Teens arrested over homophobic attack on lesbian couple in London

LONDON, United Kingdom — British police said they had arrested four teenagers on Friday after a gang of males beat up a lesbian couple who refused to kiss for them on a London night bus.

Melania Geymonat, 28, said she and her girlfriend Chris were left covered in blood after the attack last week.

"They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us 'lesbians' and describing sexual positions," she wrote on Facebook.

"It was only them and us there.

"They kept on harassing us, throwing us coins.

"The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them. On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up.

"The next thing I know is I'm being punched."

Both were taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries.

Police said the incident happened at around 2:30am on May 30 after the two women, both in their 20s, got on the bus in north London.

"They were approached by a group of four males who began to make lewd and homophobic comments to them," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

"The women were then attacked and punched several times before the males ran off the bus. A phone and bag were stolen during the assault."

They said four males aged between 15 and 18 were arrested on Friday on suspicion of robbery and aggravated grievous bodily harm.

The teenagers have been taken to separate police stations for questioning.

"This was a disgusting attack on two women who appear to have been picked out and targeted by a group of youths," said Detective Superintendent Andy Cox.

"CCTV footage from the attack is being reviewed by detectives.

"Active enquires are in hand to trace other individuals suspected to have been involved.

"Attacks of this nature on London buses are rare."

Geymonat is from Uruguay while British newspapers reported that her girlfriend is from the US.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the assault was "sickening".

"Nobody should ever have to hide who they are or who they love and we must work together to eradicate unacceptable violence towards the LGBT community," she said.

source: philstar.com

Boy Scouts of America to lift ban on gay troop leaders

WASHINGTON - The Boy Scouts of America was poised Monday to officially end its ban on gay scout leaders, a historic but controversial shift after years of legal wrangling and internal strife.

The proposed change was expected to be ratified on Monday by the organization's 80-member national executive board, after a smaller governing committee this month unanimously voted to lift the prohibition.

But while doing away with the blanket ban on gay adults in scouting, the BSA -- which already allows homosexual youths to join -- will apparently grant individual chapters license to continue to bar gay adults from being Scout leaders or employees.

The board said the planned policy change will let "scouting's members and parents to select local units, chartered to organizations with similar beliefs, that best meet the needs of their families."

"This change would also respect the right of religious chartered organizations to continue to choose adult leaders whose beliefs are consistent with their own," the BSA statement said.

The Boy Scouts, with some 2.5 million members and around a million adult volunteers, had been beset by internal fighting and legal wrangling, amid defiant moves by some scout councils to flout the national BSA ban and allow gay scoutmasters.

But about 70 percent of Boy Scout chapters are run by church groups, complicating efforts to reform the ban.

The Mormon Church -- also known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- runs the greatest number of BSA chapters.

Earlier this month it issued a statement after the executive board vote asserting that it "has always had the right to select Scout leaders who adhere to moral and religious principles that are consistent with our doctrines and beliefs."

The organization said, however, that the move lifting the ban was inevitable, given US social and political changes of recent years.

Back in May, the BSA's national president Robert Gates warned at its annual meeting that the courts could force the organization to change its membership policies if it failed to do so of its own accord.

"We must all understand that this will probably happen sooner rather than later," said Gates, a former CIA director and defense secretary.

Gates was himself an avid scout as a youngster, having attained the coveted top rank of Eagle Scout.

Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts describes itself as a "values-based youth development organization."

Through camping, hiking and skills building activities, the BSA "provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness."

The BSA in January 2014 officially began accepting gay youths into their ranks, after a more than two-decade-long ban.

A few months earlier, in May 2013, the Boy Scouts' national council voted to no longer deny membership to youths on the basis of sexual orientation, but it retained its ban on gay and lesbian adult Scout leaders.

source: interaksyon.com

Couples tie knot en masse in Rio's first gay marriages

RIO DE JANEIRO - A total of 130 couples said "I do" in a mass wedding Sunday at Rio de Janeiro's Superior Court of Justice, marking the city's first gay civil marriages.

In mid-May, Brazilian courts determined that public offices that oversee marriages cannot reject gay couples, even though Brazil's national congress has passed no law on the matter.

Some public offices had already been accepting marriage applications from homosexual couples, while others denied them.

An emotional Viviane Soares Lessa de Faria, 38, smiled at her partner and told news site G1 "I've dreamed of marrying her since I met her."

Her wife's 29-year-old son was the couple's best man.

For Giuseppe Laricchia, 21, marrying his boyfriend was about guaranteeing rights.

"We need to have equality compared with heterosexual couples," he said.

Judge Cristina Gaulia said the mass ceremony marked a "political victory."

Civil unions between gay couples were recognized two years ago by the Supreme Court, which granted gay spouses the same rights as heterosexual spouses.

source: interaksyon.com

New-look Charice thrilled at being named ‘hottest lesbian’ by award-winning US website

Marian Rivera may be the sexiest woman in the Philippines, but Charice is the hottest lesbian in the world — at least according to an alternative list released this week by autostraddle.com, an award-winning American website dedicated to “girl-on-girl culture”.


Another Filipina lesbian, “Pinoy Big Brother” alumna Divine Maitland Smith, also made the Top 10 at No. 9.

Sporting a new hairstyle, Charice said on Thursday that she could not believe that she topped the list of “105 Hotties You Will Like Who Also Like Girls”, besting other lesbian/bisexual musicians, athletes, models, and actresses.
“Hindi ko maisip e. Out of 105, di ba? Inisa-isa ko pa e akala ko nga medyo nasa dulo ako… Ang lupit nun! Ang lupit nun! Mabuhay ang mga shivoli… Mabuhay!” the recently outed singer rejoiced to News5.

Charice spoke during a break from a photo shoot for “Chapter 10″, her upcoming album under Star Records. Besides being hailed as “the hottest lesbian”, she was thrilled about her new hairdo.

So what’s the story behind her latest look, which should lay to rest all comparisons to Daniel Padilla’s hairstyle?

“Wala kaming pinagkopyahan na any artist. Kumbaga nakita lang namin. Just a random picture and I said ito ang gusto ko,” she explained.

“Para po sa album ko na ilalabas ko very very soon. And change is good.
There are a lot of reasons po. Para hindi na rin ma-compare sa ibang artists. Not intentionally, ito talaga gusto ko,” she added.

Charice also admitted that she’s putting on make-up again these days.

“Kumportable. ‘Yun na ‘yun. Nakikita ko na si Charice… Gusto ko ito… Astig. Bumabad bad bad … I love it. ‘Yung mga naging hairstyle ko before. Long hair, kung ano man ‘yun. Di ‘ko nire-regret ‘yun. I like that. It’s just this time I love this,” she said.

She was glad that all of her fans seem to approve of her latest makeover.

“Ito na talaga ‘yung masasabi kong gusto ko. Kasi finally parang nag-meet ‘yung ano. Finally, walang nag-disagree,” she noted.

Charice feels like her decision to come out, despite the misgivings of many, including her family members, has started to pay off.

“Sana ngayon sana makita nila ito sana makita nila ang hard work na ginagawa ko sa album dahil isa rin sila sa inspirayon ko,” she said.

Besides her new album, her fans can look forward to a major concert on September 28.

After Charice performed a “dream duet” of the song “Titanium” with Aiza Seguerra during Aiza’s recent concert with Noel Cabangon at Onstage in Greenbelt, the two lesbian artists will team up in an unprecedented concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

source: interaksyon.com

Charice knew she was a lesbian at age 5, says her mom knew, even Oprah and David Foster

The truth has set Charice free.

The morning after she came out on national television, the diminutive singer whom Oprah Winfrey famously called “the most talented girl in the world” was on cloud nine, no longer weighed down by years of hiding her true identity and months of negative speculation.

“Alam mo, para akong batang gusto ko agad lumabas tapos magtatalon tapos sige halika party party na tayo! As in bumalik ako sa pagkabata. As in malaya ako na walang problema,” the 21-year-old told News5 on Monday.

Charice was in such bliss that she treated the media who had come to interview her to a soulful rendition of her favorite song these days, “Perfect”, by American singer-songwriter Pink.

Earlier, she surprised students of her alma mater — an elementary school in Cabuyao, Laguna — with a surprise gift-giving visit on the first day of school.

Charice said it was her way of giving back to the school where her eyes were opened to her sexual preference.

“Maraming ala-ala. Mga naging crush ko,” she said with a laugh. “Chos!”

In fact, she said she had known very early that she was a lesbian.

“Five years old po ako nang ma-realize ko,” she said, breaking into another laugh.

What prompted her to finally confess on Sunday after months of being out of the public eye?

“May naririnig kasi ako sa ibang tao na ganon kaya siya? Shivoli bang bang kaya siya?” she said, laughing again.

“Kahit naririnig ko ‘yun na-feel ko na ok naman sa kanila. So sa mga reaksyon nila na di pa nila alam pero andun pagtanggap nila, it’s about time sabi ko,” she added.

Charice admitted that changes in her hairstyle and wardrobe, which started middle of last year, were a prelude to her coming out. She kept quiet as the doubters and haters had a field day in social media until she decided that she had had enough.

“Ang bigat sa feeling. Ang dami ko nakikitang negative comments. Nalilito sila. After nun naiyak ako after ginupitan ng buhok ko… Parang ‘yun kasi yung first step to freedom.”

Since her televised confession on “The Buzz” on Sunday, Charice said she has received an outpouring of support on the internet from everywhere.

“Talagang lahat po. ‘Yung iba taga-LA, Rhode Island. Lahat iba-iba. Nanuod sila, talagang sinabayan nila dito sa Philippines. Livestream kaya po nag-trending ako,” she said.

Charice said she did not hide her lesbianism to people in her inner circle — even to her mentors and godparents, TV host Oprah Winfrey and composer-producer David Foster who, she said, told her they were proud of her and remain supportive of her career to this day.

“Basta po ang lagi nilang sinasabi sa ‘kin, specially nung nag-come out po ako sa kanila. Na-touch lang po ako kasi talagang sabi lang nila sa ‘kin… We’re proud of you.”

However, she admitted that she and her mother, Raquel Pempengco, still do not see to eye — even though she had already come out to her in a phone conversation three years ago.

“Talagang cinonfirm ko po sa kanya nung 18 po ako. Sobrang hirap nun kasi nasa US ako, andito siya. Sobrang takot ko. Na-accept ko na na baka maybe years bago niya fully matanggap,” she said.

source: interaksyon.com

Mass ceremony in Rio celebrates same-sex unions

RIO DE JANEIRO - Nearly a hundred same-sex couples in Rio de Janeiro legalized their unions -- to a status just shy of marriage in the Latin American country -- in a group ceremony Sunday, local media reported.

The 92 couples pledged themselves to "stable unions," though the G1 web site noted the ceremony was mainly symbolic, as they will have to repeat their vows Monday in front of a judge.

Held at the Rio courthouse, the mass celebration "pays an old debt with a segment of the population that is the target of so much prejudice and discrimination," Claudio Nascimento, head of a Rio gay rights group, told the site.

In May 2011, the Brazilian Supreme Court recognized the "stable union" of same-sex couples as a family. Since then, several courts have recognized such unions as civil marriage.

source: interaksyon.com

Malaysian Islamic party urges Elton John show ban

KUALA LUMPUR – An Islamic political party on Tuesday urged the government of predominantly Muslim Malaysia to ban a concert by Elton John, saying the openly gay British pop icon promotes “immoral” values.

John, who is popular in Malaysia, is scheduled to perform on Thursday at a resort outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.

“This concert must be cancelled. Artists who are involved in gay and lesbian activities must not be allowed to perform in Malaysia as they will promote the wrong values,” Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi, chief of the youth wing of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), told AFP.

The legendary singer-songwriter, who is on the Asian leg of a worldwide tour, performed in Malaysia last November to a sell-out crowd despite a similar protest from the Islamic party.

The 65-year-old singer was married to his Canadian partner David Furnish, 49, in a civil ceremony in England in 2005. On Christmas Day 2010 they became parents to a child conceived using a donor egg and born to a surrogate mother.

Nasrudin said PAS did not plan any street protests to oppose the concert, but “will instead demand that authorities cancel the immoral performance to protect our society from social degradation”.

On Monday, John courted controversy during a performance in China by dedicating his Beijing show to Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei.

PAS often protests concerts by Western acts, saying they promote promiscuity and corrupt the minds of youngsters.

The party is a key member of an opposition alliance led by Anwar Ibrahim that hopes to unseat Malaysia’s long-ruling coalition in elections that must be called by mid-2013.

Homosexuality has long been taboo in Malaysia, where 60 percent of the population is Muslim and sodomy is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

source: interaksyon.com

In a more accepting US, showbiz gays come out

WASHINGTON - Suddenly, it seems, more US entertainers are coming out publicly as gay, lesbian or bisexual -- a welcome sign of a more accepting America, activists say, amid a fierce debate over marriage equality.

Hip-hop artist Frank Ocean, 24, a member of the Odd Future collective, and talk-show host and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper both made headlines this week when they openly acknowledged their sexual orientations.

"4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19. He was too," wrote Ocean in a stream-of-consciousness entry on his Tumblr blog, ahead of the July 17 release of his new album "Channel Orange" and a national concert tour.

"We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide.... I don't have any secrets I need to keep anymore.... I feel like a free man."

Cooper, one of the nation's best known TV journalists, who also hosts a syndicated talk show, confirmed his sexuality in an email exchange with fellow newsman Andrew Sullivan, who is also gay.

"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," wrote Cooper, the son of railway heiress and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt.

But they were hardly the first ones to come out in public.

Last month it was Jim Parsons, who plays the socially awkward Sheldon Cooper on the hit nerd sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," and before that it was Zachary Quinto from "American Horror Story" and Matt Bomer from "White Collar."

Preceding them were Latino superstar Ricky Martin, Jane Lynch from "Glee," who is raising two daughters with her female spouse, and "American Idol" winner Adam Lambert, the first openly gay singer with a number-one Billboard hit.

Not to mention Jesse Tyler Ferguson from "Modern Family," Sean Maher from "Firefly," a father of two with his male partner, bisexual Amber Heard from the short-lived "The Playboy Club," Cynthia Nixon from "Sex and the City," who married her girlfriend in May, and Jonathan Knight from boy band New Kids on the Block.

"It's not only a trend in the entertainment industry, but in American culture today," said Rich Ferraro of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which monitors the images of gays in popular culture.

"I think it reflects how people are becoming more accepting of gay and lesbian people overall... It's clear today that you can be 'out' in Hollywood and not hurt your career. There's not a scandal anymore."

No major-league athlete has come out as gay, and country singer Chely Wright says her record sales have fallen and her show has been banned from some venues since she became the first woman in the genre to come forward as a lesbian.

It is a sharp contrast from 15 years ago, when the coming-out of actress and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres -- married since 2008 to Australian-born thespian Portia de Rossi -- prompted a tabloid frenzy.

So strong was the backlash that department store chain JC Penney stopped sponsoring her popular sitcom "Ellen." Today, DeGeneres appears front-and-center in print and television ads for JC Penney.

The trend comes after Barack Obama, gunning for re-election in November, became the first US president to support marriage equality -- instantly winning kudos from LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) voters.

Major organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Council of La Raza back the legalization of same-sex marriages.

Such unions are now legal in six states and the District of Columbia, but not recognized at the federal level, and referendums are set to be held in November in Maine, Maryland and Washington.

"It's an interesting time because a lot of things have happened in a short period of time. We're at a tipping point in many ways," Darlene Nipper, deputy executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, told AFP.

She cautioned, however, that much remains to be done, and not just on the marriage equality front: In a majority of US states today, workers have no legal protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

"The reality is, for many people who have taken that risk (to come out) or remain afraid to take that risk, there are implications that we cannot ignore," Nipper added.

"If there was a federal non-discrimination policy, you would see a further step towards people feeling (the same) level of comfort that some now feel in showing who they are." - AFP

source: gmanetwork.com

Google celebrates gay pride with Easter egg

Internet giant Google marked Gay Pride with one of its Easter eggs: a rainbow ribbon that appears below the search bar.

The rainbow appears when a user types "Google Gay Pride," "LGBT," "gay," "lesbian," "NYC Gay Pride" and "SF Gay Pride," tech site Mashable said.

Mashable said Google has a history creating "whimsical" Easter eggs, often hidden in its search function.

It added Google is also known for its pro-gay rights stance.

Recently, Google publicly expressed its opposition to California’s Prop. 8, a constitutional amendment that took away the right of same-sex couples to marry, in a 2008 blog post written by co-founder Sergey Brin.

"While we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of equality. We hope that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8 — we should not eliminate anyone’s fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love,” it quoted Brin as saying. — TJD, GMA News

article source: gmanetwork.com

'Smash' producers get top award by US gay media group

NEW YORK - The producers of the new TV musical drama series "Smash" were honored by gay and lesbian watchdog group GLAAD at a gala on Saturday that highlighted gay marriage and bullying.

Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, film and television producers known for such movies as the Oscar-winning "Chicago," and "Hairspray" were honored at New York's Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, Media Awards.

The awards, hosted by Cory Montieth and Naya Rivera from the hit TV musical show "Glee," recognize the best portrayals of gay community members in film, television, radio, music, newspapers and blogs.

GLAAD honored the efforts of Meron and Zadan on "Smash," the program about a Broadway show that features a healthy gay relationship, as well as several of the pair's previous efforts, including the television movie "Serving in Silence."

In accepting the top award named after gay activist Vito Russo, the producers noted they had received death threats for their controversial 2003 miniseries, "The Reagans," which argued that former U.S. President Ronald Reagan failed to recognize the AIDS crisis.

Zadan said being gay was "part of who I am, so it impacts the work that we do," while Meron said the pair had spent years trying to "fight, persuade and manipulate" the entertainment industry to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters and stories.

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein presented openly gay high school student Katy Butler a special award in recognition of her anti-bullying efforts, while outstanding TV segment was awarded to "ABC World News with Diane Sawyer" for "Battle Against Bullying."

The 2011 indie film, "Pariah," about a black teenager living in Brooklyn, New York, who embraces her identity as a lesbian, won outstanding film in limited release, and HBO's "Cinema Verite" took home the best TV movie or miniseries award.

TV's "Dancing With The Stars" won outstanding reality TV program for featuring contestant Chaz Bono, the transgender child of singers Cher and Sonny Bono, who completed a female-to-male sex change in 2010.

Pop Star Lady Gaga, who did not attend the awards, won outstanding music artist for her album "Born This Way." Best talk-show episode went to Oprah Winfrey's program for the episode "Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests."

Playwright Tony Kushner won the theater award for his play "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures."

Among other media winners were CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360", Metro Weekly, The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Advocate.

GLAAD, which promotes positive images of LGBT people in the media, will present additional media awards in Los Angeles on April 21 and San Francisco on June 2. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com