Malaysian politician after leaked gay sex video: “I am very paranoid now”

Haziq Aziz is a Malaysian cabinet member who serves as the Senior Private Secretary to the Deputy Minister of Primary Industries and Commodities. Or rather, he was until earlier this month.

About two weeks ago, Aziz was ousted from his government position after a sexually explicit video of him with another man leaked online.

The video quickly made the rounds on social media and, in response, Aziz was forced to make a videotaped “confession,” admitting to appearing in the video.

He said it was shot on May 11 in his hotel room at the Sheraton Hotel Four Points. He also said it was recorded without his knowledge or consent.

After his “confession,” Aziz went into hiding, deleting his social media pages and ignoring all requests for comment from reporters.

Until now.

“This sex video scandal has affected my political dream,” he now tells The Straits Times in a heartbreaking new interview. “I have to forget about becoming a politician.”

When asked about why he made the “confession,” Aziz replies, “The Malay-Muslim community can’t accept this kind of behavior. But one thing is I admit, I did it. It was a mistake and the right thing to do was to confess.”

Aziz recalls the moment he learned about the video:

I found out about the video at 8 AM when I woke up on June 11. I was really shocked. … At first, I did not want to admit it was me. At first, I felt afraid as a personal thing about me went viral. I was thinking of [going into hiding]. That is why I deleted all my social media accounts.

…My family was very sad about this. On the day it went viral, my mum cried non-stop. My family was even afraid to leave the house. When I made the video confession, they were shocked. At first, they thought that the video confession was fake. I told them, “Look it was not fake, it was me.” They had to accept it.

Honestly, my family is very sad because my family is very conservative. And they want to [take care of] the good name of the family.

Homosexuality is considered a crime in Malaysia, punishable with up to 20 years in prison and/or whipping. The country has no legal protections for LGBTQ people, and just last year, two women were publicly caned for “attempting lesbian sex.”

The U.S. State Department warns travelers that discrimination against LGBTQ people is pervasive and that they may face discrimination or even violence while visiting the country.

Asked if he’s afraid about what will happen to him now he’s “confessed” to homosexual acts, Aziz replies, “Of course, yes. I thought about that. But I had no choice. My safety and my life are quite important.”

Aziz adds that the real person who should be punished is whoever set up the spy cam and leaked the video online, as the sex was “consensual between two adults.”

Since the scandal broke, Aziz has been laying low, living in fear as he awaits his fate.

“I don’t have my phone now,” he says. “I have thrown it away as I am afraid that someone will track me and kill me. I am very paranoid now.”

Aziz spends most of his days at home, reading books or watching TV and trying to tune out the world.

“I have not read anything posted online,” he says. “I don’t want to become stressed.”

“Right now,” he adds, “I don’t have a plan.”

Related: Politician could face prison time after being outed by an explicit gay video

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Alphonso David Named New Human Rights Campaign President: WATCH

Alphonso David has been named as the new president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights group. David is the first civil rights lawyer and the first person of color to serve as President of HRC in the organization’s nearly 40-year history.  David will take over from Chad Griffin in August.

Wrote HRC in a press release: “David most recently made history as the first openly gay Counsel to the Governor of the State of New York and, before that, served as the first Deputy Secretary and Counsel for Civil Rights in New York. In these roles, he played an integral role in securing marriage equality in New York in 2011, banning the abusive practice of so-called “conversion therapy” on minors, establishing non-discrimination protections for transgender New Yorkers, expanding Medicaid coverage to cover transition-related care, making it easier to amend gender markers on birth certificates, and enacting policies and regulations to support people living with HIV and drive new diagnoses to an all-time low statewide. He has also helped lead efforts to expand access to reproductive healthcare, restore voting rights to New Yorkers, advance workplace protections for disadvantaged communities, and require access to free translation services in essential state services. Prior to his work for New York State, David served as a staff attorney at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.”

Said David: “I believe that together, we can harness the strength that’s inherent in our differences, to stand together in the face of fear and division. And that’s exactly what the Human Rights Campaign was built for. If we want to win full equality, that’s going to require us to come together, to dig deep, to be resilient, to embrace our differences, to tenaciously defend the most vulnerable among us, to fight with every ounce of determination we have. I promise you this, I will fight for each and every one of us. All I ask is that you join me, that you join the Human Rights Campaign in our fight for true equality. In unity, we will fight back and we will win.”

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Alphonso David Named New Human Rights Campaign President: WATCH

Human Rights Campaign Names Alphonso David as New President

Today, the Human Rights Campaign announced that Alphonso David, an accomplished and nationally-recognized LGBTQ civil rights lawyer and advocate, will lead the organization beginning in August. David will be the first civil rights lawyer and the first person of color to serve as President of HRC in the organization’s nearly 40-year history. 

David most recently made history as the first openly gay Counsel to the Governor of the State of New York and, before that, served as the first Deputy Secretary and Counsel for Civil Rights in New York. In these roles, he played an integral role in securing marriage equality in New York in 2011, banning the abusive practice of so-called “conversion therapy” on minors, establishing non-discrimination protections for transgender New Yorkers, expanding Medicaid coverage to cover transition-related care, making it easier to amend gender markers on birth certificates, and enacting policies and regulations to support people living with HIV and drive new diagnoses to an all-time low statewide. He has also helped lead efforts to expand access to reproductive healthcare, restore voting rights to New Yorkers, advance workplace protections for disadvantaged communities, and require access to free translation services in essential state services. Prior to his work for New York State, David served as a staff attorney at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. 

With more than three million members, the Human Rights Campaign is the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the United States and around the globe. Founded in 1980, HRC has grown into one of the most effective advocacy organizations in America, leading the way to expand LGBTQ protections at every level of government, elect pro-equality lawmakers, defend the fundamental civil rights of LGBTQ people, and work through groundbreaking Foundation programs to enhance the lived experiences of LGBTQ people at school, work and in every community. HRC has played a pivotal role in sweeping progress for LGBTQ people over the last several decades, from winning marriage equality and passing federal hate crimes legislation, to advancing comprehensive LGBTQ non-discrimination legislation through Congress, to working with thousands of companies to expand workplace protections, to repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in a growing number of states.

In a new HRC video released today, Difference is Our Strength, incoming President Alphonso David shares how his life story and career as a civil rights attorney prepared him to lead HRC forward: “I believe that together, we can harness the strength that’s inherent in our differences, to stand together in the face of fear and division. And that’s exactly what the Human Rights Campaign was built for,” said David.

“If we want to win full equality, that’s going to require us to come together, to dig deep, to be resilient, to embrace our differences, to tenaciously defend the most vulnerable among us, to fight with every ounce of determination we have. I promise you this, I will fight for each and every one of us. All I ask is that you join me, that you join the Human Rights Campaign in our fight for true equality. In unity, we will fight back and we will win.” 

“Alphonso has devoted his career to expanding the civil rights of LGBTQ people across New York State and the nation,” said HRC Board Foundation Board Chair Deb Taft. “At a time when LGBTQ people, women, people of color, immigrants and refugees, and so many others are being confronted with daily attacks on our most basic rights, Alphonso is the fierce, compassionate, and strategic leader HRC and our broader movement for equality needs.”

“As we approach the Human Rights Campaign’s 40th year and the most important election cycle of our lives in 2020, HRC has never been stronger or better positioned to lead,” said HRC Board Chair John Ruffier. “When it comes to maximizing the electoral power of millions of LGBTQ voters and our allies, or to defending the fundamental rights of our community, or to protecting the most vulnerable among us, I know that Alphonso will ensure that HRC continues to lead the way.”

David will be the seventh president of the Human Rights Campaign, succeeding Chad Griffin, who has served since 2012. Below is David’s professional biography. 

Alphonso B. David

Click here for a headshot. 

Alphonso B. David is a civil rights attorney, policymaker, advocate, and law professor with significant litigation and management experience in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Mr. David has been at the forefront of the movement for LGBTQ equality for more than a decade and worked at both the state and national level.

In 2015, Mr. David was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve as Counsel to the Governor. In this role, he has functioned as the Governor’s chief counsel and principal legal advisor, and managed all significant legal and policy deliberations affecting New York State, including evaluating proposed legislation; implementing laws and policies and formulating the State’s posture in both affirmative and defensive litigation.

Prior to his appointment as the Governor’s Chief Counsel, Mr. David served for four years in the Governor’s cabinet as the Deputy Secretary and Counsel for Civil Rights, the first position of its kind in New York State. In this capacity, he was responsible for a full range of legal, policy, legislative and operational matters affecting civil rights and labor throughout the State. Mr. David also previously served as Special Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights for the Office of the New York State Attorney General, where he managed Assistant Attorneys General on a variety of civil rights investigations and affirmative litigation, including employment and housing discrimination, fair lending, immigration, reproductive rights and anti-bias claims. Further, he previously served as Deputy Commissioner and Special Counselor at the New York State Division of Human Rights.

Prior to working in the public sector, Mr. David served as a staff attorney at the Lambda Legal Defense and Educational Fund. At Lambda Legal, Mr. David litigated precedent-setting civil rights cases across the nation affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals as well as those living with HIV and AIDS. He handled both affirmative and defensive matters relating to marriage, parenting rights, discrimination in schools and access to health care. In addition, Mr. David served as a litigation associate at the law firm Blank Rome LLP. He began his legal career as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Clifford Scott Green in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

For the past decade, Mr. David has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law. He began his work in academia with Fordham University Law School and continued at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and Temple University School of Law.

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11 inspiring tweets from Pride events around the U.S.

www.glaad.org/blog/11-inspiring-tweets-pride-events-around-us

For the Activist: 6 Ways to Resist at WorldPride

www.advocate.com/pride/2019/6/25/activist-6-ways-resist-worldpride

LGBTQ prom canceled for safety reasons after Christians bombard event space with threatening calls

www.queerty.com/lgbtq-prom-canceled-safety-reasons-christians-bombard-event-space-threatening-calls-20190625?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Telenovela Featuring Gay Couple as Lead Characters is Historic First for Mexican TV: WATCH

Juntos, El Corazon Nunca se Equivoca, (Together, the Heart is Never Wrong), a Mexican telenovela (soap opera), made history this week as the first to feature a gay couple as lead characters, Reuters reports.

The soap is a spin-off of another massively-popular telenovela, Mi Marido Tiene Mas Familia, on which the characters, Aristoteles (Emilio Osorio) and Temo (Joaquin Bondoni), first appeared. In the new show they move to Mexico City to attend a university.

Check out the trailer below.

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Telenovela Featuring Gay Couple as Lead Characters is Historic First for Mexican TV: WATCH