The Philippine National Police (PNP) is showing a more accepting attitude towards homosexuality by stating it is open to recruiting gays into its ranks.

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. notes the PNP does not discriminate against anyone interested in joining, reported the Philippine Star.

‘As long as there is a law passed by Congress, then we will abide by it,’ said Cruz. He points out the police force will be accepting any group or gender so long as they follow any rules laid out.

However, he has made an exception of cross dresser gays, stressing the PNP will definitely not take them.

Cruz’s comments come after a senator calls on the PNP to scrap its height thresholds, which he says the authorities are willing to accept since the capability of an individual is not measured by his or her height.

The Southeast Asian country does not fire gay officers, but caused heated controversy in 2007 when Samuel Pagdilao, another chief superintendent, said they could be given the ax for ‘swinging their hips or engaging in flamboyant behaviour.’

Ladlad, the country’s LGBT political party, then criticized the PNP for deepening the stereotype of gay men and forcing gay policemen back into the closet, but Pagdilao maintained he had never heard of any Philippine officer being gay.

Source: Gay Star News

Two Malawian men were sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2010 after saying they were getting married.

Several Western leaders have recently said they would cut aid to countries which did not recognise gay rights.

Mrs Banda took power last month after her predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika, died of a heart attack.

She has since reversed several of his policies, including devaluing the currency, in a bid to get donor funding restored.

Many donors cut aid under Mr Mutharika, accusing him of economic mismanagement and political repression.

In a speech to parliament, which was broadcast live on national radio, Mrs Banda said: "The Indecency and Unnatural Acts laws shall be repealed."

However, analysts say she may struggle to persuade parliament in the conservative country to overturn the law.

After a storm of international condemnation, Mr Mutharika did pardon the two Malawian men on "humanitarian grounds only" but said they had "committed a crime against our culture, against our religion, and against our laws".

Homosexual acts are illegal in most African countries.

In Uganda, an MP recently introduced a bill which stipulated the death penalty could be imposed for some homosexual offences, although he has since said he now wants this changed to life in prison.

South Africa is the only African country where same-sex marriages are legal - discrimination based on sexual orientation was banned after a new constitution was introduced when white minority rule ended in 1994.

'Attempted coup'

Earlier this month, Mrs Banda said she did not want Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir to attend an African Union summit Malawi is hosting in July.

She said she feared the "economic implications" if Mr Bashir visited the country in defiance of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges over the conflict in Darfur.

Relations with donors have already improved under Mrs Banda and the UK, which had been extremely critical of Mr Mutharika, is now urging other donors to restore funding as soon as possible.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world and aid used to make up a large proportion of the national budget.

Mrs Banda was elected vice-president as Mr Mutharika's running mate in 2009 but the pair had since fallen out.

When the president died, there were reports that Mr Mutharika's allies attempted to sidestep the constitution to prevent her succeeding him.

Mrs Banda also announced that an official inquiry would be opened into this "attempted coup" and the circumstances of Mr Mutharika's death.

Source: BBC News

The festival reflects a new climate of political reform that has led to the election of a civilian government, ending 50 years of military rule.

Gay relationships are still a crime in Burma, but the law is not strictly enforced.

However activists say discrimination is rife and they want the law to be repealed.

Burma is a conservative, mainly Buddhist country where many gay men and women feel they cannot come out.

As such organisers decided against hosting a street parade, which is a traditional feature of gay pride events around the world.

Instead, around 400 people attended an evening of music and talks held in the ballroom of a hotel in Rangoon.

Other Burmese cities also took part in the event, which marks the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.

"In the past we didn't dare do this. We've been preparing to hold this event for a long time… and today, finally it happened," gay make-up artist Min-Min told the AFP news agency.

Social taboos concerning sexuality have also had an impact on Burma's sexual health.

A United Nations report published two years ago said that 29% of gay men in some Burmese cities were HIV-positive.

Source: BBC News

Petras Grazulis, who proposed a 2010 law fining the promotion of homosexuality among minors in Lithuania, interrupted a press conference for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia tomorrow,15min.lt said.

Mr Grazulis disrupted the event, attended by LGBT rights advocates and ambassadors, asking: “How are homosexuals better than necrophiliacs or paedophiles?”

“I’m ashamed that the rotten West, coming from the European Union that is morally corrupted, propagates this to Lithuania and tells us how we should treat homosexuals. Gays should leave Lithuania, not dictate their terms to us.”

Vladimiras Simonko, of the Lithuanian Gay League, said Mr Grazulis had interrupted the press conference before.

He told 15min.lt: “The same thing happened in 2010, it happens in 2012, except that this time he does it among honourable guests, 11 ambassadors. I have no doubts that the circus will be repeated in 2013. This adds no credit to the Parliament. I’m ashamed to have such bigoted MPs.”

Complaining of “moral rottenness” being promoted in the Parliament, Mr Grazulis, an Order and Justice Party MP, continued: “It won’t be long before kleptomaniacs, drug addicts, necrophiliacs, or zoophiles start organizing their press conferences in the Parliament. There are many kinds of devildom – shall we give rights to them all? Could we have thought 10 years ago that things like that would be happening? In 10 years, they’ll be bringing goats to the Parliament.”

In 2007, Mr Grazulis was among the fifty percent of Lithuanian MPs polled who thought homosexuality was a perversion.

He said: “I support the position of the Church, there is no doubt about it. These people are indeed sick and perverted. They pose a threat to society because they molest children.”

The event in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius was organised by the Lithuania Gay League and social democratic MP Marija Aušrinė Pavilionienė. Representatives from the Dutch and American embassies and Amnesty International attended to hear about human rights issues affecting the country’s LGBT community.

Source: Pink News

Religious activists disrupted what was dubbed the country’s first-ever march to mark the International Day Against Homophobia.

A fist fight broke out as radical Orthodox believers in central Tbilisi tried to block the progress of those taking part, demanding the event be stopped. Police intervened and people from both sides were detained.

Gay campaigners claim that hate speech against their community has been unleashed by radical nationalist and religious groups in Georgia.

Source: Euronews

Homophobia and transphobia are social disorders that cause people to act out against homosexuals and transsexuals. 

LGBT rights activists have done a variety of things to memorialize this day against this disease everywhere around the world.

In Iran, because of anti-homosexuality laws and oppressive conditions, there aren't many observable activities; however, LGBT activists have many actions for this day every year.

Last year, many of the LGBT rights activists distributed brochures and ads about this day in Tehran. The great We Are Everywhere campaignon Facebook was one of the human rights activist initiatives from the US, which received widespread support and involvement from many people.

This year, LGBT rights activists have launched the “Homophilia” campaign on Facebook.

Some homosexuals and transsexuals distributed educational brochures in Tehran, carried rainbow flags and banners, and flew colored balloons in order to create new social movements.
The pictures below were received from LGBT activists in Iran.

Download full album in a zip file here.

Persian Signs: No to Homophobia and Transphobia

Homophilia campaign gets the attention of many members of this social network just a few hours from its opening. The goal of this campaign that has been put on Facebook because of homophobia day is that, to join the LGBT to the society against all the struggling ways and do it in a peaceful way.

According to the information that has been said on the page of this campaign, it is supposed that people put pictures, voices and videos which contains peaceful messages and thanks to friends and companions and share their personal experiences about different kinds of sexual orientation. So we set an interview with the innovator of this campaign that you can read the elaborate information underneath.

Hello, please introduce yourself

Hello

I am one of the homosexuals who introduce and perform the idea of this campaign. I am a lesbian who is at the beginning of thirty and live in Iran. My friends and I have already tried to inform others in different circumstances that related to the LGBT previous years. Base on this idea we have done some works recently. But indeed when this idea came to my mind and so when I shared it with my friends, in my heart there was such an enthusiasm that I couldn’t doubt about it because this is a positive act that cause people have a closer relationship.

What’s your main goal and intention of making such a campaign?

We are at the threshold of anti-homophobia day that generally it is the day of fighting against any fears and act against LGBT community. In fact fighting against homophobia it is not the same as homophilia because when you open your heart for understanding and accepting others, in this case you will receive more than you expect. As a matter of fact our goal is that to share our personal experiences with others about those who don’t have the same sexual orientation.

So we invite all the people to say about their good experiences with others, with their written, voice, and video and anything that they are able to do. Indeed it is not just for LGBT people. We have lots of friends like heterosexual that if they  like to be present in this campaign they can say their experiences about the LGBT.in fact the people from different sexual orientation in LGBT community can talk about their first meeting and acquaintance. Indeed there is no limit. Actually our goal is to improve friendship according to differences.

We know that there were some who in our close society did this and could go beyond the differences and limitations and also be good friends for their LGBT friends.

As all of us know the international day against homophobia is a day of fighting against a social disease. So how did you reach to this positive idea instead of that negative one?

My reason for this idea is that to find people not also they weren’t sick but also their right behaviors could impress anyone, people who, however it is difficult for them that their loved one, friends and member of their families are different from others and they are more worried about that person rather than themselves, but with all these difficulties and cultural pressure and religion and different taboos, again they did their best to know them better and accept him/her with all these differences. Further, some of these homophiles have such an impressive social and personal role in others life that without them the way would be in danger, we can’t ignore this issue. Also there is ugliness all over but it is worthy to find the beauties.

As one of the custodians of this movement, what’s your evaluation of the future of the campaign?

It is less than one day that we put this page on Facebook. According to the time, it was a good welcome. I think this idea has the capacity to introduce in a broader way then Iran and finds its fans. Here the human talk about their loves and favors with all weak, fears and feelings that they have and this is the advantage of this campaign. Although, the facilities are not proper but, our intention is that not to limit ourselves to the Facebook and make a wider activities.

Thanks for your time that you shared with us. Further if you want to add more, you are welcome.

Thanks for your attention and kindness. I am hopeful for days which the human dignity become worthy of anything else and all of us live in a better world. 

At least, that’s what it will say on the cover of magazine’s May 21 issue, which is available on iPad today and will be on newsstands Monday.

The cover shows a close-up portrait of the president with a rainbow-colored halo over his head, the colors referencing symbols adopted by the LGBT movement. The cover advertises an upcoming piece by Newsweek writer Andrew Sullivan in support of Obama’s record with the gay community.

Newsweek has released this preview of the article to Politico:

It’s easy to write off President Obama’s announcement of his support for gay marriage as a political ploy during an election year. But don’t believe the cynics. Andrew Sullivan argues that this announcement has been in the making for years. “When you step back a little and assess the record of Obama on gay rights, you see, in fact, that this was not an aberration. It was an inevitable culmination of three years of work.” And President Obama has much in common with the gay community. “He had to discover his black identity and then reconcile it with his white family, just as gays discover their homosexual identity and then have to reconcile it with their heterosexual family,” Sullivan writes.

The move comes mere days after Newsweek’s competitor Time Magazine offered a controversial cover of their own, depicting a young mother breast feeding her 3-year-old boy. A Newsweek spokesman would later tell the New York Post that when their Editor-In-Chief Tina Brown saw the cover she responded, “Let the games begin.”

Newsweek’s cover may be designed to elicit the memory of another White House occupant with a not-so-fitting title. Supporters of then-President Bill Clinton dubbed him the “first black president” for his work with the African American community. The term was first used by author Toni Morrison in a 1998 issue of The New Yorker.

Source: ABC News

Britain was revealed as the gay rights capital of Europe, according to the first study of its kind to be published on Tuesday (15 May).

The European International Lesbian and Gay Association Europe (ILGA-Europe) index, which rates 49 countries on more than 40 categories, rated the UK as the top country for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to exercise their legal rights.

Britain allows same-sex couples to obtain a civil partnership, apply for joint adoption, and discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited.

Russia was bottom of the list after legalising an anti-gay law in St Petersburg, effectively making people criminals if they discuss homosexuality in public.

Other countries to place near the end of the list were Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Macedonia.

According to an ILGA-Europe spokesman, Scotland played a ‘leading role’ in the UK’s win. They said that hate crimes ‘aggravated’ by gender identity are explicitly recognised by Scottish law.

The Independent reports gay right’s charity Stonewall's head of policy, Sam Dick, hailed Britain as a ‘beacon of equality to 400 million gay people around the world’.

However, he added: ‘We must not underestimate how much work there is yet to do – not least in securing marriage equality and tackling the endemic levels of homophobic bullying in schools.’

The UK government was recently slammed by LGBT rights charities for not including gay marriage in the Queen’s Speech, adding to the worries David Cameron might be backing down on the issue.

In a Sunday Times interview published today (13 May) with senior Conservative ministers Philip Hammond and Tim Loughton, they agreed with Chancellor George Osborne that gay marriage is not ‘the number one priority’.

Hammond told the newspaper that equal marriage was ‘too controversial’ for the Government to tackle at the moment, suggesting it would be ‘difficult to push through’.

Fighting prejudice against sexuality and gender identity through education will be the theme of this year’s International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia which will be commemorated by almost 40 countries on 17 May.

Source: Gay Star News