LGBT Celebrities
India: "It Feels Good to Be Legitimate"
Published July 03, 2009 @ 10:04AM PT
There seems to be a wave of euphoria in India as the news of the Delhi High Court's ruling decriminalizing homosexuality continues to make headlines. As LGBT blogger Rex Wockner noted yesterday, the ruling in India means that "seventeen percent of the GLBT people on the planet were decriminalized yesterday." That's huge.
A number of folks have offered powerful quotes on what this ruling in India means. One of my favorites comes from Sunil Mehra, the former editor of India's version of Maxim magazine. He told the BBC that "it feels good to be legitimate," which is exactly what the ruling by the Delhi High Court did yesterday: it legitimated a population that for so many years was forced to live underground for fear of being arrested, fined, or abused by law enforcement officers simply because of their sexual orientation.
Below we'll include some of our favorite quotes on the decriminalization ruling in India. And we'll start with Mehra.
Sunil Mehra, former editor, India edition of Maxim Magazine: "For many of us the journey from the 377 (Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code defines homosexual acts as "carnal intercourse against the order of nature") world to a non 377 world is marked by innumerable, significant, intensely personal milestones that someday will constitute the history of a much-maligned minority. Through it all its been an effort to hold one's head high, walk lonely but proud and repeat ad nauseum to oneself: I'm a good man. I love my family. I take care of animals. I do not lie. I do not cheat. I believe in God. I earn my living. I pay my taxes. And it's really my business who I sleep with."
A.J. Hariharan, founder of a gay rights group in Chennai: "This is going to impact the whole country. This will change the lives of millions of gays and lesbians in India."
Anand Grover, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health and an attorney with the Lawyers' Collective in Mumbai: "[The ruling] positively impacts on how services like HIV services will be provided amongst the men having sex with men community. There is a very strong intervention program by the national AIDS Control Organization in India for men having sex with men. But, there are a lot of impediments by the police because of this action. And, that is one of the reasons the Delhi High Court JAS also held that it interferes with the right to health."
Bollywood Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt: "This is a defining moment in the history of free India. No state has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only 'queer' people are those who propagate hate."
Designer Suneet Verma: "This is a landmark victory. We're a secular nation, and every being should have the right to choose their religion. And also make their sexual choices. This gives us the freedom of making personal choices. I feel the government has given me my dignity and right to choose the way I wish to live. Now, I can live according to my rules. This is a big deal for future generations, they won't live in fear or self-loathing. They can walk with their head held high."
Will Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" be Homophobic, or Funny?
Published June 18, 2009 @ 06:31AM PT
Given the success of his 2006 film "Borat," it's not surprising that filmmaker/actor/provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen is looking to stir controversy again, this time with the upcoming release of his film "Bruno," a mockumentary based on a character Cohen created in earlier comedy routines where he plays a flamboyant gay Austrian fashion reporter. Filmmakers suggest that Cohen's bold humor may actually serve the purpose of unmasking homophobia. But it's clear that the film is stradling that fine line between ingenious and inflammatory, which has lots of people asking right now: Will "Bruno" be homophobic, or funny?
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has expressed some skepticism about the film, while noting its potential to enlighten an audience. Here's GLAAD's Senior Director of Media Programs, Rashad Robinson, commenting on one scene that might go a little too far:
In one extended series of sequences, Bruno adopts a baby from Africa, giving Baron Cohen an opportunity to take aim at those celebrity parents who seem to treat their children like fashion accessories. What follows, though, shifts the film from smart social satire to something else entirely - a parade of over-the-top stereotypes that, whatever their intent, play to and could affirm troubling attitudes about gay people.
Bruno appears as a guest on a local TV talk show with the baby in tow. Then, following racially insensitive comments by Bruno in the presence of the largely African American audience, that audience is shown photos of what appears to be Bruno in a hot tub having sex with men inches away from the child. Horrified and outraged, the talk-show audience turns on Bruno.
What's disquieting about this scene - and others in the film - is that it doesn't call attention to or unmask cultural homophobia...in a country where gay and lesbian parents can still be denied the ability in some states to adopt the children they have raised since birth - and where those children can even be taken away from the only parents they've ever known - the idea of trivializing gay families, making them the butt of a series of crude jokes, and reinforcing pernicious stereotypes about gay men and children didn't feel funny. It felt dangerous.
And that might be the biggest concern with "Bruno"...that scenes meant to illicit extreme laughter and push the envelope actually end up hurting members of the LGBT community.
Still, there are a few other folks - Queerty, for instance - that resent the fact that organizations like GLAAD are telling people what to think of "Bruno." From Queerty's point of view, "Bruno" could be another tool in the arsenal to defeat homophobia. Here goes:
Yes, he plays a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter, but heterosexual Sacha Baron Cohen's character Bruno is, for all intents and purposes, a comedic exercise in exploring gay stereotypes and going on a witch hunt for homophobes — both concepts that, on their face, we're perfectly fine with...
[But] Bruno doesn't need to be a finely tuned teaching moment; that's asking too much of mainstream cinema fare. But the film let's us laugh with and at stereotypes. It's a pornographic enterprise into America's remaining taboos. If the film starts even one conversation about "how wrong" all of that is, it's a success — and, dare we suggest, something we should support.
So there's the question: Is "Bruno" going to help or hurt the larger movement? Or does it even matter?
It's easy to see how some scenes, like the one pointed out by GLAAD's Robinson, could be an offensive portrayal of LGBT families, and reinforce the stereotype that many hold that LGBT men and women are unfit parents. But I also agree with Queerty to some extent that, sometimes, we all just need to lighten up and trust that most people will see the funny, and not the homophobic, in comedy like this.
Either way, it's clear that the answer to whether "Bruno" will be funny or homophobic won't likely be known until it premieres here in the States in July. Until then, we all get to play the role of pundit (or blowhard) in deciding whether the film will sink or swim.
Chastity Bono to Come Out as Transgender
Published June 11, 2009 @ 02:34PM PT
Longtime LGBT activist (and child of Sonny and Cher), Chastity Bono, has announced that he is in the early stages of changing his gender, transitioning from female (Chastity) to male (Chaz). In the realm of celebrity news, this is not only pretty cool, but pretty historic. Here's Chaz Bono's publicity person on the announcement:
Yes, it's true -- Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity. He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago.
Bono had previously been an entertainment media director at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). For its part, GLAAD offered very encouraging words for Bono. Per their Executive Director, Neil Giuliano:
Chaz Bono’s decision to live his life authentically represents an important step forward, both for him personally and for all who are committed to advancing discussions about fairness and equality for transgender people. Coming out as transgender is an extremely personal decision and one that is never made lightly. We look forward to hearing Chaz’s story in his own words in the future.
Though Bono, for his part, is looking to stay out of the media limelight while his gender reassignment occurs, here's hoping that in due time, Bono's decision will help further understanding of transgender issues.
[Editorial Note: You'll notice that in this post, Bono is referred to as "he" throughout, even though the gender reassignment process has not yet been completed. This is done, in part, because of a styleguide put forth by GLAAD, which strongly encourages reporters and bloggers to use the name and pronoun preferred by the transgender person — in this case, referring to him as Chaz and using male pronouns.]
Coming Out on the Cover of The Rolling Stone
Published June 09, 2009 @ 07:59AM PT
Well, it's official. Adam Lambert is now openly gay.
In other related news, the sky is blue.
Here's the scoop:
Adam Lambert finally confirms his sexuality in the new issue of Rolling Stone (on stands tomorrow).
"I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I'm gay," the American Idol runner-up says.
Look back at the Season 8 Idol's finale most unforgettable moments.
"I'm proud of my sexuality," continues the rocker, who was photographed holding hands with interior designer Drake LaBry earlier this month. "I embrace it. It's just another part of me."
Well, now that it's official, I'm wondering a few things. (1) Did American Idol producers ask him to keep quiet about his sexuality during the season? And (2) If they didn't, would it have made a difference if Adam Lambert would have been completely open during the show?
Either way, I know what magazine I'll be buying at the newsstands tomorrow...
Chuck Norris Should Shut Up About Hate Crimes
Published May 20, 2009 @ 09:24AM PT
Chuck Norris may grind his coffee with his teeth and boil the water with his own rage, but the man doesn't know a thing about hate crimes. Which is why he should really stop talking about them.
It's one thing to be against expanded federal hate crimes legislation protecting sexual orientation and gender identity. It's another thing to completely lie and spread misinformation about federal hate crimes legislation, which is exactly what Walker Texas Ranger is doing. As Media Matters for America points out, Norris wrote two columns in the past month, falsely claiming that federal hate crimes legislation would protect pedophiles. It's a scare tactic that lots of people are using to fight back against the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (at one point in time called the Matthew Shepard Act), but it's a line that's totally false and dangerous.
But Norris didn't stop there. He actually made the argument that if Congress passes expanded hate crimes legislation, and President Obama signs it, then the U.S. will be comparable to Iraq under Saddam Hussein's rule. Per MM :
Norris wrote in his May 19 column that Saddam Hussein punished "people who merely spoke out against him, his rule or his politics" and later added: "Offensive speech being punishable by law? But it might not be that far off for America, especially if the course of free speech continues on its present track -- a path of progressive restrictions, both from our government and our culture."
Maybe Norris found success hitting these "culture war" issues while he was campaigning for Mike Huckabee in 2008. But now Norris is really going off the deep end. It should have been a lesson that someone as conservative as Huckabee couldn't win the GOP primary in 2008. And with hate crimes, Norris is going to be on the wrong side of history on this issue.
Russia Proves its Atrocious Record on LGBT Rights. Again.
Published May 16, 2009 @ 07:41AM PT
Russia is one of the least safe places for LGBT people in the entire world. Despite the fact that the country decriminalized homosexuality more than fifteen years ago, violent demonstrations and crackdowns against LGBT rights seem to happen almost every year.
This year is, sadly, no different.
Today, dozens of LGBT rights supporters demonstrated in Moscow to call for equal rights. The rally was timed with Russia's hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest, a pop culture phenomenon in Europe that is drawing thousands of people to Moscow (many of them LGBT) this weekend. How did Russia respond?
With a violent crackdown and lots of arrests of LGBT folks.
Riot police violently broke up several gay rights demonstrations in Moscow on Saturday, hauling away scores of protesters hours before the Russian capital hosted a major international pop music competition....
Police seized gay rights protesters as well as some members of religious and nationalist groups that staged counter-demonstrations. They also took away gay rights activists for simply talking to reporters, and ripped the bra and shirt off one female protester.
At least two foreign activists were also detained, British LGBT rights activist Peter Tatchell and American activist Andy Thayer, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network. Tatchell, who was assaulted two years ago during a gay rights demonstration in Russia, told the AP that this year's crackdown on LGBT rights shows that Russia still hasn't progressed in how it values people's basic human rights. "This shows the Russian people are not free! The arrests were done in a very violent, aggressive manner. We believe the reaction of the Moscow police was totally unjustified," Tatchell is reported as saying.
Activists are now calling on contestants in tonight's Eurovision Song Contest to publicly denounce LGBT violence from the stage. Will they do so? Let's hope. Russia atrocious record on LGBT rights needs to be exposed for what it is - violent and extreme.
Sarah Palin and Miss California: A Match Made in Anti-LGBT Heaven
Published May 13, 2009 @ 09:32PM PT
Turns out that Donald Trump isn't Miss California's biggest champion. Nope, there's another tabloid superstar standing beside Miss California (real name Carrie Prejean), and her name former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Palin issued a statement Wednesday night standing up for Prejean, calling her a victim of the liberal media. Blah. Palin also repeated the Trumpster's line that Carrie Prejean's position on same-sex marriage is no different than President Barack Obama's or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's.
Of course, most of the scandal revolving around Miss California doesn't stem from her personal positions on same-sex marriage. That may have given Carrie Prejean her first fifteen minutes, but the rest of her fame is totally owned by her and her total lapse of judgment in getting naked in front of a photographer. Whatever.
What I find most interesting though is that Sarah Palin chooses to weigh in with a statement on Miss California, but manages to avoid talking about any bundle of other issues, from torture to the war in Afghanistan to health care to credit card legislation...and the list goes on and on. Is that responsible leadership? Or just trying to ride the bandwagon of the latest anti-LGBT and media sensation?
