Muslim Preacher Who Called for Beheading of Gay People to Lecture in London: WATCH

A U.S.-born radical Islamist preacher who released a video describing methods for killing gay people is to give a number of speeches in London over the coming days.

In the video, Shaykh Hamza Sodagar calls for gay people to be beheaded, set alight, thrown off cliffs and have walls torn down over them. When Sodagar suggests using a combination of these methods, his audience laughs.

Born in Washington, D.C., Sodagar has spent the past 14 years in Iran studying Islamic law and principles, reports the Express.

Related: Muslim Cleric: Gay People Cause Earthquakes

According to website The Muslim Group, Sodagar is “deemed a role model by young Muslims around the world.”

Organized by the Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission group, Sodagar will be speaking at the Islamic Republic of Iran School in London between October 4th and 12th.

In a statement, Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission said:

De-contextualised excerpts of this series, were used by right-wing media to suggest that Shaykh Hamza was calling for ‘the beheading and burning of homosexuals’. This is untrue and a mischievous and malicious accusation to make.

To suggest that Shaykh Hamza is calling for the beheading and burning of homosexuals is laughable and absurd.

According to our understanding, it is precisely this irresponsible behavior that incites hatred and fuels racism and discrimination; and to this we shall not remain silent. We believe such entities intentionally seek to fuel divisions, stifle alternate voices and defame personalities that seek to make a positive contribution to society.

In a 2011 BBC interview, Sodagar agrees that “homosexuality is a sin” but says he accepts arguments for same-sex marriage based on “secular principals”

Watch both videos below.

(Image via Facebook)

The post Muslim Preacher Who Called for Beheading of Gay People to Lecture in London: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Muslim Preacher Who Called for Beheading of Gay People to Lecture in London: WATCH

Johns Hopkins Community Calls for Disavowal of Misleading Anti-LGBTQ “Report”

Nearly 700 members of the Johns Hopkins community have formally called for the Baltimore-based university and health system to distance themselves from “a misguided, misinformed attack on LGBT communities.”

In August, Johns Hopkins psychiatry professor Paul McHugh and biostatistician Lawrence Mayer published a 116-page “special report” on gender and sexual orientation in The New Atlantis, a conservative bioethics magazine. The report made a number of claims that have long been rejected by gender and sexuality researchers. It falsely implies that children are “encouraged to become transgender” and that young transgender children undergo medical interventions as part of affirming their gender identities.  In addition, it suggests that…

• Being lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer is caused by childhood sexual abuse
• LGBTQ people have inherent psychological difficulties
• Sexual orientation is a choice and can be changed

Gender and sexuality researchers, including some of those cited in the report, have called out its serious flaws. Distinguished geneticist and scientist emeritus at the National Institutes of Health, Dean Hamer, whose career has included key publications on the relationship between genes and sexual orientation, says McHugh and Mayer “twisted and misinterpreted” legitimate research to their own ends. Those ends may include the $400-an-hour fee Mayer collected for defending North Carolina’s deeply discriminatory HB2 law in a federal civil rights lawsuit.

While the report’s falsehoods attack the entire LGBTQ community, McHugh’s history reflects particular animus toward transgender people, collaborating with an organization deemed a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center and penning opinion articles mocking people who transition as “caricatures,” “counterfeits,” “impersonators,” “confused” and “mad.”

Because McHugh and Mayer lack research experience on gender and sexuality, and since the report was published in a magazine rather than a peer-reviewed scientific journal, it would normally be ignored beyond the authors’ fringe anti-LGBTQ circles. However, McHugh and Mayer have drawn on the Johns Hopkins name to convince readers to take them seriously, leading reporters to describe the article as a “Johns Hopkins study.”

When scholars try to brand unscientific opinions in this way, universities and hospitals often clarify that individual faculty members’ opinions do not represent them. In 2014, in response to a deeply flawed study used to attack LGBTQ families, the University of Texas at Austin announced that the author’s “opinions are his own” and “do not reflect the views of the university.” Johns Hopkins Medicine has a similar history: It responded to a 2013 article questioning the effectiveness of flu shots, stating that it “in no way endorses” the findings and detailing its own commitment to vaccination. These statements pose no threat to academic freedom. They clarify the record without limiting researchers’ ability to promote their work.

Johns Hopkins students, faculty, staff and alumni are calling on their university and hospital to issue a similar statement about the New Atlantis article. Signatories on a formal petition coordinated by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine alumnus, physician and researcher Carl Streed, Jr. include 264 Hopkins alumni, 200 current students, 30 faculty members, and more than a hundred staff, medical interns, medical residents and fellows.  In addition, last week, three Hopkins professors published a Baltimore Sun op-ed raising questions about the New Atlantis report’s credibility and concerns that it “could further stigmatize and harm the health of LGBTQ communities.”

As NBC OUT reported last month, HRC has been in communication with Johns Hopkins over the  need for an official statement about McHugh and Mayer’s activities. Recently, HRC met with leadership at Johns Hopkins to express the urgency of this issue and the continued need for action. This year, for the first time, HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index will score hospitals and will consider whether hospitals and health systems’ practices reflect “responsible citizenship.”  If Hopkins leadership ignore their community’s call to correct the record—clarifying that McHugh and Mayer’s opinions do not represent it, and that its healthcare services reflect the scientific consensus on LGBTQ health and well-being—its Healthcare Equality Index score will be reduced substantially.

www.hrc.org/blog/johns-hopkins-community-calls-for-disavowal-of-misleading-anti-lgbtq-report?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Mexican Soccer Team Butts Heads With FIFA Over Antigay Chant

FIFA says the chant is homophobic, while the Mexican Soccer Federation argues it does not have that meaning in the specific context of a soccer match.

www.advocate.com/sports/2016/10/06/mexican-soccer-team-butts-heads-fifa-over-antigay-chant

Christian Parents Outraged at New Trans Locker Room Policy at Illinois School (Video)

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/10/06/christian-parents-outraged-new-trans-locker-room-policy-illinois-school-video

60 Percent of Gay and Bisexual Men Aren't Aware PrEP Could Save Their Life

A new study from Johns Hopkins found that PrEP education rates in the LGBT community remain low.

www.advocate.com/health/2016/10/06/60-percent-gay-and-bisexual-men-arent-aware-prep-could-save-their-life

Kylie Minogue Refuses To Marry Until Gays Can Get Married, Too

Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue has been engaged to British actor Joshua Sasse since February, but they won’t actually get married in Australia until same-sex marriage is legalized there.

The Guardian reports that the couple would ultimately like to hold the ceremony in Melbourne, which is Minogue’s hometown.

Related: Kylie Minogue’s Hot, Pro-Gay Fiancé Joshua Sasse Displays Full Rising Talent

Talking to Australian television channel Network Seven on Thursday, Sasse said, “There are chances of a Melbourne wedding … [but] we will not get married until this law has passed in Australia.”

The couple hasn’t been coy regarding their stance on same-sex marriage. In fact, Sasse launched a campaign called “Say I Do, Down Under” this weekend that helps organizations working towards marriage equality.

“I was shocked to find out earlier this year that same-sex marriage in Australia is still illegal,” he reveals.

“There are many hurdles in order to achieve marriage equality, but we are now the closest we’ve ever been to that change,”

Related: Kylie Minogue’s Hot, Pro-Gay Fiancé Joshua Sasse Displays Full Rising Talent

As Time reports, Australian actress Margot Robbie wore the campaign’s T-shirt on Saturday Night Live‘s season premiere last weekend.

A national referendum on same-sex marriage is scheduled in February.

www.queerty.com/kylie-minogue-refuses-marry-gays-can-get-married-20161006?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Brian Sims Obliterates Opponents Accusing Him Of Violating State Ethics Laws

This just in: Don’t come for Rep. Brian Sims unless he calls for you.

The 38-year-old ex-football-stud-turned-hunky-Democratic-lawmaker is not having accusations that misused campaign funds, misreported campaign contributions, and collected over $50,000 in dodgy speaking fees.

“No entity that has brought me in for a lecture has ever sought any vote or favor from my office,” Sims told Metro in a very strongly-worded email. “If you actually take a minute to look at my speaking engagements over the last four years, you’ll see that they have focused on institutions of higher learning both in Pennsylvania and across the country.”

Related: PHOTOS: Gay State Rep. Brian Sims Posts Deliciously Beefy TBT, But He Hasn’t Lost The Goods

Sims said that the majority of the speeches he has given since taking office in 2012 have been about his experiences as an openly gay football player in high school, becoming a captain of the football team at Bloomsburg University, his experience as a civil rights attorney, and his activism for LGBTQ causes.

He added that it’s “nothing short of ridiculous” for anyone to suggest that “students of these institutions are somehow ‘buying access’ to me or the Pennsylvania legislature.”

Snap.

The accusations came from a bombshell report by City & State Pennsylvania, which implied Sims had violated the state Ethics Act, which states “state lawmakers are banned from collecting speaking fees or other honoraria,” when he collected a total of $53,000 in speaking fees from a number of higher education institutes.

But according to Pennsylvania Ethics Commission executive director Rob Caruso, there are exceptions to the rule.

Related: Brian Sims Slams Trump/Pence’s Anti-LGBTQ Nonsense In Epic Takedown

“A public official or public employee could accept an honorarium if the payment was for or the request to appear is in relation to the public official or employee’s occupation or profession and not related to their elected or public office,” Caruso said, adding that most requests are handled on “case-by-case basis.”

And according to Sims’ campaign, they followed all protocol. And then some.

“In an abundance of ethical caution, Rep. Sims secured approval from the Counsel of the House Democratic Caucus before continuing his speaking engagements,” the campaign said in a statement, adding that Sims even double-checked with party lawyers to make sure he was allowed to accept payment for his speeches.

The campaign went on to call the whole inquiry “a shame.”

“This inquiry is simply another ‘click-bait’ attempt to smear a legislator who has the standing to use his experience to bring attention to national issues,” it said.

Related: Out Representative Brian Sims Is Our New Favorite Disney Princess

www.queerty.com/brian-sims-obliterates-opponents-accusing-violating-state-ethics-laws-20161006?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

‘Finding Prince Charming’ Suitor Reveals He is HIV-Positive – SPOILERS

On tonight’s episode of Logo’s gay ‘Bachelor’ Finding Prince Charming, one of the suitors will reveal to Robert and the other contestants that he is HIV-positive.

Host Lance Bass and Prince Charming himself Robert Sepulveda Jr. confirmed that one suitor would come out as HIV-positive back in August. 

That suitor spoke with People magazine about the experience coming out as HIV-positive on television, to a man you’re dating (let’s call it that?), and to a group of new acquaintances.

Watch a clip from tonight’s episode and read a spoiler-filled interview, below.

In a clip released ahead of tonight’s episode, Eric Leonardos, a 35-year-old celebrity hairstylist, decides to share his status with fellow suitor Justin before telling Robert. Eric has become close with Justin and decided he wanted to tell somebody in the house before he talked to Robert.

Eric chose the night of a masquerade party to make his reveal and it seemed tailor-made for such an occasion (and probably was)–each suitor is supposed reveal something about himself that he otherwise wouldn’t.

Eric told Justin that he decided to make a red mask for the masquerade because his reveal would be about his HIV status.

Said Eric to Justin, “10 years ago I found out that I was HIV-positive. When I realized I was gay I was so ashamed, the way that I was raised, the way that I was brought up–it wasn’t an option. Then when I found out I was HIV-positive, I was so ashamed.”

Justin offered Eric his support and seemed to understand the significance of Justin choosing to share his status with him.

Speaking with People magazine, Eric admitted he was nervous about sharing this part of himself on the show, “Mainly because I was sharing, I’m sharing this not only with Robert, I’m sharing it with my peers on the show, I’m essentially sharing this information with anybody who’s going to watch the show.”

In the end, Eric said the experience was “very freeing”:

It was one of the most freeing moments I think I’ve ever experienced to have the people around me put their arms around me. I felt supported. What I do know about people living with HIV is that one of the most important things is to make them feel the love and support of the people around them and they apparently take better care of themselves and seek treatment and go through with that when they feel that sort of love and support, and so statistics show that people take better care of themselves when they feel supported by the people around them. For me I just felt really good. It was a beautiful moment.

As to why he wanted to join Finding Prince Charming in the first place, Eric said,

This opportunity kind of fell into my lap. This year was a year of yes. I decided I was inspired to say yes to everything that scared me. And going on a reality show I can’t think of anything else that would scare me more than putting my life, who I am, my feelings, on the line. And that definitely scared me so I said yes to that. You know, I’ve been single for a few years now, I thought, Why not? Not a lot of people get an opportunity to pursue love in this way, so why not take a risk, take a chance and see what happens?

Of the impact he hopes coming out as HIV-positive will have for those watching, Eric said, “I really just want to be a service and be able to help people and use my experience for the greater good.”

Eric added that he hopes his share will help combat the stigma around HIV:

…the stigma around people with HIV and AIDS is something I would love to see in my lifetime completely eradicated. People live normal lives today with it and people are able to have relationships and share themselves with people, and nobody should be limited to the experience of love based on a virus that they may have, a disease that they may have.

He also said he hopes more people will be inspired to go out and get tested:

The call to action here really is that people need to go get tested and not be afraid to get tested. So many people don’t get tested for HIV and for other STD’s because they’re afraid of the result. And educating people is where it starts.

The post ‘Finding Prince Charming’ Suitor Reveals He is HIV-Positive – SPOILERS appeared first on Towleroad.

‘Finding Prince Charming’ Suitor Reveals He is HIV-Positive – SPOILERS

‘My Gay Roommate: Reloaded’ Announces New Cast Members

As we previously reported, popular web series My Gay Roommate is currently being adapted into a full-fledged TV pilot. With a Kickstarter campaign now underway, creator Noam Ash has announced a slew of new cast members joining the series, most of them being young Broadway stars that have already made a name for themselves.

Andy Mientus (SMASH, The Flash, Les Mis), TONY Nominee Jenn Damiano (Next To Normal), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Quantico, On the Town), Julia Murney (Wicked) Kathryn Gallagher (Spring Awakening), Scotty Dynamo, Mike Heslin (Younger, War Horse), and Savion Smith (The Get Down) all will lend their talent to the pilot re-boot of My Gay Roommate.

The reboot will be a re-imagined and expanded half-hour version of the web series that adds new characters and storylines to the ones fans are already familiar with.

Ash told Towleroad of the new cast members, “It’s an all-star Broadway crew.”

“As My Gay Roommate is a highly theatrical show, it made the most sense to us to bring in the people who do that best,” Ash explained. “We also intentionally cast gay actors as straight and straight actors as gay, emphasizing our social commentary that there are no ‘gay stories’ and ‘straight stories’ only human stories.”

If you haven’t already, check out the Kickstarter video for My Gay Roommate: Reloaded below and consider supporting here. The campaign has just 6 days to go so now is a great time to support.

The post ‘My Gay Roommate: Reloaded’ Announces New Cast Members appeared first on Towleroad.

‘My Gay Roommate: Reloaded’ Announces New Cast Members