VIDEO: Who's Missing From the 'Stonewall' Trailer?
The power of the Stonewall riots lies in all of the diverse people who participated. It’s a problem when the story singles out one group and erases others.
Matt Baume
www.advocate.com/stonewall/2015/08/10/video-whos-missing-stonewall-trailer
Surrogate mothers are not ‘baby factories’ says former Nigerian official
A former aide to Nigerian ex-President Goodluck Jonathan is speaking out against stigmatization of surrogate mothers in the country, saying the practice should be allowed by government.
Reno Omokri, who lives in California, is urging the Nigerian government to regulate the sector, where orphan women and girls are often impregnated against their will before their babies are sold – leading to the term ‘baby factories’.
While he admits there is a problem with the lack of regulation, Omokri suggests mothers who consent to surrogacy should be treated with dignity and respect.
‘This is the 21st Century not the 12th,’ he said. ‘If women wish to be surrogate mothers, government shouldn’t stigmatize them as a ‘Baby Factories’.
‘As long as these aren’t underaged girls, and as long as they consent without duress to be surrogate mothers, they have committed no crime.’
Omokri said surrogacy should remain a legitimate option for couples unable to have children – enabling the parents to know more about the family history and genetics of their unborn child than they would with anonymous adoptions.
‘Tens of thousands of surrogate children are born each year in the Americas and even more in Europe,’ he explained, writing in the Premium Times.
‘Anyone who has ever experienced childlessness either directly or indirectly through a relative, extended family or friend is likely to appreciate the role surrogate mothers play in bringing succor to such families.
‘To ostracize them and tag them ‘Baby Factories’ is most unfortunate indeed.’
While attitudes to surrogacy are slowly shifting in the country, Nigeria has a long way to go as far as LGBTI rights are concerned.
Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal, and can be punishable by 14 years in prison or death by stoning.
The post Surrogate mothers are not ‘baby factories’ says former Nigerian official appeared first on Gay Star News.
Mel Spencer
www.gaystarnews.com/article/surrogate-mothers-are-not-baby-factories-says-former-nigerian-official/
Op-ed: The Pope Needs to Confront LGBT Issues During His Visit
With the pope visiting our turf next month, it’s high time he put ‘Who am I to judge?’ into action.
Ross Murray
www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/08/10/op-ed-pope-needs-confront-lgbt-issues-during-his-visit
Video reveals extent of homophobia in Jerusalem week after fatal Pride stabbing
Less than a week after the fatal stabbing at Jerusalem Pride, an Israeli newspaper conducted a social experiment to gauge the level of homophobia in the city.
Two couple, identified only as Shai and Ophir, walked through the Israeli capital holding hands, while Ynetnews followed behind with a hidden camera to capture people’s reactions.
The men’s modest display of affection turned heads and elicited a constant stream of anti-gay abuse as they strolled past shops, cafes and a busy market.
‘You gay sons of bitches!’ ‘Dirty gays!’ and ‘Have you seen faggot and faggot holding hands?’ were some of insults hurled at them.
The boyfriend experiment was first conducted in Moscow in July and then in Kiev. The videos shot in both cities ended in physical altercations.
Ultra-orthodox Rabbi Yishai Schlissel stabbed six marchers with a kitchen knife at Jerusalem Pride on 30 July. One of the victims, 16-year-old Shira Banki, died in hospital three days later.
Watch the video below:
The post Video reveals extent of homophobia in Jerusalem week after fatal Pride stabbing appeared first on Gay Star News.
Darren Wee
www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-gay-couple-abused-while-holding-hands-in-jerusalem/
Lady Gaga to play bisexual ‘evil character’ in American Horror Story: Hotel
Lady Gaga will play a bisexual villain in the fourth season of American Horror Story.
The show’s co-creator, Ryan Murphy, revealed details of her ‘evil character’ during the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Saturday (8 August).
‘Her character’s name is Elizabeth. She owns the hotel,’ he said.
‘She is a very wealthy social doyenne who is consumed with art, fashion and people, and she has a nefarious plan that is revealed in the first episode that plays out over the season.’
Gaga, who is bisexual in real life, starts filming on Monday.
Asked about LGBTI storylines, Murphy replied: ‘Lady Gaga plays a character who has relationships with Matt [Bomer] and Angela [Bassett] and Cheyenne [Jackson].
Openly gay Bomer said his character Donovan was ‘closely associated with Ms Gaga… and he has very interesting relationships with the lady folk in his life.’
Bassett plays the sexy Ramona Royale.
‘I have a very strong real lasting relationship with [Lady Gaga’s] character,’ she said.
‘And my character is also this fabulous actress. I don’t live at the hotel, but I vist there a lot.’
American Horror Story: Hotel will debut on Fox in November.
The post Lady Gaga to play bisexual ‘evil character’ in American Horror Story: Hotel appeared first on Gay Star News.
Darren Wee
WATCH: Scary Reaction to Men Holding Hands in Jerusalem
The video was filmed after a girl was murdered, and several others injured, at Jerusalem Pride.
Neal Broverman
www.advocate.com/world/2015/08/09/watch-scary-reaction-men-holding-hands-jerusalem
Prominent US minister ‘evolving’ on gay equality
A US minister is not that worried about marriage equality, and advises his flock to focus on other matters.
A portion of a sermon by Bishop TD Jakes, of The Potter’s House located in Dallas, is getting some viral attention. The snippet is taken from a sermon he gave earlier this summer, right after the US Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling on marriage equality.
‘I’m really not as concerned about it,’ Jakes said. ‘I think that we should not lose our mind about the world being the world and the Church being the Church. This is not a news flash. The world is gonna be the world and the Church is gonna be the Church, and you have to understand the difference.’
Last week, Jakes was a guest on HuffPost Live. He has a new book out called Destiny: Step Into Your Purpose. The bishop was asked if the LGBTI community and black church could co-exist.
‘Absolutely… I think it is going to be diverse from church to church,’ Jakes said. ‘Every church has a different opinion on the issue and every gay person is different…. to think [each] are all the same is totally not true.’
Host Marc Lamont Hill, a professor at Morehouse College, asked the bishop where he stood in terms of LGBTI equality.
‘Evolved and evolving… We (the church) bought into the myth that this was a Christian nation…Once you begin to understand that democracy…is designed to be an over arching system to protect our unique nuances, then we no longer look for public policy to reflect Biblical ethics.
‘We need a neutral government that protects our right to disagree with one another and to agree with one another.’
Below is a video of Jakes’ sermon:
h/t: NewNowNext
The post Prominent US minister ‘evolving’ on gay equality appeared first on Gay Star News.
James Withers
www.gaystarnews.com/article/prominent-us-minister-evolving-on-gay-equality/
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