Manchester man sent to prison for hurling abuse at two gay men singing Wicked songs on tram

A 29-year old man was today sentenced to 13 weeks imprisonment for shouting homophobic abuse at two gay men after he overheard them singing songs from the musical Wicked on a tram in Manchester, England.

One of the men went on to be seriously injured in a homophobic attack that followed the verbal abuse.

Jean Claude Manseau and Jake Heaton were passengers on the Metrolink from Bury to Manchester on the evening of 31 October last year. They were singing songs from Wicked when Oldham heckled them with anti-gay abuse.

The two got off the tram at Market Street, but Oldham followed them as they tried to make their way towards Canal Street, continuing to heckle them. His shouts drew the attention of others in the Piccadilly Gardens area, and some of these others then set upon the two men.

Heaton was punched by managed to escape and seek help.

Manseau was badly beaten and knocked unconscious – sustaining injuries to his head and face. Photographs of his injuries were later posted on Heaton’s Facebook page.

In prosecuting Oldham, the Crown Prosecution Service applied for an uplift in his sentence under S146 of the criminal justice act to reflect the homophobic aspect of the crime. As a result the Judge added a 10% increase to the sentence.

At the same time, Oldham was also sentenced to a further 13 weeks imprisonment for a domestic violence assault and will therefore serve a total of six months in custody. He was also ordered to pay £520 Criminal Court Costs and £80 Victim Surcharge.

David Graham, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: ‘The two victims were subjected to a torrent of verbal abuse and threats of violence both during and after a tram journey into Manchester city center which was purely motivated by homophobic prejudice.

‘The men were in good spirits and looking forward to a night out in Manchester which was soon spoiled by a sequence of events which has greatly affected them since. The actions of Oldham drew the attention of another group of unidentified men, which in turn led to one of the victims being violently attacked in the street.

‘Targeting someone because of their sexual orientation is totally unacceptable. The CPS and police are dedicated to tackling hate crime and we will continue to work closely together to bring those who commit such offences to justice for their disgraceful actions.’

No-one has yet to have been charged or prosecuted in connection with the physical assaults against the two men. Verbal abuse charges against a woman who was previously arrested at the same time as Oldham were subsequently dropped.

Anyone with information about the attack can call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The post Manchester man sent to prison for hurling abuse at two gay men singing Wicked songs on tram appeared first on Gay Star News.

David Hudson

www.gaystarnews.com/article/manchester-man-sent-to-prison-for-hurling-abuse-at-two-gay-men-singing-wicked-songs-on-tram/

Alabama Legislature May Dismantle State’s Marriage License System

Although the bill would impact all Alabamians who wish to get married in the future, the proposal is clearly a misguided response to marriage equality victories earlier this year.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/alabama-legislature-may-dismantle-states-marriage-license-system?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Comedian Joe Rogan’s Post About What Aliens Would Think of Kim Davis Wins the Internet This Week

Stand-up comic, podcaster, and former Fear Factor host Joe Rogan weighed in on the Kim Davis drama this week with a Facebook post speculating on what extraterrestrial intelligence would think of the Kentucky clerk’s anti-gay crusade:

Related, Joe Rogan Rips ‘Weak-Ass Bitches’ Who Oppose Gay Marriage

The post Comedian Joe Rogan’s Post About What Aliens Would Think of Kim Davis Wins the Internet This Week appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

Comedian Joe Rogan’s Post About What Aliens Would Think of Kim Davis Wins the Internet This Week

PHOTOS: Southern Decadence 2015

Neal Broverman

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/9/11/photos-southern-decadence-2015

19 Adorable Photos Show Just Why Grandchildren Are So Special

National Grandparents Day — coming up on Sunday, Sept. 13 — is the perfect time to showcase the precious bond grandparents enjoy with their grandchildren.

We asked you to tell us about your own grandparents — and your own grandchildren — and we were inundated with lovely stories. On Wednesday, we published our tribute to grandparents and, today, it’s the grandkids’ turn.

Check out these 19 gorgeous photos — as well as many more included in the slideshow below. What beautiful families!

Happy Grandparents Day everyone!

— 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.

feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677065/s/49c37c38/sc/28/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C0A90C10A0Cthis0Eis0Ewhy0Ewe0Ecant0Eget0Eenough0Eof0Eour0Egrandkids0In0I81215760Bhtml0Dutm0Ihp0Iref0Fgay0Evoices0Gir0FGay0KVoices/story01.htm

The men and women of Austria’s Pink Lake

Imagine a few hundred LGBTIs taking over a peaceful and picturesque Austrian mountain town for a long weekend of swimming, sunbathing and partying.

This was Pink Lake – an annual LGBTI festival in the town of Velden, one of Austria’s most holiday resorts, set on the stunning Wörthersee lake.

The four-day event from 3 to 6 September saw three big parties. The first, a traditional Austrian affair with guys dressed in lederhosen and girls in dirndl, then a roller disco and finishing off with two party boats cruising over the 20km long lake.

During the day, festival-goers relaxed at the Pink Lake Beach Club. Even a day of rain didn’t stop the party – revelers just moved in to the club’s spa, alternating sauna sessions with a refreshing dip in the crystal-clear lake.

Check out the guys and girls of Pink Lake here:

Gay Star News was a media partner of Pink Lake for the fourth year. We booked our flights to Klagenfurt, a short taxi journey from Velden, via Cheapflights.

The post The men and women of Austria’s Pink Lake appeared first on Gay Star News.

Tris Reid-Smith

www.gaystarnews.com/article/the-men-and-women-of-austrias-pink-lake/

Which Hollywood Superstar Isn’t Happy With Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour?

Each week online comedian, voice actor and chest hair model Sam Kalidi creates a new meme for Queerty readers. This week, he ponders Madonna’s recently-launched Rebel Heart tour and the lingering resentment that one movie icon has at being left out of the singer’s classic anthem “Vogue.” Sam looks forward to all your hate mail. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and at your local glory hole.

Jeremy Kinser

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The One Thing All LGBT Activists Agree On

How do I begin to even describe Lillian Faderman’s The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle? By saying it’s a book that nearly every reviewer and activist has described as the most well-written and researched, epic historical book about the LGBT movement? First of all, I want to confess: I am in this book. So is my wife. But were we not in this book, I would still regard it as the greatest literary achievement chronicling our struggle for equal rights, human rights, liberation, and finally, civil rights.

Most of us know —and if you don’t, you should, so Google — who Lillian Faderman is. She is a Lambda Literary and Stonewall Book award-winning author, scholar, and retired college professor. (She is also married to Phyllis Irwin, and they are mothers and grandmothers).

Faderman covers everything from the early witch hunts of homosexuals and the first attempts to fight back, to Stonewall to Anita Bryant to “don’t ask, don’t tell” to the marriage equality movement. But what makes Faderman’s book so compelling is that she did over 150 interviews, not just of the famous activists, but everyday LGBT people harmed by the hatred against us. She depicts the rise and fall of the early gay rights groups, compelling stories that have not been told very much but deserve to be. 

She gets it right about Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings, two people rightfully described as what they called each other: the mother and father of the gay rights movement. The book is a page-turner, very difficult to put down. But I am just one activist saying that this is a brilliant must read book. Why believe just me? So here are some quotes about The Gay Revolution:

“The Gay Revolution fills a yawning gap in history literature, providing readers for the first time with a history of the entire LGBT civil rights movement, from its inception in 1950 up through the current day. Anyone who reads Faderman’s passionate narrative will recognize it as a story that ennobles the human spirit and upholds the democratic ideals at the heart of this country’s founding documents.” — David Carter, author of Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution

“The Gay Revolution docments the momentous effort to decriminalize homosexuality and humanize homosexuals.” — Col. (ret.) Margarethe Cammermeyer, highest-ranking officer to challenge the military’s antigay policy

“Lillian Faderman has delivered the comprehensive account of one of the most extraordinary social movements in modern history. As gay people approach equality under the law, Faderman charts the course that brought such remarkable changes so swiftly. It is a dynamic book that matches the power of the movement it describes.” — Cleve Jones, founder of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt

“The Gay Revolution is the definitive history of the gay rights movement in America. This book will play with your emotions as Lillian Faderman takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of the victories and sacrifices made by the LGBT community and its allies to arrive at this point in time. This is the story of civil rights for the 21st century!” — Rev. Troy D Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Churches

“The Gay Revolution will be the standard by which all subsequent histories are measured. The fact that it is written in clear English is in itself a cause for celebration.” — Rita Mae Brown, author (Rubyfruit Jungle) and lesbian activist

I have left out glowing remarks by Freedom to Marry’s Evan Wolfson and other fantastic reviews. What is so astounding about all of the reviews is — and I will let you in on an open secret — is that many activists (dare I say most) have fought with each other over the decades.

So what finally brought so many of us to agree on one thing? It was Lillian Faderman’s book. The Gay Revolution should be taught in every civil rights class in every high school and on every campus. And everyone, all of you, should buy it and read it. I won’t ask you to do it for us, the old ones who gave so much for so many decades (although I want to ask, but I don’t need to guilt you). I will ask you to do it because this is the most honest, compelling history of our movement, and if you participated, you will love remembering, and if you did not, it will inspire you to passionately rise up and get involved.

ROBIN TYLER (left) is a longtime Los Angeles-based LGBT activist, and with her wife, Diane Olson, was one of the original plaintiffs to sue for the freedom to marry in California. 

Robin Tyler

www.advocate.com/books/2015/9/11/one-thing-all-lgbt-activists-agree

Liam Payne slams Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson gay rumors: ‘It’s like a conspiracy or a cult’

One Direction’s Liam Payne has spoken out about the longstanding rumor that his band mates

Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are gay lovers – saying it drives him ‘insane’.

In a new interview with Attitude magazine, the Drag Me Down Singer says: ‘When the law changed in the US, there were loads of rainbow flags flying at our shows, but I think that was mainly because people think of the Louis and Harry thing, which is absolutely nuts and drives me insane.’

A romance between Harry and Louis – or ‘Larry’ as followers call them – is frequently featured in fan-made slash fiction on the band.

He continued: ‘It becomes like a conspiracy or a cult, the people that watch them and think that every move they make is a gesture toward them being together, and I know it’s not true and it makes me mad.’

The star also spoke out on the fans posting sexually explicit drawings of the band, saying: ‘I remember one time I was sitting next to my dad and I see this picture of me on top of Niall [Horan], which is intimidating. It’s just really weird to have people drawing these sexually-explicit pictures of us in strange situations.’

Discussing the young age of 1D fans, Liam said: ‘I don’t think it’s the right hobby for these girls to be enjoying. I find it very strange that someone so young can think of these stories or even imagine these things going on. That, for me, is the sad and sorry side of what we have done.’

After some fans took issue with the Drag me Down singer’s comments on Twitter, the star hit back: ‘It’s funny, I thought people appreciated honest they days.’

It’s funny I thought people appreciated honesty these days

— Liam (@Real_Liam_Payne) September 10, 2015

Can see people saying I’m playing ‘the victim’ I don’t feel even 1% a victim at all I had a wonderful time doing the shoot …

— Liam (@Real_Liam_Payne) September 10, 2015

And am blessed with the best job in the world massive thank you to @AttitudeMag for having me along and for everyone who enjoyed reading

— Liam (@Real_Liam_Payne) September 10, 2015

The post Liam Payne slams Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson gay rumors: ‘It’s like a conspiracy or a cult’ appeared first on Gay Star News.

Jamie Tabberer

www.gaystarnews.com/article/liam-payne-slams-harry-styles-and-louis-tomlinson-gay-rumors-its-like-a-conspiracy-or-a-cult/

Someone Is Distributing Antigay Fliers Around Queens Neighborhood

Antigay fliers were being distributed throughout a Queens neighborhood, tucked into car windows near 82nd Street and 34th Avenue and even pushed under apartment doors in various buildings throughout the area, the Jackson Heights Post reports.

Written in English and Spanish, these fliers quote Romans 1:18-32, which reads in part:

“Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error… deserve to die.”

Though an investigation is ongoing, councilman Daniel Dromm points out there’s not too much that can be done legally; the biggest offense the flier distributors could face is a littering ticket. Still, he encourages residents to speak up if they see this happening.

“We have to teach that love is a good thing,” he said. “We have to eradicate this hatred against gay people.”

H/t: LGBTQ Nation

Jeremy Kinser

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