Gran Canaria mayor responds to fears that new rules and regulations could kill the gay scene

Will new rules and regulations kill Gran Canaria’s gay scene? Well, it remains to be seen.

Marco Aurelio Pérez Sanchez, the mayor of Maspalomas – the municipality where the Yumbo Centre, the hub of LGBTI life on the Spanish island – has responded to petitions over the new regulations put in place to ensure bars and venues comply with EU regulations.

Under the rules, bars on the ground floor must remove tables from the shopping area of the street unless they have a specific permit. Venues must also close according to the license, which for the majority is 2.30am, compared to staying open until a lot later. Many feared bizarre rules like the height of sunshades and transparent windbreakers could cause undue stress to LGBTI bar and venue owners.

And if police are cracking down on people congregating in outdoor spaces, this could be fatal to the scene. Gran Canaria has a warm climate and many venues depend on outside space for entertainment.

In a statement, Sanchez claimed the new rules will ‘enhance’ the area as a LGBTI destination. He said the ‘project’ is to ‘give a boost to control the quality and safety of all events’.

The mayor claimed the contradictory reports online was ‘undermining’ the good work of the organizers.

He said: ‘In this regard, officers of the local police have developed an action plan to inform the business owners of the premises of the Yumbo Center, expressly telling them: “During the week from 18 to 24 April 2016 several actions will be taken at the Yumbo Center regarding occupation of terraces, controlling permissions of nightlife business´ and removing obstacles in front of fire hydrants. It is communicated to all premises on the ground floor which have terraces located on the public road within the Yumbo Center, that this is not allowed without the required municipal authorization.”

‘This measure has been adopted by the townhall for the sole purpose of leaving fire hydrants free from obstacles to guarantee access at all times and offer the maximum safety possible to the visitors of the event.’

But LGBTI rights activists are not convinced. For the first time in 15 years, the organization of Pride was taken away from the island’s main LGBTI rights organization GLAY and instead given to a new group, the Freedom Association.

GLAY are still urging officials to give businesses a reasonable time to adjust to new legislative conditions or apply for a new permit that is more applicable to their business model or venue.

The Townhall of San Bartolomé de Tirajana recommends to those interested in participating in this international event to monitor it through the official channels to avoid confusion and errors that are currently causing information beyond reality.

‘We’re happy that people feel involved in the community,’ André Wanrooij, the head of GLAY, told Gay Star News. ‘We have a very special situation, unique in the world, as this island is a mini-continent of cultures. This community needs to be preserved and maintained. It’s important we can create a dialogue with the governmental bodies to find a solution to the problems regarding sound and health and opening permits and all these bureaucratic issues need to be resolved.’

A petition, signed by many LGBTI venue and bar owners in Gran Canaria, has been signed by more than 5,000 people.

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Nyle DiMarco shaves off his scruff and becomes totally unrecognisable for Dancing with the Stars

Our favorite top model Nyle DiMarco has gotten rid of his beautiful beard and gone completely unrecognisable for his latest dance number on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

Nyle and his female partner, Peta Murgatroyd, were among the nine teams still competing in the sixth episode of the dance show on Monday.

The theme was ‘Famous Dances Night,’ and Nyle and Peta had decided to go with the famous 1994 Jim Carrey movie, The Mask.

Nyle shared with People magazine that he’s a huge fan of the comedic movie, which he sees as a ‘masterpiece’:

‘Growing up, I watched the mask probably over 100 times. I love Jim Carrey,’ he said.

Nyle also revealed that a lot of effort had been put into the creation of the iconic look:

‘They are actually spending a lot of money for me to actually wear a prosthetic mask with fake teeth, the costume, everything,’ said the 26-year-old deaf model. ‘You’re basically going to see 100 percent of The Mask in me.’

To wear the green mask, Nyle had to first shave his face:

Bye bye beard

The cover up also involved hiding his ears, which Nyle joked that he’s already deaf:

Where are my ears?!!!??

Oh wait… I’m already Deaf

Not #DeafProbs, but a #DeafGain! #DWTS pic.twitter.com/iZDEMsQTCx

— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) April 25, 2016

Nyle also had some hilarious fun with Snapchat while he had his game face on:

The Mask likes @Snapchat #DWTS pic.twitter.com/02VjVPK4Kv

— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) April 25, 2016

Would you be able to recognise Nyle in his new face?

Watch me and Peta live on @DWTSAllAccess t.co/Xv3ikWD1yN pic.twitter.com/KgGHj59Pjj

— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) April 26, 2016

Before his show, Nyle had also forked out some time to meet up with some fans in his incredible look.

In the Monday show, Nyle aka The Mask scored a high scoring of 25 out of 30 points and was saved from elimination.

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Serial rapist who targets handsome male models sentenced to 15 years for killing victim

A Taiwanese man who had used date-rape drugs on over 10 male models in China has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after his latest victim was found dead from drug overdose.

Du Bo Wen, 43, met his 21-year-old victim, Xiang Hai, a top male model in China, on the fake online modelling agency he set up.

Du, who worked as a Chinese-Japanese translator at an electronic company in China, had called himself a high-ranked TV commercial producer.

In 12 February 2014, the pair met up at a hotel in the city of Wuhan, central China, for an audition. Du then spiked Xiang’s beer with date-rape drug, FM2.

After Xiang passed out, Du went on to masturbate and then sexually assault him by fingering his anus and more.

However, Xiang, who had traces of Ketamine in his body, suffered a drug overdose and died on the spot. Du then escaped the crime scene, and subsequently went back to Taiwan to elude arrest.

It was only in September 2014, after the Chinese police collaborated with the Taiwanese police department, that Du was arrested at his home in Taipei.

From police records, this is not the first time Du had committed a drug-rape-and-run attempt on a tricked male model.

Back in 1994, Du was offering fake TV commercial contracts to male models online. He would promise them around USD700-900 for a 3-day shoot, with provision of hotel stay and plane tickets.

At the ‘casting,’ Du would drug the male model’s coffee or beer and then film the subsequent sexual assault. Du would also rob the unconscious victim of his valuables before fleeing.

Du had then been arrested in 1997 and served a sentence of over a year.

But upon his release, he continued his vice, but stopped the filming to avoid leaving traces of evidence.

It was in 2011 when Du set up his own fake online modelling agency to meet more male models.

Culprit, Du Bo Wen, escorted by police officers to his court hearing

The security cameras at the hotel where Du and Xiang met caught Du pouring away the laced beer into the bin at the lift lobby before he escaped.

In court, Du admitted that he had drugged Xiang, but denied that it was rape, saying that their sexual contact was consensual. Du also claimed that he did not know that Xiang had taken Ketamine beforehand.

A judge had initially sentenced Du to 18 years imprisonment based on the charge of ‘homicidal date-rape with the use of drugs.’

However, another judge argued that Du could not have possibly known that Xiang would suffer a drug-drug interaction causing the OD, and thus removed homicide from the charge and gave Du a lighter sentence of 15 years in prison.

It’s been reported that over the years Du had committed multiple date-rapes in different regions in China, including Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and lastly, Hubei, where Xiang was killed.

Investigation also showed previous police reports linked to Du.

In September 2011, a male model from Guangzhou city named Xu reported to the police that he met up with Du at a hotel and was then drugged and robbed. Xu said that when he woke up he found his clothes taken off and his valuables, including his iPhone, watch and money, missing. Xu also told the police that his ‘anus had felt weird.’

In May 2012, a similar report was filed by a male model from Shenyang city named Gou. He said that Du got him an air ticket to come to Guangzhou, and had then sexually assaulted him when he was drugged unconscious. Another male model named Zhang filed a similar report later that year.

Investigators suspected that there were many more victims involved in this case, but only a handful had gone to the police to file a report.

When accosted by reporters at his hearing, Du kept his head low and said that he’s filled with regret and apologised for causing the death of Xiang.

Deceased 21-year-old Xiang Hai was a top model in China

H/t: DW News, Life The Dog

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WATCH LIVE: Matthew Dempsey and Jimmy Fowlie Want To Know What You’re ‘Into’

Psychotherapist Matthew Dempsey and comedian Jimmy Fowlie are launching their new talk show, INTO, tonight at 8 PM PST and you can stream it here on Towleroad.

Described as a gay Loveline of sorts, INTO will center on gay issues that Dempsey and Fowlie will tackle live. They will also field your questions so you can finally have your Loveline moment.

For their first episode, the pair will be talking about femme shaming.

RELATED: Matthew Dempsey and Jimmy Fowlie Talk Gay Men and The Need To Perform – WATCH

If you’re looking to learn more about the show, check out this promo.

And for tonight’s episode, tune in at 8 PM PST and watch below. You can also call into the show at (323) 522-5482.

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Trans Activist Mara Keisling Arrested at North Carolina Protest

Keisling was among thousands protesting the anti-LGBT House Bill 2.

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/4/25/trans-activist-mara-keisling-arrested-north-carolina-protest

Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert sued by accuser for $1.8 million

Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Dennis Hastert is being sued for $1.8 million by a former male student he allegedly sexually abused as a high school teacher and coach in the 1970s.

Hastert, 74, had pleaded guilty in federal court last fall in a related hush money case and could serve time in prison.

He admitted to agreeing to pay the one-time student $3.5 million then lying to federal authorities about the bank withdrawals related to the payments.

The former student had received $1.7 million in payments from Hastert and is now suing for the balance, according to NBC News.

In the lawsuit filed in Illinois state court, the plaintiff claims Hastert, a trusted family friend, invited him to a wrestling camp for high schoolers and then molested him in a motel room.

He did not confront Hastert until 2008 when he spoke with another person who claims to have also been molested by Hastert.

The plaintiff said he suffered panic attacks for years which resulted in unemployment, depression, hospitalization and long-term psychiatric treatment, according to the lawsuit.

Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker in US history, had agreed to a plea deal in his criminal case instead of going through an embarrassing trial.

The former lawmaker admitted to a judge in Chicago Federal Court that he did know what he was doing was wrong regarding the payments and said he lied to the FBI about it because ‘I didn’t want them to know how I intended to spend the money.’

Hastert, married to a woman and the father of two children, was charged with one count each of structuring currency transactions to evade currency transaction reports and making a false statement to the FBI.

Under the plea agreement, Hastert could serve up to six months in jail but the judge could impose a longer sentence.

He indicted in March 2015 for lying to federal officials about cash withdrawals from various banks which triggered suspicion.

Hastert succeeded Newt Gingrich as speaker and held the position from 1999 to 2007. He was succeeded by Nancy Pelosi when Democrats took control of the House. He resigned from the House in late 2007 and went on to become a Washington lobbyist and consultant.

Following his indictment, he resigned from his lobbyist position at Dickstein Shapiro.

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