North America
Texas and Alabama love watching lesbian porn, don’t love protecting lesbians from discrimination
A study has revealed that lesbian porn is incredibly popular in states with no discrimination protections for lesbian couples. Pornhub, which is one of the most popular porn websites in the world, released a breakdown this week of the most popular search terms used on the site, across the 50 US states. The study explains:… Read more »
Justin Trudeau: Canada leader to march in Toronto gay pride
Canada’s Justin Trudeau will become one of the first world leaders to take part in a gay pride march, organisers of the Toronto event have announced. Mr Trudeau will march in the 3 July parade alongside the city’s mayor and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, the first lesbian premier in Canada. The newly elected leader tweeted:… Read more »
In a Gay-Friendly Age, Poor LGBT New Yorkers Still Struggle
Marriage equality is progress, but the LGBT movement needs to tackle economic oppression as well if it is to achieve broader equality. Our society’s image of the gay urban dweller is often white, educated, and financially comfortable. But despite the patina of social progress, there’s a tale of two cities for queer New York, too.… Read more »
Misterbnb: Gay travel revolution takes on homestays
(CNN) Most travelers pack an extra pair of socks, a rainy day itinerary, and some spare cash, planning for the worst when on vacation. Few have to worry about preparing a contingency plan for their accommodations if an Airbnb host decides they don’t approve of their lifestyle. But when Frenchman Matthieu Jost and his partner… Read more »
Two High-Ranking Divers Come Out as Gay and In a Relationship
University of Miami diver Tanner Wilfong and Jamie Bissett, a diver who recently graduated from Purdue University, have publicly come out as gay and in a relationship. Bissett is the reigning Canadian national 3-meter champion in diving. Wilfong is the first active athlete in the history of University of Miami to come out as gay,… Read more »
Where Can Queer Muslims Go to Pray?
Groups around the U.S. are pushing back on the deep-rooted stereotype that LGBTQ identity is incompatible with Islam. In the media, being queer and Muslim often seems to amount to being a victim. In articles on violence against LGBTQ people in Muslim-majority countries, or pieces on the challenges of coming out, the queer person’s connection… Read more »
Puerto Rico adopts same-sex marriage too!
The overseas United States territory of Puerto Rico will join the US in allowing same-sex marriage. After the Supreme Court decision that brought same-sex marriage to all 50 states, Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla has said the territory will follow suit. He acknowledged that was opposition to the move in the largely Catholic island,… Read more »
Supreme Court Legalizes Gay Marriage Nationwide
Washington – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Friday that it is legal for all Americans, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, to marry the people they love. The decision is a historic victory for gay rights activists who have fought for years in the lower courts. Thirty-seven states and the District of… Read more »
The week that changed the nation
Washington (CNN) The times, they are a changing, suddenly at whiplash speed. After a momentous week, same-sex couples can now marry in all 50 states, the Confederate flag’s historic hold on the political institutions of the Deep South is fraying by the hour and Obamacare, after defying another attempt to dismantle it, is now reaffirmed… Read more »
The Supreme Court on Friday Struck down state bans on gay marriage.
In the 5-4 decision written by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the high court said that the U.S. Constitution guarantees gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, praised the ruling in a written statement. “Today’s ruling is a transformative triumph decades in the making, a momentous victory for… Read more »
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Forgotten Anti-Gay Sex Crusade
The Newport Sex Scandal of 1919 targeted men having sex with men in the Navy, prefiguring the legalized persecution of LGBT citizens in and out of the armed services. It was one of the first 20th-century anti-gay witch-hunts, a panic that gripped the American Navy between 1919 and 1921. The Newport Sex Scandal, taking its… Read more »
New York’s Stonewall Inn To Get Official Landmark Status
New York — New York City’s landmarks commission has voted to grant official status to the Stonewall Inn, the Greenwich (GREN’-ich) Village bar where resistance to a police raid sparked the modern gay rights movement. The unanimous vote Tuesday marks the first time a site has been designated as a landmark in the city because… Read more »
New ‘State Of Change’ Documentary Short Takes An Intimate Look At South Carolina’s LGBT Community
The Huffington Post is proud to debut GLAAD’s new mini-documentary that examines the triumphs and tribulations of South Carolina’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The 20-minute film, “GLAAD Presents: State of Change — South Carolina,” was produced as part of GLAAD’s Southern Stories program and is the first in a six-part series of… Read more »
Indianapolis Rallies Around Its Gay Citizens After a Law Sets Off a Flood of Support
In a state perhaps best known for its hallowed speedway and lean-to-the-right politics, the pageantry of the past week might have seemed unexpected. On Wednesday, a standing-room-only crowd snacked on rainbow-colored fruit skewers at a forum on transgender issues. On Thursday, men donned blond wigs and high heels at a drag show to raise money… Read more »
Alibaba Helps Chinese LGBT Couples Say ‘We Do’ in West Hollywood
Beijing – It took a trip across the Pacific, but this week seven Chinese same-sex couples finally had the chance to say “I do” in West Hollywood. In an event co-sponsored by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and the Chinese gay dating app Blued, the lucky couples won the chance for a destination wedding and star… Read more »
West Hollywood marries seven contest-winning gay couples from China
West Hollywood, Calif. Seven gay and lesbian couples from China were married in the Southern California gay capital of West Hollywood on Tuesday after winning a contest sponsored by a pair of Chinese Internet companies. The seven couples were selected from among more than 2,000 based on videos they submitted detailing their love stories, after… Read more »
The Beautiful Way Hawaiian Culture Embraces A Particular Kind Of Transgender Identity
In traditional, Western culture, gender identity is often considered a binary concept: You are either male or you are female. This restrictive and defining construct makes it difficult for our society to understand people like Bruce Jenner, who recently came out as transgender, because they don’t always fit neatly into a box. While some transgender… Read more »
Harvard Study Reveals that All Homophobic People are Gay
A shocking, double-blind study released by Harvard, in collaboration with MIT, has revealed that all people who are homophobic are actually homosexuals themselves. The study, which was carried out over the course of 5 years and involved nearly 5,000 male subjects, is being accepted by the American Psychological Association as being “scientifically irrefutable.” This lengthy,… Read more »
It Is Now Illegal For A Federal Contractor To Fire Someone For Being LGBT
Washington – For the first time, companies that have contracts with the federal government are now prohibited from firing or discriminating against employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, thanks to an executive order that takes effect Wednesday. President Barack Obama signed the order in June 2014 banning workplace discrimination against lesbian, gay,… Read more »
In far-flung US territories, gay marriage hasn’t arrived
While more than 70 percent of U.S. states now allow same-sex marriage, the waves of change have yet to reach America’s far-flung and socially conservative territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. Of the five territories, only Puerto Rico has faced a lawsuit seeking the right for gay and lesbian couples to wed, and a federal… Read more »
US: Barack Obama to appoint LGBT rights envoy
Barack Obama is to create a new envoy role within the State Department, to promote LGBT rights around the world. The US President is expected to announce later this month that he will appoint the first LGBT rights envoy. According to an official within the State Department, the envoy will be an openly gay Foreign… Read more »
Report: 594 LGBT people murdered in Americas during 15-month period
A report the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights released on Wednesday indicates anti-LGBT violence claimed the lives of at least 594 people in the Western Hemisphere between Jan. 1, 2013, and March 31 of this year. More than half of these reported deaths during this 15-month period took place in Brazil. These include an 8-year-old… Read more »
Wyoming becomes 32nd state to legalize gay marriage
Wyoming on Tuesday became the 32nd state to legalize gay marriage, joining several other conservative areas in allowing same-sex weddings. Legislators filed a legal notice in the morning that declared their refusal to defend a recently overturned state law that defined marriage between a man and a woman. Their move allows county clerks to begin… Read more »
Gay Marriages Begin In Virginia Hours After Supreme Court Clears Way
Richmond, Va. (AP) — Just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way by turning away several appeals, gay couples have started marrying in Virginia. Thirty-year-old Lindsey Oliver and 42-year-old Nicole Pries received the first same-sex marriage license issued from the Richmond Circuit Court Clerk’s office shortly after 1 p.m. Monday. Upon leaving the… Read more »
Supreme Court Rejects Gay Marriage Appeals From 5 States
Washington (AP) — The Supreme Court turned away appeals Monday from five states seeking to prohibit same-sex marriages, paving the way for an immediate expansion of gay and lesbian unions. The justices on Monday did not comment in rejecting appeals from Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. No other state cases were currently pending with… Read more »
How Do You Build A Gay Art Museum? Hunter O’Hanian On The History Of Leslie-Lohman
“We have so many histories,” Hunter O’Hanian explained to me in a recent chat. I had asked him to give me the abridged history of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, the institution for which he currently serves as director. Indeed, the museum cites more than a few birthdays on its website —… Read more »
Toronto’s gay mecca a refuge for persecuted Iranians
While other Muslims pay homage to the holy city of Mecca, Elina Azari worships Toronto, the gay mecca for queer Iranians. A month ago, the 26-year-old native from Tehran followed the treks of other queer refugees stranded in Turkey and joined the growing Iranian LGBTQ community for a new life in what some of them… Read more »
Two gay Syrian refugees get sanctuary in Canada
Canada: A gay Syrian couple seeking refuge from discrimination and war in their hometown are now able to live in Canada after local sponsors and supporters intervened on their behalf “I want to ride a roller coaster for the first time,” Danny Ramadan told cbc.ca. “I would also like to give back to the community… Read more »
Religious Acceptance Of Gays Is On The Rise, Duke Study
Religious congregations are warming up to LGBT issues more and more, according to the results of a recent study out of Duke University. Conducted by Duke sociology professor Mark Chaves, the National Congregations Study investigated the shift in acceptance of gay and lesbian congregants from 2006 to 2012 — which rose from 37.4 percent to… Read more »
Gay Syrian refugees start new lives in Vancouver
Same-sex couple among the first of 1,300 refugees Canada promised to bring in by end of 2014 Two gay Syrian refugees are enjoying their first full day in Canada Wednesday, thanks to the efforts of local sponsors and supporters. “I want to ride a roller coaster for the first time,” says Danny Ramadan. “I would… Read more »
Cleveland closes its Gay Games, passes the torch to Paris
Cleveland, Ohio — On a stage decorated with a model of the Eiffel Tower and the American and French flags, Cleveland officially closed the 2014 Gay Games on Saturday and handed its flag over to Paris, France, which will host the event in 2018. A delegation from Paris’ Gay Games committee accepted the flag from Cleveland… Read more »
The gay rodeo comes to town: On the run at the Gay Games
Tallmadge, Ohio – Just as it is a first for Cleveland to host this year’s Gay Games, it’s a first for the Gay Games to host a rodeo, so I decided to check it out. On Sunday and Monday, more than 100 gay rodeo competitors from as far away as Australia and South Africa descended on… Read more »
Obama Helps Open Gay Games 9
President Barack Obama on Saturday made a video appearance to help open the 2014 Gay Games 9. Thousands of athletes and fans converged Saturday on Cleveland for the games’ opening ceremonies held at The Q. Cleveland and nearby Akron will over the next week play host to the sports and cultural festival. Appearing on The… Read more »
Emerging Muslim movement embraces gay and interfaith marriages, female imams and mixed prayers
Los Angeles – Omar Akersim prays regularly and observes the dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast. He is also openly gay. Akersim, 26, is part of a small but growing number of American Muslims challenging the long-standing interpretations of Islam that defined their parents’ world. They believe that one can be gay and Muslim; that the sexes can… Read more »
Bill Clinton AIDS conference speech disrupted by protesters
Bill Clinton’s speech to the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne yesterday was disrupted by protesters. Representing his Clinton Foundation charity, the former US President paid tribute in his speech to the HIV activists who lost their lives onboard flight MH17, when it was shot down over Ukraine. He had said: “[Dr Joep Lange] and the… Read more »
US: Obama signs Executive Order banning anti-gay workplace discrimination
Barack Obama has today signed an Executive Order banning workplace discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. The US President this morning signed the order in a White House ceremony, banning discrimination against LGBT people by employers, by amending two existing anti-sexism orders to protect gender identity and sexuality. The new order… Read more »
LGBT Youth Homelessness
Names have been changed to address concerns for privacy of individuals in sensitive circumstances. Kid 1 LGBT Youth HomelessnessThe discovery of human sexuality can be fraught with danger, intolerance, criticism, and judgment, particularly for people who stray from the “norm.” No one experiences more of this negativity than someone who identifies as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay,… Read more »
This TV host’s take-down of Uganda’s anti-gay laws is pure freaking brillance.
“Calling Uganda’s laws ‘harsh’ doesn’t really do them justice. That’s like calling Stalin a bit of a grump… Or the Titanic a disappointing vacation.” John Oliver, host of US talk show Last Week Tonight, has added to his history of epic rants against injustice with a brilliant, 20-minute long take-down of Uganda and its new… Read more »
Federal Judge Strikes Down Kentucky’s Gay Marriage Ban
A federal judge on Tuesday struck down down Kentucky’s ban on gay marriage, saying it was unconstitutional. In his 19-page ruling, U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II wrote: “[T]his Court holds that the Commonwealth’s exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage violates the Equal Protection Clause [of the U.S. Constitution].” “In America, even sincerely… Read more »
U.S. takes gay rights global, despite unsure welcome
Embassies offer aid to local activists Waesaw, Poland — President Barack Obama has taken the U.S. gay rights revolution global, using American embassies across the world to promote a cause that still divides his own country. Sometimes U.S. advice and encouragement is condemned as unacceptable meddling. And sometimes it can seem to backfire, increasing the… Read more »
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