LGBTQ news and entertainment
Via Media Matters:
Guinness announced on March 16 that it would not participate in the parade, citing the event’s exclusion of gay and lesbian groups.
“Guinness has a strong history of supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all. We were hopeful that the policy of exclusion would be reversed for this year’s parade,” the company said in a statement.
Murdoch denounced the decision on Twitter, writing that he hoped “all Irish boycott the stuff.”
“I’ve learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the “God Hates Fags” Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the “church” back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas.I’m not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.I feel sad for all the hurt he’s caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I’m bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.”
Last month, the Ugandan tabloid Red Pepper published a list of the country’s ‘200 Top Homos’ days after President Museveni signed an anti-gay bill into law.
Friday, telecom company Orange tweeted that they had severed their advertising relationship with the tabloid after the activist group All Out created a petition campaign asking the company to stop advertising with Red Pepper.
Said Andre Banks, Executive Director and co-founder of All Out: “We commend Orange for their leadership in reaction to the Anti-Homosexuality Law. Orange’s decision to withdraw their advertising and to explicitly support their LGBT employees should ring alarm bells for Ugandan politicians and business people about the impact this law could have on the national economy”.
(via press release)
Via the Huffington Post, you can file this under “Never Gonna Happen.”
Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman wants to see Congress pass his “American Decency Act of 2014,” which would make it illegal for “self-declared homosexual football players” to join an NFL team unless it “provides facilities for homosexual players which are entirely separate and distinct from the facilities used by heterosexual players.”
Burkman proposes a fine starting at $3 million for any violations of the proposed “law.”
“I felt that if the NFL doesn’t have any morals, and people like [Commissioner] Roger Goodell, who are just go-along-get-along guys, just want to appease advertisers, appease corporate America and all that stuff,” Burkman said earlier this week, “I figured, well, it is time for conservatives in Congress to step in and define morality for them.”
Earlier this week, Burkman predicted that dozens of members of Congress would rally behind his proposal. I’m highly doubting that will happen.
Of course, this is never going to happen. So you have to wonder what kind of publicity Burkman is looking for here since it only serves to portray him as a jackass.
By the way, Burkman has an openly gay brother. Weigh that one out in your heads.
Wow.
Now that Uganda’s president signed the “Anti-Homosexuality Act” into law, a Ugandan tabloid has decided to publish the names of 200 allegedly gay citizens, putting all of these people at the risk of being murdered.
Via the AP:
The Red Pepper tabloid published the names — and some pictures — of alleged homosexuals in a front-page story under the headline: “EXPOSED!”
The list included prominent Ugandan gay activists such as Pepe Julian Onziema, who has repeatedly warned that Uganda’s new anti-gay law could spark violence against homosexuals. A popular Ugandan hip-hop star as well as a Catholic priest are also on the list.
Few Ugandans identify themselves publicly as gay, and the tabloid’s publication of alleged homosexuals recalled a similar list published in 2011 by a now-defunct tabloid that called for the execution of gays.
A Ugandan judge later condemned the outing of homosexuals in a country where gays face severe discrimination, saying it amounted to an invasion of privacy.
A prominent Ugandan gay activist, David Kato, was killed after that list came out, and activists said at the time that they believed he was targeted because of his work promoting gay rights in Uganda.
“The media witch hunt is back,” tweeted Jacqueline Kasha, a well-known Ugandan lesbian activist who is among those listed in the Red Pepper story.
As the article notes, the last time a “hit list” like this was published, people were found and killed.
This is a reckless, reckless act.
(h/t JMG)
The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee has released a statement opposing the anti-gay legislation SB-1062:
We share the NFL’s core values which embrace tolerance, diversity, inclusiveness and prohibit discrimination.
In addition, a key part of the mission for the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is to promote the economic vitality of Arizona.
On that matter we have heard loud and clear from our various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation would not only run contrary to that goal but deal a significant blow to the state’s economic growth potential.
We do not support this legislation. Instead, we look forward to continuing to promote the
NFL’s values while focusing on the economic momentum apparent in Arizona and capturing the positive worldwide attention associated with hosting Super Bowl XLIX.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni spoke with CNN about signing the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Act’ which penalizes homosexuality with life imprisonment.
Asked if he personalize dislikes homosexuals, Museveni replies:
“Of course! They are disgusting. What sort of people are they? I never knew what they were doing. I’ve been told recently that what they do is terrible. Disgusting. But I was ready to ignore that if there was proof that that’s how he is born, abnormal. But now the proof is not there.”
Amid calls for the US to re-evaluate relations and monetary aid to his country, Museveni asked countries respect African societies and their values” and not interfere. “If we are wrong, we shall find out by ourselves.”
I say we pull whatever aid we give the country. Let them find THAT by themselves.
For now, it’s open-season on Uganda’s LGBT population. If found guilty under the new law – minimum 14 years in prison for an act of homosexual sex, life in prison for “aggravated homosexuality.”
Watch the interview below.
“This is a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights. Ultimately, the only answer is repeal of this law. The United States is deeply disappointed in the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda. For the four years since the bill was introduced, we have been crystal clear that it blatantly violates human rights obligations that Uganda’s Human Rights Commission itself has recognized are enshrined in Uganda’s Constitution. Today’s signing threatens a dangerous slide backward in Uganda’s commitment to protecting the human rights of its people and a serious threat to the LGBT community in Uganda.
“We are also deeply concerned about the law’s potential to set back public health efforts in Uganda, including those to address HIV/AIDS, which must be conducted in a non-discriminatory manner in order to be effective. As President Obama stated, this legislation is not just morally wrong, it complicates a valued relationship. Now that this law has been enacted, we are beginning an internal review of our relationship with the Government of Uganda to ensure that all dimensions of our engagement, including assistance programs, uphold our anti-discrimination policies and principles and reflect our values.
“From Nigeria to Russia and Uganda, we are working globally to promote and protect the human rights of all persons. The United States will continue to stand against any efforts to marginalize, criminalize, and penalize vulnerable persons in any society.” – Secretary of State John Kerry, via press release issued by the State Department.