Street performers drown out homophobe’s hate speech in public square

Street performers drown out homophobe’s hate speech in public square

(@newyorkrico | Instagram)

New York City is not the best place to voice homophobic hate in public. You’re likely to be met with many people who disagree with you.

That’s what one man discovered when he tried it in the city’s Union Square Park last Friday. The park is known for attracting all manner of public speakers.

The man starts to preach about the perils of being a member of LGBTQ community (it looks like he could be carrying a Bible under his arm), highlighting “the homosexual community has the highest suicide rate of any group.”

His comments did not go down well with a couple of student musicians nearby, who decided to play their instruments a little nearer and louder to drown out his words.

Related: Homophobe chases gay man out of subway and through the streets of New York in shocking video

The moment was caught on camera by New York-based filmmaker Nicolas Heller, who is known for his short films and mini-documentaries.

“I was running late to a meeting when I was passing through, so I only had two minutes to see what was up,” he told Queerty.

He shared the encounter to Instagram, saying “This strapping young gent (who clearly gets laid regularly) is preaching that the LGBTQ community is going to burn in hell, so street musicians @augie_bello and @roel.julian offer some foreground instrumentals.”

One of the saxophonists featured also re-shared the post to his own Instagram.

Augie Bello, the man on the Swagcycle, wrote: “Today @roel.julian and I were hanging and we stumbled upon some homophobic guy with a mic so we played over him. Shoutout to @newyorknico for capturing this moment.”

Bello told Queerty, “Me and my friend Julian had just had lunch and were heading back to school (The New School For Jazz) when we heard this guy saying some really hateful homophobic things.

“What the video doesn’t show is what he said before we took out our saxophones. He was saying all gays will burn in hell and that they will be in a ring of fire. So I looked at Julian and he looked at me and we instantly had the exact same thought, to drown out the hate with our saxophones.

“Julian and I were shocked that the video went viral, but it also makes us extremely happy to see how much support there is for the LGBTQ+ community.”

 

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Claudia López: Bogotá, Colombia Elects Openly Gay Woman Mayor in Historic First

Claudia López: Bogotá, Colombia Elects Openly Gay Woman Mayor in Historic First

Claudia López, an openly gay woman, has been elected mayor of the Colombian capital of Bogotá.

The BBC reports: “The 49-year-old centre-left candidate had won 35.2% of the vote with nearly all votes counted. Mayor of Bogotá is widely considered the second-most important political post in Colombia after the presidency. … A journalist-turned politician, Ms López is a member of the of the country’s Green Alliance party. Known for her outspoken criticism of right-wing politicians, she has also been heavily involved with anti-corruption efforts in Colombia. Her policies include putting more police on the streets, fighting child labour and creating better educational opportunities for people over 45.”

Lopez kissed her partner Angélica Lozano Correa after the victory.

This is @ClaudiaLopez, the new mayor of #Bogota, kissing her partner @AngelicaLozanoC in celebration after today’s elections. This is a momentous symbol, a sign of change and of good things to come. That I have the privilege of calling them my friends only makes this sweeter. pic.twitter.com/1LIF9ad8c1

— Renata Segura (@renaticas) October 28, 2019

Gracias a todas y todos los maestros, mentores, jefes, colegas, compañeros, amigos y ciudadanos que me enseñaron, quisieron y apoyaron para llegar a éste día en la vida.

Gracias a mi ciudad y su extraordinaria ciudadanía por confiar y darme esta oportunidad.

Vamos a honrarla! pic.twitter.com/Ain6n2jtva

— Claudia López (@ClaudiaLopez) October 28, 2019

#EnVivo #ClaudiaAlcaldesa
Mi primera rueda de prensa como alcaldesa electa de Bogotá. ¡Son muchos los retos que nos esperan! Hoy inician 4 años de trabajo duro y sin descanso para volver a hacer de Bogotá el mejor hogar de todos los colombianos: t.co/QNG8IbnbKa pic.twitter.com/xjLkWtnwY1

— Claudia López (@ClaudiaLopez) October 28, 2019

The post Claudia López: Bogotá, Colombia Elects Openly Gay Woman Mayor in Historic First appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Claudia López: Bogotá, Colombia Elects Openly Gay Woman Mayor in Historic First

Jeff Goldblum on his father’s “cruel” behavior towards his gay brother

Jeff Goldblum on his father’s “cruel” behavior towards his gay brother

Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum (Photo: CBS | YouTube)

Actor Jeff Goldblum has opened up about his family and early life in an interview with The Times Magazine in the UK.

The Jurassic World star, 67, reveals that his father did not respond well to learning that Jeff’s older brother, Lee, was gay. Not only did the older man keep it a secret, but he tried to have his son’s sexuality changed by forcing him to undergo so-called conversion therapy.

He says his father, Harold, had a “traditional masculine sense of himself.”

“He didn’t tell the rest of us [about Lee’s sexuality] … Sent him to a therapist in order to ‘fix him’. It was all secret. That’s not so nourishing.”

“My dad was, without knowing why, conspicuously cruel to [Lee] at times.”

Related: WATCH: Jeff Goldblum gyrating for a crowd of gay partiers is a mood 

His brother entered medical school but dropped out to join the army. He later became a taxi driver.

Goldblum says his brother went on to experience challenges throughout his life, including, “physical ailments, [being] overweight, pharmaceuticals abuse and self-medication issues”. He ended up moving back in with his parents and living with them for the last couple of decades of his life. He has since died.

Goldblum had another brother, Rick, who died at the age of 23 from kidney failure. He also has a sister, Pamela.

Related: Thanks to Massachusetts, 32% of U.S. states now ban conversion therapy. But here come the courts… 

Some counselors and religious groups employ the controversial practice of so-called “conversion therapy” to try and convert people from being gay and bisexual towards heterosexuality. There is zero scientific evidence it works.

However, rather than helping people, studies have found such treatments can cause great mental health problems for those subjected to them.

Many respected psychiatric associations have condemned the practice and around a third of states in the US have banned it being administered to minors. The practice is banned outright in a handful of countries, including Brazil, Malta, and Uruguay.

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Jeff Goldblum’s Dad Kept His Brother’s Sexuality a Secret, Sent Him to ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’

Jeff Goldblum’s Dad Kept His Brother’s Sexuality a Secret, Sent Him to ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’

In a new interview, actor Jeff Goldblum talked about his gay late older brother Lee, and the cruel punishments exerted upon him by their father, which included conversion therapy. Lee died in 2000.

Goldblum told The Sunday Times that his father Harold kept Lee’s sexuality a secret from the rest of the family: “He didn’t tell the rest of us. Sent him to a therapist in order to ‘fix him’. It was all secret. That’s not so nourishing. My dad was, without knowing why, conspicuously cruel to [Lee] at times.”

Lee suffered from “troubles of one kind or another” throughout his life including “physical ailments, [being] overweight, pharmaceuticals abuse and self-medication issues,” Goldblum said, and after a stint in the army and a job as a taxi driver returned to live with the parents who had treated him so cruelly.

Goldblum stars in a new series from Disney+ streaming on November 12, The World According to Jeff Goldblum. The show seems like an Anthony Bourdain-style adventure series based around the actor. Who knows, perhaps he’ll show up at New Orleans’s Southern Decadence and dance for some gay men?

The post Jeff Goldblum’s Dad Kept His Brother’s Sexuality a Secret, Sent Him to ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Jeff Goldblum’s Dad Kept His Brother’s Sexuality a Secret, Sent Him to ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’