold a public referendum on the issue of same-sex marriage,
It might surprise you to know that Australia still hasn’t equalized the age of consent for gay males in all its territories.
CREDIT: Pixabay
Australia is still lagging behind in terms of equality for gay and bisexual men. Not only is same-sex marriage still not available for couples but the age of consent is higher for gay or bisexual men who want to have penetrative sex. More accurately anal sex in some territories attracts a higher age of consent, despite the fact that the age of consent for vaginal or oral sex being equal across the country.
The age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual couples is 16 except in Queensland where the age of consent for male on male penetrative sex is 18. This law is also applied to heterosexual couples who may want to have anal sex too.
Vaginal and oral sex is legal from the age of 16 – regardless of sexuality, the penalty if you break this law is 14 years in jail.
Homosexuality was made legal across the country in 1994. However Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia still lag behind in many areas of equality with no provision in law for civil partnerships or adoption rights for LGBTs in those territories.
Radio presenter and Daily Mail columnist Katie Hopkins has apparently backed Keith Vaz MP after alleged details about his private life were made public, saying that if you don’t have skeletons in your closet you haven’t lived.
CREDIT: LBC
Speaking on LBC Katie Hopkins has given her sympathy for Labour politician Keith Vaz after alleged details were leaked about his private life. She scorned the moral outrage surrounding the Labour MP after newspapers reported on alleged sex and drug allegations details surrounding the MP’s private life.
She said,
“Little bit of sympathy and support for Keith Vaz this morning. Little bit of a shocker to find out your whole private life has been made public…. that your hooking up with a few rent boys is out there to be seen by the world.
“That you may have been indulging in a few things you didn’t want to.”
“I say ‘go Keith Vaz’. He was having a party in his pants, allegedly. Don’t just sit there and knock him from your sofa your sofa and knock and go ‘tut tut tut’.
“Remember you’ve all got skeletons in your closet, you’ve all got stuff to hide, you’ve all done dirty little things in your life.”
“If you haven’t, you haven’t lived, you’re probably and accountant in the public sector, I pity you. Rock on Keith Vaz. Sorry about your wife and kids and all that, but I say ‘go you’ and keep getting that party started. We need more people who are a bit more real. I don’t know why politicians have to be priests.”
Mr Vaz has now stepped down as the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee following newspaper claims that he allegedly paid for services of two male escorts.
In a statement he said,
“It is in the best interest of the Home Affairs Select Committee that its important work can be conducted without any distractions whatsoever.
“I am genuinely sorry that recent events make it impossible for this to happen if I remain chair. “
EastEnders will be welcoming back an icon later this year when the renowned Lord Michael Cashman briefly reprises his role as Colin Russell.
CREDIT” BBC
Lord Cashman made his first appearance as Colin on EastEnders back in 1986 and quickly became one of the Square’s most popular residents. Long-time viewers will remember his character made a huge impact after being involved in one of the programme’s most discussed stories at the time which saw the first gay kiss on a British soap opera.
BBC
Bosses are staying tight-lipped on details around the upcoming storyline but his visit to the Square is set to raise a big question for Dot.
“It was a real joy, indeed a privilege, to return to my old home of Albert Square. To be amongst so many friends again, and to be back in the place where 30 years ago I started an amazing journey. An amazing journey which incredibly helped to change the country, and certainly its attitude to lesbian gay and bisexual people. Arguably without EastEnders I would never have gone into politics; I would not have been one of the founders of Stonewall and its founding chair, and I would never have ended up where I am now.
As Shakespeare would have said by returning to where it all started ‘the wheel has turned full circle’. And the exquisite joy of having my scenes with the incredible ‘Dame’ June Brown was a bonus beyond anything else.”
Lord Michael Cashman will make his appearance next month.
Two parliamentarians in Germany are calling for reparations on behalf of over 50,000 gay men convicted of anti-gay laws enacted by the Nazis.
Katja Keul and Volker Beck from Germany’s Green Party are calling for reparations on behalf of tens of thousands of gay men who were criminalised for their sexuality during Nazi rule.
Thousands of men were imprisoned and sent to concentration camps during the violent oppression in Nazi Germany.
The law in question, Paragraph #175, an anti-sodomy bill which was introduced in 1871, was used to target gay men.
In 1935 Hitler’s government sharpened the Paragraph from the carnal act to any act that could be construed as homosexual.
This change in the law meant that the conviction rate soared from a few hundred to over 8000 gay men in one year.
According to VICE, between 1935 and 1943 around 46,000 men were convicted under the provision. Between five and ten thousand of those were sent to concentration camps. Less than half are believed to have survived.
“An end must be put to the continuing scandal that men in the Federal Republic of Germany have to live with the stigma of having been convicted because they were homosexual”.
Warwick District Council have come under criticism after refusing to fly the rainbow flag during Warwickshire Pride.
Photo Credit – Paul Szabo
The organisers of Warwickshire Pride have raised concerns with Warwick District Council after it said it would not fly the rainbow flag, at a town hall, during the county’s main pride event, which takes place in Leamington Spa on 20th August.
Daniel Browne, who founded Warwickshire Pride said that he wrote to the council to find out about the possibility of flying the rainbow flag during Warwickshire Pride. Mr Browne also enquired whether flags could be flown along Leamington Spa’s high street during the event.
A number of towns and cities across the UK, have raised rainbow flags to show their solidarity with the LGBT community after the Orlando massacre killed 49 people in June.
Matter of policy?
However, Councillor Andrew Mobbs, Leader of Warwick District Council replied that flags can only be flown for national events, not local ones. The leader remarked that this was not a new policy.
Spaces for flags on Leamington Spa’s high street are taken up by the Bowls Championships.
Further investigation by Mr Browne revealed that no such policy exists.
Mr Browne said,
“On Friday 29th July, I was contacted by a local councillor. He informed me that he has discovered that Warwick District Council do not have a flag policy.
“This is deeply concerning, as Cllr Mobbs specifically mentioned a council flag policy in his original email to me.”
Across the UK there are around 62 prides, with the bulk of events taking place to celebrate the LGBT community in July and August.
Entrance Flag
The council have confirmed that there will be a flag flown, but only at the entrance of Jepson Gardens – directly opposite the pride site – but not at the Town Hall.
Mr Browne continued.
I did raise concerns that he had not addressed the rainbow flag flying at the Town Hall and I asked him some direct questions about it. I asked for an explanation of the flag policy so I can understand it a bit more, asked who was involved in the decision making, and also whether it means Cllr Mobbs does not recognise Pride as a national event.
“All we ask is that the LGBT+ community in Leamington Spa receive the same visible support that councils around the UK show to their communities for Pride. A small gesture would go a very long way.”
A petition has been launched in which the Warwickshire Pride organisers “ask that the LGBT+ community in Leamington Spa receive the same visible support that councils around the UK show to their communities for Pride. A small gesture would go a very long way.”
The Pride Flag flies outside the Scottish Parliament during the Opening of the fifth session of the Scottish Parliament. 02 July 2016. Pic – Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament
On Wednesday his mother, Christine Leinonen, 49, gave an emotional speech at the Democratic National Convention demanding tighter gun controls in the United States.
She was supported on stage with survivor Brandon Wolf, and Drew’s ex-boyfriend, Jose Arriagada.
She told the crowd that “common sense policies, saves lives”
The British Government has announced it is to open a trade office in the US State of North Carolina, despite the state’s anti-LGBT laws.
CREDIT: Foreign and Commonwealth Office / FLICKR/ CC
The UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) is looking to open an office in Raleigh, North Carolina, despite the state’s notorious anti-LGBT laws.
The State which enacted HB2, a bill which bans LGBT+ right ordinances, earlier in the year has seen businesses pull out of investment deals, and rock stars pulling out of gigs.
The newly appointed DIT, headed by Doctor Liam Fox said,
“I am pleased to announce today that the UK government plans to open 3 new offices right here in the United States, in Minneapolis, Raleigh and San Diego.
“Our ambitious vision for an open and outward-looking UK economy includes growing our footprint in the most important markets around the world and these 3 cities offer exciting opportunities to boost trade and investment.”
HB2 Bans LGBT Rights
HB2 bans LGBT+ right ordinances in North Carolina.
In March, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed a law which would allow business owners to discriminate against LGBT people on the grounds of religious belief. The law also requires trans people to use the public toilet that aligns with the gender that is on their birth certificate.
The MP for North Somerset has voted against every piece of legislation that equalised LGBT rights in the UK.
Dr Fox was unsuccessful in his bid to become Prime Minister.
What Is HB2?
Business Over Rights?
THEGAYUK reached out to the DIT about why North Carolina was chosen even when the FOC warned LGBT travellers about visiting the state, a Department for International Trade spokesperson said,
“These locations were chosen because of their potential for UK trade and investment given their economic productivity and well-established research and development institutions and establishing a presence in these cities will help us to increase our reach across the United States to the benefit of British businesses.”
French MP, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen has suggested that accepting gay marriage could lead to multiple partner marriages.
CREDIT: Wikipedia / CC By Rémi Noyon aka RemiJDN derivative work: Hégésippe Cormier [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Marion Maréchal-Le Pen has told The Telegraph in an exclusive interview that she is strongly opposed to same-sex marriage saying that if the traditional family model is broken that marriages between multiple partners might not be far behind. She suggested that if society was to break away from the heteronormative model of opposite-sex marriages, other “minorities” could want their love recognised by the state.
The 26-year-old FrontNational MP said in her interview,
“Once you break away from the natural framework of a man and a woman, you could have other minorities who want their form of love recognised by the state. If you endorse homosexuality [in marriage], why not polygamy?”
The government of Tanzania apparently wants to stop gay sex, so it’s banning lube.
Tanzanian health officials have banned the import of sexual lubricants in a move to crack-down on anal sex, directly targeting the gay and bisexual male community.
Gay sexual relations are illegal in Tanzania with those found guilty handed life imprisonment sentences. However no arrests have been known to have been made in recent years.
“It is true that the government has banned the importation and use of the jelly to curb the spread of HIV,”
“It is estimated that 23 percent of men who have sex with men in Tanzania are living with HIV/AIDS,”
“I have instructed stakeholders working with gay people to remove the products from the market.”
Up until recently the gay and bisexual community were being handed out lube for free as part of a health campaign by advocacy and health groups working with the community. However the ministry now wants to use the money spent on lube “for beds for the maternity wards.”
It is recommended by healthcare professionals that lube always be used when having anal sex, regardless if the sex is being same-sex couples or opposite-sex couples.
Waterbased or silicon lubes are recommended with condom usage, one of the most effective ways of combatting HIV infections – as oil based lubricants such as Crisco or even cooking oil can break or weaken a condom.
The former Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron took to Twitter to say one last good. The responses were scathing to say the least.
Photo: Crown copyright Credit: Georgina Coupe
David Cameron, who expressed his joy in being able to bring same-sex marriage to the UK during his time as PM, sent one last tweet as Prime Minister simply stating:
It’s been a privilege to serve the country that I love.
![CREDIT: Wikipedia / CC By Rémi Noyon aka RemiJDN derivative work: Hégésippe Cormier [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.thegayuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/512px-Marion_Maréchal-Le_Pen_-_2012-04-22_-_Cropped.jpg "French MP: Gay Marriage Could \"Open The Door To Polygamy\" 14")
