Madonna speaks out over Malawi jailing of gay couple

Malawi’s most high profile benefactor, Madonna, has spoken out about the sentencing of a gay couple there, calling it ‘shocking’.

The case of Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonga Chimbalanga, 20, has been followed closely by the world’s media since they were detained last December for holding a ‘marriage’ ceremony.

Gay sex and gay marriage is still illegal in Malawi and many other African countries.

Last Thursday Monjeza and Chimbalanga were convicted of ‘unnatural acts and gross indecency’ and both handed 14 year jail terms including hard labour.

Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa told the couple he was issuing a “scaring sentence” so that the public would be “protected from people like you, so that we are not tempted to emulate this horrendous example”

The ruling is garnering world-wide condemnation, with human rights groups denouncing the sentencing as unjust, calling for Monjeza’s and Chimbalanga’s immediate release.

Madonna, who has two adopted children from Malawi spoke out after the sentencing: “I am shocked and saddened by the decision made this week by the Malawian court, which sentenced two innocent men to prison

“As a matter of principle, I believe in equal rights for all people, no matter what their gender, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation”

In a statement posted on the singer’s Raising Malawi website she calls for “the progressive men and women of Malawi – and around the world – to challenge this decision in the name of human dignity and equal rights for all.”

U.N. secretary general Ban Ki-moon said the sentences “violated human rights principles that ban both discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, as well as the criminalization of sexual acts between consenting adults”

Ban announced that he would be travelling to Malawi this weekend to meet and discuss several issues with Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika, including the Monjeza/Chimbalanga case.

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Danielle Radcliffe films support for Gay teen suicide charity

Actor Danielle Radcliffe has recorded a public service announcement in support of a gay teen suicide charity.

The Harry Potter star recorded the PSA for The Trevor Project – a 24-hour helpline for US gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth who are at risk of self-harm.

The 30-second clip features Radcliffe explaining what the charity is about and ends with the star encouraging LGBT youth: “Be proud of who you are”.

The Trevor Project is a non-profit organization that provides an around-the-clock suicide prevention line for teenagers who are gay, lesbian or questioning their sexuality or gender.

Executive director and chief executive of the Trevor Project, Charles Robinson said: “LGBTQ youth suicide is a preventable epidemic, and at the Trevor Project, we know that community education is the key to combating these devastating statistics.

“Because this PSA features Daniel Radcliffe, it has the incredible power to educate communities and spread the word to youth that help is always available and that is okay to reach out for support.”

Radcliffe said: “I believe that The Trevor Project has a universal mission of acceptance that is so profound.

“If this brief PSA makes even one lost and alone young person aware of the Trevor Helpline and the lifesaving support it offers, then it will have been an endeavor well worth making.”

In an interview with Associated Press Radciffe said he feels it’s incredibly important that straight people show they care and are interested in the welfare of gay and lesbian youth.

Growing up with parents in the acting profession the 21 year-old says he was always surrounded by gay men: “It was never even something I thought twice about, that some men were gay and some weren’t”

The young star has become one of the world’s most recognized actors.

Radcliffe made his acting debut at the age of 10 as the young David Copperfield in a BBC adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic novel.

In 2001 he made his film debut opposite Pierce Brosnan in The Tailor of Panama. Later that same year he appeared for the first time as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone.

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Pope brands Gay marriage ‘Insidious and Dangerous’

Pope Benedict XVI has sited gay marriage, along with abortion as “dangerous threats to the common good”.

During a mass attended by more than 500,000 in Fatima, Portugal this week the Pontiff called for initiatives to address abortion and same-sex unions.

The New York Times reports that in a speech to Catholic social service groups Benedict suggested protections should be made for “the family based on the indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman, help to respond to some of today’s most insidious and dangerous threats to the common good”

It is believed that Benedict was referring directly to Portugal’s same-sex marriage bill - which was approved by parliament earlier this year.

The bill, expected to become law within days, has already been criticized by the Pope as an “attack” on the natural differences between men and women.

Gay rights campaigners have condemned the latest comments made by Benedict during his four-day visit to Portugal, branding him an “arch-homophope”.

Activist Peter Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk “It is utter madness for the Pope to equate same-sex marriage with terrorism, war, poverty and climate destruction.

"He is not only losing his sense of moral priority but also his capacity for rational though."

In an interview with The Telegraph Derek Munn, director of public affairs for LGBT lobbying group Stonewall, responded: “Some might say that it’s dangerous and insidious for the Pope to spend so much time publicly belittling gay, lesbian and bisexual people,”

In 2008 Benedict suggested that the existence of gay people is as threatening to humanity as the destruction of the rainforests is.

He has also criticized gay rights measures within Britain’s Equality Act – included to ensure the church does not discriminate when hiring gays and lesbians - as being against “natural law”.

In a news release George Broadhead, secretary of gay humanist charity Pink Triangle Trust said: "These repeated attacks on gay rights, and in particular the right to marriage, amount to a paranoid obsession about what the Pope clearly perceives as an intrinsic moral evil.

"Given that the stance of all three main UK political parties is supportive of gay rights, are their leaders going to have the guts to condemn this overt hostility and will the new coalition government think twice about welcoming this ghastly bigot to the UK next [sic] September?"

For weekly gay news and chat visit webcam social site http://www.mand8.com/

Related links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/world/europe/14pope.html
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/05/14/campaigners-anger-at-popes-latest-homophobic-comments/

High profile Anti-Gay campaigner holidays with male prostitute

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India Gay Film Festival heralds change

Being gay and living in India is not only a challenge for its residents, advances in gay rights around the world have little impact on the slow social changes afforded to India’s gay community.

It was less than a year ago that Delhi’s high court finally redressed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code - effectively decrimanalising gay sex between consenting adults.

Although still suffering widespread discrimination, the ruling undoubtedly brings hope and heralds a new chapter for India’s LGBT population and its activists’ campaign for social equality.

It has invigorated gay pride; inspiring a re-launch of India’s first gay magazine – Bombay Dost – and now the Kashish Mumbai Queer Film Festival – a screening of more than one hundred gay films from around the world in two of the city’s mainstream cinemas.

The four day ‘Queer media’ event sold out within hours and has been hailed by activists as a milestone in gay visibility.

Bringing together the audience, the films and their makers organisers say a key aim of the new annual event is to create social change.

In an interview with radioaustralia.net Indian playwright Mahesh Dattani said the festival was monumental for the gay community.

“I think this a hugely important event; we've never had a queer film festival. I think there's so many myths and misnomers about queerness, about sexuality in general and I think this gives the audience an opportunity to try and understand and to actually see for themselves what queer love is and what queerness is about.

“We're such a traditional society of celebrators, we celebrate life, we celebrate sexuality, for goodness sake, I mean we wrote the Kama Sutra you know and I feel it's time we reclaimed our culture to somehow revisit our openness that somehow we've lost over the ages.”

As well as screening international shorts and features the festival also showcased many recent and undiscovered Indian films.

A panel judged competitive section awarded ‘Lost and Found’ Best Indian Short with ‘XXWhy’ - a film about Kerala’s first out female-to-male transgender winning Best Documentary.

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Related link:http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/201004/s2882702.htm

Glee awarded for positive portrayal of gay Characters

Camp musical TV comedy Glee has won a gay award for its positive depiction of gay characters.

The 21st Glaad (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) media awards has honoured the show by naming it Outstanding Comedy Series 2010.

The comedy-drama, still airing its first season, has taken the entertainment industry by storm and has already won a Peabody gong and Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy with best actress, actor and supporting actress nominations.

Upon accepting the award, creator Ryan Murphy said that star gay character Kurt, played by actor Chris Colfer, would never be portrayed as “a victim” on the show. He also revealed that Kurt would have a boyfriend in the next series and the two would be celebrated as “prom kings”.

The GLAAD organisation’s annual awards ceremony recognizes and honours media that features fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBT people.

The critically acclaimed ‘A Single Man’ won Outstanding Film – Wide Release and RuPaul’s Drag Race scored Outstanding Reality Program.

Actress Drew Barrymore was presented with an award for her contribution in raising awareness and understanding of the gay community.

“The thing that means the most to me about an evening like this or why I want to fight and be outspoken about (gay rights) is there are so many people who are in desperate need of families,” she said. “That is the most important thing in the world: that we take care of each other because this is a family.”

Out gay pop star Adam Lambert performed two songs at the event. Upon being asked about Ricky Martin’s recent coming out he told Access Hollywood: “It’s great to see people like Ricky feeling liberated to come out and come forward, and hopefully it will open the door wide open for more and more people to be comfortable with who they are. “

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Related link http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/stars-rally-around-ricky-martin-at-glaad-media-awards_article_31315

Obama orders hospitals to grant gay couples visitation rights

Gay rights activists have applauded President Obama’s signing of a memorandum this week that affords gays and lesbians’ partners medical power of attorney.

The memorandum instructs the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement new policy that will prohibit discriminative hospital visitation rights.

In the past hospitals could bar visitors to a seriously ill patient if they were not related by blood or marriage.

The new directive affords patients the right to designate visitors and, crucially, that those rights are respected. Tragically it comes too late for long-term partners of gay patients who in the past were denied access to dying loved ones.

Although gay activists have campaigned for years to end the discrimination it is thought the recent high profile case of same-sex partners Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond, 39, inspired the new ruling.

Langbehn and Pond had been partnered for seventeen years when Pond collapsed whilst they were on holiday with their adopted children in Miami, Florida.

Despite being shown power of attorney documents hospital officials took eight hours to decide if they would permit Langbehn to visit her critically ill partner, by which time Pond had entered into a coma.

She was eventually granted permission to see Pond for five minutes as a priest performed the last rights.

The tragic case received high profile media attention highlighting the vulnerability of same-sex couples in times of crisis.

This week The President phoned Langbehn personally offering an apology and thanking her for her courage moments after issuing the memorandum.

In a statement issued on her family blog Langbehn praised and thanked The President for recognizing her case and issuing the new directive.

The memorandum also benefits patients without partners or children and members of some religious orders who wish to designate someone other than a family member to make medical decisions.

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