Ukrainian Homophobic Cowards

Cowardly Ukrainian homophobes yesterday attacked Svyatoslav Sheremet, head of Gay Forum of Ukraine, as he met with members of the media to inform them that a scheduled gay-pride parade was cancelled.

Three against one isn't enough, you have to jump also. Effing bastards!

Photo from the Daily Beast, via J.M.G.

Russians: Media Makes You Gay

PinkNews reports the results of a poll conducted in Russia by the state owned polling agency VTsIOM.

The poll asked Russians on their views of "the causes of homosexuality" and was conducted among 1,600 people in 138 towns and 46 regions of Russia. (The margin of error was calculated to be 3.4%)

According to the results of the poll Russians believe that the key factors for sexual orientation are

• 47 percent - media & propaganda
• 35 percent - friends
• 33 percent - parents 
• 16 percent - "a bad previous relationship with a member of the opposite sex"

Many regions in Russia have ‘gay propaganda’ laws banning the promotion of homosexuality or transgender identities among minors, which activists believe silence the public voices of LGBT communities.

In a similar poll conducted in April the results showed that while only 6 percent of Russians claimed to have seen "gay propaganda", still 86 percent support a ban on it.

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Asked to comment on the results of the Russian polls the Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm and prince of Cascade Falls, today said, 

"It is sad to see the ignorance and bigotry that becomes apparent in the results of these polls. This is of course due to the poor educational system and the lack of fundamental democratic values such as human equality, free speech and free press. However they come as no surprise taking into consideration the poor political leadership in that country from President Vladimir Putin. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and all the way down through the ranks of the political establishment. The prime consideration seems to be to keep the people subdued, ignorant and bigoted." 

2012 International Day Against Homophobia

"The theme of the 2012 International Day Against Homophobia campaign is: Sexual diversity in the workplace, it pays off!

The goal of the campaign is to point out thepositive aspects of sexual diversity in the workplace as well as its benefits for employers, companies, institutions and workers alike."

For more information visit International Day Against Homophobia

Sergey Takes A Stand

All Out informs us:

Last Sunday Sergey Kondrashov was arrested in Saint Petersburg, Russia, for holding up a banner that read: “A dear family friend is lesbian. My wife and I love and respect her … and her family is just as equal as ours."

In just five days Sergey will go to court, where he could be fined and even thrown in jail for 15 days for violating Saint Petersburg's new "gay propaganda" law. With lawmakers in Russia's federal legislature (the Duma) looking to extend this "gay propaganda" law to the entire country - Sergey is taking a stand. He is asking Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to denounce the absurd anti-gay law that made him a criminal, and to do everything in his power to stop this unconstitutional law from spreading nationwide.

Sergey doesn't think of himself as an activist. He's just someone who thinks that all Russians - gay or straight - should be treated equal under the law. If you believe that it should never be illegal to defend the dignity of your friends and family who are gay, lesbian bi or trans - please stand with Sergey, and sign this petition to the Russian Prime Minister.

Sign the petition and stand with Sergey at All Out: Stand with Sergey in Russia
...

I, for one, know the benefits and the support that straight allies can give when homophobia raises it´s ugly face. I am so grateful for the support I have received and wish to pay it forward in supporting Sergey - and trying to get you to do so also. (Hell I would most likely have signed anyway, but that is just between you and me!)

Weekend Distraction

DJ Arcy, Arcangelo Hellman, gives us another therapy session, #18 (Tech Trance Special). You can find more of DJ Arcy´s music here Soundcloud - DJ Arcy

This session could not have come at a better time for me because I need some distraction after having read my bosom buddy Apmel´s latest post.

I am breathing, breathing and breathing. In and out, in and out, in deep and long breaths to keep my composure after reading his revealing post My Avatar´s Name Is Apmel: "Cowardly Attack On Bock" (in Swedish).

Bigoted Christianists Exposed

(via J.M.G.)

This is a video you must watch!

In the video "American Fascist" DarkAntics rips into the self-promoting, bigoted, homophobic, anti-abortionist message of Christianist pastor Dennis Terry as the hating liar he is!

Although the not-so-good pastor is American we are exposed to the same message all over the world.

Madge In Your Faces, Suckers!

Madonna, photo by Chris Omeara/AP

Madonna (the American singer, songwriter, actress etc., etc.) is by some of her fans lovingly referred to as Madge. She has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records.

Madonna on Facebook
(Click to enlarge)

Well dear Madge is now going to Saint Petersburg, Russia, for a show where she has promised to speak out against the anti-LGBT ban that was passed by the local city council not long ago. The ban prohibits any mention of gayness or LGBT-issues which is considered to be propaganda and corruption of the youth.

The bigoted and homophobic city councilpersons of Saint Petersburg (many of whom belong to the United Russia party which is the same as the president-elect Vladimir  "Little father with small wiener" Putin), don't yet seem to fully understand what is going to hit them. They are now making pitiful threats of sending Madge to jail for two months if she should do that, as if that would help.

This has already before Madge even setting down one of her dainty and sweet-smelling little feet in the city meant more to spread information and knowledge about the Russian homophobia to the general public on a worldwide scale than all the petitions and gay bloggers in the world.

There is a huge difference between Madonna going to Saint Petersburg and telling them what´s what than if a normal tourist should try that stunt. The rest of us "everyday tourists" should just stay away from that beautiful place and let the lack of our tourist money tell them what we think about their atrocious policies.

Thank you Madonna, you make me proud to be a human! All the power to you, gurl, get in their faces and let them hear the message loud and clear!

Starbucks - Straight Ally

Hey there!
Starbucks stood up for gay rights, and their support for gay marriage was critical in the passage of gay marriage law in Washington State. Now the Nat'l Organization for Marriage is getting people to boycott them.

I want to thank corporations for doing good things, even if those corporations aren't perfect all the time. Will you join me in signing a thank you card to Starbucks?
http://sumofus.org/campaigns/thank-starbucks/?sub=taf

Ban Ki-moon: "The Time Has Come"

It's not every day that a major world figure speaks out forcefully in defense of equality. But earlier this month, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon did just that when he made an incredibly powerful speech at the U.N. in Geneva. But most people didn't even hear about it.

Why? After the speech, the media focused on a handful of delegates who stormed out of meeting in protest. Their story - that gay people should be denied human rights - is the one that dominated the day's news. But with your help, we're going to change that.

Our friends at the U.N. let us REMIX Ban Ki-moon, so we took his speech and created this video. We hope you like it! After you watch, please share with your friends and family, helping this inspiring message reach the audience it deserves.", from All Out; UN Secretary General Says "The Time Has Come" 

We have another straight ally, WTG Ban! 

You Can Play

(via J.M.G.)

"Locker rooms should be safe and sports venues should be free from homophobia. Athletes should be judged on talent, heart and work ethic, not sexual orientation." (The goal of You Can Play)
Brian Burke and Patrick Burke, honor the memory of their son and brother Brendan Burke by continuing his work against homophobia in sports. The website got operational today You Can Play - Gay athletes.Straight allies. Teaming up for respect.

"It's time to change the way the world thinks about athletes - both straight and gay. Talent, work ethic, and character are all that matters when evaluating a player. It's time for straight allies to show their character by enabling LGBT athletes to show their talents without fear. If you can play, You Can Play." 

Patrick Burke (co-founder)

In this video: Patrick Burke (Philadelphia), Brian Burke (Toronto), Rick Nash (Columbus), Duncan Keith (Chicago), Brian Boyle (New York), Matt Moulson (New York Islanders), Joffrey Lupul (Toronto), Claude Giroux (Philadelphia), Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa), Scott Hartnell (Philadelphia), Corey Perry (Anaheim), Andy Greene (New Jersey), Dion Phaneuf (Toronto), Henrik Lundqvist (New York).

Upbeat

Nah, I don´t really like the song but it is upbeat, fun and some of the guys are really cute. I think they call themselves "Pac and Man", but I´m not sure.

I need something cheerful today when St. Petersburg’s Legislative Assembly passed a homophobic law penalizing the dissemination of material promoting "homosexuality and pedophilia among minors".

Promoting in this case also makes it illegal for any person to write a book, publish an article or speak in public about being gay, lesbian, bi or transgender. The law imposes fines of up to $16,000 on individuals and up to $160,000 on legal entities for the promotion of homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender practices among minors and was passed by 29-5, with one abstention.

The new legislation also effectively outlaws any Gay Pride events. 

Payback Is A Friend From the Past

I saw this on J.M.G. and felt the need to re-post it.

Isn´t it totally hilarious when old girlfriends remembers ones sins from the past on a social forum as one is  trying to be "holier than thou"?

I cannot help loving Courtney, purely platonic of course as I am not into women... (Clarification I do not want to risk losing  my membership in the Rhino Writers group.)

Russia to Silence All LGBT People

Homophobic Russian twat Vladimir Putin

All Out today informs us that

"The party led by Russian President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin is pushing discriminatory legislation against lesbian, bi, gay and trans people that could eliminate their freedom to speak publicly and assemble.

Russia is a signatory to numerous international human rights treaties - including the European Convention on Human Rights. We call on you to urgently speak out and hold Russia accountable to its treaty obligations - and stand with LGBT Russians whose ability to speak for themselves is under attack."

Lawmakers in Saint Petersburg could pass a bill tomorrow that will crush freedom of expression for Russians and make LGBT people invisible. But leaders around the world can help stop it.

Sign the petition here!

If this bill passes Russia will clearly demonstrate how far behind they are when it comes to human rights and democracy! I hold Vladimir Putin personally responsible for this and I hope the leaders of the democratic countries see him for the antidemocratic dictator that he is.

Thanks to my dear friend Zigadena Gabardini for pointing this out to me.

UPDATE (from All Out) "February 8th: This morning, St. Petersburg legislators passed the 2nd reading of the outrageous "propaganda" bill that will silence millions of Russian LGBT voices. Our friend Polina reports that we still have time to call our world leaders -- the final vote will come next week. Call your foreign affairs office now, and spread the word HERE."

Russia to Silence All LGBT People

Homophobic Russian twat Vladimir Putin

All Out today informs us that

"The party led by Russian President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin is pushing discriminatory legislation against lesbian, bi, gay and trans people that could eliminate their freedom to speak publicly and assemble.

Russia is a signatory to numerous international human rights treaties - including the European Convention on Human Rights. We call on you to urgently speak out and hold Russia accountable to its treaty obligations - and stand with LGBT Russians whose ability to speak for themselves is under attack."

Lawmakers in Saint Petersburg could pass a bill tomorrow that will crush freedom of expression for Russians and make LGBT people invisible. But leaders around the world can help stop it.

Sign the petition here!

If this bill passes Russia will clearly demonstrate how far behind they are when it comes to human rights and democracy! I hold Vladimir Putin personally responsible for this and I hope the leaders of the democratic countries see him for the antidemocratic dictator that he is.

Thanks to my dear friend Zigadena Gabardini for pointing this out to me.

UPDATE (from All Out) "February 8th: This morning, St. Petersburg legislators passed the 2nd reading of the outrageous "propaganda" bill that will silence millions of Russian LGBT voices. Our friend Polina reports that we still have time to call our world leaders -- the final vote will come next week. Call your foreign affairs office now, and spread the word HERE."

Who Would Kiss Ratzinger?

The clothing retailer Benetton today pulled an advertisement in it´s "Unhate" campaign showing the homophobe Pope Benedict XVI kissing Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed El-Tayeb, imam of the renowned al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, after the Vatican threatened legal action "to protect the pope's image".

I could actually have understood if the sheikh had protested vehemently but who still thinks it can hurt Ratzinger´s  reputation to be seen kissing a grown man with a full beard? (Deleted sentence)

Way to go, Benetton, the lack of any sense of humour in the Vatican has already made this campaign an unrivaled success.

UPDATE:
After reading Eddi´s comment I thought it might be helpful in seeing the comic in the picture of the pope and the sheikh to see it in the full context of the Unhate-campaign so I have added the rest of the ads below.

Chancellor of Germany - President of France

Paramount Leader of the Peoples Republic of China - President of the USA

President of the Palestinian National Authority - Prime Minister of Israel

President of the USA - President of Venezuela

Supreme Leader of North Korea - President of South Korea

For Eddi´s Eyes Only - UPDATED

My friend Eddi Haskell asked for a picture of Anton Hyséns thighs. I tried my best but this guy covers his legs well, so this is the best I could do. Enjoy, Eddi!

And here is the bigger picture I snipped it from for the rest of you to look at.

Young Anton´s father, renowned soccer player Glenn Hysén, wasn't as bashful when he was young as you can see in this picture! Glenn has been - and still is - a heartthrob for many women and men in Sweden the last 30 years. Big thanks to my friend Kandinsky for supplying me with this picture!

At the Stockholm Pride 2007, Glenn delivered a speech denouncing sports homophobia and laid to rest an incident at an airport in 2001 where he had beaten a man for groping him in the restroom. He stated that, "I know that many LGBT people have been the victims of assaults and hate crimes. I can therefore understand if some people have been upset by the airport incident, so I want to be clear: I think that it is completely unacceptable that anybody should be subjected to assaults, insults or hate crimes due to their sexual orientation or gender identity,...The incident had been blown out of proportion in the media...In order to finally flush the Frankfurt Airport punch down the toilet: it is not the case that I beat up a gay person. I categorically deny that,...I'm not proud that I took a swing at him, but I am proud that I have integrity and that I reacted."

In the same speech he asked "How easy would it be for a sixteen-year-old boy who plays football to come out as gay to his team mates?"  In March 2011 his younger son, Anton, a professional footballer himself, came out of the closet to the media.

P.S. Oh Eddi, Kandinsky wants me to inform you to ask her for pictures next time!

Anton Gets A Stonewall Award

The Swedish pro soccer player Anton Hysén (20) has been awarded a Stonewall Award as "Sportsperson of the Year". The Swedish player was praised for taking a stand in the sport.

Anton is the world’s only openly gay professional footballer since he came out as gay to the Swedish football magazine Offside in March 2011.

Now let´s see if the Swedish Soccer Federation have balls large enough to celebrate him tonight at their big party with many awards handed out.

The Stonewall Awards is an annual event to celebrate people who have had a positive impact on the lives of British LGBT people.

Anton Hysén of course also has his own blog, Anton Hysén.

UPDATE: Nope, Anton didn´t receive any recognition by the spineless bastards of the Swedish Soccer Federation. They had an excellent opportunity to strike a blow at the rampant homophobia in sports - and they blew it.

Shame on Moscow

GlobalVoices reports: "The May 28 Moscow Pride event - banned by the city authorities on May 17 - did not go smoothly: according to news reports, at least 18 gay rights activists and 14 of their opponents were detained by the police, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Manezhnaya Square and, later, in front of the Mayor's Office on Tverskaya Street. This was the sixth attempt to hold a gay pride parade in Russia's capital. 

A number of foreign gay rights activists were arrested in Moscow on May 28, including a former U.S. Army officer Dan Choi."

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It is totally disgraceful for Moscow and all Russians that a pride parade and festival cannot be held in the capital of Russia in 2011 without being banned by civil authorities and without violence and intolerance.

Shame on you, Moscow!

Czechs Test For Gayness

The European Union has slammed the Czech Republic's procedure of trying to measure the "gayness" of refugee claimants.

And just how does one measure someones "gayness"?

In the Czech Republic, officials force gay asylum seekers to watch straight porn while a doctor measures the movements of their penis. The goal is to prove that these refugees are actually "legitimately" gay.

This kind of procedure is not only indecent, it's a violation of human rights. Even the Czech Republic's human rights commissioner has called the practice "undignified.".

The Czech Embassy in Sweden tells the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan that the Czech government admitted that phallometri has been conducted a dozen times, but only rarely as a "last resort" and not as a general application of the method.

"A purely medieval method and a major violation of the right of individuals" is how the EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström describes the Czech authorities' methods in which gay men have undergone phallometric tests..

According to Cecilia Malmström, the EU is waiting for information from the Czech authorities to see if the issue can be pursued. She also notes that "We have a long way to go before we can say that we live in a completely tolerant Europe"

"Phallometry", refers to measurement of bloodflow to the male genital. The most commonly reported methods of conducting penile plethysmography involve the measurement of the circumference of the penis with a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge, or the volume of the penis with an airtight cylinder and inflatable cuff at the base of the penis.

IDAHO

May 17th is IDAHO day and events are taking place around both in the real world and in-world to draw attention to Homophobia and Transphobia. From bullying at school or work to discrimination in healthcare, prejudice works on many levels, often resulting in physical attack, self-harm, suicide and murder.

EVENTS SCHEDULED ON MAY 17th 

DRAMA QUEEN THEATRE (click for SLurl)
12pm = GINS ALLEN

Gins Allen plays acoustic and electric guitars and harmonicas. He sings love songs, ballads and folk songs.

He started to play in SL in june 2008. He loves to sing in many languages such as English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Yiddish, Catalan or even Czech and Russian... His gigs are only live music, no soundtracks, and of high quality sound on profesionnals devices.

DRAMA QUEEN THEATRE (click for SLurl)
01pm = LOLLO STRING

Lollo String (Alessandro Lollobrigida) is a composer, author, professional arranger. He has experienced many musical genres, before testing them “on the road ", then consolidated at singing school.

His experience in vocal technique includes many different musical genres through the years: Jazz, Swing, Blues, Rock, Pop, R'n'B, Rock'n'Roll, Jive... and of course the classic, melodic and light Italian.

EXHIBITIONS SCHEDULED FROM MAY 13th TO MAY 18th

Gay Rights Awareness Center-Figh, Brokeback (99, 221, 23) (click for SLurl)
=> "Born that way" (Zack Preminger)
=> "Transgenders and Homophobia" (Jenelle Levenque)
=> "Civil Rights and Equality" (Brokeback Forum)
=> "United to be Stronger" (Intersim work)