A video of a 14 year old girl asking the people of Maryland to vote “No” on marriage equality went viral yesterday on Buzz Feed. She spent her birthday with the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and made her birthday wish to lawmakers. She said:

Today is my 14th birthday and it would be the best birthday present ever if you would vote NO on gay marriage. I really feel bad for the kids who have two parents of the same gender. Even though some kids think it’s fine, they have no idea what kind of wonderful experiences they miss out on. I don’t want more kids to get confused about what’s right and okay. I really don’t want to grow up in a world where marriage isn’t such a special thing anymore.

It’s rather scary to think that when I grow up the legislature or the court can change the definition of any word they want. If they could change the definition of marriage then they could change the definition of any word.

People have the choice to be gay, but I don’t want to be affected by their choice. People say that they were born that way, but I’ve met really nice adults who did change.

So please vote no on gay marriage. Thank you.

The recorded birthday message sounds obviously scripted. A girl of fourteen does not come up with these opinions on her own, so what kind of parents must she have? It’s truly sad to hear a fourteen year old voice her homophobia so blatantly whether she’s being influenced or not.

I posted the YouTube video on Facebook and immediately people were commenting on the video, voicing their outrage. Darragh Horgan said:

Definitely a sense of moral questioning going on, “whats right and okay“, plenty of things are not right and ok, but they are ongoing in the world at present and dont heed any obstruction. The only difference is, this threatens people’s understanding of the society they are in, and more importantly brings the recognisation of anyone who fails to fufill a heteronormative role into question as a second class citizen.

Paul Bostock said:

“But i think marriage should be between opposite genders and children must experience a mum and a dad” What bullcrap. When it comes to marriage and family it’s love and stability that matter, not gender. I still can’t believe the amount of “not-in-love” people that get married and screw up their kids time and time again and are allowed preference over a gay couple that’ll happily love and care for their children and for each other. The whole thing sickens me.

On ThinkProgress where the original ‘news flash’ was posted, a comment beneath the recording said:

For her to be abused that way by her anti-gay parents constitutes a form of child abuse. “People have the choice to be gay,” she says “but I don’t want to be affected by their choice.” The only way she is being “affected” by gay people is that her parents are teaching her to hate them.

For all of the people who have moved on from their prehistoric homophobic views, there seems to always be somebody waiting to challenge the progress that has been made, and what a disgrace it is when adults are still influencing the next generation of kids to be just as homophobic and ignorant as they are.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Tsr7rz9Og

Related posts:

1. Australian marriage equality ad is internet hit
2. Help Marriage Equality share Rory’s story
3. New Anti-Marriage Equality Argument in Canadian Court

We gays do a good campaign don’t we? It Gets Better, NOH8 and so on. 

To be fair to our community, most LGBTs really want a way to come together and try to make a difference and when given a platform we can outdo ourselves. The latest in this distinguished list is the North Carolina “Vote Against” Project.

Some background for you: on 8th May next the folks of North Carolina will vote on a ban on same sex marriage. While most places are voting on recognising rights, these people have to stand up and speak just to keep things the same and prevent their work for marriage equality taking a major step in the wrong direction.

Last September a rally was held in Raleigh, NC, to oppose the legislature’s vote to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Sadly, however, the amendment passed and now attention must go to getting as many no votes as possible, but what exactly would this mean to LGBTs in North Carolina?

According to the Vote Against website the amendment does the following:

In addition to prohibiting same-sex marriage, as state law already does, the Amendment would:

• prohibit North Carolina from ever passing legislation that would grant civil unions;
• bar the state from instituting domestic partnership rights;
• strip the domestic partner insurance benefits currently offered to employees by a number of local governments.

It’s hard to fathom in this day and age that people still have to stand up against this kind on nonsense, but there it is.

Curtis Brown is a Raleigh-based photographer who has started the project which captures images of people wearing “vote against t-shirts”, much like the NOH8 campaign started by Adam Bouska in California. 

Brown is even going on tour around the states to facilitate the participation of as many people as possible. You just have to commend people like him: well done to Curtis and all his volunteers. Let’s hope the vote goes the right way and this kind of backwards step is prevented by a large majority.

Related posts:

1. 14 year old girl asks Maryland to vote “No” on marriage equality for her birthday
2. The Glee Project
3. Belong To launches LGBT refugee & asylum seeker project

It’s great. We watched the first couple episodes of Breaking Bad and the quality was great, even on our pokey broadband connection.

So after that, I decided to show my wife all the films they have on offer. Sure, it’s limited, but I’d had a browse on my PC earlier in the day and I was excited to show her the Gay & Lesbian category.

Except it wasn’t there.

The Nintendo Wii interface isn’t exactly straightforward, so I tried several times to find it. I tweeted, and had some helpful advice. I checked to see if “Parental Controls” were active on my Wii (even though we don’t have children). I checked my settings on my Netflix account.

There was nothing amiss. The category Gay & Lesbian was still visible on my PC, but not on my Nintendo Wii.

And that just makes me sad. Because it seems like a good service. It even recommended my somewhat obscure favourite film to me after doing my “taste profile”, so yeah, well done. But I’m not giving my money to a company that feels it’s more comfortable to get rid of my words.

PinkNews reported yesterday that the iPad and PS3 versions of Netflix also exclude the category. Wii and iPad exclude the HD category as well because the devices don’t support true HD playback. They also apparently don’t support queer film categories. Weird hardware flaw, probably.

So either Netflix have removed this category themselves or Sony, Nintendo and Apple all decided to do it independently of each other. You guys have any guesses?

No related posts.

• Here’s another article from one of our new writers, Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin. Happy New Year!

2011 has been celebrated as a great year for the LGBT community. Of course, as long as severe inequality persists, it’s difficult to wholeheartedly agree that it was a great year. We’ve seen setbacks for marriage equality in Ireland, homosexuality still criminal in 76 countries around the world, lesbians tortured in anti-gay clinics in Ecuador, the LGBT community drastically suppressed in Russia, and gay teenagers everywhere still being tormented by homophobic bullying.

All the same, 2011 has certainly upheld that crucial message; that it gets better. So, grab a cup o’ kindness and we’ll run through some of the achievements of the LGBT movement in 2011.

1. Civil Partnership

Ireland rang in the New Year with the Civil Partnership Act, which came into effect on 1st January 2011, granting considerably enhanced rights to co-habiting partners, including gay couples. On 4th April, Hugh Walsh and Barry Dignam entered into the first publicly celebrated partnership under the Act.

On 5th March, the Taoiseach outlined the government’s intentions for a constitutional convention, including a provision for discussing marriage for same-sex couples. While the parameters of the convention remain unclear, the mention of marriage equality in the Programme for Government shows that gay rights have become something of a legislative priority. As Iarnród Éireann would put it, “We’re not there yet… but we’re getting there”.

2. LGBT Representatives in the Oireachtas

The number of openly gay Oireachtas members has quadrupled in 2011. In February, Dominic Hannigan and John Lyons of the Labour Party became the first openly gay TDs in the history of the State. David Norris, despite the upsets in his presidential campaign, held the Trinity seat he’s been fighting from for the last 24 years.

Finally, in a real triumph for the LGBT community, for women, for men, for children, for Human Rights, for Ireland, for the world, the solar system and the universe… the visionary Dr Katherine Zappone was appointed to the Senate at the request of the Táiniste.

3. Born this Way

Like it or not, Gaga’s anthem, released on 23rd May, was the soundtrack of gay 2011.

Gaga is a leader in a powerful popular campaign for equality that’s taking place on people’s TVs and iPods, and in their tweets, hearts and minds.

4. Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

On 20th September, the United States finally repealed the insidious, twenty-year old ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, which prevented LGBT people from serving openly in the military. At last, the army that professes to fight for freedom around the world afforded this most basic freedom to its own soldiers.

Last month the full adorable implications of the change were embodied by the ‘first kiss on land’ between Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta and Petty Officer 3rd Class Citalic Snell.

5. Hillary Clinton’s Speech

In the months since the repeal of DADT, the Obama administration has dramatically altered its foreign policy relating to gay rights. This shift culminated in Hillary Clinton’s ground breaking speech in Geneva on December 6th, urging the world’s leaders to afford LGBT people “the full measure of liberty, the full experience of dignity, and the full benefits of humanity.”

6. President Higgins

On 29th October, the election of Michael D. Higgins as the 9th President of Ireland was another victory for progressive, tolerant Ireland.

This feminist, human rights activist and LGBT ally is a true successor to the Marys Robinson and McAleese in the struggle to dismantle “the noxious apparatus of homophobia”.

7. International leaders support marriage equality

Around the world, the cause of Marriage Equality has been gaining momentum. In the UK, David Cameron has pledged that his government is now committed to discussing “how, not if” to implement full civil marriage for LGBT couples, and to have the legislation in place within the lifetime of the current parliament. The ruling Australian Labour Party also adjusted its platform to support full marriage equality.

In the USA, President Obama at last took a stronger stance on gay marriage, and voicing his support for the ‘Respect for Marriage Act’, which will invalidate DOMA. While many of the prospective Republican candidates for 2012 are virulently anti-gay, with Obama onside we’re promised a fair fight. Well, as fair as a fight can be when one side is clearly right.

8. Marriage equality in New York

On June 24th, just in time for a particularly joyful Pride, New York passed its Marriage Equality Act, becoming most populous state yet to legalise full gay marriage.

The first wedding in Manhattan was a real tearjerker, taking place between Phyllis Siegel, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85.

9. Progress on homophobic bullying

Horrifying stories of gay bullying and suicide continued to emerge this year, most memorably that of 14-year old Jamey Rodemeyer, an out 14-year old activist and blogger. However, it seems that although change comes dropping slow, change does come.

In December, Ireland’s own Belong To were held up as role models at a UN conference in Rio, dedicated specifically tackling homophobic bullying as human rights abuse.

10. The UN’s first resolution on LGBT rights

This year the UN Human Rights Council passed a specific resolution supporting LGBT rights for the first time in its history. The resolution expresses “grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

While the resolution has no binding effect, it is a milestone in that it reflects an international shift in values. Its opponents are concerned that the Resolution will force countries to legalise homosexuality and recognise marriage equality. Here’s hoping that they’re right.

Have we missed anything important? Add your 2011 milestones in the comments!

Related posts:

1. BeLonG To’s example leads first ever UN meeting on homophobic bullying
2. LGBT Noise – March for Marriage 2011
3. I, like, like that you like this: Your fave Facebook links of 2011

Here are some of the most popular non-Gaelick links from our Facebook page this year. Lovely!

16. Women have US Navy’s first same-sex homecoming kiss

They’re gorgeous, they’re confident, and they wear amazing uniforms. They’re Officers Gaeta and Snell, and they were the first same-sex couple to have the Navy’s traditional “homecoming kiss” since the repeal of DADT. They’re the new this.

As well as the Beeb’s story, there was the video, as well as the original story and pics from The Virginian-Pilot.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta (23) and her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell (22) share the traditional dockside “first kiss” since the US ended a ban on gays in the army.

Aren’t they only gorgeous?

15. Amber Heard: Staying in the closet in Hollywood is a horribly detrimental lie

We do love Amber Heard here on Gaelick. (At least, some of us are obsessed.)

14. Billie Jean King and Martina Navrátilová respond to Margaret Court’s homophobic rant

13. Gay couple being told they will become grandparents

12. In memory of Sonia Pierre, human rights defender

Sonia Pierre was a prominent human rights defender of African descent from the Dominican Republic, who founded and served as Director of the Movement of Dominican-Haitian Women (MUDHA). Sonia passed away at the age of 48 from a heart attack on 4 December.

11. Same-sex partnerships from abroad to be recognised in Ireland

This brings to 32 the number of jurisdictions in respect of which Ireland recognises same-sex relationships as civil partnerships, as of 25th December 2011. Of these 32 jurisdictions, 18 provide for marriage equality.

This means that (despite The Journal‘s headline) if you are validly married under the law in any of these 18 places, your marriage will be downgraded by Ireland to a civil partnership.

Happy Christmas.

10. Ellen and Sofia Vergara shoot a CoverGirl ad

9. “What’s goin’ on”

8. “Sarah Silverman’s It Gets Better message is to adults: antigay adults. Blunt and to the point.”

7. Gay Agenda planning

From the Recruitment Committee: We are facing an uphill battle. The world’s population has reached 7 billion. This means that we will have to work hard to not only maintain our strength at 10 percent of the population, but each current member will have to recruit at least three new members to reach our target goal of 11 percent in 2012. (Remember our long-range plan: 16 percent by ’16!)

6. Recently, a Michigan mayor wrote on Facebook, “I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there”. This woman stood up with her wife and her two children and spoke directly to the mayor. She was magnificent.

5. Margaret Cho feat. Tegan & Sara: “Intervention”

4. The primary reason why cats will never develop a system of organised religion

3. Yoga Cat

2. Ah, the Burke family, of ..somewhere in Mayo

1. From Jack to Jackie: “Why I had a sex change at 16”

“I do feel guilty sometimes,” says Jackie “because my mum’s gone through all this with me and I know people judge her and think she’s done the wrong thing. But I just couldn’t wait for it to happen. She and my dad have been brilliant. When they both came to terms with the situation they helped me so much. I owe them my life.”

Related posts:

1. LGBT milestones of 2011
2. Gaelick’s top posts of 2011
3. Álainn or Appallin’: Amber Heard

• This just in from the absolute heroes that are the Belong To crew:

Over the course of the last week, BeLonG To Youth Services participated in the first ever UN level consultation on tackling homophobic bullying worldwide.

The event culminated in the drafting of ‘The Rio Statement‘, which was issued by the representatives of twenty five LGBTQ organisations present at the conference. Simultaneously, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon issued a ground breaking statement calling on governments globally to combat homophobic bullying.

Speaking on his return from the Rio meeting, Michael Barron, Executive Director at BeLonG To Youth Services said:

The Rio Statement on Homophobic Bullying and Education for All represents very important progress in our battle to end homophobic and transphobic bullying against LGBT young people throughout the world. As UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon states, this bullying represents a ‘grave violation of human rights’ and it is vital that all countries tackle this issue.

BeLonG To’s work to end homophobic bullying in Ireland was identified as best practice at the Rio meeting, and will be included in a United Nations toolkit which will be made available to governments and civil society organisations around the world who work to end what former President Mc Aleese referred to as ‘the noxious apparatus of homophobia‘. This follows from the recent endorsement of our work in this area from Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe.

Michael continued:

It was a great privilege to represent BeLonG To and Ireland at this first global UN consultation on homophobic bullying. What is clear is that we are making very good progress in this area in Ireland. In particular I would like to commend the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Department of Education, and the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention for their progressive work in recent years.

But this is no time to be complacent. Homophobic bullying is an issue of huge urgency and continues to have devastating effects, including school drop-out, drug use and suicide, on young people here in Ireland.

In light of these important actions from the UN, we urge the government to reprioritise action to support LGBT young people. No young person should have their human rights and safety violated because of who they are.

• Belong To: web / fb / twitter / youtube

Related posts:

1. Homophobic bullying in schools
2. You Belong Too
3. Belong To launches LGBT refugee & asylum seeker project

Tomorrow, 10th December, is International Human Rights Day. If you haven’t yet seen Hillary Clinton’s speech to the UN in Geneva this week, here it is.

My advice is to set aside 30 minutes to sit down and fully listen to the whole speech. Even better, while listening, read through the transcript. (I’ve pasted it below.)

The key message in the speech is that human rights are universal and indivisible, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and that there are no exceptions to that (including religious, political or cultural considerations).

To be honest, before I heard/read it, in my head I let out a massive groan. I was wary of the US basically (once again) telling the world about the need to respect the rights of LGBT people – especially given the backlash over the decision of the UK and US to make aid conditional on vindicating the rights of LGBT people, and given it’s own not-exactly-great record on LGBT rights.

The speech is quite cleverly written, however. It seeks to pre-empt accusations of westernisation, neo-colonialism or American imperialism, and relies on comparisons with women’s equality and the abolition of slavery, as well as making reference to initiatives and progress made by Majority World nations. And it also directly addresses the US’s own shortcomings.

(Although, perhaps predictably, there has been angry reaction from some quarters.)

Have a listen and have a read.

Also: Today, at 9:30am (New York time, so that’s 2:30pm Irish time), the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, will be answering questions about human rights during a live webcast.

Secretary Clinton’s Speech to the United Nations on LGBT Human Rights

Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and UN partners. This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one of the great accomplishments of the last century.

Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote, they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.

At three o’clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments are bound to protect them.

In the 63 years since the declaration was adopted, many nations have made great progress in making human rights a human reality. Step by step, barriers that once prevented people from enjoying the full measure of liberty, the full experience of dignity, and the full benefits of humanity have fallen away. In many places, racist laws have been repealed, legal and social practices that relegated women to second-class status have been abolished, the ability of religious minorities to practice their faith freely has been secured.

In most cases, this progress was not easily won. People fought and organized and campaigned in public squares and private spaces to change not only laws, but hearts and minds. And thanks to that work of generations, for millions of individuals whose lives were once narrowed by injustice, they are now able to live more freely and to participate more fully in the political, economic, and social lives of their communities.

Now, there is still, as you all know, much more to be done to secure that commitment, that reality, and progress for all people. Today, I want to talk about the work we have left to do to protect one group of people whose human rights are still denied in too many parts of the world today. In many ways, they are an invisible minority. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized, even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or, too often, even join in the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and learn, driven from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or deny who they are to protect themselves from harm.

I am talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, human beings born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time. I speak about this subject knowing that my own country’s record on human rights for gay people is far from perfect. Until 2003, it was still a crime in parts of our country. Many LGBT Americans have endured violence and harassment in their own lives, and for some, including many young people, bullying and exclusion are daily experiences. So we, like all nations, have more work to do to protect human rights at home.

Now, raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many people and that the obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of LGBT people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs. So I come here before you with respect, understanding, and humility. Even though progress on this front is not easy, we cannot delay acting. So in that spirit, I want to talk about the difficult and important issues we must address together to reach a global consensus that recognizes the human rights of LGBT citizens everywhere.

The first issue goes to the heart of the matter. Some have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct; but, in fact, they are one and the same. Now, of course, 60 years ago, the governments that drafted and passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not thinking about how it applied to the LGBT community. They also weren’t thinking about how it applied to indigenous people or children or people with disabilities or other marginalized groups. Yet in the past 60 years, we have come to recognize that members of these groups are entitled to the full measure of dignity and rights, because, like all people, they share a common humanity.

This recognition did not occur all at once. It evolved over time. And as it did, we understood that we were honoring rights that people always had, rather than creating new or special rights for them. Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.

It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished. It is a violation of human rights when lesbian or transgendered women are subjected to so-called corrective rape, or forcibly subjected to hormone treatments, or when people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save their lives. And it is a violation of human rights when life-saving care is withheld from people because they are gay, or equal access to justice is denied to people because they are gay, or public spaces are out of bounds to people because they are gay. No matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we are, we are all equally entitled to our human rights and dignity.

The second issue is a question of whether homosexuality arises from a particular part of the world. Some seem to believe it is a Western phenomenon, and therefore people outside the West have grounds to reject it. Well, in reality, gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world. They are all ages, all races, all faiths; they are doctors and teachers, farmers and bankers, soldiers and athletes; and whether we know it, or whether we acknowledge it, they are our family, our friends, and our neighbors.

Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality. And protecting the human rights of all people, gay or straight, is not something that only Western governments do. South Africa’s constitution, written in the aftermath of Apartheid, protects the equality of all citizens, including gay people. In Colombia and Argentina, the rights of gays are also legally protected. In Nepal, the supreme court has ruled that equal rights apply to LGBT citizens. The Government of Mongolia has committed to pursue new legislation that will tackle anti-gay discrimination.

Now, some worry that protecting the human rights of the LGBT community is a luxury that only wealthy nations can afford. But in fact, in all countries, there are costs to not protecting these rights, in both gay and straight lives lost to disease and violence, and the silencing of voices and views that would strengthen communities, in ideas never pursued by entrepreneurs who happen to be gay. Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated as lesser or the other, whether they are women, racial, or religious minorities, or the LGBT. Former President Mogae of Botswana pointed out recently that for as long as LGBT people are kept in the shadows, there cannot be an effective public health program to tackle HIV and AIDS. Well, that holds true for other challenges as well.

The third, and perhaps most challenging, issue arises when people cite religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the human rights of LGBT citizens. This is not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn’t cultural; it’s criminal. Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights.

In each of these cases, we came to learn that no practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for inflicting violence on LGBT people, criminalizing their status or behavior, expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly accepting their killing.

Of course, it bears noting that rarely are cultural and religious traditions and teachings actually in conflict with the protection of human rights. Indeed, our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it. And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common source. For many of us, religious belief and practice is a vital source of meaning and identity, and fundamental to who we are as people. And likewise, for most of us, the bonds of love and family that we forge are also vital sources of meaning and identity. And caring for others is an expression of what it means to be fully human. It is because the human experience is universal that human rights are universal and cut across all religions and cultures.

The fourth issue is what history teaches us about how we make progress towards rights for all. Progress starts with honest discussion. Now, there are some who say and believe that all gay people are pedophiles, that homosexuality is a disease that can be caught or cured, or that gays recruit others to become gay. Well, these notions are simply not true. They are also unlikely to disappear if those who promote or accept them are dismissed out of hand rather than invited to share their fears and concerns. No one has ever abandoned a belief because he was forced to do so.

Universal human rights include freedom of expression and freedom of belief, even if our words or beliefs denigrate the humanity of others. Yet, while we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot do whatever we choose, not in a world where we protect the human rights of all.

Reaching understanding of these issues takes more than speech. It does take a conversation. In fact, it takes a constellation of conversations in places big and small. And it takes a willingness to see stark differences in belief as a reason to begin the conversation, not to avoid it.

But progress comes from changes in laws. In many places, including my own country, legal protections have preceded, not followed, broader recognition of rights. Laws have a teaching effect. Laws that discriminate validate other kinds of discrimination. Laws that require equal protections reinforce the moral imperative of equality. And practically speaking, it is often the case that laws must change before fears about change dissipate.

Many in my country thought that President Truman was making a grave error when he ordered the racial desegregation of our military. They argued that it would undermine unit cohesion. And it wasn’t until he went ahead and did it that we saw how it strengthened our social fabric in ways even the supporters of the policy could not foresee. Likewise, some worried in my country that the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would have a negative effect on our armed forces. Now, the Marine Corps Commandant, who was one of the strongest voices against the repeal, says that his concerns were unfounded and that the Marines have embraced the change.

Finally, progress comes from being willing to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. We need to ask ourselves, “How would it feel if it were a crime to love the person I love? How would it feel to be discriminated against for something about myself that I cannot change?” This challenge applies to all of us as we reflect upon deeply held beliefs, as we work to embrace tolerance and respect for the dignity of all persons, and as we engage humbly with those with whom we disagree in the hope of creating greater understanding.

A fifth and final question is how we do our part to bring the world to embrace human rights for all people including LGBT people. Yes, LGBT people must help lead this effort, as so many of you are. Their knowledge and experiences are invaluable and their courage inspirational. We know the names of brave LGBT activists who have literally given their lives for this cause, and there are many more whose names we will never know. But often those who are denied rights are least empowered to bring about the changes they seek. Acting alone, minorities can never achieve the majorities necessary for political change.

So when any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the sidelines. Every time a barrier to progress has fallen, it has taken a cooperative effort from those on both sides of the barrier. In the fight for women’s rights, the support of men remains crucial. The fight for racial equality has relied on contributions from people of all races. Combating Islamaphobia or anti-Semitism is a task for people of all faiths. And the same is true with this struggle for equality.

Conversely, when we see denials and abuses of human rights and fail to act, that sends the message to those deniers and abusers that they won’t suffer any consequences for their actions, and so they carry on. But when we do act, we send a powerful moral message. Right here in Geneva, the international community acted this year to strengthen a global consensus around the human rights of LGBT people. At the Human Rights Council in March, 85 countries from all regions supported a statement calling for an end to criminalization and violence against people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

At the following session of the Council in June, South Africa took the lead on a resolution about violence against LGBT people. The delegation from South Africa spoke eloquently about their own experience and struggle for human equality and its indivisibility. When the measure passed, it became the first-ever UN resolution recognizing the human rights of gay people worldwide. In the Organization of American States this year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights created a unit on the rights of LGBT people, a step toward what we hope will be the creation of a special rapporteur.

Now, we must go further and work here and in every region of the world to galvanize more support for the human rights of the LGBT community. To the leaders of those countries where people are jailed, beaten, or executed for being gay, I ask you to consider this: Leadership, by definition, means being out in front of your people when it is called for. It means standing up for the dignity of all your citizens and persuading your people to do the same. It also means ensuring that all citizens are treated as equals under your laws, because let me be clear – I am not saying that gay people can’t or don’t commit crimes. They can and they do, just like straight people. And when they do, they should be held accountable, but it should never be a crime to be gay.

And to people of all nations, I say supporting human rights is your responsibility too. The lives of gay people are shaped not only by laws, but by the treatment they receive every day from their families, from their neighbors. Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much to advance human rights worldwide, said that these rights begin in the small places close to home – the streets where people live, the schools they attend, the factories, farms, and offices where they work. These places are your domain. The actions you take, the ideals that you advocate, can determine whether human rights flourish where you are.
And finally, to LGBT men and women worldwide, let me say this: Wherever you live and whatever the circumstances of your life, whether you are connected to a network of support or feel isolated and vulnerable, please know that you are not alone. People around the globe are working hard to support you and to bring an end to the injustices and dangers you face. That is certainly true for my country. And you have an ally in the United States of America and you have millions of friends among the American people.

The Obama Administration defends the human rights of LGBT people as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our foreign policy. In our embassies, our diplomats are raising concerns about specific cases and laws, and working with a range of partners to strengthen human rights protections for all. In Washington, we have created a task force at the State Department to support and coordinate this work. And in the coming months, we will provide every embassy with a toolkit to help improve their efforts. And we have created a program that offers emergency support to defenders of human rights for LGBT people.

This morning, back in Washington, President Obama put into place the first U.S. Government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against LGBT persons abroad. Building on efforts already underway at the State Department and across the government, the President has directed all U.S. Government agencies engaged overseas to combat the criminalization of LGBT status and conduct, to enhance efforts to protect vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers, to ensure that our foreign assistance promotes the protection of LGBT rights, to enlist international organizations in the fight against discrimination, and to respond swiftly to abuses against LGBT persons.

I am also pleased to announce that we are launching a new Global Equality Fund that will support the work of civil society organizations working on these issues around the world. This fund will help them record facts so they can target their advocacy, learn how to use the law as a tool, manage their budgets, train their staffs, and forge partnerships with women’s organizations and other human rights groups. We have committed more than $3 million to start this fund, and we have hope that others will join us in supporting it.

The women and men who advocate for human rights for the LGBT community in hostile places, some of whom are here today with us, are brave and dedicated, and deserve all the help we can give them. We know the road ahead will not be easy. A great deal of work lies before us. But many of us have seen firsthand how quickly change can come. In our lifetimes, attitudes toward gay people in many places have been transformed. Many people, including myself, have experienced a deepening of our own convictions on this topic over the years, as we have devoted more thought to it, engaged in dialogues and debates, and established personal and professional relationships with people who are gay.

This evolution is evident in many places. To highlight one example, the Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality in India two years ago, writing, and I quote, “If there is one tenet that can be said to be an underlying theme of the Indian constitution, it is inclusiveness.” There is little doubt in my mind that support for LGBT human rights will continue to climb. Because for many young people, this is simple: All people deserve to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter who they are or whom they love.

There is a phrase that people in the United States invoke when urging others to support human rights: “Be on the right side of history.” The story of the United States is the story of a nation that has repeatedly grappled with intolerance and inequality. We fought a brutal civil war over slavery. People from coast to coast joined in campaigns to recognize the rights of women, indigenous peoples, racial minorities, children, people with disabilities, immigrants, workers, and on and on. And the march toward equality and justice has continued. Those who advocate for expanding the circle of human rights were and are on the right side of history, and history honors them. Those who tried to constrict human rights were wrong, and history reflects that as well.

I know that the thoughts I’ve shared today involve questions on which opinions are still evolving. As it has happened so many times before, opinion will converge once again with the truth, the immutable truth, that all persons are created free and equal in dignity and rights. We are called once more to make real the words of the Universal Declaration. Let us answer that call. Let us be on the right side of history, for our people, our nations, and future generations, whose lives will be shaped by the work we do today. I come before you with great hope and confidence that no matter how long the road ahead, we will travel it successfully together. Thank you very much.

Related posts:

1. Human Rights Day 2011: Eleanor Roosevelt
2. BeLonG To’s example leads first ever UN meeting on homophobic bullying
3. LGBT milestones of 2011

Further to Wednesday’s post, I’ve been thinking.

Here’s what Benetton said about their “UnHate” campaign:

UnHate campaign: “We reiterate that the meaning of this campaign is exclusively to combat the culture of hatred in all its forms,” said a Benetton Group spokesman. “We are therefore sorry that the use of the image of the Pope and the Imam has so offended the sentiments of the faithful. In corroboration of our intentions, we have decided, with immediate effect, to withdraw this image from every publication.”

(Source)

@ all: The campaign was conceived this way because we truly believe in its message. We certainly did not intend to be offensive and we continue to believe that scandal is often in the eye of the beholder.

We were touched and saddened by some reactions but we are increasingly convinced that we must continue our battle against hatred.

We maintain our belief, but the last thing we wanted was to further hatred or misunderstanding, particularly when the spirit of the campaign is to “unhate”.

(Source)

Now, I’m confused.

The campaign originally included an image of the Pope kissing an imam.

The Vatican’s response

The Vatican’s swift and decisive reaction (in stark contrast, it may be noted, to the kind of reaction to worldwide, endemic child abuse by members of its Church), was to harass and threaten Benetton.

The Indo reported on Wednesday:

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi had called the Benetton campaign a “totally unacceptable” show of “grave disrespect.”

[…]

The Vatican reacted immediately issuing a statement condemning the exploitation of the Pontiff’s image.
“This is a grave lack of respect for the pope, an offence against the sentiments of the faithful and a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation,” Rev. Lombardi said in a statement

What could possibly amount to “lack of respect”, “an offence”, and “provocation” (no less) in an image of a loving embrace?  Isn’t the spread of love the key message these religious leaders seek to promote?

Unless, of course, the problem is that the image is of two men in a loving embrace.  Which must, we can only assume, be inherently repugnant to the male-only citizens of the Vatican city-state.

In which case, we can only infer that the Vatican’s reaction was motivated by hate, in the form of homophobia.  (It’s not like the Vatican doesn’t have form on this front.)

And well, so what?  Isn’t that what we’ve come to expect from the Vatican?

Benetton’s action following the Vatican’s response

We’ve read the statements from Benetton, above.

Yes, I know this is the marketing ploy of an Italian fashion house, so I shouldn’t be surprised.  I shouldn’t expect a brand’s marketing team to change the world.

But they are so adamant that they have an important message of “UnHate” (an “unspeak” term for “love”, perhaps?), and they are so clearly trying to re-capture the Good Old Days of controversial Benetton ads, that I can’t help but make this point:

Benetton has completely undermined their position, their message and their brand by bowing to vitriolic hatred from the Vatican and capitulating to its hate-motivated threats.

So much for “combating the culture of hatred in all its forms.”

• The above illustration (c) Lewis Mirrett is reproduced with kind permission. Via SNP on FashionMagazine.com

Related posts:

1. Vatican hates #UnHate
2. BeLonG To’s example leads first ever UN meeting on homophobic bullying

God is love, I dare say.
But what a mischievous devil love is.

- Samuel Butler (1835-1902)

The Vatican has successfully managed to force Benetton to withdraw one of its UnHate campaign posters.

The image (don’t worry, interfaith dialogue-ophobes, it’s digitally manipulated) depicts ex-Cardinal Josef Ratzinger/current Pope Benedict XVI locking his Roman Catholic lips with Muslim cleric, the grand sheikh, Mohammed Ahmed al-Tayeb, of al-Azhar mosque in Cairo.

But don’t worry, here you can see the image in all its glory:

Reminiscent of the iconic Cold War image of Erich Honecker and Leonid Brezhnev – which was real, rather than digitally imagined by marketers – what’s so really wrong with the image?

Maybe the image coincides a little too much with the news of a gathering of Egypt’s LGBT community at Tahrir Square in Cairo. Let’s not forget that Pope Benedict (the artist formally known as Ratzinger) is the author of the 1986 “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexuals”, which included:

It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the church’s pastors wherever it occurs. It reveals a kind of disregard for others which endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law.

But the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase (No. 10).

What is at all costs to be avoided is the unfounded and demeaning assumption that the sexual behavior of homosexual persons is always and totally compulsive and therefore inculpable. What is essential is that the fundamental liberty which characterizes the human person and gives him his dignity be recognized as belonging to the homosexual person as well (No. 11)

(Link)

So if love – or, UnHate – is so terribly objectionable, I suppose this is what we’re left with. How very Christian.

Related posts:

1. Benetton, the Vatican and further thoughts
2. Human Rights: Hillary Clinton’s speech to the UN
3. Altering your sexual orientation

We won’t dwell on the fact that Tim Walker, Richard Eden and the Torygraph in general are bitter little “people”.

Instead, let’s wish the BBC’s Jane Hill and her partner wedded bliss!

Ah, look at them there. Aren’t they lovely?

Hill, a journalist and news presenter with the Beeb and who recently received a mention in the UK’s Pink List, confirmed earlier this week that she and her partner, Sara (a fellow meedja type), are planning their marriage.

Hill chided another colleague, sports journalist Jonathan Agnew, for spilling the beans.

But what a sweet way to spill ‘em?

In 2009, Hill came out in the BBC’s in-house magazine, Ariel. According to the Independent on Sunday, she contributed in the past year to Stonewall’s “It Gets Better” campaign, to inspire hope in young people suffering harassment.

She holds a degree in politics from the University of London and previously worked at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in Washington, DC. She anchored the BBC’s live coverage of the events of 11 September 2001 and of the invasion of Iraq.

Basically, she’s pretty fecking amazing.

So, to Jane and Sara, I wish you nothing but hearty congratulations, the very best for the years ahead, and an absolutely epic knees-up!

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1. The “re-imagining” of Jane Tennison
2. Running up that hill
3. Congratulations, Senator Zappone

I was minding my own business on The Twitter last night, when I spotted the following from Katherine Lynch:

So Sinitta is going into I’m a Celebrity. That’s another black woman in the camp who springs to mind when u say the words “So macho!”

(14th November)

It stopped me in my tracks.

The overt gendered and racial sentiments were immediately objectionable. What is more, I had earlier read about Whitbread’s life in her own words. So I read back through Lynch’s tweets to see if she had anything else to say about the I’m A Celebrity opening night.

And boy, did she ever:

I hope Fatima Whitbread has to eat testicles in the jungle….her own

(13th November)

Fatima, the body of tarzan and the tits of Jane. Scary stuff!

(13th November)

Antony Cotton’s going to get bummed by Fatima Whitbread, put money on it!

(13th November)

Where are the bloody celebrities? Willie bloody Carson? Fatima “King Kong” Whitbread and Stefanie “I now look like FreeWay” Powers.Very weak

(13th November)

These pretty much cover the gamut of vile, nasty phobias and -isms that are out there, don’t they? (And as we know Lynch is no stranger to questionable “humour”.)

I try to avoid drawing attentions to haters (as we’ve seen before), but in this particular case, Fatima Whitbread just happens to be an amazing woman who has achieved some of the highest honours in athletics, having overcome what seems to be a childhood that was nothing short of horrific.

Whitbread wrote in The Observer back in 2003 about her life and experiences.

Lynch’s comments (and all those in the same vein that are doing the rounds) are utterly contemptible by themselves.

Katherine Lynch and those who laugh along should read about Whitbread’s life and be especially ashamed.

Related posts:

1. BLT Sandwich (12th & 13th Nov)

Holy fucking shit.

I received the below in my inbox yesterday from change.org, and there’s nothing else to say, so I’m just reproducing it here. You can take action by clicking on the links.

[Trigger warning: The following contains descriptions of violence including sexual violence.]

Paola Ziritti is unthinkably brave to speak publicly about the “clinic.” She endured physical assault, sexual abuse, and a constant battery of insults. Guards would even throw buckets of cold water and urine on her. For two years, this was Paola’s waking nightmare – because she’s a lesbian. The “doctors” and guards at the clinic were trying to “cure” her.

Paola lives in Ecuador, where these so-called clinics are terrifyingly common — although the government shut down 27 this year, 180 clinics remain open, and most of the prisoners there are women. Gay men and trans* people are also held in the clinics, although far fewer.

Paola’s parents knew they were sending her to a forced confinement clinic, but they had no idea how awful it would be. Once Paola’s mother realized what she’d done, she tried to get her daughter back, but the clinic said no. The process to free Paola took a year.

A few incredibly courageous Ecuadorian women are fighting back — they call themselves Fundacion Causana. The women of Fundacion Causana started a petition on Change.org demanding that Ecuadoran Minister of Public Health Dr. David Chiriboga Allnut investigate and shut down all 180 remaining clinics that torture women to “cure” them. Please sign the petition now.

Fundacion Causana does direct-service work on the ground to save women from the clinics, but they say it’s not enough. They need the unbridled support of the Ecuadoran government to get all of the clinics shut down.

So far, the government has only shut down a small cluster of clinics in one region of the country. Ecuador’s government officials need to know that we are watching and will not stand idly by while women are imprisoned and tortured.

Please sign Fundacion Causana’s petition demanding that the Ecuadoran Minister of Public Health investigate and shut down every “clinic” that tortures members of Ecuador’s LGBT community:

• Sign the petition : Ecuador’s Minister of Health: Close “clinics” that torture LGBT people to “cure” them

• Fundación Causana : On change.org / Blog / Facebook

Related posts:

1. LGBT milestones of 2011
2. Human Rights: Hillary Clinton’s speech to the UN
3. Lesbians of leisure: happenings in March

Welcome one and all – even imaginary bisexuals and trans* people – to your mid-week, once-off “Eamon Delaney round-up”. (Or, to your mid-week, once-off “Eamon Delaney antidote,” if you prefer).

By now many of you will probably have had your brain scarred, and intellect dulled, by subjecting yourself to the poorly written and offensive article by Eamon Delaney in The Sunday Independent, “Loud and proud gays want to take over rest of society”.

I promised myself on Sunday that I wouldn’t draw attention to his views; I also promised myself that I wouldn’t complain to the Press Council or otherwise seek to silence him.

(In any event, I don’t think he has done himself any favours with his strange little tirade: in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. “.)

Many a spleen has been vented since Sunday, y’see though, and I thought it might be of therapeutic assistance to share the many and varied words which challenge and counter his dangerous bigotry.

To borrow a phrase from Mary McAleese, we must dismantle the noxious apparatus of homophobia.

So, let’s begin:

• Coincidentally, Jennifer O’Connell‘s considered article examining homophobia appeared in the Sunday Business Post on the same day as Delaney’s: Despite all the progress, Ireland is still no lavender-scented utopia in which to be gay.

 

• Then, one of the first responses to the Sindo article I read came from Paul Bowler‘s blog with his thorough and passionate post.

 

• Later I read a brilliantly strong post by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin, in equal parts suitably thoughtful and humourous.

 

• Rachel Barry, Education Officer at Trinity College Students’ Union, made her feelings known in the University Times.

 

• Aoife O’Riordan featured a guest post parsing Delaney’s verbal queerbashing.

 

• Meanwhile, Alan Flanagan examined in particular the ways in which Delaney silenced and made invisible bi and trans people.

 

• And Rebecca Murphy fired her riposte, focusing on the nature of Delaney’s ill-informed, groundless assertions.

 

• Lorraine Haigney takes him to task: Look at these humans, wanting rights! Indeed.

 

• Even the LGBT Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland entered the debate, making the concise point that LGBTs simply seek equality.

 

• And there’s more: London lesbians are non-plussed into the bargain with disapproval from the Cakettes as Delaney ruins their day as well as ours.

 

• But there’s even more: From Scotland, James Whyte gives auld Eamon what for – ker-POW!

 

• Wait! It gets better, still: Eamon Delaney’s stupidity has managed to reach the poor, unsuspecting people of North America – in particular, the poor, unsuspecting people of Autostraddle. At least they’ve improved on his article’s title: “Most idiotic anti-gay article of all time.” You said it!

UPDATE (3 Nov 2011):

• Brian Finnegan, editor of GCN, writes that Eamon Delaney’s attack on gay people is full of all the oldest tricks in the book.

 

• Broadcaster Scott De Buitléir differs, however, and removes the rose-tinted sunglasses.

 

• In a similar vein, Nigel Dugdale views Delaney’s article from another angle.

UPDATE (4 Nov 2011):

• CornflakeGirl lets us know in the comments of her taking Delaney’s witterings to task, and also discusses Oliver Callan’s appearance on The Saturday Night Show.

END OF UPDATE

I’m sure that’s just a sample of the sanity that prevails – Please let me know who I’ve missed!

Related posts:

1. Katherine Lynch judges Fatima Whitbread
2. 14 year old girl asks Maryland to vote “No” on marriage equality for her birthday

It can feel this way sometimes. Image via Wikipedia

I’ve written about this before, about Glee fans who can’t understand why we don’t see Kurt and Blaine making out at the Lima Bean. But it’s about so much more than that, and it’s a problem that is increasingly a source of tension between LGB people and our friends/families/allies.

In Modern Family fandom, too, viewers have complained about a scene where a straight couple kiss at the airport and, beside them, the two men merely hug. Ironically, in both fandoms, the lack of gay affection has been blamed on homophobia amongst the writers or producers or the studio. And it is because of homophobia, but not by the writers or the producers or the studios. It has an awful lot to do with homophobia in reality.

In Torchwood: Miracle Day, Captain Jack Harkness says he doesn’t care who knows, but he’s immortal, so I guess that’s a different feeling.

Equality? No. Reality? Yes.

Recently, a gay cyclist said he thought that gay athletes should remain in the closet. And then, a straight rapper said he thought that the gay rappers should come out. He also said it’s because closeted gays spread AIDS, but we’re going to focus on why a straight guy thinks he has any idea what’s involved in coming out as gay.

There are a lot more allies out there than there were 30 years ago. Chances are, if you meet someone new at work, or around town, that they really aren’t bothered that you’re not straight. They might even find it interesting. They may try and set you up with their gay best friend/sister/auntie/Sinead O’Connor. They might tell you which gay bars they frequent. Some of my straight friends know the bars better than I do. Surveys have shown staggering levels of support in Ireland for full marriage equality. The problem is, however, that as acceptance increases, our allies think that homophobia doesn’t exist. Many are also unaware that marriage equality doesn’t actually exist.

I remember once having my affection for my wife questioned because it was perceived that we didn’t touch each other enough. You can ask her, but I have a hard time keeping my hands off my wife. In public, however, we have really good reasons to keep our hands to ourselves (even if we don’t always succeed!).

These signs appeared in London. Not actually attributable to any Muslim group, thought to be made by anti-gay, anti-Muslim EDL.

I’ve been questioned before on why I love going to gay bars so much more than straight bars. When I answer that it’s really nice to hold my wife’s hand stress-free and maybe even have a quick snog, I get those looks. And then I’m told, “who cares what people think?”. My answer?

“I do.” Of course I do. I hear anti-gay slurs often enough to know that it hasn’t even kind of gone away. Not unexpectedly, since cutting my hair, the slurs have become more common, and while they aren’t threats, they feel like it.

Allies: of course it’s wonderful that you love us and accept us and are happy to see us make out in front of you. I think I can safely say, on behalf of gay people everywhere, that we’re delighted. However, you need to remember that you are not the only people we have to exist with. And some of those other people could want to hurt us. Don’t dismiss us, listen to us. Homophobia is, sadly, still as central to our experience as acceptance.

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1. Locker room bigotry
2. 14 year old girl asks Maryland to vote “No” on marriage equality for her birthday
3. Straight But Not Narrow

But whilst I am distracted for the day job, I shall still do my best to get the latest headlines to you good readers! Let’s start with news that Gooner is not going to like.

Chely Wright is married a year after revealing she’s a lesbian

A comment she made last year is fitting given this weekend’s celebration: “I feel like I’m floating,” Wright said after coming out. “It’s like my friends who are in the know, which are not many, and my family members who know, which isn’t all of them, are lifting me up to get through this.”

Congrats Chely!

In She deserves a jolly good boot up the ass Award we go to New Jersey New Jersey Bridal Shop Refuses to Sell Wedding Gown to Lesbian Bride

Bride-to-be Alix Genter, who is gay, reportedly was shopping for a wedding gown for her pending nuptials to her partner when she found the dress of her dreams at a shop in Somers Point, N.J. One problem: after realizing that Genter was gay, Donna, the shop’s manager, reportedly refused to sell her a dress that would be used in any “illegal actions.” According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the manager went on to tell Genter that, “there’s right, and there’s wrong. And this is wrong.”

Meanwhile E Online, always one to ask the ‘thought provoking questions’ asks Are Advertisers Quitting Pretty Little Liars Because of Lesbian Character?

The FFA launched a campaign earlier this year asking advertisers to pull ads from the show because of Emily’s romantic relationships with other women, which they called “irresponsible imagery.”

Deportation Halted For Lesbian Mexican National In Same-Sex Marriage

Christine O’Donnell calls Piers Morgan ‘sexist’ and ‘creepy’ over gay marriage interview

We call Christine a nutjob but hey that’s just us

Wow, a politician that keeps his word?!

Fulfilling promise, Vermont governor marries lesbian couple

While traveling the state last year as a candidate for governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin did what many politicians do. He made a campaign promise.

Specifically, he met Michelle “Mitch” Beck, 55, and Ann Beck, 56, a lesbian couple from Royalton, Vt., at a campaign event. After the couple thanked him for the work he had done in the state Legislature to legalize same-sex marriage, he asked them if they were married.

“We said no,” Ann Beck told The Times. “Then he said, ‘Well you wait, when I’m governor, you come to my office and I’ll marry you.’ ”

Remember that cute lesbian couple on Skins? Where Are They Now: A Love Letter To The UK Skins

Australian sperm donor loses fight with lesbian couple

An Australian man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple has been told by a court that his name must be removed from the child’s birth certificate.

A court in Sydney ruled that the birth mother’s former partner had the right to have her name on the certificate, even though the couple split in 2006.

Cuba celebrates its first transgender wedding

A gay man and a transgender woman have married in a first-of-its-kind wedding for Cuba.

Ignacio Estrada, 31, and Wendy Iriepa, 37, tied the knot as a transexual couple on Saturday at a government marriage office, where they signed a marriage certificate, exchanged rings and kissed before a state official.

and that’s a wrap!

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However, a school in North London is not only teaching LGBTQ history in it’s classrooms, its motivation for doing so is very noble indeed – to stop bullying of gays in it’s school.

Stoke Newington secondary is not stopping there, they are taking this initiative one step further and hope to share its lesson plans with hundreds of other schools.  Music teacher Elly Barnes is the hero of the piece.  Upon hearing a pupil say a pen was “so gay”, she took it upon herself to educate people.  She says

By exploring the definitions of LGBT and looking at famous LGBT people in history, we’ve managed to change opinions and we have had a number of pupils come out during their time at school here. We have also changed the language used in the school. I used to hear the word gay being used all the time, as a derogatory term. Now we hardly hear that

Lessons are based on teaching students about historical LGBTQ people and hoping this shows gays in a new light.  The life story of the wartime code-breaker Alan Turing and artist Andy Warhol are among those included, as well as writers Oscar Wilde and James Baldwin.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission report, “How Fair is Britain?” was published recently and it had some stark statistics.  According to this report two-thirds of lesbian, gay and transgender students had suffered homophobic bullying, and 17% had received death threats.  It went on to indicate that nearly half of secondary school teachers in England believe homophobic bullying is common. How many believe their school is active in promoting the rights of gay pupils?  A mere one in six.

I think the last word here should go to 11 year old Josiah, one of Ms  Barnes’ students, who said:

The pope opposes homosexuality, but I don’t know why, as I think everyone should have free will

Well said young man.

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1. Homophobic bullying in schools
2. Belong2 Training Days

In September 2009, Ian Baynham (62) was viciously beaten in Trafalgar Square by three teenagers. Two weeks later, in October, he died as a result of the injuries he sustained. Throughout Britain and Northern Ireland, reports of violence against LGBT people have been increasing.

The event was presented by actor and musician Heather Peace. The Mayor of Camden, Jonathan Simpson, and broadcaster, Amy Lamé, read a list of names of people in the UK who have been affected by hate crimes. One of the keynote speakers was the nephew of Harvey Milk, Stuart Milk (Harvey Milk Foundation).

A minute’s silence was held at 8pm.

There is no hate crime legislation in Ireland, so technically hate crimes don’t exist in this country. The only thing that comes near is the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, 1989. The Act is notoriously difficult to enforce, and the crime of incitement to hatred is notoriously difficult to prosecute. Since it came into force, there have been fewer than five convictions under the statute.

A spokesman from the Garda Press Office told Gaelick that published crime figures, and those published by the CSO, are those specified in Ireland’s criminal legislation. The motives of crimes are not included in these statistics. There is no official record of the extent of hate crimes committed in the State. There is no criminal penalty for those who commit homophobic, racist or other hate crimes.

Around the world today, governments are increasingly recognising the need for criminalising hate crimes, and are passing laws to do so. In 1983, Declan Flynn (31) was chased, beaten and killed during a homophobic attack in Fairview Park, Dublin. His attackers were found guilty of manslaughter, but had their sentences suspended. Afterwards the guilty and their supporters held a “victory march” in the park where Flynn’s life was ended. As recently as in the last few years, defences of “gay panic” have been successfully pleaded in criminal trials in Ireland.

In Trafalgar Square last night, members of local government and the parliamentary opposition called on the UK government to pass hate crimes legislation.

Where are these calls in Ireland?

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Why did these men use homophobia of all things, to empower themselves? Did they know that they were gay and didn’t care; power is all? Did they start on this political path, realise their sexuality and keep their heads down? Do they, even now, acknowledge that they are gay? Or do they think that they were caught having a dalliance? Gay people are bum-boys, dykes and bisexuals; not good, upstanding men to like to be fellated by a rent boy once in a while.

If they believe that the gay community don’t deserve equal rights, then they mustn’t consider themselves gay. Or am I talking too sanely? Am I being naive?

Are these men really power-hungry haters, willing to use homophobia to get where they can? Willing to marry and father children, not to hide some sort of shame at who they are, but to follow the party line and show a good front.

It’s interesting on the week of Tyler Clementi’s (left) tragic suicide, that we have this list. Those who drove him to his death used homophobia to elevate their social status, they used hatred to become popular. Just as these politicians used the gay community, used homophobia, used gay men to fulfill their sexual urges.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of being used. I’m sick of our community, and those vulnerable within it, being used as a joke, being seen as less than human. It’s time for us to get angry, let’s see who’s laughing then.

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1. GIRLICIOUS GIRLS NITE

Sporty Lesbots

Cork’s Derval O’Rourke wins silver at the athletics European Championships in Barcelona! Okay, Derval’s not a lesbian (or is she? …No.), but this is a magnificent win for her and for Irish women athletes. 100m hurdles in 12.65secs into a -0.5 headwind, apparently, and setting a new Irish record. Check it!

Elsewhere in the world of athletics, and far more importantly (apologies Derval) yesterday also saw the opening ceremony of the Gay Games in Köln (aka Cologne). This fine country is well represented at the Games by Team Ireland, and you can keep up via the following means:

• Team Ireland’s pages on OutInIreland

• Team Ireland’s Facebook profile

• Via Twitter, follow the #TeamCork and #GayGames hashtags (we’re not sure if #TeamIreland is being used – but sure give it a go!)

• One member of the Cork contingent of Team Ireland, @famron, is Tweeting live from the games!

From yesterday’s Tweets:

It’s official, #teamcork have landed & registered. #gaygames people so friendly n helpful. Off out soon for grub & the opening ceremony.

Just waiting to go into the stadium. #teamcork singing loudest n proudest. Team Ireland has 14th largest representation #gaygames

Going into the stadium the rain started pelting for #teamcork. Didn’t dampen our enthusiasm one iota. Up to seats now for entertainment.

Hackney women’s FC and #teamcork have met and now having a sing-off in the stadium.

(Heh, love that last one.)

Also at the Gay Games are several teams from countries where homosexuals are persecuted terribly: Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Zimbabwe and several Eastern European nations. As a result, many of the athletes from these countries need to protect their identities during the competition. Nevertheless, they will be able to meet thousands of other LGBTs from other countries around the world, sharing their experiences.

Clare Balding-v-The Sunday Times

Speaking of sports, Britain’s own Clare Balding is giving The Sunday Times and their writer, A. A. Gill, a smackdown over the latter describing Balding as a “dyke” in a published article. A. A. Gill is the Times’ resident fop who seems convinced that London remains the heart of Empire, where he’s depicted visiting the colonies is ridiculous hats, scarves and poses. He calls himself “A. A.” for fuck’s sake. Somehow this makes him the Times‘ cultural correspondent.

Anyway, via The Guardian here’s the full extract of what he said and the exchange which followed, between Balding and the newspaper’s editor (you won’t be able to read it yourself, as the London Times website is now hidden behind a pay-wall):

Gill had written: “Some time ago, I made a cheap and frankly unnecessary joke about Clare Balding looking like a big lesbian. And afterwards somebody tugged my sleeve to point out that she is a big lesbian.”

After a mock apology, he continued: “Now back to the dyke on a bike, puffing up the nooks and crannies at the bottom end of the nation.”

Balding complained to Witherow. She was then “appalled” to receive a reply stating: “In my view some members of the gay community need to stop regarding themselves as having a special victim status and behave like any other sensible group that is accepted by society.

“Not having a privileged status means, of course, one must accept occasionally being the butt of jokes. A person’s sexuality should not give them a protected status.

“Jeremy Clarkson, perhaps the epitome of the heterosexual male, is constantly jeered at for his dress sense (lack of), adolescent mindset and hairstyle. He puts up with it as a presenter’s lot and in this context I hardly think that AA Gill’s remarks were particularly cruel, especially as he ended by so warmly endorsing you as a presenter.”

Balding responded: “When the day comes that people stop resigning from high office, being disowned by their families, getting beaten up and in some instances committing suicide because of their sexuality, you may have a point.

“This is not about me putting up with having the piss taken out of me, something I have been quite able to withstand, it is about you legitimising name calling. ‘Dyke’ is not shouted out in school playgrounds (or as I’ve had it at an airport) as a compliment, believe me.”

She added: “I am happy to be described as a lesbian, as and when relevant, but ‘dyke’ is too often used as a pejorative and insulting term.”

Stick it to ‘em, Clare. It seems the media are quite happy to throw around insults against lesbians – the BBC a few years ago, the BBC defended a couple of their Z-listers insulting lesbians in one of their countdown shows broadcast in 2008 over the Christmas time.

“DJ Spoony”, a talking head on the programme stated in relation to Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson: “Let the munters and mingers get each other – that’s cool because no-one really wants them. But when they’re hot and fit and Hollywood superstars, they should be saved for guys – not me, but other guys.”

Another contributor, Ron Jeremy, 55, who is a “porn actor”, said that he would like to have a threesome with the couple and even described ejaculating over them. He said: “Those two girls are both very good-looking, so I would love to be in the middle of that. They would do each other, do me, do each other, back and forth, then I do a pop and it’s over. The polite thing to do is to pop on both of them.”

The reply by email which I received at the time after a complaint included:

It’s important to note that this programme was a light-hearted and comedic look at people who have annoyed, amused or appalled us in 2008. The comments made by any of the programme contributors are their own opinions and don’t reflect the opinions of the BBC.

We’ve a strict set of guidelines, that all our programmes must adhere to, which relate to the representation of people of all cultures and backgrounds on all our channels and stations.

Naturally, we appreciate the strength of your views on this matter and so please be assured that your complaint has been registered on our audience log. This is a daily report of audience feedback that’s circulated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, channel controllers and other senior managers.

The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to contact us.

Regards

Leanne Bennett
BBC Complaints

I doubt the Beeb and the Times would be so permissive if their writers were quipping about spicks, wogs, kikes and niggers – but dykes are fair game. We just need to lighten up, like. Maybe some corrective rape will sort us out.

Darlene from Roseanne comes out

On a happier note, and to ease the rage… You may be familiar with Sara Gilbert. She will always be known to me as “Darlene from Roseanne.” Well, apparently she has come out publicly as gay.

Now, no offence intended to Sara, but this surprised me about as much as Joe McElderry coming out. When I was a wee wan, watching Roseanne in my tender years avec famille, even then I knew she was a big gayer (even if I didn’t have the vocabulary to describe it).

NEXT, ON BREAKING NEWS: Pope is Catholic; Gay girls like gee.

Still, though, props to her (and wee Joe) to have the courage to say it on record. Sara lives with her misses and two kids in California. Good times for all.

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So, what has been happening in that intervening period? Lesbian LOLs? Sapphic surprises? Dishing the dykey dirt? Well, here you are:

• Poor HAL has been continuing the endurance test that is watching and recapping the Real L Word. She is quite the selfless sister.

• Oh yes, and we had the 12th July events up in Norn Iron. It’s timely, then, to direct you to an article of ours from a few months back on the love that Orangemen everywhere dare not mention: the fact that William of Orange was (more than likely) a flaming ‘mo.

• Gooner gave it up for the real, non-airbrushed women who are gradually making forays into the cosmetics and fashion world.

• I have to confess to almost snotting myself at times while watching the “Funny or Die” spoof of those hot girl-on-girl phone lines. You know, those cringingly awful ones that are advertised on TV after you’ve staggered in from t’pub?

• CanuckJacq cut through the nonsense flying around the interwebs over the pretty awful and very public break-up between Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels.

• The lovely Lucy Kennedy was the latest addition to our Álainn or Appallin’ polls. So far, 71% of voters say that she’s Álainn. Only 71%?! What is wrong with you people??

• Slayer told us about Roman Catholic bastion of the world number 87,831,023, Argentina, which passed a law which provides for marriage equality. That’s in addition to the likes of Spain, Portugal, Mexico City, and so on.

¡Arriba, Argentina!

• We ran our competition for 2-for-1 entry into last night’s Rock.Indie.Pop (if you missed it, you missed out!).

That was followed by an interview with one of the DJs on the night, the fabulous Scarlett Nymph of Sedition Industries.

• HAL met with entrepreneur, Grace O’Sullivan, who went from riding to roidin’ to run Ireland’s excellent online sex toy retailer, Secrets Ireland. And not an unnecessary giggle or whiff of Irish-Catholic guilt in sight.

• We were informed by Gooner of the new women’s night in Dublin, Miss-Match, which is aimed at over-25s and takes place in the plush surrounds of the Morrison Hotel.

• OMFG, Tori Amos!! Yep, Tori played the Iveagh Gardens on 16th July. Whether you think she’s god, or you think she sounds like a bag o’ cats, she’s definitely queer-tastic.

• One of our new contributors, Cherry Bomb, reviewed The Runaways, the new Joan Jett/Cherie Curry biopic starring Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. Have a goo to find out her verdict!

• Oh yes!  Our mistress of the code managed to sort out the bugs which were causing Gaelick’s front page to look a right mess on the iPhone.

It should be all better now – let us know if you’ve any problems with it!

• Oh, us gays and gossip. There were rumours flying around that President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, was considering referring the Civil Partnership Bill to the Supreme Court, rather than signing it into law right away.

But, after all that, sign it she did. One of our readers, Soapie, gives her thoughts about the Civil Partnership Act.

What do you think about the Civil Partnership law? You can vote and comment in our latest poll.

• There was news of the EuroPride celebrations in Warsaw going off, but not exactly without a hitch.

The events courageously and proudly went ahead, despite anti-gay protests which included petitions to stop the parade, and pelting participants with eggs, stones, rockets and used nappies.

• There was news, via Activelink, of a conference taking place in Kerry, on the issue of violence against women and children.

The conference is hosted by Open Door Network, and takes place on 19th November 2010.

• Wednesay saw the launch of LGBT Diversity, a nationwide project to build strength in and support for LGBT communities beyond Ireland’s cities.

• There was much love, too, for the women who don’t conform to pretty-girl stereotypes: butch, trans, boi, genderqueer. How ever you identify, we love it.

• There was the unfortunate news of the technical glitch affecting the nominations for this year’s GALAS Awards.

All of the data were sadly lost, so if you had voted before Friday, make sure you do so again!

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