For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people the law is a paradox.
Bestselling author calls India's colonial anti-gay law ‘our collective sin’
Author Chetan Bhagat has spoken about India’s anti-gay law to say that it contradicts the country’s culture:
"Section 377 is not an Indian law but an inheritance of British law. The same law existed in over 40 colonies of the British empire. Most have junked or modified it to decriminalise homosexuality.
We have held on to it as if it is part of India’s cultural heritage, whereas it is nothing but a relic of an unscientific, Victorian past. Of course, the final question is this: Why should the selfish, non-homosexual, growth-seeking Indian care? Well, we should." Read More
Gambia Lawmakers Pass Bill to Jail Gays for Life
Gambia's National Assembly has passed a bill imposing life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, potentially worsening the climate for sexual minorities in a country with one of Africa's most vocal anti-gay leaders. The charge of "aggravated homosexuality" could be leveled at repeat offenders and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Homosexual acts were already punishable by up to 14 years in prison under a law amended in 2005 to apply to women in addition to men. The bill awaits approval by President Yahya Jammeh, who in 2008 instructed gays and lesbians to leave the country or risk having their heads cut off. In February, Jammeh said, "We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively." Read More
Oldest gay bookstore in America to re-open as AIDS charity shop
When Ed Hermance, the owner America's oldest gay bookstore, announced earlier this year that after 35 years he was getting out of the book business, he said he would not leave Giovanni's Room or the building in Philadelphia to just anybody.
After decades of providing a safe haven both intellectually and physically for the gay community at 13th and Pine streets, he did not want it all to disappear just because of the demise of bricks-and-mortar bookstores.
Earlier this week, he signed a two-year lease with Philly AIDS Thrift, a charity shop that resells donated material to benefit AIDS and HIV programs. A few years ago, it successfully expanded into a double-wide storefront at Fifth and Bainbridge streets, becoming something of a retail and cultural phenomenon itself. Its owners say it raises about $20,000 a month.
Seven Lesbian Web Series You Need To Binge Watch Immediately
Don’t get me wrong. I could watch Sex And The City reruns all day. I’m not even going to act like I’m embarrassed about it. Give me all the Mad Men, Game Of Thrones, Girls-level straight-people, implied PIV (penis-in-vagina) TV sex because I eat that shit up.
I have no shame.
But sometimes there are moments when I’ve already watched the first two seasons of Orange Is The New Black from start to finish three times, seen almost every episode of The Real L Word twice already and I just cannot deal with Hannah and Adam’s bullshit or the on-again, off-again Carrie and Big saga (so I’m emotionally invested, sue me). There aren’t a lot of other TV options for when you just want to watch some really lesbionic programming, and I really don’t need another web series about four straight girlfriends "just trying to make it in L.A." and maybe ask out the cute Starbucks barista guy one day. More
Tom of Finland gay erotic stamps are the biggest sellers in Finland’s postal service history
'Male Sex Work And Society' Examines Sex Work Throughout History
A compelling new book this week that examines the practice of sex work by men from both a modern day and a historical perspective hit the shelves.
Male Sex Work And Society is a collection of essays and studies that examines the role of male sex work from an interdisciplinary perspective, including fields of study like public health, sociology, psychology, social services, history and mental health. Read More
Arsenal record hilarious video to help campaign against homophobia in football
FA Cup winners Arsenal, Paddy Power, Stonewall and the Gay Football Supporters' Network have again teamed up to help tackle one of the toughest challenges in sport: homophobia in football. Rainbow coloured boot laces have been dispatched to every single professional player in the UK, including youth and women's teams, alongside deliveries to all MPs and leading political figures.
This Is Pakistan’s First Anti-Homophobia Children’s Book, And It Is Beautiful
Earlier this year, Toronto-based Pakistani blogger and artist Eiynah ‘Nicemangos’ wrote a blog post titled “My Chacha Is Gay”.
The post was shared over 10,000 times in two days and hundreds of readers suggested that Eiynah start a crowdfunding campaign to publish it as a book. She met her crowdfunding goal quickly, and “My Chacha Is Gay” has since been released in print.
“My Chacha Is Gay” is about a little boy named Ahmed, his gay uncle, their family, and Pakistani and Muslim society as a whole. Read more
Russian political party slams ad depicting Russian poet kissing Kazakh composer
The Almaty-based advertising agency that produced a scandalous poster depicting Kazakh composer Kurmangazy and Russian poet Pushkin kissing has drawn a wave of discontent upon itself. The wave started in Kazakhstan and reached Russia. Now, a branch of Rodina (Motherland) political party has officially slammed the poster.
The St. Petersburg branch of the Russian party voiced its indignation with the smooch print of two cultural heavyweights and expressed solidarity with Kazakhstanis who intend to demand legal repercussions for the heads of the ads agency. Read More
Benedict Cumberbatch on 'The Imitation Game,' Homophobia, and How to Combat ISIS
Cumberbatch is getting rave reviews as Alan Turing, the math prodigy responsible for cracking the German Enigma code, thereby granting the Allied Forces access to once-indecipherable Nazi dispatches detailing the location and activities of the German navy. Turing was chemically castrated for "gross indecency"--being gay. Two years later, at the age of 41, the war hero ended his own life with cyanide. Read the interview here.
First gay couple in Italy allowed to adopt child
A woman whose partner gave birth has been allowed to adopt the child in the first case of stepchild adoption involving a same-sex couple. It's been described by a rights group as an historic step for Italy.
The five-year-old is the daughter of one of the two partners, who were married abroad. It is the first case of a “step-child” adoption involving a gay couple in Italy. Read more