Olympic rower Robbie Manson comes out as gay

Robbie Manson, Olympic rower for New Zealand, comes out publicly as gay, talks about the struggles in the closet and coming out to friends before the 2012 Olympics.

Two and a half years ago I made the scariest decision of my life: to come out.

I feel like there has always been a confident, outgoing side of me dying to come out. But from an early age I realized that I was different from most other guys. I desperately tried to hide that "different" side of myself. In doing so I inadvertently became very quiet and shy, shutting myself off and avoiding attention for fear that someone might discover my deepest, darkest secret: I'm gay. Read more

Benjy the 'gay 'bull saved from slaughter by fundraising effort.

A bull branded gay, has been saved from the slaughterhouse by charity donations, including £5,000 from Sam Simon, co-creator of the Simpsons. Benjy, from County Mayo, Ireland, was destined for the abattoir after showing more interest in breeding with other bulls than cows.

Gay and animal rights campaigners launched a joint online campaign to save Benjy. It went viral.

Benjy's story first came to light when his owner mentioned to friend and local journalist, Joanna McNicholas, that Benjy was not fulfilling his farm role, and would have to be reluctantly sent for slaughter. Read More

Gay+ song wins Country Music Awards song of the year

“Oh my goodness! Do y’all know what this means for country music?!”

That’s what the charming Kacey Musgraves said when she won the prize for Song of the Year for her controversial hit “Follow Your Arrow” at last night’s Country Music Awards. And she’s right—that the Country Music Association recognized a song with such a progressive (or at least libertarian) message is a big deal. Read More

Canadian Museum of History to add gay stories to exhibits

The Canadian Museum of History announced a formal partnership with the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) June 18 to include gay Canadian history in a newly renovated and expanded Canadian History Hall, set to open on Canada’s 150th birthday, on July 1, 2017.

The $30-million renovation, of which $25 million comes from the federal government and another $5 million will be raised by donations, will be the first major overhaul of the exhibit since the museum opened in Gatineau in 1989 as the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Read More

Kenyan Hip Hop Group Pushes Boundaries

"I AM" is a Kenyan hip hop group, consisting of rappers Sue Timon, Grammo Suspect and singer Miss Isle, whose "main agenda" is to be LGBTQ activists. Check it out

Study: The world is becoming a better place to be gay

Social researchers at NORC at the University of Chicago and the LGBT think-tank Williams Institute at UCLA said acceptance has grown by an average of 0.9% annually by nation.

'This study shows a clear trend toward increasing acceptance across the globe,' Andrew Park, director of International Programs at the Williams Institute, said.
Researchers studied hundreds of surveys on attitudes toward gay men and lesbians in up to 52 countries since 1981.  Read More 

Students at Japan High School Switch Uniforms With Opposite Sex

A high school in Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture has come up with a unique way for its students to see their world from a different perspective. Fuji Hokuryo High School this week held what it calls a “Sexchange Day,” in which nearly 300 of its students traded uniforms with the opposite sex and attended classes.

“This is a project for students to observe things differently” without being bound by their gender, Hirofumi Miyashita, the school’s vice principal, told Japan Real Time. Read More

Thailand launches world's first transgender modeling agency

A Thai modeling agency has launched the first transgender model division in the world.

The Bangkok-based Apple Modeling Agency announced the division on Tuesday (11 November) and has 18 transgender girls on its books. Apple is one of the leading and largest modeling agencies in the southeast Asian country. Read More

Choir stages singalong, 'Safe to Sing,' on Manchester trams after homophobic attack

A lesbian and gay choir staged a mass singalong on Manchester’s tram network after homophobic thugs attacked two young gay men who were singing songs from the musical Wicked on a night out.

The event – entitled Safe to Sing – started with about 80 singers boarding trams in the city centre on Monday evening to belt out tunes including Somewhere, from West Side Story, and Petula Clark’s Downtown – with the main refrain changed to “Canal Street”, the heart of Manchester’s gay village. Read More

The International Olympic Committee Comes Out Against Anti-Gay Discrimination

At long last the International Olympic Committee will change the wording of the Olympic Charter to include protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. This development was part of 40 recommendations published today ahead of next month’s IOC meeting in Monaco, where IOC President Thomas Bach’s “Agenda 2020” process will conclude with significant changes to the bidding process for and organization of the Olympic Games. The change in language is significant. Read More

I’m an evangelical minister. I now support the LGBT community — and the church should, too.

For Christians, the LGBT debate has always been framed as a question of sexual ethics. Our argument has centered on six or seven biblical passages that appear to mention homosexuality negatively or appear to establish a heterosexual norm. For most of my career, these ideas formed the foundation of my views and teachings as an evangelical minister and professor of Christian ethics. I co-authored a popular textbook that stated this position flatly: “Homosexual conduct is one form of sexual expression that falls outside the will of God.” I wasn’t mean about it. But I said it.

In recent years, my moral position has shifted. It has dawned on me with shocking force that homosexuality is not primarily an issue of Christian sexual ethics. It’s primarily an issue of human suffering. With that realization, I have now made the radical decision to stand in solidarity with the LGBT community. Read More

The LGBT Kids Who Flee Their Countries And Their Families For The U.S.

Some of the thousands of Central American children trying to get to the United States are seeking a love and acceptance they can’t get at home. Advocates say most LGBT migrants don’t petition for asylum in Mexico, largely because it doesn’t promise the same work opportunities as the U.S., and Mexico also has high rates of anti-LGBT violence. Advocates who work with LGBT people seeking asylum in the U.S. say that Mexico is among the most common countries their clients are fleeing. Read More