Kelly McGillis comes out!

American actress Kelly McGillis, famous for her roles in Witness (1985), Top Gun (1986), and The Accused (1988), finally confirmed persistent rumours that she is gay in a recent interview with SheWired.com:

"I think that [accepting my homosexuality] was an ongoing process from the time I was about 12. I had a lot of things happened that convinced me that God was punishing me because I was gay. That was a hard process...Life is a freaking journey and it's about growing and changing and coming to terms with who and what you are and loving who and what you are."

Hurrah!

The starlet has been wed twice and has two daughters from her marriage to Fred Tillman. The couple divorced in 2002.

Congrats to Ms. McGillis for having the courage to begin, in her words, this "whole different phase" of life!

Check out the full SheWired.com interview here.

Zimbabwe gays push for constitutional recognition

"Homosexuality is a disease which can make this society sick, if not controlled or prevented. l propose a prison sentence in the new constitution for anyone found polluting the society with homosexuality."

"Not in Zimbabwe they need to do it in the Anglo Saxon world. We don’t need them to brainwash our kids."

"No way Jose, gays destroy the fabric of society. Keep it in the west please. I broke of with my girlfriend when she tried to take me to a gay wedding."

"I totally support President Robert Gabriel Mugabe for refusing to accept these people. I am also happy to let President Mugabe know that on such sensible matters we really are behind him. We refuse to buy rubbish from these so called developed countries. As developing countries, we are following behind developed countries and have seen problems in some of their policies, so we need not to adopt them. After all same sex marrieage [sic] is just but sickening. God refused its practice because no one was created with such feelings. How does same sex marriage benefit the nation. It is a waste, it is disgusting, it is a health hazard."

The comments above are actually published responses to an article in The Zimbabwe Times describing a statement sent to the newspaper from the Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe (GALZ), which is forging ahead and demanding that the rights of gays and lesbians be recognised and enshrined in the new Constitution currently being drafted. The comments represent just a bit of the context in which LGBT Zimbabweans survive. In a country of 13 million where alleged corruption and human rights violations have been rampant in recent years, GALZ, with a membership of approximately 400, faces a courageous uphill battle that leaves some of its members nevertheless optimistic.

From The Zimbabwe Times:

"Under Zimbabwean law homosexuality as such is not illegal. But sodomy - narrowly defined as anal sex between men - is. Yet, in subtle ways, things are also changing. Intolerance, particularly at the official level, seems to have mellowed into indifference. The random and all too frequent arrest of gays appears to have ceased."

In fact, Zimbabwe’s first post-independence president, Canaan Sodindo Banana was convicted for sodomy in 1998 and found guilty of coercing numerous men to accept his sexual advances, a charge that his wife, Janet, later acknowledged. And, while the trial had exposed Banana's abuse of power, gay activists in the country point out, "[I]t went a long way to convince people that being gay is not a white-imported thing."

True, homosexuality wasn't imported. Same-sex behaviour existed in Zimbabwe long before the arrival of white settlers. What these British colonists did bring to Zimbabwe was homophobia in the form of Section 377, an anti-sodomy law on homosexual conduct that British colonial rulers first imposed on India in 1860.

Homophobia, not homosexuality, is the legacy of western colonialism.

Burundi criminalizes homosexuality

The government of Burundi took a step backwards last week and outlawed homosexuality for the first time in the country's history. The legislation, which punishes offenders with up to two years in prison, was secretly signed into law by Burundi's president, Pierre Nkurunziza, on 22 April 2009.

How discouraging, especially since earlier this year, a Senate vote had in fact rejected the amendment to the new criminal code.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and 60 other groups last Friday urged the Burundian government to repeal the new law in a joint statement explaining how, among other things, the law violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

From The Jurist:

"We consider the law to violate the rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination protected by Burundi's Constitution and enshrined in its international treaty commitments, notably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We deeply regret that the Burundian government has made a decision that writes human rights violations into law.

We regret that the law will hamper Burundi's attempts to fight AIDS, by further marginalizing an at-risk population.

We respectfully remind the Government of Burundi that according to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, arrests on the basis of sexual orientation are, by definition, human rights violations. We will carefully monitor any arrests made on the basis of this law."

So, about 3.6 million people just lost the basic human rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination.

Read more.

Iceland elects first openly gay leader Johanna Sigurdardottir

In January 2009, openly declared lesbian Johanna Sigurdardottir's appointment as Prime Minister came as her party, the Social Democrat Alliance, was asked by Iceland's head of state, President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, to form a new governing coalition. In the nationwide election this weekend, Icelanders confirmed their support of Ms. Sigurdardottir and formally voted her party into power.

From the Times Online:

"[Ms. Sigurdardottir's] victory is seen as a return to left-wing policies after almost 18 years of conservative Independent party domination and a sign too that women are going to take a stronger role in running the country. More women than ever before were returned to parliament and Icelandic media claimed that the island’s ancient assembly was now fourth in the world in terms of female participation."

Milestone!

Congratulations to Iceland for seeing progress as a path to the future!

I didn't ask her to "civil union" me

This photo, from Wikimedia Commons by David Shankbone, was taken at an anti-Proposition 8 protest last year in New York City in front of the LDS Temple.

One of my favorites.

Globalizing Gay Bashing, Activists and Activists

Several recent reports have suggested that the latest anti-gay terrorism tactic in Iraq consists of gluing shut the anuses of gay men, while forcing the victims to ingest a laxative. Horrific.

American author and activist Wayne Besen has written a short chronicle of just some of the homophobic and violent incidents, including the one mentioned above, that have occurred in the world in the past year. Besen also cites the demonstration of tens of thousands of people from Burundi to outlaw homosexuality, the alleged murders of at least 25 boys and men suspected of being gay in Sadr City, Iraq, the Nigerian lawmakers debate of a bill that would imprison gay people who live together and jail anyone who knew about the gay couples but didn't squeal on them, and the alleged killing of a gay Turkish man by his own family.

Not quite a rosy picture. And, as Besen, writes:

"The sexual minorities caught in [homophobic countries] do not have the same freedoms that we enjoy in the west, so they can't fight back. They are essentially voiceless and fearful -- allowing insidious myths and stereotypes to go unchallenged. With gay people effectively demonized and hatred promoted by civic and religious leaders, hysteria on gay issues ensues."

Besen is especially critical of activists who "serve as apologists in the name of cultural and religious sensitivity" and who suggest that GLBT rights activists "should put their human rights on the backburner to assuage the grievances of religious people...[and] not act on our own behalf until all of the world's problems are solved."

Activists who fight for gay rights are not second class activists, and I hear Besen's call to no longer allow notions of culture, history, or religion to be used as rationalization for letting homophobia continue to exist, if not grow, in what seems like most of the world. Sure, I may never have to go to those evil places if I don't want to. But what about the gay people who are already there? Who speaks for them? Well, I do, along with Besen, and a growing number of activists who are disheartened and angered by the unending reports of shocking atrocities committed against GLBT human beings worldwide.

Read Besen's full article here.

Hat tip to Andy at UK Gay News!

Lambda Istanbul facing permanent closure by Turkish government - Call for Solidarity

Activists in Turkey are calling on friends and allies around the world for solidarity and action rising from the frustration and anxiety over endless numbers of hate crimes and the possible permanent closure of Lambda Istanbul, Turkey's first and largest LGBT liberation group, founded in 1993.

In 2008, the Third Civil Court of First Instance in the Beyoðlu district of Istanbul ruled in favor of a complaint brought by the Istanbul Governor’s Office, and ordered the closing of Lambda Istanbul. The complaint argued that Lambda Istanbul's objectives were "against [Turkish] law and morality." While the court failed to address these claims in its judgment, it reached a decision that the association should be closed on purely procedural grounds.

According to Human Rights Watch, "The ruling [was] the latest in a series of legal measures targeting organizations promoting the rights of LGBT people."

While the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals (Yargitay) overturned the 2008 ruling of the Istanbul court on the closure of Lambda Istanbul, the fate of the organization remains in peril. The European Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights has expressed its deep concern over the wording in the Supreme Court ruling which states that "dissolution of the organisation could be possible if it would act in the ways of encouraging or provoking LGBT behaviour or acting with the aim of spreading such sexual orientations."

Hence, the call to action.

On 29 April 2009, one day before Lambda Istanbul’s final hearing date, the Kaos GL Cultural Research and Solidarity Association, Lambda Istanbul LGBTT Solidarity Association, and Pink Life LGBTT Solidarity Association request human rights NGOs and groups in Europe to take necessary action against human rights violations of LGBT individuals in Turkey. The three associations will protest on the streets of Istanbul and are asking friends and allies around the world to support them on the same day by demonstrating in front of their local Turkish Embassies and Consulates to create international pressure.

For more details, click here.

Hat tip, once again, to my friend Thanos at Tales from the Other Side of Town!

Gay Person of Color in Haaretz, John Greyson boycotts Israeli Film Festival

Check out my take on Canadian filmmaker John Greyson's decision to boycott this year's Tel Aviv International LGBT film festival in an article by Cnaan Liphshiz from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published last Friday!

After verbally accepting an invitation to premier his film "Fig Trees" at the festival this June, Greyson, whose work frequently deals with gay themes, decided to cancel his decision citing inspiration from having attended an annual series of "Israeli apartheid" events here in Canada, which led him to state that not joining the "growing boycott movement against Israeli apartheid is unthinkable, impossible."

Hmm. Well, I and others respectfully disagree. As festival organizer and acclaimed director Yair Hochner said in his reply to Mr. Greyson:

"Like the terrorists and like the Israeli army, you have decided to blow up a bridge instead of building one."

Hear, hear. I think boycotts can be effective at certain times in certain contexts, but in this case, dividing through vilification of Israel, rather than uniting for peace, just makes it that much more difficult for everyone to get along with each other.

Read the full article, including my view on "Israeli Apartheid" events, here.

Gay youth and HIV/AIDS in Thailand

Here are some keen insights from Jan Wijngaarden, who currently works as the HIV/AIDS Advisor at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Bangkok, on the inadequacies of HIV intervention projects as they relate to gay youth.

From Fridae:

"Most HIV intervention projects for gay men seem 'age-blind' - they deliver a package of services and messages that do not distinguish between a 16-year old boy who just had his first sexual experience or a 57-year-old man who just ended his 213th relationship! The needs of these individuals would be vastly different. The latest data from Bangkok show that 10% of 15- to 22-year-old gay youths get infected every year, and that 22% of them are currently living with HIV - it shows how vulnerable adolescents are, being ill equipped with negotiating and other skills, having little knowledge about HIV, and often having very naive ideas about love and trust. Life teaches them lessons about love - but many of them get infected with HIV before they understand. It is imperative that we reach young adolescents before they become sexually active, and prepare them for reality. I am not sure how this can be done, if not via schools! But for the moment, we have more questions than answers about how to do this."

Someone who sees the bigger picture.

Check out the full interview with Mr. Wijngaarden here.

Transphobic, homophobic violence continuing in Turkey

The muder of Melek (Turgut K.), a transgender person killed in her house on 11 April 2009, in Ankara, is the latest in the long string of violent hate crimes based on gender identity in Turkey. According to the LGBT rights group KAOS GL the occupants of the district around Melek's home ignored her cries for help as she was stabbed to death.

Back in 2007, Lambda Istanbul twice submitted a file of 146 cases they had documented to the Istanbul Provincial Human Rights Board, many dealing with reports of violence against transgender people, including cases of violence by the police. The then-deputy governor of Istanbul told Lambda Istanbul that the governor's office had found no records of these allegations and complaints in the police districts involved.

A May 2008 Human Rights Watch report on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Turkey, We Need a Law for Liberation, contained 70 interviews over a three-year period, documenting how gay men and transgender people face beatings, robberies, police harassment, and the threat of murder. The interviews also exposed the physical and psychological violence lesbian and bisexual women and girls confront within their families. Human Rights Watch found that, in most cases, the response by the authorities was inadequate if not nonexistent. A subsequent December 2008 report specifically documented police violence in Turkey and featured cases of harassment and abuses against transgender people in Istanbul in particular.

What to do? Well, for starters, knowledge is power, and there is power in numbers, so the more people know about these injustices, the more pressure we can apply to the Turkish government to make changes. Hence, spread the word, please.

Hat tip to Thanos.

New York Governor David A. Paterson introduces same-sex marriage legislation

Did you know that straight married couples from the state of New York have 1,324 rights and responsibilities that gay couples in the same state currently don't have access to?

Well, thank goodness New York Governor David A. Paterson introduced legislation Thursday to rectify this injustice.

Quoted in the New York Daily News, Paterson said:

"The time has come to act. The time has come to bring marriage equality to the state of New York...I understand the trepidation and anxiety people are feeling right now. Rights should not be stifled by fears. What we should understand is silence should not be a response to injustice."

Passage of the same-sex marriage bill in the Assembly is expected, but it remains to be seen whether the legislation will get the 32 votes it needs to pass in the Senate.

How can you make a difference in America's 3rd most populous state? Well, the Empire State Pride Agenda website has a neat letter template that you can use to ask New York legislators to support and vote for the same-sex marriage bill.

I reiterate. New York's gay and lesbian couples are denied 1,324 rights and responsibilities because they cannot marry.

Let's fix that.

Take action here.

Symbolic same-sex marriages in China

In a nation where same-sex marriages are not legal, gays and lesbians in China are nonetheless having symbolic marriages, some even with a "marriage certificate" issued by Beijing LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) Center, to fulfil the need for a tangible expression of commitment witnessed by friends and family.

For Xingxing, a professional wedding planner, the implications of same-sex marriage go beyond the wedding and touch upon the realm of gay male social behaviour. From the China Daily:

"The wedding tells the public that we are a formal couple. It would have been better if there had [been] a legal procedure to legitimize it. I've tried, failed and suffered like many other gays around me in short-lived affairs. Maybe recognized same-sex marriages will provide a turning point for steady relationships between gay lovers."

I think Xingxing has a strident point here that reminds me of how when I was much younger, there were actually no same-sex couple role models in my life. And when you're young and gay and looking around for examples of what you can or are supposed to be when you grow up, how can you even make a choice on whether or not you want to get married if all you can see are straight married couples? Emotional maturity for me, at this point, in retrospect was slightly stunted until I was old enough to get out into the world and to look for other gay people who were either hidden in gay bars or horribly stereotyped in the media.

Sure, times have changed in places that allow gay marriages or civil unions, but still in most of the world, the struggle continues for gays and lesbians for whom the legitimizing, validating, society constructing institution of marriage is still not an option.

Read more.

New York Governor Paterson to introduce same-sex marriage legislation

New York Governor David A. Paterson plans to introduce legislation this Thursday to make same-sex marriage legal in New York. Introducing the measure comes at a key point in American history where the equal rights movement is slowly broadening across the country, after the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision this month to overturn a ban on same-sex marriage and the Vermont Legislature’s vote last week to override a veto of a bill allowing gay couples to marry.

Once Mr. Paterson introduces the bill, it will go to the Assembly, and if passed as expected, will then be brought to the Democratically controlled Senate.

Let's hope.

Read more.

Jamaica facing boycott

Known as the The Most Homophobic Place on Earth, Jamaica now faces a boycott over its state-sponsored brutalization of its gay and lesbian citizens.

In March 2009, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, reiterated the island’s official support for persecuting gay people:

"We are not going to yield to the pressure, whether that pressure comes from individual organizations, individuals, whether that pressure comes from foreign governments or groups of countries, to liberalize the laws as it relates to buggery."

Well, Mr. Golding, if you won't do anything, we will. From the Boycott Jamaica website:

"If you love your gay friends and family members, you won’t visit Jamaica. If you care about the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, you won’t buy Jamaican products.

Isn’t it time we stop rewarding this hate state with our tourism dollars? Isn’t it time to stop drinking Jamaican beverages, such as Myers Rum and Red Stripe Beer?"


Here is what you can do to take action:
1. Sign-up to stay informed about the Jamaican boycott
2. Make a personal pledge to boycott all travel to Jamaica and avoid Jamaican products such as Myers Rum, Blue Mountain Coffee and Red Stripe Beer
3. Contact Derrick Scott, Jamaica’s Information Attaché and tell him you are boycotting Jamaica until the government puts an end to the GLBT violence
Phone: 202 986 0182
E-mail: jiswashington@jis.gov.jm
CC: contactus@jamaicaembassy.org
4. Tell 10 friends about why you have chosen to Boycott Jamaica and point them to the Boycott Jamaica website
5. Make a contribution to help us fight back against Jamaican violence

For LGBT Activists:
1. Organize a "rum dump" in your city, where Myers Rum and Red Stripe Beer are poured out in front of a bar that is participating in the boycott
2. Organize bars in your town to boycott Jamaican products
3. Organize a protest demonstration in front of the local Jamaican embassy or consulate
4. Sign on to include your GLBT organization in the boycott

For Bar and Nightclub Owners:
1. Pledge to include your bar in the boycott
2. Organize a "rum dump" for your bar or nightclub

And finally, don't underestimate the power you have to make a difference.

The Country Teacher (Venkovsky ucitel)

It's been kind of a lazy hazy Monday, so I thought I'd share the trailer for The Country Teacher (Venkovsky ucitel), a Czech movie directed by Bohdan Slama featuring Petr (Pavel Liska), a gay teacher in his 30's who takes a job at a grammar school in the countryside. There, he befriends Marie (Zuzana Bydzovska) and her troubled 17-year old son, Lada (Ladislav Sedivy).



From The New York Times:

"The sad, serious joke of 'The Country Teacher' is that the tender love and care Petr lavishes can’t begin to kindle desire in a young, straight teenager who is entirely unaware of Petr’s true feelings. Eventually, against his better judgment, Petr makes his move. His nature has its way. The flesh is weak, and lust is lust, no matter how many lofty, well-meaning gestures are thrown in as camouflage."

Oooh!

Bigoted politican in Poland speaks out against "gay" elephant

Michal Grzes, a right-wing Law and Justice party councilor in the city of Poznan in western Poland, has criticized his local zoo for acquiring a 10-year-old elephant named Ninio who prefers male companions.

From Reuters:

"We didn't pay 37 million zlotys ($11 million) for the largest elephant house in Europe to have a gay elephant live there...We were supposed to have a herd, but as Ninio prefers male friends over females how will he produce offspring?"

Mr. Grzes, have you nothing better to do than pick on elephants? You know, Ninio could be a late bloomer. But even if he isn't, how about accepting the fact that in the elephant world, same-sex relations are common and frequent in both sexes?

Sheesh. Such stupidity.

Pink Exchange Project - Amsterdam to pay for New York gay couples' marriages

The city of Amsterdam has set aside €37,000 to finance the Pink Exchange Project, an undertaking in which five New York-based gay couples, one of whom must be a U.S. citizen and the other Dutch, will be invited to Amsterdam to get married this August in a ceremony performed by Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen. The Netherlands has allowed same-sex marriage since 1 April 2001.

The project is part of Henry Hudson Year, celebrating the 400-year-old bond between the Dutch and Americans, which started with Henry Hudson’s arrival in Manhattan in 1609. Hudson explored the region around modern New York City while looking for a western route to Asia under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company.

And, guess what? Since the state of New York recognizes same-sex marriages from other places where they are legal, the five couples returning to New York will benefit from the rights and protections that come with marriage in the state of New York!

Fun news on the same-sex marriage front.

Read more.

D.C. lawmakers recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states; gay families invited to White House Easter event

Just hours after Vermont's historic legislation of same-sex marriage, District of Columbia lawmakers took a momentous step yesterday in unanimously voting to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The bill must still be voted on again by the council, signed by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), and approved by the United States Congress, which has jurisdiction over the District, before it becomes law.

Meanwhile, the White House is allocating tickets for the upcoming Easter Egg Roll to gay and lesbian parents as part of the Obama administration's outreach to diverse communities. About 100 gay and lesbian-headed families are expected to take part.

Hope and good times in D.C.!

Read more.

Vermont legalizes gay marriage!

Vermont has become the first U.S. state to allow gay marriage through a legislative rather than judicial process, and now joins Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa as states that believe in diversity, fairness, and equal protection under the law.

The House provided the 100 votes necessary to override Governor Jim Douglas's veto of the same-sex marriage bill by a vote of 100 to 49!

Whew! This one hits close to home, with the Vermont border just about a one hour drive southeast from Montreal. Vermonters and Montrealers share the same sky, and now we share the same right to gay marriage.

Hip!

Hip!

HOORAY!

Read more about this historic moment.

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas vetoes gay marriage bill, sets up override vote in the legislature

As expected, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas yesterday vetoed the state's gay marriage bill. Today, the bill will return to the Senate for an override vote at 9 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00), followed by the same action in the House. The House will likely vote on the override question some time after 10:00 a.m. If both chambers pass the potential veto override by a two-thirds majority, the bill will become law, and make Vermont the 1st U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage voluntarily, as opposed to via court order as was the case in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa.

This is it folks! Fingers crossed.

Check out the Vermont Freedom to Marry site for updates throughout the day or listen to Vermont Public Radio for live streaming of the Vermont House and Senate proceedings.

Kent Monkman at the Art Gallery of Ontario

The work of one of my heroes and favorite artists, Kent Monkman, is currently included in a new show at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto. The exhibit, Remix: New Modernities in a Post-Indian World, explores the challenges of being an indigenous North American artist in the 21st century.

The Cree/English/Irish/Canadian/gay Monkman playfully comments on historical painting in an effort to reimagine the past, and in so doing, helps us to further understand how important it is to constantly question and redefine history, especially since the telling of history has traditionally objectified, if not excluded, countless groups of human beings.

Remix: New Modernities in a Post-Indian World runs until 23 August 2009 at the Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Iowa legalizes gay marriage!

The Iowa Supreme Court today unanimously decided that a 1998 law limiting marriage to a man and a woman was unconstitutional, thus making Iowa, after Massachusetts and Connecticut, the 3rd U.S. state to allow same-sex marriage.

Wow!

From The New York Times:

"The decision was the culmination of a four-year legal battle that began in the lower courts. The Supreme Court said same-sex marriages could begin in Iowa in as soon as 21 days...While the same-sex marriage debate has played out on both coasts, the Midwest — where no states had permitted same-sex marriage — was seen as entirely different. In the past, at least six states in the Midwest were among those around the country that adopted amendments to their state constitutions banning same-sex marriage."

So, there really is hope for greener pastures, even in the American Midwest!

Congratulations and thank you to all Iowans who fought for this civil right.

Iowa now joins the global list of places that believe in diversity, fairness, and equal protection under the law.

Read more, and check out the clip below showing Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy, the first openly gay member of the Iowa Legislature, describing why he firmly believes that Iowa won't go backwards on same-sex marriage rights.



"In short, there is no way a flood of out of control money can be used to quickly scare Iowans into going backwards on civil rights."

Beirut-based Helem wins International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission award

Congratulations to Helem, the Beirut-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed (LGBTI) support group, for being honored with the 2009 Felipa de Souza Award by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) for its work to improve the rights of LGBTI persons. Helem, whose Arabic acronym means "Lebanese Protection for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders," taken from Arabic word for "Dream" has been an active voice in Lebanon since its creation in 2004, advocating the legal and social rights of LGBTI persons and providing free HIV testing. The group is also working tirelessly to abolish article 534, in the Lebanese penal code, which criminalizes "unnatural" sexual conduct and has been used to intimidate the LGBTI community.

Read more about Helem's achievements and check out coverage of Helem's recent protest in Beirut against the beating of two gay men by police amidst a crowd of people who did nothing to intervene.

Sweden legalizes gay marriage!

It's official! Sweden's parliament on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a gay marriage bill that allows same-sex couples to wed in either a religious or civil ceremony. Sweden has recognized civil unions for gay couples since 1995.

Hurrah!

This makes Sweden the 7th country, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, and Norway, to allow gay marriage. The new law takes effect 1 May 2009 and allows individual pastors the freedom to opt out of marrying same-sex couples. That said, the Lutheran Church of Sweden, which was the state Church until 2000 and has offered gays a religious blessing of their union since January 2007, has already expressed support for the new law.

Inspiring news.

Read more.

B.D. Wong on race and sexuality

B.D. Wong has a unique perspective as an Asian-American gay man working as an actor in the U.S. In 2003, he came out publicly about his sexuality. During his regular speaking appearances, Wong frequently addresses the challenges that come with diversity.

From MLive:

"It is an issue for me that (racism) is often still a black or white issue, that people will use the expression black or white as an all-inclusive term, which is infuriating to anybody who's not black or white."

I hear you on that one B.D.!

Also, Wong sees diversity as more than just an issue of race, and he appreciates the intricacies of being, at once, Asian, American, and openly gay.

"It has made the discussion more complex, and I think in a very welcome way. I've actually been able to draw parallels between my experiences as an ethnic minority and experiences as a gay person and as an American, and that actually enriches my remarks. I spoke for many years about (being) Asian-American only, and I would say that it's a less rich discussion because not only was I able to draw comparisons I think are really valid, but I was able to do it and be myself at the same time, which is huge -- a really big, big deal -- to be able to do.

Hear hear!

Be yourself, and read more.