There’s special significance to this George Michael mural — beyond the fresh poppers in his hand

Sydney-based street artist Scott Marsh just put the last finishing touches on a splashy 20′ mural immortalizing pop icon George Michael, which you’ll find on the corner of Bray and Flora in St. Peters.

Related: Radar tastelessly “exposes” George Michael’s BF as “secret” adult film star

Impossible to miss, the towering visual paean to all things GM also has special significance to the building’s residents, as Marsh explains to The Music: 

The guys who live in that building, they were both friends with George Michael and I had already been speaking with them about painting their wall. They offered their wall up to me a while ago and I hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

They were telling me stories about him and their times with him in Sydney and he sounded like a pretty incredible person, so I just sat down with them and threw some ideas around. The idea we stuck with was him as the patron saint of the gays. They love it.”

Yeah, it’s easy to see why.

“St. George” ???#georgemichael #sydney Better photos tomorrow.?? #innerwest #sydneystreetart Corner of bray st and flora st in st peters

A photo posted by Scott Marsh (@scottie.marsh) on Jan 11, 2017 at 10:50pm PST

Marsh claims it only took a day and a half for the sketch to come together, and he would’ve finished it sooner if Sydney’s heatwave hadn’t decided to be a bitch.

“I finished it yesterday and I was there almost all day yesterday,” he says, “from early to about 5pm, and the day before I kinda just sketched it up for a few hours. It was too hot to paint [that day], it was like 44 degrees or something ridiculous so I pulled the pin on that and went for a swim.”

Fair enough.

Related: A letter Frank Sinatra wrote to George Michael has gone viral

Important detail: Since patron saints tend to cradle some sort of magical talisman, Marsh thought it wise to paint a joint and big bottle of amyl into Michael’s paws.

“[His friends] were like, ‘I don’t think we ever saw him without a joint in his hand,” he says, “‘and put amyl in his other hand,’ and I just thought, that’s too funny.”

“[I used] gold metallic spray paint for the halo aura around his head,” Marsh reveals, “and there’s also metallic in his cross and also in his collar and stuff, so when you go past on the train in the morning, when the sun’s kinda hitting it, it glimmers.”

www.queerty.com/theres-special-significance-george-michael-mural-beyond-fresh-poppers-hand-20170113?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

NC Gay Man Sues Catholic School For Firing Him After He Announced His Wedding

A gay teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina is suing a Catholic school for unfair dismissal after he announced his impending marriage to another man.

According to the lawsuit, Charlotte Catholic High School violated federal employment law by firing Lonnie Billard (above left, with his partner Rich) in 2014 after a Facebook post about his wedding.

Last year, diocese spokesman David Hains said Billard was not fired for being gay but for violating an employment contract that prohibited him from opposing church teaching.

RELATED: Schools Fires Gay Teacher After He Applies For Marriage License

Crux reports:

He posted about his upcoming wedding in October 2014, and was informed by an assistant principal several weeks later that he no longer had a job with the school.

Not long after that, local diocese spokesman David Hains publicly stated that Billard was let go for “going on Facebook, entering into a same-sex relationship, and saying it in a very public way that he does not agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church,” according to the lawsuit.

Hains said Wednesday that officials from the diocese hadn’t seen the lawsuit and typically don’t comment on pending litigation.

Billard’s lawyers argue the firing violates prohibitions against sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

In a statement, Billard said: “I know that the Catholic Church opposes same-sex marriage, but I don’t think my commitment to my husband has any bearing on my work in the classroom. I have never hidden the fact that I’m gay and my relationship with my partner was no secret at school.”

The post NC Gay Man Sues Catholic School For Firing Him After He Announced His Wedding appeared first on Towleroad.

NC Gay Man Sues Catholic School For Firing Him After He Announced His Wedding

PHOTOS: Wild things happen in the dark in Melbourne

www.queerty.com/photos-wild-things-happen-dark-melbourne-20170113?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Former Republican Confronts Paul Ryan on Obamacare Repeal, Thanks Obama for Saving His Life: WATCH

At Paul Ryan’s Town Hall on Thursday night, a former Republican named Jeff Jeans who worked on the Reagan and Bush campaigns confronted Paul Ryan on Obamacare repeal and said that thanks to the Affordable Care Act he’s alive, and thanked President Obama for saving his life.

“I want to thank President Obama from the bottom of my heart, because I would be dead if it weren’t for him.”

Jeans had a curable form of cancer but was given six months to live if he didn’t seek treatment.

“Why would you repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement?”, Jeans asked Ryan.

Ryan claimed that the Republicans do have an adequate replacement in the form of “high-risk pools.”

Writes Think Progress: “The problem with high-risk pools is that Republicans don’t seem willing to spend enough money on them to ensure they’ll truly cover the millions of people with pre-existing health conditions.”

Here’s more on why high-risk pools won’t work.

Watch:

The post Former Republican Confronts Paul Ryan on Obamacare Repeal, Thanks Obama for Saving His Life: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Former Republican Confronts Paul Ryan on Obamacare Repeal, Thanks Obama for Saving His Life: WATCH

New report reveals isolation, mistreatment of LGBTQ Nigerians

The Bisi Alimi Foundation

Today, the Bisi Alimi Foundation released “Not dancing to their music,” an original report on the trying experiences of LGBTQ Nigerians since the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) became law in 2014.

“Not dancing to their music” explores the results of an online survey in which 446 LGBTQ Nigerian respondents relayed how systemic issues with law enforcement, education, healthcare, and the media both limits opportunities for LGBTQ Nigerians and intersects with issues of abuse, exclusion, detention, and more.

Bisi Alimi, the first person to come out live on Nigerian television, is also the Executive Director of the Foundation. He said of the report:

This is not just about data, these are stories and real life experiences of stigmatised and vulnerable citizens of Nigeria. These are the stories of police extortion, family betrayal and rejection, abuse, work place discrimination and isolation in schools and hospitals. We are hoping that the government, businesses, both local and multinational, powerful organisations such as the United Nations, Commonwealth and other interested parties will look at this report and take action in name of human rights, empathy and justice.

The results paint an alarming picture of extreme hardship with seemingly nowhere to turn:

• An overwhelming majority (71%) of LGBT Nigerian respondents believed they were abused due to their gender identity or sexuality
• While a large majority have experienced discrimination, abuse, and harassment, the survey found most cases are not reported due to shame (14%), fear of reprisal (12%), and a belief that no one would help (6%)
• 12% of respondents were told by doctors or nurses that their health problems were their own fault, and 12% reported experiencing verbal abuse from doctors or nurses
• 65% have claimed that there was more than one perpetrator and in up to 42% the perpetrators were straight
• Greater mental distress was associated with reduced life satisfaction 

LGBTQ Nigerians shared their stories at greater length in the survey, some of which are highlighted below:

The “Not dancing to their music” report was released with support from GLAAD, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Baker McKenzie, and Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

The Bisi Alimi Foundation provides unbiased information, education, training, and development projects with a focus on sexuality and gender in Nigeria. The non-profit organization seeks to build a wealth of knowledge through education, training, and community engagement as a means of reducing homophobia in Nigeria. GLAAD has worked closely with the organization in the past to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance worldwide, including interviewing Bisi Alimi, himself.

View the full report and its executive summary here.

 To bring attention to LGBTQ Nigerians’ experiences and the issues outlined in the report, you can spread the word about their stories by sharing more quote graphics:

 

 

 

 

www.glaad.org/blog/new-report-reveals-isolation-mistreatment-lgbtq-nigerians

Trump picks Giuliani to, Um, Schedule Meetings About Cybersecurity, And Stuff (Video)

The man dubbed “America’s Mayor” after 9/11 had hoped to be “America’s Diplomat,” but instead he’s now a White House cybersecurity advisor, setting up meetings “from time to time.”

www.advocate.com/politics/2017/1/13/trump-picks-giuliani-um-schedule-meetings-about-cybersecurity-and-stuff-video

Gallup Poll: More Than 10 Million Americans Now Identify as LGBT, an Increase of 1.75M in Four Years

A new survey has shown that more than 10 million Americans now identify as LGBT.

According to the poll, the portion of American adults identifying as LGBT increased to 4.1% in 2016 from 3.5% in 2012, an increase of 1.75 million over four years.

The results are based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,626,773 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, from June 1, 2012, through December 30, 2016.

RELATED: 60 Cities Earn Perfect LGBTQ Protections Survey Score (But 8 Score Zero)

The survey also found that:

• LGBT identification increases are more pronounced in women than in men.
• The largest increase in LGBT self-identification among ethnic minorities occurred within the Asian population.
• LGBT identification increased among all income and education groups.
• Increases in LGBT identification were largely among those who are not religious.

Based on replies from more than 49,000 respondents, Gallup says that millennials drive virtually all of the increases observed in overall LGBT self-identification. Millennials identifying as LGBT increased from 5.8% in 2012 to 7.3% in 2016 while LGBT identification remained relatively stable over the five-year period at among Generation X and declined slightly among baby boomers and traditionalists.

According to Gallup, the fact that data security and confidentiality are not major concerns of millennials could help to explain why that group are so much more likely to identify as LGBT when compared with other generations.

(Image via Wikipedia)

The post Gallup Poll: More Than 10 Million Americans Now Identify as LGBT, an Increase of 1.75M in Four Years appeared first on Towleroad.

Gallup Poll: More Than 10 Million Americans Now Identify as LGBT, an Increase of 1.75M in Four Years

We Can't Get Enough of Sen. Warren's Sparring Match with Ben Carson (Video)

“The president-elect is hiding his business interests from you, from me, from the rest of the country,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren told the neurosurgeon turned nominee for Housing and Urban Development. 

www.advocate.com/politics/2017/1/13/we-cant-get-enough-sen-warrens-sparring-match-ben-carson-video

声優の三ツ矢雄二、ゲイをカミングアウト　恋人も「募集してます」
アニメ『タッチ』の上杉達也役などで知られる。

もっと見る: エンタメ, Japan Lgbt, ゲイ, カミングアウト, 三ツ矢雄二, 上杉達也, タッチ, アニメ, 声優, Japan News

www.huffingtonpost.jp/2017/01/13/mitsuya-yuji-coming-out_n_14142826.html