Washington Blade World News en-us http://washblade.com/rss 2009 - Washington Blade: The Gay and Lesbian News Source of Record - D.C. and National Gay News, Entertainment and Opinion Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT editor@washblade.com Gays face torture, death in Iraq: report
Watchdog group says officials 'have done little' to stem problem
By Joshua Lynsen
Friday, August 21, 2009
A new report says anti-gay killings are continuing in Iraq, years after the U.S. military first acknowledged the problem.

Human Rights Watch says in its 67-page report, “They Want Us Exterminated: Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation & Gender in Iraq,” that there was a “sharp spike in killings this year” of gay men and men who were believed to be gay.

“While the country remains a dangerous place for many if not most of its citizens, death squads started specifically singling out men whom they considered not 'manly' enough, or whom they suspected of homosexual conduct,” says the report.

“The most trivial details of ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/8-21/news/worldnews/15066.cfm Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EST Anti-gay graffiti surfaces in Serbia
Rights groups urge police action
By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, August 07, 2009
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian rights groups urged police action last week over anti-gay graffiti that has appeared before an upcoming Gay Pride event planned in the Balkan country.

The march on Sept. 20 will be the first Pride gathering in Serbia since 2001 when several participants of a similar event were badly beaten by extremists.

The planned march in Belgrade also is seen as a major test for the Serbian authorities who have launched pro-Western reform after years of nationalism and wars in the 1990s. Several extremist groups in Serbia have said they will try to interrupt the gathering.

Some of the graffiti that appeared on Belgrade facades in the ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/8-7/news/worldnews/14997.cfm Fri, 7 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EST Man jailed in hate crime at World Outgames
Man threw fireworks at gay sporting event
By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, August 07, 2009
COPENHAGEN (AP) — Danish police say a 31-year-old man who threw fireworks at a gay sports event, injuring a Seattle runner, has been jailed under Denmark's hate crimes law.

Police spokesperson Jesper Schultz says the man was ordered held in jail for 13 days Wednesday on a preliminary charge of reckless endangerment. The attack at the World Outgames was labeled a hate crime because police believe the man was targeting the event because of the sexual orientation of the participants.

The Seattle Frontrunners track team said on its web site that a small piece of plastic struck one of its members, Dean Koga, and became embedded in his hand when the devices went ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/8-7/news/worldnews/14998.cfm Fri, 7 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EST Portugal's high court keeps gay marriage ban
Judges rule 3-2 against appeal
By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, August 07, 2009
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal's Constitutional Court last week upheld the country's ban on gay marriage, rejecting a challenge by two lesbians who are seeking to wed.

The court said July 31 its five judges ruled 3-2 against an appeal lodged by the women two years ago. Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao, divorced mothers in their 30s who have been together as a couple since 2003, were turned away by a Lisbon registry office when they attempted to marry in 2006 because the law stipulates that marriage is between people of different genders.

Portugal's constitution, however, also forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation. The women took the case to a ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/8-7/news/worldnews/14999.cfm Fri, 7 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EST Thousands march in Pride parades around the world
Signs reading “freedom for all” and rainbow flags common in European events
By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, June 19, 2009
ROME (AP) — Tens of thousands of gay rights activists demanding rights for same-sex couples marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday in a Pride parade.

Smaller marches wound through the capitals of heavily Catholic Poland and in Croatia, where counter-demonstrators shouted anti-gay and nationalist slogans.

In Rome, costumed demonstrators carrying rainbow flags and signs reading “freedom for all” attacked the conservative government of Premier Silvio Berlusconi. They demanded rights for same-sex couples and the recognition of same-sex marriage.

Activists dressed as fake clergy with colorful hats and signs reading “No Vatican&rdqu ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/6-19/news/worldnews/14736.cfm Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EST Revelers jam Brazilian avenue in parade
Sao Paulo event celebrates 13th year
By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, June 19, 2009
SAO PAULO (AP) — Dancing and waving rainbow flags, people jammed one of Sao Paulo's main boulevards for the 13th annual Pride parade in South America's biggest cities to condemn homophobia and demand equal rights.

Sunday's carnival-like event drew gay men, lesbians and even heterosexual couples — many accompanied by their children — for a mammoth march down skyscraper-lined Avenida Paulista to the beat of loud music blasting from some 20 sound trucks.

Kicking off the parade, Mayor Gilberto Kassab said: “This parade is an opportunity to express our repudiation of homophobia.”

Police declined to release a crowd estimate. ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/6-19/news/worldnews/14738.cfm Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EST Gay Moroccan writer tackles homophobia

By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, June 12, 2009
PARIS (AP) — A soft-spoken young man, Abdellah Taia hardly looks the part of an iconoclast. But as Morocco's first high-profile, openly gay man, Taia has made it his mission to win acceptance for gays throughout the Muslim world.

Taia has defied Moroccan society's don't-ask, don't-tell attitude toward homosexuality — and prison sentences that are still on the books in the North African kingdom — to write five autobiographical novels about growing up poor and gay in the northern coastal city of Sale.

The novels, peppered with sexually explicit passages, have catapulted him to fame in his native country and made him the de-facto poster child of its buddi ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/6-12/news/worldnews/14696.cfm Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EST German zoo: Gay penguin pair raising chick

By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, June 12, 2009
BERLIN (AP) — A German zoo says a pair of gay male penguins are raising a chick from an egg abandoned by its parents.

Bremerhaven zoo veterinarian Joachim Schoene says the egg was placed in the male penguins' nest after its parents rejected it in late April. The males incubated it for some 30 days before it hatched and have continued to care for it. The chick's gender is not yet known.

Schoene said the male birds, named Z and Vielpunkt, are one of three same-sex pairs among the zoo's 20 Humboldt penguins that have attempted to mate.

Homosexual behavior has been documented in many animal species. The zoo says in a statement on its web site that &ld ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/6-12/news/worldnews/14697.cfm Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EST Elton John: We must 'confront reality' of HIV
Biotech researchers gather at international conference
By Matt Schafer
Friday, May 22, 2009
ATLANTA — After decades of attempting to hide his pain in alcohol, drugs and expansive stage personalities, Elton John admits he is an expert at denying reality. Now he's accusing government and industry of ignoring the realities of the HIV pandemic.

“There is no question that it can be the hardest thing in the world to confront reality. I know this from personal experience, but confronting reality can be the first step to changing it,” John said.

In his keynote address Tuesday at the 2009 BIO International Convention at the Georgia World Congress Center, John said more work must be done. The May 18-22 conference was expected to draw 12,000 researcher ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/5-22/news/worldnews/14569.cfm Fri, 22 May 2009 05:00:00 EST Uruguay lifts ban on gays in the military
'State does not discriminate against citizens for their political view or for their sexual choice'
By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, May 22, 2009
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguay has lifted a ban on gays joining the armed forces.

The decree signed by President Tabare Vazquez and Defense Minister Jose Bayardi lifts the ban imposed by the 1973-85 military dictatorship.

The decree was published May 15 on the presidential web site and says that sexual orientation will no longer be considered a reason to prevent people from entering the military.

Vazquez said the “state does not discriminate against citizens for their political view or for their sexual choice” during a visit May 14 to the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion.

The law had included homosexuality among the “ ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/5-22/news/worldnews/14572.cfm Fri, 22 May 2009 05:00:00 EST Moscow police break up Pride rally
American activist Andy Thayer among detained
By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, May 22, 2009
MOSCOW (AP) — Riot police broke up several gay rights demonstrations in Moscow on Saturday, hauling away scores of protesters hours before the capital hosted a major international pop music competition.

Activists had targeted Moscow, which was holding the finals of the Eurovision song contest, hoping to use the event's global popularity to draw attention to their claims that Russia officially sanctions homophobia.

Led by a mayor who describes homosexuality as “satanic,” city officials had warned they would not tolerate marches or rallies supporting the rights of gays and lesbians.

Among those detained were British activist Peter Tatchell and ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/5-22/news/worldnews/14570.cfm Fri, 22 May 2009 05:00:00 EST Singapore's gays hold first rally
Some 2500 participated in gathering
By Staff & Wire Reports
Friday, May 22, 2009
SINGAPORE (AP) — The gay community in tightly controlled Singapore held its first-ever rally Saturday, taking advantage of looser laws on public gatherings to call for equality.

About 2,500 participants wore pink clothing, played music and sang songs at a park known as Speaker's Corner, said organizer Pink Dot, which represents Singapore's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.

“This is a great opportunity for us to make our pitch for the equal treatment of the LGBT community in Singapore,” said Roy Tan, a Pink Dot spokesperson.

Singapore's government has become more tolerant toward gays and lesbians in recent years, but so ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/5-22/news/worldnews/14571.cfm Fri, 22 May 2009 05:00:00 EST World news in brief
Portuguese bishop says condoms sometimes needed
By
Friday, April 03, 2009
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A Portuguese bishop has said that people with AIDS must use condoms to prevent the spread of the disease, apparently contradicting Pope Benedict XVI, who said the distribution of condoms could endanger public health.

Speaking to journalists, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Porto Manuel Clemente said condoms in such cases are “not only recommendable, they can be ethically obligatory.”

On a trip to Africa last month, the pope told reporters, “You can't solve [the AIDS crisis] with the distribution of condoms,” adding, “On the contrary, it increases the problem.”

The Vatican insists AIDS should be co ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/4-3/news/worldnews/14293.cfm Fri, 3 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EST World news in brief
Sydney Gay Mardi Gras parade attracts 300,000
By
Friday, March 20, 2009
SYDNEY (AP) — Revelers decked out in sequins, feathers, wigs and leather danced through the streets of Sydney earlier this month to the cheers of more than 300,000 people at the annual Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.

More than 130 floats and 9,500 people participated in the March 7 procession, which began as a protest march in 1978 by gay and transgender men and women and has flourished into one of the world's largest and most flamboyant Pride events.

“I am totally in my element,” said a transgender woman who identified herself as Gummi Cat. “This is my first year being in the parade and I am absolutely loving it.”

The parade kicke ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/3-20/news/worldnews/14254.cfm Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EST Iceland to name lesbian interim prime minister
Politician to become world's first openly gay head of gov't
By Lou Chibbaro Jr.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Iceland's lesbian minister of social affairs was expected to be chosen as the country's caretaker prime minister later this week, making her the word's first known openly gay head of government.

Johanna Siguroardottir, 66, a member of the Icelandic Parliament since 1978, was designated Tuesday by leaders of Iceland's Social Democratic Alliance Party as the party's choice for prime minister following the collapse of the country's governing coalition Monday.

Siguroardottir, if ratified to become prime minister as expected by an interim coalition formed by the Social Democratic Alliance and other political parties, must grapple with rising unemployment and near chaos in th ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/1-30/news/worldnews/14009.cfm Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST World news in brief
Transgender model steals the show in Rio
By
Friday, January 23, 2009
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio closed its main fashion event of the year with less attention to the clothes than the model — a transgender actress.

Patricia Araujo received a standing ovation after parading along the runway for the Complexo B brand Jan. 16 to end the weeklong event in a city that delights in shocking the prudish with each year's Carnival celebration.

Complexo B designer Beto Neves said he invited Araujo to amaze the public. “In fashion, the cool thing is to surprise,” he told O Die newspaper.

Globo Television's web site called the 25-year-old Araujo “the star” of the show's final day, and model Fontana told O Di ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/1-23/news/worldnews/13970.cfm Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST World news in brief
Spanish Catholics decry gay marriage at huge Mass
By
Friday, January 09, 2009
MADRID, Spain (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people attended a Mass in central Madrid designed to promote traditional family values in a predominantly Roman Catholic country that has legalized gay marriage and made it easier for people to divorce.

The service Dec. 27 started with a message from Pope Benedict XVI, who urged Spanish Catholics to keep their families strong.

“Dear families, do not let love, openness to life and the incomparable links that join your homes weaken,” the pope said in a message read in Madrid. “The pope is by your side.”

The archbishop of Madrid, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, added: “The future of hu ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/1-9/news/worldnews/13879.cfm Fri, 9 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST World news in brief
Amsterdam's gay Christmas features a Mary in drag
By
Friday, January 02, 2009
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Amsterdam hosted a Christmas celebration for its gay community last week featuring a nativity tableau with a male Mary in drag that church organizations denounced as an affront to traditional values.

Organizers said the event was meant to raise Amsterdam's profile as a gay capital at a time when homosexuals feel threatened.

Christians for Truth, an independent religious group, had asked the city council to cancel the “Pink Christmas” event, saying it made a mockery of Christian tenets. The city did not comment.

A male entertainer known as Wendy Mills posed as Mary in a blonde wig and high-heeled black boots and ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/1-2/news/worldnews/13854.cfm Fri, 2 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST 'A very important day' for Hong Kong gays
City holds first official Pride parade
By DEENA GUZDER & ANN BINLOT
Friday, December 19, 2008
HONG KONG — There were no drag queens in sexy ensembles with heavy makeup strutting down the streets in platform heels, or buff shirtless sailor boys splayed like starfish on moving floats.

But Hong Kong's first official Gay Pride parade Dec. 13 was still a colorful gathering. And for a country that rarely acknowledges homosexuality, let alone celebrates it, some people saw the parade as downright revolutionary.

For a few hours, a city that usually seems immune to surprises watched in awe as approximately 1,000 parade-goers stopped traffic, filled the streets and spread their message to “celebrate love.” A rainbow-colored dragon bobbed over the heads o ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/12-19/news/worldnews/13794.cfm Fri, 19 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST World news in brief
Furor in Italy after state TV edits 'Brokeback Mountain'
By
Friday, December 19, 2008
ROME (AP) — Italian state television cut a gay sex scene from Ang Lee's “Brokeback Mountain,” as well as a sequence showing the lead characters kissing when it aired the movie, drawing allegations of censorship from gay rights groups.

Activists protested that RAI TV would never have dropped similar scenes had they involved a straight couple, and politicians called for the incident to be discussed in parliament. RAI said it had aired the cut version by mistake.

“Brokeback Mountain” is a cowboy romance about two ranch-hand buddies who start an affair when they meet on the fictional mountain in the 1960s. The 2005 movie won three Oscars, inclu ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/12-19/news/worldnews/13795.cfm Fri, 19 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST