Tag: homophobic

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Twitter: Gay Pride Parade Or Shirtless Police Cadets Graduating From Academy?

(screen capture)
Video footage of shirtless Egyptian police cadets graduating from the Police Academy in New Cairo raised more than eyebrows on Twitter. George Takei highlighted the video clip on Twitter writing, “For a terrifyingly homophobic and dangerously anti-LGBT government in Egypt, this screams pretty gay.” In the video, the shirtless buff graduates are shown riding on military vehicles appearing to be flexing for their lives. The Daily Star reports over 1,500 cadets took part in the event. Several of the comments on Twitter compared the event to a Pride parade.

Another clip showed the graduates performing a series of stunts including jumping through rings of fire, breaking cement blocks on each other’s chests with sledgehammers, and climbing up the side of a building. At one point, the graduates even dive through the air over a set of sharp spikes.

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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News Round-Up: October 7, 2020

Steve_in_LA wants you to vote! (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Steve_in_LA (above) reminds us all to VOTE. “It’s finally happening — get out and VOTE like your life depends on it … because it does!!” • The Advocate: Justice Martin Jenkins, a former NFL player, talks to editor-in-chief John Casey about making history as the first LGBTQ person on the California Supreme Court, coming out and finding love later in life. #GreatRead • Get Out The Vote: LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations Equality California and Silver State Equality have partnered with actor-activist Billy Porter and ad agency RPA to create a PSA encouraging LGBTQ+ and pro-equality voters alike to make their voices heard in the 2020 election.

• Pink News: A plumber working as a city contractor in Tulsa has been removed from his gig after being caught on a home security camera directing homophobic insults at a gay man and his partner. • Get Out The Vote II: Mark Ruffalo and more Hollywood stars have an important message for you about voting by mail – so they got naked. Pay attention now…

• Cook Political Report: The Senate race in South Carolina between Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jaime Harrison has been moved to ‘Toss Up.’ “It’s a jump ball at this point,” said one South Carolina Republican strategist. “Jaime is peaking at exactly the right time and he’s got a deluge of money. [Harrison] is blocking every pass there is from Republicans.” • Out Music: Indie singer/songwriter Skyler Cocco invites us into her dream-like world as she takes a drive to clear her mind in the music video for her pop-synth single, “The Drive,” which Uproxx called “effervescent.” “The music video is meant to feel as though you’re looking through a colorful lens at an intimate moment of self reflection,” Skyler writes. “I wanted to illustrate the time spent alone with my thoughts while driving down empty roads and wandering through flower fields, knowing you’ll need to face some things when you get home.”

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News Round-Up: September 8, 2020

(via Instagram/GusKenworthy)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy (above) shared some fun pics from the desert this Labor Day weekend complete with shirtless black tutu snap. “This year’s Burning Man was canceled but it didn’t stop us from getting weird in the desert.” • Pink News: Russian ‘Cossack soldiers’ prowled the streets of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg during Pride week attempting to hunt down LGBTQ people. They wound up targeting straight people they thought looked queer. • Stat News: A large, Phase 3 study testing a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford at dozens of sites across the U.S. has been put on hold due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom. • New Music: Grammy nominee Tayla Parx’s playful new music video, “Dance Alone,” has soulful sass and groove to spare. “We’re all stuck inside while coping with being away from loved ones more than usual,” says the native Texan. “We need human connection, but at least when you’re home dancing in your pajamas while blasting your favorite song, you feel a little less alone. You have the music to keep you company.”

• Instinct Magazine: Chasten Buttigieg, husband to former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, shares in his new book I Have Something To Tell You, that he ran away from home as a teen thinking he would only be a disappointment to his parents due to being gay. ” I was so convinced by everything that I had learned for 18 years that I would be a disappointment and the society I grew up in told me that I was twisted and broken.” • Washington Post: Broadway alone accounts for more tickets sold each year than for all of the metropolitan area’s professional sports teams, and the industry pumps on the order of $13 billion annually into the city economy. Check out this thoughtful exploration of what will be involved, and what it will take, to bring Broadway back to life post-pandemic. • The Advocate: A New Jersey man faces both federal and state charges – including malicious use of explosives, unlawful possession of two destructive devices, and unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle – in connection with an explosion at a gym owned by a female couple. Some in the local LGBTQ+ community suspect it was a hate crime. • InstaHunks II: A few more photos from Gus Kenworthy’s faux Burning Man desert fun…

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College Democrats Apologize To Gay Mayor For ‘Homophobic Attacks’

Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke, Massachusetts (image via Facebook)
College Democrats in Massachusetts have issued an apology to openly gay Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke for their role in what turned into unfounded attacks on Morse and “played into homophobic stereotypes that have been used to oppress gay men in politics.” Morse, currently in his 4th term as mayor, is running to unseat Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) who has represented Massachusetts in the House of Representatives since 1989. The Democratic primary will be held on Tuesday, September 1. Earlier this month, Instinct reported on a letter sent to Morse from three groups of College Democrats, including the UMass Amherst Democrats, informing him he was no longer welcome at College Democratic events and accusing him of using his “position of power for romantic or sexual gain, specifically toward young students.” Morse had been a guest lecturer at UMass Amherst in 2019 and attended one event hosted by the school’s College Democrats. Morse, 31, quickly responded to the allegations saying as an openly gay man he has dated younger people but all interactions were consensual and none were with any students who might have attended his lectures. No students have come forward to say otherwise. The story quickly spiraled and went national with ugly tones of homophobia. The story became much bigger when The Intercept followed up the story with reporting that revealed leaders of the UMass Amherst Democrats had been discussing ways to discover Morse’s dating app profiles and perhaps “lead him into saying something incriminating that would then damage his campaign.” The chief strategist of the chapter at the time, Timothy Ennis, wrote in chat messages that while he was unsure about digging up dirt on Morse, he was a “Neal Stan” and hoped to land a position in the congressman’s office. “But I need a job,” wrote Ennis according to The Intercept. “Neal will give me an internship.” A second report from The Intercept suggested state Democratic Party leaders might have played a role in the drafting of the letter to Morse as well as making the allegations public. On Friday, the UMass Amherst Democrats executive board sent Morse a letter apologizing for the “public distress that the public reaction to the letter must have cost you.” Admitting the letter was never intended to become public, they added, “We should have realized that the language of the letter was careless and played into homophobic stereotypes that have been used to oppress gay men in politics.” “We understand that no apology of ours can make up for the homophobic attacks you have suffered as a result of our actions; nonetheless, we wish to apologize. We wish you the best of luck in your campaign.” The College Democrats also included a copy of a letter sent to the general membership of the group explaining the board had only been shown the initial letter “briefly” and were asked to sign on by the chapter’s president, Andrew Abramson, “in solidarity.” “We are deeply sorry that Alex Morse has faced homophobic attacks as a result of our actions and that our decision has negatively impacted the LGBT+ community, including our own membership,” read the letter to the general membership. “We wish Alex Morse the best of luck in his campaign and political career.” Morse’s campaign shared the apology with the Daily Hampshire Gazette calling the initial letter “an unfortunate situation that happened.” In an interview with Jacobin Magazine, Morse characterized the attack as “incredibly dangerous to our democracy,” and added the accusations could have “a chilling effect for young people, queer people, single people, basically telling us we can’t or shouldn’t run for office.” Even though the apology was sent to Morse, other groups are still using the story to undermine his candidacy before the primary. American Working Families, a Democratic group, pulled an attack ad it ran after catching flak for homophobic undertones in the spot. The ad went after Morse’s record as mayor, made vague accusations that his campaign is being funded by “outside special interests” and brought up “sexual relationships with college students.” The group told Twitter on Saturday the spot was “never intended to air” adding that “it was accidentally sent to stations instead of a corrected version.”

There have also been robocalls reported that were “disguised as surveys” asking if respondents would still support Morse if he had “sent sexually explicit emails to college-aged students.”

Congressman Neal, Morse’s opponent in tomorrow’s primary, has denied any involvement in the attacks.

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News Round-Up: August 18, 2020

(image via Facebook)
Some news items you might have missed: • FOX13Now: A waiter at an Ogden restaurant is sharing his story after finding a bigoted message written on a cash tip that was left for him. Even though the transaction was all-electronic, the customers specifically asked for a pen. The $5 bill (above) was marked with the words, “Get out of America, Fag!” • Pink News: HIV activists are cheering that China has finally approved the drug Truvada for Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) which can prevent people from contracting HIV through condomless sex. According to the United Nations, 44 percent of new HIV infections in Asia and the Pacific region last year were in queer men. • YouTube: I loved this rundown of Top 20 Best Gay Romance Movies (with a happy ending). Lots of my favorite films here.

• Out: A federal judge in Boise has temporarily blocked a controversial law in Idaho that banned trans athletes from participation in school sports. The bill, which Governor Brad Little signed into law this past March, allowed for internal and external verification of a disputed athlete’s reproductive system. • Washington Blade: A gay former assistant superintendent and contracting liaison for the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has been charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $2.1 million in funds for personal use from two federal coronavirus relief programs. Kenneth P. Gaughan, 41, reportedly used the funds to purchase a $300,000 yacht, a $1.13 million townhouse in D.C., and a $46,000 luxury sports car. • Democratic National Convention: I meant to get around to sharing my thoughts on the first night of the convention, but…the day got away from me. As the second night is about to begin, I have to share this one-two knockout punch from Night One – Michelle Obama’s pitch-perfect keynote speech, followed by Billy Porter and Stephen Stills performing the iconic anti-war protest song, “For What It’s Worth.” #Bam

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Prison Time For Dad Who Beat Son After Discovering Grindr On Phone

Photo of a man's hands cuffed behind his back

Photo of a man's hands cuffed behind his back A homophobic father in the UK has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for viciously beating his son with a television cable after finding the gay dating app Grindr on the teen’s phone. Plymouth Live reports the night before the attack, the father had asked to borrow his son’s phone. It was while using the phone the father discovered not only Grindr but several photos the teen had taken of himself. The next morning, the father (who isn’t being identified in order to protect the boy) confronted his son asking about the app and pics while shouting “You are gay” and “you are a woman.” After ordering the teen to strip down to his socks and underwear, the father lashed his son about 20 times with the cable. According to the prosecutor, Francesca Whebell, “He hit him multiple times across his body, particularly his arm, breaking the skin there” while continuing to question the boy. The teen was only able to escape after his father allowed him to get a glass of water. The boy grabbed his school uniform and ran out of the house. Arriving at school, though, staff members noticed something was amiss, and the teen began to cry leading the staff to call the police. The father eventually pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm last September. At his sentencing, a lawyer for the father tried to argue his client is a “loving father” who became angry, not due to his son’s sexuality but for posting photos on the dating app. Since the incident, the lawyer claimed the father’s remorse “is genuine,” and added, “the fact that he has now lost contact with his own son has broken his heart.” The defendant’s wife also appeared in court having written a character reference for her husband. But Recorder Marcus Pilgerstorfer wasn’t having it telling the lawyer, “On the basis of the photographs, [the teen] is likely to be left with some scarring on his arm and he will inevitably suffer some psychological consequences.” “You asked him about photographs of lots of boys on his phone and shouted: ‘You are gay’ and ‘you are a woman,” continued the judge. “You hit him again and again, some 20 times, with the television cable. You caused him ‘loads of pain,’ to use his words.” Pilgerstorfer added, “I have no doubt that part of the reason you became angry is that you saw material which you thought indicated he was bisexual.” (source: Plymouth Live)

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News Round-Up: August 5, 2020

Michael Turchin (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: Lance Bass’s hubby, Michael Turchin (above), shares the lovely view from Grand Teton National Park. The mountains, trees, and lake look nice, too. 🙂 • The Advocate: Amid the results of Tuesday night primaries, Marko Liias, a gay man, appears to have advanced to the general election for lieutenant governor in Washington State. Transgender woman Stephanie Byers was unopposed in her primary for a state representative post in Kansas and is likely to become the state’s first trans legislator. And openly gay Jon Hoadley won a U.S. House nomination in Michigan and, if elected in November, will be the first out member of the state’s congressional delegation. • EW: Disney is developing an adaptation of the musical Once on This Island. Set in the Caribbean’s French Antilles, the tuner tells the story of a peasant girl named Ti Moune who falls in love with an aristocrat. I raved about the recent revival which deservedly took home the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

• Out: If there wasn’t enough nonsense going on, it looks like the Straight Pride folks in Modesto, California, are gearing up for a return. You know, the celebration of cisgender, hetero white men whose organizers once called themselves a “totally peaceful racist group?” • LGBTQ Nation: A violent mob attack on two young gay men at the Joffa Port has shaken Israel as shocking video circulates of a lone man coming to their rescue while hundreds watched and did nothing to help. • CNN: A new ad from the Trump campaign deceptively alters a photo of former Vice President Joe Biden campaigning outdoors in Iowa to make it seem as if Biden is “hiding” in his Delaware basement. The ad also uses two other images in misleading ways: one of Biden at an Iowa house party and one of Biden praying at a Delaware church. • The Daily Beast: Trump campaign senior advisor Mercedes Schlapp Schlapp attempted to defend Donald Trump’s whiplash-inducing hypocrisy, attempting to not only make the distinction between absentee and mail-in voting but also trying to justify why some states’ mail vote is “safe and secure” while others are not. CNN’s Brianna Keilar finally had enough telling Schlapp she was “sowing doubt” and fear into the minds of voters. “This is just pointless, okay,” Keilar exploded. “This is pointless. I get it, you’re just saying a bunch of crap! Okay. You’re saying a bunch of crap.”

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News Round-Up: August 1, 2020

Reichen and Chip win Season 4 of The Amazing Race (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: My colleague at my ‘other home’ has done a terrific round-up of LGBTQ reality show winners over the years including Amazing Race Season 4 champs Reichen and Chip (above). Hit the link for winning LGBTQ moments from Survivor, Big Brother and more. • Global News: Shane Daum, 43, reports he was gay-bashed by a group of seven individuals while camping in British Columbia. During the incident, the men (who recognized him from his local grocery store) held his dog as they beat him unconscious. He was treated for a concussion, but law enforcement says they aren’t pressing charges because there are “no independent witnesses to identify any particular accused at the time.” • Out Music: With his work in television, film and theater, Tituss Burgess is quickly emerging as one of the entertainment industry’s most versatile and dynamic performers. Burgess recently dropped his first single, “Dance M.F.,” aimed squarely at the dance music culture and this year’s many unstoppable virtual pride celebrations. The track is a sultry sexy stomper with an attitude that is certain to bring comfort and escapism to our currently socially distanced souls. Burgess says the song “is a love letter to all the party people who in spite of the pandemic, are still committed to ‘live their best lives,’ party on down and celebrate Pride safely while in lockdown.”

• Variety: Facebook is unleashing hundreds of thousands of music videos in the U.S. starting this weekend — a direct challenge to YouTube, which has had a virtual lock on the internet music-video space for years. With the U.S. launch of music videos, which Facebook has been actively developing since at least last fall, the company has updated Artist Pages of musicians and singers with a new section to let users browse their official music videos. • Yahoo News: Now that Donald Trump’s big GOP donor buddy Louis DeJoy has been installed as Postmaster General, orders are going out to employees reducing hours and services. I’m sure it’s all part of a plan to hobble voting by mail which Trump has been demonizing for weeks now for alleged ‘election fraud’ potential. • The Hill: Some Republicans are urging GOP leaders to abandon the attacks on mail-in voting and to instead embrace it, warning that the president is effectively sabotaging his own party. The impact could be particularly pronounced in Florida, a battleground state where Republicans have traditionally outpaced Democrats among absentee voters. It’s also the preferred method of voting for many seniors, who broke for Trump in 2016. • InstaHunks: I thought I’d share another shot of Backyard Envy host Garrett Magee since he made such a splash yesterday in my post about the upcoming Season 2 premiere on Tuesday, August 4.

 

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Pro Boxer Sacked Over Anti-LGBTQ TikTok Rant

Professional Boxer James Hawley (images via Instagram)
As the old saying goes, “Act like a fool, get treated like a fool.” British pro boxer James Hawley was dropped by his promoter MTK Global after he went on a homophobic and transphobic rant on TikTok. Hawley was responding to a question from a fan who asked, “Do you support LGBT?” “I one thousand, one million percent do not agree with this stuff,” replied Hawley in his video response. “Listen, I can understand girls get with each other all the time at parties and all things like that. I don’t care, not a problem. I’d want them to get with each other in front of me.” “But boys, on the other hand, and transgenders, there’s something seriously wrong with you,” the 21-year-old boxer continued. “What in the earth makes you want to change your gender and get f**ked in the ass? What is up with you dirty c*nts? I feel sorry for your families.” UK drag star Baga Chipz shared the video clip on Twitter calling Hawley out as “homophobic filth” and “an absolute piece of dirt.”

MTK Global got wind of the anti-LGBTQ rant and quickly dropped Hawley from their roster. In a statement, MTK Global said: “The management team have made the decision to terminate Mr. Hawley’s contract with MTK Global with immediate effect and will no longer be representing him in any format.” Adding that the firm “prides itself on it’s community focus and ethos,” the statement went on to say, “MTK Global does not in any way condone or support the views that were shared in any way, nor will these comments ever be considered as acceptable from any of our fighters hence the decision that was made by management.” The Daily Mail notes that, since his debut in December 2014, Hawley has a 6-0 record in the boxing ring. Hawley confirmed he’d been dropped by MTK in a video posted to his Instagram Story saying he “understands” why the action was taken. He also added that the night of his rant he’d “hit a brick wall and had enough” of being sent messages and “disturbing images” by a “few members of the gay community.” “I lashed out and said a few things I didn’t mean,” Hawley continued. Next comes the inevitable… “I have some friends who are gay,” Hawley offered. “I also have a cousin who’s gay, so I never meant anything by it and I’m sorry for who I offended.” But flipping the script, Hawley asks, “How would you like it if members from the gay public, on a day to day basis, was sending you inappropriate videos and messages – basically abusing you?” He ended the ‘apology’ by saying he felt his dismissal from MTK was “unfair” and is hoping for a chance to share his “side of the story” and present “evidence” that shows his rant was an “attack out of anger, not over what I believe.” Hawley goes on to say if men were sending unwanted sexually suggestive photos and messages to a woman “the situation would be completely different.”

The young athlete has also apparently been blocked on TikTok. UPDATE: Hawley has also taken his Instagram account private since I published this post.

 

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What do you think readers? Should Hawley have been sacked? Or does unwanted attention (and photos) from gay fans justify his rant? Let me know in the comments below.

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Netflix Cancels New Series After Turkey Urges Removing Gay Character

Officials in Turkey reportedly pressured Netflix to remove a gay character from its new series titled, If Only, and so the streaming platform canceled the project. From Deadline:

The eight-part relationship drama was announced in March and was set to be made by Turkish production outfit Ay Yapim, with screen star Özge Özpirinçci leading the cast. But Netflix has scrapped the plans after producers were refused a filming license because of the existence of a gay character.

Per a translation in the Financial Times, If Only’s creator Ece Yörenç told Turkish film website Altyazi Fasikul: “Due to a gay character, permission to film the series was not granted and this is very frightening for the future.”

Responding to a request for comment from the FT, a spokesman for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party acknowledged that concerns were raised about If Only. Deadline understands that rather than caving to creative changes, Netflix decided to abandon the project.

Netflix hasn’t commented on the issue directly, but a spokesman told Deadline the streaming platform “remains deeply committed to our Turkish members and the creative community in Turkey.” “We currently have several Turkish originals in production — with more to come — and look forward to sharing these stories with our members all around the world,” added the spokesman. No word on if any of those other shows in production have LGBTQ characters or storylines. Turkey is one of the more liberal countries in the Middle East. While homosexuality isn’t illegal, same-sex marriage is. Additionally, there are no legal protections for LGBTQ people in the areas of housing, adoption or employment, and gay Turkish citizens are no allowed to serve openly in the military. Özpirinçci posted a photo on Instagram over the weekend from the set with a rainbow series of hearts.

 

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