Equalitopia

Original Blue Power Ranger reveals he was harassed on set for...

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:27:00 -0400

Original Blue Power Ranger reveals he was harassed on set for being gay

David Yost, the original Blue Ranger on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series, reveals that he was harassed for being gay in an interview with No Pink Spandex.

“I walked off set one day during the middle of lunch […] because I was called ‘faggot’ one too many times. I had just heard that several times while working on the show from creators, producers, writers, directors…”

He talks about his his difficulty on the set, his reasons for leaving the show and his difficult life after leaving the show. Yost’s co-stars were called into producers’ offices to be asked about his orientation.

Yost describes his experience with ex-gay therapy after leaving the show and how unsuccessful it was.

(via Chukwuma Morah)

UK Catholic adoption agency loses bid to ban gay parents from...

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:00:00 -0400

UK Catholic adoption agency loses bid to ban gay parents from service

A Roman Catholic adoption charity’s appeal to be allowed to discriminate against gay people wanting it to place children with them has been rejected.

Catholic Care in Leeds, England, wanted exemption from new anti-discrimination laws so it could limit services provided to homosexual couples on religious grounds.

The Charity Commission said gay people were suitable parents and religious views did not justify discrimination.

In a statement, Catholic Care said: “The charity is very disappointed with the outcome.

(Full Story: BBC News)

I was there when the Governor of Hawaii vetoed House Bill 444A...

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:24:09 -0400

I was there when the Governor of Hawaii vetoed House Bill 444
A guest opinion piece by Être Humain

I was there at the Hawaii State Capitol when our governor, Linda Lingle, vetoed House Bill 444, which would have given all couples the right to get a civil union, homosexual or heterosexual. All of us came out early in the morning to wave signs for equality, and many showed their support by honking.

After we learned that she would veto the bill, we were all disappointed, and many got up to the microphone and spoke about their long-term relationships. One man, with his boyfriend for five years, said he wonders everyday that if something happens to either of them, the other will be granted visitation rights. Another man, with his boyfriend of twelve years, called Lingle a “coward,” and yelled, “Shame!”

Everybody knew that even though her decision affected gay couples’ lives personally, it would not be the end. Hawaii’s ACLU and HRC have already vowed they’d litigate until the case reaches the Supreme Court. Other politicians came out to show their support, including Gary Hooser, majority leader of the Hawaii Senate, and Justice Steven Levinson, who authored the Supreme Court’s Baehr v. Lewin back in 1993, which deemed same-sex marriages constitutional.

There were many people dressed in white with buttons that said “iVote”, alluding that they would vote out supporters of equality. For the most part, we ignored them and they ignored us. After Lingle handed down her decision, her supporters sang hymns and yelled out prayers, swaying with their hands in the air.

[July 6] was a big defeat for equality, but Hawaii activists vow to never stop fighting until the LGBT community is treated as first-class citizens: as equals.

US opinion on gay marriage shifting rapidly A few months ago, we...

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:44:00 -0400

US opinion on gay marriage shifting rapidly

A few months ago, we posted a chart showing that America’s opinion on gay marriage has eased slightly, but a recent chart by Five Thirty Eight shows that it could be even more of a change.

The chart uses data from dozens of polls about gay marriage. We may soon be able to safely say that the majority of America supports gay marriage!

Studies have shown us that americans who oppose gay marriage are both less educated and older.

See also:

(Chart by Five Thirty Eight)

Gay activists create flash mob inside Target A group of...

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:16:00 -0400

Gay activists create flash mob inside Target

A group of activists performed a musical flash mob inside Target, after the corporation donated $150,000 to the political campaign of an anti-gay Republican candidate.

Target has been under fire from gay rights groups for the donation. According to the LA Times, this is the first case in this election cycle that a company receives national protests over a donation.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations can use treasury funds to fund election campaigns.

Learn more, take action and sign the petition: targetboycott.org

GAY = SIN A video by Matthew Brown. (Contains minor [tasteful]...

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:03:00 -0400

GAY = SIN

A video by Matthew Brown.

(Contains minor [tasteful] nudity)

(via uhmrite)

Two men promote equality by attempting to break world record for...

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:27:00 -0400

Two men promote equality by attempting to break world record for longest continuous kiss

UPDATE: We’ve just been informed that the kiss has been postponed to Saturday, September 18th at approximately 10am until 7PM on Sunday.

Matty and Bobby are New Jersey college students and LGBT activists. On ~~Wednesday, August 11th~~ (UPDATE: Saturday, September 18th), they will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record record for the longest continuous kiss.

The current record is held by Nikola Matovic and Kristina Reinhart of Germany managed, who kissed for 32 hours and 7 minutes in 2009.

Equalitopia interviewed Matty and Bobby to get some insight into why and how they plan on breaking the world record.

EQUALITOPIA: So, you’re attempting to break the record for the longest kiss—what made you decide to do this?

BOBBY: We were watching an episode of Fantasy Factory where someone made the world’s largest skateboard, and I commented on what a waste it was to do something that ridiculous and that the only reason the person was able to do it was because he had a lot of money. So Matty came up with the idea of the longest kiss, and then the idea kind of hit us as the longest kiss between two boys to support gay rights.

MATTY: Yeah. Why break a record if it doesn’t mean something? And to us, this means so much.

EQUALITOPIA: You two have been training for the event. Could you tell us a few things you’ve been doing to prepare?

BOBBY: We have been practicing standing in place for hours at a time, and being awake for a prolonged period of time is something we do quite often at college.

MATTY: My personal record for being awake without sleeping is 72 hours. This was back in February when I was at an exhausting convention in Boston for campus activities. So, we know that it’s possible. And like Bobby said, we’re in college, sometimes, like during midterms and finals, neglecting sleep is necessary. Haha. Also, Bobby and I will be practicing the thirty-three hour kiss on our own in two weeks from now, to prepare for the event. We’ve even come up with a set of hand signals for our select stand-by supporters in the event of both foreseen and unforeseen obstacles that may arise during the time period.

EQUALITOPIA: Standing, being awake, not eating, bladder concerns—what part of the 33-hour kiss are you most worried about?

BOBBY: I think staying awake and completely focused on not breaking our lips apart will be the most challenging. But I am also concerned about the ability to stand for such a long duration, my ankles are not exactly the best.

MATTY: Of course, all of these will be worries. And I let it be Bobby’s job to worry and keep me grounded in remembering what it is we’re challenging our bodies to do, besides stay lip-locked for all of this time. Haha. Honestly, I’m most worried about the weather. Hopefully it doesn’t rain, because even though we’ll be under a canopy, I don’t want to catch pneumonia!

EQUALITOPIA: So Bobby is in a relationship, and he’s completely in support of the cause?

BOBBY: Yes, I am in a relationship and my boyfriend supports the cause completely. We all know each other, and we’re very close friends.

MATTY: Bobby’s boyfriend is such a good sport. And he knows this isn’t about him and I kissing; it’s about something much more important. When you really think about it, the kissing part is really only an extra added element to these other obstacles, like a hire wire performance artist wearing a blindfold when crossing a tightrope. So really, we’re attempting to break the World Record for Longest Continuous Standing-Spree without Using the Bathroom with Our Lips Touching. Bobby’s boyfriend understands something else though, that we hope others will see in the cause. Given that Bobby and I are just friends (and we’re not each other’s type, despite how cute Bobby is), this kiss isn’t just about supporting LGBT rights and cementing a place for the LGBT community in an expression of affection honored by the Guinness World Records. This kiss is about fighting hegemonic norms. In deaf culture, beyond the gesticular vocabulary, body language is the primary form of communication. For the hearing population, we limit ourselves in spoken language by the words we use. This kiss isn’t about sexual or romantic expression between two lovers. We’re not required to make-out, use our tongues, or any of that nonsense. It’s all really simple and innocent; it’s a kiss between two men, two friends. Hopefully, others will see this and begin to think that it’s okay to kiss your closest friends Hello and Goodbye, to let them know in other ways that you care and are ready to face the obstacles life throws your way together, when the words refuse to surface in our voices. And afterall, thirty-three hours is a long time to be standing together with our lips touching - I doubt Bobby and I will want to kiss each other for a while after that. Haha. And his boyfriend is Awesome because he understands this :)

EQUALITOPIA: Who’s going to be there? Are you required to have a Guinness World Record representative to witness it?

BOBBY: We’re not required to have a Guinness World Record representative there, but we do need official witnesses, who will serve to gain nothing from participating in this event.

MATTY: Yeah, there is this entire package of evidence we must supply and submit to the Guinness Records committee for approval. But the more the word is spread, the more people that come and support our campaign, the easier this all becomes.

EQUALITOPIA: There was a six-week long approval process? What was required in this process?

MATTY: We had to submit an application to Guinness explaining why we wanted to attempt to break this record, how we were going to achieve in doing so, and so on. Then we had to wait for them to process our application. And then it was another several weeks before we received our approval. Without going through this, we weren’t allowed to talk about attempting to break the record or we could be disqualified. So it was a pretty heft secret between Bobby and I for six weeks, and we couldn’t even move to launching it as a campaign until all was said, done, and given the go-ahead.

EQUALITOPIA: What happens if you don’t break the record? Will you try again?

BOBBY: We hadn’t really talked about it. But, it’s up to Matty. I wouldn’t mind giving it another try.

MATTY: Absolutely! But, I don’t believe in failure. If I have to hold Bobby up for thirty-three hours, pinching his rib cage with one hand to keep him awake, and pressing his head against mine with the other to keep up lip-locked, we’ll do whatever it takes!!

We have discussed it, and we do plan to live-stream the event online now. That information will be up on the website soon.

Follow Matty & Bobby on their official site, Facebook, and Twitter.

This is a developing story. Follow Equalitopia Blog for updates.

(Photo: AJVR Photography)

A photo by Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune: As a rainbow...

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:29:00 -0400

A photo by Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune:

As a rainbow appears in the background Jeff Key, of Salt Lake City, proudly holds the flag as advocates for gay marriage rally on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City after a federal court judge overturned California’s same-sex marriage ban Wednesday. Key asked his husband to remarry him during the rally.

(via sadax on Reddit)

BREAKING: Proposition 8 ruled unconstitutional In a landmark...

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:11:00 -0400

BREAKING: Proposition 8 ruled unconstitutional

In a landmark victory, a federal judge declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that California’s Proposition 8 should be overturned in a 136-page ruling.

According to the Dallas Voice:

The defense has said it will appeal Walker’s decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the case is expected to eventually wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The defense has also requested a stay of Walker’s ruling pending appeal, but Walker has not yet ruled on that request. If the stay is granted as expected, same-sex couples could not begin marrying in California right away.

The conclusion of the ruling:

“Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite- sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.”

And an excerpt from the ruling:

A private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite-se couples is not a proper basis for legislation.

(Photo: New York Times, hat tip to Queerty)

Gay couple save life of homophobe who abused them for three...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:49:00 -0400

Gay couple save life of homophobe who abused them for three years

A married gay couple in Birmingham, England saved their homophobic neighbor in a house fire, after years of verbal abuse.

Bryn and James Tudor experienced years of verbal abuse from their neighbor, Baljit Koonar, according to Sunday Mercury. Even after Baljit Koonar was forced to sign a “Good Neighbour Agreement” in 2008, the abuse continued.

Last week, Koonar received a 18-month supervision order and was forced to pay the couple £150 as compensation.

Just a few weeks before that, Koonar and his family were trapped in a deadly fire.

“I was sleeping when something woke me up at around 5am. I could taste smoke in the back of my mouth,” James explains.

“I couldn’t see anything out of the front window, but when I went to the back there was smoke billowing out of next door and the family were on the roof.”

Koonar, his wife, their two children, and the children’s grandmother were stranded on the roof.

After rushing to get a ladder, the couple helped the family down to safety and brought them into his home. They offered them water and and chocolate to calm them.

“Our thoughts weren’t about him. We wanted to get the kids down as soon as we could. You don’t think about anything that person has done, it’s just about the value of human life.”

James hopes that they can now be “proper neighbours,” if not, friends.

(Photo: Todd Klassy)

Photo by emptinesswithin on Equalitopia’s deviantART group

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:44:13 -0400

Photo by emptinesswithin on Equalitopia’s deviantART group

July 19, 1993: United States President Bill Clinton announces...

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:44:00 -0400

July 19, 1993: United States President Bill Clinton announces his compromise to the controversy around gays in the military: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

(Quote by @Citizens4Repeal via @NOH8Campaign. Photo courtesy US Army)

Funny Renault commercial: “We live in modern...

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:25:00 -0400

Funny Renault commercial: “We live in modern times”

French automaker Renault ran commercials that promoted “living in modern times.” They hit YouTube earlier this year, and this particular one promotes accepting alternative lifestyles.

A few months ago, McDonald’s France released a gay ad campaign. Earlier this year, France de-listed transgenderism as a mental illness.

Update: Some people have pointed out that it is unclear what the son says in the ad. He says “Can you get us in?”

French public opinion on homosexuality

According to PEW Research’s Global Attitudes Project (2007), 83% of the French public believe that “homosexuality should be accepted by society.” This percentage is one of the highest among countries surveyed. This month, a Crédoc survey (July, 2010) showed that 61% of respondents support gay marriage while 41% support same-sex adoption. Over the past 3 years, these statistics have increased 6% and 8%, respectively.

Infographic: Countries where gay marriage is legal This...

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:35:00 -0400

Infographic: Countries where gay marriage is legal

This week, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage. Last month, Iceland passed a gay marriage law in an unanimous vote.

Which country is next?

Infographic by good.is. See also: Equalitopia’s archive of LGBT infographics.

Argentina becomes first Latin American country to legalize gay...

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:15:00 -0400

Argentina becomes first Latin American country to legalize gay marriage

Argentina has just become the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriage. The Senate passed a bill on Thursday morning after a lengthy debate, according to the Telam news agency, reports CNN.

The bill, which was endorsed by the President Cristina Kirchner, not only legalizes gay marriage, but also allows the couples to adopt.

The upper house voted 33-27 for the proposal after 14 hours of debate, according to Reuters. The bill had already passed the lower chamber of Congress.

The New York Times reports that 70% of Argentinians support marriage equality.

Recently, Argentina’s highest-ranking Catholic prelate called the gay marriage bill a “machination” of the devil.

Gay marriage became legal in Mexico City in March earlier this year.

Gay people ‘more likely to join Facebook and...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:40:26 -0400

Gay people ‘more likely to join Facebook and Twitter’

Gay people are significantly more likely to be members of social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, research indicates.

Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of gay men and lesbians have a profile on Facebook, as against 65 per cent of heterosexuals, reports The Telegraph.

Homosexuals are almost twice as likely as straight people to have an account on Twitter, with 29 per cent claiming to use the micro-blogging website. The figure for straight people is just 15 per cent.

MySpace and Linkedin, the business contacts website, also have a disproportionate number of gay members, the research indicates.

Their survey of 2,400 Americans also found that gays are more likely to read blogs than their straight counterparts – 54 per cent compared to 40 per cent.

Everything you need to know about Prop 8 Matt Baume of Stop8.org...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:51:00 -0400

Everything you need to know about Prop 8

Matt Baume of Stop8.org has created a video recap of Proposition 8 within the past few years.

Watch and learn! :)

See Equalitopia’s video archives »

Catholic cardinal says gay marriage is the work of the...

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:47:57 -0400

Catholic cardinal says gay marriage is the work of the devil

Argentina’s highest-ranking Catholic prelate has warned that the country’s gay marriage bill is a “machination” of the devil, reports Pink News.

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio has called on priests in Buenos Aires, where he is archbishop, to protest against the bill, which is progressing through Argentina’s parliament.

In a letter to the monasteries of Buenos Aires, he wrote: “Let’s not be naive, we’re not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God .. We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.”

Mexico City passed a law legalised gay marriage recently, but if Argentina’s bill becomes law, it will be the first country in Latin America to legalise the practice. The bill also proposes giving gay couples the right to adopt.

Late-blooming lesbians: women can switch sexualities as they...

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:19:00 -0400

Late-blooming lesbians: women can switch sexualities as they mature

Women are embracing lesbianism in their thirties, according to research indicating that shifts in sexual orientation may be more widespread than previously thought.

One study even indicates that as many as two-thirds of women who feel lesbian attractions may have changed their sexual orientation over time.

Christan Moran, a researcher at Southern Connecticut State University in the US, said that many women who develop lesbian feelings in later life refuse to “come out” for fear of society’s reaction. Women in long-term heterosexual relationships, especially those with children, face even greater problems reconciling themselves to their new identities, she said.

High-profile examples of women leaving their husbands to pursue same-sex relationships include Portia de Rossi, the Ally McBeal actress who married the US comedian Ellen DeGeneres in 2008, nine years after divorcing a man.

Read more on this study at Telegraph.co.uk.

Pentagon survey on DADT biased, derogatory A copy of the...

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:22:00 -0400

Pentagon survey on DADT biased, derogatory

A copy of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell survey has been acquired by Servicemembers United, the United States’ largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans. The organization strongly condemns it for being “biased and derogatory.”

The organization believes that the “biased and derogatory design of the long-awaited Defense Department survey on issues related to the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.”

Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United, is a former U.S. Army interrogator who was discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He explains that the survey has an overwhelming focus on the negative aspects of the repeal, completely ignoring the positive impact the repeal could have.

Nicholson says that it is safe for gay and lesbian troops to participate in the survey, but that it is “simply impossible to imagine a survey with such derogatory and insulting wording, assumptions, and insinuations going out about any other minority group in the military.”

According to ABC News, Servicemembers United believes that the summary of the survey “implies that the repeal of this law will result in the open performance of ‘homosexual acts’ on duty and throughout the military,” which they believe is wrong and “highly inflammatory.”

View the full survey at servicemembersunited.org/survey (32-page PDF).

What do you think? Is the survey biased? Reblog or comment with your responses.