Elton John to Headline Morocco's Biggest Music Festival Despite Islamic Protest
THE TELEGRAPH: Elton John is to headline Morocco's biggest music festival despite calls from Islamist opposition that he should be turned away.

Religious conservatives argued that the gay singer would tarnish the image of the north African kingdom were he allowed to perform at the Mawazine World Rhythms festival in the capital Rabat.

Despite the opposition, the singer will head the festival, beginning on May 21, which brings together musicians from 50 countries and is backed by King Mohammed.

"Elton John is one of the best artists in the world. He is great and extraordinary when he appears on stage. That's why we invite him and welcome him to the Mawazine festival," festival director Aziz Daki said.

"The private life of a singer is not our business. We do not invite singers and artists after assessing their private lives." >>> | Monday, May 17, 2010

Morocco Resists Islamist Calls to Ban Elton John
abcNEWS: RABAT (Reuters) - Elton John will headline Morocco's biggest music festival this week despite calls by religious conservatives for the gay singer to be turned away, the event's organizer said.

Allowing the British singer and songwriter to perform at the Mawazine World Rhythms festival in the capital Rabat would tarnish the image of the north African kingdom, say powerful opposition Islamists.

The writer of "Candle in the Wind '97"', the best-selling single of all time, according to the Guinness Book of Records, has championed sexual freedom and campaigned against the spread of AIDS during a four-decade musical career.

"Elton John is one of the best artists in the world. He is great and extraordinary when he appears on stage. That's why we invite him and welcome him to the Mawazine festival," festival director Aziz Daki told Reuters.

"The private life of a singer is not our business. We do not invite singers and artists after assessing their private lives." >>> Lamine Ghanmi | Monday, May 17, 2010

Moroccan Islamist Party Calls for Elton John Ban
AFP: RABAT — Morocco's main Islamist opposition party has called for gay singer Elton John to be banned from performing at a festival in Rabat later this month, a party leader said Friday.

"We categorically reject the appearance of this singer because there is a risk of encouraging homosexuality in Morocco," the head of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) parliamentary group, Mustapha Ramid, told AFP.

"The problem is not with the singer himself but the image he has in society," another leading party member, Lahcen Daoudi, added.

"Moroccan society has a negative perception of this singer and we must take it into consideration." >>> | Friday, May 07, 2010

Éditorial
AUJOURD’HUI LE MAROC: Festival massif de Mawâzine, qu’un paranoïaque quelconque, travaillé au corps et à l’esprit par la campagne indigne de notre pays en cours d’exécution, se jette sur notre invité anglais à coup de slogans vengeurs et rédempteurs. >>> Khalil Hachimi Idrissi | Mercredi 24 Février 2010

Label marocanité : l’imposture de l’éthique
AUJOURD’HUI LE MAROC: Les festivals, on le sait, dérangent les islamistes. La musique, et ils le savent, est le seul domaine où ils perdent pied.

En dehors des chants religieux qui restent à audience limitée, tout ce qui est notes, rythmes, percussions ou vocalises prompts à s’emparer de l’âme et des cœurs, doit être, à leurs yeux, détesté et maudit. Ils n’ont donc jamais aimé «Mawâzine» pas plus qu’ils n’aiment «L’Boulevard» ou le Festival d’Essaouira. Et à la limite, c’est leur droit le plus strict et le plus absolu. Mais ce que, en revanche, on doit leur refuser, c’est de parler au nom de tout le peuple marocain. Nous aimons Elton John. Non pas pour son homosexualité, ses provocations ou pour ses accoutrements et lunettes excentriques. Nous l’aimons parce que c’est un grand, très grand artiste. … >>> Par Driss Ajbali | Vendredi 14 Mai 2010

Ben Elton: BBC ‘Scared of Islam Jokes’
THE GUARDIAN: Comedian and writer Ben Elton has accused the BBC of being too "scared" to allow jokes about Islam.

Elton, who co-wrote critically acclaimed sitcoms such as The Young Ones and Blackadder, said the BBC's reluctance to run material that might offend Muslims was based on fear rather than morality.

Speaking in an interview with Christian magazine Third Way, Elton was asked if too much deference was shown to religious people.

"I think it all starts with people nodding whenever anybody says, 'As a person of faith ...'," Elton replied.

"And I believe that part of it is due to the genuine fear that the authorities and the community have about provoking the radical elements of Islam," he said.

"There's no doubt about it, the BBC will let vicar gags pass but they would not let imam gags pass.

"They might pretend that it's, you know, something to do with their moral sensibilities, but it isn't. It's because they're scared. I know these people."

Elton said it was difficult to use even common sayings: "I wanted to use the phrase 'Muhammad came to the mountain' and everybody said, 'Oh, don't! Just don't! Don't go there!'.

"It was nothing to do with Islam, I was merely referring to the old proverb, 'If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.' And people said, 'Let's just not!' It's incredible." Ben Elton: BBC ‘Scared of Islam Jokes’ >>> By Chris Tryhorn

Mark Alexander

Elton John Concert Upsets Morocco's Muslim Politicians
THE TELEGRAPH: A concert by Sir Elton John has tested the limits of Morocco's drive for modernity, exposing the Muslim nation's complex and ambiguous attitudes toward homosexuality.

Islamists in the North African kingdom were outraged by the gay pop star's visit, while the royal palace, government and his many fans supported his appearance.

Authorities had beefed up security with thousands of police and plainclothes officers patrolling the concert. No violence was reported, despite calls from The Justice and Development Party, or PJD, Morocco's largest authorised Islamist group, for the show to be stopped.

"This singer is famous for his homosexual behaviour and for advocating it," said Mustapha Ramid, a leader and spokesman for the PJD, the country's biggest opposition party.

"We're a rather open party, but promoting homosexuality is completely unacceptable," he said.

Mr Ramid said that homosexuality was against Muslim values, and he feared the British singer would "encourage the phenomenon" and be a bad influence for Moroccan youth.

But in a sign of Sir Elton's popularity, several thousand of his fans appeared to know his lyrics by heart even though most people in this French and Arabic speaking country know little or no English.

Moroccan officials dismissed the calls to ban Sir Elton from performing. >>> | Thursday, May 27, 2010

MITHLY.NET: Elton JOHN au cœur d'un complot contre le Maroc ! >>> Par Stonewall

Related articles and videos here

BBC Should Go Easy on Islam and Muslims According to BBC Director General, Mark Thompson. At Taxpayers’ Expense, of Course!
Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, courtesy of The Telegraph
Mark Thompson appears to be unaware that many Muslims are out to destroy Western civilization. Or is this fact of little consequence to the man? What a ridiculous, soft, appeasing attitude he has!

For God’s sake (not Allah’s) don’t use public funds to tread softly softly on the enemy like this. Did the BBC go easy on Hitler and the Nazis in the late Thirties and Forties? Of course not. But then, that was an altogether different time – a time when people had strength and courage, and the determination to overcome the forces working against them. - ©Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: Islam should be treated more sensitively by the media than Christianity, according to the director general of the BBC.

Mark Thompson claimed that because Muslims are a religious minority in Britain and also often from ethnic minorities, their faith should be given different coverage to that of more established groups.

His comments come after the comedian Ben Elton accused the BBC of being scared of making jokes about Islam, while Hindus have claimed it favours Muslims over other religions.

But Mr Thompson, speaking at the annual public theology lecture of the religion think-tank Theos, insisted the state broadcaster would show programmes that criticised Islam if they were of sufficient quality.

The director general, whose corporation faced accusations of blasphemy from Christians after it allowed the transmission of the musical Jerry Springer -The Opera, also said his Christian beliefs guided his judgments and disclosed that he had never watched the Monty Python film Life of Brian which satirises the story of Jesus.

In his speech last night, Mr Thompson claimed there are now more programmes about religion on BBC television and radio than there have been in recent decades, whereas coverage has declined on ITV.

But asked whether it was correct that the BBC "let vicar gags pass but not imam gags", as Elton claimed, he admitted it did take a different approach to Islam, which has 1.6million followers in Britain, compared to its approach to the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church.

Mr Thompson said: "My view is that there is a difference between the position of Christianity, which I believe should be central to the BBC's religion coverage and widely respected and followed.

"What Christian identity feels like it is about to the broad population is a little bit different to people for whom their religion is also associated with an ethnic identity which has not been fully integrated. BBC Boss Says Islam Should Be Treated More Sensitively than Christianity >>> By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | October 15, 2008

MAIL ONLINE: The BBC Will Tackle Islam Differently to [sic] Christianity … and We Won’t Make Jokes about It, Admits Director General

BBC director general Mark Thompson has admitted that the broadcaster has to tackle Islam differently to [sic] Christianity and is reluctant to broadcast jokes about it.

He suggested that coverage needed to consider the feelings of Muslims because they are a religious minority, and had not fully integrated in to British society.

Mr Thompson was responding to comments made by comedian Ben Elton earlier this year who accused the BBC of being too scared to joke about Islam.

He said the corporation was too concerned with political correctness to poke fun at imams but were happy to satirise vicars.

Speaking at an annual theology lecture for religious think tank Theos, Mr Thompson said: 'My view is that there is a difference between the position of Christianity, which I believe should be central to the BBC's religion coverage and widely respected and followed.

'What Christian identity feels like to the broad population is a little bit different to people for whom their religion is also associated with an ethnic identity which has not been fully integrated.

'There's no reason why any religion should be immune from discussion, but I don't want to say that all religions are the same. To be a minority I think puts a slightly different outlook on it.'

Elton made his comments earlier this year in an interview with Christian magazine Third Way when he was asked if too much deference was shown to religious people.

'I think it all starts with people nodding whenever anybody says, 'As a person of faith ...',' he said.

'And I believe that part of it is due to the genuine fear that the authorities and the community have about provoking the radical elements of Islam," he said.

'There's no doubt about it, the BBC will let vicar gags pass but they would not let imam gags pass. They might pretend that it's, you know, something to do with their moral sensibilities, but it isn't. It's because they're scared. I know these people.'

However Thompson's admission was met with derision by Christian and media groups.

Stephen Green, director of Christian Voice, said: 'Mr Thompson seems to be saying that because Islam is a minority religion it should be treated with kid gloves.

'This is ridiculous. All religions should be treated with equally and with the same approach. I think the reality is that the BBC treats coverage of Islam and Muslims differently because it is terrified of offending them. It is political correctness. The BBC is simply not bothered about offending Christians despite the majority of this country being of that faith.'

John Beyer, director of Mediawatch, said: 'All religions need to be treated in the same way, otherwise how can the BBC claim to be impartial?

'I think that any approach to religious debate and discussion that is not impartial is not what the BBC should be doing.' >>> By Liz Thomas | October 15, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (UK) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (UK) >>>

Elton John's Lover Committed Suicide After Struggling to Come to Terms with Sexuality
THE TELEGRAPH: Sir Elton John has disclosed that a former lover threw himself to his death under a passing lorry because he could not reconcile his homosexuality with his Christian beliefs.

The singer, 62, said he was deeply traumatised by the suicide of the man, with whom he had been involved in a relationship before he "married" David Furnish, a film-maker 15 years his junior, in 2005.

"Years back I had a relationship, and I had absolutely no idea in the world he was going to do this... he threw himself under a truck," Sir Elton said. "There was so much grief."

Mr Furnish told The Sunday Telegraph that the lover, whom he declined to name, had taken his life because he was traumatised by the clash between his Christianity and his sexual inclinations.

"He was so tortured by the conflicting views between his sexuality and his strong religious beliefs that he chose to take his own life," said Furnish, whom Sir Elton "married" in a ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on the first day that civil partnerships could be performed in England. "It is very sad indeed."

Mr Furnish, a former advertising executive, added that "out of respect" for the dead man's family he would not name him. >>> Richard Eden, Deputy Editor, Mandrake | Saturday, March 13, 2010

Douglas Murray: Why Are Islamic Nutters in Nightdresses So Obsessed with Gays?
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG: If anyone missed Channel 4’s Dispatches the other night, can I very much recommend it? “Britain’s Islamic Republic” is available here and is vital viewing. Andrew Gilligan’s programme will be shocking even for those of you who, like me, thought they couldn’t be shocked by this sort of thing any more.

One interesting addition, if I may, which Brett at Harry’s Place also points out here. Though there has been a lot of press coverage of the documentary, there has been far too little outrage about the opening sequences showing the East London Mosque (yes, that one, favoured by Boris Johnson and Prince Charles) as the venue for events at which the most virulent anti-gay and anti-women perverts preach. I know that’s no surprise, but stay with me a moment.

One preacher, an evidently lunatic semi-literate called Abdul Karim Hattin, is shown playing what he calls “a game” called “spot the fag”. For this tittersome “game” he uses a slide to show a picture of Elton John beside one of the dead rapper “2-pac” (Tupac Shakur).

This confuses me a lot. I think the point this unfunny bigot is trying to make is that you can somehow recognise Elton John as gay because of the way he looks. But surely there is some mistake.

In the photo Elton John is wearing a respectable casual red top. Tupac on the other hand is topless, rather conspicuously ripped, and his naked torso glistening with sweat. Now I don’t want to spoil this “game”, but to my, not untrained, eyes I’d have identified “2-pac” as gay in this gay identity-parade.

But as it turns out, Mr Hattin also thinks (though for baffling reasons) that Tupac’s image was somehow gay. I’m not sure I go along with this. In any case, Mad-as-a-Hattin is saying all this whilst wearing what looks to me distinctly like an elderly lady’s nightdress. >>>

Dispatch: Britain’s Islamic Republic
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Elton John - Nikita

Featuring George Michael on backing vocals at song’s end, “Nikita” was one of Elton’s most popular singles of the 1980s. The video shoot starred actress and model Anya Major and a Bentley Continental Convertible automobile that belonged to Elton at the time. | Views on YouTube: 95,314,084

Jesus Was Gay, Says Elton John
THE TELEGRAPH: Sir Elton John has claimed that Jesus Christ was gay.

In a magazine interview, he said: "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.

"On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving." >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010

I Know Why Judas Betrayed Jesus, Says Gerry Adams in Channel 4 Documentary
TIMES ONLINE: Ever since Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus with a kiss 2,000 years ago theologians have argued about his motives. But one British academic has now given credit to Gerry Adams, the Sinn Féin leader, for a new insight into one of the most controversial passages of the Bible.

The man who spent a lot of his youth “on the run” from the Army in Belfast yet still swears that he has never been a member of the Provisional IRA, believes that Judas was turned informer by the Roman security services of the time in Palestine, just as many of his former comrades in the Republican movement were induced to spy. >>> David Sharrock, Ireland Correspondent | Monday, February 15, 2010

Russian Parents’ Group Demand Ban on Elton John for 'Supporting Sodomites'

THE INDEPENDENT: A Russian parents’ committee has asked President Vladimir Putin to cancel a planned concert by gay musician Elton John, saying he intended to violate a ban on “homosexual propaganda”.

In an open letter to Putin, the local parents’ group in the central Ural region was reported as saying: “The singer intends to come out in support of local sodomites and break the current Russian law, directed at protecting children.” » | Thomas Grove | Tuesday. September 24, 2013

Malaysia Muslims Call for 'Immoral' Elton John to Be Banned
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Malaysian Muslim political party is demanding that Elton John be barred from performing in the country later this week because he is homosexual.

Nasruding [sic] Hassan Tantawi, head of the youth wing of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic party (PAS), said the concert "must be cancelled".

"Artists who are involved in gay and lesbian activities must not be allowed to perform in Malaysia as they will promote the wrong values," he said.

Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia, where almost two-thirds of the 28 million population are Muslim, and is punishable by caning and up to 20 years in prison.

Mr Nasrudin said that the PAS "will demand that the authorities cancel this immoral performance to protect our society from social degradation." » | David Eimer, Bangkok | Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Elton John : Circle of Life | From The Lion King | Official Video

Nov 4, 2017 “Circle of Life” is performed and composed by Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song features in the iconic opening sequence of Walt Disney’s The Lion King and this music video features alternative lyrics from the soundtrack version. It was also nominated for Best Song at the 1994 Academy Awards. | Views on YouTube: 14,792,941

Elton John: 'I Am a European – Not a Stupid, Imperialist English Idiot'

THE GUARDIAN: The singer says Brexit has made him ashamed to be British, while performing in Verona during his final world tour

Elton John has said he is ashamed of the UK over its voting for and handling of Brexit.

While performing on Wednesday in Verona on his last ever world tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, he said: “I’m ashamed of my country for what it has done. It’s torn people apart … I am sick to death of politicians, especially British politicians. I am sick to death of Brexit. I am a European. I am not a stupid, colonial, imperialist English idiot.” » | Ben Beaumont-Thomas | Friday, May 31, 2019

Hear! Hear! – Mark

Elton John - Sad Songs (Say So Much)

“Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is the first single from Elton's 1984 album Breaking Hearts. The video was filmed at Rushcutters Bay in Sydney, Australia and directed by Russell Mulcahy with choreography by David Atkins. | Views on YouTube: 25,850,492

Gay Magazine Launched in Morocco
THE GUARDIAN: Homosexuality is illegal in Morocco but the publishers of a gay magazine feel its launch is a sign of progress

With gay rights under attack across Africa, it might not seem the best time to launch a magazine for homosexual people there.
But the owners of Mithly believe the launch of the magazine in Morocco is a sign of progress in a country where most gay men and lesbians tend to keep their sexuality secret.

Since its launch last month, Mithly – the title is an Arabic word meaning "the same as me", signifying gay – has covered subjects including the controversy over Elton John playing at a music festival in the country, a study of suicide among gay Moroccans and a book by an Algerian transsexual named Randa. The Arabic-language publication has sold 200 copies so far.

The paper edition circulated informally because it lacked a distribution licence from the government, said Samir Bargachi, general co-ordinator of Kif-Kif, Morocco's only gay rights group and the magazine's publisher.

He told the website Afrik.com that Mithly could reduce the stigma of being gay. "For over five years now, there has been a debate surrounding homosexuality in Morocco. But the mainstream media has the tendency to sensationalise the subject. With Mithly, we have the opportunity to give the views of homosexuals, and the opportunity to interact directly with society." >>> David Smith and agencies | Thursday, May 20, 2010

Being Gay in Morocco
AFRIK.COM: Samir Bergachi is unstoppable. Barely 23 years old, the young Moroccan is simply not content to live his homosexuality openly in a country where it is considered as a crime. For the past 6 years, Samir has been running the first Moroccan gay association, kif-kif. And only a month ago, he caused a real stir: the launching of Mithly, the first gay magazine in the Arab world. Some find his initiatives inadmissible. Others admire his courage.

He founded and launched Mithly, the first gay magazine in the Arab world, on the first of April and has since made headlines both in Morocco and the Arab world. Samir Bergachi, general coordinator of Kif-Kif, — an association that fights for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Morocco, founded in 2004, — launched Mithly in order to offer homosexuals a mouthpiece. Moroccan conservatives, hostile to homosexuality, which to them is deviant, do not accept the emergence of what has been termed a journalistic UFO. The Moroccan state, on the other hand, considers homosexuality as a crime. Gay Moroccans are, hence, caught between the hammer of the judiciary and the anvil of Islamist wrath. It is for this reason that the offices of Mithly and Kif-Kif have been established in Madrid, Spain. Despite these difficulties, Samir Bergachi told Afrik.com that the independent press as well as rights associations have "welcomed" the magazine.

Hard copies of the first issue of the magazine were printed and distributed clandestinely in Rabat. But for now, those in charge of Mithly want to focus their efforts on the Internet version for the sake of convenience. The first issue devotes several pages to British pop singer Elton John, whose participation in the Mawazine Festival, scheduled to take place in Rabat from May 21 to 29, has aroused the ire of the Islamists, due to his homosexuality. The singer is expected to meet Kif-Kif activists before his performance. Samir Bergachi believes that there is an implicit recognition by the authorities of the gay movement in Morocco. "We won a battle," he exclaims. >>> Djamel Belayachi | Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Elton John Joins call for Boycott of Brunei-owned Hotels

THE GUARDIAN: Singer follows George Clooney in protest at sultanate’s death penalty for gay sex and adultery

Elton John has joined George Clooney in calling for a boycott of nine Brunei-owned hotels over the sultanate’s new death penalty laws for gay sex and adultery.

“I commend my friend, George Clooney, for taking a stand against the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry taking place in the nation of Brunei – a place where gay people are brutalised, or worse – by boycotting the sultan’s hotels,” the singer wrote on his Twitter page late on Saturday.

The 72-year-old, a veteran gay rights campaigner, said his “heart went out” to staff at the hotels, but that “we must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable”.

The nine hotels mentioned by Clooney, in the US, Britain, France and Italy, include London’s exclusive Dorchester and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. » | Agence France-Presse | Sunday, March 31, 2019

Is this guy for real?

Photo courtesy of the BBC

BBC: Sir Elton John has said he would like to see all organised religion banned and accused it of trying to "turn hatred towards gay people".

Organised religion lacked compassion and turned people into "hateful lemmings", he told the Observer.

But the musician said he loved the idea of the teachings of Jesus Christ and the beautiful stories about it which he had learned at Sunday school. Sir Elton: Ban organised religion

Mark Alexander

Companies Abandon Brunei's Dorchester Hotel over Gay Sex Law

THE GUARDIAN: Businesses including Financial Times cancel events at London landmark as backlash grows

High-profile events and awards shows have been cancelled at the Dorchester in London in protest at the decision of Brunei, the hotel’s ultimate owner, to make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death.

The boycott against businesses owned by the Brunei state has continued to grow in recent days, following an outcry from LGBT campaigners including Sir Elton John over the introduction of the new rules, ordered by the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.

With other celebrities including the actor George Clooney giving their support to the boycott campaign, a string of companies confirmed on Friday that they would no longer be using the five-star hotel’s facilities. The TV Choice awards, several major property companies and the Financial Times were among those that said they would be cancelling events. » | Jim Waterson, Media editor | Friday, April 5, 2019

Ed West: Homophobia Is a Right, Too
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG: As historical analysis goes, I’m not sure it’s quite up there with Carr or Elton. According to Pauline Howe, the “perverted sexual practises” of “sodomites” were responsible for “the downfall of every empire”. I always thought the British Empire fell because of the exhaustion caused by the First World War, or specifically the fall of Singapore in World War 2, or perhaps the rise of Third World nationalism and American pressure. Maybe I was wrong and it was all down to Greek “practises”.

Still, whether or not one agrees with Mrs Howe’s radical revisionist history, or her objecting to the Norwich Gay Pride march (a phrase that personally fills me with crushing ennui, rather than any moral objection), Norfolk Constabulary’s decision to treat is as a “hate incident” is deeply sinister.

This is by no means the first incident of its kind – several people, all Christians (generally Evangelicals) have been questioned by the police over objecting to homosexuality. It is a part of a wider trend of illiberalism across Europe that has taken place in the past decade, starting with Holocaust denial laws and in Britain reaching its nadir (so far) with the Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2006, one of the most illiberal laws concerning religion since the days when men with buckles on their hats ruled the law.

This soft totalitarianism does not come with gulags or death camps, but rather the petty harassment of individuals by the authorities. Its victim include countryside campaigner Robin Page, arrested for saying he wanted the same rights as a “black vegetarian Muslim asylum-seeking one-legged lesbian lorry driver”. Or Codie Stott, a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was arrested because she did not want to sit at a table with three girls who were speaking Urdu. Or the taxpayers of Wales, who forked out the £3,800 that police spent investigating “anti-Welsh” remarks by Anne Robinson.

Mike Judge of the Christian Institute, the group helping Mrs Howe, says: “Whether people agree or disagree with Mrs Howe’s views, everyone who cares about freedom should be alarmed at the police action.” Read on and comment here >>> Ed West | Monday, October 26, 2009

Billie Jean King Reveals She’s Gotten Married in Private after Hesitating for Years

LGBTQ NATION: "Years from now, I never want anyone to question how much I was committed to you," King said about her life-long partner Ilana Kloss, she reveals in her upcoming memoir.

Ilana Kloss (left) and Billie Jean King (right) at the "Battle of the Sexes" Premiere at the Village Theater on September 16, 2017 in Westwood, CA | Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock
Although she helped to advance LGBTQ rights for decades and fought for marriage equality for years, Billie Jean King resisted marriage herself. She turned down an offer from Elton John to sing at the wedding. She didn’t do it after John McEnroe’s pushed her to do it in Las Vegas.

But King is now revealing that eventually, she did in fact decide to get married. In fact, she and her partner of 42 years, Ilana Kloss, did it about three years ago. No one knew about it — other than the former mayor of New York that officiated it, his wife, an “aide” that witnessed it, and the city employee who issued their license.

King tied the knot with Kloss on October 18, 2018, but she’s only revealing it publicly now in her memoir, All-In, and with an interview in People Magazine. Family and friends only found out when they received advanced copies of All-In, which goes on sale on August 17. » | Juwan J. Holmes | Sunday, August 15, 2021

For the Trump Family, LGBTQ+ People Are Nothing but a Joke

Like his grandmother and father, Donald Trump Jr. uses LGBTQ in a disparaging way. |Via Shutterstock
ADVOCATE: During one of my conversations with Mary Trump, she relayed a story about how her grandmother made crude jokes about Elton John singing at the funeral of Princess Diana. She used a vulgar term to describe the gay music legend.

Mary’s cousin Eric Trump isn’t known for his smarts. (My grandfather would say about him, “The lights are on, but there’s nobody home.”) He famously once said that he was part of the LGBTQ community, “I’m telling you, I see it every day, the LGBT community, they are incredible and you should see how they’ve come out in full force for my father every single day. I’m part of that community, and we love the man and thank you for protecting our neighborhoods and thank you for protecting our cities.” Is he really that obtuse, or was he joking?

He later said he had been trying to explain what LGBTQ+ Trump supporters have told him.

Donald Trump once joked that Mike Pence "wants to hang" gay people, according to a story in The New Yorker in October of 2017. » | John Casey | Friday, November 19, 2021