Tag: homophobia

4

Pornstar Cody Kyler Attacked and Robbed in South Beach, Florida

Gay Pornstar Cody Kyler was attacked,robbed and had his iPhone stolen last night in South Beach Florida. The popular 19 year old Flavaworks performer/videographer Tweeted about the incident and posted the photo of cuts & bruises on his face to his Twitpic account. Cody Kyler is no tourist, Flava Works Florida office/studio is nearby and he certainly knows his way around the club and beach scene. I am reminded that another pornster Krist Cummings was robbed just this past November (Ft Lauderdale) Add the anecdotal story's and Twit message about the rough and surly criminal element on the beaches of South Florida and you see Codys attack is not an isolated incident. Researching this story tonight I noticed the shear number of recent and disturbing crime story's emanating form South Beach and Miami. The story of the LA resident who returned to Miami to visit his old hometown, witnessed two undercover Miami Police kicking a handcuffed suspect in the head which resulted in his life being threatened by the rogue officers. Read  I’m scared to return to Florida after being arrested on false charge by two Miami Beach cops! In Mid January the Miami New Times ran an article titled Gays leave unfriendly South Beach for Fort Lauderdale. Yet up "gay friendly" Ft Lauderdale way,  this past week a 65 year old black women (and local resident) is attacked, kicked and bruised by two white males screaming "nigger what are you doing on our beach?" on the upscale, predominantly white beach in Boca Raton. Review of hate-crime beating. Should Gay Tourists visit South Beach Florida? Has South Beach become Hate Beach Florida? Is the Gold Coast becoming the Crime Coast? A quick look at crime statistics and newspaper story's paints a picture of a South Florida that is ever more homophobic,racist and just plain violent! I know some residents tell me South Beach and Miami have been this way for years. Add homophobic and rogue police to the mix and an image of a place no gay or (or black apparently) tourist would want to visit emerges. Indeed there are much safer and welcoming beaches and tourist meccas than the Gold Coast! 74 miles of San Diego County beaches, fully public and some of the most crime free real estate in any major USA metroplitan area come to mind! Questioning South Beach’s Status as a Gay Mecca?

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Guess What Church is Hating on Lady Gaga And Calling Her A Slut?

OK, if you just happen to glance at Lady Gaga not knowing who she is, you might think "Whoa! Lady is crazy!" But if you know who Lady Gaga is, you know that while she's a bit eccentric, she's an amazing artist and actually quite intelligent. And of course she is one of our Gay Divas ... so loved by us Well, Westboro Baptist church actually thinks Lady Gaga is a God-hater and God hates Lady Gaga, too. Sigh. Can they really not find anyone better to pick on? Sure, Lady Gaga is kind of strange. Yes, she dresses in odd outfits. And it's true she has a lot of gay and lesbian fans. But does that somehow make Lady Gaga a God-hater? One Baptist church thinks so and plans to picket Gaga's concert on January 7 at the Fox Theater in Missouri. The church, led by Reverend Fred Phelps, claims Lady Gaga is leading a revolution against God and will be going to hell. Oh, and for followers of Lady Gaga? She's actually bringing "them into slavery to their own corruption, teaching them to glory in their shame." And "She hates you!" Wow. We love Lady Gaga because she's so different; not to mention, she's super sweet and not harming a soul as far as we can see. I have a feeling this isn't really bothering Lady Gaga too much, but it could be a huge annoyance to fans trying to attend her Missouri concert. Though I can't imagine too many people will show up to picket her show. And the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, Francis Slay, actually has a sense of humor about the matter and says, "I hope her fans have fun and spend lots of money here. Other than that, there's 'Nothing Else I Can Say (eh eh)." So, it looks like even the mayor knows who Lady Gaga is! Fred Phelps, the leader of Westboro Baptist Church, best known for picketing the funerals of deceased soldiers and trying to deny equal rights to gays and lesbians, has turned his attention and PR machine to pop culture by calling Lady Gaga a ’slut.’

“Her claim to the title of ‘Lady’ is sound only if she tacks on ‘of the night.’ Does the simple slut truly think she can change God’s standards by seducing a generation of rebels into joining her in fist-raised, stiff-necked, hard-hearted rebellion against Him? Get real!”

The group even plans to picket her concert at Fox Theatre in Missouri on January 7th. Do you think Fred Phelps and his Baptist church will have an effect on Lady Gaga or that nothing can stop her now?

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Ricky Martin Issues Statement Against Homophobia

Ricky Martin has issued a statement speaking out against homophobia. I have to say that I agree with Martin’s deconstruction of the term “tolerance.” Often I think it is condescending to say you “tolerate” someone, as if it is a gift you are giving to someone else versus to yourself. Perhaps this is because people do not know what “respect” would look like, feel like, or result in if they were to say they “respect” someone. Does that mean that we have a hard time explaining what respect we have accepted and experienced? How do we differentiate how we practice tolerance versus how we practice respect? Author and activist Larry La Fountain-Stokes, author of Queer Ricans, posted this story in English. Martin writes:

"Well, when we believe in peace, there is simply no room for complacency. The murders of James Byrd, Matthew Shepard, Jorge Steven Lopez, Marcelo Lucero, Luis Ramirez and countless others who were victims of violent “hate crimes” should be completely unacceptable to every human being; because we’re all human beings. It’s up to us to change the paradigm. I hear the world “tolerance” thrown around in the media when it comes to cases like the ones I mentioned above. One of the meanings of tolerance is “the capacity to endure pain or hardship.” Another is “the act of allowing something.” To me, those don’t seem to encompass acceptance, by any definition. So how about this? Instead of saying “we need to tolerate diversity” why not say, “we need to accept diversity.”

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Government Supported Gay Bar Closes Before Opening

Homosexual behavior has been viewed as a sin or a disease for countless ages all throughout the world, including China. And so when the first state-funded gay bar in Dali, Yunnan Province, southwest China was shut down a day before its opening due to a clinical outbreak of homophobia, it came as no surprise. Although gay bars have been operating in China for over 15 years, the stigma associated with homosexuality still exists, making it exceptionally hard for gays to come out the closet. What’s worse is that Yunnan province hosts over 23% of China’s HIV/AIDS infected population, despite only figuring into 3.5% of China’s total population. And according to Health Minister Chen Zhu, 32% of all HIV victims in China were infected from homosexual male-on-male sex. It was this fact that inspired local AIDs Doctor and bar-manager Zhang Jiambo to seek over 120,000 yuan from the Dali Prefecuture government to transform his gay bar into an educational “space where gay men could meet and socialize and also receive education on how to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.” China Daily quoted Zhang as saying, “As a long-term medical worker in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, I know how hard it is for us to reach these groups to promote self-protection messages like safe sex.” The bar was due to officially launch on December 1st, better known as World AIDS Day; but was prematurely closed instead due to an extremely negative reaction from the general public. Extensive coverage of the bar prior to its opening by local news agencies — including Beijing News, China Central Television, and China Daily — was mainly to blame, as it put fear into the hearts of potential attendees and volunteer workers, provoking many to not even show up, lest they be publicly outed. In fact, some were already outed, even if they weren’t gay. The bar had opened up for trial operation in November, allowing Zhang’s AIDS volunteers an opportunity to try out their rehabilitative methods. Many had their pictures and names later posted in the news. One volunteer chronicled his experience: “When the CCTV journalists came to interview us, and report on the day-to-day work of AIDS volunteers, they did not let us see their report, they also did not seek or get the consent of the people they interviewed.” The result was that many of the volunteers found themselves as targets of homophobia, including being mocked and even repudiated by their peers. All of the media frenzy eventually led Zhang to cancel the grand opening. He explains, “They (gay men) refused to show up at the opening for fear of media exposure and potential discrimination. Had I known it, I would not have told the media.” Source: China Daily News Global

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Atlanta, Georgia Teacher 'threatened to have gay student killed'

A Georgia high school teacher is being investigated for asking a student to put a “hit” on another student last month. Randolphe Forde, a teacher at Mundy's Mill High School in Atlanta, has been charged with making terroristic threats. He was released on bond and is currently on leave from his job with pay. He will face an employment hearing in December, said school district spokesman Charles White. A Clayton County Police report says that Forde pulled a student off a school bus on October 9 and told him he "would pay him to kill the victim." Forde then wrote the 16-year-old victim-to-be's name on a piece of paper, CNN reports. Terance Madden, the attorney representing Forde's alleged target and family, says problems between the teacher and the student go back to Sept. 29, when "Forde allegedly called my client outside the class and asked him if he is gay." Madden's statement says the two also argued in class on or around Sept. 30, and Forde threatened to "hit him in his 'effin mouth." The statement says the school failed to take action against Forde, though the student reported the fight, the threat and the incident outside the classroom to the vice principal. The student’s mother pulled him out of school, fearing for his safety. A police report was filed on Oct. 12. "Finally, Mr. Forde was allegedly removed from the school after the police report was filed, and my client was able to return to school," Madden said. "An arrest was made on or about Oct. 14. Mr. Forde bonded out on $10,000 bond and waived his preliminary hearing." Forde's attorney was quoted by CNN affiliate WSB-TV saying that Forde had been joking and had never revealed a name to anyone. The teacher's employment hearing originally was set for today, but it was postponed because of the state's open meetings law, which requires proper prior notice of a scheduled session, according to CNN. Madden believes the hearing was postponed because of the publicity the investigation has been receiving. White refused to comment on the matter, but said, "There are definitely multiple sides to any story."

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Jericho Apologizes For Homophobic & Racist Remarks

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is effectively rejecting what they call Chris Jericho's "insincere and worn" apology for using anti-gay and racist slurs at a recent film festival. Chris is shown in the image to the left. GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios issued the following statement to TMZ.com this afternon: "Just three months ago Chris Jericho's boss and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon acknowledged to GLAAD that words matter. There is no time, context or occasion in which it is acceptable to utter racist and anti-gay slurs. Jericho's hollow apology 'if (he) offended anyone' is a template used by many and is insincere and worn." ** VIDEO: WATCH Chris Jericho's Rant - What Was He Thinking?!

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'Balloon Boy' and Brothers Perform Offensive, Anti-Gay Rap Video

The news just keeps getting worse for the Heene family, better known now to the world as the family behind the "balloon boy" scandal. On the heels of news that the Heene parents will face charges for what has now been deemed a "hoax" -- the Larimer County, Colo., sheriff's department says the Heenes "manipulated authorities and media into believing their son had flown away in a balloon (he was later found hiding in the attic) -- comes this video, shot just after the Heenes appeared on Wife Swap. In the video the Heene boys rap about the "pussification" of men and frequently use the word "faggot." At about the 2 minute and 50 second mark, one of the boys talks about throwing a rock at a "faggot" in a tree.

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Postcard Exhibit On Homophobia

'Woah. I could die'

Exhibition at Tel Aviv's Gross Gallery presents postcards of 22 artists on topic of homophobia. Curator Ziv Tidhar, 'Homophobia is alive and kicking in Israel, regardless of the murder',"Cusomophobia," an exclusive exhibit of postcards addressing the issue of homophobia, is opening Thursday at the Gross Gallery in Tel Aviv.   The exhibit presents the works of 22 artists from various disciplines presenting 24 postcards using a uniform format and size, each one presenting homophobia and its manifestations in the Israeli discourse, especially after the August massacre at a gay youth club in Tel Aviv. Ziv Tidhar, the curator of the exhibit that also includes two of his works, claims that the recent murder was only one of many motivations for the exhibit. "It is not the murder at the gay and lesbian youth center that proves that homophobia in Israel is alive and kicking, but the responses to it sharpened the discussion of the ever-updating boundaries between incitement and freedom of expression."

'Amplitude'

Tidhar added the phenomenon of homophobia is a manifestation of the increasing violence in Israel and the show of hatred and lack of tolerance towards minorities and marginal groups in the society.   The name of the exhibit 'Cusomophobia' is an expression of the disgust towards rising verbal violence, as well as the lack of tolerance and the loathing directed towards some segments of Israeli society, and towards members of the community, the discussion of whose rights is perceived as superfluous and bothersome," explained Tidhar. Tidhar claims that the murder not only brought gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals out of the closet, but the entire Israeli society as well sat in comfort and insolence in the closet of apathy. The exhibit seeks to continue to spark discussion of homophobia and its implications in Israel 2009 and to do so from social, political, and personal perspectives.

'Be Fruitful and Multiply'

As part of his role as curator, Tidhar chose to show the artists' work on postcards because this format is capable of sending a piercing message without pointing fingers. The works will bring attention to the gay community's inability to get married or adopt children in Israel, the personal struggle with sexual identity, acts of homophobia, and feelings of loneliness, fear, and anxiety following the murder.   The art pieces examine homophobia from various perspectives on both the personal and the public levels, some touching upon the personal and the intimate and others referring to social existence. Included in the pieces being shown are: Naomi Shalev's "Come on. Let's Go Back to the Ghetto" – clay and digital photography; Odelia Gal "Knowledge Gap" – watercolors on paper; Avi Rose "Be Fruitful and Multiply" – watercolors and digital processing. Other artists showing at the exhibit include: Rafi Peretz, Gal Barzilay, Anat Bandori, Imri Kalman, Yael Koren, Aya Hoveras, Tamar Danieli, Liav Mizrahi, Adi Reznik, and Almar Schmidt. The exhibit will be shown until November 10. Story: Ynet News

4

The Gay Confederacy

Some folks believe that if a man is gay, he is less than a man. In fact the Southern Baptists and other Southern Holy Rollers in and around the buckle of the Bible Belt think of a gay man as a person as some sort of a demon called up from the pits of hell. Homophobia runs deep in the south. Living in the closet or living out a double-life is all so common in the southern states. I have always found Southern American history interesting and I really love to read gay Southern history. Unfortunately there is not a great deal of it documented. For so long many believed that the gay experience was urban and that sexual freedom was only found in bigger cities. The assumption was that rural areas regulated untraditional sexual practices. However, gay culture and gay sex existed and is quite flourishing in small towns and communities throughout the south. Gay history is always in the making and I believe we are living in a day and age that is very fascinating, as fascinating as the Stonewall Riots 40 years ago. The Advocate has a great account of the pioneers who never knew a time before Stonewall in their June/July Double Issue in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Be sure to check it out, as it lists 40 people under 40 years old and their dedication to the promise of the pioneers who came before them. I wanted to give you my take on my gay history that I grew up around and with by sharing with you some things about a film I think you would really enjoy and a film which contains the only known video footage of Matthew Shepard before his death while he was a college student in North Carolina. More than a decade has passed since Tim Kirkman filmed his Emmy-nominated documentary Dear Jesse, yet the piece retains its significance as one of the first accounts of the divisive rhetoric that has come to characterize American politics. This short film is a first-person compare-and-contrast between the gay filmmaker and the notoriously conservative Jesse Helms, who served five terms as a Republican senator from North Carolina. Kirkman, who grew up in a Monroe, North Carolina, seeks to understand what motivates decent, “God-fearing” people to practice the politics of hate.

 

In 1972, Helms became the first Republican to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate since the 19th century. His conservative politics quickly earned him the moniker “Senator No” -- that is, no affirmative action, no abortion, no gay rights. Despite his tendency toward intolerance, Helms would become the longest-serving popularly elected U.S. senator in his state's history. Yet it would be a mistake to characterize North Carolina as a state other than one built on “churches and banks,” says local theater director Steve Umberger. His production of Angels in America, a play sympathetic to gays and people with AIDS, met with firm disapproval from conservative Carolinians. And the state was and still is very much composed of middle-class Americans who respect Helms for his consistent -- albeit bigoted -- rhetoric. Although times have changed -- the 1998 film was produced before same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts -- Kirkman shows us that we are still a nation deeply divided over issues of moral “right” and “wrong.” And he points to the toll that this division can take on the American public.

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The movie concludes with a short clip of Matthew Shepard, interviewed with his boyfriend at Catawba College in North Carolina two years before his tragic death. Not included in the original documentary, the 1998 tape included the footage as a reminder that a lack of tolerance can breed violence. “This is the only footage I have of Matthew,” Kirkman comments on the film. “It's not fair. It isn't enough.” And it isn't enough to encompass the vitality of the young man. But it does serve to emphasize the necessity for understanding -- on both sides of the divide. CLICK HERE TO REVIEW AND ORDER DEAR JESSE This telling documentary is an "open letter" to Jesse Helms, the infamously conservative "Senator No." Director Kirkman, a 25-year-old gay man and North Carolina native, who left for the more liberal world of New York returns in this personal quest for understanding and perspective.

4

Wanna Stop Sagger Boys ?

Here's a solution to stop those cute sagger boys who walk around Disney World and make the "grown folk" upset in OTown. Today's Fashion Report in Orlando's Sun-Sentinel offers tips to curb teen boys from sporting their sagging pants which are exposing their boxer shorts. The Sun-Sentinel says that this activity makes "grown folks tighten their jaws and narrow their eyes." The newspaper says it is better to educate the young ones and provides this method.

Try this: show the teen all the gay websites that eroticize saggers like SaggersGoneWild and SaggerBoys. BaggyLover has posted a video on YouTube called "Gay - The World Of Saggers (Le Monde Des Saggers)" that is sooooo gay it's in FRENCH!!!

I guess once the kids see that it's gay boys who sag around with their pants down perhaps homophobia will set in on their young minds and they will pull their pants up ?????

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Bar Refuses 100 Gays

The Union Bar Lounge in midtown Houston, Texas refused to serve nearly 100 gay patrons, leaving them to wait in the rain while the bar was empty and heterosexuals were being ushered inside. Patrons started lining up at about 9:40 p.m Friday night. and were told to wait in line and not allowed inside, even as straight-appearing people were waved through. As the line grew and patrons waited in the rain, employees at the door told those who were that they were maintaining a “ratio.” Later, the bar employees simply indicated they had the right to refuse anyone.

“I was shocked to be a victim of that kind of discrimination in a city like Houston in 2009,” said Neal Falgoust, a Houston law student. “I have never experienced anything like that before in my life.”

A patron who arrived at the bar early reported that the bar was nearly empty at about  9:40 p.m. Friday night, when gay people started arriving and were stopped at the door. Gay people continued to line up to the street and around the corner as people who appeared to be straight went to the front and were ushered in. Kris Banks, who stood at the front of the line, said the bar employees were asking the women who were entering with men if the men were accompanying them. If the men were with the women, they were allowed in.

“I arrived and heard that they were not allowing gay men in, so when I got to the door with three women I asked if we would be allowed in, and the door employee said ‘I was told to keep you out,’ ” said Lindsey Dionne. “This was supposed to be a social event, but now it’s political.”

That this kind of discrimination is still legal in Houston makes it more outrageous. A coalition of GLBT rights groups, including the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, the Houston Stonewall Young Democrats, the Harris County Impact Houston and Amicus at South Texas College of Law said Saturday that the incident is proof of the necessity of legal protections for sexual orientation and gender identity for public accommodations.

“Houston is the only major city in Texas without a law that prevents this kind of discrimination,” said Jerry Simoneaux, GLBT civil rights lawyer. “This incident is exactly the reason Houston should implement such an ordinance.”

The event was organized as Houston’s first “Guerilla Gay Bar,” a tongue-in-cheek event that has been popular in other cities in which GLBT individuals come to traditionally straight bars to interact with other communities. Though Guerilla Gay Bars are usually a surprise event in other cities, Houston organizers informed the bar owner in advance out of courtesy and were told they would be welcomed (Capitol Annex). The bar’s owner said his establishment has always been gay friendly, and he’s willing to prove it. He said he plans to reach out to Houston’s gay community to clear up what he insists is just a misunderstanding The fact that the bar was told in advance that a large gay crowd was coming was not even necessary, since when does one need to RSVP to a bar? The bar said they would be welcome, and then decided to discriminate against them. People are already leaving negative reviews on their yelp page. Contact Union Bar And Voice Your Complaint 2708 Bagby St Houston, TX 77006 (281) 974-1916 info@unionbarhouston.com