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US: Christine Quinn formally announces bid to become NYC s first openly gay and first female mayor
Quinn married her long time partner Kim Catullo, in New York City last May. She is expected to have the backing of the city s current mayor, who will be stepping down at the end of his final term, Michael Bloomberg. She has drawn criticism for her closeness to Bloomberg, who was a Republican-turned-Independent.
I m about keeping New York City a place for the middle class to live and grow and a place that is going to help those hard working people get into the middle class, she says in the video. I m not about talking and finger-pointing and complaining; I m about getting things done. If elected to the post, Quinn would not only be the first openly gay mayor of New York City, but also the first female.
Last year Quinn called on fast-food outlet Chick-fil-A to leave New York because of its anti-equality views. She wrote to the president of New York University where Chick-fil-A has an outlet, urging him to break off his relationship with the chain. Also last year Michael Bloomberg, used his much sought after endorsement for Barack Obama for the US presidential election, citing a need for strong leadership, and President Obama s support for equal marriage.
An advocate of equal marriage, and supporter of equal marriage campaigns in four US states, Mayor Bloomberg personally pledged $500,000 ( 312,000) towards equal marriage efforts in Washingon, Maine and Minnesota. He had previously pledged $250,000 ( 155,000) to help towards making equal marriage legal in the state of Maryland. Quinn s campaign launch video is available to watch below.
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Update: Vote on removal of pro-same-sex marriage Illinois Republican chairman cancelled
It strengthens and reinforces a key Republican value that the law should treat all citizens equally. He was justifying his backing of a bill to legalise same-sex marriage in Illinois. The Chicago Tribune reports that the committee has cancelled today s meeting to discuss Mr Brady s support, and has said in a statement: We are sorry for the late notice but we wanted to give the chairman every opportunity to respond to our request that he be present in person or by telephone at this meeting.
However, Mr Brady had given notice to the party that he would be away this weekend on vacation several weeks ago. Sources within the Republican party said the committee had found it difficult to secure the 60% of the weighted vote they would need to oust Mr Brady, suggesting they had cancelled the meeting to prevent embarrassment. There were also said to be those questioning whether the special meeting could take place under Illinois Republican party rules.
Mr Brady said of the special meeting that it enforced public perception that the Republican party is a group of old white guys , but said he would respect the decision of the committee. Committeeman Jim Oberweiss backed calls for Mr Brady to be removed, saying: When you start publicly lobbying against a plank in our state and national party platforms, without even discussing with or advising the board of directors, I think he s gone too far. Other Republicans were concerned that the meeting would deepen divides within the party and harm its public image.
Former Republican Governor Jim Edgar, who is anti-marriage equality, said he felt Mr Brady had done a thankless job , and cautioned against ousting him from his role, saying the party would be damaged if it fired a major figure over a social issue. If you re concerned about the future of the party, if this is how it s perceived, We got rid of him because he s for same-sex marriage, long term that could have a detrimental effect on the party, he said. The same-sex marriage bill Mr Brady backed was cleared by a House Executive Committee late in February.
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Recommendation to ban porn discovered in upcoming EU report
Bloggers drew attention to the report after they noticed it includes an article calling for a ban on all forms of pornography in the media , including the digital field . The report, if passed, would only act as a recommendation to EU states, and would not result in pornography being legally banned. However, EU reports are often used to gauge support for potential future laws.
Jacqui Hunt, director of Equality Now in London, told the Huffington Post that the report s recommendations would help to build a truly equal and democratic society, where women and girls do not have to experience prejudice or fear physical and psychological abuse. However, critics say the report is worded too broadly, as it does not distinguish between types of pornography. There are also concerns that this could mark a new trend in draconian policing of the internet and, in the words of one blogger, unacceptable political invasion of people s bedrooms .
MEP Christian Engstrom of Sweden s Pirate Party wrote on his blog: This is quite clearly yet another attempt to get the internet service providers to start policing what citizens do on the internet, not by legislation, but by self-regulation . This is something we have seen before in a number of different proposals, and which is one of the big threats against information freedom in our society. Although I completely agree that eliminating outdated gender stereotypes in the EU is a worthwhile goal, I will be voting against this resolution next week.
Mr Engstrom added that he had received 350 emails within a day of blogging on the subject, all calling on MEPs to vote against the report. Fears that internet censorship is growing in Europe were heightened in February when it emerged that legislators in Iceland are drafting a ban on internet pornography which, if passed, would be the first of its kind in a Western democracy. Freedom of speech campaigners and academics wrote to Iceland s interior minister last week urging him to end the legislation.
Iceland is a liberal democratic state which should not serve as a role model for Internet censorship, said the letter. It added that the ban on pornography may create demand for an underground porn industry, unregulated and most certainly affiliated with other illegal activities. MEPs are said to be intending to amend the wording of the report on Tuesday, clarifying that the ban is specific to pornography in advertising.
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US: Illinois Republican party chairman may be ousted for same-sex marriage support
It strengthens and reinforces a key Republican value that the law should treat all citizens equally. Mr Brady said of the special meeting that it enforced public perception that the Republican party is a group of old white guys , but said he would respect the decision of the committee. State Central Committeeman Jim Oberweiss predicted that the special meeting would get the required three-fifths of committee support needed to vote Mr Brady out of the position.
When you start publicly lobbying against a plank in our state and national party platforms, without even discussing with or advising the board of directors, I think he s gone too far. We d have exactly the same reaction if suddenly Pat decided to talk about the merits of Obamacare, Mr Oberweiss added. The National Organisation for Marriage (NOM) organised a campaign to flood committee members with emails calling for Mr Brady to be ousted.
In February NOM pledged to spend $500,000 ( 329,000) to defeat any pro-equal marriage Republicans. Former Republican Governor Jim Edgar, who is anti-marriage equality, said he felt Mr Brady had done a thankless job , and cautioned against ousting him from his role, saying the party would be damaged for firing a major figure over their a personal view on a social issue. If you re concerned about the future of the party, if this is how it s perceived, We got rid of him because he s for same-sex marriage, long term that could have a detrimental effect on the party, he said.
In many ways Mr Brady s support echoed that of the British Prime Minister David Cameron who said I don t support gay marriage in spite of being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative. Just like the Conservative back-benchers in the UK who oppose David Cameron s support for equality, Republican politicians have condemned Mr Brady s support.
I was shocked, Mr Oberweiss said: Very surprised. Did not expect that and didn t know why he would have done that. There were even calls from within the party for Mr Brady to resign, which he resisted.
Mr Brady stood by his support saying: If people want to throw me out because I took on an issue of discrimination as the chairman of the Republican Party, the party founded by Abraham Lincoln, then that s that s up to them and they re free to do it. But I m not backing down. Discuss this Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter!
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US: Texas woman charged for beating son with electrical cable for gay sex act
Moore said: My cousin, at the time, he was 18. My son he was 15, and I had walked in the room on my cousin giving oral sex to my son and I started whooping my son, and I m the one who got in trouble as a result of me whooping him. She added: It was just disgusting to me, the way he was looking and my cousin was looking, and my cousin immediately ran out the door.
The police department told me that it was consensual, but they was committing a homosexual act in my house and we are totally against that. So I whooped my son and about three or four months later they came and arrested me for abuse. As well as justifying her actions based on her disgust , Moore said she had beaten her son because she had also been beaten that way as a child.
She added that she did not discriminate, as she would have done the same thing if she had caught her daughter in a similar position. She said: What do you do in a situation like that where I m catching my son having sex? It would be no different than me catching my daughter and she had a boy in the house and me disciplining her for having a boy in the house.
Moore is facing a Class-A misdemeanour assault charge, which has the potential to result in a jail sentence. She remains adamant that she did not act wrongly, and claims that the police officer who charged her had said that, off the record, he would have done the same. This was denied by the Police Department.
Moore said: Even that day when the police officer came out here, he told me out of his own mouth, If it was me and I walked in on my child, he said, parent to parent I probably would have shot him. I probably would have shot both of them. But with the law you can t, you re not allowed to put whoops on him.
He said you can whoop him, but you re not allowed to leave any marks on him. Chief Dan Dennis of the Forest Hill Police Department said that Moore had lied about the officer s comments. He told CBS: Miss Moore s statement of the officer s alleged inappropriate comments are simply untrue.
The conversation was recorded. The officer s conduct was entirely professional. The Forest Hill Police Department does not discriminate against any citizen based on sexual orientation.
The 18 year old cousin could potentially be charged, but Moore has refused to allow police to interview her son. The Police Department said The fact that we couldn t interview the victim hindered us from furthering the case. Discuss this Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter!
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You forgot Mother s Day didn t you?
Is that too sexual? You know what your Mum likes, pop it in on a playlist and tell her it s the equivalent of the mixed tape. Cook her a meal.
Think of all the meals she s cooked for you If you re not a culinary genius, fear not, our mate Jamie Oliver has put together his list of recipes that are supposed to take 15 minutes allow 3 hours. If all else fails, slap together a sandwich, if you can t do it Subway can! Write her a love note.
With pen and paper. Suffer hand cramps for the rest of the day. Don t moan.
Fix her computer for her. Good gays don t let their Mum s play on Internet Explorer. Tell her you love her.
It s cheap, it s true and it will make her love you a little bit more. Whatever you do, DON T : Leave your Gaydar app open around her. Hello inappropriate questions Tell her she should thank you for making her a Mum.
You want a Christmas present don t you? Mum s have long memories. Buy her a puppy just because you want one.
Buy her flowers if she s allergic you insensitive swine. Buy her chocolates and eat them in front of her a moment on the lips, that stays on your hips. From all at Gaydar 1 , send your Mum our love we love your Mum because she made you.
References ^ Gaydar (www.gaydar.net) Continue reading
Labour s Stephen Twigg s nose raises questions of its own on Question Time
The Standard reported: He had a boil on his proboscis and he applied cream and plaster all by himself , reporting on the nose plaster he was wearing in the House of Commons. The panel tackles issues such as the Catholic Church, the economy and immigration, however it was Mr Twigg s nose which caused the furore, some viewers saying they couldn t concentrate because of it, others saying they would raise their hand to ask him about it, if they were in the audience. Nonetheless, Andy Dowling took to Twitter and said: Stephen Twigg could be explaining the meaning of life on #bbcqt and I d miss it cos I m distracted by what s goin on on the end of his nose.
One microblogger Kris Milovsorov jokingly said: Stephen Twigg s nose scrapping the bottom of the policy barrel? #bbcqt #WHATISWRONGWITHHISNOSE?! Comedian Michael Moran said: In HD Steven Twigg s nose item is powerfully upsetting. While Keith Mackrell asked: Everyone should be watching question time even if it s just to work out what s on the end of Stephen twigg s nose! #bbcqt #nosemystery .
Benjamin Cohen, founder of PinkNews tweeted the revelation that Mr Twigg had put a plaster on his nose after having a boil. He said: If you re wondering what s on Stephen Twigg s nose, it s a plaster with cream underneath read in@ EveningStandard yesterday # BBCQT . One other user said it wasn t only Mr Twigg s plaster which was distracting her, but host David Dimbleby s tie also.
Alice Woolley, said: I can t concentrate at all because of Stephen Twigg s nose and David Dimbleby s tie. # bbcqt . Stephen Twigg, the first openly gay man to be elected to the UK s House of Commons, last year declared his support for marriage equality in the Out4Marriage campaign. Mr Twigg, the shadow education secretary, was elected as the Labour MP for Enfield Southgate in 1997.
He took his seat in Liverpool West Derby from then defence secretary Michael Portillo, and despite the facial mark, tackled questions from attendees in Dover, last night. During Question Time a parody Twitter account appeared, named @SteveTwiggsnose, and tweeted: Finally! My moment in the sun!
I m famous, I tell you!
Famous! # bbcqt , however the account had tweeted only nine times and had only four followers as of Friday.
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London vicar: Gay marriage is a sin and people can be cured from being gay
Speaking to the Barking and Dagenham Post, Reverend Hanna said: I am not saying that being gay is a sin. I am saying gay practice is a sin and gay marriage is a sin. There is a difference between having gay thoughts and performing gay practice.
I can have adulterous thoughts and yet not commit adultery. People can be cured from being gay. Not everyone is but everyone can be.
The letter released by the 21 church leaders reads: We believe marriage to be holy matrimony between a man and a woman. We believe that civil partnerships and gay marriage are not holy and are against God s word. We believe that church leaders, politicians and government ought not to be promoting them and that to do so will bring God s judgment upon us.
It continues: Jesus spoke tough truths yet was still able to love people. We urge all churches and Christians to do the same in the knowledge that there is transforming grace and forgiveness. Reverend Hanna also defended the letter against suggestions that it was anti gay.
He said: It is not against the gays. God loves the sinner but hates the sin. It is like me saying murder is a sin, but the murderer can be helped.
With God you don t have to live like that. Jesus is the friend of sinners because he wants to help us not sin. In February, MPs in the British Parliament voted in favour of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill by 400 to 175, a majority of 225.
The bill is currently receiving greater parliamentary scrutiny after the Commons committee has completed its work the bill will then be subjected to another vote (third reading) by MPs and it will then undergo a similar process of approval in the House of Lords.
Clause 1 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill passed committee stage 13 votes to 4, and is being considered by the Public Bills Committee in the House of Commons.
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Gaydar Power Outage
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References ^ Gaydar (www.gaydar.net) Continue reading
Ask JT!How to Deal with Long Distance Relationships and Homophobic Moms
Hey JT, I'll be graduating from college in May and looking for a big boy job. At the end of the summer I'll be starting an internship at Disney World. Yay!
Unfortunately, this means that I will be away from my boyfriend, who I've been with for almost a year and a half, for the first time since we started dating. The real problem is that I don't see a time in the near future when we'll be able to be physically together again. He has at least another semester of college to go, and while I'm not entirely sure of his post-graduate plans, I know he'd like to travel overseas and teach English as a second language.
At this point, I'm planning to stay in Orlando for a while to get some experience with their conservation-related internships. I love him very much, and I want to stay with him for a long time. I don't want geography to get in the way, but from my point of view it presents a lot of complications.
Do you have any advice that would help in coping with the distance? Any words of wisdom you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Magical Bookseller Here s the number one way to make long-distance relationships work, MB: there has to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
If there s a set time when long distance becomes close-enough-to-do-it distance, then it s easy to keep your eye on the prize and hold out for when you know you ll be reunited. If there s no end to the separation in sight, that makes everything a hell of a lot more challenging. Now it used to be that even with the promise of an eventual reunion, long-term relationships were still a one way ticket to a major league bummer.
Fortunately, though, we now live in a golden age of communication technology, and since you re still in college, that means you grew up with this kind of stuff and will have no problem accessing it. Though Skype has been around for a while, it remains the go-to program for star-crossed lovers who also find themselves land-crossed. When my boyfriend Morris recently booked a gig that took him out of town for a few weeks, it was almost like he never left, because we were still, in a way, in a room together every night.
That sense of quasi-closeness in conjunction with the beautiful bounty of free pornography online makes it a lot easier these days to be apart from the one you love. But it also requires discipline if you choose to be monogamous. Discipline and, even more important, honesty.
Human beings have needs, obviously, and some couples are okay with getting some action on the side provided it s completely sexual and not romantic. Most of the time they have a non-disclosure agreement, but some couples love to dish with one another about their extracurricular actions and compare notes. For other couples, of course, this would lead to tears and heartbreak.
It s up to you guys to decide where you stand. Hello JT. I was in denial about being gay, but last year I came out to friends, then came out to my mom, then moved out the house for two weeks.
However, right now I am back home and continuing my studies. My mom has been in denial about me, saying she loves me but she doesn't condone 'that.' I have two younger brothers, aged 7 and 5 years old. (I m 20.) Whenever my brothers are in the room and we re watching a show where there might be a gay couple, she sounds off about her disdain and outrage. I am worried that she will end up turning my brothers against me as they don't know that I am gay and If I tell them it will result in a whole family drama as it may seem like I am 'influencing' them.
Coming out was already a whole movie trilogy's worth of drama and I don't want to start another trilogy yet. Should I be worried or take comfort in the fact that my brothers are part of a new generation that won't be so caught up with sexual orientation? Worried Big Brother PS- The last time I wrote I was the guy who asked about why gay guys don't hold hands in public, except now I am a gay guy.
LOL Ah, a repeat customer. Welcome back. Well, considering your first letter to us was written as a heterosexual man who was VERY curious about gay male behavior, I d like to offer you a congratulations for coming to terms with your identity.
I know that can be super difficult, so you should feel proud of yourself for that. Okay, let s talk about Mom. Through a little point-and-click research, I discovered that South Africa, where WBB hails from, actually has a pretty decent track record for LGBT rights, including legalizing gay marriage in 2006.
So his mother is not a vessel of her surroundings, but rather personally has issues with the gay thing. As I ve mentioned before, parental acceptance of their children s homosexuality often occurs in stages, beginning with I still love you, but I don't like what you are to I can t wait to dance at your wedding. Not every parent makes it to that last step, but we can hope.
Your mother, presuming she grew up in South Africa, lived through the apartheid government, which was incredibly hostile to gay people. My guess is a lot of her world views were formed during this time, and ideas cemented during one s formative years can be hard to break. My advice would be to just keep being the good, upstanding guy you are with your mother.
Gently bring up the gay thing when you can, trying your best to be as non-confrontational as you can. If she gives you a lot of grief, tell her that you ll wait until she s comfortable talking about it, but it is not ever, ever going to change. As for your brothers, have a talk with them when you deem they re old enough.
It could be now or a few years from now - they re your brothers, so you ll know when the time is right. Explain to them that being gay doesn t make you a different person, and that no matter what they hear, you ll always be there for them. Like you said, they ll have the benefit of living in a country with legal gay marriage, and a positive gay influence in their lives in the form of you.
Be there for them like any big brother should, and they ll learn that gay people are just people like everyone else. Hey JT, Devoted fangirl here. I m having my lady friends over for a St.
Patrick s Day party and know I ll have appletinis on the menu. Any other green cocktails you could suggest? Thanks!
Lady Who Lunches Sure do, LWL! Here s another martini glass cocktail, the Emerald Martini . When done right, the color is totally gorgeous, and it tastes super sexy.
It s also really alcoholic, though, so watch it when you re drinking these. You might hallucinate you re seeing a leprechaun and then try to fight it. That only happened to me?
Okay, moving on. What you need: 1 1/2 oz Midori 1 1/2 oz Vodka (I suggest a citrus flavor) This one's simple. Just pour into a shaker over ice and shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, oh-whoa-oh.
Then strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a cherry, and enjoy! And remember, leprechauns fight dirty, so make sure to wear pads. To ask JT a question, email him at jtadvicecolumn@gmail.com.
Or you can be super tech-sexy and ask via Twitter.
Messages may be edited for space (but they're totally more likely to get chosen if they're three paragraphs or less.
Just sayin'.) You can find previous editions of AfterElton's Ask JT advice column here. Continue reading