Bangladesh Officials Arrest Suspect in Killing of LGBT Editor

A man with ties to a militant group was arrested on Sunday. 

www.advocate.com/world/2016/5/15/bangladesh-officials-arrest-suspect-killing-lgbt-editor

European Union Says HB 2 Violates United Nations Treaty

The European Union is taking a stand against North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law. 

www.advocate.com/world/2016/5/15/european-union-says-hb-2-violates-united-nations-treaty

Gay Iconography: Serving Love For Billie Jean King

For tennis legend Billie Jean King, 39 Grand Slam titles are only the tip of the iceberg. The 72-year-old trailblazer has created a legacy of advocacy for women and the LGBT community that’s earned her recognition as one of Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year, a spot on Life Magazine’s 100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“When I was 12 and I had that epiphany, basically, what it came down to, I was going to spend the rest of my life fighting for equal rights and equal opportunities for boys and girls, men and women,” King said to USA Today in 2013.

She was a radical force in the sports world, revolutionizing how female players were viewed. In 1981, she became one of the first female professional athletes to come out as a lesbian after her female lover sued her for “palimony.”

See some of our favorite King clips below.

King won her first Wimbledon title in 1961 when she and partner Karen Hantze Susman defeated Margaret Court and Jan Lehane O’Neill in women’s doubles. She won her first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon. She would go on to win five more singles Wimbledon titles, tying Martina Navratilova for the most overall titles at Wimbledon championships including singles, doubles and mixed (20 in all).

The tennis world was forever changed by King’s rabble rousing. First, she lobbied against unfair practices by the United States Lawn Tennis Association. After the open era began, which allowed for amateur and professional players to compete in Grand Slam tournaments, King rallied for women to earn equal prize money as their male counterparts. After she beat Evonne Goolagong for the U.S. Open in 1972, she vowed not to return the next year because she received less prize money than the men’s singles winner. In 1973, the U.S. Open became the first major tournament to award women an equal prize.

One of King’s most infamous matches was the “Battle of the Sexes” against Bobby Riggs. The match was watched by an estimated 90 million television viewers worldwide. There was plenty of spectacle as King entered like Cleopatra in a chair carried by shirtless hunks dressed as Egyptian slaves, while her opponent made his entrance in a rickshaw pulled by women in bikinis. King won $100,000 for her victory.

During her marriage with Larry King, Billie Jean King began an affair with Marilyn Barnett. “I wanted to tell the truth but my parents were homophobic and I was in the closet. As well as that, I had people tell me that if I talked about what I was going through, it would be the end of the women’s tour,” she explained to The Times. “I couldn’t get a closet deep enough.” After she and Barnett broke up, Barnett sued for “palimony,” which brought their relationship, along with King’s sexuality, public. She told The Boston Globe: “Within 24 hours [of the lawsuit being filed], I lost all my endorsements; I lost everything. I lost $2 million at least, because I had longtime contracts. I had to play just to pay for the lawyers.”

Since her coming out, King has been an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community. She’s been actively involved with the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and she was in the first class of inductees into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. In 2014, President Obama included her in a delegation of athletes (including two other LGBT athletes, Caitlin Cahow and Brian Boitano) to represent the U.S. at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Although she had to miss the opening ceremonies due to the death of her mother, she did arrive later to the games. “Having the Winter Olympics here, the situation here in Russia, has opened up dialogue,” King said to The McClatchy Foreign Staff. “I’m always big on love over hate, and I think it’s important that everyone’s treated equally and good to each other. Hopefully, the LGBT community here in Russia knows that they’re not alone and we’ll learn from them.”

What is your favorite Billie Jean King moment?

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Watch What Happens When This Gay Couple Dresses Each Other For A Week – VIDEO

Do you have a uniform of your own making? Do you wish you could change the way your significant other dresses?

One gay couple recently got the chance to take control of each other’s wardrobe for a week, dressing the other however they want while simultaneously relinquishing control of their own ‘look.’

Matt and Patrick say they have very different styles and each took advantage of being able to control the other’s clothing choices, if only temporarily.

Said Patrick of the experiment “Matt and I are going to have a lot of fun with this but I think we’re also going to learn what we think about ourselves and what we think about each other, and I think that’s an important thing in our relationship.”

Matt’s co-workers noticed a change in his dress and he received many compliments thanks to Patrick’s styling. But that didn’t mean he wanted to make a permanent change in the wardrobe department. “People think I should dress like this all the time, and that’s great, but I’m not because it’s too hot,” Matt said.

Ah, the woes of layering.

Watch as the two take charge of each other’s sartorial lives for a week, below.

The post Watch What Happens When This Gay Couple Dresses Each Other For A Week – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

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Homophobic Fan Fined $170 For Harassing Spain’s First Openly Gay Football Referee

A fan who recently hurled anti-gay slurs at Spain’s first openly gay football referee, Jesús Tomillero, has been fined a mere €150 ($170).

For Tomillero (21), this latest abuse in a string of homophobic verbal assaults was enough to make him want to quit the job he loves. 

The Local reports: 

During a second division youth game, the referee awarded a penalty. A fan with visiting club San Fernando Isleño then shouted “That’s the poof who was on television. Stick that goal up your arse, fucking poofter.”

It was the final straw for Tomillero who decided to call it a day after the match.

Now the league’s oversight committee has decided to punish the offending fan to the tune of €150, a sum which the referee sees as “shameful” but said he was becoming used to such events.

He described his life in football as “humiliation after humiliation”.

“If the Andalusian Football Federation calls me before Monday I will return to refereeing,” he has told El Español.

Tomillero has yet to hear anything from the organization but clubs including Cadiz FC and footballing greats such as Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas have offered support.

@Jesustomille un fuerte abrazo y mucho ánimo! El mundo del fútbol respeta más de lo que la gente se piensa! Borregos hay en todos los sitios

— Iker Casillas (@CasillasWorld) May 13, 2016

@CasillasWorld muchas gracias de corazón , estas palabras de un grande como usted !!

— Jesús Tomillero B. (@Jesustomille) May 13, 2016

PREVIOUSLY: Spain’s First Openly Gay Football Referee Quits Over Homophobic Abuse

Prior to this most recent incident, Tomillero had endured taunts from a staff member of a local team playing in a game he was refereeing.That official reportedly responded angrily to a call Tomillero made, calling him a “maricón” (faggot). He also said that Tomillero liked to “take it in the arse.” The staff member continually berated him for the next 45 minutes while other staff present refused to call the police, and mocked Tomillero. The homophobic staff member in that case only received a fine of €30.

A Change.org petition has been started calling for an end to the homophobic insults being hurled officials such as Tomillero. You can sign it here.

The post Homophobic Fan Fined $170 For Harassing Spain’s First Openly Gay Football Referee appeared first on Towleroad.

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Anti-Gay Priest Caught Sending Nude Photos on Grindr To Former Student

An anti-gay priest from Northern Ireland was caught sending nude photos on Grindr to a student who attended a school where the priest was formerly a chaplain.

The student, now 18, sent photos that the priest had sent him along with transcripts of the conversation to a journalist. Shortly thereafter, the local archdiocese announced that the priest would be taking a leave of absence.

The Irish Times covered the piece in a story titled, “Support for priest who posted pictures on gay dating website”: 

Fr Rory Coyle, who is also a member of Armagh GAA’s management committee, has been absent from clerical duties since March when he asked for some time off to reflect on his future. […]

Fr Coyle posted a series of comments and pictures of himself on the gay dating website ‘Grindr’ earlier this year, including his own mobile phone number.

He did not say that he is a member of the clergy, describing himself as a lecturer.

There is no suggestion of any illegal behaviour.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Armagh said on Thursday: “Early in March, Father Rory Coyle asked Archbishop Eamon Martin for time off to obtain personal and spiritual support.

“Following this, on March 22 he asked the Archbishop to extend his leave so that he could ‘engage in a period of personal discernment and receive further help’.

Thinking Catholicism blasted that piece in The Irish Times as giving “a sanitized version of the scandal and story surrounding the Armagh priest.”

The Times reportedly has a transcript of conversations between the priest and the 18-year-old Catholic whistleblower. That young man, who has been identified only as “Eoin”, reached out to Thinking Catholicism via email. He wrote,

“He spoke to me on Grindr a few times and kept wanting to come to my mum’s house for sex with me while she was at work.

He sent me lots of naked pics of himself too. When I realised who he was I sent them to a journalist along with the screenshots of his sex chat. Then Fr Coyle’s FB was locked up tight as a drum. I assume the journalist contacted the diocese about it cos the next thing Fr Coyle went to ground.

He’s a dirty bastard; orgies in Dublin, gay beaches in Portugal, renting rooms by the hour in Soho in London for sex meets. He told me all about it. He told me a whole lot more about his exploits but I didn’t save it. He’s a total pervert. “

He added, “He’s just a hypocrite. Denouncing gay people from the pulpit and then shagging guys when no one is looking.”

[h/t NNN]

The post Anti-Gay Priest Caught Sending Nude Photos on Grindr To Former Student appeared first on Towleroad.

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Must-See LGBT TV 5/15-21: 'Faking It' series finale, 'Undercover Boss' visits Hamburger Mary's, 'Grey's' season finale and more!

www.glaad.org/blog/must-see-lgbt-tv-515-21-faking-it-series-finale-undercover-boss-visits-hamburger-marys-greys

Nevada Democratic Convention, Harvey Milk Blvd., Hyundai, Yellowstone, Eurovision, Laverne Cox: NEWS

DEM PRIMARY. Nevada Democratic Convention ends early because hotel security could not longer handle the event: “‘At approximately 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night, the director of security for the Paris Las Vegas Hotel informed the state party and representatives from both presidential campaigns that the property could no longer provide the necessary security under conditions made unruly and unpredictable. Paris Las Vegas Hotel security requested a prompt conclusion to the event,’  the Nevada State Democratic Party said in a statement.”

Real Clear Politics has this to say about what went down Saturday: “Adryenn Ashley posted several live videos (below) from inside the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, where arcane secondary rounds of the delegate selection process of Nevada’s Democratic caucus erupted into chaos Saturday night. Bernie Sanders supporters demanded 64 rejected pro-Sanders delegates listed in a ‘minority report‘ prepared by their campaign be allowed to participate in selecting delegates for the national convention. DNC leaders refused to reconsider their decision not to allow this, adjourned, and fled the building amid a chorus of boos; leaving hotel security and local police officers to handle the angry Sanders supporters.”

I FOUGHT THE LAW. Kit Harrington reveals that he used a Game of Thrones spoiler to get out of a speeding ticket. 

HATE STATE. Texas GOP adds two anti-trans bathroom planks to its party platform and doubles down on pro-conversion therapy language: “The first anti-trans plank appears in a section of the 2016 Texas GOP platform called, ‘Strengthening Families, Protecting Life, and Promoting Health: Celebrating Traditional Marriage.’ […]The other anti-trans bathroom plank is under ‘Educating Our Children: Local Control and Transparency of Curriculum and Funding: Governance.’ […] The Texas GOP is somehow getting credit in the media for softening language in its infamous pro-‘reparative therapy’ plank. But a review of the entire document shows this credit is hardly deserved. In fact, the Texas GOP’s platform appears to be more anti-LGBT than ever — and that’s saying something.”

EXPECTO PATRONUM. JK Rowling hand writes a tattoo for a fan who shares mental health struggles.

.@AlwaysJLover I love that you’re working to heal and protect yourself. You deserve this. I hope it helps. pic.twitter.com/T2nDG3z2MJ

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 11, 2016

EUROVISION. Ukraine wins the Eurovision song contest with song that is thought to blast Russia for Crimean annexation:
“The country scored 534 points with its song 1944, about the deportation of Crimean Tartars under Josef Stalin. Australia finished second with 511 points, while Russia – which was the favourite going into the competition – was third with 491 points…Jamala is the first Crimean Tartar to perform at the contest and her song caused controversy because of alleged political overtones. It references the year when Stalin deported almost all of the Tartar ethnic group from its native region of Crimea in what was then the Soviet Union. The song has angered Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, as tension between the two countries grew.:

SAN FRANCISCO. One of the city’s last gay adult movie theaters, The Tea Room Theatre, is closing today: “The theater’s one of the last gay businesses in the Tenderloin district, which was once home to many gay bars and bathhouses and served as the city’s gay hub, long before the Castro earned that distinction. Steve Angeles, who’s worked at the theater for several years, said Monday that he didn’t know many of the details of the situation, but ‘the company doesn’t make any money,’ and ‘the rent is very expensive.’”

TRANS RIGHTS. Transgender people in Canada are getting new human rights protections this week: “The change would grant federal protections to prevent eviction, discrimination, and violence against transgender and non-gender binary Canadians. Asked directly about the changes, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould told VICE News that Tuesday — May 17, International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia — would be ‘a very big day.’”

TECH. Hyundai unveils wearable exoskeleton: “The suit is only a prototype, but the photos and projected uses are pretty cool. The company said the suit could help factory workers carry heavy items, help soldiers move quickly in their full gear, and may assist people with disabilities to become more mobile. One photo shows a man wearing a partial suit that helps him move his legs up a flight of stairs.”

YELLOWSTONE. Two tourists put a bison calf in the back of their SUV because they were worried it was too cold: “Law enforcement rangers were called and the father-and-son tourists, who were from another country, were ticketed. Heusevelet says the rangers followed the pair back to where they had picked up the bison, and the animal was released. Yellowstone visitors are not allowed to approach wildlife and are to stay at least 25 yards away from large animals, according to the National Park Service website.”

UTAH. Hundreds turn out for dedication of ‘Harvey Milk Boulevard’ in Salt Lake City: “‘I am here today because of people like Harvey,’ said Jackie Biskupski, who in January became the city’s first openly gay mayor. ‘He was a hero of mine, somebody I looked up to, who inspired me years after he was gone.’”

TELEVISION. Laverne Cox reportedly cast in new CBS series Doubt, becoming the first transgender actor to play a transgender main character on broadcast TV: “The Orange Is the New Black star, 31, was part of both the show’s original pilot, which was not picked up last season, and the re-ordered second pilot, which replaced the two original leads with Katherine Heigl and Steven Pasquale. Doubt, which is produced by Grey’s Anatomy’s Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, features Heigl as a “smart, chic, successful defense lawyer at a boutique firm [who] starts to fall for her charismatic client, who may or may not be guilty of a brutal crime,” according to Deadline.”

MUSIC. Video for Brandon Skeie’s “So Bad.”

SUNDAY STUD.

The post Nevada Democratic Convention, Harvey Milk Blvd., Hyundai, Yellowstone, Eurovision, Laverne Cox: NEWS appeared first on Towleroad.

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