This Gay Dad Is Not Here For Your Homophobic Assumptions About His Family
Source: https://www.them.us/story/gay-dad-tiktok-homphobia-response



Not all heroes wear capes, and José Rolón is no exception. The viral dadfluencer, known simply as @nycgaydad on Instagram, has been delighting followers during quarantine with hilarious videos featuring his three children: Avery, Lilah, and London. A successful New York event planner and single gay dad, Rolón’s posts have been especially endearing lately, featuring pictures of his family in color-coordinated masks and videos of disagreements with his daughter about who has the right to color rainbows in the house.

On social media, Rolón likes to keep it light. However, when a commenter recently asked a tone-deaf question about his son’s sexual orientation on TikTok, things got serious. “Not trying to be offensive or anything, just an actual question but do gay dads want their sons to like girls or like guys?” asked commenter @fabz_1295 on one of Rolón’s posts last Tuesday.

Rather than dignifying the question with a response, Rolón and Avery faced the camera with a look that could take down an entire RuPaul’s Drag Race panel. Rolón then asked his son a few questions. First up: “Who’s your favorite queen?” he inquired.

“That’s easy,” Avery responded. “Beyoncé.”

Avery went on to prove that he had aced his queer education. His favorite milk? Harvey, of course! He even knows how to say “yes” in gay: Yaaaassss kween.

The short clip has garnered 45,000 likes and nearly a thousand comments, with many commenters simply weighing in to discuss their favorite diva (Janet, Whitney, or Mariah?) and to applaud Rolón for his parenting skills. “He said Bey? I stan,” wrote one commenter, “TASTE. Nicki would have sufficed too but”

Not all responses were as lighthearted, however. Some lamented that people are so close-minded in 2020. “Although this question provides a teachable moment,” wrote one user, “it is still sad that people are asking this question in this day and age.”

The latter commenter hits on a paradox: Despite a rise in same-sex adoptions and non-traditional parenting configurations, stigma against LGBTQ+ parents is still alive and well, especially when it comes to single gay fathers. Just this week, news broke that a sperm donor in the U.K. was awarded damages after his sample was used to help 11 families conceive children, some of whom were same-sex families.

Even in this country, many regressive laws banning same-sex adoption — such as those in Florida and Texas — have only been overturned in the last decade. In Texas and several other conservative states, there are still legal loopholes that privilege religious beliefs over the rights of LGBTQ+ parents.

Perhaps without knowing it, Rolón hit on a humorous way of spreading awareness about queer parenthood in a moment where the rights of those parents could easily be threatened. With the potential confirmation of conservative Amy Coney Barrett judge to the Supreme Court, the rights of same-sex parents are on shaky ground. SCOTUS will soon decide whether Catholic adoption groups have the right to turn away same-sex couples, and Barrett — who is against same-sex marriage — could be a critical vote in that case.

Whatever happens at the Supreme Court, one thing is certain: Avery Rolón’s queer education is something we can all feel good about.

Whataboutism at its best.

Japanese politician faces backlash for claiming LGBT education 'would mean no more children'
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/as...ty-b883537.html



A member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Masateru Shiraishi, is facing a severe online backlash after commenting that his ward would cease to exist if LGBT+ rights were protected by law.

Shiraishi, who was called a dinosaur on social media for his comments, has so far not refuted or retracted his statement despite objections from his own party. "This is impossible, but if all Japanese women were lesbian or all Japanese men were gay, then do you think the next generation of people will be born?" Mr Shiraishi said at a 25 September assembly session[ of Tokyo's Adachi Ward, The Japan Times reported.

The low fertility rate is a significant problem in Japan. It is an issue that remains prevalent even as the Japanese government has taken measures to overcome it over the last few decades. In 2019, the Asian country recorded a total fertility rate of 1.36, with just over 865,000 babies born – a record low.

But Takeru Shimodaira, a member of Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation, which is demanding a law to ban discrimination, asked Mr Shiraishi to correct his remark, noting that it was “based on discrimination and prejudice, as LGBT people are not responsible for Japan's decreasing birthrate".

This is not the first time that Japanese politicians have faced a backlash over such comments. In 2018, another leader, Mio Sugita, faced criticism for opposing the government’s support for same-sex couples.

The backlash against Mr Shiraishi reflects the polarising issue of LGBT+ rights in Japan. The country still does not legally recognise same-sex marriage, although campaigning by the LGBT+ community and its allies has led to progressive measures including the availability of so-called “partnership certificates” in many municipalities.

A global acceptance index of the LGBT+ community released in 2019 noted that globally Japan is among the countries such as Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, and the United States where acceptance of LGBT+ people and their rights has increased. However, it had revealed that even as Japan witnessed an increase in acceptance, it has had a “slower rate of change, and it seems that, in 2017, acceptance levels were slightly lower than in 2016 and 2015”.

Preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, had brought LGBT+ issues into the limelight as Tokyo passed an ordinance to protect LGBT+ visitors from potential abuse.

Although there has been a consistent pressure on Japan’s government to pass better laws to protect the LGBT+ community, it has thus far resisted. In April, earlier this year, about 100 human rights and LGBT+ organisations wrote to then-prime minister Shinzo Abe demanding such a law be instated.

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I guess it's easier to blame LGBT instead of fixing the obvious work-life imbalance in Japan that prohibits child-bearing.

Coming of age story about a boy who dreams to become a drag queen.

Tokyo ward assemblyman to apologize over remarks against LGBT rights
Source: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/10/...gbt-rights.html



A local politician of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to make a formal apology and retract his remarks that disrespected the rights of sexual minorities, at a session of the Adachi Ward Assembly in Tokyo next week, the assembly's chairman said Monday.

Masateru Shiraishi, 78, who has faced public backlash for his claims last month that blamed sexual minorities for Japan's falling number of births, will make an about-face on his stance after the top assemblyman of Adachi Ward urged him to apologize and rescind his comments publicly.

"I sincerely apologize again to those who were hurt by Shiraishi's remarks with regard to LGBT," Akira Shikahama, the assembly's chairman who is also a member of the LDP, said in a statement posted online.

Shikahama said Shiraishi has offered to apologize and retract his remarks at an assembly session scheduled for Oct. 20.

Shiraishi, an 11-term assembly member, has come under fire for claiming at an assembly session on Sept. 25 that the ward would "cease to exist" if the rights of sexual minorities are protected by law.

The comments came amid more than 50 municipalities across the country including Tokyo's Shibuya Ward issuing "partnership certificates" to LGBT couples as same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Japan.

Since then, Shiraishi has appeared on several TV shows and told reporters he did not intend to discriminate against sexual minorities, and that he would not apologize or retract his remarks.

As of Monday, an initiative calling for Shiraishi's resignation on the online petition platform Change.org had received over 2,500 signatures.

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Kudos to him for admitting he is wrong and apologizing.

Mauritius defiantly celebrates Pride with a kaleidoscopic march and calls for an end to its colonial-era gay sex ban
Source: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/10/12/mauri...an-section-250/



Mauritius hosted a rare, kaleidoscopic LGBT+ Pride parade amid the COVID-19 pandemic, calling on lawmakers to decriminalise same-sex relations.

The LGBT+ Pride event, which took place on Saturday (October 10), was organised by the Collectif Arc-en-Cieland.

It saw more than 500 people march the streets in hopes of being heard, recognised and seen. Mauritius is considered COVID-free thanks to stringent measures imposed earlier on in the year, but attendees were encouraged to wear masks.

The theme of the Pride march was “Eski to tann mwa?”, translating to the powerful message: “Do you hear me?”.

Organisers and Pride-goers protested Section 250 of the penal code, which criminalises same-sex relations.

Under the colonial-era law, men who are found to have had sex with other men can be imprisoned for up to five years. There is no ban on same-sex relations between women.

Director of Collectif Arc-en-Ciel (CAEC) Anjeelee Kaur Beegun said: “We have been advocating for equal rights for LGBT [people] for 15 years.

“We have had significant victories such as the Equal Opportunities Act and the Worker’s Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, but true equality is still our goal.”

Beegun also commented on how the criminalisation of same-sex activity is “used to stigmatise and threaten LGBT+ people”. She also noted the lack of protections for transgender people, adding that homophobia and transphobia remain very common in Mauritius.

“We hope that through this march we are able to sensitise decision-makers and the population about the harsh realities of LGBT+ people and compel them to be more empathetic,” Beegun said.

The London-based organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, assisted the CAEC in organising the Pride event.

Pliny Soocoormanee, a Mauritian LGBT+ campaigner, said people marched in the hopes of building “a real rainbow nation” and to push for a more tolerant and inclusive society in Mauritius.

“We are part of a wave of change. LGBT+ liberation can be delayed but won’t be denied.”

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Way to go, Mauritius!

It's strange in Japan. Despite being an advanced country which is very open with sex, AV industry etc, the people are prejudiced where LGBT is concerned. Could still recall an incident of a student who killed himself several years ago: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/ar...ing-japans-lgbt
That's just sad.

Boys Of West Hollywood Want To Tell You How To “Gay It Forward”…
Source: https://gusmen.com/2016/01/25/boys-west-hol...ell-gay-forward



Anthony Gilét walked the streets of West Hollywood to help gay men pass on their advice to the younger generation. The men write some seriously touching messages of advice and encouragement, while some offer more practical advice.

There’s everything from “trust yourself” to “get 3 pics before you hook up”. Could be handy?

Puppies!! (The firemens are nice too I guess )

What do you mean? LGBT people also want to date so of course we are in the dating apps.

Trump and Barrett's threat to abortion and LGBTQ rights is simply un-American
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2...tion-gay-rights



Trump and many Republicans insist that whether to wear a mask or to go to work during a pandemic should be personal choices. Yet what a woman does with her own body, or whether same-sex couples can marry, should be decided by government.

It’s a tortured, upside-down view of freedom. Yet it’s remarkably prevalent even as the pandemic resurges – America is back up to more than 60,000 new cases a day, the highest rate since July, and numbers continue to rise – and as the Senate considers Trump’s pick for the supreme court.

By contrast, Joe Biden has wisely declared he would do “whatever it takes” to stop the pandemic, including mandating masks and locking down the entire economy if scientists recommend it.

“I would shut it down; I would listen to the scientists,” he said.

Biden also wants to protect both abortion and same-sex marriage from government intrusion – in 2012 he memorably declared his support of the latter before even Barack Obama did so.

Trump’s opposite approaches, discouraging masks and other Covid restrictions while seeking government intrusion into the most intimate decisions anyone makes, have become the de facto centerpieces of his campaign.

At his “town hall” on Thursday night, Trump falsely claimed that most people who wear masks contract the virus.

He also criticized governors for ordering lockdowns, adding that the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, “wants to be a dictator”. He was speaking just one week after state and federal authorities announced they had thwarted an alleged plot to kidnap and possibly kill Whitmer.

The attorney general, William Barr – once again contesting Trump for the most wacky analogy – has called state lockdown orders the “greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history” since slavery.

Yet at the very same time Trump and his fellow-travelers defend people’s freedom to infect others or become infected with Covid-19, they’re inviting government to intrude into the most intimate aspects of personal life.

Trump has promised that the supreme court’s 1973 Roe v Wade decision, establishing a federal right to abortion, will be reversed [B]“because I am putting pro-life justices on the court”.

Much of the controversy over Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett hinges on her putative willingness to repeal Roe.

While an appeals court judge, Barrett ruled in favor of a law requiring doctors to inform the parents of any minor seeking an abortion, without exceptions, and also joined a dissent suggesting an Indiana law requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains was constitutional.

A Justice Barrett might also provide the deciding vote for reversing Obergefell v Hodges, the 2015 supreme court decision protecting same-sex marriage. Only three members of the majority in that case remain on the court.

Barrett says her views are rooted in the “text” of the constitution. That’s a worrisome omen given that earlier this month justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito opined that the right to same-sex marriage “is found nowhere in the text” of the constitution.

What’s public, what’s private and where should government intervene? The question suffuses the impending election and much else in modern American life.

It is nonsensical to argue, as do Trump and his allies, that government cannot mandate masks or close businesses during a pandemic but can prevent women from having abortions and same-sex couples from marrying.

The underlying issue is the common good, what we owe each other as members of the same society.

During wartime, we expect government to intrude on our daily lives for the common good: drafting us into armies, converting our workplaces and businesses, demanding we sacrifice normal pleasures and conveniences. During a pandemic as grave as this one we should expect no less intrusion, in order that we not expose others to the risk of contracting the virus.

But we have no right to impose on others our moral or religious views about when life begins or the nature and meaning of marriage. The common good requires instead that we honor such profoundly personal decisions.

Public or private? We owe it to each other to understand the distinction.

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Trump losing the upcoming Nov 3rd presidential election would be a great boon for LGBT as he intends to revoke more and more LGBT rights in US if he gets his second term.

17 Hilarious Gay Tweets From This Week

Read more@https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanschocket2/gay-...this-week-oct19

‘Concerned’ Mormon sent anonymous complaint to neighbours about Pride flags. They probably weren’t expecting this response
Source: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/10/19/conce...flags-response/

A “concerned” Mormon who sent letters to their neighbours complaining about the flying of Pride flags has received a forceful response.

Anonymous letters were sent to residents in the Autumn Drive neighbourhood in Sandy, Utah after rainbow flags were flown from dozens of homes to mark National Coming Out Day on October 11.

The anonymous letter complained that the prevalence of Pride flags is “concerning to many” in the heavily-Mormon area, suggesting that “choosing to fly the colours of the LGBT community” is inconsistent “with the covenants you made with God as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”.

The letter accuses those who flew flags of breaching church covenants, continuing: “Can you truthfully say that you do not support or promote a contrary doctrine when you fly the colours of an organization that is clearly inconsistent with these practices? These are the observations of concerned neighbours and fellow members who desire to share our point of view.”

The anonymous letter attracted a public response from one resident, Cynthia K Phillips.

In her reply, Phillips deconstructed the “cowardly” letter “full of misinformation and self-righteous pretension concerning the Pride flags recently flown by some neighbour’s in their front yards”.

Phillips tore apart the anonymous letter’s argument by highlighting Mormon teachings that would support the welcoming and acceptance of LGBT+ people.

She wrote: “It is highly inappropriate for anyone but my bishop to make a judgment on my temple worthiness or on my position on the covenant path based on whether or not I choose to demonstrate my civic and moral support for the LGBQA+ community’s right for equal protection of laws and non-discrimination.

“If as a kind and interested neighbour, you wish to invite me to conduct a prayerful search to review my values, my understanding of the teachings, practices, and doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the way that I am exercising my moral agency, please do so to my face.”

She continued: “You may be interested to know that my father, the honourable Dale A. Kimball, a federal judge in the District of Utah and a faithful, lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was the judge who confirmed the same-sex marriages [are valid in the state].

“His reasons for doing so were consistent with statute, equal protection of the laws, and non-discrimination.

“I have always been proud of the way in which my father has refused to legislate from the bench, has exercised fairness and temperance in his judgments, and has always resisted the temptation to impose his own personal moral beliefs on others.”

The response has since gone viral on Twitter, after it was shared by Phillips’ son.

Phillips told 2News said she opted to respond publicly to the letter to “set the record straight to my non-member neighbours and my church member neighbours,” adding that the true focus should be on the pro-LGBT+ actions within the tight-nit community to fly rainbow flags and champion queer acceptance.

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This gave me loifeeee.

Disgusting behavior by the medical professionals. Questioning the patient's gender and asking her to repent is totally uncalled for.

He believes in climate change too and urges the world to take the environment more seriously. This guy never cease to amaze.

those doctors forgot their Hyppocratic oath kot