Category Archives: Travel
Anti Gay News from RUSSIA
Russis is not a fun place to be gay right now!
Church would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with
information that is defined as “propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism,
bisexuality and transgenderism.” It includes a ban on holding public
events that promote gay rights. St. Petersburg and a number of other
Russian cities already have similar laws on their books.
The bill is part of an effort to promote traditional Russian values as
opposed to Western liberalism, which the Kremlin and church see as
corrupting Russian youth and by extension contributing to a wave of
protest against President Vladimir Putin’s rule.
The move has been met mostly with either indifference
or open enthusiasm by average Russians. Levada polls conducted last year
show that almost two thirds of Russians find homosexuality “morally
unacceptable and worth condemning.” About half are against gay rallies
and same-sex marriage; almost a third think homosexuality is the result
of “a sickness or a psychological trauma,” the Levada surveys show.
Russia’s widespread hostility to homosexuality is shared by the political and religious elite.
read more at ABC NEWS
LGBT Travel Questions and Survey
How do you decide where you plan to travel to?
Do you like history and culture?
or gay fun?
The University of Tennessee and the University of South Carolina are
conducting research concerning the travel motives and expenditures of
members of the LGBT community.
is estimated that tourism is a $1.3 trillion industry, of which $65
billion is generated by LGBT tourists (CMI, 2011).
continues to be a vast amount of research conducted on the various
motivators that lead people to travel, there are very few studies that
explore LGBT tourists’ motivations.
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND HELP WITH THIS SURVEY!
Malayshia says BEWARE of Gay Men in V-NECKS
Your deep-V’s aren’t welcome here, Dov Charney.
The list … categorizes lesbians as people who are attracted to
women, who like to eat, sleep and hang out in the company of other
women, and who have no affection for men.Its list for men includes preferences for V-necks and sleeveless clothes.
In a seminar in Penang on Wednesday, Deputy Education Minister Mohd
Puad Zarkashi said not many people understood or knew the early
“symptoms” of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender inclinations to
prevent its spread, liberal news portal Malaysian Insider reported.
parental gaydar with the latest one attracting 1,500 attendees in the
majority Muslim country. According to Asian media outlets,
other tell-tale signs of homosexuality for men include carrying “big
handbags, similar to those carried by women,” wearing tight,
light-colored clothes and possessing a “chiseled” physique. READ MORE AT Atlantic Wire
Belgrade Serbia Gay Pride is Canceled
Party leader
says gay parade
“will be canceled”
Source: Novi magazine
BELGRADE — United Serbia (JS) leader and MP Dragan
“Palma” Marković has said that the Belgrade Pride Parade, planned for
October 6, would not be held this year either.
It will be canceled, Marković told Belgrade-based Prva TV, “for security reasons.”
Belgrade Pride’s organizers recently announced that the parade would represent just one segment of a week-long event.
It is planned to take place from September 30 until October 6, and see
the LGBT community promote its rights in a series of events.
But Marković wondered “what the organizers planned to do for a week”.
Last year, the gay parade was not held in Belgrade after Interior
Minister banned the gathering three days before it was to take place,
along with all other gatherings planned for that weekend.
Aeryn Gillern…Gay Man Missing….and still GONE
I watched this movie last night and had to tell everyone about it!
New York, just south of Syracuse.
researcher working at the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization in Vienna and a former Mr. Gay Austria.
2007, Kathy receives a call from the U.N. with distressing news: Aeryn
has disappeared. Upon arriving in Vienna, she learns that the police
have no interest in an investigation. Detectives tell Kathy that Aeryn
had been at the Kaiserbründl – an exclusive men’s sauna in downtown
Vienna – on the evening of October 29th when he suffered an extreme and
sudden emotional breakdown, fled the sauna wearing only a towel, ran
naked through the city streets, and jumped into the Danube Canal. (WHAT?! Can you imagine being told this?!)
her son’s disappearance has been ruled a suicide, Kathy suspects there
is more to the story. This riveting and haunting documentary seeks to
unravel the mystery of Aeryn’s whereabouts and uncover the true reasons
for the Viennese police’s failure to assist Kathy as she searches for
her son. By examining all of the known facts, one must assume foul play was involved. But to this day, Kathy still looks for answers and closure.
Next month will be 5 years since Aeryn’s disappearance.
local Syracuse, New York newspaper nearly ten months after he
disappeared in Vienna. We contacted his mother, Kathy, who lived only
thirty minutes from our home in New York, and asked if she would be
willing to be interviewed on camera. Our intention was to get a fuller
understanding of Aeryn’s case, since so little was written about it. We
were uncertain exactly what the story was, and whether or not we would
choose to pursue it.
We interviewed Kathy a few months later
in December 2008. We didn’t know it then, but this was the first time
she was revealing the full extent of her search for Aeryn. Even her
closest friends didn’t know. But even though we knew we were onto an
extraordinary story, we were unsure how to approach it. We thought we
were pursuing a narrative about a missing man, but after meeting Kathy,
what we realized was that GONE was really about a mother’s ongoing
struggle to find her son amidst a surreal tale of lies, intimidation and
cruelty.
And so, as we began to shoot GONE in
Central New York and Vienna, Austria, we were guided by a simple,
defining premise: to immerse viewers in Kathy’s mesmerizing, personal
quest for the truth.”
From Kathy: “I agreed to do this documentary as it provided an incredible opportunity to get my son’s story told.
Our hope is that it will help us get the factual information needed to find out what happened to Aeryn.
I am grateful that the
Producers, and all the others involved in this film, who invested their
time and money, felt that it was a story that needed to be told. They
have been able to make contacts that I would never have been able to on
my own, and have stepped beyond the role of Producers to become
advocates for Aeryn. They remain committed to helping us, Aeryn’s
family, and friends get the answers that we deserve, and making sure
Aeryn is not forgotten.
If you are considering purchasing the “GONE” DVD I ask that you do so from the official “GONE”
web site Purchasing directly from their site allows them
to continue to assist us in our search for
answers.
Thanks to all of you for your kindness
and encouragement.”
Also Visit Aeryn Gillern.com
Madonna Fined $17,000 from St. Petersburg
Madonna may no longer be relevant to the younger
generations, but the old gal still has it and knows how to stir the pot!
Aging Russian government officials were prepared for Madonna this week and knew she would most likely share her views homosexuality.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister
Dmitry Rogozin has penned an offensive tweet ostensibly about Madonna (she’s skillfully left unnamed) in the wake of Madge’s outspoken words of support for the Russian punk band Pussy Riot.
“Every former w. wants to give lectures on morality when she grows
old,” Rogozin writes. “Especially during foreign tours.” The Associated
Press says, “By ‘w.’ he apparently meant ‘whore.’ “
On Tuesday, Madonna saluted the all-female Pussy Riot in her Moscrow
concert. The Russian trio is on trial for staging a protest against
President Vladimir Putin. And Madge spoke out against the city’s harsh new anti-gay laws, which penalize speaking about homosexuality around minors.
“I know there are many sides to every story, and I mean no disrespect to
the church or the government. But I think that these three girls —
Masha, Katya, Nadya — I think that they have done something courageous. I
think they have paid the price for this act. And I pray for their
freedom,” she said, according to the New York Times.
Madonna faces a fine for her violating St. Petersburg, Russia’s ban on ‘gay propaganda’ for the demonstration at her concert yesterday, according to reports from activists in the country.
Said Polina Savchenko, director of the St. Petersburg LGBT group, Coming Out, in an email obtained by Towleroad:
LGBT organization Coming Out, printed 330
rainbow posters with the saying “No Fear” that were distributed to the
crowd. Although some posters were confiscated by security, their display
had a huge emotional effect during the show. Many fans raised them
during Madonna’s speech, and she reacted by saying “No Fear, that’s
right” before insisting that fear was the basis of all discrimination,
and that tolerance could only be guaranteed by love, the opposite of
fear. During the performance of “Like A Prayer”, while dancers were
raising a rainbow flag provided by a member of Coming Out and the
Russian LGBT Network, Madonna took a “No Fear” poster from the crowd and
raised it for 25,000 people to see. Same as for “Pussy Riot” support in
Moscow, she had tattooed her back, this time with “No Fear.” Gay
bashing scenes from gay demonstrations in Russia, pictures of teenagers
who died because of homophobia, and many gay and lesbian kisses were
shown during the very political “Nobody Knows Me” Interlude Video.
Madonna’s
support was extremely moving. Most of the mostly heterosexual crowd
reacted positively to her message by raising pink wristbands that were
distributed to everyone to support the LGBT community. The LGBT in the
audience received Madonna’s support with both smiles and tears, and
gratified her with the universal message “We love you” at the end of the
show.
Author of the “propaganda” law in St. Petersburg, Vitaly
Milonov (pictured) today declared that Madonna broke the law and is
planning to charge her with a fine of 500,000 rubles ($17 000).
Marriott CEO Says he is Against Gay Marriage
DID YOU KNOW that Marriott CEO does not support gay marriage? So why are we staying there??
Bill Marriott is the chairman and former CEO of Marriott
International, a Mormon owned business. Because of his devotion to
separating personal beliefs and business, he has expressed his views on
gay marriage without backlash,(WHY IS THAT??) unlike president and COO of Chick-fil-A,
Dan Cathy.
Marriott personally believes marriage is a union between a man and a
woman, but he has kept this belief from affecting how his business is
run.
He explains his views of the church to Diane Brady at Bloomberg Businessweek:
Bel Ami and Models Kicked off RSVP Cruise SUE the Company
RSVP Vacations is being sued by Bel Ami and several of its models for
hiring them for a cruise and then dumping them in godforsaken Tunisia.
According to court documents filed in California,
nearly a dozen Slavic Bel Ami porn stars were hired by RSVP to “mix and
mingle” with passengers on a gay cruise through the Mediterranean. Bel
Ami maintains the models were told to keep the fact RSVP hired them on
the down-low, “suggesting that the young men should lie and say the
cruise was a ‘reward from Bel Ami for their hard work’ if anyone asked.”
In exchange for providing the talent, RSVP told Bel Ami it could film
the models frolicking non-sexually around the ship.
But rumors started circling before the boat even left port and, when
the boys attracted too much attention, RSVP allegedly kicked them off
the Nieuw Amsterdam, stranding them in Tunisia.
At the time, Tunisia was in the aftermath of the
tumultuous civil uprising that became known as the Arab Spring; an
uprising so powerful that it led to the removal of long-time President
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The protests constituted the most dramatic wave
of social and political unrest in Tunisia in three decades and resulted
in scores of deaths and injuries.
With RSVP supposedly holding their passports and belongings hostage, the models had no choice but to comply. Ironically, the Nieuw Amsterdam
was just one day away from Italy, an EU member nation that would have
allowed them to easily return home to Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Instead they spent a sleepless night in Tunisia, with no contacts, no resources and unable to speak the language.
Bel Ami and the models are suing RSVP and Holland America cruise line
for breach of contract, fraud, intentional interference with contract,
negligence, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional
distress.
This isn’t the first trouble RSVP has had in the Muslim world: Just a few weeks ago, a planned excursion to Morocco was canceled for reasons that remain unclear.
Russia Bans Gay Pride for the Next 100 Years
This is so scary.
I scan hundreds of headlines every day. And in the last year especially, with more and more progress for gay marriage and gay rights, there is a growing backlash, worldwide, against gays. And I see the tension heating up to alarming levels. From the Republican backlash to the Christian backlash and the extremists who hate gay people. I don’t care what city you live in, please, be alert of your surroundings at all times. There are haters everywhere.
Earlier this year in March, we saw the St. Petersburg laws silencing gay people. Now, just a week after protestors for gay rights were arrested in Moscow, a district court upheld the decision by a Moscow city court to ban gay pride parades for 100 years.
Yes, the government can now legally forbid gay pride for a century, from March 2012 to March 2112.
Gay Pride in Croatia is Heating up – Tension Rising and Death Threats
Several government ministers in Croatia will join a gay pride march
set for this weekend amid threats of violence from opponents, saying it
was a test of democracy for a country due to join the European Union
next year.
Last year’s event, held in the Adriatic city of Split,
plunged into violence as police failed to protect the marchers from
angry locals who pelted them with eggs and rocks. Several people were
injured and at least 30 arrested.
Several nationalist and war veteran groups have issued warnings
against this year’s June 9 march in Split, calling it a “shameful
provocation by sick people to which we will respond.”
I can tell you, we were in Budapest last year, 2011, for Gay Pride, and nearly 1500 police tried to protect the 1500 marchers. And it was kind of scary. This year Police said they would NOT do it again and tried to cancel Pride – but Parliament overruled, and said they MUST protect the marchers again this year!
But back to Croatia.
Croatian Gay Pride revelers are being threatened with violence by members of a rightwing Facebook group, according to reports.
B92 notes that over 400 Facebook users joined the now-defunct group,
which has been dubbed, “Blood will flow in the streets of Split, there
will be no gay parade.”– the group even threatened.
“The group says its goal
is to point out to the public that it was unacceptable to hold the
“immoral manifestation” which should be held on June 9 in Split.
According to the group, the manifestation is “poisoning children”.
“What
are they proud of, their disease?”, “Every normal person is sick of
parades of mentally ill people (gays). They don’t care about the fact
that someone’s child has to watch the sick people”, “Gay bashing June 9,
2012”, “Don’t parade, go get some treatment!” are just some of the
comments posted on the group.“
An investigation of the group and its origins is reportedly underway.
“We will try to determine who the author of the group was and we will
act in accordance with the law,” Split-Dalmatia Police Spokeswoman
Marina Kraljević-Gudelj told the site. “After that we will inform the
state prosecution.”
Gay Activist Beaten in Ukraine…New Laws will Make it illegal to be Gay, in Public
Ukrainian Gay Forum leader Svyatoslav
Sheremet woke up on the morning of May 20 looking forward to the gay
pride march that he and his colleagues had been planning for months. The
march was the only public event the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) community in Kyiv had scheduled to mark May 17th’s
International Day Against Homophobia.
By that afternoon, Sheremet was in the hospital with bleeding in his eyes, multiple contusions, cuts, and bruises.
The clutch of reporters nearby witnessed and filmed the attack, which lasted about 30 seconds.
WHY DID NO ONE HELP???
As early as this week, Ukraine’s
legislature is expected to vote in favor of new laws that will make it
illegal to be gay or lesbian in public.
President
Viktor Yanukovych is the person with the power to stop the law in its
tracks. He’s been trying to forge a “special alliance” with the European
Union for years and this Friday an EU delegation focusing on human
rights will visit Ukraine to advance the alliance process.
40,000 Europeans have already signed on to tell Yanukovych to block this atrocious law.
But that’s just not enough – we need to double that number before the
meeting on Friday. If we don’t push him to speak out now, an entire
generation will be forced into the shadows.
Will you help us reach 100,000 signers around the world in the next two days?
If we hit the goal, All Out will partner with our friends in Ukraine in
a dramatic delivery that President Yanukovych cannot ignore:
www.allout.org/ukraine
Would You Travel to City that Hates Gay People?
By now you have heard all about the 2 men being arrested on an Atlantis gay cruise this past week –
the
2 men have been released after paying $3000 in fines! After they were
paraded thru the streets to a bank, to withdraw money and crowds
yelled slurs at them!
They admit they were nearly naked, on their balcony.
The couple, Dennis Mayer and John Hart say they
were taunted all night long in a jail cell with no light, no water, and
no toilet. The courts wanted to have their rectums inspected for signs
of anal sex, but that was eventually dropped.
Dennis Mayer said he has no doubt they were arrested in Dominica because they were gay.
Police
said it was because they were seen having sex in public on the balcony
of their ship cabin. Mayer said they were not having sex, but were
‘partially clothed’.
AGAIN, I ask, why does Atlantis or anyone gay support these anti-gay ports?! It’s ridiculous.
I would avoid Dominica, Jamaica, Guyana, Iraq, Iran, Dubai, most of Africa, Uganda, and lots of little islands! – Check this map out!
The brown areas reflect the DEATH PENALTY!
Red areas = Life in Prison!
We have to remember, in straight areas we have to be careful. In Chicago this year, 2 boys were nearly ejected from a bus for kissing!
Also in Chicago, last summer one day the gay beach was closed. So me and some friends went to the straight beach, which was open. After a few hours the police were called because a Latino couple said one of us had our “equipment” out – which nothing could have been further from the truth. No one did anything inappropriate. But, we were asked to leave the beach.
Even though we celebrate and have gay pride – we are not safe EVERYWHERE. So always use caution. And AVOID anti gay areas.
SAY NO to Gay Russia Travel
Yep – it’s true – it is now a criminal law to “promote” homosexuality in Russia. What does that mean exactly?
No gay pride, no gay magazines, no gay websites, no gay clothing, no gay bumper stickers, etc. Basically hide and shut up.
Here’s a brief sentence from Polina Savchenko, the General Manager the St. Petersburg LGBT organization Coming Out:
Today it became known that the governor of St. Petersburg Georgiy
Poltavchenko signed the homophobic law, imposing administrative fines on
the so-called “propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality,
transgenderism” and paedophilia to minors.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but anti-gay sentiments remain strong. Now this.
IN 20100 – Europe courts said Russia could not get away with this – A ruling was issued against Russia, the European Court of
Human Rights rebuked the Moscow authorities for repeatedly denying
activists the right to hold gay pride marches, Human Rights Watch said
last week.
The court, ruling on October 21, 2010, said the ban violated the right to freedom of assembly. It also ruled that the Moscow authorities
had unlawfully discriminated against activist Nikolay Aleksandrovich
Alekseyev and the organizers of gay pride events on the basis of sexual
orientation, and had denied them a remedy having violated their rights.
AN APPEAL will be made to the European Court of Human Rights.
Chippendales is SO GAY. We Love Them
Jaymes Vaughan, a singer and dancer with the infamous Chippendales male revue recently came out in the pages of QVegas magazine. Making him the 2nd out gay dancer from the show.
What?!? Chippendales has singers? Of course they do – these are your Grandma’s Chippendales!
Most of you don’t remember the original Chippendales. In 1979 Chippendales was the first all-male stripping troupe to make a business
performing for mostly female audiences. Through the quality of its
staging and choreography, Chippendales also helped legitimize stripping
as a form of popular entertainment.
Now, they live on in Las Vegas. The Chippendales perform in a ten-million dollar theater and lounge built specifically for them at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Annually, the official men of Chippendales are seen by almost two million people worldwide. Men ARE ALLOWED into see the show these days.
Back to Jaymes, who does double duty at Rio.
“My nights start at 6:00pm and I don’t stop until 12:30am. I
start Show In The Sky, run up to Chippendales in time for my first song,
run back to Show In The Sky for my next number there, and so it goes
each night. There is a four minute break where I run to Burger King,
they give me my chicken sandwich and I run back in time to sing my next
song.”
Vaughan has also released a new single, “Vampire,” and recorded the
accompanying music video. He says he’s always loved the Dracula types,
even as a kid, but that the song is really “about being in a
situation where you can’t be yourself; where you can’t live a part of
your life in the daylight; being in a relationship that I can’t share
with my family. “
WATCH THE VIDEO on his site.
Coming out wasn’t like facing the harsh light of day: Vaughan was
already out to his family and friends—and even hosted Las Vegas Pride in
2011. This is more a case of coming out publicly as one of the few
openly gay entertainers on the Strip.
“I hope to be able to
take advantage of a platform so that my fourteen-year-old self that was
sitting in Chesterfield County, Virginia, might find some hope. The
fourteen year old that had no one to look up to; whose mama told him he
better not be gay; whose church told him he was going to hell; whose
best friend killed himself because he didn’t “fit in.” Because he didn’t
have any hope. I thought for so long you had to cover up who you were
to be successful. I’ve realized you can be more successful by being
yourself.
IN 2008- Instinct magazine’s annual swim suit issue cover features Chippendales’ first openly gay dancer, Brandon
Pereyda, talked about how most Chippendales guys are mistakenly
pegged as being gay.
“I guess it is monumental for this company,” Pereyda notes. “Chippendales
guys are often pegged as being gay. And they’re not. And I think this
will clear the slate.”
He continues, “They’re all straight, but we would
do anything for each other and that’s what I really love about working
here. They don’t view my be gay as a negative thing at all.”
On a sidenote – Chippendales in Vegas
has already reached out to muscle hottie Kris Humphries, hoping to fill their empty
celebrity MC spot at the Rio — previously occupied by ex-98 Degrees
singer Jeff Timmons.
Gay Dubai Underground and Slave Traffic from Kenya
As much as I would like to see Dubai, you won’t see me rushing there anytime soon.
Being gay in the Middle East is taboo. Friends have told me you can find gays in Dubai – the “bars” are very secretive and underground.
In the Emirates, while being openly gay is illegal, the community has
blossomed in recent years. Mark, a gay Canadian man, said that “the community has increased dramatically and people are more
willing, and accepting, of the LGBT community here.” – Still, I am not convinced.
Crackdowns in Arab countries
against homosexuals is common and swift, with many countries employing
the death penalty against convicted homosexuals.
Now, a new report published by Identity, a gay magazine in Kenya,
reveals that gay Kenyan men are being trafficked into the Gulf as sex
slaves for the wealthy.
The report alleges that gay and bisexual men are lured from
university campuses – particularly from Kenyatta University – with
promises of high-paying jobs and then transported to labor as sex
workers for men in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The publication interviewed one Kenyan victim who was promised a job in Qatar but ended up suffering sexual abuse.
Qatar specifically, has no laws against human trafficking, which has made cracking down on the practice nearly impossible.
While the elite and super wealthy want to be gay, that would go against
their traditions. So instead they often marry and then hire escorts or do this
kind of thing, to have their real desires met. It is a problem of
society not opening up to the gay lifestyle and forcing it to the
background. READ MORE.
STOP Russia From Silencing Gay People
WE just added our voice to this urgent appeal, standing for human rights
in Russia and all over the world.
Medvedev and Putin’s party is pushing a
law to vote this week that would make any mention of lesbian, gay,
bisexual or transgender issues illegal.
The bill, being introduced as early as this Wednesday, would criminalize
any book, article or speech about sexual identity and gender
orientation, labeling it “homosexual propaganda”.
This is outrageous,
and now is the time for key world leaders to speak up, we need every
voice.
Will you take a minute to add yours?
It only takes a minute!
allout.org/russia_silenced
Say NO To Dog Poop on Your Streets
I don’t know about your city, but in some cities, people are SO LAZY, they don’t bother to pick up their dogs poop! And I am so sick of it! If you own a dog, clean up after it!
The island of Capri (Italy) is going high-tech to deal with an age-old problem: dog
poop.
The mayor of the island, located off the coast of Naples, is determined to
rid Capri of the rather distasteful predicament by using DNA testing.
The small island is a large tourist destination and is home to 7,305 people
owning 1,000 dogs. Unfortunately, some of the residents seem unwilling to scoop
up poop. In order to maintain the pristine setting Capri is famous for, the city
is using technology to track down pet owners who befoul the town by leaving
piles of scat behind.
The mayor plans to take advantage of a law that requires dogs to undergo a
blood test for canine diseases. The city will use the blood to perform DNA tests
on puppy excrement and identify the source of the smelly mess.
Capri’s Mayor justified his DNA testing for doody by claiming: “In the past
there have been unpleasant episodes, like tourists slipping and hurting
themselves.” Additionally, “there have also been unfortunate cases when the
victim didn’t get hurt but had to throw away some spoiled clothes.”
The fine for failing to pick up after your pet is 2,000 Euro. The mayor hopes
the steep penalty will help keep the island clean for visitors and residents
alike. – THINK OF THE MONEY THIS COULD GENERATE!
Gay Marriage – Civil Unions Come to Hawaii After Long battle
And just before the civil unions vote, the state Senate confirmed the first openly gay member of the Hawaii Supreme Court, the same body whose 1993 ruling almost legalized same-sex marriage and led to passage of the nation’s first constitutional amendment banning the practice.
Thanks to the new Governer of Hawaii, gay unions will become a reality very soon!
The Hawaii Senate passed the civil union bill 18-5. Governor Neil Abercrombie has indicated he will sign the bill, which passed the House last week.
Gov. Abercrombie said: “I have always believed that civil unions respect our diversity, protect people’s privacy, and reinforce our core values of equality and aloha.”
“I appreciate all the time and effort invested by those who shared their thoughts and concerns regarding civil unions in Hawaii. This has been an emotional process for everyone involved, but that process is now ended. Everyone has been heard; all points of view respected.
“For me, this bill represents equal rights for all the people of Hawaii,” Abercrombie said.
In July, Hawaii’s then-Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a similar bill, saying the issue needed to be put to a referendum. Gay rights groups decried her decision.
Five states and the District of Columbia issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Hawaii will join New Jersey in allowing civil unions.
Going to Hawaii? Check out MAUI SUNSEEKER!The largest hotel in all of Hawaii serving the gay and lesbian community!
Best Gay News
Police Bans Gay Pride March 2011 in Budapest
I was just about to book my ticket for Budapest gay Pride , and I got this note today!
For immediate publishing
14 February 2011
Police bans gay pride march in Budapest
We, the undersigned non-governmental organizations are appalled by the decision of the Budapest Police prohibiting the LGBT Pride March to be held on 18 June 2011. The reason is the same as two years ago: the march disrupts the traffic. The police had already acknowledged the march for part of the route in September 2010, but the modified longer route has now been rejected.
Rainbow Mission Foundation, the organizer of the Budapest Pride Film and Cultural Festival and the Pride March, notified the Budapest Police of the event planned on the usual route (Andrássy út – Kodály körönd – Oktogon – Opera – Erzsébet tér) already in September 2010, and this notification was acknowledged by the Police.
In January the organizers decided that this year they will return to the pre-2007 tradition of having a longer march and the route was extended to Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út – Alkotmány utca – Kossuth tér in order to express their opposition to proposals seriously limiting the rights of the LGBT community, such as incorporating the ban of same-sex marriage into the new Constitution. During the negotiations with the police, the organizers accepted that the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Parliament’s Office has requested and received a permission to occupy Kossuth tér, and hence the corner of Alkotmány utca and Kossuth tér was defined as the end of the march.
After experiencing the constructive atmosphere of the negotiations we are appalled that one day after the deadline afforded for decision-making had expired, the police prohibited the march.
It is difficult to understand, in particular, why the police discuss at length in their recent decision banning the march the hindrance of the traffic on Andrássy út, while this was not a problem in September 2010.
We urge the Chief of the Budapest Police to refrain from the arbitrary interpretation of the Act on the Right of Assembly, stop restricting the freedom of assembly of the LGBT community and those who support the march, and accept the repeated notification of the demonstration.
DAMKÖR
“Friss Gondolat Ifjúsági Egyesület”
Hatter Support Society
Labrisz Lesbian Association
Hungarian LGBT Alliance
Szimpozion Association
Rainbow Mission Foundation
Angry Flight Attendant Steven Slater Pleads Insanity
Jet Blue’s renegade
flight attendant Steven Slater
got off without jail time by pleading insanity,
according to NY Post.
Slater was facing a vicious prosecutor from the DA who claimed the flight attendant jeopardized lives and caused vast costs for the airport when he confronted a passenger, grabbed a beer and slid down the emergency chute of a parked plane.
Slater plead guilty to two counts of criminal mischief and agreed to attend a year of jail time and substance-abuse treatment, citing unspecified mental health problems. He will also pay JetBlue $10,000 to replace the chute.
For angry service workers everywhere, for whom Slater was a hero, this proves that customers can drive you crazy!
Slater’s attorney said the 38-year-old has flying “in his blood,” but JetBlue is trying to determine what set that blood to boiling that day.
“There’s much more to this story that we don’t know,” wrote JetBlue COO Rob Maruster in an internal memo obtained by the Wall Street Journal.
I am sure the real story will come out some day!
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Twin brothers Frederick and Gerrit Braun Build Worlds Biggest Train Set
DOES THIS TRAIN MAKE ME LOOK GAY?
WOW!
This is pretty incredible!
Two German Brothers have put this TRAIN SET together.
This is the world’s biggest train set.
Covers 1,150 square meters / 12,380 square feet
Features almost six miles of track and is still not complete
Twin brothers Frederick and Gerrit Braun, 41, began work on the ‘Miniatur Wunderland’ in 2000
The set covers six regions including America , Switzerland , Scandinavia , Germany , and the Austrian Alps…The American section features giant models of the Rocky Mountains, Everglades , Las vegas, Grand-Canyon …
The Scandinavian part has a 4ft long passenger ship floating in a ‘fjord’.
It is expected to be finished in 2014, when the train set will cover more than 1,800 square meters / (19,376 sq ft) and feature almost 13 miles of track, by which time detailed models of parts of France, Italy and the UK will have been added. It comprises 700 trains with more than 10,000 carriages and wagons. The scenery includes 900 signals, 2,800 buildings, 4,000 cars – many with illuminated headlights…
The 250,000 lights are rigged up to a system that mimics night and day by automatically turning them on and off …The whole system is controlled from a massive high-tech nerve centre. In total the set has taken 500,000 hours and more than 8 million euro to put together, the vast majority of which has come from ticket sales.
Gerrit said: “Our idea was to build a world that men, woman, and children can be equally astonished and amazed in.”
Frederik added: “Whether gambling in Las Vegas, hiking in the Alps or paddling in Norwegian fjords – in Wunderland everything is possible.”This 4-minute video is worth watching for this amazing stuff.
Madonna Offered $1 Billion for Contract at Caesars Palace Las Vegas
WHAT IS WRONG
WITH THIS WORLD?
Sports figures and entertainers get paid outrageous amounts of money, ticket prices go up and up and UP, yet the Targets, Wal-Marts, Best Buys and other retail giants keep their prices down by paying workers poverty wages?!
I don’t understand how we live in this “rich” country, yet more and more people are being pushed to poverty levels of income, all because the way this country does business. Yet, the average concert or entertainment ticket is 10 times the price it was 20 years ago.
MTV reports Madonna has been offered $1 billion for a five-year Las Vegas residency.
The singer could follow the footsteps of acts such as Celine Dion , Elton John and Cher who relocated to the gambling capital of America to performing nightly shows at Caesars Palace. Celine’s five-year residency drew nearly three million people to 717 performances, but it’s thought Madge would surpass that.
If the deal goes ahead, Madonna would become the third highest paid female entertainer in the world, behind Oprah Winfrey and American homemaking entrepreneur Martha Stewart.
Is she worth it?
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