Thousands Attend Funeral of Gay Man in Chile
A 24-year-old who was beaten and branded with swastikas by a neo-Nazi group earlier this month was laid to rest, as thousands attended his funeral in Chile. Friends, family, gay rights activists, and foreign dignitaries gathered in Santiago on Friday, as police stated they are treating the murder of Daniel Zambudio as a hate crime. They believe he was targeted because he was homosexual. The tragedy has sparked a national outcry and a debate over whether the government should pass an anti-discrimination law offering stronger protections for victims of hate crimes. Al Jazeera's Rachel Levin reports.

WA TODAY: Huge funeral for gay neo-Nazi victim: Thousands of Chileans have joined the funeral procession a gay man tortured and beaten to death by presumed neo-Nazis amid growing national outrage over the attack. ¶ On Friday people crowded the streets around cars that travelled for three hours between Daniel Zamudio's home in San Bernardo south of the capital and the main cemetery in Santiago, waving white handkerchiefs, throwing flowers and clapping. ¶ "There will be time for justice but for now, I am only asking for respect, and I thank all of you for each gesture, each tear shed, for my brother," Diego Zamudio said before a private cremation. » | AFP | Saturday, March 31, 2012

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Defends Law Criminalising Homosexuality in Liberia
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: In joint interview, Tony Blair refuses to comment on Liberian president's remarks supporting anti-gay laws


The Nobel peace prize winner and president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has defended a law that criminalises homosexual acts, saying: "We like ourselves just the way we are."

In a joint interview with Tony Blair, who was left looking visibly uncomfortable by her remarks, Sirleaf told the Guardian: "We've got certain traditional values in our society that we would like to preserve."

Liberian legislation classes "voluntary sodomy" as a misdemeanour punishable by up to one year in prison, but two new bills have been proposed that would target homosexuality with much tougher sentences.

Blair, on a visit to Liberia in his capacity as the founder of the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), a charity that aims to strengthen African governments, refused to comment on Sirleaf's remarks.

When asked whether good governance and human rights went hand in hand, the British former prime minister said: "I'm not giving you an answer on it." » | Tamasin Ford and Bonnie Allen in Monrovia | Monday, March 19, 2012

Mary Ann Sieghart: Be Glad You Live in Britain, Not the US, If You're Gay or a Woman

THE INDEPENDENT: Contraception is free and uncontroversial, sex education sensible and gay relationships are becoming normalised

Which ideas will endure for at least another century?" was one of the questions we were posed at a thought-provoking conference over the weekend. We considered and dismissed democracy – in the past century, it's been overthrown by communism, fascism and autocracy – and capitalism, which even now seems a little under threat. One concept, though, kept bubbling up into my mind: love.

Whether you worship the Beatles or the Bible doesn't matter. Love is either all you need or it's greater even than faith and hope, and all three will endure. It's the biggest contributor to human happiness, and if politicians dare to intrude into our love lives, they can have a more profound effect than any tinkering with taxes or the national curriculum. Which is why women and gay men should be deeply grateful that, in this era, we live in Britain and not the United States.

In this country, people have become increasingly freer to love whom they like and to live how they like. Tolerance of homosexuality in particular has blossomed in the past couple of decades, making the country strikingly more generous. It's been a really big and welcome cultural change. » | Mary Ann Sieghart | Monday, March 12, 2012

George Clooney: 'I Don't Give a S--- ' If People Think I Am Gay
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: George Clooney has addressed rumours about his sexuality, saying he "doesn't give a s---" if people think he is gay.

Clooney, a prominent campaigner for legalising same-sex marriage in the United States, said people would probably continue to speculate even after he is dead, and that he didn't care.

He told gay and lesbian news magazine The Advocate: "I think it’s funny, but the last thing you’ll ever see me do is jump up and down saying 'These are lies!' That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community.

"I’m not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing. My private life is private, and I’m very happy in it. Who does it hurt if someone thinks I’m gay? I’ll be long dead and there will still be people who say I was gay. I don’t give a s---." » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Friday, March 02, 2012

Verwandt »

My comment:

George Clooney has got a wonderful, healthy attitude to whether people think he's gay or not. Good for him! – © Mark

This comment appears here, too.

Gay Marines Kiss
A photo of a gay Marine locked in a passionate welcome home kiss with his boyfriend has gone viral, sparking a groundswell of support from backers of the military's policy of allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the military.

The photo, which shows Sgt. Brandon Morgan locking lips with partner Dalan Wells during a recent homecoming in Hawaii, was posted to a Gay Marines Facebook page on Saturday.

Since then, the shot has received tens of thousands of "likes," shares and comments, prompting the young soldier to send a grateful message to all of his supporters.


Related »

The tolerant Brits show their overwhelming support »

BILD.DE: Schwuler US-Soldat küsst seinen Freund » | Dienstag, 28. Februar 2012

MAIL ONLINE: It was their FIRST KISS: Gay marines in homecoming clinch fell in love online while one of them was serving in Afghanistan: Sgt Brandon Morgan and Dalan Wells were reunited after six months apart » | Laura Cox | Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Gay Rights Activists Urge Tennessee to Halt Passage of 'Don't Say Gay' Bill
THE GUARDIAN: Controversial bill would limit discussion of gay relationships in schools and could encourage similar laws across America

Gay rights activists are mounting a last-ditch push to stop legislation that would ban any discussion of homosexuality in Tennessee schools, in a move they fear will encourage similar laws across the US.

The controversial 'don't say gay' bill has already passed the state's senate, and is expected to receive a second vote on Tuesday. If passed, the bill could become law within months.

Opponents are concerned about the implications across the US as well as in Tennessee, where two teens, Jacob Rogers and Phillip Parker, have recently killed themselves after being bullied over their sexuality.

The legislation, originally authored by Republican state senator Stacey Campfield, limits all sexually-related instruction to "natural human reproduction science" in kindergarten through eighth grade, when students are 13-14 years old.

The original version of the bill would have prohibited public elementary and middle schools from providing "any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality."

The amended version would limit instruction to "natural human reproduction science", but has left those terms undefined. » | Dominic Rushe in Nashville, Tennessee | Monday, February 27, 2012

Turkish Film Highlights Gay Honor Killing

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Shortly after telling his parents he was gay, Ahmet Yildiz was gunned down inside his car by his father in Istanbul. It was Turkey's first officially recognized gay "honor killing."

An award-winning film partly inspired by Yildiz's story, which opened in dozens of cinemas across Turkey last week, is putting the spotlight on gays in a Muslim country that is seeking European Union membership but remains influenced by conservative and religious values.

The film "Zenne Dancer" — or male belly dancer — is not the nation's first gay-themed movie but is the first to explore the little-known phenomenon of men killed by family members for being gay. So-called honor killings in Turkey usually target women accused of disgracing the family.

"Our main aim was to convey Ahmet's story, but by doing so we also wanted to expose the pressure the (gay and lesbian community) faces from their family, the society and the state," said Mehmet Binay, who co-directed and produced the film with his partner, Caner Alper. » | Suzan Fraser, Associated Press | Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Gay Actors Say Coming Out Affects Roles They Get
THE GUARDIAN: Equity survey finds only 57% of gay actors feel they can be open about their sexuality to their agents

A survey has revealed that gay actors still feel that coming out affects the roles they get to play. Though recent years have seen successful, out actors from Russell Tovey to Ian McKellen playing heterosexual parts like Steve in Him & Her and King Lear respectively, only 57% of the gay actors who responded to the survey, by the actors union Equity, felt they could be open about their sexuality to agents.

One gay actor, quoted in theatre trade paper the Stage, said: "A previous agent of mine once told me to keep quiet about my sexuality and though I am out, I do not broadcast it."
However, 81% described themselves as out in their professional lives and 94% said they did not conceal their sexuality to fellow performers.

Over half of the gay actors who responded to the survey said that they feared being offered only stereotypical roles if they came out, while being denied romantic leads in particular.

One said: "I have seen others sidelined due to their sexuality and I know that I have been sidelined too." Another said: "It's OK for a straight actor to play gay roles but harder, if not impossible, the other way round."

Last January, Rupert Everett told the Observer that he regretted coming out, saying: "For an actor to be working (at all) is a kind of miracle, because most actors aren't. So it's just silly for a working actor to say, 'Oh, I don't care if anybody knows I'm gay' – especially if you're a leading man." » | Alex Needham | Thursday, January 26, 2012

Lady Gaga Takes On Malaysia's Censors
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The controversial pop star Lady Gaga thumbed her nose at Muslim-majority Malaysia's conservative culture and urged its young people to fight the censorship of her hit song promoting acceptance of gays.

She said youth in Malaysia – where homosexuality is taboo and sodomy illegal – must peacefully protest the crackdown against her song "Born This Way" if they wanted to be free in their own society.

The largest group of non-government radio stations has been rendering song's line "No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian or transgendered life, I'm on the right track, baby" unintelligible by garbling the lyric.

Pop acts from the West regularly fall foul of the authorities or conservative Islamic groups in Malaysia. Numerous concerts have been cancelled, dramatically toned down or the promoters fined afterwards for contravening laws governing modesty.

But the outspoken Lady Gaga refused to hold her tongue when asked about the Malaysian censorship when she visited the headquarters of Google, in Mountain View, California.

"What I would say is for all the young people in Malaysia that want those words to be played on the radio, it is your job and it is your duty as young people to have your voices heard," she said in an interview posted on YouTube. » | Ian MacKinnon, Bangkok | Thursday, March 24, 2011

digits: Apple Draws Fire for New 'Gay Cure' App
A new anti-gay app approved by Apple has raised eyebrows and drawn criticism

Gay Hotels Investigated for Breaching Equality Laws
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Hotels that only accept homosexuals are being investigated by a government-funded watchdog for discriminating against heterosexual couples.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is examining whether "gay-only" guesthouses breach new laws designed to prevent people being treated unfairly in the provision of goods or services.

Last month, Christian owners of a guesthouse in Cornwall became the first to be found guilty of discrimination under equality laws after they refused to let a homosexual couple stay in a double room, in a legal action supported by the EHRC.

Now, the watchdog says it must establish an "objective balance" by considering if gays-only accommodation also defies the legislation.

Its lawyers are now investigating the issue and the EHRC says it has not ruled out taking legal action against "gay-only" hotels if they are deemed to be discriminating against heterosexuals.

However, it admits that it has not received a single complaint from the public about such establishments. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Sunday, February 20, 2011

Interesting, Fun, Queer Ads

'A Funny Little Guy' Accused of Leaking U.S. Documents
NATIONAL POST: Son of a broken marriage between American father and a Welsh mother, the young Bradley Manning was teased for being a geek and gay.

In light of this, his choice of the U.S. military as a career seems unlikely but it appears he was attracted by the chance to expand his computer expertise. It was also a way of getting the army to pay for college.

Today, he's accused of being the man behind the WikiLeaks furor, a disgruntled squaddie in Iraq who downloaded thousands of sensitive U.S. documents and handed them over to the whistleblowing website.

"He was a funny little character, really on the ball, a really bright kid. [He] loved computers, absolutely loved them," said James Kirkpatrick, who knew him at school in Harverfordwest [sic], Wales, his mother's hometown to which she returned after her divorce.

"Obviously the Army there has got very good technology and good training for computers so I can see why he may have joined it but you never would have expected him to do so," he told the BBC.

But Private First Class Manning, now 23, had a trigger-hair temper and would slam books on the desk in rage if fellow students didn't pay attention.

"It was probably the worst experience anyone could go through," said Rowan John, a former classmate who was openly gay, according to The New York Times. "Being different like me, or Bradley, in the middle of nowhere is like going back in time to the Dark Ages." >>> Araminta Wordsworth, National Post news services | Thursday, December 02, 2010

Gay McDonald's Ad in France

Bill O’Reilly’s Response

Gay Priests Ice Cream Adverts Banned
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An ice cream company has been banned from using an advert showing two gay priests about to kiss, just a month after being ordered to withdraw a campaign featuring a pregnant nun.

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again and told Antonio Federici to ensure future ads were not likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The latest Antonio Federici ad, which appeared in Look magazine, showed two priests in full robes eating from a tub of ice cream ''in a seductive pose as if they were about to kiss passionately'', the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.

Accompanying text read: ''We Believe in Salivation''.

Defending the advert, the company said it did not mock Catholicism but ''reflected the grave troubles they considered affected the Catholic Church''.

Antonio Federici was a Catholic company, but would continue to produce advertising that challenged the Catholic Church while it believed it remained troubled, it added. >>> | Tuesday, October 27, 2010

Guide for Homosexual Fathers Launched
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A guide for gay fathers has been launched, offering advice on adoption, fostering and surrogacy to gay couples who want to become parents.

The book gives practical tips on how to become a father as well as facts about sperm donation and co-parenting. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The Guide For Gay Dads is written by gay equality charity Stonewall which said "there's never been a better time for gay men to start a family".

The book, which is sponsored by the London Sperm Bank, gives practical tips on how to become a father as well as facts about sperm donation and co-parenting.

It also spells out legal changes affecting gay couples and contains a glossary of key terms in parenting.

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, said: "There's never been a better time for gay men to start a family in Britain. The law is now on their side. >>> | Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Ugandan Paper Calls for Gay People to Be Hanged
THE GUARDIAN: Gay people named in article face violence and abuse after newspaper claims they are recruiting children

A Ugandan man reads the headline of the Rolling Stone newspaper which calls for gay people to be hanged. Photograph: The Guardian
Human rights activists have warned that the lives of gay people in Uganda are in danger aftera newspaper published a story featuring the names and photographs of 100 homosexuals under the headline: "Hang Them".

At least one woman named in the story has been forced to leave her home after neighbours pelted it with stones, while several others have been verbally abused, according to the campaign group Sexual Minorities Uganda.

The article appeared earlier this month in the Rolling Stone newspaper, a new weekly title started by journalism graduates. Its publication came just days before the first anniversary of the introduction to parliament of a controversial anti-homosexuality bill that calls for the death penalty for those convicted of repeated same-sex relations, and life imprisonment for others.

Inspired at least in part by a group of US evangelicals with close links to Uganda, the bill was heavily promoted by a few preachers and politicians. Its progress through parliament was stalled after an international outcry, though it has not been scrapped.

Gay activists in Uganda say the proposed legislation has fuelled hate speech and created a climate of fear among homosexuals. The media have played a strong role in this.

The widely read tabloid Red Pepper has previously "outed" dozens of gay people under headlines such as "Top Homos in Uganda named". But the Rolling Stone story appears to incite people to violence against gays. >>> Xan Rice in Kampala | Thursday, October 21, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG – TOM CHIVERS: Ugandan newspaper calls for 'hanging' of homosexuals >>> Tom Chivers | Thursday, October 21, 2010

Saudi Arabia's Juggling Act on Homosexuality
THE GUARDIAN: As a gay diplomat seeks US asylum, Saudi Arabia seems torn between wanting a civilised image and appeasing traditionalists

Saudi Arabia may be a miserable place to live, but it's not very often that a Saudi diplomat seeks refuge in the United States. The last time it happened was in 1994.

At the weekend, though, it emerged that Ali Ahmad Asseri, first secretary of the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles, has applied for asylum in the US on the grounds that he is gay. He says his employers have refused to renew his diplomatic passport – effectively terminating his job – after finding out about his sexuality. He adds they were also unhappy about his friendship with a Jewish woman.

The Saudis are reportedly demanding his return to the kingdom, where Asseri fears he would be killed "in broad daylight".

The conservative American Thinker website is rather excited about this and suggests it "will pose a real problem for the Obama administration, which loves to cozy up to (and bow before) Saudi power" – though I doubt that it will.

If American officials accept Asseri's story he is almost certain to be granted asylum. The Saudis may grumble a bit about that for the sake of appearances, but letting him stay in the US would spare them the embarrassing and potentially damaging question of what to do about him if he returned home.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, Asseri is the first Saudi ever to publicly declare himself gay. So, in a way, this is uncharted territory – but territory where the authorities in Riyadh would probably rather not go. If he went home they would either have to charge him or provide him with lifelong protection – and no matter which course they chose, it would anger someone. >>> Brian Whitaker | Monday, September 13, 2010

Related >>>

Saudi Diplomat Seeking Asylum: 'My Life Is in Danger'
MSNBC: Envoy says he fears persecution if he leaves the U.S. and returns home

A ranking Saudi diplomat told NBC News that he has asked for political asylum in the United States, saying he fears for his life if he is forced to return to his native country.

The diplomat, Ali Ahmad Asseri, the first secretary of the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles, has informed U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials that Saudi officials have refused to renew his diplomatic passport and effectively terminated his job after discovering he was gay and was close friends with a Jewish woman.

In a recent letter that he posted on a Saudi website, Asseri angrily criticized his country’s “backwardness” as well as the role of “militant imams” in Saudi society who have “defaced the tolerance of Islam.” Perhaps most provocatively of all, he has threatened to expose what he describes as politically embarrassing information about members of the Saudi royal family living in luxury in the U.S.

If he is forced to go back to Saudi Arabia — as Saudi officials are demanding — Asseri says he could face political persecution and even death. >>> Michael Isikoff, National investigative correspondent, NBC News | Saturday, September 11, 2010

HT: Marisol of Jihad Watch >>>

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Quote: “C'mon, homosexuality is as common as sand in the Islamic world!” – Kepha [Source: Jihad Watch]

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