Watch: Celebrating Marriage Equality in Ireland
HRC’s Ty Cobb joined YouTube stars Raymond Braun and Riyadh K. on the ground to watch Ireland vote “yes” to same-sex marriage.
HRC.org
Daily Archives: May 25, 2015
PHOTOS: Sexy Spaniards Pack The Heat At Madrid’s Hottest Fetish Bar
PHOTOS: Sexy Spaniards Pack The Heat At Madrid’s Hottest Fetish Bar
Odarko bills itself as “a benchmark in the international gay fetish scene.” Located in Madrid’s Callao gayborhood, the bar is known for its all-night fetish parties, elaborate laser lights, and house and electronic music spun by resident DJ Manuel Carranco. It’s a must-see for any gay, leather-loving traveler who finds himself passing through Madrid.
Scroll down for a taste of what goes on at Odarko, and see the full gallery over at GayCities…
Photo credit: Odarko
Graham Gremore
Korean Men Tie the Knot In Heartwarming 'My Fair Wedding' Documentary: VIDEO
Korean Men Tie the Knot In Heartwarming 'My Fair Wedding' Documentary: VIDEO
South Korea, like many places in the world and in too much of the U.S., bans gay marriage. South Korean gays, like in many places in the world and in increasingly more places in the U.S., are reaching the point of not caring what the bans are and are getting married anyways, governmental recognition be damned. Such is the case with Kim Jho Gwang-soo and Kim Seung-hwan, a South Korean gay couple whose marriage became the subject of a documentary by Jang Hee-sun entitled My Fair Wedding.
The documentary follows the couple along their journey to wedded bliss, from the planning stages to the challenges of telling their families to the ceremony itself in downtown Seoul. Despite the pushback they received from anti-gay protesters, the two felt that this was necessary in order to raise awareness of sexual minorities in South Korea. Said Kim Jho,
Through this film, we would like to show that we are not different from heterosexuals.
Hopefully this will facilitate legislation in South Korea that, like many places in the world and in most of the U.S., legally recognizes same-sex marriage. The film will be released in South Korea on June 6, 2015, and you can watch the trailer AFTER THE JUMP…
Christian Walters
www.towleroad.com/2015/05/korean-men-get-gay-married-in-my-fair-wedding-documentary-video-1.html
Would You Rather: Max Rockatansky Or Nux From ‘Mad Max: Fury Road'
Would You Rather: Max Rockatansky Or Nux From ‘Mad Max: Fury Road'
Life often presents us with tough choices, but we’re here to help work them out. Each week, we discuss two attractive men, weigh the pros and cons, and decide, once and for all, which one we’d rather have sex with. In this week’s Would You Rather, we debate hopping into bed with either “Mad” Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) and Nux (Nicholas Hoult) from Mad Max: Fury Road.
— 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.
Nine More States Comply With Federal Prison Rape Law, But DOJ Rejects Texas Governor's Letter
Nine More States Comply With Federal Prison Rape Law, But DOJ Rejects Texas Governor's Letter
For a brief instant, it was starting to appear as though a wave of sanity had swept over the Texas GOP.
First, Rep. Sarah Davis became the first Republican state lawmaker in history to publicly back same-sex marriage.
Then, it was widely reported that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott had agreed to comply with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act — unlike his predecessor, Rick Perry.
Alas, though, it was apparently too good to be true, at least with regard to Abbott. The New York Times reports that the Justice Department has rejected the governor’s assurance of compliance with PREA:
Mr. Abbott, who took office in January, was under some pressure in the week before the deadline, during which an article in The New York Times highlighted the sexual abuse problem in Texas’ prisons, an editorial in The Dallas Morning News urged the governor to “enact the federal reforms now,” and protesters in Austin called on him to take action against prison rape.
“I can assure you that we will fully implement D.O.J.’s PREA standards wherever feasible,” he wrote to the attorney general. …
Mr. Abbott did not, however, provide the required written assurance that Texas would spend at least 5 percent of certain federal grants to achieve full compliance with the anti-rape standards.
“The letter we received from Texas makes no such representation and, therefore, it cannot be considered to be an assurance under PREA,” said Dena W. Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department.
All told, nine more states certified compliance with PREA this year, brining the total to 11. Texas was one of six states that had rejected the federal standards outright, foregoing federal funds rather than striving to meet them. Two of those states, Florida and Indiana, have since said they’re working to comply with PREA. It was unclear whether whether the other three, Arizona, Idaho and Utah, had done so, The NYT reports.
According to Just Detention International, which works to eliminate sexual abuse in detention facilities, LGBT inmates are 15 times more likely to be victims of prison rape than non-LGBT inmates. And Texas is home to five of the 10 facilities in the nation with the highest rates of sexual assault.
Jael Humphrey of Lambda Legal, which is suing Texas on behalf of transgender inmate Passion Star, who’s been repeatedly raped in assaulted in the state’s prisons, issued this statement:
“We are profoundly disappointed that Governor Abbott has neglected to make a meaningful commitment to meet the PREA standards set by the DOJ, and we applaud the Justice Department for demanding real commitment from Texas to use grant funds to actually enforce these standards. Governor Abbott cannot coast by paying lip service to PREA, while Passion Star and other incarcerated people remain at risk of continued sexual violence. Lambda Legal will continue to press Governor Abbott to take the necessary steps to end prison rape in his written statements and to turn his words into action.”
John Wright
Is The Struggle Of The Straight-Acting Gay Man Really A Thing?
Is The Struggle Of The Straight-Acting Gay Man Really A Thing?
Are you a gay guy who feels like he doesn’t “fit in” with other gay guys?
Do you find society expects you to act a certain way, then gives you shit when you don’t make the mark?
Is the struggle of the “masculine gay man” really a thing, or does it simply reflect the limitations our internalized gender roles?
To these guys on Whisper, it’s definitely a thing.
We’re not so sure about some of them, though:
Dan Tracer
Rejoignez @mobilisnoo Join us 😉 Mobilisnoo.org #LGBT #GAY #GAYfr #Mobilisnoo #Orange
Thank You For Your Service: Five LGBT Veterans Who Helped Change The World
Thank You For Your Service: Five LGBT Veterans Who Helped Change The World
Happy Memorial Day.
Today we honor and remember military personnel who served their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. (Not to be confused with Veterans Day, which honors all soldiers who have served our country.)
Scroll down to read about five famous LGBT army veterans from decades past, and add more to the list in the comments section below…
Baron Frederick von Steuben
Though Prussian by birth, Frederick von Steuben trained George Washington’s Colonial Army and was invaluable in helping them defeat the better equipped and trained British troops. The Baron arrived in the Colonies in September 1777, with his young aide de camp, Louis de Pontière, and their prized Italian greyhound, Azor. Steuben developed a model company of 120 men, who in turn trained others. As part of his technique, the Baron would don full military dress and upbraid the troops in French and German. (He eventually recruited a captain to curse at them in English.) The Baron was often described as “eccentric”and “flamboyant,” which was essentialy Colonial-era lingo for “gay.” Despite this–or more likely, because of this–he still managed to become one of the great heroes of the Revolutionary War.
Thomas A. Dooley
While serving as a physician in the U.S. Navy in the 1950s, Dooley, a celebrated doctor and humanitarian, was investigated by the Navy and forced to resign his commission. Despite being fired, he remained in Southeast Asia, tending to the forgotten victims of war and building hospitals through the Medical International Cooperation Organization. After he died of cancer at just 34, Dooley’s legacy was later enshrined by President John F. Kennedy, who cited the doctor’s example when he launched the Peace Corps. Dooley was also posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.
(Female members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, a.k.a WASPs)
Cpls Fannie Mae Clackum and Grace Garner
Though hardly the first people forced out of the military for being gay, Fannie Mae Clackum and Grace Garner, U.S. Air Force reservists in the late 1940s and early 1950s, were the first to successfully challenge their discharge. When the two women were suspected of being lesbians, the Office of Special Investigations essentially entrapped the pair, giving the Air Force cause to issue dishonorable discharges to both in 1952. But they refused to accept the discharges and demanded their case be brought to a courtmartial. Eight years later, the pair won their suit: the courts vacated the discharge and awarded them back pay.
Sgt. Leonard Matlovich
Vietnam vet Sgt. Leonard Matlovich was the first gay man to disclose his sexual orientation in the military while serving in the U.S. Air Force. His photograph, along with the headline “I Am a Homosexual,” appeared on the cover of the September 8, 1975 edition of Time. In addition to being one of the first openly gay American soldiers, Matlovich was also the first to appear on the cover of an American news magazine.
Graham Gremore
Op-Ed: Gay Purple Heart Recipient Says 'Mission Not Accomplished'
Op-Ed: Gay Purple Heart Recipient Says 'Mission Not Accomplished'
While we remember our fallen soldiers on Memorial Day and celebrate a post-DADT world, we cannot grow complacent.
Eric Alva
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