The New Black Official Trailer (by Yoruba Richen)

A documentary to watch out for.

“The New Black is a documentary that tells the story of how the African-American community is grappling with the gay rights issue in light of the recent gay marriage movement and the fight over civil rights. newblackfilm.com, @newblackfilm

(via Poland’s only gay MP attacked after Equality Parade - PinkNews.co.uk)

“After the march had finished, Mr Biedron said he had retired to a cafe with a group of friends, where they were harassed by a man.

“An aggressive man insulted us, using homophobic statements,” Mr Biedron told Polsat News. “He began to choke one of my friends and punched him in the face.

“When he recognized me he spat in my face, raised his fists and and kicked me in the stomach.”

The assailant then fled, but was arrested shortly afterwards.

“This was an unpleasant incident, and it shows that there is perhaps no sense in burying one’s head in the sand,” Mr Biedron said.

HAMILTON, Bermuda — Lawmakers in Bermuda have approved a bill that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Bermuda

The bill was approved Friday in the House of Assembly after nine hours of debate.

Meanwhile, a motion to add a clause to the Human Rights Act to ensure same-sex marriage remained banned was defeated by a vote of 18 to 12.

MP Wayne Furbert had proposed the amendment so that ithe anti-discrimination measure would not take precedence over the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1974, which outlawed same-sex marriage.

“The majority of Bermudians do not want (people) to be discriminated against based on sexual orientation as far as working and living accommodations but there is no doubt that the majority of Bermudians do not support same sex marriages,” said Furbert.

Lawmakers also prohibited age discrimination in all sectors except at work, a move that many observers criticized.

(via Slovenian President leads pride parade while thousands march in Croatia | Gay Star News)

(via Nova Scotia to fund sex reassignment surgery - Nova Scotia - CBC News)

“In a quick reversal, Nova Scotia has decided to fund sex reassignment surgery.

Last week, Health Minister David Wilson said there was a lack of high-quality research about the effectiveness and long-term outcomes of the surgery and the province would not pay for it.

But on Wednesday he said the province would pay for the procedure after he reviewed the medical evidence and the policies of other provinces that fund the surgery.

Nova Scotia is now the eighth province to fund gender reassignment surgery.

It comes with a price tag that ranges between $10,000 and $60,000, depending on the extent of the surgery involved in the transition.

Kevin Kindred, chair of the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project, estimates that between six and eight Nova Scotians require the surgery each year.

Ugandan Gay Activist Frank Mugisha (by xtraonline)

“Xtra chats with Frank Mugisha, Ugandan Gay Activist, about the challenges of the Bahati Bill in Ugandan Parliament and John Baird’s undiplomatic war of words with Speaker of Ugandan Parliament Rebecca Kadaga.

The bill aims to add gender identity to the list of grounds protected from discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.”

The bill will go to a thrid reading in the Senate and will require royal assent to become law.

(via Canada’s 1st same-sex marriage couple celebrates 10 years - Canada - CBC News)

Michael Stark and Michael Leshner celebrate their 10th anniversary after becoming the first legally married same-sex couple in Canada.

(via Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein rails against anti-gay attacks by preachers and politicians | Gay Star News)

(via Angela Merkel told to equalise tax benefits for gay couples by Constitutional Court - PinkNews.co.uk)

“Germany’s highest court says gay couples are entitled to the same tax benefits as married heterosexuals in a ruling which threatens to deepen rifts within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives just three months before an election.

(via Nikolai Alekseev, gay Russian activist, attacked by masked skinheads | Gay Star News)

TW: violence

Alekseev recounted to Gay Star News, while recovering on his train journey: ‘I was about 100 meters from the train station when someone ran into my back with a bicycle.

‘At first I thought it was a simple mistake but then they started shouting - “Fuck off to Europe you faggot”.

‘Then one threw an egg at the back of my head, while another punched me at my left ear.

‘I still have pain in my left ear with a burning sensation.’

Alekseev was attending a court session in Kostroma about the legality of the city’s ban on a gay pride in the municipality.

The Kostroma district court ruled that the ban on gay pride this May was lawful, but Alekseev says he will be appealing to the regional court, to which he filed an application today.

‘I kept the fact that I was travelling to Kostroma strictly confidential, only the city authorities knew that I was attending.

‘It was interesting to note that the three men attacked me specifically but did not touch fellow LGBT rights activist Kirill Nepomnyaschiy, who was right next to me.

‘So I suspect this was orchestrated by the city’s mayor, whom after all I sued.

‘I think this is an attempt to scare me.

‘But I will apply to the general prosecution against him tomorrow.

‘He will not stop my fellow activists or me.

‘We will continue to apply for permit for a gay pride parade in Kostroma and pursue this matter in the courts.

‘As I said today in court we will continue until we win, until city authorities will have to allow it.

‘The attackers are cowards! And I think they suffered more than me. The one who attacked me fell from his bicycle!

‘I always say that I am made of iron and its useless to try and break my arms or legs

‘President Putin said yesterday that there’s no discrimination against LGBT people in Russia, I ask him: “is this the Russian version of equality?”

‘LGBT people are being attacked and sometimes killed.’

TW: violence

Several people have been arrested in connection with a Wednesday assault by skinheads that left Clément Méric, an 18-year-old left-wing activist, brain dead in what police described as a “politically motivated incident” on the streets of Paris.

Several people have been arrested in connection with a Wednesday assault by skinheads that left a young left-wing activist brain dead, Interior Minister Manuel Valls told AFP. Police described the incident as being “politically motivated”.

Clément Méric, an 18-year-old anti-fascism campaigner, was attending a clothes sale with friends in the 9th district of central Paris when three “skinhead-type” individuals, including one woman, arrived on the scene.

Clément Méric

Witnesses told police that “angry words were exchanged” before the aggressors left “to fetch reinforcements”.

When Méric left the building he was assaulted by the group, including one person wearing brass knuckles, and hit his head on the pavement as he fell. He was declared brain dead in hospital later that night.

Police said they were treating the attack as a “politically motivated incident involving the far right versus the far left”.

The Left Party (Parti de Gauche), a grouping of French far-left parties, issued a statement accusing the Paris-based far-right organisation JNR (Young Revolutionary Nationalists) of carrying out the attack. The JNR has been active in Paris since the late 1980s and has been known for violent attacks in the past.

“The horrors of fascism have brought murder to Paris,” the statement said.

Other left-wing groups, including the Young Socialists and SOS Racisme, called for the JNR to be banned as an organisation if a link between the group and the attack is proved.

Serge Ayoub, the 48-year-old founder and head of the JNR, told reporters on Thursday that any link between the attack and his organisation was “completely false”. He added that the fight was probably started by left-wing activists.

Marine Le Pen, who heads the far-right anti-Europe and anti-immigration National Front (FN) party, said Thursday that her party had “no links at all” with the “appalling” attack.

“The FN is not linked in any way whatsoever to this unacceptable and intolerable act,” she told RTL radio.

French President François Hollande’s office issued a statement condemning the attack, saying police had been given “firm instructions to ensure that the perpetrators of this odious act are arrested as soon as possible”.

Changsha LGBT Pride Takes Place, Organizer Detained 长沙5•17活动成功举行，组织者被拘 (by qafbeijing)

“On May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO), over a hundred LGBT people and allies from Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Chongqing, Hubei and Zhejiang gathered at the scenic river belt near Hexi University to fight for their rights and against discrimination. The event was held by the local LGBT rights organization “Hunan With Love”, and was named “2013 China Mainland (Changsha) Anti-Discrimination Summer Event”.

That night, event organizer Xiang Xiaohan and 3 others were taken away by the local Changsha police. The next day, 3 of them were released, but Xiang Xiaohan was administratively detained for 12 days.

While we need to think on how to do better next time, we also have to celebrate the courage of Xiaohan and his team and congratulate them on a very successful event.

5月17日”国际不再恐同日”，由来自北京、香港、广东、重庆、湖北、浙江等地的百余

­名LGBT人士及其支持者，齐聚长沙河西大学城沿江风光带，争取权益反歧视。这是由湖­南本地同性恋权益组织同爱网络主办的”2013年夏季大陆长沙同志反歧视活动”。当夜­，本次活动的组织者向小寒等4人被长沙当地警方带走。第二天，其余3人被放出。而向小­寒被行政拘留12天。

我们要讨论以后怎样可以做的更好，但同时也需要庆祝小寒和他的团队的勇敢，因为这个活­动非常的成功。