Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

WORLD Tokyo tackles bias, ex-Vietnam ambassador, confab shut down
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2018-10-09

This article shared 2740 times since Tue Oct 9, 2018
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


The Tokyo Metropolitan Government passed a bill to tackle discrimination against the LGBTI community ahead of the Olympics in 2020, Gay Star News noted. "This act upholds the goal of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to make Tokyo a city that upholds the human rights values of banning any sort of discrimination as stated in the Olympic Charter," the law states. Japan has recently made some moves to improve the lives of its LGBTI people, including issuing a guidebook on LGBTI issues to teachers in 2016.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius joined the chorus of criticism over a new State Department policy that requires partners of foreign mission personnel and employees of international organizations to be married in order to qualify for a diplomatic visa, The Washington Blade reported. "To date, only 12 percent of U.N. member states have embraced marriage equality," said Osius. "Denying visas to the partners of diplomats who represent 88 percent of the world's nations will divide families and harm diplomats whose only intention is to serve their countries."

On Sept. 29, Lebanese security forces from the General Security Directorate shut down a regional gender-rights conference in Beirut, an OutRight Action International press release stated. The conference, known as NEDWA, is organized annually by the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality ( AFE ) and brings together more than 100 activists from the Arabic-speaking Middle East and North Africa region. OutRight Executive Director Jessica Stern said, "In spite of ten years of positive court decisions, there have been several attacks on the basic rights of the LGBTQ community's freedom of association over the past year. The crackdown on LGBTQ organizations is serious and the international community has to speak out." Stern's full account of her experience is at https://www.outrightinternational.org/content/successful-organizing-face-attack-personal-account-nedwa-conference.

Romania has rejected an effort to amend language in its constitution that would have changed the definition of spouses to one man and one woman due to low voter turnout, NewNowNext.com noted. At least 30 percent of the electorate had to vote on the referendum in order for it to be valid, but only about 20 percent of registered voters appeared. Romania has not legalized marriage equality; had the referendum succeeded, it would have made that possibility even more difficult to achieve in the future.

Taiwan will hold a referendum on same-sex marriage, PinkNews reported. The referendum, set to be held Nov. 24, will decide the country's approach to same-sex unions in the wake of a landmark court ruling. In May 2017, Taiwan's constitutional court ruled that same-sex couples must have the right to marry, giving politicians two years to introduce the reform through the legislature before the right to marry automatically comes into effect. However, the Central Election Commission seeks to throw a roadblock in the way of reforms by creating a new segregated form of legal union for same-sex couples.

In the Cayman Islands, Chief Justice Anthony Smellie has ordered the civil action brought by two women ( Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden ) who were refused the opportunity to marry by the registrar to be heard in February 2019, Cayman News Service reported. There was no indication from the attorney general's representative, Reshma Sharma, concerning the grounds on which government plans to fight the same-sex couple's goal to marry.

Iceland's Centre for Communicable Disease Control may let gay men donate blood again—provided they are required to abstain from sexual activity at least six months before donating, according to a Grapevine item that cites RUV. In addition to the mandatory six-month sexless waiting period, donated blood from gay men would also be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. Icelandic queer-rights activists have long contended that the current blood-donation laws—which place an outright ban on gay men from donating blood—are outdated and discriminatory, although some may argue the new proposed policy is not much better.

Thousands of Canadians are pressing the federal government to ban "conversion therapy"—the controversial practice of counseling LGBT youth to become straight, CBC.ca reported. An online petition that will be presented in the House of Commons, signed by more than 2,500 people so far, urges the Liberals to outlaw the act. Ontario was the first province to pass a law banning "conversion therapy" on LGBT children and preventing medical practitioners from billing the provincial health insurance plan for it.

England's Queen Elizabeth's first openly gay footman has stepped down after being demoted for "courting publicity," The Sun noted. Ollie Roberts, 21, was told he could no longer walk Her Majesty's dogs, take in her mail or pass her a blanket for her knees. His demotion to ordinary footman—meaning he could not be seen near the Queen in public—followed a string of articles about him by gay newspapers and websites.

British singer Alison Moyet—whose music with the group Yaz became a staple in gay bars in the '80s—has apologized for signing a letter spearheaded by trans-exclusionary radical feminists ( TERFS ), which called out the charity Stonewall for supporting changes to Britain's Gender Recognition Act that accommodate trans people, according to an Advocate.com item that cites PinkNews. The letter from TERFS—including outspoken anti-trans activist Julie Bindel— to the British LGBTQ charity Stonewall alleged that the inclusion of transgender people is "undermining women's sex-based rights and protections."

A TV series is in development about Renaissance genius Leonardo Da Vinci which will portray him as a "gay outsider," according to a Washington Blade item that cites Variety. Italy's RAI and Lux Vide have tapped showrunner Frank Spotnitz ( The Man in the High Castle ) and writer Steve Thompson ( Sherlock ) to helm Leonardo, an eight-part, English-language series.

In South Africa, The 8th annual Durban Gay and Lesbian Film Festival ( which screened 57 titles ) has announced the jury awards for 2018, ScreenAfrica.com reported. The British movie Faces won Best Feature Film in Competition, while George Michael: Freedom was named Best Feature Documentary Film. A few of the other winners included China's Becoming a Queen ( Best Short Documentary Film ), South Africa's Vossie Vergas Homself ( Best Short Film in Competition ) and The Netherlands' Something About Alex ( Best Trans Short Film ).

Orion Pictures has picked up the remake rights to Rokkur ( Rift ), a gay-themed psychological horror movie hailing from Iceland, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The company has also set Erlingur Thoroddsen, the rising genre auteur who wrote and directed the 2017 movie, to pen the English-language screenplay. The movie follows two men whose broken relationship is tested as they are haunted by a supernatural entity awakened by their grief.


This article shared 2740 times since Tue Oct 9, 2018
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill
2024-03-27
On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event
2024-03-25
Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-24
On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Family of 2004 murder victim holds event in Lake View; reward announced
2024-03-24
The year 2004, for the family and friends of Lake View resident Kevin Clewer, will forever be marked by tragedy. On March 24 of that year, Clewer, 31, was found in his apartment at 3444 N. Elaine Pl.; he was the ...


Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama
2024-03-22
Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

Congressional Equality Caucus on FY24 bills passing the house
2024-03-22
--From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), released the following statement after the House successfully passed the final funding bills for Fiscal Year ...


Gay News

WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds
2024-03-21
It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ candidates Marcelino Garcia, Precious Brady Davis win primary elections to keep MWRD seats
2024-03-21
Marcelino Garcia and Precious Brady-Davis, the two openly LGBTQ+ incumbents in the race to keep their seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), won their primary elections and will move on to the general this ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19
2024-03-20
Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down
2024-03-20
In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.