Watch a gay Nigerian activist remember the moment he changed someone’s mind

The impact of a single person can be amazing.

Last week, the Bisi Alimi Foundation released a report which found acceptance of homosexuality increased 9% in Nigeria since 2010, but unacceptance is still high (86%).

In an interview with GLAAD, Bisi Alimi, a Nigerian activist and founder of the the foundation, tells his story as a gay Nigerian.

GLAAD’s Claire Pires asked Alimi if a moment really stood out for him in his career: one that ‘kept him going’.

He said there was. ‘There was one particular one in January last year, I had just finished an interview on CNN. It was on my birthday actually.

‘I was so exhausted. This is not the way I wanted to celebrate my birthday.

‘I got back home, and I went on Facebook and Twitter because I wanted to see what was going on.

‘I’d got a message from a middle-aged woman, who said: “I just watched you on TV. Thank you so much for…’ Bisi then paused to stop himself from crying.

The woman’s message said she’d thrown her son out after catching him with another man.

But she testified she loved him and ‘wanted the best for him.’

Alimi called her and told her took for her son. His parents kicked him out after he came out, and he never got over it. He said: ‘They will never get the son they kicked out’; alluding to the irreparable damage rejection creates.

‘I will never forget that at a very confused time in my life, they kicked me out.’

The mother took his advice, and is now a very active member of his fan club on Facebook.

‘For me, there is one other man, one other man out there, and I need to get across to that person.’

Regarding the survey results, Alimi says: ‘I feel really proud of my country.’

There will be a Twitter chat today with the Bisi Alimi Foundation, as well as two other activist groups in Nigeria, at 12pm EST (4pm GMT).

Watch Alimi’s story below:

The post Watch a gay Nigerian activist remember the moment he changed someone’s mind appeared first on Gay Star News.

Jack Flanagan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-a-gay-nigerian-activist-remember-the-moment-he-changed-someones-mind/

PHOTOS: Big Daddies Keep Naughty Go-Go Boys In Check

Legendary cub promoters the Boulet Brothers hosted Big Daddy’s at Precinct, Downtown L.A.’s brand spankin’ new gay bar. Tattooed daddies kept the randy go-go boys in check, while DJs and drag queens kept the party raging well into the early hours of the morn.

Scroll down for some pictures of the night, and see the full gallery over at GayCities…

Photo credit: Rolling Blackouts

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/ATUe7MchoW0/photos-big-daddies-keep-naughty-go-go-boys-in-check-20150704

First openly gay Texas legislator files ethics complaint against AG over same-sex marriage ruling stance

Former state Rep. Glen Maxey, the Texas Democratic Party’s county affairs director and the first openly gay legislator in Texas, on Friday filed a complaint against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton with the State Bar over the latter’s insistence on defying the US Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Following the ruling, Paxton issued a statement telling Texas county clerks they can decline to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples if it violated their religious beliefs.

Although he warned that they could face lawsuits, he promised that ‘numerous lawyers stand ready to assist clerks defending their religious beliefs, in many cases on a pro-bono basis.’

He added, ‘I will do everything I can from this office to be a public voice for those standing in defense of their rights.’

Maxey said in a prepared statement, ‘It’s irresponsible for an elected official — and a lawyer — to tell other elected officials to break the law.’

‘He’s misleading county and state officials based on a false premise that they can discriminate against same-sex couples. This past Friday, the Supreme Court was clear with their decision to let same-sex couple marry. Paxton took an oath to defend and protect the constitution, he must comply with the court’s decision. Paxton is no stranger to shady business. This just gives us another reason to question his legitimacy as a Texas Attorney General, lawyer, and trustworthy individual,’ the Dallas Morning News reported Maxey as saying in a statement.

150 Texas attorneys signs letter threatening to file complaint against Texas AG for denying same-sex couples marriage licenses

Some 150 attorneys in Texas have also signed a letter threatening to file a complaint with the State Bar of Texas against Paxton.

Rockport attorney Stever Fischer, a former director of the State Bar of Texas, and Brian Bouffard, a Fort Worth military and criminal defense attorney who collected the signatures said Paxton ‘has violated several sections of the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Conduct by encouraging state employees in their non-compliance with the United States Supreme Court.’

Fischer also told the Dallas Morning News that he believes Maxey, who is not an attorney, may have acted too soon as they wanted to give Paxton a chance to reconsider.

The post First openly gay Texas legislator files ethics complaint against AG over same-sex marriage ruling stance appeared first on Gay Star News.

Sylvia Tan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/first-openly-gay-texas-legislator-files-ethics-complaint-against-ag-over-same-sex-marriage-ruling-stance/

Hillary Clinton to gay teen unsure of his future: ‘Your future will be amazing’

Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s encouraging words to a gay teen on Facebook has gone viral since it was posted on Friday.

Photographer Brandon Stanton posted a photograph of a young unnamed male teenager to his wildly popular Humans of New York Facebook page which has over 13 million likes.

The teen was quoted as saying, ‘I’m a homosexual and I’m afraid about what my future will be and that people won’t like me.’

The post has garnered over 350,000 likes and 30,000 shares.

Using her official Clinton campaign account, the former US Secretary of State posted her comment which read, ‘Prediction from a grown-up: Your future is going to be amazing. You will surprise yourself with what you’re capable of and the incredible things you go on to do. Find the people who love and believe in you – there will be lots of them. –H’

The message was signed ‘-H’ to indicate that she had written the post herself.

Her comment along with the original post was also shared on Twitter by Kristina Schake, deputy communications director for the Hillary for America campaign.

The post of the gay teen was reportedly removed by Facebook, according to Jezebel.com.

Stanton reportedly posted a message saying his privileges to upload photos to the page were temporarily removed.

‘Seems that Facebook removed the young man’s brave statement and is now preventing me from uploading any further photos. I’m hoping it was a mistake. It is currently still on Instagram and I’m trying to figure out how to get it back up,’ he said.

The post Hillary Clinton to gay teen unsure of his future: ‘Your future will be amazing’ appeared first on Gay Star News.

Sylvia Tan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/hillary-clinton-to-gay-teen-unsure-of-his-future-your-future-will-be-amazing/