Liberal Democrat leader supports new campaign to lift gay men blood ban

A UK campaign to allow gay men to donate blood without limitations has received support from the newly-elected Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron.

The campaign ‘Freedom to Donate’ wants to remove limitations on blood donations from gay men who can only donate 12 months after their last sexual contact with a man.

‘Sex’ is described on the NHS’s blood.co.uk website as anything ‘penetrative’ (oral and anal) and explained as relating to higher incidence in HIV infection in men who have sex with men.

This deferral period was called ‘Draconian’ by Freedom to Donate’s founder, Ethan Spibey. He an introduction video to the campaign, he said the restrictions made him feel ‘shame and guilt’ for being gay.

Spibey is an account executive at GK Strategy, a public sector consultancy firm.

In an article for Huffington Post UK, Farron said he is: ‘Thrilled to put my support behind [the campaign].

He describes the deferral period as: ‘Frankly inexcusable’, and ‘patently doesn’t make sense’.

A campaign video said the number of donations have dropped 40% over the last decade, and 6,000 blood transfusions take place everyday.

Farron puts at the end of the article: ‘Perhaps the biggest irony is that we are putting barriers in the way of people doing something unbelievably generous and absolutely vital to help other people.’

He added: ‘[legislation] urgently needs to change.’

The campaign has received further support from Green Party’s former leader Caroline Lucas and Stuart Andrew, the openly gay MP for Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough.

Farron, a Christian, was recently the subject of criticism over a TV interview on Channel 4 in which he refused to say whether he thought gay people were ‘sinful’.

‘Everyone is a sinner, and everyone has the offer of redemption,’ he said.

In a follow-up interview he added: ‘I’m passionate about LGBT-plus rights, for example, and as the leader of a Liberal party, that is something that will be at the top of my agenda throughout the time that I am leader of our party.’

Image: Dave Radcliff | CC 2.0

The post Liberal Democrat leader supports new campaign to lift gay men blood ban appeared first on Gay Star News.

Jack Flanagan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/liberal-democrat-leader-supports-new-campaign-to-lift-gay-men-blood-ban/

Antigay “Religious Freedom” Fighter Bobby Jindal Now Thinks The Religious Westboro Baptist Church Is “Morally Reprehensible”

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, otherwise known as the creepy uncle of the antigay “religious freedom” movement, has a message for members of the Westboro Baptist Church: You cannot use your religion to justify picketing the funerals of the victims from last week’s shooting in Lafayette.

Jindal instructed state police to “take swift and immediate action” to prevent disruptions of the memorial services of 21-year-old Mayci Breaux and 33-year-old Jillian Johnson. The announcement came one day after members of the Westboro Baptist Church said they planned exercise their “religious freedom” by picketing the women’s funerals.

Related: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Calls Antigay Religious Freedom Laws “Common Sense”

Of course, it’s easy for Jindal to take stand against a hate group like the Westboro Baptist Church, which is loathed by pretty much everyone, even those on the far-right (mostly for making a mockery of antigay views). And we can’t ignore the major inconsistencies in Jindal’s message here. When it comes to “religious freedom,” the governor draws the line at protesting people’s funerals, which, BTW, is totally protected speech, no matter how vile.

Discriminating against LGBT people, however, is totally fine.

Sorry, Bobby, no cigar.

Related: The Best Responses To Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Antigay Executive Order (So Far)

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/KF0Z5f38VFs/antigay-religious-freedom-fighter-bobby-jindal-now-thinks-the-religious-westboro-baptist-church-is-morally-reprehensible-20150728

Matt Baume Explains Why Gay Adults Aren’t A Threat To Boy Scouts: VIDEO

In a new video posted to his channel today, Matt Baume explains the history of anti-gay animus in the Boy Scouts and the implications of yesterday’s vote to end the ban on gay adult scout leaders.

Though the National Executive Board of The Boy Scouts of America voted to lift its nation-wide ban on gay adult scout leaders, the organization will still allow local chapters to decide whether they will discriminate against gay scout leaders. As Baume notes,

“The Boy Scouts are a private group…and they’re free to decide who can be a member. In fact, individual chapters are still allowed to deny access to LGBt leaders. Non-discrimination laws just don’t apply here, like they do for public facilities and businesses.”

As for why gay adults have been barred from openly serving as leaders in the Scouts, one need look no further than the anti-gay religious right. Over the years, virulently homophobic leaders like Tony Perkins and Bryan Fischer have insisted that homosexuals are pedophiles. Consequently, gay scout leaders could not and should not be trusted around children. Thankfully, such baseless pseudo-science has been disproven and the overwhelming vote in favor of gay scout leaders yesterday proves how weak their arguments are.

A former scout himself, Baume also explains why having openly gay scout leaders will make a difference in the lives of LGBT youth:

“I didn’t know that I was gay when I was a 7 year-old Boy Scout. I just knew that I was different. And nothing would have been more important to me than to know that I wasn’t alone. And when I got a little older to have seen that people like me aren’t a threat and are just as trustworthy, and helpful and loyal as anyone else.”

Watch the video below:

The post Matt Baume Explains Why Gay Adults Aren’t A Threat To Boy Scouts: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Matt Baume Explains Why Gay Adults Aren’t A Threat To Boy Scouts: VIDEO

Conservative Candidate for Missouri Governor Bob Dixon Comes Out As Ex-Gay

Missouri State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Bob Dixon says being abused as a child turned him gay for five years.

read more

Bil Browning

www.advocate.com/politics/2015/07/28/conservative-candidate-missouri-governor-bob-dixon-comes-out-ex-gay

Reno Removes Rainbow Flag From City Hall After Controversy

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Reno’s decision to temporarily replace the Stars and Stripes with a rainbow didn’t fly with some locals.

The American flag was lowered from City Hall in downtown Reno over the weekend, replaced temporarily with the LGBT pride flag following a gay pride celebration.

By Sunday evening, however, the rainbow flag had been removed and replaced by the American flag. The decision to remove the American flag generated controversy among some locals.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Remember Thirty Years Ago When Madonna Was A Huge Movie Star?

There are many, many reasons we will always love Madonna:

• There’s her career-long dedication to kicking ass to help us achieve LGBT equality

• Her influential fashion sense (a blend of downtown thrift store cheekiness and uptown Haute couture chic) has made her one of the great style icons

• She refuses to play by anyone else’s rule book

• Her music (and its accompanying videos) which have provided the soundtrack to a generation of people both queer and straight (seriously!)

Unfortunately, one area where the superstar entertainer hasn’t provided a lot of fulfillment — to either queer or straight people — is in her once-promising acting career. It’s true. There was a time when 26-year-old Madonna, who seemed to combine the effortless sexual allure of Marilyn Monroe with the brassy comic appeal of Bette Midler, was expected to become the next great singer-turned-movie star.

That brief, shining, glorious moment was 1985 and the Susan Seidelman-directed comedy Desperately Seeking Susan was a big hit in movie theaters. The bohemian, opportunistic title character, originally intended for Goldie Hawn, was tailor-made for the newly-anointed Queen of Pop. Fans lined up (the comedy grossed more than $27 million on a $4 million budget — that was impressive in its day) and many critics praised Madonna’s performance and described the character she created as “a Holly Golightly for the 1980s.” Alas, Madonna’s public persona is such a strong one that she’s since had considerable trouble subverting it into another character’s. Remember when she played a missionary in Shanghai Surprise? No? For every film that’s made good use of her skills (think Evita and, um, um… just think Evita), there have been countless other misfires. But so what? Not everyone is meant to be Meryl Streep.

Thirty years have now passed since DSS premiered so naturally a splashy anniversary screening is planned. The event is planned for August 13 at Universal City in Los Angeles, a mere three days before Madge’s 57th, which many (not Queerty employers, unfortch) consider an official work holiday. Can you think of a better way to celebrate? If you’ll be in L.A. and want to attend, note that seats are very limited so you must order tickets here prior to July 30.

Get into the groove with the original trailer for the film below.

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/t7R933JZpqI/remember-thirty-years-ago-when-madonna-was-a-huge-movie-star-20150728

News: Obama’s Third Term, Calvin Harris, Donald Trump, Boy Scouts

> President Obama says he thinks he could win a third term if the constitution allowed him to (cc: Bill Clinton).

> Minnesota father of two identified as killer of one of Zimbabwe’s most loved lions.

> San Francisco high school to offer course in gay history.

> 14 men dissect their own personal style.

> Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz discusses his iconic hair. 

> Go ahead, be sarcastic. New study shows the cognitive and interpersonal value of sarcasm: “Not only did we demonstrate the causal effect of expressing sarcasm on creativity and explore the relational cost sarcasm expressers and recipients have to endure, we also demonstrated, for the first time, the cognitive benefit sarcasm recipients could reap. Additionally, for the first time, our research proposed and has shown that to minimize the relational cost while still benefiting creatively, sarcasm is better used between people who have a trusting relationship.”

> The Hunger Game of Thrones: Jon Snow Must Die mashes up your favorite geeky things.

> Gay and transgender Catholics have a message for Pope Francis.

> Calvin Harris is stripped down in new ad for Emporio Armani.

> Donald Trump has twice the support of Jeb Bush in new New Hampshire poll.

> Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyer loses it over Ivana Trump’s allegations of marital rape. Then apologizes.

> Valerie Jarrett thanks Bill Gates for helping to end the ban on LGBT scout leaders.

Thanks to Bob Gates’s leadership, @boyscouts took a big step in including LGBT scout leaders. t.co/0NGn4g8sdm

— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) July 28, 2015

The post News: Obama’s Third Term, Calvin Harris, Donald Trump, Boy Scouts appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

News: Obama’s Third Term, Calvin Harris, Donald Trump, Boy Scouts

Queer Women in Their 30s Give Advice to Their 20-Something Selves

What advice would you give your 20-something self?

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Erin Faith Wilson

www.advocate.com/women/2015/07/28/queer-women-their-30s-give-advice-their-20-something-selves