A Front-Row View of Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour
Neal Broverman
www.advocate.com/music/2015/9/16/front-row-view-madonnas-rebel-heart-tour
Monthly Archives: September 2015
Uganda president says new anti-gay law ‘not necessary’
Uganda president says new anti-gay law ‘not necessary’
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said a new anti-gay law is ‘not necessary’ because the country already has one.
According to the Associated Press, the long-standing leader indicated that he would not further pursue anti-gay legislation he signed last year but was later thrown out by the country’s highest court.
‘That law was not necessary, because we already have a law which was left by the British which deals with this issue,’ he told reporters in Tokyo last week.
Uganda already punishes gay sex with up to life imprisonment under a colonial-era anti-sodomy law, and same-sex marriage is banned in the constitution.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act would have made it illegal to even ‘promote’ homosexuality, and those who failed to report LGBTI people to the police would also risk arrest or jail.
‘It is our view that we punish exhibitionism, recruiters and homosexual prostitutes,’ Museveni said in February last year as he signed the law on live TV.
‘We are sick of homosexuals exhibiting themselves. All Africans are flabbergasted by this exhibition of sexual conduct.’
The proposed law was widely criticized in the West, including by US President Barack Obama, and was struck down by the constitutional court that August.
The post Uganda president says new anti-gay law ‘not necessary’ appeared first on Gay Star News.
Darren Wee
www.gaystarnews.com/article/uganda-president-says-new-anti-gay-law-not-necessary/
Kim Davis loses yet another bid to delay gay marriage licenses
Kim Davis loses yet another bid to delay gay marriage licenses
Kim Davis on Tuesday (15 September) lost yet another bid to delay her office from issuing gay marriage licenses.
A day after the Kentucky clerk returned to work, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reiterated that ‘Davis has not demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on her federal constitutional claims.’
She spent five days in jail last week for contempt after she defied a Supreme Court order to issue gay marriage licenses because of her ‘sincerely-held religious beliefs.’
The latest ruling was in a countersuit against Governor Steve Beshear, who ordered Davis comply with the US Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage nationwide and who she claims is partly responsible for her present troubles.
One of her deputies started issuing licenses to gay couples while she was away. When she returned on Monday, Davis said she would not block her deputies from issuing licenses, but ordered her name be removed from the templates and replaced with ‘pursuant to federal court order.’
Davis has one more request for reprieve before the appeals court, which argues that the order she was jailed for defying should only apply only to the four gay couples who sued her and no others.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who represented the couples, asked the court to reject ‘Davis’ latest attempt to avoid the obligations of her office.’
‘[She] keeps asking the same question and getting the same answer from the courts – that she has to do her job.’ said James Esseks, director of ACLU’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project.
‘Issuing marriage licenses doesn’t mean she approves of those marriages, it just means she’s doing the job she was elected to do.’
The post Kim Davis loses yet another bid to delay gay marriage licenses appeared first on Gay Star News.
Darren Wee
www.gaystarnews.com/article/kim-davis-loses-yet-another-bid-to-delay-gay-marriage-licenses/
Did Vladimir Putin Call Elton John?
Did Vladimir Putin Call Elton John?
Sir Elton John turned to social media to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin for a phone call that he claimed the leader made, a call Putin’s spokesman denied.
John announced the conversation on Instagram.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov twice told reporters the call never happened, according to BuzzFeed, which reported he did not rule out the possibility that Putin might meet the singer “at some point.”
Putin, Peskov told the Russia Today website, has always “been and remains open to discuss any of the human rights issues, any questions, he is always ready to explain the real situation. Often, people simply do not have the exact knowledge of what is happening in our country and in fact the victims of varied information exaltation.
“I have no doubt that if such a wish, the President will be ready to meet, including Elton John, in order to provide answers to all the questions that he can deliver. But we are such signals are not received.”
John isn’t the only one concerned about Russian gays and lesbians these days. Sam Smith also took to Instagram to support Russia’s LGBT population, as reported by our sibling Out magazine.
As The Advocate reported over the weekend, John announced on a visit to Ukraine that he would like to meet with Putin to encourage him to improve the situation in his nation. He also urged Ukrainian business and political leaders to foster a better climate for that nation’s LGBT citizens.
Dawn Ennis
www.advocate.com/world/2015/9/15/did-vladimir-putin-call-elton-john
Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Suffers Yet Another Loss In Federal Court
Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Suffers Yet Another Loss In Federal Court
Rowan County clerk Kim Davis of Kentucky suffered another legal setback Tuesday when a federal appeals court denied her request to be exempted from a gubernatorial directive to comply with the Supreme Court’s June decision on same-sex marriage.
In a short order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit noted that “Davis has not demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on her federal constitutional claims.”
This dispute — which is separate from Davis’ legal challenge to an August court order instructing Davis to issue marriage licenses to gay couples — stems from a countersuit she filed against Gov. Steve Beshear (D), whom she has argued is partly responsible for her present court troubles.
The ruling is only procedural, but it adds to a string of losses for Davis at all levels of the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court.
In court documents filed while Davis was incarcerated for contempt of court, her lawyers had charged that Beshear failed “to take elementary steps to accommodate Davis’ undisputed, sincerely-held religious beliefs about marriage” when he issued a directive in June asking that all county clerks in Kentucky comply with Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage nationwide.
“As a prisoner of her conscience, Davis continues to request a simple accommodation and exemption from Gov. Beshear, who is overseeing Kentucky marriage policy,” the lawyers argued.
Davis’ legal team has at least three appeals pending in the 6th Circuit: one involving the the clerk’s lawsuit against Beshear; another challenging the ruling that sent her to jail for contempt of court; and a third one challenging the merits of the Aug. 12 order that effectively told her to begin issuing marriage licenses to all couples.
These legal maneuverings all stem from the original lawsuit a group of gay and straight couples filed against Davis as a result of a blanket “no marriage licenses” policy she instituted following the Supreme Court ruling that established a constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples.
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Gay football player Mason Darrow not considered distraction by Princeton teammates
Gay football player Mason Darrow not considered distraction by Princeton teammates
The knock on Michael Sam was that his being openly gay when drafted by the NFL would be a distraction.
Fortunately for Mason Darrow, his coach and his teammates at Princeton University saw things differently when he decided to come out publicly ahead of the season this fall.
‘Here at Princeton, if we can’t handle this and say, “We’re supportive of everybody no matter what their background, religion, race or sexual orientation,” then we don’t have the right guys in the locker room. We’re going to support Mason 100%,” head coach Bob Surace said in an interview posted Tuesday (15 September) on Outsports.
It was two years ago that Darrow began coming out to his fellow players and he now says: ‘Telling my teammates was the best decision I have ever made.’
He needed that support when his 2014 season was cut short when Darrow tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). As he worked his way back from injury, the coaching staff remained unaware that he had come out to the team.
‘We knew if we told the coaches, then that would make it a thing,’ says Darrow’s teammate Caleb Slate who was the first person he came out to on the team. ‘He’s still just our teammate to us. We didn’t want to go to the coach about it, we wanted Mason to do it when he was ready.’
Darrow decided to tell Surface earlier this summer. Because the coming out to Surface was preceded by a phone call from Darrow the night before setting up a meeting, the coach was dreading bad news about an injury or the offensive linesman wanting to quit the team.
When he told the coach he was gay, a relieved Surface replied: ‘That’s great. Geez, I thought you were injured.’
The coach now says of the player: ‘He’s tough, he’s physical. He’s one of the guys you enjoy and you love. He’s one of our leaders.’
The post Gay football player Mason Darrow not considered distraction by Princeton teammates appeared first on Gay Star News.
Greg Hernandez
Gay Website Insists It Was Correct In Asking Tom Hardy Cringe-Inducing Question About His “Ambiguous Sexuality”
Gay Website Insists It Was Correct In Asking Tom Hardy Cringe-Inducing Question About His “Ambiguous Sexuality”
Though actor Tom Hardy bristled at Daily Xtra’s questions about sexuality during a press conference at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept 13, 2015, touching off a media firestorm — other actors have embraced our questions at TIFF, and even welcomed the opportunity to shine a spotlight on sexuality and gender identity.
As Canada’s gay and lesbian news source, we feel it’s our responsibility to examine sexuality and the ways in which it’s portrayed on screen, especially once it’s in the public eye.”
— A post co-written by Robin Perelle and Kevin O’Keefe on Daily Xtra‘s website to defend its widely-derided novice reporter Graeme Coleman timidly asking Legend star Tom Hardy about a 2008 interview he gave to Attitude magazine and using examples of other celebs such as Evan Rachel Wood who’ve answered the question. Watch the super-awkawrd exchange between Hardy and Coleman below.
Jeremy Kinser
News: Tom Hardy, Mr. Leather, Paleo Diet, PrEP, Gay Instagram
News: Tom Hardy, Mr. Leather, Paleo Diet, PrEP, Gay Instagram
> Christopher Rice on Tom Hardy and that interview that touched on his sexuality: “Enough of this. Enough of allowing actors once they reach a certain threshold of fame to act like they’ve been violated or shamed by any question that suggests they might not be one hundred percent heterosexual. Asking a handsome young male actor if he’s gay is not in any way indecent. To pretend as such deepens the stigma around homosexuality on a vastly public level, in a manner that does damage to gay people who don’t have access to media platforms and who aren’t regularly provided with a press conference in which to air their views.”
> Devo band-member Jerry Casale had a 9/11-themed wedding last Friday.
> Whitney Houston hologram is going on tour next year.
> David Gandy wants to thank you for liking him in his skivvies (and also liking his skivvies).
> Neil Patrick Harris’ variety show Best Time Ever debuts tonight.
> Why Mr. Leather went to Uganda.
> Facebook is working on a dislike button.
> California may soon require condoms for all porn performers.
> Gay-themed film From Afar wins top prize at Venice Film Festival.
> Your Paleo diet just got f*$ked. New research shows Paleolithic people were making and eating flour 32,000 years ago.
> Kim Davis’ 2nd/4th husband is now becoming a right-wing poster child in his own right.
> Happy Birthday, Prince Harry.
> Leo has ditched his beard.
> Porn producer Michael Lucas: Drop the backlash on PrEP.
> Has Instagram been taken over by the gay community?
> Miley Cyrus releases song from Freeheld soundtrack.
> Samantha Bee rips Vanity Fair‘s boys club spread on late night hosts.
> Google Maps now shows you if climate change will put your home underwater.
> NY Times talks to survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy ahead of Pope Francis’ US visit.
The post News: Tom Hardy, Mr. Leather, Paleo Diet, PrEP, Gay Instagram appeared first on Towleroad.
Sean Mandell
News: Tom Hardy, Mr. Leather, Paleo Diet, PrEP, Gay Instagram
WATCH: High School Senior Suspended For Wearing 'Nobody Knowns I'm a Lesbian' T-Shirt
WATCH: High School Senior Suspended For Wearing 'Nobody Knowns I'm a Lesbian' T-Shirt
A South Carolina high school student was suspended last week after a T-shirt she was wearing that said “Nobody Knows I’m a Lesbian” in bold letters was judged to be “disruptive.”
According to Charleston TV station WCBD, out Chesnee High School senior Briana Popour was asked to change out of her “Nobody Knows I’m a Lesbian” shirt by a school administrator who said he found the shirt offensive, and after she refused to do so, was later suspended.
When she noted that there was nothing in the school handbook that said she couldn’t wear her pro-LGBT shirt on campus, the school administrator told her “not everything is in the handbook,” reports WCBD as well as another station, WSPA.
“He does not like people in his school wearing anything that says anything about lesbians, gays, or bisexuals,” Popour said.
“Isn’t that what school is supposed to teach you? To be happy with who you are?” she continued. “Maybe people will be more comfortable showing who they are because you should be able to wear what you want to wear.”
Watch WSPA’s report on Briana Popour below.
Raffy Ermac
Some Thoughts on PrEP
Some Thoughts on PrEP
Around two years ago, I met the first guy who told me he was on Truvada for PrEP. He said he had been on the drug for six months, along with a bunch of “bareback fuck buds” he hooked up with who were also on the drug. Although I had read about PrEP in The Times a few months before that, I had no idea guys were actually on it and running around having raw sex, just a few blocks away from my apartment! Call me naïve.
At the time, the concept seemed crazy to me because I’ve always had a distrust of the pharmaceutical industry. At 43, I’ve had my fair share of bizarre side effects from drugs, so the idea of taking an HIV med to help prevent HIV infection when I could just use condoms seemed ridiculous to me.
But in the past two years, PrEP has gone mainstream, and practically half my friends are on it. This is a boon for its maker, Gilead, since it costs upwards of $12,000 a year to be on it. It’s also a boon for the gay community, as new HIV infections have dramatically decreased since its introduction. In fact, a recent studied followed 600 men over the course of a two-year period and not one man seroconverted.
The makers of Truvada state the drug should be used with condoms, but from what I see going on here in NYC, a lot of men have abandoned them because they’re so confident in the drug’s effectiveness. Friends tell me they have bareback sex all the time and are still negative, even after bottoming for positive guys who are undetectable. It seems this advance in HIV meds has had one very good side effect. Thanks to PrEP and HIV meds like Stribild, the stigma many HIV+ have had to deal with for so many years seems to be fading away.
Another side effect these drugs have had is they’re breaking down a 30-year-old fear of semen. Now that it isn’t seen as the main way of contracting a life-threatening illness, loads of guys seem to be obsessed with exchanging loads. It seems the gay community is now going through a period where ejaculate has become almost fetishized because it no longer carries a potential death sentence. The end result is that many men have become liberated from the fear of having someone ejaculate inside them.
In my opinion, this is a good and bad thing. While I’m all for being released from any kind of mental bondage, the lack of condom use in the past two years has increased the spread of STDs like syphilis, herpes, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Interestingly, it’s now starting to have a boomerang effect because the latest trend I’ve been hearing about is…condoms! It seems more and more men are getting sick of having to take antibiotics for STDS they contract and have decided to start using them with PrEP. And since using Truvada with prophylactics ups it’s effectiveness to 99 percent, this can only be a good thing.
Sure, I wished we lived in a world where we didn’t have to take a break from foreplay to put on a condom, but in the scheme of things, it doesn’t take that much time to slap one on to keep you and the men you sleep with safe. And hey, that minute goes by a lot faster than an afternoon in your doctor’s office.
Greg Scarnici is the author of the book, “I Hope My Mother Doesn’t Read This” – now available on Amazon. Connect with him and his social networks on www.gregscarnici.com
— 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.
