Tag: lgbt

The recovering addict says he was tortured for befriending another client. A recovering drug addict in South Africa alleges he was sexually assaulted at a rehabilitation facility as punishment for being gay, IOL reports. Mogamat Yushree Jacobs, 36, who immediately went to police after escaping from the Akhbar Rehabilitation Centre in Cape Town, also says he was beaten and covered with human feces. Jacobs, who was addicted to heroin for 12 years, entered rehab about eight months ago and eventually assisted Akhbar...

Team USA gay Winter Olympians Gus Kenworthy and Adam Rippon have become media darlings. The two attractive athletes share a lot – BFF photos, matching sweaters and a charming kiss. What they don’t yet share is commercial endorsements. Kenworthy has racked up an impressive list, including Head & Shoulders (Procter & Gamble) shampoo, United Airlines, Visa, Toyota, Samsung, Ralph Lauren, Chobani, and others, while Rippon has none — although he just got hired by NBC as a correspondent for the...

We definitely know what fries we are going to beeline for the next time we are in the supermarket. McCain Fries, one of the world's largest distributors of frozen fries, has produced yet another LGBT-inclusive commercial after receiving a ton of outrage from homophobes due to an earlier one that they made in September 2017. The first one featured two gay dads, and the brand was attacked by homophobes and bigots alike for featuring a same-sex couple in their ads. The real-life...

The health ministry ordered hotels, inns and love hotels not to refuse guests “on grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity." Japan’s Ministry of Health is ordering hotels to stop discriminating against LGBT guests. A January 31 directive reinforces existing anti-discrimination laws, reminding hotel owners not to refuse admission “on grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity and take proper care of them.” Making same-sex couples sleep in double beds was cited as an example of discriminatory behavior. The order also...

EXCLUSIVE: Director of Evening Shadows says he and his team are ‘thrilled’ by the decision The makers of a gay-themed movie are today celebrating after their film received a U/A rating in their home country of India. Evening Shadows centers on a young man in Southern India coming out to his mum. It has received a U/A rating from the CBFC film board in Mumbai. This means parental guidance advised for anyone under 12. In reality, that means parents can take their...

With the Winter Olympics around the corner, the global spotlight is on Korea. In just a few days, hundreds of athletes will descend on Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the 2018 Winter Olympics, including a number of gay and lesbian Olympians. But what’s the state of LGBT equality in South Korea? Historically, the country’s conservative government and large Christian population has meant slow progress: In 2013, a Pew Research poll indicated almost 60% of Koreans believed society shouldn’t accept homosexuality. There have never been...

A religious freedom bill passed this week would allow government workers to deny services to LGBT citizens. On Monday, Puerto Rico’s Senate voted in favor of a “religious freedom” bill that would allow government employees to discriminate against LGBT people. While lawmakers have authored such measures across the U.S., the vote came while 35% of Puerto Ricans still do not have power or running water in the wake of Hurricane Maria. (Reports that FEMA was planning to withdraw aid this week...

"Just shaking my head and finger today as many parts of our history end up in the dumpsters in back alleys again." The Gangway, believed to be San Francisco’s oldest operating gay bar, poured its last drink on Sunday. After a wage-related lawsuit, a failed sale attempt, and the death of a longtime manager in 2016, the bar floundered and never recovered. Some type of bar has been operating at the Gangway’s Tenderloin address, 841 Larkin Street, since 1910. (According to...

A half-dozen LGBT Cubans arrived in Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport Saturday, seeking asylum. Mariela Castro has long been the face of Cuba’s LGBT movement, which is a little unusual given she’s a heterosexual cisgender woman and daughter of president Raul Castro. A member of the Cuban Parliament and director of the government-sanctioned Cuban National Center for Sex Education, she’s marched at the front of Havana’s Pride parade and has spoken out in support of marriage equality, though she’s claimed it’s not the...

Less than half of Americans say they're comfortable with LGBT people Despite increased visibility and awareness, acceptance of LGBT people in America actually decreased in 2017. GLAAD and The Harris Poll’s fourth-annual Accelerating Acceptance report found that less than half (49%) of respondents said they were “somewhat” or “very” comfortable with queer people in different social situations, down from 53% in 2016. It’s the first decline since the report was launched in 2014, and is in contrast to studies that have shown...

Watchdog group Grupo Gay de Bahia reports a 30% increase in homicides attributed to homophobia or anti-gay violence. A new report indicates that anti-LGBT violence has reached a record high in Brazil. According to Grupo Gay de Bahia reported, there were 387 homicides attributed to homophobia or anti-gay violence in 2017, a staggering 30% increase from the 327 reported in 2016. (The report also listed 58 suicides in the same time period.) Brazil is often seen as one of the most gay-friendly...

We wish we had these books when we were tots. Whether you have kids of your own or just want to dote on someone else’s, it’s never too soon to introduce children to the wonders of literature. And if you can incorporate positive representations of the LGBT community, so much the better. Unfortunately, publishers frequently face backlash and even boycotts by anti-LGBT groups. But we can make sure they don’t succeed by buying books aimed at making the future more inclusive...

"Despite the potential pitfalls and challenges, traveling... can act like a glue that helps keep a couple together." Valentine’s Day is less than a month away, and many couples will celebrate by taking a romantic getaway together. In fact, according to a report by Statista, Americans dished out $493 million on Valentine’s Day travel in 2017, more than they spent on flowers and jewelry combined. While taking this first trip together marks a significant milestone, it’s also new territory laden with...

What did you do during this past Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? Did you have a Sunday-Funday Part Two? Did you get mad at your WAZE app for not redirecting you around that parade on the way to your destination? Did you use the time off from work to catch up on some shopping, sleeping, gym-time, cleaning? For five days, I had friends visiting me in sunny Florida for the long holiday weekend. On Monday, we did some shopping, eating,...