Gay Man’s Defiant Facebook Post Goes Viral After Attack Outside Nightclub

A gay French couple was attacked after leaving a nightclub in Montpelier, France earlier this week. Clément Grobotek reported the attack on Facebook, in a defiant post that has been shared more than 44,000 times.

He and his boyfriend Aaron had left a club when six men shouted anti-gay taunts from a passing car, and then got out and assaulted them. Both required hospitalization, and Aaron remains unable to speak.

Said Grobotek to his attackers on Facebook:

“It is useless to describe the fear that you feel seeing your man lying on the ground with his head in blood and unconscious.”

To his attackers, he added:

“Obviously, in addition to being intolerant, you are also cowards! But you know what? You will always be powerless! You can strike and strike again, you never will remove my smile, and will not prevent me from loving my man more than anything!”

Grobotek later tweeted a photo with his boyfriend Aaron:

Tellement heureux d’être encore là avec toi ❤️ ( j’crois qu’il en peut plus je suis insup) mon #bibinamourheuu pic.twitter.com/mbwHj0yoWX

— Grobotek Clément (@GrobotekC) November 12, 2015

The post Gay Man’s Defiant Facebook Post Goes Viral After Attack Outside Nightclub appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Gay Man’s Defiant Facebook Post Goes Viral After Attack Outside Nightclub

Is Gay Dating App Linked to Basketball Star's Murder?

Michael Wright, a NBA draft pick for the New York Knicks and a former player for the University of Arizona Wildcats, was found murdered Tuesday. Police are now investigating whether the homicide could be related to a man Wright allegedly met via Grindr, the popular gay dating app, though they didn’t disclose who the man is, if Wright met up with more than one individual, and if an encounter actually took place or was merely arranged.

According the New York Daily News, Wright’s roommates at his “palatial home in Closter, New Jersey” had reported the athlete missing on Sunday night. Then on Tuesday, a police cruiser in Brooklyn found Wright’s Lexus; the 6’8” athlete had been wrapped in black garbage bags and pushed into the back seat. No autopsy reports have been released but police believe he died from a skull fracture.

The Daily News spoke to Wright’s grieving family members, who described him as a “gentle giant.” But, Randolph Berry, his cousin, admitted the family knew little of Wright’s dating life.

“We don’t know anything about his personal life,” Berry, told the publication, perhaps because Wright had most recently been playing basketball outside the U.S. “All we know is that he did damage overseas. When he played ball, he destroyed everyone in front of him.”

USA Today reported that Wright was selected by the New York Knicks in the 2001 NBA draft “after he helped lead the Wildcats to the finals of the NCAA tournament, where Arizona lost to Duke. Wright didn’t stick in the NBA, although he found success overseas, playing in Turkey, Poland, South Korea and other locales.”

Playing for Arizona between 1998-2001, reports the Chicago Tribune, Wright led his team to many victories. Though they “lost to Duke in the national championship game, they defeated Illinois in the Elite Eight. In the national final, Wright had 10 points and 11 rebounds. He was drafted by the Knicks in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft. He never played in the NBA, but had a lengthy career overseas.”

Wright was not known publicly as a gay athlete, which is why speculation is rampant after police offered up Grindr as a clue.

Diane Anderson-Minshall

www.advocate.com/crime/2015/11/14/gay-dating-app-linked-basketball-stars-murder

Which Business Leader Kicked Ass In 2015? You Decide!

To mark the 2015 Queerties Awards, we’ve compiled lists of outstanding LGBTQ folks and our allies (and yes, some of our foes) in a variety of categories. At the end of each list, we ask you, the reader, to cast your vote for who should come out on top.

Business leaders come in every shape and size, from the Fortune 500s to the shop around the corner, or even the shop in your pocket. And there are some true standouts making the wold a more inclusive place for LGBTQ folk. Some have broken barriers, others have helped us connect or even just made us look out best.

Scroll down for our list of business badasses, and cast your ballot below…

Tim Cook — CEO, Apple, Inc.

You can’t start a list of LGBTQ business leaders without the daddy of them all. Apple, if you haven’t heard, is the world’s most valuable brand, according to Forbes. And right there at the top of the pyramid is Tim Cook, who described his reasoning for coming out as, “kids are getting bullied in school, kids were getting discriminated against, kids were even being disclaimed by their own parents…I needed to do something.” He’s putting his company where is mouth is: Apple played a key role killing antigay bills in Arizona and Indiana. With big business controlling the purse strings of the Republican Party these days, the road to consensus on equality may lie in part in corporate America, as distasteful as that is.

Jonny Skandros — Founder, SCRUFF

Jonny went from bullied gay youth to founding a thriving company that brings together gay men who don’t fit inside a neat, tan, coiffed little box. It’s not always easy being on the heels of household name Grindr. But he differentiated Scruff from the competition in part with what we consider the best name in market but also by allowing users of the app to contact one another regardless of geo-proximity, a point he feels empowers queers in isolated parts of the world to reach out and form connection. Exactly how connected they want to get is up to every individual, of course.

Tom Ford — Designer, Brand Founder, Filmmaker

What is there to say about Tom Ford that you already don’t know? His fashion career is one thing, but then he had to go and make A Single Man in 2009 and blow us all away in ways we never could have anticipated. Actually, here’s something you might not know: Ford is currently filming is next feature film (acting as writer/director/producer), and that’s reason enough for him to make this list. Nocturnal Animals, set for a 2016 release, stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams and Kim Basinger, so, enough said. Perhaps no person in America (well, we have one idea, below) has been better at turning a fabulous aesthetic vision into vast wealth.

Heklina — Owner and hostess with the mostess, Oasis

San Francisco drag queen Heklina was a legend in her own right well before she took the plunge into becoming a business owner, but she breathed new life into the SF drag scene by opening nightlife hotspot Oasis in the SoMa neighborhood, which has morphed into a multipurpose shophouse for fun acts. The club now plays host to the best traveling drag talent as well as local favorites, retaining that “come-as-you-are” spirit that is harder to come by in SF by the day.

Christopher Bailey — CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Burberry 

With business acumen and creative spirt that rival few, Christopher is largely credited with ushering the 159-year-old fashion house into the 21st century. Upon learning he’d been handed the CEO title, he remarked, “I would be happy if designers were able to be seen as multidimensional creators who can do things bigger and broader than what people think a designer can.” He is certainly living proof.

Kathy Wolfe — Founder, Wolfe Distribution

Seeing your story represented in films is a powerful experience, and Kathy has been at the forefront of making sure LGBTQ folk aren’t left out of the equation for over three decades. With the current incarnation of Wolfe as Wolfe On Demand, she has made available a treasure trove of independent queer filmmaking to anyone with an internet connection.

Marc Jacobs — Founder, Marc Jacobs

You caught us — we adore designers. Say what you will of Marc’s recent media attention — we admire the way he’s fired back at those who wish to put him in a box. Yes, he uses Grindr. Yes, he likes to have fun (and, gasp, that even includes sex). But why should it be any other way? Where many public figures might try and back down from exposure and harsh criticism, apologizing despite not doing anything wrong, Marc has consistently fought back for a value system that favors creativity, freedom and pleasure. We give him major points for that. Oh, did we mention that his company might be going public soon and that he used to date the porn star Henry Louis?

Peter Thiel — Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, hedge fund manager

Whenever Peter Thiel, the gay PayPal/Facebook billionaire, opens his mouth to speak, it’s anyone’s guess what’s going to come out.  The vocal libertarian has backed with cash (by our standards) unsettling political causes, from Ron Paul to Ted Cruz (shudder), as well as some pretty nutty science ventures that only eccentric billionaires could ever care about. But you’ve got to give a little credit to a guy who speaks his mind, naysayers be damned, especially in group think Bay Area. He’s not only Silicon valley royalty, he’s openly gay royalty, dedicated to becoming a role model for generations of start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Amy Stanning — Senior Manager, Barclays Bank

As a manager of 240 people at Barclays, Amy was faced with a difficult situation when she decided to come out as transgender in 2009. Working for such a conservative institution, Amy’s livelihood and dignity were on the line. Her bravery paid off, and not only did she retain her position, she now works with the organization’s LGBT employee’s network to improve the experience of trans colleagues and customers.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Fm6bBxhj_D8/which-business-leader-kicked-ass-in-2015-you-decide-20151114

Hollande Calls Paris Attacks ‘Act of War'; ISIS Claims Responsibility: WATCH

French President François Hollande spoke to the nation on Saturday in a televised address, calling the attacks on Paris “an act of war” saying the country “has to take appropriate steps” to combat the attacks “against the values we uphold throughout the world, against who we are, a free country, which speaks to the whole planet.”

Hollande declared three days of national mourning.

Watch his statement, with translation:

At least 127 people have been killed in the unprecedented set of coordinated terror attacks. French police said there were eight attackers. Seven died in suicide bombings, and one was killed by gunfire.

See our coverage of the attacks HERE.

The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attacks:

Calling the attack “blessed,” an audio statement released online in Arabic and French said that ISIS “soldiers” targeted the “capital of prostitution and obscenity.”

The statement said eight attackers were involved and claimed the attack was the “first of the storm and a warning to those who wish to learn.”

The statement read:

Eight brothers carrying explosive belts and guns targeted areas in the heart of the French capital that were specifically chosen in advance: the Stade de France during a match against Germany which that imbecile François Hollande was attending; the Bataclan where hundreds of idolaters were together in a party of perversity as well as other targets in the 10th, 11th and 18th arrondissement

France and those who follow its path must know that they remain the principal targets of the Islamic State.

It went on to say that the attacks were a reaction to airstrikes by France and insults to the prophet Muhammad:

…having dared insult our prophet, having bragged about fighting Islam in France and striking Muslims in the Caliphate with their planes, which have not helped them in any way in the ill-smelling streets of Paris.

This attack is just the start of a storm and a warning for those who wish to draw lessons.

A Syrian passport was found on the body of one of the attackers.

The post Hollande Calls Paris Attacks ‘Act of War’; ISIS Claims Responsibility: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Hollande Calls Paris Attacks ‘Act of War’; ISIS Claims Responsibility: WATCH

Heat Up Your Style With Looks From Down Under

Handsome Nestor Caderin is the latest muse of photographer Adrian C. Martin in this shoot all about Australian style (and sex appeal). Nestor models looks designed by two Australian brands: underwear and swimwear from 2eros, as well as underwear, swimwear and a pair of active leggings from Supawear. From the typical weekday to the weights to the water, these two brands keep him covered in sharp, athletic style. And they do with it an Australian state-of-mind.

You can see more of this photoshoot on The Underwear Expert.

Photo Credit: Adrian C. Martin

Underwear Expert

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Q90wcj4ftiM/heat-up-your-style-with-looks-from-down-under-20151114

Defrocked gay priest says he has no regrets coming out as gay

Former high-ranking Catholic priest Krzysztof Charamsa, who was defrocked after publicly revealing that he is gay, has said that he has no regrets doing so.

The Polish-born 43-year-old had a long career as a priest that included 12 years as an official in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal enforcement body.

He was fired from his Vatican position hours after he announced his sexual orientation on Oct 3, the eve of the Vatican’s synod on the family, which drew bishops from around the world. He was subsequently defrocked by a Polish bishop on Oct 21.

In a phone interview with Religion News Service from Barcelona, Spain where he now lives with his boyfriend Eduard, he said he has no regrets revealing the truth.

‘I understood that it had nothing to do with reality,’ he said. ‘A moment arrived and I couldn’t do it anymore.’

‘I can’t follow Jesus from the closet.’

Despite being defrocked, Charamsa insists his vocation continues. ‘Today I think I am a better priest — I’m free.’

He said in the interview that he tried unsuccessfully to improve the Church’s approach to homosexuality from within the Holy See.

‘In the most important part of the Church I couldn’t cast doubt on the strategy of homophobia; I could not use the word “homophobia.”‘

And in the end, he was ‘treated like an object that gets thrown away. … We (gay priests) are treated like objects that must be silent.’

He said he enjoys living openly with his partner — ‘the only person who helped (him)’ — in Barcelona, which he describes as ‘an open city which is so tolerant.’

He added that he is frequently stopped by supporters in the streets and has received letters from a number of gay priests.

Charamsa also expressed that he is hopeful that Pope Francis, who has shown a greater openness than his predecessors toward gay Catholics, will bring about more acceptance of LGBTs although he noted that there are no signs he will try to change Church doctrine on homosexuality.

In a separate interview with AFP published on Friday, he revealed that he has written what he called ‘New manifesto for gay liberation’ and which he plans to deliver to the Vatican in the hope of changing the Church’s stance on homosexuality.

He says the manifesto will appeal to the Vatican to discard Church documents that are hostile towards homosexuals including Benedict XVI’s 2005 edict banning bishops from ordaining homosexuals into the priesthood.

It also calls on the Vatican to allow gays to become priests, and also to revise its interpretation of Biblical texts on this issue.

The former theology professor said he hopes to be able to start teaching again at university and write a book about his experience in the Vatican.

The post Defrocked gay priest says he has no regrets coming out as gay appeared first on Gay Star News.

Sylvia Tan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/defrocked-gay-priest-says-he-has-no-regrets-coming-out-as-gay/

‘You will never make me stop loving my boy more than everything,’ says victim of gay bashing in Montpellier

‘You can hit and hit again, you will never take off that smile you see on my face, and will not stop me from loving my man more than anything,’ said the victim who was beaten bloody in an anti-gay attack in Montpellier, France.

On Tuesday, Clement Grobotek was leaving a nightclub with his boyfriend Aaron when they were set upon by a group of six men.

In a Facebook post, Grobotek said the group of men who drove past them hurled anti-gay insults at him and his boyfriend.

When Grobotek shouted back, four men alighted from the car and attacked his boyfriend while two more attacked him.

Aaron was unconscious for several minutes after the attack.

Grobotek said they both received treatment at a hospital and went home at about 9am.

As of Wednesday when Grobotek posted the Facebook message, Aaron was still unable to speak.

He said in French, ‘I don’t need to describe the fear you feel when you see the guy you love unconscious on the ground with blood on his head, the inability to understand that rises inside of you and you feel powerless too.

Calling the attacker ‘cowards’, he added, ‘The thing is, both of us got up and yes, they had to strike harder! SIX PEOPLE VS. TWO, looks like it wasn’t enough! It seems that you are intolerants, and cowards too! But you know what? You will always be powerless! You can hit and hit again and again, you will never make me stop loving my boy more than everything.’

‘Maybe we are fags or homos like you said, but we don’t fight two people when it’s two people against six. Kisses to you dear homophobes.’

His post has been shared over 44,000 times since Wednesday.

A march in solidarity with the couple has been planned in Montipellier on Saturday, Nov 21.

Agression homophobe à Montpellier: Le… by 20Minutes

The post ‘You will never make me stop loving my boy more than everything,’ says victim of gay bashing in Montpellier appeared first on Gay Star News.

Sylvia Tan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/you-will-never-make-me-stop-loving-my-boy-more-than-everything-says-victim-of-gay-bashing-in-montpellier/

Late Night News: Eagles of Death Metal, Russell Tovey, Democratic Debate, Bisexual Boxer

PARIS: Southern Californian band Eagles of Death Metal were reportedly able to escape from the Bataclan theater in Paris as terrorists seized the venue and took hostages. “The wife of Eagles of Death Metal drummer Julian Dorio also confirmed the band was safe, telling The Washington Post, “[Julian] called to say that he loved me and he was safe. Everyone on stage was able to get off.”

BAD TIMING: Lindsay Lohan dressed up as Sharon Tate and posted about it on social media on Charles Manson’s birthday.

MUSIC: Billboard magazine names Adele’s 21 the greatest album of all time. “The Billboard rankings used a descending point system that awarded the highest value for weeks that an album spent at No. 1 with consideration for changes in chart-ranking methodology over the years. Despite having a record 19 No. 1 hits, The Beatles placed only 54th on the all-time great album rankings with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which spent 15 straight weeks at the top in 1967.” Does Kanye have anything to say about this?

LAW: Supreme Court to take up case over abortion restrictions in Texas. “The court said Friday that it will hear arguments later this term testing the constitutionality of a sweeping Texas abortion law that, if upheld, would allow the kind of major abortion restrictions not permitted in more than 40 years. Texas set the gold standard for tough abortion statutes two years ago. In June, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, upheld the law. The Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, temporarily blocked the ruling from going into effect. If the Supreme Court agrees with the 5th Circuit decision and upholds the Texas law, the number of clinics in the state would drop from the 40 that existed when the law was passed to nine or 10.”

B*TCH, I’M MADONNA: Idris Elba talks about opening for Madge. “I’m a DJ for hire, and she wanted a great one,” he joked. “I was excited, I had a great time. Madonna is a legend.”

TELEVISION: Shonda Rhimes says she has killed off a character because she didn’t like an actor. But she won’t name names.

BROADWAY: Russell Tovey makes his singing debut in A View From The Bridge: “I’ve never been paid to sing. I’ve sung on a karaoke stage. A lot. But have I sung where someone’s been giving me a wage? No.”

PROTEST: LGBT students and allies at University of Tulsa to protest appearance next week by ex-gay speaker: “Rosaria Butterfield is scheduled to hold a lecture on how “sexual orientation and sexual behavior intersect with Christian teachings.” The event, which will include a question and answer period afterward, is being sponsored by four campus religious organizations, Chi Alpha, Reformed University Fellowship, the Wesley Foundation and Baptist Collegiate Ministries.  LGBT groups say Mrs. Butterfield’s presentation is harmful to the LGBT community.”

POLITICS: Bernie Sanders said to be planning to go on the attack against Hillary Clinton in Saturday’s debate “if asked.” “Mr. Sanders prepped into the night on Thursday with a Senate aide playing Mrs. Clinton at mock sessions in Burlington, Vt. Yet Democrats inside and outside his campaign said that Mr. Sanders may be limited — by his own moves and by hers — in stopping a resurgent Mrs. Clinton, who has built double-digit leads over him in many opinion polls. They noted that Mr. Sanders still does not want to go on the attack first against Mrs. Clinton at the debate, potentially depriving him of chances to raise doubts about her judgment or character.

MOVIES: Director Lenny Abrahamson (Room) to direct bio-pic about bisexual boxer: “Director Lenny Abrahamson and producer Ed Guiney, the team behind the Oscar-season film Room, will make a movie of the life of Emile Griffith. He’s the boxer who won world titles in two weight classes but is best remembered for beating to death Benny “The Kid” Paret in the ring during a live nationwide TV broadcast. The vicious incident occurred after Paret grabbed the buttock of his opponent and called him a homosexual at the weigh-in. Fact is, Griffith led a secret life as a bisexual man, but in 1962, such a thing was taboo and most especially in the macho culture of boxing.”

OPINION: Why environmentalists shouldn’t rest on their laurels when it comes to the defeat of Keystone XL: “Still, while the Keystone defeat edges us toward a post-fossil fuel economy, we remain on the edge of dangerous carbon imbalances. I found out about Keystone on an energy-sucking screen, in an office space with inefficient overhead lights. We all live, work and play in places that are wholly reliant on abundant fossil fuels. So, even as we celebrate, we in the fact-based community should take care to resist declaring victory.”

TWITTER: Conservatives share reactions to Paris terrorist attacks on Twitter, incite revulsion.

The post Late Night News: Eagles of Death Metal, Russell Tovey, Democratic Debate, Bisexual Boxer appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

Late Night News: Eagles of Death Metal, Russell Tovey, Democratic Debate, Bisexual Boxer