LGBTQ news and entertainment
NBC News interviewed me for this updated report on the Atlantis Events cruise I traveled on last month being denied docking in Turkey and Egypt.
The incidents are rightfully raising questions about how these policies could hurt their economies as the LGBTQ+ tourism industry booms.
You can check out other interviews I’ve done about the kerfuffle at the New York Times, CNN, and the Times of London.
It was a bit of a “working vacation” these past two weeks while on my Atlantis cruise of the Mediterranean…
After our cruise ship, the Scarlet Lady, was turned away from Turkey and then Egypt, the incidents garnered international headlines.
One new bit of info I just recently learned – it was the Egyptian Navy that intercepted our ship shortly after midnight on July 9 and ordered our captain to turn away from Egyptian waters.
As the only member of the LGBTQ media who was onboard during the debacle, I’ve been interviewed by several major news outlets and thought I’d share some of the coverage 🙂 Continue reading “More On Gay Cruise Turned Away By Turkey & Egypt”
Last week, just days before my Atlantis cruise ship was to depart Athens for ten days at sea, me and my fellow passengers were informed we were NOT stopping in Turkey as planned as the Turkish government suddenly refused to let us dock citing “moral standards” and “family values.”
CNN reached out to me to talk about how that all unraveled on Sunday. You can see the interview here.
The folks in charge at Atlantis cruises scrambled quickly and came up with two new destinations to replace the stop in Turkey – Alexandria, Egypt, and the isle of Crete.
Many of us quickly set up guided tours/excursions to go see the pyramids in Cairo. Even though it would be a long day – 3 hours drive there, several hours exploring, three hours back to ship – who doesn’t want to see the pyramids?
So most of us went to bed early last night to be up and sharp for our 7 am departures. But as my hubby and I were leaving our cabin, we found a one-page notice had been slipped under our door. Egypt has been cancelled. Continue reading “LGBTQ Cruise Turned Away (Again!) – This Time In Egypt”
Some news items as we hippity-hop over Hump Day:
• The Advocate: Seattle PrideFest has encouraged folks attending the June 26 World Cup match to bring rainbow flags to celebrate Pride Month. But leaders in each nation’s football federations publicly rebuked the idea, saying such events clashed with their cultural and religious values.
The nations involved in the first-ever World Cup Pride Match — Egypt and Iran — are asking FIFA to cancel it, calling it “culturally and religiously contrary” to their values. Both countries have criminalized same-sex sexual relations.
• JoeMyGod: One Million Moms is really concernstipated over a new ad from Kohls Department Store that playfully insinuates using the “elf-word.” #srsly Continue reading “Egypt And Iran Want Out Of World Cup Pride Match + More News”
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For a terrifyingly homophobic and dangerously anti-LGBT government in Egypt, this screams pretty gay. https://t.co/At216ndhtF
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) October 18, 2020
— Johnny just Johnny 🇺🇸 🏳️🌈🥀 (@johnny_queer) October 18, 2020
it sure looked like one!
— jason dogwood ™️🏳️🌈👬🏼🥀 (@jasondogwood) October 19, 2020
Omg the minute I saw this I started singing Macho Macho man… 😂
— BIDEN/HARRIS 2020 (@llopez414) October 18, 2020
— Mtk (@Mtk59413506) October 16, 2020
🌇 #مشاريع_مصر🇪🇬| من حفل تخرج دفعة جديدة من أكاديمية الشرطة المصرية عام 2020 Graduation ceremony for the new police officers from the Egyptian Police Academy in 2020 pic.twitter.com/3oPkrsYRDA
— مشاريع مصر Egypt (@EgyProjects) October 15, 2020
While the spectacle was visually impressive, the sad irony in all this, as Takei points out, is Egypt continues to be a virulently homophobic country. The Human Rights Watch reported this past spring that Egypt rejected recommendations by several members of the United Nations Human Rights Council to end arrests and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Egypt responded by denying the existence of sexual orientation and gender identity saying the country “does not recognize the terms mentioned” in the recommendation. But an LGBTQ rights organization in Cairo reported 92 arrests in 2019 for so-called ‘same-sex conduct.’ Included in the report were incidents of “entrapment through dating apps, random arrests off the street and hotel/house arrests.” Rights Africa notes that 69 percent of the cases were street arrests “with no legal basis for the arrest other than the individual discretion of the police officers.” As there is no explicit law banning same-sex conduct, the majority of LGBTQ prosecutions are based on “debauchery” laws insinuating prostitution. While under arrest, gay men and transgender women have been subjected to torture, assaults, and degrading forced anal examinations. (source: Daily Star)
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| Mohamed al-Ghiety |
A television host in Egypt has been fined $167 and sentenced to a year of hard labor for the crime of interviewing a gay man.
According to the BBC, Mohamed al-Ghiety interviewed a gay man in 2018 about his life as a sex worker. In the interview, the man (who was not identified) says he has regrets about being gay and working as a prostitute.
A lawyer, Samir Sabry, sued the TV host for appearing to promote possible monetary gains from “practicing” homosexuality. Sabry apparently has a history of targeting celebrities via lawsuits.
Ghiety, who ironically has history of homophobic comments, will also be under police surveillance for a year after his prison sentence.
Homosexuality is not specifically illegal in Egypt, but police often arrest folks suspected of being LGBTQ by using a 1961 law banning prostitution which criminalizes ‘habitual debauchery.’
At the time of the interview, the top governing organization for media – the Supreme Council for Media Regulation – banned the channel from airing for two weeks due to ‘professional violations.’
The media council has prohibited LGBTQs from being shown on television in the conservative country since an incident at a Cairo rock concert in 2017, where a rainbow Pride flag was waved in a rare exhibition of gay pride.
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| (image via Facebook/Egypt Rainbow) |
At the time, the BBC wrote, “The raising of rainbow flags at the concert by the Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila – whose lead singer is openly gay – on 22 September was a rare public show of support for the LGBT community in the conservative Muslim country.”
As a result of the images going viral, 32 men and a woman were detained by authorities. The BBC reported that five of those men had anal examination carried out on them.
For a bail bond of 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($58US), Ghiety could appeal his verdict and remain free while he awaits the outcome of the appeal.
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| (via Instagram) |
Some news items you might have missed:
• Steve Pena (above) plans to “walk like an Egyptian” this Halloween. I’d follow his Pharaoh…
• Both chambers of Congress have now unanimously condemned Chechnya for anti-LGBTQ violence as President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson remain silent.
• In related news, Russia and Egypt are fighting to remove language in Principal 6 of the Olympic Charter which calls for banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. Both countries have been involved in anti-LGBTQ actions in past months.
• Marques Brownlee unboxes the new iPhone X – check out his thoughts below. Hubby Michael and I have both ordered the X as we haven’t upgraded our iPhones in years.
• While the majority of news outlets were covering yesterday’s indictments of three Trump campaign officials, several Fox News employees were embarrassed by their network’s obvious lack of coverage. At one point on Monday morning, Fox News was actually taking time to report on a hamburger emoji – “Look, the cheese is under the burger!!!”
• A new study indicates gay men (and straight women) are twice as likely to be attracted to guys with the same eye color as their father due to “sexual imprinting.” I do not fall into that category as my father had stunning ice blue eyes, but my hunky hubby Michael has beautiful brown eyes.
• No trick, total treat from 7-time Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton as she drops her new single, “Deadwood,” from her forthcoming album, Sex and Cigarettes, scheduled for a January release.
• One more Halloween post: “Super” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada arrived at work today dressed as “Clark Kent.” #WinnerWinnerWinner
Justin Trudeau arrived for House duties today dressed as Clark Kent for Halloween. (via CBC News) pic.twitter.com/iCjUxVov73— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 31, 2017
In this week’s podcast:
• Lawmakers in Egypt have drafted legislation which would criminalize homosexuality, making being gay punishable with prison time
• The Trump administration now wants to argue against LGBTQ protections at the U.S. Supreme Court
• Ryan Murphy’s new series Pose has cast a record number of transgender actors
• Arrow/Teen Wolf/American Horror Story star Colton Haynes got married in Palm Springs with lots of famous friends in attendance
• plus, my suggestions for some Halloween movies with a queer slant
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
(btw – how do you like the new logo for the podcast?)
Some news items you might have missed:
• The CW’s Riverdale puts the topic of gay cruising in a rural town front and center in this week’s episode.
• Deep Dish blog is asking which is sexier: this guy’s furry face or furry bum?
• Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson asked White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about proposed legislation in Egypt that would criminalize being gay. Sanders said she “wasn’t aware of specifics” about the news but would be happy to check into it.
• Amid reports former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is growing restless on the sidelines comes the news that Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch may retire at the end of his current term next year stepping aside for Romney to take the seat. A recent poll showed Romney would garner 64% of the vote were that to happen.
• Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who hails from the small town of Whitefish, Montana, says he had “absolutely nothing to do” with 2-man company Whitefish Energy Holdings being awarded the $300 million contract to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric grid. I’m sure it’s pure coincidence…
• I swear to you the first thing I saw in the pic below of dancer/aerialist Davide Zongoli was his feet.
In response to the raising of a rainbow flag at a concert last month, lawmakers in Egypt have drafted new legislation that would make being gay a crime punishable with prison time.
On September 22 in Cairo, at a concert performed by Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila, the rainbow flag was raised.
Nearly 70 people were arrested, and more than 20 have been sentenced to time in prison ranging from six months to six years.
The new legislation would make homosexual behavior punishable by a prison sentence of one to three years. A repeat offense could mean an additional five years in prison.
Anyone identified as an LGBT ally or “supporter” could be imprisoned for one to three years.
Media coverage of events like LGBT Pride, as well as the organizers, could also suffer prison time.
And anyone who displays a “symbol of homosexuality” would be risking one to three years in prison as well.
This is dangerous stuff. I just had friends visiting Egypt on a vacation.
I can definitely tell you where you won’t be finding me anytime soon.