A Look Inside The Horrifying Reality Of Being Gay In Uganda

“Tell me something about Ugandan culture,” prompts Vice correspondent Isobel Yeung to a group of locals on a recent trip to investigate violence against gays in the country.

“The first thing we hate is homosexuality,” one man begins. “We hate that one completely. If we find a woman with a woman, we pull out one and we do it to her…We have sex with her…Serious rape.”

“So what would you do if you saw a gay man?” asks Yeung.

The man gets a disturbing smile on his face as he yells, “Kill! You kill that one! Woman and woman we rape, but man and man we kill.”

This Friday, HBO’s Vice tells this and other stories surrounding the current state of homosexuality in Uganda. It’s an ugly reality, but one that the world needs to know about.

Below, find two clips from the show. The first contains the interview posted above, and in the second one, Yeung interviews a gay woman who was raped:

Vice airs Fridays at 11pm on HBO.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/HWvHCNvB8_w/a-look-inside-the-horrifying-reality-of-being-gay-in-uganda-20150515

7 Things List, May 15, 2015

Our entertainment and events highlights this week include the fury of Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy’s heat, the dapper Don Draper, and the beginning of Pride.

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Advocate.com Editors

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/05/15/7-things-list-may-15-2015

Welcome to the Party: Gay Men Have Been Appreciating 'Dad Bods' for Years

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve no doubt heard the term “Dad Bod,” and have subsequently seen a marked increase in the number of paunchy, fuzzy man-tummies in your strolls through the Internet.

The term was coined by a college student to describe her ideal guy: a less-ripped/more average fellow who she could cuddle up to and ultimately settle down with. This phenomenon has had beer-bellied men rejoicing, some women crying foul and me wondering why this is news.

Dad Bods aren’t a new trend, at least not with the always-ahead-of-the-curve Gays. Gay men have been celebrating their stout brethren for decades, declaring definitively that Fat + Hairy ≠ Undateable. They’re called Bears, and as a card-carrying member of this cuddliest of gay subcultures, I want to officially welcome you to the party!

While not without their flaws and stereotypes, Bears pride themselves in being more accepting of the average-to-overweight man. Bears are the “real man’s” alternative to the cliché of a smooth, sculpted Adonis. And as a gay bear and a dad, I am undoubtedly the ultimate expert on what constitutes a “Dad Bod” …and how to make the most of it.

So to my hefty, hetero brothers, let me offer you some of my unsolicited expertise.

The Bad News:
While I’m sure you’ve been enjoying this new-found admiration, it’s now time to get off your larger-than-average ass. Having a Dad Bod doesn’t mean you can be a fat, lazy slob and still hope to get a girlfriend/married/laid. Another reason the Dad Bod-loving author cited for her attraction was these men being less intimidating. Women may initially be attracted to you because you’re not as threatening as a muscle-bound gym rat; but that doesn’t mean you get to lay around in the recliner all day, waiting for her to serve you nachos and give you sex. So what’s a husky hunk to do?

The Good News:
I’ve provided a handy diagram and some valuable tips to help you harness your Dad Bod’s potential. Follow this guide, and you will assuredly attract the ladies, while continuing to wallow in the lifestyle to which you are accustomed.

Manage your mane. Contrary to what many women (and gay men) proclaim, there are no magical hair products to fix all that ails or eludes you. It’s all about honesty and confidence.
1. Can you grow a beard? Do it with gusto, but keep it clean and trimmed.
2. If you can’t, don’t try. Uneven stubble makes you look like a serial killer.
3. Trying to rock a combover? Just stop. You’re not fooling anyone, least of all your scalp.
4. Hairy-chested? Never pass up an opportunity to unleash your inner gorilla — but only on your front side…
5. You’ve never heard of a woman lovingly running her fingers through her man’s back or neck hair, and for good reason.

Dress for impact. Fat can be fabulous. Fat slob? Not so much.
6. Our Dad Bod is wearing a faded, ill-fitting polo with…
7. …an embroidered company logo. Nobody cares where you work, unless it says “CEO of Apple”…and that guy’s gay.
8. Mr. Bear is wearing a shirt that’s long enough to tuck in, but with sleeves short enough to show off his massive guns.
9. Don’t fear horizontal stripes. Or color. Stripes show that our Bear is proud of his girth. Bold colors show he has a youthful streak without resorting to clothes that are meant for someone 10 years younger and 50 lbs lighter.

Detail your car? Detail your bod. It’s the little things that add up to make you a pudgy package worth unwrapping.
10. The Gay Bear is wearing one accessory — a chunky, silver watch. Silver because it’s cool (and not too matchy); chunky because he’s chunky, and proud of it.
11. He’s also wearing a brown leather belt that matches his brown leather shoes. Because he’s an adult who can see.
12. Dad Bod is wearing the braided belt that came with his khakis. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Get a leg up. Let’s get this pants party started.
13. The Dad Bod is attempting to pull off khakis and sneakers. Please, pull them off and stop dressing like a 7-year-old. Those of you in sweats but not at the gym? You’re on your own.
14. Gay Bear is wearing jeans that fit — not too baggy, but with just enough snugness to show off his strapping thighs and brawny backside.

Attitude is everything.
15. Dad Bod, get your damn hands out of your pockets and stand up straight.
16. Stick out your chest (this makes your man boobs look more like pecs), smile and wave. They may have come for the Dad Bod, but they’ll stay for Mr. Personality!

Got more tips, questions or case studies that need reviewing? Hit me up in the comments! This trend will subside long before your belly, so make sure you’re equipped to care for your Dad Bod — it’s the only one you’ve got!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This post originally appeared on Brent’s personal blog, Designer Daddy.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

www.huffingtonpost.com/brent-almond/welcome-to-the-party-gay-_b_7288036.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

HRC to New Jersey Gov. Christie: Sign the Bill Protecting LGBT Parents and Modernizing State Law

The New Jersey Assembly passed the NJ Gestational Carrier Agreement Act, an important bill that would modernize state law.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-to-new-jersey-gov.-christie-sign-the-bill-protecting-lgbt-parents-and-m?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Seven Rugby ‘Crotch Grabs’ To Get You In The Sporting Mood

Earlier this week, Newcastle Knights player Korbin Sims got rather handy with Sea Eagles front rower Willie Mason at a rugby match. And we weren’t mad at all.

Related: PHOTOS: Oiled Up, Muscular Turks Stuff Their Hands Down Each Others Pants — For Tradition’s Sake

During the second half of their NRL match up at Brookvale Oval on Sunday, 23-year-old Sims took it upon himself to grab a handful of 35-year-old Mason’s crotch on the field.

Related: WWE Wrestling Gets A Lot Gayer With Strategically Placed Adult Film Logos

But apparently (how are we late to this party?) the ‘crotch grab’ is a common maneuver in rugby, and here are seven wonderful handful, followed by a video compilation:

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/ddYxagHY7B4/seven-rugby-crotch-grabs-to-get-you-in-the-sporting-mood-20150515

Colombian Government Pledges Its Support for Marriage Equality

Charles Pulliam-Moore

www.towleroad.com/2015/05/columbian-government-pledges-support-for-marriage-equality.html

I'm A Mormon Mom Taking A Stand For All The Gay Kids In Our Church
“Your pain is the breaking of the shell which encloses your understanding”
Kahlil Gibran

When my son Ross came out to our family as gay eight years ago, my hurdle towards a major crisis of faith began. I had to re-examine everything I had previously thought and at times thought I knew with certainty to be true. There is nothing like seeing a precious child in despair over the knowledge that the plan of happiness he had been taught to strive for, which included the opportunity for temple marriage and parenthood, the plan that is the bedrock of our theology, would be impossible for him to attain as his authentic self. It upended my notions of truth, happiness, obedience, loyalty, and in fact all that I held dear, including my perception of the character of God. And I, for a long moment, wondered if I would be able to stay with a theology that had unintentionally made my child feel inherently unworthy of God’s choicest blessings.

Ross began having panic attacks in February of 2007, his senior year of high school, shortly after being offered a scholarship to BYU and the nagging fear that had been encroaching on my sense of well-being began to loom larger. My suspicions were confirmed when I sat him down at the kitchen table one warm June night that year, while his brother and father were away at scout camp.

I asked and he answered, pouring out years of grief and heartache and shame. Wishing it wasn’t so, wanting to be just like “everyone else” and knowing he was not. I assured him of our love and understanding, our unwavering support and loyalty, but when in absolute despair he said, “What’s the point of going on? I can’t ever marry in the temple and have a family. How do I get to the Celestial Kingdom? What happens to me?” I had no answers. I could not advise him to keep coming to church, to hope for peace in the next life. There are graveyards full of young Latter-Day-Saints who have tried. I would rather have him alive, living an authentic life, true to who he is, than to live a stalwart steadfast lie that backs him in to a suicidal corner.

If I had previously entertained any doubt that sexual preference was a choice, those doubts were completely erased as I held my sobbing teenager that night in the kitchen, as he chanted over and over, “I just want to be normal, go on a mission, get married, like everyone else.” And all I could think of was, “What kid in their right mind would choose ridicule over acceptance, would choose to be a pariah in his own religious community?” I received a firm conviction that night as I held him in my arms, that this was my beloved child and that our family would rally around him and support him, and we have.

He no longer attends church. He had to walk away, to find his own path that would somehow help him want to stay alive by not asking of him to be alone all his life, but affirm his desire for love and companionship. He has spent the last eight years as an out gay man, trying to make up for all those years he felt he had to hide his painful secret, and he is learning to discard the shame and self-loathing that his religious doctrine and culture imposed upon him all those years. I am hoping that he can finally see himself as I know God sees him.

My conventional faith has taken a hit since my child came out, but my capacity for love and empathy has increased ten-fold. All of my beliefs have been upended and rearranged. Here in my community people have been incredible supportive, including a fabulously affirming bishop and an incredibly well-educated and enlightened stake presidency, but the doctrine remains the same. And young gay Mormons are dying to get to heaven where they hope life won’t be so cruel. We are losing whole families who are pushed out by intolerance and bigotry.

I had no answers back in 2007, but I have answers now. And they are loud and clear and not just for my child, but for all the gay kids I have learned to advocate for. I want to find every struggling gay Mormon child and cup their faces in my hands, and tell them how loved they are, AS they are. After having a front row seat to the anguish of my own beloved child, I must work to prevent others from having to face a potentially even more perilous situation, wherein their church leaders or even their own families reject them. Because this does happen. It happens in our church.

That is not part of God’s plan for them. This is not their test or trial here on earth. They will not become straight in the next life. This is how a loving father created them, with the desire and capacity to form a lifelong bond of love and companionship with someone they are madly in love with. This is my testimony, and I will fight for love and acceptance. For compassion and Christ-like understanding for these valiant souls from their fellow saints and the community at large.

Perhaps then families like mine will not feel torn between a church they love and a child they would give their life for. I stay in the faith of my childhood with the desire to be a voice of compassion and mercy, an obligation to be a comforter, an advisor, a friend, to any who have suffered as we have, as Ross has. Maybe I can encourage a parent to affirm their child. Perhaps I can help a gay Mormon child want to stay alive. This is what my Savior expects of me. This is why I breathe fire. I am a Mama Dragon.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-oviatt/mormon-mom-gay-kid_b_7292302.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Perfect Porto: ocean breeze and the magic of wine in the Portuguese city and beyond

The country’s second largest city after Lisbon proves the perfect base for exploring this wine-drenched region. Honey and orange peel-flavoured Port, anyone?

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jamiet

www.gaystarnews.com/article/perfect-porto-ocean-breeze-and-magic-wine-portuguese-capital-and-beyond150515

In The Face of Fear: the Criminalization of HIV Transmission

Marvell Terry II is HIV positive.  Every time he types or says those words, he reflects on his diagnosis and how hard it is to tell someone that he has HIV.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/in-the-face-of-fear-the-criminalization-of-hiv-transmission?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed