First Lady Michelle Obama Answers Your Twitter Questions (by BarackObamadotcom)
Including a question about same-sex marriage beginning at the 5:20 mark.
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St Petersburg judge ‘rules LGBT event bans were unlawful’
The local court reportedly said the officials did not have the authority to cancel the rally
A judge in St Petersburg has ruled that bans on gay events put in place by officials under city’s ‘gay propaganda’ legislation were unlawful, it has been reported.
Coming Out St Petersburg said the Smolninsky district court had handed down a decision yesterday saying the authorities lacked the competence to determine whether the events would amount to propaganda before they took place.
It also denied the officials’ standing to cancel events, saying they only had authority to suggest alternative times and places for rallies.
The two planned events were for the Day of Silence on 7 March and the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia on 17 May.
The group said the reasoning for the decision would be made public on 12 June.
James & Nick Aragon (Ninja Twins) - SYTYCD 9 (L.A. Auditions) (by IdolXfactor2)
Adouble dose of hilarity! I would be surprised if we didn’t see the Ninja Twins performing on a future episode of SYTYCD.
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Indianapolis 13-year-old has two fathers and an Olympics dream
What an uplifting story!
AND Jordan had made an ‘It Gets Better Video’:
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13-year-old diver has two fathers and an Olympics dream
12:13 AM, May. 31, 2012
Written by
Neal Taflinger
Jerry Windle (left) and his partner, Andrés Rodriguez, are the adoptive parents of Jordan Pisey Windle, a 13-year-old Olympic diving hopeful. Jordan will be the grand marshal of the 2012 Circle City IN Pride Parade. / Frank Espich / The Star
Jordan Pisey Windle is used to being the center of attention.
He has been the focus of his father’s life since the day in 2000 when Jerry Windle retrieved him from a Cambodian orphanage.
He has been turning heads for the past five years as a diving phenom, the youngest ever to qualify for the U.S. Olympic diving trials.
• PHOTO GALLERY: 13-year-old Olympics hopeful Jordan Pisey Windle.
And all eyes will be on him June 9 when he serves as grand marshal for the Circle City IN Pride Parade, an annual celebration of Central Indiana’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
The young athlete’s decision to accept the parade invitation — and the fact that he has two fathers — is sure to raise eyebrows. But what other people think isn’t of concern to the 13-year-old. He views the world so unself-consciously that when asked if he ever gets tired of people questioning him about his origins and his family, he simply shrugged. “I’ve never actually thought about it.”
Australian dads recognized as joint gay parents
Two gay dads from Sydney have been recognised legally as parents for child conceived through surrogacy
Two gay dads have become the first same-sex couple in New South Wales (NSW), Australia to be recognized as parents on a birth certificate for a child conceived through surrogacy.
Surrogacy supporters have welcomed news that the two unnamed Sydney men have become the first gay couple in NSW to be the legally recognized as the parents of the two-year old child, who was conceived via a surrogate mother.
The Australian Supreme Court ruled the transfer of the child’s guardianship was in the child’s interest after finding the arrangement was legally legitimate.
When handing down the decision, Supreme Court Justice Paul Brereton told the court: ‘I am satisfied that, having regard to the surrogacy arrangement, and the care arrangements for the child since birth, the making of the parentage order would be in the best interests of the child.’
The ruling is thought to be a NSW first under The Surrogacy Act, introduced in 2011.
The child’s birth mother will no longer be listed on the birth certificate after she agreed to have her name removed.
Gay Dads Australia, an organization set up to support gay men who are planning on, or who are already parents, spokesman Rodney Chiang-Cruise commented: ‘It’s a recognition in law in NSW, and in Australia, that they are the legal parents of the child, they’re not considered donors.
‘They are the first to be granted a parentage order in NSW but they won’t be the last.’
Jim Wallace, director of the political group Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), has condemned the judgment, commenting: ‘Love is not the issue here. Of course two men can love a child but they can never be a mother, no matter how hard they try.
‘Babies should not be created to satisfy the lifestyle choices of singles and same-sex couples.
‘This selfish gay agenda knows no reasonable limits and it is time that political leaders began imposing limits on them to protect the most fundamental rights of children to a mother and a father.’
However, Sam Everingham, spokesman for Surrogacy Australia welcomed the decision by saying: ‘It’s great news, but really it’s just following due process once the altruism laws came into place in New South Wales in 2010.
‘They really put in the provision to protect couples who’d gone through altruistic surrogacy so it’s great to see it finally getting to the courts and parents being awarded that recognition.’
Couples found in breech of the Surrogacy Act face penalties of a two years jail sentence or a A$110,000 ($106,000 €86,000) fine if a woman is paid to carry a child on behalf of others unable to sustain their own pregnancy.
(via Controversial family book in Erie schools - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports)
It never ceases to amaze me how petty some parents can be in promoting their homophobia.
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PINK DOT 2012: SOMEDAY (by pinkdotsg)
Lovely ad for the 2012 Pink Dot Day in Singapore. Have tissues ready.
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New York’s first LGBT art museum gets $10 million gift donation
Museum of gay and lesbian art announces largest gift in US history
The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York, has received major gifts in excess of $10 million (€8 million).
This constitutes the largest donation ever received by any LGBT arts organization.
A gift of $8.8 million was made by Charles W. Leslie, in memory of his long-time partner of 48 years, Fredric D (Fritz) Lohman who died in 2009.
This is joined by other substantial donations, including $1.5 million from the Estate of Marion Pinto, an artist and long-time friend and supporter of Leslie and Lohman.
The Leslie-Lohman Museum is the first and only dedicated gay and lesbian art museum in the world, whose mission is to ‘exhibit and preserve gay and lesbian art and foster the artists who create it.’
Jonathan D. Katz, President of the Leslie-Lohman Museum’s Board of Directors said: ‘Charles Leslie is one of the few individuals in New York with both the capacity, and the political will, to rectify the silence around gay/lesbian art and artists in New York’s major museums, by setting up our own gay and lesbian art museum.’
‘We’re excited to be presenting exhibitions that finally acknowledge important artists like Paul Thek fully in the round, and this major gift will enable us to continue to exhibit high quality shows for a long time to come.’
The money will also go towards expanding staff, operations and enabling free admission to the museum.
Lohman and Leslie had been collecting art for several years, and mounted their first exhibition of gay art in their loft on Prince Street in New York City in 1969.
They opened a commercial art gallery shortly thereafter, but this venue closed in the early 1980s at the advent of the AIDS pandemic.
In 1989, they established a foundation to preserve their collection of gay art and continue exhibition efforts.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) objected to the word ‘gay’ in the title of the foundation, and held up the non-profit application for nearly a decade.However, the foundation was finally granted non-profit status in 1990.
The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art has a permanent collection of more than 6,000 objects spanning more than three centuries of gay and lesbian art.
Their program includes between 6-8 major exhibitions a year, film screenings, play performances, poetry readings, artist and curator talks and panel discussions.
For further information on the Leslie-Lohman Museum, visit their official website.
National Coalition of Anti-violence Programs annual report released showing an increase in the number of LGBTQH murders especially against people of colour and transgender women.
Full report at:
http://www.avp.org/ncavp.htm
(h/t thinkprogress.org for the graphic)
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Australia: New South Wales Parliament calls on federal government for equal marriage laws
New South Wales is the most populous of Australia’s states
The Upper House of the Parliament in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, has called on the federal government to allow gay couples to marry and to allow religious bodies to perform ceremonies if they choose.
The Legislative Council in Sydney approved the motion tabled by Greens MP Cate Faehrmann by 22 to 16 in a free vote.
The upper house of the state legislature called on the federal government in Canberra to amend the Commonwealth Marriage Act 1961, acknowledged religious differences, called “on all participants in the debate on marriage equality to treat those with differing views with respect, dignity and tolerance” and asked the government to ensure religious faiths would not be compelled to marry gay couples against their will.
Ms Faehrmann said: “This is a great day. I congratulate my NSW Upper House colleagues for their leadership. Today we are on the right side of history.
“Denying anyone the right to marry who they love is ludicrous. It’s last century and it’s time our Federal Parliament caught up. The NSW Legislative Council, Australia’s oldest House of Parliament, has shown great leadership in sending this clear message to the Commonwealth today.”
Ms Faehrmann said that although the motion was symbolic and did not enact or alter any existing laws immediately, it was “immensely significant”.
She said: “Today we have given voice to the majority of NSW citizens who don’t want our marriage laws to discriminate.
“Every single step towards full equality is to be welcomed and congratulated enthusiastically. I want to thank all of my colleagues who supported the motion, and acknowledge that for many, this was a very difficult motion to contend with.
“In the end, the arguments against marriage equality are based on personal and religious beliefs that have no place in our civil marriage laws. It’s time for full equality and the NSW Upper House has made that clear.”
Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Alex Greenwich, said the vote should encourage the leader of the opposition, Tony Abbott, to allow MPs in his Liberal/National coalition a free vote on marriage as Prime Minister Julia Gillard promised Labour MPs.
Mr Greenwich said: “We congratulate NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell for allowing Coalition MPs to vote in support of this motion in accordance with their conservative pro-family principles.
“Today’s vote increases pressure on Tony Abbott to allow a conscience vote for the growing number of federal Coalition MPs who also support this issue.”
Mr Greenwich also said Australia had reached a “landmark moment” with the recently announced support of Greg Combet where more than half of the country’s 22 Cabinet ministers now favour equal marriage laws between gay and straight couples.
Zach Wahls delivers 275,000 signatures to Boy Scouts calling for end to anti-gay policies
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 - 12:02pm by Seth Adam, GLAAD’s Senior Manager of Communications
Outspoken advocate, author and Eagle Scout, Zach Wahls, today delivered more than 275,000 signatures to the Boy Scouts of America at its National Annual Meeting in Florida, calling on the group to end its long history of anti-gay discrimination and reinstate Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell, who was forcibly removed as den leader of her son’s Boy Scouts troop because she’s gay.
After delivering the signatures, Wahls met briefly with Deron Smith, Public Relation Director with the Boy Scouts of America’s national office.
“While today’s meeting was productive and thoughtful, the delivery of these petitions marks the beginning of this journey, not the end,” said Wahls. “I thought our dialogue today was an honest one, and I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation in the months ahead. We leave today one step closer to religious and personal freedom than when we arrived, and it’s hard to be anything but thrilled about that.”
This weekend, Zach will appear alongside Jennifer and her family at the GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco.
“I am so grateful for the support I’ve received from Zach and from the thousands of scouts, scout leaders and former scouts who have signed my petition,” said Tyrrell. “If you look at the petition comments, and read through the thousands of entries left by current scouts and scout leaders, it’s clear that the energy within the Boy Scouts of America’s membership is there to change this policy. All it takes now is leadership.”
Since launching her Change.org petition calling on the Scouts to end its long history of discrimination, Jennifer has worked with GLAAD to share her story in national media, garnering support from celebrities including Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore, Ricky Martin, stars of Glee and more than a quarter million Americans. Actress and recording artist Kat Graham this week dedicated her musical performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to Tyrrell and gay scouts everywhere.
South Korea celebrates gay pride
This Saturday sees the 13th annual Korea Queer Love Festival in Seoul
South Korea will celebrate gay pride on Saturday with the Korea Queer Love Festival (KQLF) in Hanbit Media Park in central Seoul. According to the website, this is the 13th KQLF in Seoul.
Indicating the stigma around homosexuality in South Korea, people at the festival who don’t want to be photographed will wear a ‘no photography’ sticker and a red band. Only press will be permitted to take photographs and videos of the festival, and they must get permission of the individuals captured before publishing.
In the run up to Saturday’s event, the festival included an art exhibition, Living with Red Ribbon, that tackles the negative perceptions of people with HIV and AIDS in Korea. ‘We hope this is useful to get right information about HIV/AIDS and a great opportunity to represent the activists’ opinion on this subject,’ the festival organizers said.
Tonight the festival is holding a discussion about anti-gay discrimination in South Korea, following the protests against Lady Gaga’s concert earlier this month.
The festival also celebrates the end of the 12th Seoul LGBT Film Festival which ran from 24 to 30 May with Korean films (Girl Princes, Wandering Stars, Summer Days in Bloom) and international films (The Perfect Family, Loose Cannons, Children of Srikandi).
Despite being more developed than Asian neighbours North Korea and China, South Korea’s LGBT community is still relatively underground, with few openly gay clubs, public displays of affection or celebrities.
‘Gay-straight alliance’ name forces debate in Ontario
A good summary on the current legislation to allow GSAs in Ontario schools.
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Roman Catholic archbishop opposes requiring GSA name
By Daniel Schwartz, CBC News
Posted: May 30, 2012 5:19 AM ET
Last Updated: May 30, 2012 12:09 PM ET
Ontario politicians are debating amendments to the province’s Education Act designed to deal with bullying and they find themselves running up against formidable opposition in the form of the province’s Catholic bishops.
It is not that the clergymen are in any way supportive of bullying. What they object to is that Bill 13, the accepting schools act, gives “particular emphasis” to “LGBTTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, two-spirited, intersexed, queer and questioning) people.” They also oppose a particular clause that would enable students to call anti-bullying groups they form at school a “gay-straight alliance.”
And this week the archbishop of Toronto, Thomas Cardinal Collins, spoke out against the new amendments, writing that “all forms of bullying need to be addressed, and all victims of bullying need to be helped.”
In that vein, he said, “it is not helpful to propose one particular way, such as the one commonly called GSA.”
The Catholic bishops also say that the emphasis in any anti-bullying campaign should be based on “an accurate understanding of those who are most at risk.”
But that is a point that has been dealt with in a number of research studies.
Sexual orientation and bullying
Actual or perceived sexual orientation is the number 2 reason students are bullied, according to a U.S. survey in 2005. Appearance was the number 1 reason cited.
Protesters outside a high school in Flour Bluff, Texas, on March 4, 2011, support a senior at the school, after she was denied permission to start a gay-straight alliance club. (Todd Yates/Corpus Christi Caller-Times/Associated Press)
A more recent 2010 study by doctors at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found that sexual minority youth are bullied two to three times more than heterosexual youth.
A 2011 study funded by Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, a gay rights advocacy group, found that “20.8 per cent of LGBTQ students indicated being physically harassed due to their sexual orientation, compared to 7.9 per cent of non-LGBTQ participants.”
The LGBT students also endured six times as much verbal harassment about their sexual orientation.
The survey also found that almost two-thirds of LGBTQ students feel unsafe at school.
Students support GSAs
There is also strong support for gay-straight alliances from students in both public and Catholic schools in Ontario.
In a 2011 survey of over 7,000 students for the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, 88 per cent agreed,”that a student wanting to establish a Gay Straight Alliance club in their school should be allowed to do so.”
New Studies Illuminate The Unique Experiences Of Bisexual Men And Women
A collection of new studies published in a special issue of the Journal of Bisexuality examines the unique challenges and experiences of those who have sexual attractions or engage in sexual behavior with both men and women. People who identify as bi experience biphobia from both straight and gay people, forcing them to reconsider the language by which they identify and how they form their social communities. Here are a few examples of the findings from the research:
- Women who identified as bi or lesbian reported the best health when their sexual identity matched their recent sexual history.
- The health of women who used the ambiguous label of “queer” was not impacted by their sexual behavior in the same way.
- The sexual behavior of bi women fits no stereotypical mold — in one study they were almost evenly divided among those who have only male sexual partners, only female sexual partners, some of both, or none at all.
- Bisexual men struggle to find community and people whom they can discuss their identity with, negatively impacting their mental health.
- Bisexual men see women sexual partners as “safer,” choosing to use condoms with men to prevent HIV/STI transmission but with women for pregnancy prevention purposes.
Studying the sexual behavior of individuals in the LGBT community is important for health advocacy purposes. If stereotypes are being used to guide funding for LGBT health outreach efforts instead of actual data, that could be incredibly wasteful or ineffective. For example, as researcher Brian Dodge points out, sexual health programs that target gay and bi men focus only on their experiences with male partners, which deprives bi men of important guidance they should have about their full range of behaviors.
Furthermore, these studies illuminate in new and profound ways the impact of biphobia. Earlier this year, Britain’s Open University published a meta-analysis of the research on mental health in the bisexual community and the need to identify it specifically:
Separate biphobia out from homophobia, recognising that there are specific issues facing bisexual people such as lack of acknowledgement of their existence, stereotypes of greediness or promiscuity, and pressure to be either gay or straight… Recognise the role that biphobia and bisexual invisibility play in creating negative outcomes for bisexual people.
But perhaps the most important takeaway is a reminder that labels can help communicate the nature of individuals’ identities, but they can be just as destructive when they create expectations to be fulfilled.
