Sunday, July 18, 2021

Jews & Arabs Kiss

Jan 6, 2016 • The Israeli Ministry of Education decided to ban from the school program a book describing an affair between a Jewish woman and an Arab man. So TimeOut Tel Aviv decided to ask Jews and Arabs to meet and to kiss.

Six couples of Jews and Arabs - male and female, gay and straight - decided to do the "forbidden deed" and express love in front of our camera.

Some of them were couples, some just friends, some had never met prior to the shoot. Jews and Arabs refused to be enemies.



The accompanying article in Hebrew here »

Queere Personen haben häufiger mit psychischen Erkrankungen zu kämpfen

DER TAGESSPIEGEL: Wer diskriminiert wird, hat ein deutlich höheres Risiko psychischer Krankheiten. Ansprechstellen wie die Schwulenberatung sind für viele wichtige Schutzräume.

Als die Bars, Szenetreffs und Sportvereine zu Beginn der Pandemie schließen mussten, hatte das gravierende Auswirkungen auf die Community. Denn gerade queere Menschen sind auf Safe Spaces fernab von gesellschaftlichem oder familiärem Druck angewiesen.

Das beobachtete auch Conor Toomey, Leiter des Bereichs psychologische Beratung bei der Schwulenberatung Berlin. „Während der Pandemie sind die Orte, an denen sich LSBTI treffen, fast komplett weggefallen.“ Typischerweise würden sich queere Personen nämlich nicht am Arbeitsplatz, sondern innerhalb der Community kennenlernen. „Dass solche Orte weggefallen sind, hat auf jeden Fall zu einer verstärkten Isolation geführt“, berichtet Toomey. » | Von Inga Hofmann | Montag, 28. Juni 2021

Report: Men in Same-Sex Marriages Make More Than Opposite-Sex Unions


ADVOCATE: But men in opposite-sex marriages have higher rates of employment.

A new analysis from the Pew Research Center has found that that people in same-sex marriages have a different demographic profile than those in opposite-sex marriages — especially men in same-sex marriages.

Pew’s analysis explored adults 18 years or older who had been married in the last decade. It’s based on data released this year by the U.S. Census Bureau, which found there almost 570,000 same-sex married couples in 2019.

Researchers found that men in same-sex marriages had higher levels of education and higher annual incomes than men in opposite-sex marriages. In same-sex marriages, 50 percent of men were found to have a bachelor’s degree, while 38 percent of men in opposite-sex marriages had one.

Women in same-sex marriages faired about the same, with 47 percent of women in same-sex marriages having a degree, while 45 percent of women in opposite-sex marriages had one.

Household incomes for women in same-sex marriages were higher by $10,800 on average than women in opposite-sex marriages, according to Pew.

For men, the difference was $41,600. » | Alex Cooper | Thursday, July 8, 2021

Conférence "De l’interdiction de l’homosexualité dans la Rome Antique" par David Fürdös

Nov 24, 2016 • Cycle de conférences REGARDS CROISÉS SUR L’HOMOSEXUALITÉ

L’homosexualité, dit-on, est entrée dans les mœurs, du moins chez nous. Mais est-ce vraiment le cas ? Et si oui, qu’est-ce qui a permis cette acceptation ? Qu’est-ce qui a fait évoluer les moeurs ?

Les oppositions en France à la loi permettant le mariage entre personnes du même sexe montrent en tout cas que la question continue de diviser le monde occidental. Que sait-on réellement de ces luttes ? Quels sont les arguments des opposants ? Comment les religions se positionnent-elles par rapport à l’homosexualité ? Ont-elles un discours commun ou leurs positions varient-elles en fonction des différentes religions ? Comment l’image des homosexuels a-t-elle évolué dans notre société ? Les points de vue diffèrent-ils quand il s'agit de l'homosexualité féminine ou masculine ?

Ce sont ces questions, et bien d'autres, qui seront abordées dans ce cycle de conférences. Elles viseront autant à nous apprendre à poser un regard neuf sur l'homosexualité qu'à nous permettre de mieux comprendre notre société à travers ce prisme.

Les experts invités partageront avec le grand public leurs travaux et recherches à travers des disciplines aussi variées que la politique, sociologie, l’anthropologie, ou l’histoire des religions.



Related: Williams, Craig A. “Greek Love at Rome.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 45, no. 2, 1995, pp. 517–539. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/639540. Accessed 18 July 2021.

Link: JSTOR: Journal Article: Greek Love at Rome by Craig A. Williams

‘No One Is Safe’: Extreme Weather Batters the Wealthy World


THE NEW YORK TIMES: Floods swept Germany, fires ravaged the American West and another heat wave loomed, driving home the reality that the world’s richest nations remain unprepared for the intensifying consequences of climate change.

Some of Europe’s richest countries lay in disarray this weekend, as raging rivers burst through their banks in Germany and Belgium, submerging towns, slamming parked cars against trees and leaving Europeans shellshocked at the intensity of the destruction.

Only days before in the Northwestern United States, a region famed for its cool, foggy weather, hundreds had died of heat. In Canada, wildfire had burned a village off the map. Moscow reeled from record temperatures. And this weekend the northern Rocky Mountains were bracing for ye/>t another heat wave, as wildfires spread across 12 states in the American West.

The extreme weather disasters across Europe and North America have driven home two essential facts of science and history: The world as a whole is neither prepared to slow down climate change, nor live with it. The week’s events have now ravaged some of the world’s wealthiest nations, whose affluence has been enabled by more than a century of burning coal, oil and gas — activities that pumped the greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that are warming the world. » | Somini Sengupta | Saturday, July 17, 2021

L'Homosexualité dans l'Antiquité

Jan 15, 2020 • L'Homosexualité dans l'antiquité nous en apprend beaucoup ! l'histoire de l'homosexualité n'a jamais été linéaire.On peut raisonnablement considérer que l'homosexualité existe depuis la nuit des temps, et cela aussi bien dans le règne animal que chez les êtres humains. L'histoire et l'évolution de l'homosexualité n'a jamais été constante et en parfaite ligne droite. Comme sur beaucoup d'autre sujet d'ailleurs, on constate souvent des alternances entre acceptations, tolérance, et rejet. Jusqu'à aujourd'hui, son appréciation continue encore de varier.

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Julio Iglesias, Stevie Wonder : My Love

Views on YouTube: 10,128,092

On That Sublime Gay Kissathon in Tel Aviv


I’ve now had some more time to watch this ‘gay kissathon.’ Oh my God! Such a delightful display of love and affection! Can kissing be more beautiful than this? Is it possible? Is it really possible? Little wonder Tel Aviv was set alight by this display of sublime gay affection! Two drop-dead gorgeous men displaying love and affection for each other like no-one has ever seen before. What could be more beautiful, more noble than that? Just what this world needs: more love in all its forms, less conflict. Make love, not war! – © Mark

Permakiss electrifies Tel Aviv »

Annie Lennox: A Whiter Shade of Pale (Tradução)

Harry Nilsson : Without You (1972 HD)

YouTube views : 7,756,872


Isn’t it delightful to see an image of a ‘real man’ who has a cigarette in his mouth? Smoking: a habit that was very naughty, but very, very nice and pleasurable! That was, before the politically-correct, do-gooder snowflakes took over and “de-normalized” the pleasurable habit. For “de-normalized,” read stigmatized.

I used to be a smoker. I was a really “happy camper” as a smoker, in those more tolerant days. These days, people have forgotten all about tolerance and they have also forgotten about the concept of ‘joie de vivre’, if they ever learnt it in the first place. These days, you have to jog, go to the gym, drink oat or almond milk, eschew meat-eating, take copious quantities of statins, and forget all about any of life's pleasures, derived from such good, old-fashioned substances as tobacco. But beware! Now, it's tobacco; soon, it will be alcohol. They've already stigmatized smoking and made people paranoid about the habit. They have also stigmatized smokers. Soon, they'll concentrate their efforts on alcohol and people who enjoy a drink. Addendum and warning: You might not live any longer following all their dubious advice – you probably won't; but it will surely feel like you have!

By the way, if you are a smoker, you are very welcome here. This is a safe space for you. Even though I no longer smoke, I'm still on your side. – © Mark

The Johnson Government – Yet Another Fiasco

Jul 17, 2021 • The government of Boris Johnson is a disaster. Brexit has set us on the road to ruin with no discernible benefits whatsoever. Businesses are struggling with excessive new paperwork, the loss of much of the EU market and shortages of Labour since EU workers are now reluctant to return given the strict new conditions for entry into the U.K. Brexit has happened at the worst possible time given the pandemic. The government’s handling of the pandemic and the delays in locking down by Boris Johnson are believed to have caused many thousands of unnecessary deaths. The government’s astonishingly expensive test & trace is a fiasco

Lionel Richie : Dancing on the Ceiling

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group. Views on YouTube: 1,800,066 views

Lionel Richie : Ballerina Girl

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group. Views on YouTube: 1,010,331

Pope Francis Restricts Use of Old Latin Mass, in a Blow to Conservatives

Celebrating a traditional Latin Mass in Clifton, Va., in 2007.Credit...Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The pope placed new restrictions on where the old Latin Mass can be celebrated and who can celebrate it, and will require new permissions from local bishops.

Pope Francis took a significant step toward putting the Roman Catholic Church’s liturgy solidly on the side of modernization on Friday by cracking down on the use of the old Latin Mass, essentially reversing a decision by his conservative predecessor.

The move to restrict the use of an old Latin rite in celebrating Mass dealt a blow to conservatives, who have long complained that the pope is diluting the traditions of the church.

Francis placed new restrictions on where and by whom the traditional Latin Mass can be celebrated and required new permissions from local bishops for its use. » | Jason Horowitz | Friday, July 16, 2021

‘It’s All Wrecked’: German Town Stunned by Flood Damage

THE GUARDIAN: Residents of Erftstadt struggle to comprehend how their familiar landscape became treacherous terrain

Anatoli Neugebauer is standing just a hundred metres from his family home, at the edge of the Blessem district of Erftstadt, a commuter-belt town 12 miles (20km) south of Cologne. Even though flood waters from the Erft River had begun to recede by midday on Friday, he still had to wade through waist-high brown water just to get inside the stuccoed terrace house.

“It’s completely indescribable,” says Neugebauer, 40. “A catastrophe.”

“I was there twice yesterday trying to save what I could. But you open the door and the water’s to your chest and you just wonder, why am I even doing this? It’s all wrecked.”

Neugebauer was one of the 1,905 residents of the village evacuated on Thursday as the river began to overflow after record rainfall.

Familiar landscape turned into treacherous terrain: a gravel quarry south of Blessem, 40 hectares (99 acres) wide and 60 metres deep, rapidly filled with water, its edge expanding towards the town through headward erosion, swallowing up several cars, three half-timbered buildings and parts of a castle. » | Courtney Tenz in Erftstadt and Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Friday, July 16, 2021

Polémique en Haute-Savoie : la famille royale d'Abu Dhabi privatise deux hôtels pour l'été

Les touristes auront du mal à se loger dans un hôtel à Annemasse cet été. / PIXABAY / ALEXGAN

MIDI LIBRE : Le prince d'Abu Dhabi et sa famille ont privatisé deux hôtels en Haute-Savoie pour tout l'été, privant ainsi les touristes de plusieurs centaines de chambres. Une initiative qui a notamment provoqué la colère du maire d'Annemasse.

Cet été, les vacanciers qui ont prévu de se rendre en Haute-Savoie ne pourront loger ni au Novotel d'Annemasse ni à l'hôtel Mercure de Gaillard, aux portes de la Suisse. Comme le rapporte LCI jeudi 15 juillet, le prince d'Abu Dhabi a tout simplement privatisé les deux établissements jusqu'à la rentrée. Il compte ainsi y loger son personnel, tandis que sa famille et ses proches pourront profiter de ses propriétés situées à Vétraz-Monthoux. Une initiative qui est loin de faire l'unanimité dans la région. » | Midi Libre avec Newsgene | vendredi 16 juillet 2021

Violente agression homophobe en Corse le soir du 14 juillet : "J'ai pris cinq patates" raconte une victime


MIDI LIBRE : Un couple a été victime d'une agression homophobe, "par 20 personnes", le soir de la fête nationale à Macinaggio dans le Cap Corse. Le procureur de la République de Bastia a ouvert une enquête ce jeudi 15 juillet.

Un couple gay a été victime d'une violente agression homophobe le soir du 14 juillet en Haute-Corse. C'est dans le village de Macinaggio au nord de Bastia, que les deux hommes ont subi un déferlement de haine "par 20 personnes".

Ce jeudi 15 juillet, le procureur de la République de Bastia a ouvert une enquête pour "violences en réunion avec ITT inférieure ou égale à huit jours" et "en raison de l'orientation sexuelle de la victime" indique FranceInfo.

"Après avoir assisté au feu d’artifice de la commune, un groupe de cinq personnes, en vacances en Corse, se rendait dans un bar du port de Macinaggio pour y passer la soirée, relate le parquet dans un communiqué. Vers minuit trentedeux des membres de ce groupe, en couple, subissaient des insultes homophobes puis des violences à coups de pied et poings de la part de plusieurs individus, leur occasionnant des interruptions totales de travail de six et huit jours. Une troisième personne était blessée." » | Par Théo Ruiz | jeudi 15 juillet 2021

Kommentar: Was in Ungarn passiert, kann in Deutschland genauso passieren

Queere Menschen brauchen mehr als bunte Fahnen (Bild: teddyosterblom / unsplash)

QUEER.DE: An einem Abend die Regenbogenfahne zu schwenken, das Logo einzufärben und bei Twitter aufmunternde Noten der Solidarität zu posten, ist das eine. Doch nun müssen Taten folgen!

Verbote gibt es oft aus gutem Grund. Sie schützen Menschenleben, regeln das Zusammenleben und sorgen sinnvoll eingesetzt für ein gutes Miteinander. Doch also die UEFA diese Woche entschied, dass die Allianz-Arena nicht als Regenbogen erstrahlen darf, da sorgte dieses Verbot für etwas ganz anderes: Überall im Land und in Europa mobilisierte es Widerstand, Engagement und brachte dem dahinter liegenden Thema unfassbare Aufmerksamkeit.

Denn der Regenbogen sollte als Symbol für absolute Normalität erstrahlen. Als Symbol dafür, dass alle Menschen die gleichen Menschenrechte genießen müssen. Dass alle Menschen gleich sind. Unabhängig von ihrer Hautfarbe, ihres Geschlechts oder eben ihrer sexuellen und geschlechtlichen Identität.

Dass die Regierung von Viktor Orbán dies in Ungarn bestreitet und zensiert, war und ist bis jetzt der Stein des Anstoßes. Mit dem Argument, Kinder schützen zu wollen, wird eine perfide Argumentation bedient. Homo- und Transsexualität würde Kinder bedrohen. Sie seien also etwas Gefährliches, wovor man Kinder schützen müsse. Damit werden LGBTIQ* kriminalisiert, in unglaublicher Weise diffamiert und in die Unsichtbarkeit und ins Verstecken gedrängt. » | Von CSD Deutschland e.V. | Montag, 28. Juni 2021

The ‘Permakiss’ That Set Tel Aviv Alight!


The following video cannot be embedded, because it is age-restricted by YouTube; however, if you have an appetite for the REAL DEAL, click on FIRST KISS It’s a veritable KISSATHON! You will not be disappointed! Apparently, this is the kiss that excited—dare I say electrified?—Tel Aviv! Little wonder! Wonderful! Enjoy! – Mark

Schwuler Dauerkuss erregt Tel Aviv »

Schwuler Kuß des Tages

Courtesy of Google Images and myLot: Why does the idea of gay marriage upset so many people? »