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May 15, 2013
World's only LGBT party fails to win seat in election

Partial returns suggest Ang Ladlad has not gathered enough votes to win a seat in the Philippines' House of Representatives

The early results for the Philippines' midterm elections suggest that Ang Ladlad, the world's only LGBT political party, has failed to win a seat in congress.

Official election results report that the party got 75,913 votes, only 0.37% of the vote. A party needs at least 2% (570,112 votes at this election) of the vote to get a seat under the Philippines' partylist system.

Eight other parties are reported to have got enough votes to secure seats.

May 14, 2013
Surviving institutional homophobia: stories of LGBT people in Singapore

Gay Star News speaks to the editor of I Will Survive, a new book of stories of triumph over bullying, domestic abuse and depression by LGBT people in Singapore

Singapore often makes Gay Star News headlines - about a judge ruling against repealing a colonial-era law that criminalizes gay sex or a pastor preaching against homosexuality at an evangelical 'mega church' conference - but how does that feel for the LGBT people who live there?

May 13, 2013
New Zealand Families Commissioner announces she is joining anti-gay political party

MP says Christine Rankin's announcement that she is joining the Conservative Party is a conflict of interest

The head of the Families Commission in New Zealand has announced she is joining the anti-gay Conservative Party, prompting MPs to denounce her move as a conflict of interest.

Christine Rankin, former head of the Department of Work and Income, announced on Facebook that she has been appointed chief executive of New Zealand's Conservative Party. 'My admiration for the party and its leader has continued to grow over the past year or so,' she said.

May 13, 2013
We shouldn't fear calling marriage equality 'gay'

Gay Marriage USA campaigner Murray Lipp explains why we shouldn’t be taking the ‘gay’ out of the fight for marriage equality

When I started the Facebook page Gay Marriage USA in 2011 there was a very conscious decision made on my part to include the words ‘gay marriage’ in the title. This was done in an effort to take advantage of the high recognition value that the term carries. Clearly identifying and labeling a cause helps greatly in getting people to support it.

May 10, 2013
‘Anti-gay’ former governor backs same-sex marriage

Notoriously anti-gay Charlie Crist has publicly endorsed same-sex marriage in Florida, where both gay marriage and civil unions are constituonally banned

Former Florida governor Charlie Crist has announced his support of gay marriage.

The Republican-turned-Democrat took to his Facebook page this week to say he supports marriage equality in the swing vote state.

Crist wrote: ‘Some great news: On Tuesday, Delaware became the 11th state to allow marriage equality. And just a few days ago, Rhode Island adopted a similar measure, which followed victories last fall in Maine, Maryland and Washington.

May 7, 2013
Facebook hate page: ‘Nazis were right’ about gays

Heterosexual Awareness Month page says gay men’s mouths smell of ‘poo poo’ and implies NBA player Jason Collins will give people who tackle him a sex infection

Facebook is investigating a hate page where organizers oppose gay marriage and one supporter says the Nazis were right to put gays in concentration camps.

The Heterosexual Awareness Month (HAM) group was ‘established in June 2012 by heteros, for heteros’ and aims to hold a month-long ‘observance of straight people and our growing struggle’ each July.

May 5, 2013
Albania passes landmark gay hate crime laws

Two laws just approved by Albania's parliament make it one of the countries with the most advanced legislation in the region for protection of LGBT people

Albania amended its criminal code and put hate crimes against sexual orientation and gender identity on par with an offense against gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, disability and so on.

It also passed a new law punishing the dissemination of homophobic information through any means (including the internet) by a fine and up to two years imprisonment.

May 3, 2013
UKIP anti-gay politicians lose election

A candidate who claimed exercise prevents gayness and another who said gay sex is 'frightful sordidness' lost a UK local elections bid

Two anti-gay politicians from the United Kingdom Independent Party (UKIP) have been defeated in their bid to be elected as councilors in England.

John Sullivan, a UKIP candidate, who stated regular physical exercise in schools can 'avoided homosexuality’ failed to be elected as a Gloucestershire councilor.

Will Windsor-Clive of the Conservative party was elected on 988 votes with Sullivan 391 votes behind.

April 29, 2013
UKIP politician changes Facebook name to hide gay slurs

John Sullivan changes Facebook name after mounting criticism of his anti-gay remarks. UK Independence Party accuses Conservatives of ‘smear campaign

John Sullivan, a UK Independence Party candidate in the upcoming council elections, has changed his Facebook name after GSN revealed anti-gay comments he made online.

Two days after Gay Star News broke the news he appears to have changed his name to ‘Lyndon Sullivan’ and seems to have deleted the homophobic remarks.

April 28, 2013
Council candidate alleges ‘gay folk’ used by ‘evil forces’ against UKIP

UKIP party face fresh allegation of anti-gay slurs - Philip Rose, a council candidate say gay sex is ‘sordid frightfulness’, while councillor Henry Reilly suggests a ‘militant gay lobby’ is trying to impose itself on Christian churches

Philip Rose, a UK councillor candidate says ‘gay folk’ are ‘being used by forces of evil’ to halt the UK Independence Party's progress.

And Henry Reilly a Northern Ireland UKIP councillor warned that a well-financed, militant gay lobby is seeking to impose itself on Christian establishments.

April 27, 2013
Outcry over New Zealand beer billboard joking about ‘dad’s new husband’

A billboard suggesting people would be unhappy if their father married a man put up by a beer company after New Zealand legalized same-sex marriage has drawn criticism

A billboard erected by New Zealand beer company Tui after the country legalized same-sex marriage has been criticized as homophobic.

Tui billboards typically state something that is unlikely for anyone to say followed by the phrase, ‘Yeah, right!’ – meaning ‘as if anyone would ever say that!’

April 27, 2013
Physical excercise prevents you becoming gay, claims UK councillor candidate

John Sullivan, a UKIP party candidate, up for election next week, has made a series of anti-gay Facebook comments, including congratulating Russia for banning gay Pride, and comparing gays to termites

John Sullivan, a UK councillor candidate congratulated Russia on banning gay Pride marches and claimed regular exercise in schools can prevent homosexuality.

In a series of Facebook posts, Sullivan, who is a member of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) likened gay activists to termites and stated that feminism is evil and being gay is even worse.

April 25, 2013
Indian T-shirt brand apologies for gay rape joke

Gay rape joke goes viral in India, but Facebook says it does not violate the Community Standard on hate speech

Indian cult T-shirt brand Bewakoof has apologized for a joke about gay rape on their Facebook page.

After cricketer Chris Gayle set a world record in an Indian Premier League match in Pune earlier this week. Bewakoof posted a joke that said 'If a man rapes another man, he is called GAY. If a man rapes 11 other men he is called GAYLE.'

The joke got more than 15,000 shares and 18,000 likes before it was taken down.

April 23, 2013
Australian Defence Force disciplines failed politician for comments about Islam and the Sydney Mardi Gras parade

Bernard Gaynor, who was deselected as a candidate for senate by Katter's Australian Party, disciplined by the Australian army for anti-Islamic and anti-LGBT comments

Reserve Australian army officer and former senate candidate Bernard Gaynor has been disciplined by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for comments about Islam and the army marching in the Sydney Mardi Gras LGBT rights parade.

Gaynor said on Facebook yesterday that he had been charged seven times by the ADF for, in his words:

April 23, 2013
Outrage over anti-gay marriage sign in Tasmania

Man describes self-made sign as reflective of his ‘Christian opinion’

An anti-gay marriage sign has caused outrage in the northwestern coastal town of Wynyard, Tasmania.

The sign, which was put up next to a busy main road, depicted the male and female gender symbols next to two wedding rings.

Speaking to The Advocate in Australia, Graham Hodge, the man who made and put up the sign, described marriage equality as ‘a complete misnomer’. 

April 22, 2013
Gay man brutally beaten outside club in France

As France readies to legalize marriage equality and adoption for same-sex couples, more homophobic attacks are being reported 

A gay man was brutally beaten by a group of homophobic thugs in France on Saturday (20 April).

Raphaël Leclerc, 24, was punched, kicked and jumped on by three men when he and his boyfriend left a club in the city of Nice.

The incident comes just two weeks after another man was savagely attacked in Paris, whose picture went viral after being named the ‘face of homophobia’.

April 22, 2013
Macedonia gay rights advocates brutally assaulted

Members of Macedonia’s LGBT United and Sexual Health Rights advocacy groups were verbally and physically attacked for carrying gay rights posters in a peaceful pro LGBT rights walk

Gay rights advocates from LGBT United and the Sexual and Health Rights of Marginalized Communities Coalition groups were brutally attacked in Bitola, Macedonia.

The assault happened on Saturday (20 April) and came shortly after members of the groups marched through Sirok Sokak Street carrying banners and posting posters displaying messages about the human rights of LGBT people as well a rainbow flag.

April 19, 2013
France: Is this the most homoerotic anti-gay protest ever?

Male protestors against same-sex marriage are stripping off their shirts, writing slogans on their chest and parading across France against gay marriage

Men are stripping to the waist, scribbling slogans on their body, holding hands and demonstrating across France against gay marriage.

Sometimes masked, sometimes gagged but almost always half-naked, they are Les Hommen – an action group against marriage equality.

It appears to be a parody of Femen, the topless feminist protestors who rallied against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s gay rights record on his recent visit to Amersterdam.

April 19, 2013
My name is Bond, James Bond, and I’m gay

GSN speaks to the stars of a new documentary about real life men that share their name with Hollywood’s most iconic womanizer

‘What's it like to come out when everyone knows you as James Bond?’ This is the question posed by Australian filmmaker Matthew Bowyer as he reflects on his new feature-length documentary, The Other Fellow. During filming he has delved into the lives of 10 different 007 namesakes, three of who are gay.

Bowyer is currently in the UK to meet and shoot his ‘Manchester Bond’ for the final leg of filming. From his other Bonds, he has heard a huge variety of stories.

April 18, 2013
Power gays: Ryan James Lock, brand strategist

GSN meets an Ibiza-based brand strategist, our new dream job

Continuing our series devoted to meeting LGBT people around the world that are launching businesses, growing brands, leading their communities, or just doing interesting things, in this issue we catch up with Ibiza-based brand strategist Ryan James Lock.

What does a brand strategist do?

April 17, 2013
Gay man’s letter to equal marriage opponent goes viral in France

French comic Frigide Barjot, a leader of the anti-gay marriage movement, has been sent a letter protesting her violent views

A gay man’s letter to the leader of the homophobic Manif Pour Tous movement has gone viral in France.

Alexandre Dousson, who claims to have known anti-gay leader Frigide Barjot for 15 years, has written a letter to her condemning her violent comments.

Shortly after the Senate passed the marriage equality bill, Barjot shouted: ‘Hollande wants blood, he will have it! All of the world is furious. We live in a dictatorship.’

April 16, 2013
Food, shopping, seagulls, saunas, culture and clubbing: discover gay Porto

GSN travels to Portugal’s northern city and discovers much more than its famous port wine

I'd only been to Portugal once before, and that was an Easter weekend in Lisbon a couple of years ago. On that trip I was traveling with my ex-boyfriend, another of his ex-boyfriends, and his new boyfriend at the time – a strange combination but it worked surprisingly well.

This expedition was to Porto in the country’s north and I was on my own.

April 15, 2013
Mr Gay Namibia proudly marries his husband from Botswana

Ricardo Raymond Amunjera and Marc Omphemetse have wed in Johannesburg and plan their official wedding reception in Namibia this weekend

Mr Gay Namibia, Ricardo Raymond Amunjera and his partner Marc Omphemetse Themba and have tied the knot in Johannesburg.

The official wedding reception ceremony will take place at Namibia`s Hilton Hotel, this Saturday (20 April), where the gay couple will also celebrate Amujera`s 30th birthday.

Gay marriage is illegal in Namibia and in Botswana, Themba’s home, forcing the couple to travel to South Africa’s Johannesburg where they had a civil ceremony.

April 15, 2013
‘Joke’ about parents rejecting lesbian teen wasn’t funny but was ‘true’

A spoof article about claimed parents wre putting their daughter up for adoption because of her sexuality – but parental rejection is no joke for real LGBT teens

Jokes are supposed to be funny. They always start with a set up and then build to a crescendo where the plot twists and the listener bursts out laughing. Last week a ‘joke’ went viral, but no one was left laughing.

April 9, 2013
Montana state Democrat says she had to resist punching Republican colleague over anti-gay comments

Montana state Democrat Amanda Curtis says she had to resist crossing the floor to punch a Republican colleague over his offensive arguments in defense of keeping homosexuality a technical felony in the state

Montana state Democrat Amanda Curtis said that comments by a Republican colleague who was arguing to retain homosexuality as a technical felony under state law made her so angry she felt like she wanted to cross the floor to punch him.

The Michigan state House of Representatives is currently debating legislation which would repeal a state law which makes homosexuality a technical crime even though the law has been rendered inoperable by the US Supreme Court.