Free Republic

Ruth Davidson has been told by the prime minister that any Conservative deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) will not affect LGBTI rights. The Scottish Conservative leader, who is gay, plans to marry her partner in the near future. The DUP opposes same-sex marriage, with Northern Ireland the only part of the UK where it is not legal. Ms Davidson said she had been given an assurance that gay rights would not be eroded in return for DUP support. In a tweet sent on Friday afternoon, Ms Davidson highlighted a speech she made in Belfast about the importance of...

More than 9 in 10 new HIV cases among young men and boys ages 13 to 24 in the U.S. occur among homosexuals and bisexuals, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The April 25 CDC report, “HIV Among Gay and Bisexual Men,” offers stark evidence of the extreme health risks associated with male homosexual sex, in particular receptive anal sex. Below are some of its findings: — Gay and bisexual men aged 13 to 24 accounted for an estimated 92 percent of new HIV diagnoses among all men in their age group...

A group says ‘Charlotte Pride’ is pushing them out of the Gay Pride Parade because they support President Trump. "I’m very proud of my country, proud of my president, and was once proud of my community," said Brian Talbert, who said he’s proud to be gay and proud to be a republican. ... A spokesperson for the organization said in written statement, "Charlotte Pride reserves the right to decline participation at our events to groups or organizations which do not reflect the mission, vision and values of our organization, as is acknowledged in our parade rules and regulations by all...

Leo Varadkar is set to become the Republic of Ireland's next taoiseach (prime minister) after winning the leadership of the Fine Gael party. The 38-year-old will become the first gay taoiseach and will also be the country's youngest ever leader. Mr Varadkar beat his rival, Housing Minister Simon Coveney, with 60% of the votes to lead Fine Gael - the biggest party in the coalition government. He will succeed Enda Kenny as leader of the centre-right party within weeks. The former GP is the son of an Irish nurse and a doctor from India and much of the media coverage...

More than 40 people in Los Angeles County and surrounding regions have been diagnosed with mumps, prompting public health officials Thursday to declare an outbreak and issue an alert to physicians and providers to be aware of it. In the alert, public health officials said many of the cases were initially misdiagnosed and there was a reliance of using false negative results. It’s unclear when this occurred. Health officials also did not release the conditions of those who were diagnosed. A response from Los Angeles County public health officials was not immediately forthcoming Thursday. But health officials said most of...

A record number of people have complained after a French TV presenter posted a spoof ad on a gay dating website and made fun of people who responded live on air. Cyril Hanouna used a feminine tone of voice and tricked those he spoke to into revealing their sexual fantasies. One of the victims was left in a "state of appalling distress", LGBT campaigners said. They accused the presenter of homophobia. Nearly 20,000 complaints about the segment on Mr Hanouna's nightly show Touche pas à mon poste (TPMP - "Don't touch my TV" in English) had been made to the...

Thursday on Twitter, Senator Ted Cruz took part in Free Beacon’s “caption contest” of a hilarious photo of Ben Sasse and Chuck Schumer .. Ted’s tweet broke Twitter and won the caption contest … apparently it also ruined the romper for men (can we get an amen!?) ... They say this like it’s a bad thing. Have you seen the Romphim for men? Seriously, who thought these things were a good idea? GQ apparently. Heh.....

A church organist was arrested Wednesday after he vandalized his own church with a swastika and pro-Trump graffiti in order to “mobilize a movement.” George Nathaniel Stang, 26, admitted in a handwritten statement to spray painting a swastika, “fag church,” and “heil Trump” on St. David’s Episcopal Church in Bean Blossom, Indiana. “I suppose I wanted to give local people a reason to fight for good, even if it was a false flag,” Stang wrote, according to a local NBC report. “To be clear my actions were not motivated by hate for the church or its congregation. I of course...

It was a well-meaning campaign designed to address bullying of LGBT students in Australian schools. But a day after its high-profile launch - backed by some celebrities - the petition was withdrawn following a swirl of controversy. So what happened?On Tuesday the open letter, organised by a Sydney man, called on Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to commit A$6m (£4m; $4.5m) to funding a new anti-bullying programme. With a focus on LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] issues in schools and domestic violence, the programme would target "all forms of bullying, including that which is based on religion, race, gender, faith,...

A mortuary in Mississippi is being sued by the husband of a gay man for allegedly refusing to cremate him because of his sexuality. John "Jack" Zawadski, 82, and his nephew filed the lawsuit after being told that the funeral parlour did not "deal with their kind". Their legal team argue the response of staff at the Picayune mortuary devastated Mr Zawadski and his family. But the co-owner of the funeral home has tearfully denied the allegations. "We just didn't do that," a weeping Henrietta Brewer told Mississippi Today.Mrs Brewer said that her mortuary had handled the funerals of "well...

President Barack Obama considered being homosexual as a young man, according to a forthcoming biography of the president. The biography by David Garrow, “Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama,” is set to come out on May 9. Garrow wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Martin Luther King Jr., and is a regular contributor to The New York Times and The Washington Post. {..snip..}

Dove rolled out a new advertisement for their baby skincare line ‘Baby Dove’ featuring moms from all walks of life caring for their babies–and of course included a man who identifies as a ‘mom’. The advertisement starts out with a woman saying, “Everybody has ideas about what it means to be a good mom and most people feel they have a license to tell you what they think it means to be a good mom.’ Then the screen flashes to a cute little saying, preparing the audience for the ‘new mom’ — “Moms are redefining what it means to be...

It's really great to have a libturd faggot mayor for our Seattle. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/lawsuit-alleges-seattle-mayor-ed-murray-sexually-abused-troubled-teen-in-1980s/

Dutch men are uploading pictures of themselves holding hands on to social media to stand against homophobia. The trend was sparked by an alleged attack on two gay men on a street in the Netherlands on Sunday. The images are being shared via the hashtags #handinhand and #allemannenhandinhand (all men hand in hand). Politicians, celebrities, football pundits and workers have joined in, throughout the Netherlands and beyond. Jasper Vernes-Sewratan, 35, and Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes, 31, say they were attacked by a group of men in the early hours of Sunday morning in Arnhem, in the country's east. Their story was widely...

The new series of Doctor Who will see the Time Lord joined by his first openly gay companion. Bill Potts's sexuality will be revealed pretty much straightaway in her second line of dialogue when the show returns to BBC One on 15 April. "It shouldn't be a big deal in the 21st Century. It's about time isn't it?" Pearl Mackie, who plays Bill, told the BBC. "That representation is important, especially on a mainstream show." She added: "It's important to say people are gay, people are black - there are also aliens in the world as well so watch out...

Alleged ringleader Robert King (left) is accused of sending prostitutes to Bruce Bemer (right) and other clients for two decades. For 20 years, a Connecticut-based prostitution ring trafficked in mentally disabled young men, court papers revealed this week. The ring catered to wealthy male clients in Connecticut and Massachusetts who paid $250 for sex, according to court papers cited in the News-Times. At least 15 young men in their early 20s were exploited in the ring, authorities allege. The young men suffered illnesses that include schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; some were severely disabled and living in group homes, authorities allege....

The book, Santa’s Husband, goes on sale Oct. 10 and tells the story of a black Santa Claus and his white husband who both live in the North Pole. Santa’s spouse frequently fills in for his husband at malls, according to a description of the book Harper Design provided to TIME.

A new picture book will depict Santa as a gay man in an interracial relationship, publisher Harper Design confirmed Tuesday. The book, Santa’s Husband, goes on sale Oct. 10 and tells the story of a black Santa Claus and his white husband who both live in the North Pole. Santa’s spouse frequently fills in for his husband at malls, according to a description of the book Harper Design provided to TIME.

President Donald Trump's chest-thumping nationalism and harsh immigration policies are the subject of a new play depicting an apocalyptic America where stadiums are turned into prisons and people become sick, hungry and frightened. "Building the Wall," which opened last weekend in Los Angeles, was written by Robert Schenkkan, a two-time Tony winner who co-wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-nominated movie "Hacksaw Ridge." The play is set in the very near future, after the Trump administration makes good on a pledge to hunt down and arrest millions of unauthorized immigrants by imposing martial law. But things get horribly out of hand....

Disney’s massive box office hit “Beauty and the Beast” will open in Malaysia after all, and “with no cuts.” Yes, that means the film’s highly publicized “gay moment” will remain intact over there.“We are pleased to announce that Disney’s ‘Beauty And The Beast’ has now been approved to be released in Malaysia with no cuts, with a PG-13 rating,” the Walt Disney Company of Malaysia told the New Straits Times. “Be our guest when the film opens in Malaysian cinemas on March 30, 2017.”Malaysian theater giant Golden Screen Cinemas confirmed the news on Twitter this morning: BEAUTY AND THE...