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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 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.
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:
- America’s opinion: gays receive the most discrimination
- Gays in the military: A thorough breakdown of opinions
- Archive: LGBT data and infographics
(Chart by Five Thirty Eight)
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
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)
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 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)
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 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.
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.
