Sex & Society |
Jul
30
2010
A man in India has been murdered because he dared create an amateur porn flick with a college-aged woman he had been tutoring.
“The [DVD] was made a year back but made it to the Burdwan market a week ago. That is when locals identified the girl and all hell broke loose on her family,” reported the Times of India.
Praloy Bhattacharjee, 40, was beaten to death by a crowd of men. "Local youths accosted him and a quarrel ensued," said one witness. "The tutor was assaulted and dragged to Agrani Club, which was locked from outside. He was beaten brutally for a half hour before police managed to rescue him. He died on the way to Burdwan hospital.”
OK, what he did was stupid and unethical, but this is India -- not Iran.
Man Murdered for Shooting Porn with Woman [AVN]
Jul
29
2010
If you've been a faithful fan of either 'So You Think You Can Dance' or 'American Idol,' you may remember former contestant Ian Benardo. He was loud and obnoxious and thought himself very talented. He also appeared on the Idol finale this year, where he stole the mic from comedian Dane Cook and told Simon Cowell: "I'm more entertaining than you."
He is now suing Idol for $300 million claiming show producers exploited his sexuality.
Benardo said he was put up to the stunt, and told to be "outrageous" and "gay." In court papers he inisted that the producers "exploited... my sexual orientation" during the auditions, and requested that he "gay it up" for TV.
Following the finale, Benardo was allegedly threatened by Cook and escorted out of the theater. He is now seeking damages for emotional injuries and loss of employment opportunities.
Repeated appearances on reality contests? Now a lawsuit? We think someone just has a thing for judges.
'Idol' reject to sue for $300M [Toronto Sun]
Jul
27
2010
And here you thought Sweden was all liberal and loving. Well, it is for the most part, but even there discrimination against gays and lesbians still happens. A couple of Swedish lesbians who went looking for a mortgage found that out when the clerk serving them advised that they should reconsider their relationship and live apart.
Maria Engström explained that a female clerk at Swedbank told them that their request for about $75,000 was "a lot of money" and they would need a ten per cent deposit even though they both had good jobs and great credit.
When pressed, the clerk replied: “You should reconsider your personal situation and continue to live in different places.”
Rival bank Nordea had no problem giving the women a loan.
Anna Sundblad, Swedbank’s head of press relations, said: “We take these kinds of incidents very seriously. We have a clear policy that we never discriminate on the grounds of religion, gender or sexual orientation. We also aim to set a good example in questions like this – we sponsor the Stockholm Pride festival for instance.”
Well, it's time to really put your money where you mouth is ... fire the clerk who obviously doesn't share your company's values.
Lesbian couple told by Swedish bank to 'live apart' [PinkNews]
Jul
26
2010
The Vicar of Rome is demanding that gay clergy come out of the closet immediately. And once out, they will be asked to leave the Church.
The Vicar released a statement after a report appeared in Italy's 'Panorama Magazine' that claimed to have found several Catholic priests living a double life. The magazine said it had video footage of the priests having a great time at various gay clubs in Rome.
“No one is forcing them to stay in the priesthood to exploit the benefits,” the Church said in a statement posted on its Web Site. “If they are coherent, they should come out into the open.”
Panorama editor Giorgio Mule said: 'This was a two week investigation and was not aimed at creating a scandal but showing that a certain section of the clergy behaves very differently.'
“Homosexuality is a sensitive issue for the Roman Catholic Church,” said the report, “which regards any sexual activity outside marriage as sinful. Hence the scandal triggered by an expose entitled ‘Gay Priests’ Nights on the Town’.”
Gays are everywhere. It's time the Church got used to it and moved on to more pressing issues.
Editor insists magazine has names of openly gay priests [Irish Times]
Priests in gay clubs further embarrass Catholic Church [Digital Journal]
Jul
25
2010
Archaeologists found this little toy - emphasis on little - while digging in Sweden. It is estimated to be from 4,000-6,000 B.C.E., though no one is quite sure what it was used for. Either it was designed to "chip flakes of flint" or it's the world's very first pocket rocket.
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Jul
20
2010
Yesterday, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) approved a US-led resolution to grant the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) consultative status.
"Today's decision is an affirmation that the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have a place at the United Nations as part of a vital civil society," said Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC Executive Director. "The clear message here is that these voices should not be silenced and that human rights cannot be denied on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity."
The resolution passed with 23 in favor, 13 against, 13 abstentions and 5 absences.
A group of over 200 NGOs from 59 countries endorsed a letter to all UN Member States, demanding fair and non-discriminatory treatment while supporting IGLHRC's goal of pushing LGBT voices into international discussions.
"As human rights defenders and LGBT people living in countries where homophobic discrimination is a daily reality, we celebrate the accreditation of IGLHRC at the UN," said Frank Mugisha, Chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), one of 13 NGOs from Uganda to publicly call for IGLHRC to be accredited. "IGLHRC's access to the UN means that we too will have greater access to international human-rights mechanisms that can prove invaluable to LGBT people's lives."
Ahhh, one step closer to world domination!
Jul
18
2010
Benedict Garrett, a hunky school teacher in Essex, England, has been suspended after his students discovered he had a second life as stripper and porn actor Johnny Anglais.
Garrett started in the trade when he was a poor student and was offered work as a "naked butler," serving food at dinner parties wearing nothing but an apron. From there he graduated to stripping and was eventually invited to audition for a porn video (a straight porn video, in case you're wondering).
Garrett, who quit his teaching job after the suspension, hopes to become a sex and fitness consultant. He told the Sun "Exciting times lie ahead."
The irony of it all: Garrett taught sex education.
I'm a teacher and a porn star. So what? The Sun
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Jul
17
2010
An obscenity trial that got underway this week in Washington, D.C., in which John Stagliano and his production company, Evil Angel were facing charges for breaking U.S. obscenity laws, has been dismissed.
In 2008, FBI agents used the Evil Angel website to order "Milk Nymphos" and "Storm Squirters 2: Target Practice." The videos include, among other things, women giving each other milk enemas, squirting milk out of butt holes, drinking the milk as it squirts out butt holes, and other milk messiness.
Judge Richard J. Leon declared that the prosecution’s evidence was “woefully inadequate,” and granted the defendants’ motions to dismiss the case. The five and a half remaining indictments against Stagliano, John Stagliano Inc. and Evil Angel Productions Inc have also been dismissed.
Guess prosecutors will now be crying over a whole lot of spilled milk.
Stagliano jurors view "Milk Nymphos" [XBiz]
All Charges Dismissed Against Stagliano and Companies [AVN]
Jul
16
2010
Argentina has legalized same-sex marriage, making it the first country in Latin America to do so.
Thursday's vote in the Argentine Senate was close, with 33 votes for, 27 against and 3 abstentions. The approval came despite a campaign by the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical groups against the measure.
While Argentina is the first Latin American country to grant gays and lesbians full marriage rights, progress has been made in other jurisdictions. Same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay and some states in Mexico and Brazil. Colombia's high court has granted same-sex couples inheritance rights and allowed them to add their partners to health insurance plans. Mexico City went further, legalizing gay marriage within the metropolis.
In Chile a gay marriage law is currently at the committee in their Congress. Activists in Paraguay hope to propose a similar law to their senate this fall. And in Uruguay, gays are pushing for full marriage rights rather than the partial rights that come through civil unions.
And what do we have in the USA? Oh yeah, The Defense of Marriage Act.
Jul
10
2010
Father Kevin Gray, 64, likes to have a good time. Apparently this includes espensive hotels, nice restaurants, designer clothing, and male escorts. Sadly it wasn't his own money he was using for such wonderful treats, it was the Church's; he is now facing first-degree larceny, and could get 20 years in jail.
One escort made over $67,000 from the former parson, which included $5,000 towards college. Another took home almost $75,000 in gym memberships and bags.
According to the affidavit that was filed with the Connecticut superior court, Fr Gray admitted to his guilt. He said he did it because he didn't like being a priest.
The affidavit said: "Gray became very bitter with the church starting in 2001 when he was transferred to a parish in New Hartford while his mother was dying in New Haven. Mr Gray stated that when he started in 2003, he began taking the money because he felt the church owed it to him."
At least he got to have some fun before going to prison.
Police: Priest used church money on male escorts, lavish lifestyle [CNN]
Jul
9
2010
The Presbyterian Church may soon allow non-celibate gays in committed relationships to serve as clergy.
Church leaders voted yesterday on the change during the church's general assembly in Minneapolis. 53 percent of the delegates approved the move. A second vote is still pending to change the Church's definition of marriage to the more inclusive phrase of being between "two people" instead of between "a man and a woman."
Any proposed changes must then be approved by a majority of the church's 173 U.S. presbyteries before they can take effect. Two years ago an attempt was made to allow gay clergy, but 94 of the presbyteries refused to support the move.
Some church members are afraid that the decision will destroy efforts to reach out to new memberss in other parts of the world, where views on sexuality are much more conservative. "I fear for the partnerships we have built around the globe," said the Rev. D. Matthew Stith.
"What this is about is making sure we uphold what Christ taught us, to not judge one another," countered Dan Roth, a church elder. "We will no longer have to tell our brothers and sisters in Christ to lie about who they are."
Putting Jesus back in Christianity? How bold!
Presbyterian leaders approves gay clergy policy [Yahoo! News]
Presbyterian Church committee: Allow same-sex marriage [USA Today]
Jul
7
2010
Hawaii governor Linda Lingle waited till the very last minute to announce that legislation supporting civil unions, passed by her state's government, will not get her support. She vetoed the bill.
Not only did she overlook the will of the elected officials who passed the bill in April, the Republican governor ignored over 7,500 letters sent in from citizens in support of gay rights.
Lingle claims she made the decision because she was "convinced that this issue is of such societal importance that it deserves to be decided by the people of Hawaii." She was also afraid to allow legislation to stand that could lead to formal marriages between same-sex couples.
Elected legislators don't represent the will of the people? Guess we missed that day in Civics class.
Lingle vetoes civil unions bill [KHON2]
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