ACOMSDave

Community Journalist

Straight Bodybuilders Take a Really Muscular Stand Against Bullying

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From OUT magazine

BY LES FABIAN BRATHWAITE
MAY 11 2015 4:37 PM EDT
bodybuilders_v_bullying

They’re going to pump you up. Your self-esteem anyway.
BY LES FABIAN BRATHWAITE
MAY 11 2015 4:37 PM EDT
1.9K41
YouTube gays Davey Wavey and Raymond Braun asked straight bodybuilders about bullying and — besides an excuse to have more slabs of beef than your neighborhood Sizzler — these mammoth muscle men reveal that their hearts as big as their biceps. Which, for the record, are friggin’ huge.

Most of them were bullied at some point in their lives, including Brad Rowe (this guy):

who actually has a gay dad and was bullied as a result, despite being an “alpha male.” Check out his and other stories in the video below. Meanwhile, why everyone’s wearing a shirt is beyond me, but that’s neither here nor there.

And here’s part two, featuring some commentary and background from Davey and Raymond.
Les Fabian Brathwaite — do you even gif, bro?

Marriage referendum debated live on UTV Ireland

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IRELAND LIVE 

Representatives of both sides of the marriage referendum coin discussed the issues live on UTV Ireland on Monday in the first of a series of referendum debates this month.

Marriage referendum debate one

Videos (3)

Marriage referendum debate one

09.03

Marriage referendum debate one

Marriage referendum debate two

08.58

Marriage referendum debate two

Gay community divided over marriage referendum

02.33

Gay community divided over marriage referendum

News anchor Alison Comyn explored both Yes and No vote arguments from representatives of Mothers and Fathers Matter, Yes Equality, Stand Up for Marriage and Labour LGBT from UTV Ireland’s Cork studios on Monday.
On May 22, the electorate will be asked to vote on the proposal to add a new clause to Article 41 of the Constitution: “Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.”

Mothers and Fathers Matter spokesperson Margaret Hickey and Stand Up for Marriage chairman Barry Jones represented the No side on Monday’s debate.
Ms Hickey said: “Marriage in Article 41 is described as the foundation on which the family is structured, so if you change the definition of marriage which you are doing in a very fundamental way by taking it from a gender-based instruction to a gender-less institution, you are going to obviously profoundly change the constitutional understanding of parenting and family.”
Mr Jones added: “If it does go through, what will happen is that the definition of marriage will be changed and if that is changed, because of the way the Constitution is written, then family will be changed.
“The definition of family, or what it means, will be changed and if it is changed that means the fundamental building block of society, society will change but if it changes artificially it has to give rise to trouble,” he added.

Yes Equality’s Joe Noonan and Catherine Clancy from the Labour Party’s LGBT group were proposing a Yes vote.
Mr Noonan said: “Civil partnership is something that is understood by family lawyers. Marriage is understood by everybody and everybody should be entitled to marry subject to the law and that is what we are voting on.”
Ms Clancy added: “This referendum is a one liner and all you are being asked is do you agree that same sex couples can marry. In Ireland alone we have 220,000 gay or lesbian citizens – the population of cork is 120,000 people – so that is near double the population of Cork city.
“What we are saying is on May 22 to go out and give those 220,000 people, if they wish, the right to marry the same as you or me and anybody else and to have that recognition for their relationship.”
Meanwhile, former Cork Hurler Conor Cusack said a Yes vote would send out an important message.
“I just think that we had the decriminalisation of homosexuality some years ago and I think this referendum is another stepping stone on that long road to equality, because it is not about wanting to be treated as less than or more than anyone else. It is about wanting to be treated equally,” he said.

In recent years, both Conor and his brother Donal Óg came out as gay.
“I know for people out there there is a load of fear and worry around this but ultimately what this comes down to is the things that bind us all as human beings. It is a desire to be loved and to be able to love,” Conor added.
However, First Families First argue that a Yes vote will radically change the legal meaning of family and parenthood. Their concerns centre on the wording of the referendum.
“Judges can only work with what they are being given and what they are being given is a complete change in the landscape of family law which is going to result with sadness. It is going to play out in a lot of tragedy for children and for their biological parents in the future,” said First Families First representative Kathy Sinnott.
Two gay couples also told UTV Ireland about their differing views on the upcoming referendum.
Paul Dalton, who entered into a civil partnership with his partner Des two years ago, said he is still unsure what to call his other half, which he says makes his relationship feel less important.
“For a lot of people, introducing him as my civil partner doesn’t make any sense. That language doesn’t translate. Not being able to introduce Des as my husband is very strange and very limiting.
“Our relationship is different and inferior. My father said recently, ‘when this is passed will your civil partnership be upgraded?’ He is 78 years old. He didn’t really knows what he was saying but I think it captures it,” explained Paul.
However, Keith Mills who is about to celebrate a one year anniversary with his partner, has a completely different opinion on the referendum and will be voting no.
“Ireland has transformed completely in the past number of years. We have gay ministers, business leaders, sportsmen, journalists, judges and it is terrific and we don’t need gay marriage.
“We have to think of the issue of surrogacy – giving same sex couples the right to marriage gives them the right to surrogacy. I look at the situation like Elton John and his partner bringing children into the world and excluding the mother and I’m very uncomfortable with that.
“I hope that the referendum fails and I will then campaign to put civil partnerships on an equal standing with the constitution so we have that diversity recognised forever and ever,” said Keith.
Monday’s discussion will be followed by a live debates on the Age of Presidential Candidates Referendum in Dublin on 12 May and in Galway on 18 May.

The series of referendum debates will cumulate with a final debate on the Marriage Referendum in UTV Ireland’s Dublin studio on 19 May.
UTV Ireland’s Referendum Debate Schedule:
11 May: Marriage Referendum Debate
Broadcast live from Cork on Ireland Live at 10pm
12 May: Age of Presidential Candidates Referendum Debate
Broadcast live from Dublin on Ireland Live at 10pm
18 May: Age of Presidential Candidates Referendum Debate
Broadcast live from Galway on Ireland Live at 10pm
19 May: Marriage Referendum Debate
Broadcast live from Dublin on Ireland Live at 10pm
23 May: Regular updates from the Ireland Live News team throughout the day, with a special edition of Ireland Live at 5.30pm

A local councillor has called for the removal of the LGBT pride flag from Cork City Hall

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A row has broken out at a meeting of Cork City Council over 22 May’s same-sex marriage referendum.

Fianna Fáil councillor Terry Shannon has called on council chief executive Ann Doherty to remove the LGBT rainbow flag which is currently flying from the roof of Cork City Hall.
Shannon says that it’s inappropriate to have such a flag flying with the referendum due to take place on 22 May.
As an alternative, Shannon suggested that if the pride flag must fly then a No flag must also be displayed at civic buildings.

shannon

The flag is being flown to mark the Cork’s fifth annual LGBT Awareness Week.
“I believe, as a corporate body, we should not have a flag like that hanging over City Hall while the referendum is on.  Either we put up two flags or we take this one down,” Shannon told the Irish Examiner after the council meeting where he raised his concerns.

Scrapping Human Rights Act ‘would breach Good Friday agreement’

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Republished from The Guardian –

Ireland correspondent

Belfast-based human rights organisation says Conservative government’s plans to ditch HRA will also violate international treaty

Theresa Villiers

The Committee on the Administration of Justice is seeking an urgent meeting with the Northern Ireland secretary, Theresa Villiers, about the implications of scrapping the HRA. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA


 
Scrapping the Human Rights Act would be a breach of the Good Friday agreement that sealed the peace process in Northern Ireland, a Belfast-based human rights organisation has said.
The Conservative government’s plans to ditch the HRA would also violate an international treaty as the agreement in 1998 was an accord between two sovereign states – the UK and the Irish Republic, according to the committee on the administration of justice.
The CAJ (Committee for Administration of Justice) is seeking an urgent meeting with Theresa Villiers – who was re-appointed by David Cameron as Northern Ireland secretary in his new cabinet – about the threat to the HRA.
In a letter to Villiers, the CAJ’s director in Northern Ireland, Brian Gormally, points out that European human rights law was incorporated into the 1998 agreement.
He says article 2 of an annex to the Good Friday agreement binds the UK internationally to the multi-party deal, which was endorsed in joint referenda on both sides of the Irish border in May 1998; and, after it was ratified, both governments lodged the agreement as a treaty with the United Nations.
Gormally notes that in the section of the agreement guaranteeing the rights of minorities, the British government commits to “complete incorporation into Northern Ireland law of the European convention on human rights, with direct access to the courts, and remedies for breach of the convention, including power for the courts to overrule assembly legislation on the grounds of inconsistency”.
This part of the agreement is going to be used, for example, by campaigners who are seeking to overturn the ban in Northern Ireland on gay marriage, a challenge that has been blocked by the assembly in Belfast but will now be taken to the European courts.
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The CAJ director says any move to tamper with or dump the HRA would undermine Northern Ireland’s fragile peace settlement.
“The secretary of state should urgently clarify the government’s position as to whether it intends to breach the Belfast/Good Friday agreement in this way. Such a step would make the UK an international outlaw and significantly roll back the peace settlement in Northern Ireland.”
Gormally stresses that the Human Rights Act and and the European court of human rights, and states’ compliance with them, had nothing to do with EU membership.
Founded in 1981, the CAJ monitors human rights abuses by the state and the security forces in Northern Ireland.

Belfast Book Festival 2015

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The Belfast Book Festival has come around again with a richness far beyond its small title.

A Sneak Peak

at the 2015 Belfast Book Festival line up.

The Belfast Book Festival is back from the 8 – 14 June with more on offer than ever before!   Click here to visit the website.
DERMOT BOLGER
8 June | 13:00 | £5
One of Ireland’s best known writers. His eleven previous novels include The Journey Home, The Family on Paradise Pier, A Second Life and The Fall of Ireland.
Click HERE to find out more.
CARPET BURNS: MY LIFE WITH INSPIRAL CARPETS
Mon 8 June | 20:00 | £6/£5
Tom Hingley’s book Carpet Burns: My Life with Inspiral Carpets, is an account of his life as lead singer of Inspiral Carpets. The event includes a live acoustic set from Tom.
Click HERE to find out more.
THE BELFAST BOOK FESTIVAL POETRY SLAM
Sat 13 June | 21:30 | £4 
Purely Poetry presents:
‘The Belfast Book Festival Poetry Slam 2015’.
Open to all poets, we invite you to ‘take the mic’ and enter our annual poetry slam competition. Share your work in front of a live and lively audience, with new readers always welcome.
Click HERE to find out more.
LITERARY LUNCHTIMES: SARA BAUME
Wed 10 June | 13:00 | £5
Spill Simmer Falter Wither is Sara Baume`s debut novel.  This quietly powerful story is told through the eyes of a man speaking to his only companion, a rescue dog he calls One-Eye.
Click HERE to find out more.
KARIM MISKE: ARAB JAZZ
Tues 9 June | 20:30 | £6/£4 
With Malachi O’Doherty
In Arab Jazz, his debut novel, Karim Miské demonstrates a sharp eye for character and an evocative sense of place, moving seamlessly between the sensual streets of Paris and the synagogues of New York to reveal the truth behind a horrifying crime.
Click HERE to find out more.
TOM HARTLEY: RESEARCHING PAST LIVES, WRITTEN IN STONE
Tues 9 Jun | 18:15 | £6/£4
Local historian Tom Hartley will take you on a journey through the graveyards of Milltown and Belfast City cemeteries and talk about his research into the lives of those buried there: priests and nuns, architects and footballers, businessmen and poets, hurlers and harp makers, British Army soldiers and IRA volunteers.
Click HERE to find out more.
OGGY BOYTCHEV
8 June | 18:15 | £6/£4 | 16+ yrs
Oggy Boytchev, the author of ‘Simpson & I’ has spent his career working as a journalist in the most dangerous places on earth. Oggy will be illustrating his talk with two short films.
Click HERE to find out more.
LITERARY LUNCHTIMES: VOICES FROM SCOTLAND
Tues 9 June | 13:00 | £5
The showcase will feature Margaret Montgomery, (“Beauty Tips for Girls”), Kate Tough, (“Head for the Edge, Keep Walking”) and Nicola White, (“In the Rosary Garden”).
Click HERE to find out more.
BRIAN PATTEN: THE ACCESSIBLE MUSE
Wed 10 June | 20:30 | £10/£8
One of the UK’s most distinctive and popular poets, Brian Patten has been delivering scrupulously crafted, heartbreakingly honest, funny and uplifting poems for nearly five decades. A master of performance – genuine and generous – his readings are always memorable.
Click HERE to find out more.
LITERARY LUNCHTIMES: KELLY CREIGHTON
Thurs 11 June | Ticketed FREE event | 13:00
In conversation with Jan Carson
Belfast Book Festival presents Kelly Creighton in conversation and reading from her debut novel ‘The Bones of It’.
Click HERE to find out more.
HELEN LEDERER: LOSING IT
Sat 13 June | 19:00 | £8/£6 
Helen Lederer, best known for her role as dippy Catriona in Absolutely Fabulous has published her debut comedy novel: Losing It. Her unique wit and observational humour means that as well as writing and performing her own material, Helen has starred in many top TV comedy and radio shows.
Click HERE to find out more.
LAURENCE DONAGHY: BUILDING BETTER TOYBOXES
Wed 10 Jun | 18:15 | £6/£4
There is a huge and passionate fanfic community out there. In “Building Better Toyboxes” Laurence will talk about his take on fanfic, explore why it has a place in the wider writing world as a springboard for those too intimidated to construct their own worlds, and talk about his own journey from fanfic dabbler to published author.
Click HERE to find out more.
More events will be announced shortly
 www.belfastbookfestival.com
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If You’re A Gay Man You Should Know About This One Cancer

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Republished from HuffPost Gay Voices – 2 May 2015

Getty Images
A recent study of gay and bi men found that 69% had HPV, which can cause genital warts, and 42% of the people with HPV had high-risk HPV, a major cause of anal cancer. These rates are scarily high! Luckily, there is a vaccine for people under 26, so we need to spread that news. Whatever your age, keep that condom on.

Simon Hamilton appointed Northern Ireland’s health minister in DUP reshuffle

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repritned from Belfast Telegraph – 11 May 2015

DUP leader Peter Robinson has appointed MLA Simon Hamilton as Northern Ireland’s health minister.


The former Stormont finance minister replaces Jim Wells, who stepped down to care for his sick wife after sparking controversy with comments about gay marriage.
The appointment was announced as part of a major reshuffle of the DUP’s ministerial team at the Assembly.
Mr Robinson made the announcements via Twitter.
Mr Hamilton said: “I look forward to getting to grips with the challenges over the next number of days.
“Even though it is a new beat for me I am well aware of the challenges.”
Jim Wells resigned last month following a public outcry over comments allegedly linking gay marriage to child abuse. He later apologised.
Video: DUP Reshuffle – Simon Hamilton appointed Northern Ireland’s health minister   He said: “I wanted to get the right people in the right positions and I believe I have done that.” Mr Wells announced his resignation two weeks ago saying he wanted to devote more time to caring for his wife who had suffered two strokes.
Video: DUP Reshuffle: Peter Robinson announces new Executive ministers
He had been facing calls to resign since the release of video footage in which he said the “facts show you certainly don’t bring a child up in a homosexual relationship”.
An alleged verbal altercation with a lesbian couple during an election canvass in his South Down constituency added further pressure.
The furore came at a time of intense scrutiny when the DUP was claiming the party could be ‘kingmakers’ in the event of a hung parliament and former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg branded the remarks “truly backward looking”.
Mr Hamilton, a Strangford MLA, has been an effective caretaker for the department of health for the past two weeks.
He added: “I am looking forward to getting to grips with what is a challenging department and a very challenging role, particularly focusing on Transforming Your Care and that agenda of reforming our health service so that it is fit for the challenges the years ahead present.
“I have enjoyed the last couple of weeks in looking after the department. It has certainly shown all the immense challenges that are there within the department and I am looking forward to getting my teeth into them.”
Meanwhile Mr Robinson confirmed that Mervyn Storey remains as the minister for the department of social development.
In addition, Jonathan Bell was appointed as minister of department of enterprise trade and investment.
He takes over from Arlene Foster who has taken up the role as finance minister – which was previously held by Simon Hamilton.
Michelle McIlveen takes over from Jonathan Bell as junior minister in the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister.
Following the announcement of the reshuffle Justice Minister David Ford said Mr Hamilton must “bring change in attitude to equality issues” in his role as Health Minister.
Mr Ford said:  “I would like to congratulate Simon Hamilton on his appointment and wish him well during his term in office. However, if he wants to be judged differently to his two predecessors, it is vital that he brings a change in attitude to the Health Department.
“During his first week in office, he can immediately bring an end to his Department’s legal challenge on the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood and indicate his support for adoption by civil partners.”
He added: “Bringing in a new face will be meaningless if Simon Hamilton just continues with the same attitudes as his predecessors.”
In a statement the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry congratulated the news Ministers.
Chief Executive of NI Chamber, Ann McGregor said: “NI Chamber congratulates the new Ministers who are taking up the lead in DFP, DETI and Health Departments.
“DFP Minister Foster is well briefed on the business sectors priorities for the NI budget in particular the need to focus on corporation tax as well as investment in skills and infrastructure.
“Minister Foster was very strong in DETI and we encourage Minister Bell to continue to ensure that we have a pro- business, pro enterprise agenda. A focus on growing export is essential.
“Minister Hamilton with his DFP experience should bring a new focus to Health and his understanding of balancing challenging budgets should lead to improved efficiencies in Health.”

DUP reshuffle changes

Mervyn Storey remains as DSD Minister.
Jonathan Bell appointed Enterprise Minister.
Arlene Foster appointed as Finance Minister.
Simon Hamilton appointed as Health Minister.
Michelle McIlveen appointed as Junior Minister in the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister.
– See more at: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/simon-hamilton-appointed-northern-irelands-health-minister-in-dup-reshuffle-31213105.html#sthash.P6lS8DQB.dpuf

Homophobic bullying in Lithuanian schools

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Almost a quarter of school bullying in Lithuania is homophobic

May 10, 2015 – The Lithuanian LGBT organization LGL has released a research on homophobic bullying in Lithuanian schools, which shows that almost a quarter of teachers (23.3%) said that verbal bullying is based on presumed or actual sexual orientation.
 

Key results

Some key findings include:

  • Only 10% of teachers said that non-heterosexual students are studying in their school.
  • One-third of teachers admit that they lack knowledge and experience in dealing with the issue of homophobic bullying in schools.
  • 79% of the students who responded to the survey faced bullying based on their sexual orientation in school.

To summarize, it can be said that the majority of teachers do not recognize the problem of homophobic bullying in schools.

Teachers are blind to challenges

Teachers seems to be quite unaware of homophobic bullying and homophobic language. The majority said that they very rarely notice homophobic bullying or are not aware of such incidents at their school. This is in contradiction with heir statement that 23% of bullying is related to sexual orientation. It is alarming fact that almost half of surveyed teachers felt that there is no need to deal with homophobic bullying because there is no such problem at their schools.
Slightly less than one-fifth of teachers support the disclosure of sexual orientation at their school. More than half of teachers believe that school is not the place to talk about one’s (homo)sexual orientation. Such an approach does not allow students to feel safe enough to be themselves at school.
== Censorship law aggravates problems ==
Almost one-fifth of the teachers beliefs the issue of homophobic bullying is complicated by the political situation regarding LGBT people in Lithuania. The Law on the Protection of Minors Against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information was adopted in 2010. This law forbids any positive information about LGBT people in the public sphere. Meanwhile, stereotypes and hostile attitudes are not forbidden and are freely disseminated in the media.

Recommendations

LGL makes several recommendations:

  • Raise teachers’ awareness of the fact that there are LGBT young people and students in their schools and that they face bullying and harassment
  • Educate teachers on how to provide support to these young people
  • Incorporate homophobic bullying into the general anti-bullying program
  • Ensure that sexual education is taught in school
  • Create support and informational systems for students

Source: ILGA Europe

Doctors’ group supports LGBT-inclusive policies, same-sex marriage

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Reuters – Health | Mon May 11, 2015 11:22pm BST BY ANDREW M. SEAMAN
 
(Reuters Health) – – The largest group of internal medicine doctors in the U.S. came out Monday in support of policies it says will improve the health of the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
Those policies include support for civil marriage rights for same-sex couples, opposition to so-called conversion or reparative therapy and support for health insurance plans that include comprehensive transgender healthcare services.
“The LGBT community deserves the same high quality care that any community in the United States should be getting, but may not be getting,” said Dr. Wayne J. Riley, president of the American College of Physicians.
A new policy position paper from the college, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, is the result of more than a year of work, Riley told Reuters Health.
“It’s based upon our long standing policy in regard to eliminating healthcare disparities,” said Riley, who is also a clinical professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.
The LGBT community faces similar health concerns as the rest of the population, according to the organization in its paper, but some disparities may be worse among LGBT people.
For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that some 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV. About one case in six is undiagnosed.
While the CDC says only about 4 percent of U.S. men are gay or bisexual, they represent about two-thirds of the country’s new infections.
Also, the American College of Physicians writes that lesbian and bisexual women are less likely to be screened for breast or cervical cancer, compared to heterosexual women.
A separate paper in the same issue of the journal reports that lesbian girls and women are less likely to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine, which helps prevent cervical cancer.
The position paper identifies nine policy positions the organization supports. For example, it says that gender identity, which is different than sexual orientation, be included in nondiscrimination and antiharassment policies.
Also, the organization says health insurance plans should include comprehensive transgender healthcare services and provide all services to transgender people as they would to others.
“It focuses in on making sure that transgender individuals can access the appropriate level of healthcare services to provide them with the opportunities that you or I and anybody else has with health and wellness,” Riley said.
The paper also comes out against the use of so-called conversion or reparative therapy, which has been banned by an increasing number of U.S. states.
“We agree conversion therapy is not a wise use of healthcare resources,” Riley said.
The organization also supports civil marriage rights for same-sex couples. Denying those rights has a negative impact on physical and mental health, and contributes to stigma and discrimination, it says.
The top editors of the New England Journal of Medicine also urged the U.S. Supreme Court to require “the full recognition of same-sex marriage,” in a recent editorial.
“It’s important, because we know from our members that simple things like hospital visitation and participation in the care of LGBT patients has e problem around the country,” Riley said.
The quality of healthcare should be consistently provided for all population groups, he said.
“This speaks to the fact that the nation’s largest specialty society comes down on the side of health equity for all,” he added.
SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine, online May 11, 2015.

John Whittingdale, who has voted strongly against gay rights, elected as UK culture secretary

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 Reprinted from  | BY JOE MORGAN

He voted against gay marriage and lowering the age of consent for LGBTI peopleUK Prime Minister David Cameron has elected John Whittingdale as the new culture secretary.
The former chair of the commons culture committee has voted strongly against gay rights, with him being one of the few to vote against same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
He also voted against lowering the age of consent for gay people back in 1998 and was against including sexual orientation in the Equality Act.
Whittingdale is just one of the new appointments made by Cameron in his new Conservative government following the UK General Election on Thursday (7 May).
His opposition will be out gay MP Chris Bryant, promoted to become Labour’s shadow culture secretary.
While he will not be in charge of LGBTI rights in particular, his influence could see the community getting less say in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
He is already expected to be in favor of being against the BBC license fee.
When he said he would be voting against same-sex marriage in England and Wales, he said he felt like it would cause ‘distress to many, particularly those with strong religious beliefs’.
Nicky Morgan, who was chosen to be education secretary and women and equalities minister in the 2014 reshuffle, will keep her position. While she voted against same-sex marriage as well, she later said she was ‘proud‘ of the progress LGBTI equality has made in the UK.
Some were not happy with Whittingdale’s appointment, including Father Ted creator Graham Linehan.

– See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/john-whittingdale-who-has-voted-strongly-against-gay-rights-elected-uk-culture-secretary1105#sthash.E7bLERzT.dpuf