Twitter Tweets
@LukeVernon my favourite song ever, and its my alarm on phone. Wakes me up in a good mood!1 week ago from Twitter for iPhone
@LukeVernon gimme shelter gives me the urge to watch my favorite film #goodfellas1 week ago from Twitter for Android
Or GLASTONBURY even. Not sure where Galstonbury is, but Im sure it doesn't have the worlds biggest festival. Sounds Texan.1 week ago from txt
In a restaurant in the middle of the US and the song with the best intro ever came on, Gimme Shelter. Which reminded me, in 3 weeks....1 week ago from txt
I shall be seeing one of the greatest live acts of all time, The Rolling Stones, @ THE greatest festival ever, GALSTONBURY! Yes, Im shouting1 week ago from txt
Liberace s ex-lover claims he had six year relationship with Michael Jackson
He said: Liberace introduced me and Michael in the late 1970s. It was right around the time Thriller was coming out and Michael and I became lovers. Our relationship went on for six or seven years.
Michael was very generous too. He treated me well. Liberace and I had both undergone plastic surgery around the same time Michael underwent a nose job because he didn t think he was handsome.
We all healed together at the Liberace compound in Palm Springs. Despite being featured in the Steven Soderbergh-directed film, Thorson was only able to see it after he was bailed out of prison by a brothel owner on Sunday, while he awaits sentencing for burglary charges. Matt Damon did a great job playing me.
And he did a great job in bed with Douglas, too, Thorson joked. I needed to see Jason Bourne on top of Gordon Gekko. Despite joking about the cast, Thorson also said he thought that he was being underpaid for the film.
I didn t make much out of the movie. I own a small percentage of the film, but Hollywood is notorious for padding the bill so its shows no profit, he continued. It has been a big success, all these European companies have picked it up.
So for the filmmakers to say they haven t made a dime would be a big mistake especially with my mouth. Oscar winning film director, Steven Soderbergh, previously said that the film was not scheduled to have a theatrical release because film studios turned it down for being too gay, and it struggled to find funding. Matt Damon recently talked about undertaking an intimate romantic scene with Michael Douglas character in the film, and said that he was a wonderful kisser .
He also said that he never denied rumours of being gay because he didn t want to insult some of his friends.
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Continue readingCher to perform at New York Pride s Dance on the Pier party
Her performance will be one of the most memorable in the history of this world-class party , said Chris Frederick, Managing Director of NYC Pride. He added: Now in its 27th year, the Dance on the Pier continues a proud tradition of partnering with all-star talent to create a high-quality event that raises funds to support local LGBT non-profits and New York City s annual Pride festivities. Artists such as Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Hudson and Cyndi Lauper have taken part in previous years.
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Continue readingUS: Attorney representing lesbian teenager charged for relationship with younger girl to step down
Her family a private conversation between her and her then girlfriend was secretly recorded by police and her girlfriend s family, during which they discussed kissing in the school bathroom. Circuit Judge Robert Pegg has set a trial date for September, and attorney Julia Graves filed a motion on Monday which alleged that the case was being singled out, because the trial date was set before over 200 other criminal cases. Ms Graves made the allegations, saying that the case was coming to a trial prematurely, and asked to be removed from the case, reports the Associated Press.
Earlier in May, Hunt rejected a plea deal, which would have put her under house arrest for two years, and labelled her a sex offender. LGBT rights advocates have argued that the case is being unfairly singled out because the couple are gay, and that young romances with similar age differences are commonplace. In a letter sent by the hackers collective Anonymous last month, they threatened to raise a petition of 200,000 signatures, and threatens Florida state Attorney Brian Workman with thousands , who may urge him to step down.
The letter accuses the state of losing perspective , calls Ms Hunt a bright young girl , and notes the consensual nature of her relationship.
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Continue readingStudy: Most US gay people find the majority of religious organisations to be unfriendly
A large majority, 84%, said that they perceived Islam as unfriendly towards gays, the Mormon church at 83%, the Roman Catholic church with 79%, and evangelical churches at 73%. More of a mixed reaction was had from Judaism and non-evangelical Protestantism, with over 40% considering them either unfriendly or neutral about gay people. Director of news and faith initiatives at GLAAD, said the relationship between the gay and religious communities had improved over recent years, however before the last decade they were pretty painful .
He went on to say that the sense of unfriendliness could come in part from the loudest voices of faith groups speaking out against LGBT rights. Citing a GLAAD study from last year, Murray said that religious groups in support of LGBT rights got far less media attention than those against. The leading anti-gay voices always put it in religious terms, which taints how people view religion, he said.
Despite the Pew research finding that US gay people had begun to feel greater social acceptance, 29% of respondents said they had felt personally unaccepted in a place of worship.
39% said they had been rejected by a close friend or family member, and 21% said they felt they had been treated unfairly by an employer. Almost 50% of the LGBT respondents said they had no religious affiliation, compared to 20% in the general population. A third of LGBT adults said they felt a conflict between their sexuality or gender identity and their faith.
The lower percentage of younger people in the general population to have a religious affiliation is also reflected in the LGBT community, however it is almost double, with 60% of LGBT people aged 18-29 having no religious affiliation, compared to just under a third for the general population.
The Pew survey was based on interviews from April 11-29 with 1,197 self-identified gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
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Continue readingCindy McCain: By next presidential election, both US parties will support equal marriage
By the next presidential election I think this will be an issue that will be very much agreed on by both parties. She was recently honoured with the Trevor Hero Award at an annual fundraiser for the Trevor Project in New York City. Attending the event, she represented the wing of the GOP which believes that support for equal marriage is growing, and that opposing it will soon become untenable to continue to oppose it.
Her husband, John McCain, does not share her stance on equal marriage. Senator McCain said in March that he didn t think he would be following the lead of fellow Republican Senator Rob Portman, who stunned so many last week when he announced his support for equal marriage. Mr Portman said he had changed his views after realising that his 21-year-old son, Will, was gay.
I respect anyone else s decision and we all learn in life and grow and mature, he said recently in an interview with TheHill. I have changed my position on other issues in my life, but on this one, I had not contemplated changing my position. Mrs McCain, however, said she thinks that her husband will eventually change his mind on the issue.
He hears from his own daughters and his own children and from me a little bit about this, she said. But it s also okay to disagree, but do it in a manner that s respectful. We have different views, She continued.
We have raucous dinner table conversations and we encourage that.
In fact you have to be tough to survive at our table.
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Continue readingRussia: Ban on adoption by same-sex couples unanimously passed at second reading
President Vladimir Putin has already indicated his approval of the bill, stating If such a law is passed by the Parliament of the country, I will sign it. Two weeks ago, the Russian Children s Rights Commissioner, Pavel Astakhov, said it is only logical to halt adoptions of Russian children by French couples due to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in France. In the light of France having passed a bill to legalise equal marriage on 18 May, President Putin said he was happy to consider changing agreements to block gay couples from adopting Russian orphans.
On 11 June the Duma voted 436-0 with one abstention to pass a bill imposing a hefty fine for anyone promoting the distorted understanding of social equality of traditional and non-traditional sex relations . The bill has caused outrage among the LGBT community and human rights supporters. Some called for the jailing of one of the bill s sponsors, Yelena Mizulina.
The Moscow Times notes that in a recent television interview, Mrs Mizulina suggested introducing legislation to remove children from same-sex couples.
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Continue readingMBE awarded to gay and lesbian choir leader for services to music
He said: The first thing I thought when I received the letter for the prime minister is what do people wear to these things? I didn t really believe it and I thought it was a joke because it was a very plain letter but then I looked online and found out it was real. I didn t start volunteering because I wanted to win an MBE I did it because I wanted to make a difference and winning it is just a bonus.
Mr Brophy has volunteered for 20 years, and has taken part in events such as the Various Voices Festival in 2009, and the Big Gay Sing in Trafalgar Square, which brought together 65 international choirs as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. He will now attend Buckingham Palace, where he will be presented with a medal and a certificate from the Queen herself or Prince Charles. He said: I m a little apprehensive because this is something that happens to other people and I don t know anyone with an MBE so this is new to me.
This honour validates the work I m doing it s really nice to feel appreciated and by giving me the award it is society s way of saying we value what you do .
This is all very strange to me because when I was born being gay was illegal and now I m getting an MBE so I can t really believe all the changes that have happened in my lifetime.
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Continue readingUK: Lesbian asylum seeker faces imminent deportation to Uganda
Human rights campaigners are desperately seeking for the deportation ordered to be halted and have cited the case of Jackie Nanyonjo, a lesbian asylum seeker who died earlier this year in Uganda following her deportation back to the country on 12 January. She had fought strongly against the deportation order and continued to resist the decision, becoming ill in the process, during her transit to Uganda s Entebbe Airport. Human rights activists have repeatedly accused the UK Border Agency of trying to deport LGBT asylum seekers back to countries where they face homophobic persecution the claims have always been denied by the Home Office and UKBA.
Research published in April from the University of Southampton showed LGBT asylum seekers are regularly being asked inappropriate and insensitive questions by immigration judges.
One lesbian seeking asylum from homophobic persecution in Uganda was asked by a judge whether she d ever read Oscar Wilde.
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Continue readingAmendments allowing registrars to opt out of equal marriage withdrawn in House of Lords
She proposed that registrars who could prove they had a conscientious objection should have the right to refuse to take part in same-sex weddings. However, she said there should be a duty on registry authorities to ensure they had enough willing registrars to cover ceremonies. Baroness Cumberlege argued that the proposed changes would allow registrars quietly to refrain from conducting same-sex marriages only where there are enough other registrars to cover demand .
Backing the Baroness, Lord McColl argued that if the government rejected the amendment to be logically consistent they would have to end the practice of making space for atheist teachers and doctors whose consciences do not permit them to perform abortions . This was criticised by Baroness Butler-Sloss, who noted that marriages are a major part of a registrar s work, whereas doctors are not primarily providers of abortions. She went on to suggest that a middle ground be found by allowing people who became registrars before same-sex marriage was an issue to opt out of performing them.
The topic of opting in or out of performing same-sex marriage ceremonies was taken up by gay peer Lord Alli, who noted that the debate was giving him the uncomfortable feeling that simply having a strong religious belief against gay marriage entitles you to be exempt from the law, but that having the opposite and equally strong religious conviction does not. Addressing the Bishops of Hereford and Leicester, he added: If a conscientious clause to allow registrars to opt out in civil marriage is so important, I will work with the Bishops to craft a similar clause to allow registrars in the Church of England to opt in. Conscience is not a one-way street.
It goes both ways, he said, concluding: We all have a conscience and mine tells me that this amendment is wrong in principle. Baroness Thornton ultimately ruled that the Goverment would reject the amendments, quoting Culture Secretary Maria Miller s statement that public servants will have to be ready to take part in marriages of same sex couples . Baroness Cumberlege agreed to withdraw, but noted she hoped to return with a perfected amendment in future.
During the debate the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, addressed the question of the Church of England s opposition to equal marriage and the issue of whether or not it will bless civil unions, asking Bishops Would you rather bless a sheep and a tree but not them? That is a big question to which we are going to come and the moment is not now. Peers also debated whether unions between same-sex couples should be called marriages, or whether another term should be used.
An amendment by equal marriage opponent Lord Hylton that suggested the word union is strong enough to describe the bond between same-sex couples was withdrawn after arguments, but not before senior Liberal Democrat figure Baroness Williams announced her support for it.
Former Chief Constable and equal marriage critic Lord Dear withdrew several of his amendments, but has warned he may re-introduce additional measures seeking greater legal protections for opponents at a later stage.
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Continue readingWATCH: Drama!Stephen Guarino Has 2 Minutes, 6 Seconds to Live
The very short-attention span show also stars Reichen Lehmkuhl and 30 Rock 's Sue Galloway.
If you have 18 seconds to kill, check out the first three episodes below.
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