Church of Scotland OK's Gay Clergy in Civil Partnerships

Delegates to the church’s General Assembly in Edinburgh approved the move by a wide margin.

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Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2015/05/16/church-scotland-oks-gay-clergy-civil-partnerships

Obama Says All People Deserve To Live Free Of Discrimination For International Day Against Homophobia
President Barack Obama said that LGBT rights “are human rights” in a statement released Saturday to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

“We take this opportunity to reaffirm that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are human rights, to celebrate the dignity of every person, and to underscore that all people deserve to live free from fear, violence, and discrimination, regardless of who they are or whom they love,” Obama said in a statement. “We work toward this goal every day. Here at home, we are working to end bias-motivated violence, combat discrimination in the workplace, and address the specific needs of transgender persons. Overseas, I am proud of the steps that the United States has taken to prioritize the protection and promotion of LGBT rights in our diplomacy and global outreach.”

The White House also released a statement later that day condemning the homophobic comments recently made by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. Jammeh reportedly said he would slit the throat of any gay person in his country and alleged the West could do nothing to stop him.

“The recent unconscionable comments by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh underscore why we must continue to seek a world in which no one lives in fear of violence or persecution because of who they are or whom they love. We condemn his comments, and note these threats come amid an alarming deterioration of the broader human rights situation in The Gambia,” National Security Advisor Susan Rice said in the statement. “We are deeply concerned about credible reports of torture, suspicious disappearances – including of two American citizens – and arbitrary detention at the government’s hands.”

Rice said the United States had already removed Gambia from a list of countries that could export goods to the U.S. duty-free and was considering what additional actions to take.

— 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/2015/05/16/obama-lgbt-rights_n_7298510.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Church of Scotland Votes to Allow Ordination of Gay Ministers in Civil Partnerships

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2015/05/church-of-scotland-votes-to-allow-ordination-of-gay-ministers-in-civil-partnerships.html

10 Pop Divas Who Rocked It On Film (Or Tried)

These gay divas made the switch from the pop charts to film – with varying degrees of success.

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Adam Sandel

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/film/2015/05/16/10-pop-divas-who-rocked-it-film-or-tried

California's Rosali Cleaners Labels Gay Man 'Sodomite' After Losing Court Case
A California man is still fighting to be compensated by a local dry cleaner that he says has repeatedly used homophobic slurs and abusive language — quoted below — in its refusal to pay for his damaged throw pillow.

Byron Batista, 48, told The Huffington Post he went to North Hollywood’s Rosali Cleaners last January to have the pillows cleaned. When he returned to pick them up, Batista noticed one of them had been badly torn.

The owner, who called herself Rosali, refused to give the man a refund for the tear. As the two began arguing, the owner of the store allegedly began screaming obscenities and slurs at him.

“She started saying, ‘Fuck you, fuck you, fag,'” Batista said. “That’s when she took her middle finger and mimicked putting it up her butt.”

The cleaning service refused to refund the man, who said he took the matter to court not for the money — a measly $75, which he won — but because he didn’t want a homophobe to win.

Despite winning the case, Batista said he was shocked to learn Rosali Cleaners still held a grudge. A check provided to Batista shows the money made out to Byron “the buggerer” Batista. Batista immediately took the check back to the judge.

“The judge was just like, ‘Oh, this is sad,'” Batista said.

The cleaning service was ordered to make out a new money order to Batista. When he attempted to bring the money order to his bank, he was met with a similar problem. He said the woman had written in all caps next to his name: “SODOMITE.”

“I took it to the bank and the teller went, ‘Oh, my God!’” Batista said. “She sat down and wrote a letter to the judge saying they can’t accept money orders with foul language on them.”

Batista said he must now ask the judge again for help. In the meantime, he said he wants to get his story out to the public so no one has to deal with the bigoted cleaners. After one publication shared his story, negative Yelp reviews began pouring in.

Batista said the cleaning service specializes in leather.

“You’d think a place that cleans leather would expect to deal with some gay people,” he said. “I don’t want anybody spending their money there.”

Multiple phone calls by HuffPost to Rosali Cleaners went unanswered.

“I don’t mind being targeted,” Batista said. “I want the community to know that if they want leather cleaned, this is not the place to go.”

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— 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/2015/05/16/rosali-cleaners-sodomite_n_7293788.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

93 of 98 Texas House Republicans Shamefully Sign Anti-Gay Letter Pledging to Defy SCOTUS on Marriage

John Wright

www.towleroad.com/2015/05/93-texas-house-republicans-sign-anti-gay-marriage-letter.html