subteen obidiah: 20 February ? Gay Activist

Monday February 20, 2012

Rai Novosti

Moscow Times reports that gay-rights activists spray-painted a rainbow and the words ?We cannot be banned? on the facade of the United Russia party headquarters in Moscow on Sunday evening, to protest a St. Petersburg law that effectively outlaws gay-pride parades and other displays or discussion of gay and lesbian sexual orientations. They also painted a rainbow and the same slogan on a Moscow patriarchate building to protest homophobic remarks made by Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vsevolod Chaplin.

United Russia had a leading role in advancing the highly controversial St. Petersburg law introducing fines for advocating gay and lesbian relationships in the presence of children and for promoting pedophilia. The law has drawn outrage among gay-rights activists and liberal lawmakers in Russia and elsewhere.

In India, there has been greater societal acceptance and decrease in police harassment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community after the Delhi High Court?s landmark verdict of banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The Jindal Global Law School found that the High Court?s judgement of July 2009 led to ?increased self- confidence? of LGBT members.

SoSoGay

SoSo Gay note that British Supermarket Sainsburys is covering up certain adult magazines. They are Gay Times, Attitude, Loaded, Zoo, Nuts and Bizarre.

They placed a modesty cover over an issue of Attitude Magazine dedicated to tackling young people?s issues and homophobic bullying at Sainsbury?s Dalston Junction store. A spokesman told SoSoGay, ?Following feedback from customers we introduced modesty covers several years ago across a wide variety of magazines. This is to ensure no offence is caused to customers who may object to the images or the content on the covers of some magazines. The titles that do have modesty covers do so for every edition so no particular cover is ever singled out.?

Gay rights campaigners are urging an Enfield politician to change his opposition to same-sex marriage and disassociate himself from a far-right Christian charity. Enfield Southgate MP David Burrowes (Conservative) joined other politicians to launch the Coalition for Marriage, which opposes the Government?s plan to legalise same-sex marriage. But just last month the same David Burrowes admitted that the issue was not something ?people are hammering us on the doorstep to do something about?.

Hold them all to account. That is what they are paid for.

The Friends of Clapham Common have apologised to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender community for initially opposing a gay festival. Park group members commented in a Lambeth Council report that the Pride House event would attract ?undesirable elements of that community.? Author John Amaechi branded the group as bigoted and outdated in their views.

Lambeth Councillor Christopher Wellbelove said the comments were offensive, whilst Wandsworth LGBT forum criticised their phrasing. But a meeting between FCC chairman Melanie Oxley and Coun Wellbelove has calmed the storm, and the park group have agreed to get involved with Pride House.

The advertising regulator is to investigate a TV ad by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power that asks viewers to spot the ?transgendered ladies? among a crowd of racing fans at the Cheltenham festival. The Advertising Standards Authority received 360 complaints that the campaign is offensive towards transgender people.

Forty years ago, your Activist was attending a college in Central London. On the tubes and buses was an advertisement for a doorknob shop called Knobs and Knockers which featured examples of the styles on offer, including ?Danny Le Knob. It looks like a knob, but it?s really a knocker.?

1972. 2012. We?ve come a long way. Haven?t we.