For Singapore’s Gay Men, Repeal of Sex Ban Brings Hope After Years of Pain

All Man: The International Male Story.Founded in the mid-’70s by entrepreneur Gene Burkard, International Male has been credited with forever changing the world of men’s fashion and the public perception of masculinity. Once sold with the tagline “Freedom for the man,” the magazine celebrated male beauty and emboldened its perusers to take comfort in looking fabulous.And you know what? It worked! International Man became a bona fide hit.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter After years of declarations about the death of the romantic comedy, Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum’s recent commercial hit “The Lost City” proved there’s still a place on the big screen for meet-cute stories. Now, comedian and actor Billy Eichner is taking a stab at the feel-good genre with “Bros,” an R-rated romantic comedy that opens in 3,300 North American theaters on Friday. The movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming to generate $8 million to $10 million in its opening weekend. It’s not a huge number, but the film carries a modest $22 million production budget. “Bros” is debuting in theaters alongside Paramount’s R-rated chiller “Smile,” which is projected to cast a toothy glow over the domestic box office charts with $16 million to $20 million. That’s a stellar result given that it only cost the studio $17 million to make.

Billy Eichner‘s Bros is, first and foremost, a big, raunchy, hilarious gay rom-com. But it’s also got a lot on its mind, including—oh, you know—the entire history of queerness and the hundreds of thousands of people who paved the way so that a movie like this could exist.Some of Bros‘ funniest scenes find Eichner’s Bobby Lieber contending with this massive legacy as he and a panel of board members quibble over the exhibits for the grand opening of the (unfortunately fictional) LGBTQIA+ Museum in New York City.

Donald Trump isn’t exactly known for behaving tactfully in public, but the more the world learns of his off-camera behavior, the creepier he gets.According to a new book, the former president regularly wore his homophobia and transphobia like badges of honor among his staffers, sometimes leaving them stunned.Related: Donald Trump’s big plan to stall the DOJ comes back to slap him hard across the faceNew York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s forthcoming book, Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America details how Trump’s preoccupation with appearing to be masculine fueled his alarming behavior.Haberman describes one meeting early in Trump’s administration with vice president Mike Pence and campaign aide Jason Miller, whom Trump said definitely “likes the ladies.”“You know how sometimes someone turns out to be gay later and you knew?” Trump said, according to the book.

ABOVE: Some fur for you.

Data compiled by the Civil Liberties Union shows that 2022 has been a record-breaking year for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in America. Since the start of 2022, several hundred anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed throughout the United States, with the vast majority of them impacting Transgender rights. By March 10, NBC News reported that nearly 240 bills […]

A post shared by Tom Daley (@tomdaley) Diver Tom Daley is on vacation in Greece. A photo he posted yesterday probably prompted all who saw it to zoom in on one particular detail: Just what is that wording across his bulge?We mean, that is the only reason you zoomed in, right?Unsurprisingly, the lettering reveals the brand of swimwear. The speedo-style briefs come from KVRT STVFF.

Thousands of students across Virginia walked out Tuesday to protest the state's Republican governor Glenn Youngkin's proposed rollback of transgender rights, part of new policies his administration plans to implement at the Virginia Department of Education.Pride Liberation Project, a student-led organization, coordinated the walkouts with students at nearly 100 schools across the state. Rivka Vizcardo-Lichter, the lead organizer, tells The Advocate she's thrilled with the results.“We estimate 12,000+ students walked out yesterday in opposition of the proposed guidelines, showing Virginia students’ capacity to stand up for what matters to them,” Vizcardo-Lichter says.As mandated by a 2020 law, the VDOE published model policies on how to treat transgender students in public schools in 2021 under the administration of the previous Democratic governor, Gov.

In a statement published online today, September 28, Polish education minister Przemysław Czarnek formally apologised for homophobic remarks he made in 2020. The minister concluded his apology saying that he still stands “by his views”. Przemysław Czarnek became education minister in Poland in early October 2020. He is well-known for his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights […]

Herschel Walker made a big deal a couple of months ago about upping sticks from California and relocating to Florida.Related: Herschel Walker’s son uses Pride Month to remind everyone… he’s not gayThe rightwing influencer repeatedly took to social media to celebrate moving from a blue to a red state and praised Governor Ron DeSantis for introducing his notorious ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.Just last week Walker posted about how nice it was not to be walking the streets of Los Angeles.Moved to Florida from California not even two months ago, and dang… it feels nice to not have to worry about stepping in human poop on the street when I go for a walk.— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) September 23, 2022Last month he hung out with DeSantis and sang his praises.I moved across the country because of this man. Thank you Governor DeSantis for making sure kids are protected at schools. Thank you Governor DeSantis for protecting businesses and people’s jobs.

“Ladies Tea: Fall Edition,” a fundraising event, will be hosted on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. at Hank’s Oyster Bar Dupont Circle. 

The Congressional Black Caucus will host a screening of “Why Is We Americans” on Friday, Sept. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at Planet Word.

The race for the U.S. Senate seat in Nevada — which may decide control of that chamber of Congress in the upcoming election — is coming down to the wire as polls shows a tight race between Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) and the Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. If Republicans get their way, it will have everything to do with Cortez Masto’s defending her state’s ban on same-sex marriage as Nevada attorney general — and nothing at all to do with the long record against LGBTQ rights of her Republican opponent.

Semaj Billingslea, a 33-year-old Black transgender man, was shot to death September 21 just outside a motel in Jacksonville, Fla.Police found Billingslea at the Baymont Inn and Suites in the early evening, Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents reports. He had been shot multiple times but was still alive. He was taken to a hospital, where he died of his wounds.

A former prison guard in North Carolina faces up to 14 years in jail after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a transgender woman inmate in his custody last year.In a plea bargain agreement, Kyle Garrett Harris pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of felony sex by a custodian for his actions in the June 21, 2021, attack at the Mecklenburg County jail, according to a report in the News&Observer. He was given sentences of 20 to 84 months for each charge, with the sentences to be served consecutively.The sexual assault survivor went public last year with her story.“There was no way possible I could just sit there and allow somebody to get away with something like that,” the woman, who identified herself as Heaven, told the local ABC affiliate WSOC-TV.Following her arrest on federal identity charges last year, Heaven was taken to Mecklenburg County jail where Harris was employed as a guard.

As they always say, “after every storm, there is a rainbow” and it seems that the pandemic was a moment of inspiration for several queer artists. Across different music genres, there are new tracks out there from proud LGBTQ+ artists, that you should definitely know. From pop, folk, electronic, and synth-wave there is a lot […]

Éiru, a brand new music series featuring female and non-binary artists, launches at the Playground this Monday, October 3. For the first four Mondays in October, the Playground, a unique space for musical artists and creatives to connect and collaborate, will be transformed into a tranquil evening venue, with beanbags and blankets galore. Each evening […]

Real Housewife, Heather Gay jokes she's «beaten down.»«By life and by these b***hes!» the  OG cracks to ET over video call. «No, am I different? I just feel like I'm still the same sad sack I've always been, but now I just am richer and more famous.

A post shared by Anthony Bowens (@bowens_official)“I’m going to take a moment to share something I don’t really talk about much in front of the camera. And some of you know and some of you may not know, but I never thought I’d be able to have a moment like this.“I never thought that I would be able to live my dream because there was a time when I was very confused. And I didn’t know how to accept myself.

Indie-pop band Celestial Skies have announced the date their debut album, Songs For Blue Romantics will be released.

Emmerdale star Michelle Hardwick has been forced to tightened up security at her Yorkshire home after being a victim to homophobic death threats.The 46-year-old, who plays vet Vanessa Woodfield in the long-running ITV soap, had to involve police recently due to concerns for the safety of her family. Michelle took to her Instagram account on Monday to thank a security company for increasing protection around their countryside home. "Anyone local to the Leeds/Wakefield area who needs any security solutions then look no further than @msc.security.solutions," she said.

Donald Trump often asked oddly personal questions about staffers’ sexuality and made homophobic remarks about those he perceived might be gay, according to a new book.

(Editor’s Note: One in four people in America has a disability, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Queer and disabled people have long been a vital part of the LGBTQ community. Take two of the many queer history icons who were disabled:  Michelangelo is believed to have been autistic. Marsha P. Johnson, who played a heroic role in the Stonewall Uprising, had physical and psychiatric disabilities. Today, Deaf/Blind fantasy writer Elsa Sjunneson, actor and bilateral amputee Eric Graise — Marvin in the “Queer as Folk” reboot — and Kathy Martinez, a blind, Latinx lesbian, who was Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy for the Obama administration, are only a few of the numerous queer and disabled people in the LGBTQ community. Yet, the stories of this vital segment of the queer community have rarely been told. In its monthly, year-long series, “Queer, Crip and Here,” the Blade will tell some of these long un-heard stories.)

For the first time I actually think Donald Trump and his family may get what they deserve. They have been screwing the country for so long it seemed no one could get to them. Donald Trump is like a mafia don, with his family, and others like Rudy Giuliani, being his soldiers. Like many mafia don’s we have seen, while not going down for the deaths he caused, he will likely go down for his financial shenanigans.

Harry Kane will join forces with nine other European captains by wearing a OneLove armband at the World Cup in Qatar.Same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, which will host the World Cup from November 20.Kane will be joined in wearing the OneLove armband by Wales captain Gareth Bale, and with the captains of France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland.The move comes as part of a season-long OneLove campaign against LGBTQ+ discrimination in football and wider society.Here is what you need to know about OneLove campaign at the Qatar World Cup.The European captains are wearing the OneLove armband to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ discrimination in Qatar, where same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalised.Qatari authorities have not given a specific guarantee that LGBTQ+ fans travelling to the country for the tournament will be safe.The Qatar Supreme Committee, the body in charge of organising the World Cup, said: ‘Everyone will be welcome to Qatar in 2022, regardless of their race, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation or nationality.‘We are a relatively conservative society – for example, public displays of affection are not a part of our culture.‘We believe in mutual respect and so whilst everyone is welcome, what we expect in return is for everyone to respect our culture and traditions.’Speaking about the decision to wear the OneLove armband, Kane said: ‘I am honoured to join my fellow national team captains in supporting the important OneLove campaign.‘As captains we may all be competing against each other on the pitch, but we stand together against all forms of discrimination.‘This is even more relevant

The final two cities in the race to host Eurovision 2023 have been shortlisted. Next year’s song contest is confirmed to take place in the UK, with Glasgow and Liverpool being the last locations standing in the rigorous selection process. Although Ukraine was supposed to host next year’s competition after the country soared to victory […]

There’s a magical feeling to the mountainous desert landscapes, endless blue skies, and remarkable quality of the light in Scottsdale and Phoenix — something that has brought travelers back here for decades. The area boasts a plethora of high-end resorts and spas, and my husband and I decided to try out three popular ones during our recent trip to Arizona.Old is new againI’ve loved the Arizona Biltmore for years, and the iconic property with Frank Lloyd Wright vibes recently re-opened after a massive $70 million renovation that took more than a year.

Emmy-winning comedian Hannah Gadsby will produce and host a live stand-up special for Netflix titled Body of Work.

Virgin Atlantic have updated their gender identity policy to allow crew, pilots and ground team the choice of what uniform they wear.

Sam Smith has opened up about becoming confident enough to let their “freakiness out” and how this channelled itself into the making of Unholy.

Sam Smith has opened up about becoming confident enough to let their “freakiness out” and how this channelled itself into the making of Unholy.

Every now and again you come across a hotel located in a prime city location – one that makes you never want to leave; The Madrid EDITION is that hotel.

London, was recognised as the founder of Proud Voices, a network of LGBT choirs in the UK and Ireland.He told Metro.co.uk: ‘It was such a privilege and an honour to be present.‘I didn’t think I would be as moved as I was, as I didn’t have any relationship with the Queen at all other than her being there throughout my life as the only Queen I ever knew, but it was very emotional. ‘I only ever saw her on television so being invited to the funeral was a very great honour.‘I’ve been walking around Green Park the last couple of days and I have seen how deep people’s emotional connection to the Queen is and I just feel there are so many people who would have loved to have been here.

three months after their engagement.The former Jeopardy! champ, 43, made the announcement on her social-media accounts on Tuesday night as she said that she and Davis "couldn't wait" to tie the knot, though they will be having a traditional ceremony in 2023.Sharing photos of herself and Davis wearing simple white dresses and floral headpieces at their ceremony in Oakland, California, Schneider wrote on Instagram: "Genevieve and I are delighted to announce that on Monday, May 9, we were married in a small private ceremony at the Alameda County Recorder."We will be having a traditional wedding & reception next summer," Schneider added, "but our lives have been much too busy this year to get very far in planning it, and we couldn't wait that long to proclaim our love and commitment to each other. Thank you, everyone for your support!"Amid the flood of congratulatory comments was a message from the official Jeopardy! account, which simply read: "Love it!"Former software engineering manager Schneider, who shared the same message on Facebook, posted a slightly different caption on Twitter as she mentioned the start of her Jeopardy! journey."A year ago today, I was in LA, waiting to fulfill a dream," she said.

When Tony and Doug (names changed for privacy), a gay couple, who had lived interstate and overseas, moved to a small rural town in Southern Tasmania, they were looking forward to life away from the fast pace they were used to. What they did not bargain was for a year-long campaign of harassment and homophobic abuse directed at them by their next-door neighbour. A court in Tasmania recently held the woman guilty of anti-gay abuse and sentenced her to six weeks in prison.

Singapore is to decriminalise sex between men by repealing a colonial-era law, its PM said on Sunday, while vowing to protect the city-state's traditional norms and its definition of marriage.During his speech at the annual National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he believed it is the "right thing to do now" as most Singaporeans would now accept it."Private sexual behavior between consenting adults does not raise any law and order issue. There is no justification to prosecute people for it nor to make it a crime," Lee said."This will bring the law into line with current social mores and I hope provide some relief to gay Singaporeans."Lee vowed the repeal would be limited and not shake Singapore's traditional family and societal norms, including how marriage is defined, what children are taught in schools, what is shown on television and general public conduct.He said the government would amend the constitution to ensure that there could be no constitutional challenge allowing same-sex marriage."Even as we repeal Section 377A, we will uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage," Lee said.

Singapore will move to decriminalize gay sex while increasing prohibitions against same-sex marriage, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, August 21.Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code, a law implemented by the country’s British colonial government in 1938, criminalizes sex between men. Today, even consensual, private sex between adult men in Singapore remains legally punishable by up to two years in prison.Parliament will now repeal 377A, Loong said.

Singapore’s government confirmed that it will continue to restrict LGBTQ+ film and media content for older audiences, despite repealing its ban on gay sex.

Singapore’s government has confirmed that it will continue to restrict LGBTQ film and media content to older audiences, despite overturning a decades-old law that banned gay sex.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Singapore government announced that it will continue to restrict and classify media content with LGBTQ themes, even after its planned decriminalization of same-sex relationships.The move to repeal a colonial-era law that criminalized sex between men was announced Sunday by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The law, Section 377A of the Penal Code, was introduced in 1938 and established a two-year jail term for “any act of gross indecency” between two men, either in public or in private.London-based Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo,” “Wet Season”) commended the planned repeal.

(CNN) — Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday said the country will repeal the colonial-era Section 377A of Singapore's Penal Code, thereby decriminalizing gay sex in Singapore, but added that same-sex marriage will continue to be illegal in the city-state."Sex between consenting men should not be criminalized. There is no justification to prosecute people for it, nor to make it a crime," he said at his annual policy address, the National Day Rally, carried live on television."I believe (repeal) is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept.

Singapore will decriminalise sexual relations between men but has no plans to allow same-sex marriage and will seek to enshrine the current ban in the constitution, the prime minister said on Sunday.

SINGAPORE – Singapore will decriminalize sex between men, but has no plans to change the legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday.LGBTQ groups welcomed Lee’s decision to repeal Section 377A of the penal code, a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex between men, but also expressed concern that ruling out same-sex marriage would help to perpetuate discrimination.This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites. If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this support page.

Singapore to decriminalize gay sex Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said the country would decriminalize sex between consenting men, repealing a colonial-era law. But Lee said he would also propose a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Singapore’s gay community has fought for years to repeal the law, known as Section 377A, arguing that it promotes discrimination even if it is not enforced.

In a win for LGBTQ+ rights, Singapore has announced plans to decriminalise the country’s archaic law that bans men having sex with men. 

“By and large, Singapore is a conservative society ...” (Image via video still)

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday announced his country will decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.

Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said on Sunday that the government would repeal the country’s colonial-era law criminalizing sex between men, a step long sought by gay rights advocates, but that same-sex marriage would continue to be illegal. Reversing his long-held opposition to decriminalizing gay sex, Mr. Lee said he believed that the conservative nation was willing to accept the idea of sex between consenting men and revoke the law, known as Section 377A.