News: Liam Hemsworth, McDonalds, Shania Twain, Gay Art, Facebook

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2015/03/news-1.html

Pat Robertson Advises Parents Not To Attend Gay Wedding Of Their Child
Conservative evangelist Pat Robertson advised two concerned parents to skip the same-sex wedding of their child in a “700 Club” segment this week.

Robertson, who has been an outspoken opponent of marriage equality for some time, told the viewer that by attending the ceremony, “you are agreeing with it,” according to Right Wing Watch.

He added, “I would tell your child, ‘I love you, but I cannot condone this. We will always love you, but I don’t condone this activity.'”

The parents had suggested in their initial inquiry that they were divided over whether or not to attend, but Robertson was firm.

“Be in unity, and I would say don’t go,” he concluded.

The latest remarks are in line with Robertson’s history of anti-gay sentiment. In February, he blasted a Washington state judge’s ruling that a florist’s refusal to provide flowers for a gay couple’s wedding had violated anti-discrimination legislation.

He asked viewers, “To tell a florist that she’s got to provide flowers for a particular kind of wedding? What if somebody wanted to marry his dog? She’s got to have flowers for that?”

Earlier this year, he implied that a young boy may be reading gay magazines because he was “attacked or molested by an authority figure” in the past.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/05/pat-robertson-parents-gay-marriage-_n_6810036.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Hundreds of Nation’s Top Companies Urge Supreme Court to Strike Down Same-Sex Marriage Bans

Powerful Amicus Brief Asserts State Same-Sex Marriage Bans Are Discriminatory, Bad for Business
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hundreds-of-nations-top-companies-urge-supreme-court-to-strike-down-same-se?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Did Malik Yoba Out His Empire Co-Star Jussie Smollett Or Didn’t He?

Actor Jussie Smollett (pictured left) plays the gay middle-child in the Lyon family on Fox’s new show Empire, and has been deliberate in avoiding questions about his own sexuality in the media. But one of his fellow actors, Malik Yoba, may have outed him.

Jussie has taken the Kevin Spacey approach, essentially saying his personal life isn’t up for grabs. In an interview with Sway last month, he said:

“No, (fans shouldn’t assume I’m gay), but it’s also fair, and I don’t see a problem with that and I don’t really care. … This is not a gay black show. This is a show about human experiences. … I’m not willing to confirm or deny anything. I live my life. If someone is looking for a box to put me in, that’s not going to happen. I live my life, and if you really want to know about me, just watch, because I don’t hide anything. I just don’t choose to talk about my personal life.”

But in a recent Q&A, Yoba was asked about the success of the series and its impact, and specifically brought up the gay representation on the show. He said:

“I think that our show represents a huge opportunity to stay in the culture beyond entertainment value and there’s an intrinsic nature of you have the gay factor, right? So, obviously, Lee (Daniels, co-creator) is gay. That was an important storyline for him. I think it’s important for people to see themselves. Even within the Black community. But if you aren’t really, really taking it off of screen and making it live in the community in a significant way … like I know Jussie, he is gay, and he’s very committed to issues around the LGBT community. He and I have a very close relationship.”

Many on social media were upset that Yoba apparently outed his costar.

Here’s some of that reaction:

Hey Malik Yoba! One doesn’t out people. Period. even to say, that he/she was my LOVER, is indelicate, impolite… t.co/zFpQxOScJB

— Dee Dixon (@PDeeDixon) March 3, 2015

.@MalikYoba it is a form of violence to publicly out someone, especially in an pro-monolithic industry.

— the III. ? (@GeekNStereo) March 3, 2015

Malik Yoba done put Jussie Smollet’s business in the streets. That’s not nice! — ?????? (@callmedollar) March 2, 2015

Now in a statement to USA Today via his publicist, Malik is backpedaling, saying he was misquoted:

“I was misquoted in the article. My reference to Jussie was only about his character and storyline on Empire.”

Believable?

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/wDX9IeVdFWQ/did-malik-yoba-out-his-empire-co-star-jussie-smollett-or-didnt-he-20150305

Georgia Senate Committee Passes Anti-LGBT 'License to Discriminate' Bill

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2015/03/georgia-senate-committee-passes-anti-lgbt-license-to-discriminate-bill.html

In Wake Of Ben Carson Comments, Don Lemon Asks CNN Panel If Being Gay Is A Choice
“Can you choose to be gay?” CNN’s Don Lemon posed the question to his guests, Ben Ferguson, Sally Kohn and HuffPost Live host Marc Lamont Hill, over and over again Wednesday night.

The discussion was sparked by comments Ben Carson made to CNN’s Chris Cuomo earlier that day, suggesting that homosexuality is a choice because people “go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay.” The comments quickly caused a furor and the presidential hopeful was forced to issue a public apology.

While Kohn and Hill both offered counter arguments to Carson’s incendiary remarks, Ferguson chose to back them up, insisting that a person’s sexual orientation is, indeed, a matter of will.

“I think people choose to do different things every day, including if they choose to be gay or bisexual or transgendered [sic] or whatever it may be,” he said. “There are a lot of people that choose different things. I don’t think that’s some shocking new revelation.”

Lemon pressed Ferguson further, asking if he himself could, in fact, choose to be gay.

“I’m not gay, that’s pretty obvious. I’m heterosexual,” Ferguson said, to which Hill shot back: “It’s not obvious.”

Kohn offered perhaps the most sound response to Carson’s views, however, stating that whether a person can choose to be gay is not truly the issue, it’s that conservative’s use the veil of choice to advance an anti-gay agenda.

“What Dr. Carson is referring to is an argument that comes out of a right wing anti-gay mentality, that if you choose to be gay you can therefore, and should therefore, choose not to be gay,” she said. “And the fact that sexual identity is a fungible choice is an argument for denying equal rights and fair treatment.”

“So the choice thing isn’t the issue here,” she continued. “The issue is why don’t we treat people equally regardless of their identity, however they come to it.”

H/T Mediaite

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/05/don-lemon-panel-gay-choice-cnn_n_6808494.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Fatboy Slim confirmed for Brighton Pride

 Dance music icon just one of the huge names performing at festival

read more

jamiet

www.gaystarnews.com/article/fatboy-slim-confirmed-brighton-pride050315