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At least one arsonist set two gay-pride flags on fire in front of a Harlem bar just before the start of Pride Month, police said — an act Gov. Cuomo condemned. Cops were called at around 12:20 a.m. Friday to Alibi Lounge on West 139th Street near Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., where two rainbow flags were set ablaze, police said Saturday. By the time officers arrived the flames were extinguished by the rain, and no one was hurt. The arsonist remained at large, and cops are investigating the crime as a possible bias incident. “Some a–hole set our rainbow...

Members of Birmingham’s Muslim community will walk at the front of this year’s Pride parade alongside the primary school teacher at the centre of a row over LGBT-inclusive relationship education. Andrew Moffat, assistant head teacher at Parkfield Community School and pioneer of the inclusive No Outsiders programme, will walk “arm in arm” with LGBT+ Muslim campaigners on Saturday (May 25).  Birmingham Pride co-director Lawrence Barton said: “We’re delighted that Andrew [Moffat] is going to be leading the carnival parade this year, joined by Muslim friends, in a space that celebrates equality, freedom, respect and tolerance for all communities. “There’ll...

When Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex unions, hundreds of gay people marked the occasion by registering to marry. It marked a significant change on the island, where the majority of people only relatively recently became supportive of same-sex relationships. In many other places there has also been a shift - often a rapid one - towards more liberal attitudes. For example, in 2007, one in five South Koreans said homosexuality should be accepted, -but, by 2013, that figure had doubled. Attitudes among the public also appear to have softened in other places including Argentina, Chile,...

Arkansas' state network of PBS member stations did not air the season premiere of "Arthur" on its main channel over concerns that it showed a same-sex marriage. Arkansas Educational Television Network spokeswoman Julie Thomas said in a statement that the network made the decision after previewing the episode in April. The episode had been scheduled to air May 13. "While ideally parents watch our programming with their children and discuss it with them afterwards, the reality is that many children, some of them younger than age four, watch when a parent is not in the room," the statement says. "In...

Alabama Public Television chose not to air PBS’s Arthur episode that included a same-sex marriage. In the episode, which aired nationwide May 13, Arthur and his friends attend their beloved teacher Mr. Ratburn’s nuptials to his partner. APT preempted the episode by showing a re-run of Arthur. Mike Mckenzie, director of programming at APT, said APT was notified by WGBH and PBS in mid-April about the episode entitled “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” and decided to show a re-run. Mckenzie said APT has no plans to air the episode at a later date. “Parents have trusted Alabama Public Television...

IKEA locations in Canada raised a rainbow flag today to commemorate the pro-homosexual “International Day Against Homophobia Transphobia and Biphobia.” IKEA Canada president Michael Ward said raising the pro-homosexual flag symbolizes IKEA’s commitment to “diversity and inclusion.” "At IKEA, caring for people, diversity and inclusion are embedded in our vision and in our values," he said. "We strive to have a diverse and inclusive work environment where co-workers feel valued for their uniqueness, recognized for their diverse talents and where they can be themselves." https://twitter.com/IKEACanada/status/1129370985474318337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1129370985474318337&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifesitenews.com%2Fnews%2Fikea-canada-raises-rainbow-flag-to-mark-pro-lgbt-day-against-homophobia Workers at the global home furnishings retailer joined in gay festivities throughout Canada, according to...

Daily demonstrations have been taking place outside Anderton Park Primary School in Birmingham but Friday's was the largest - and angriest - so far. Flyers had been sent around the local community encouraging people to join protests against the school "brainwashing" children that "it's okay to be gay". One man told Sky News he had joined the crowd because "homosexuality is a heinous, horrible thing". Another said homosexuality is "not acceptable for us lot". But the protesters held banners that read "we are not homophobic people". They chanted for the headteacher to quit. The demonstrations are organised by Shakeel Afsar,...

Out Pennsylvania representative Brian Sims opened up on Instagram about his own use of PrEP, the highly effective prescription that prevents HIV. Alongside a picture of a Truvada pill, the state lawmaker wrote about pre-exposure prophylaxis, but made clear he had no interest in discussing why he personally uses the treatment. “Starting this day off smart, proactive, and in control!” Sims wrote in his social media post. “Think this is an invite to talk about my sex life? It’s not. Think it’s an invite to shame me or anyone else? Grow up.”

Israel Folau, an evangelical Christian and rugby football star, was found guilty of breaching the Rugby Australia code of conduct for quoting St. Paul’s biblical teachings against fornication and homosexuality. A three-person independent tribunal wrapped up on Tuesday three days of deliberations and found Folau guilty of a high-level breach of the code of conduct enforced by the governing body of Australian rugby teams. So far, no sanction has been announced against Folau. However, he may face cancellation of his $4 million contract and forgo a chance to appear in the forthcoming rugby world championship. “The panel has today provided...

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was interrupted several times by hecklers shouting anti-gay messages during a speech Friday evening in Dallas. The South Bend, Ind., mayor, who is gay, was speaking at the Dallas County Democratic Party's Johnson Jordan Dinner when he was interrupted several times by protesters, at least some of whom appeared to yell anti-gay messages, according to The Texas Tribune. "Marriage is between a man and a woman," one shouted. "Repent," another yelled, according to a video posted to Twitter by CNN reporter DJ Judd. Buttigieg reportedly carried on through the interruption, noting that he served in...

Social activists Gaia Parisi and Matilde Rizzo are just friends -- but when Italy's ultra-conservative Interior Minister Matteo Salvini visited their hometown, the 19-year-olds couldn't resist the chance to photobomb him with a same-sex kiss. Salvini, who is leader of the far-right, anti-immigrant League Party, recently endorsed and addressed an anti-LGBT and anti-abortion World Congress of Families event in Verona, Italy. The group's stated mission is to "defend the natural family." (Ours is) ... a message of love and tolerance against the language and the attitude of hatred that politicians like Matteo Salvini keep spreading," Parisi told CNN. "But also...

As Avengers: Endgame continues to shatter records and earn rave reviews, some moviegoers are divided over how Marvel Studios finally delivered on president Kevin Feige’s promise to LGBT activists to insert homosexual “representation” in the beloved film franchise (minor first-act spoiler to follow). After the villainous Thanos (Josh Brolin) wiped out half the world’s population at the end of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War, an early scene in Endgame features a support group for survivors coping with the loss of their loved ones. An unnamed member (played by co-director Joe Russo) discusses how he’s attempted to move on by starting...

As Avengers: Endgame continues its world-conquering run at the box office, one particular scene is attracting some attention for introducing the franchise’s first openly gay character. And while some fans are pleased to see the MCU finally take this first step in LGBTQ representation, others were left feeling pretty underwhelmed. The character in question features in a scene where Steve Rogers leads a post-snap support group. One of the attendees, played by Endgame co-director Joe Russo, mentions that he went on his first date since the events of Avengers: Infinity War, using the “he” pronoun to refer to his partner....

Socially conservative former Rep. Aaron Schock, R- Ill., was reportedly photographed at a music festival making out with another man. During his tenure in Congress, the 37-year-old Schock voted against the repeal of "don’t ask, don’t tell" and voted in favor of adding a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. He received a zero rating from the Human Rights Campaign for his voting record. Despite his socially conservative political career, Schock, who now lives in West Hollywood, was purportedly photographed with a group of gay men at California's famed Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, according to Metro Weekly, an LGBT-focused...

The group Glitter Hole is a “drag collective” and “queer performance space,” and if you’re wondering what their name means, their logo is a purple sketch of a bare bottom with the word “HOLE” beneath it in all capitals. Their sexually explicit performances including miming sex acts, strapping on enormous fake genitalia, and other activities better left undescribed. One poster advertising their group was emblazoned with the slogan, “Keep the buggery going!” while another announced that they were “leather daddies and gay witches for abortion.” And, as the new Irish media outlet Gript recently reported, Glitter Hole was invited to...

A California city that last year approved the addition of a Chick-fil-A at its local airport now wants to send a message of support to LGBTQ people as the opening date for the fast-food restaurant nears. The San Jose City Council voted 11-0 on Tuesday to hang rainbow flags in support of LGBTQ people and pink, blue and white flags for transgender rights at or near a Chick-fil-A due to open in May at San Jose International Airport. Rosemary Barnes, a spokeswoman for the airport, said it will decide where to place the flags. The council's vote comes as two...

The rising presidential hopeful was joined by rivals Kamala Harris and Cory Booker in visiting Los Angeles in late March, appearing at everything from an HRC fundraiser and NAACP Image Awards to showbiz offices and backyard garden parties. A lot of people in Hollywood spent last week learning to pronounce Pete Buttigieg’s last name. The 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind. — and surging Democratic presidential candidate — was in town over the March 29 weekend to make the rounds with potential supporters and contributors, starting with a stop at the Beverly Hills offices of Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

There is strong public evidence that Denise McAllister is savage and also a dope for openly criticizing her boss’s wife. But contrary to what the Twitter mob says, there is no evidence she's anti-gay. McAllister, a conservative writer, was dropped Sunday as a contributor to the right-leaning Federalist and Daily Wire websites after a Twitter bender wherein she got into a back-and-forth with some critics. The day before, McAllister had tweeted about trying to talk to her husband only to have him tell her, “Woman, you know better than this. The game is on.” She explained in a subsequent tweet...

Here’s how things began. After convincing myself that I was a woman during a severe mental health crisis, I visited a licensed nurse practitioner in early 2013 and asked for a hormone prescription. “If you don’t give me the drugs, I’ll buy them off the internet,” I threatened. Although she’d never met me before, the nurse phoned in a prescription for 2 mg of oral estrogen and 200 mg of Spironolactone that very same day. The nurse practitioner ignored that I have chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, having previously served in the military for almost 18 years. All of my doctors...

A 42-year-old gay headteacher who was fired for having sex with two 17-year-old boys he met on Grindr has won a discrimination case against his former employer. Matthew Aplin, the former principal at Tywyn Primary School in Neath Port Talbot, Wales, was found by a tribunal to have been discriminated against, reports The Telegraph. The “openly gay” teacher of 19 years had arranged in August 2015 to meet with the two boys on the gay hookup site and the three of them had group sex. Social services and police uncovered the liaison days later, but it was determined there had...