What no sex scene? Now that is a major let down.

Curious how is he going to promote LGBT community:hmm: .

Anyway, If the plot and message of the movie is good i might consider watching it.

Poland airs first ever television commercial with a gay couple
Source: https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/community/136919...h-a-gay-couple/


Poland have made history with their first ever gay television commercial.

The Durex advert showcases three couples, two heterosexual and one homosexual, being intimate with each other before reaching for a condom. It is believed to be the first time a same-sex couple has appeared in a Polish commercial.

The gay couple are played by Dawid Mycek and Jakub Kwiecinski, popular YouTube stars and famous LGBTQ+ activists in Poland, who called the commercial a “historic moment” for queer representation in the country.

According to GSN, it will air on all major television channels in Poland, as well as Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania.

Dawid and Jakub went viral on social media last month after protesting Poland’s “LGBT-free zones” with rainbow face masks.

They reportedly distributed over 300 masks on the streets of Gdansk to protect citizens from the coronavirus pandemic and to raise awareness for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

Jakub said he and his husband, who married in Portugal, have received an overwhelmingly positive reaction for their activism, but have also been subjected to homophobic abuse for promoting a “homosexual plague.”

“We thought that if we are dealing right now with a real plague (the new coronavirus) we could help protect people from this plague and do something good,” he told NBC.

“The situation of LGBT people in Poland is getting worse I would say day by day, we have the right-wing in power… the Law and Justice party and they are against LGBT. They also encourage people to attack us, to insult us.”

In a previous Instagram post, Jakub acknowledged Poland’s status as “the most homophobic country of the European Union” and hit out at homophobes with a photo of him and his husband kissing on the beach.

“We still believe that love conquers all and we dedicate this juicy kiss to all homophobes in our country!” he wrote.

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Malaysia as the largest condom manufacturer should follow suit.

Man opens up on struggle with religion, homosexuality, and coming out in Mecca
Source: https://coconuts.co/kl/features/man-opens-u...g-out-in-mecca/



Being gay in a conservative country like Malaysia is anything but easy. For human rights activist Terry Rawther, confronting his homosexuality in a largely Muslim community led to years of emotional pain before he eventually came out stronger with his parents’ support.

The 29-year-old illustrator had in the past hid his sexual orientation in fear of being rejected by a society that does not view the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, community kindly.

Despite being a melting pot of different cultures, Malaysia has strict laws that sentence those “attempting intercourse against the order of nature” up to 20 years in prison. A former tourism minister also once made international headlines for denying that gay people exist in the country.

“I feel lonely sometimes with the current climate for minorities in the world, but with them (his parents), at least I have a place to belong,” Rawther told Coconuts KL in a recent interview. “Their acceptance and support mean the world to me, and absolutely beneficial for my mental health.”

Rawther, originally named Tahir, knew that he was homosexual at the tender age of seven but his suspicions began much earlier when he was around three years old. It was not until he was in his late teens that he began to come out to his parents, starting with his mother.

“At three or four years old, I remember asking my mom why do I have a penis when I don’t identify with it, nor like it,” he said. He wasn’t satisfied when his mother simply replied that it was because he was biologically male.

‘Tough, painful’ journey

Life as a gay and Muslim man is a “tough, painful existential journey of discovery,” he said.

He had spiraled into depression after reading up on homosexuality and its connection to Islam when he was only 12 years old. Among the things he said he learned was that homosexuality was not accepted in Islam and that he could not be both gay and Muslim.

“I developed depression right after that knowing how hateful religion(s), society, and even god is towards LGBT,” he said.

He also experienced incidents of homophobia and discrimination regularly, including from his own family members.

Rawther said he was beaten up by his cousin, harassed by his peers, and called a pondan (a derogatory term for gay in Malay language) by his family members and teachers.

“Being gay in a homophobic country, with almost everyone and everything invalidates you and your experience and life, is lonely and depressing,” he said. “I was lucky enough to be blessed by supportive parents.”

According to a 2013 study, 86% of Malaysians believe that homosexuality should be rejected.

But Rawther rediscovered his place in Islam when he was 18, after he found a global online community of people that was open and accepting of LGBT Muslims.

“Their existence made me hopeful that there are places where Muslim LGBTIQ+ are accepted; they can worship Allah and be Muslim without fear of being harmed or invalidated,” he said. Rawther now identifies himself as a “humanist.”

Coming out in Mecca



Coming out to his parents was a long process that started when he was 17 while on pilgrimage with his mother in the holy Islamic city of Mecca. He recounted confessing to his mother about being “different” at the Great Mosque.

“I told her right after I prayed in front of Kaaba for compassion. I told her again when I was 18, and that was when my depression got worse, and I was suicidal,” he said.

“She cried and hold me, told me God didn’t hate me nor would want me dead and be in hell, and I have a place in Islam, and she vows to protect me from the outside world.”

His mother has been kind towards him and remains his trusted ally until today. She even kept his secret for six years from his dad, who Rawther describes as a “conservative.”

But then he became hospitalized after a suicide attempt and decided it was time to pluck up the courage to come out to his father, whose reaction later surprised him.

“I can’t keep hiding from him and the world, so I decided to let him know – it could’ve gone badly since he’s conservative and orthodox, but he actually embraced me and said it’s okay, I’m still his child, and he’ll still love me as I am,” he said.

His relationship with both his parents grew stronger after his hospitalization and even considers them his best friends; people he could share his thoughts and feelings regarding his sexuality, faith, and relationships, without prejudice.

For now, his home may seem like the only safe space for Rawther, but he is also happy to note that Malaysia’s LGBT community is “thriving” despite the widespread homophobia in the country.

“They’re surviving, thriving, despite the staunchly homophobic and transphobic government and society are. They still persevere and endure, they’re a hardy bunch,” he said.

Rawther, who is an LGBT activist himself but is now on mental health break, said he looks up to other activists such as Pang Khee Teik and 2016 International Women of Courage Award recipient Nisha Ayub.

He also expressed hope that the LGBT community could one day exist without fear, neglect, or rejection from society and the government.

“Be strong, and be safe. Know that you have allies and support all around you,” Rawther advises queers out there.

“If there’s none physically, there are a lot online. Know that it gets better, and there are places in the world that would love to have you, and there are friends, lovers that would love to be with you. Your identity, your sexuality, your journey to discovery, happiness is valid. You are valid, and loved. Don’t give up, it does get better.”

I am touched reading this. A mother may be forgiving to her child. But a father to be ok with a gay son. That's rare indeed. God bless his father.🙏

Trump administration reverses health protections for transgender people
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/ju...are-protections



The Trump administration has finalized a regulation rolling back Obama-era protections for transgender Americans against sex discrimination in health care.

According to the new version of the policy, the Department of Health and Human Services will be “returning to the government’s interpretation of sex discrimination according to the plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male or female and as determined by biology”.

The Obama regulation defined gender as a person’s internal sense of being male, female, neither or a combination.

The policy shift, long sought by Donald Trump’s religious and socially conservative supporters, would allow healthcare providers and insurance companies that receive federal funding to refuse to provide or cover transition-related care for trans Americans.

Several organizations have announced they will challenge the change. The Human Rights Campaign announced it would file a lawsuit. The ACLU has also said it would sue to overturn the Trump rule.

Under the Obama-era federal rule, a hospital could be required to perform gender-transition procedures such as hysterectomies if the facility provided that kind of treatment for other medical conditions. The rule was meant to carry out the anti-discrimination section of the Affordable Care Act, which bars sex discrimination in healthcare but does not use the term “gender identity”.

Roger Severino, head of the health department unit that enforces civil rights laws, has said trans people continue to be protected by other statutes that bar discrimination in healthcare on account of race, color, national origin, age, disability and other factors.

But LGBTQ+ groups have long argued protections are needed for people seeking gender confirmation treatment, and for trans people who need medical care for common conditions such as diabetes or heart problems.

Women’s groups say the new regulations also undermine access to abortion, which is a legal medical procedure.

“No one should fear being turned away by a medical provider because of who they are or the personal health decisions they have made,” said Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center.

For the administration, it is the latest in a series of steps to revoke newly won protections for LGBTQ+ people in areas ranging from the military to housing and education.

The administration also has moved to restrict military service by trans men and women, proposed allowing certain homeless shelters to take gender identity into account in offering someone a bed for the night, and concluded in a 2017 justice department memo that federal civil rights law does not protect trans people from discrimination at work.

Friday’s announcement came on the fourth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, when a shooter killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

-----

What is going on in America?

Four years later: The world remembers the 49 victims of the Orlando massacre
Source: https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/community/137120...lando-massacre/



On 12 June 2016, 49 people were killed and 53 others were wounded in a mass shooting inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. At the time, it marked the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11.

Today, four years after the harrowing tragedy, the world mourns the loss of and honours the proud members of the LGBTQ+ community who just wanted to celebrate their identities and live free, authentic lives.

“On June 12, 2016, 49 Angels sought the joy, love and acceptance of Pulse nightclub. Instead, they found hatred. And they never came home,” a statement on Pulse’s official Twitter account reads.

“They were gay. They were straight. Latin, black, white. Fathers. Mothers. Brothers. Sisters. Daughters. Sons. Taken forever.”

Barbara Poma, owner of Pulse, previously told GAY TIMES: “What happened here should never be forgotten.

“Hopefully in 100 years, you’ll walk into the museum saying, ‘Can’t believe that anyone would ever do this or live through this time.’ You think about history that we look back on, civil wars, World Wars, and we ask ‘Did that actually happened to families?’

“I’m hoping in 100 years they’ll be saying that about Pulse, because they won’t be able to imagine that ever happening again.”

Click image to enlarge:


This post has been edited by internaldisputes: Jun 15 2020, 11:45 AM

LAW & BEHOLD #24: CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE ALLOWED OVER A SELANGOR STATE LAW
Source: https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-pictu...angor-state-law



Kee Hui Yee, Lawyer, Kanesalingam & Co | Michelle Yesudas, Senior Legal Advisor, International Commission of Jurists

A man facing a charge in the Selangor Syariah High Court for allegedly attempting to commit unnatural sexual intercourse, has been granted leave by the Federal Court to commence a constitutional challenge on a provision in the Selangor Syariah law which he was charged under. The man is challenging the validity of the law used to charge him under the Federal Constitution, as he says the Selangor Syariah court does not have the constitutional right to make those laws in the first place. We unpack what this all means, while discussing the implications of this landmark case, and the grounds on which the Federal Court has granted leave to the petition in the first place.

Produced by: Juliet Jacobs
Presented by: Juliet Jacobs

----

Brilliant coverage on the ongoing constitutional challenge against Selangor Syariah Law. Do have a listen.

Homophobes and paranoia are inseparable.

If LGBT is unnatural and "bad", how come so many people can be born not liking the opposite sex no matter how hard you force them since birth?

How come many LGBT still exist in middle east and places that will kill them if they were discovered? If its a learned behavior, why cant they stop? Are they not afraid of death?

They even found LGBT in very remote places and ancient tribes, are you saying these ancient people also learned this behavior from LGBT culture?

Nobody cares who you love, so why do you care who others love? What right does anybody have to decide what is normal or acceptable for other people?

Instead of hating people for loving, how about hating people for hating instead? Be more vocal against racism, sexism, bullying, terrorism, needless war & conflict, corporate greed etc. So many things people around the world do bring harm to other people, and nobody says a single thing.

Nobody can help who they are attracted to. Plus, if this attraction doesn't victimize you or anyone else, why put so much energy in hating them?

Grandfather bravely comes out as gay at 90 years old
Source: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/06/22/comin...-kenneth-felts/



A 90-year-old Colorado man has proven that it’s never too late to be your authentic self by coming out as gay.

Kenneth Felts had kept his sexuality hidden all his life. But when memories of his first love flooded back as he decided to write his memoirs, he had an emotional conversation with his lesbian daughter Rebecca Mayes.

Kenneth told his daughter about his love affair with a man called Phillip – and explained that the relationship could never thrive because of anti-LGBT+ attitudes at the time.

“I’ve been in the closet all my life – deep in the closet, behind rows and rows of clothing,” Felts told the Denver Post.

“I’m way back there. Opening that door at the front, I had great trepidation as to what people would say. I was very concerned because I needed people and I couldn’t stand the thought of losing them just because I decided to finally be who I really was.”

Despite his fears, Felts decided it was time to come out to everyone in his life. He sent emails to close friends and let others know in a Facebook post in which he confessed that he had always felt like he had two personalities: a straight man called Ken and a gay man called Larry.

More than 50 years after leaving his first love behind due to homophobic attitudes, Felts was met with a wave of love and support.

I guess I didn’t have the courage to face society at that time, so I just went ahead and buried it.

“Coming out in the 50s, 60s and 70s was horrendous,” he said.

“That was part of the reason I didn’t ever consider coming out [before]. There was no gay community, there really weren’t gay organisations or anything.

“People who came out came out on their own, without support. And I guess I didn’t have the courage to face society at that time, so I just went ahead and buried it.”

He has taken to raising funds for LGBT+ charities since coming out.

The 90-year-old has decided to embrace his newfound openness in all its glory. Most of the photos on his Facebook page show him wearing a rainbow hoodie.

“He’s just so brave and he doesn’t even realise that he is, but it’s extraordinary,” his daughter said.

Felts has even taken to raising vital funds for LGBT+ charities since coming out. On June 20, he took part in a Denver Pride Virtual 5km walk and raised $450 for the Center on Colfax, an LGBT+ organisation in Colorado.

He thinks people shouldn’t underestimate their family and friends when they’re thinking about coming out.

“You might be surprised at how they react if you were to decide to come out. Enjoy what you’ve got while you’ve got it, because you’ve only got it once.”

Gabon lawmakers vote to decriminalise homosexuality
Source: https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/community/137725...-homosexuality/



It has become one of the few countries in sub-Saharan Africa to do so.

Gabon lawmakers have voted to reverse an archaic law that criminalised homosexuality, making it one of the few countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to legalise sexual relations between people of the same sex.

In July 2019, Gabon became the 70th country in the world to ban gay sex under a penal code that vowed to publish ‘offenders’ with up to six months in jail and a fine of five million Central African francs (over £6,300).

Although the decision was made in July, it wasn’t reported until December. At the time, Mac-Iyalla – an LGBTQ+ activist in Ghana – said it had “further sent the LGBT community underground and has created harassment.”

Less than a year later, 48 members of parliament voted to revise the outdated law. 24 voted against while 25 abstained.

One member of parliament who voted against the proposed initiative widely criticised the decision, telling Reuters: “Forty-eight lawmakers have shaken an entire nation and its customs and traditions.”

Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, the wife of Gabon’s president Ali Bongo Ondimba, praised the outcome, writing on Twitter: “Parliament is restoring a fundamental human right for its citizens: that of loving, freely, without being condemned.

“The republic defends respect for everyone’s privacy and remains one and indivisible beyond feelings. Yes to dignity, no to hate.” However, the bill cannot be passed and put into legislation until it is approved by the country’s senate.

Homosexuality is seen as taboo in Gabon and LGBTQ+ people are still not recognised in the eyes of the law, with no legal recognition of same-sex couples or legal protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

LGBTQ+ activists use drone to place Pride flag on Ukraine’s most idolised monument
Source: https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/community/137718...lised-monument/


LGBTQ+ activists in Ukraine have used a drone to place a giant rainbow Pride flag on the Motherland Monument.

The treasured statue, which is a part of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and stands at 102m (335 ft) – taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The incredible stunt was organised by Kiev Pride, whose annual celebrations, like many other countries around the world, were cancelled this year due growing concerns over the global coronavirus pandemic.

Footage of the drone placing the flag on the Motherland was posting on Sunday (21 June) to Facebook, where Ukrainian citizens slammed the organisers for “losing your sanity” and “living sinful and shameful deeds”.

One user compared the stunt to Hitler, saying it evokes the “same destructive and degenerative ideology”.

Dronarium Ukraine, Kiev Pride’s drone company, said the flight was “carried out under the current legislation and according to the rules of the State Service,” and that their team is “absolutely tolerant”.

“We are against the manifestation of aggression against the LGBT community, we consider it the Middle Ages,” they wrote.

LGBTQ+ rights in Ukraine have progressed in recent years. In 2015, the Ukrainian Parliament made it illegal for employers to discriminate workers based on their sexuality, and one year later, donating blood was approved for gay and bisexual men.

However, queer people still face challenges that aren’t experienced by non-LGBTQ+ residents.

Although same-sex activity has been legal in the country since 1991, LGBTQ+ people can’t adopt or get married, and can still be discriminated against for their sexuality in other areas such as goods and services.

Conversion therapy for minors is also legal and being trans is classified as a mental illness.

However, last year’s Pride event welcomed over 8,000 people in Kiev – including politicians, foreign diplomats and British ambassador, Judith Gough – making it the biggest turnout the Ukrainian capital has ever seen.

Although there were hundreds of far-right protestors, it was called the country’s “most peaceful” Pride event to date.

Guys if you are fan of anime series I highly suggest to watch this one called Double Decker! Doug & Kirill. It's from the creator of Tiger and Bunny but kinda underrated due to it's story and characters which has subtle LGBT theme. If you're not into direct yuri or yaoi series this is perfect for you it's very entertaining with well written plots.
I just rewatched it and still cried with episode about Maxine and how she turned out to be who she is. No annoying teenage boys with super power and naked loli bs just anime with great story. We shared this alot in groups who supported LGBT rights so please give it a try.

Netflix’s Eurovision shades Chechnya’s homophobic president in best way
Source: https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/137483/n...nt-in-best-way/



Spoilers ahead for Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

The Netflix film tells the story of small-town singers Sigrit and Lars (Rachel McAdams McAdams and Will Ferrell), who are given the opportunity of a lifetime when they’re picked to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Directed by David Dobkin (The Wedding Singer), the film also stars Demi Lovato as Katiana – the “best and most angelic singer in all of Iceland” – and Piers Brosnan as Lars’ father Erick, aka “the most handsome man in Iceland.”

The standout, however, is Beauty and the Beasts’ Dan Stevens as Alexander Lemtov, the absurdly campy and charismatic Russian favourite to win Eurovision who woos Sigrit in hopes of giving her “mansions, palaces, wi-fi in every room.”

Lemtov is constantly flanked by his entourage of muscular, shirtless dancers and in one scene, he outrageously flirts with Kevin Swain (Jamie Demetriou) – yes, the Kevin Swain! – a flamboyant creative who is hired to help Lars and Sigrit win.

To Lars’ discontent, Sigrit respects Lemtov’ artistry and befriends him (at one point, Sigrit awakens to find that Lemtov has spent six hours braiding her hair). Towards the end of the film, she asks the question: “Are you gay?”

This is where Eurovision gets political. In 2017, Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov said rumours of the country’s ‘gay purge’ were false because there are no gay men in Chechnya, stating “we don’t have these kinds of people here.”

A year later, Russia’s justice minister claimed government officials were unable to find any evidence of LGBTQ people in Chechnya, telling the United Nations: “The investigations that we carried out did not confirm evidence of rights’ violations, nor were we even able to find representatives of the LGBT community in Chechnya.”

Lemtov and Sigrit’s subsequent back-and-forth shades these ludicrous allegations, with Lemtov responding (in denial): “No… No no no, of course not, I am Russian. There are no gay people in Russia. 100%, the fucked off truth. No gay in Russia.”

LGBTQ+ ally Sigrid tells him, “Statistically speaking, I think that is impossible,” before questioning whether he identifies as gender fluid or non-binary. “No no no binary, he/him pronoun. He/he,” he hits back.

The scene is pure satire, and highlights the very real trauma faced by LGBTQ+ citizens in Russia.

Those who identify as part of the community live in secret due to Russia’s strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws and fears of being ostracised from their friends in family. After the ‘gay purge’ was reported in 2017, gay men were being murdered by their own family members, as authorities in the Russian Republic told parents to kill them – or they’ll do it themselves.

Kadyrov also publicly declared that he wanted all LGBTQ+ people in the country to be eliminated by Ramadan, despite his ridiculous belief that there are no gay people in the Chechen Republic.

A documentary detailing the horrors of the ‘gay purge’ will be released 30 June on HBO Max.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is now available to stream on Netflix.

Reese Witherspoon didn’t “understand” homosexuality until she moved to LA
Source: https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/137835/r...he-moved-to-la/



The actress hadn’t been taught about other sexual orientations as a child.

As a result of never being taught about other sexual orientations as a child, Reese Witherspoon didn’t “understand” what homosexuality was until she moved to Los Angeles.

During Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Reese and her Legally Blonde 2 co-star, Regina King, spoke with each other, and touched upon the topic of Reese’s recent miniseries, Little Fires Everywhere. Reese said it allowed her to look back to the 1990s and think about conversations her parents or grandparents had had with her on topics like race and class and sexuality.

However, she explained: “No one spoke to me about sexuality when I was a teenager. I didn’t understand what homosexuality was. My grandparents didn’t explain it; my parents didn’t explain it. I had to learn from somebody I met on an audition in Los Angeles.”

After Regina expressed shock at what Reese had said, Reese added: “We incorporated some of the conversation I had with my grandmother afterward. She said: ‘Homosexuality is very rare, Reese. That’s not a thing that happens very often.’ And we put it in the script.”

The actress grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and in previous interviews she has described the conservative-minded culture that she grew up in. “I grew up, obviously, in the South and there is amazing, wonderful connectivity and people are loving and communitive,” she said in a 2006 interview.

“But there is a tiny aspect of it, people [that] use parts of the Bible in order to express their intolerance and their hate and they manipulate it.”

Reese also paid tribute to Lynn Shelton, who died in May and had directed episodes of Little Fires Everywhere. “Lynn spent so much time with the teenage kids, making them feel comfortable,” she recalled.

And praising the bisexual indie film director, she said: “She also was a visionary herself, and made so many movies without listening to what people told her she could or couldn’t do.

“She got so many independent films financed; she worked for so many incredible actors; she did so many television shows. She’s so beloved in our Hollywood community, and I hope that — I just send love to her family.

“And know that her work will always live on in the hearts of so many people who were touched by her kindness and her artistry.”

"I think transgender people have a natural advantage at politics because we are more able to take all the sides. We don't have binary thinking." - Audrey Tang

She's inspiring.

Google Trend shows that the Borneon states are leading the way when it comes to searching using the keyword "gay" with Sarawak being No 1 in terms of no of searches.

Source: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?geo=MY&q=gay

Nonsense. There is no such thing as "LGBT muslims".