LGBTQ Breaking News Service

Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie has said his Stormont motion on banning on gay conversion therapy that caused a DUP revolt shows the two parties are very different.

But he insisted the motion – believed to have been a factor in DUP politicians staging a coup against Arlene Foster – was tabled “to do the right thing” rather than for political gain.

Mr Beattie told Belfast Live former party leader Mike Nesbitt was “absolutely right” when he said during the debate that it showed there can never be unionist unity.

A majority of MLAs backed Mr Beattie’s motion last month urging Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey to introduce a ban before the end of the current mandate.

But the debate exposed a deep split in the DUP when Mrs Foster was joined by just four party colleagues in abstaining on the substantive motion.

Most DUP MLAs voted against, citing concerns over restricting religious freedom in areas such as private prayer.

The abstentions angered religious fundamentalist elements of the party and are believed to have contributed to an unprecedented move to oust Mrs Foster as DUP leader.

A no-confidence letter was signed by a majority of her MLAs and MPs, prompting Mrs Foster to announce plans to resign as DUP leader and Stormont First Minister.

Conversion therapy is regarded as practices which attempt to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity.

Mr Beattie said: “The intent of the motion was to say that conversion therapy is harmful, it’s wrong and it should be banned, and that we should not look at the LGBTQ community as needing a fix or a cure.”

The Upper Bann MLA described as “lazy” people who consider his party to be “DUP-lite”.

He argued the Ulster Unionists are different from the DUP “in multiple ways” including their policies on education, justice and Troubles legacy issues.

But he added: “That motion wasn’t about trying to differentiate between us and the DUP. That motion was about doing what we thought was right regardless.

“That’s why we brought it forward. It was not for political gain.”

While there was widespread support during the Assembly debate for ending conversion practices, the reach and scope of future legislation was a matter of contention.

Mr Beattie said it will be up to the Communities Minister to consult with stakeholders and form a legal definition of conversion therapy for MLAs to further scrutinise.

“I think anything that tries to change somebody’s sexual identity is wrong, and anything that is used in a harmful, coercive, subversive way with an intent to do so is wrong,” he said.

“Now the argument I guess that everybody has is about private prayer, pastoral care, spiritual beliefs. They are not conversion therapy unless they have an intent to do what I’ve just said, and that is change the sexual identity of an individual.”

He added: “Nobody’s saying ban private prayer, but private prayer shouldn’t be about causing harm.”

Mr Beattie appeared at odds with his party leader Steve Aiken when asked who Ulster Unionist voters should transfer to down the ballot in future elections.

Mr Aiken in an interview with Belfast Live earlier this year said he would encourage people to vote Ulster Unionist and then transfer to parties who “believe in the Union”.

He said “things have moved on” since the 2017 Assembly election when then leader Mr Nesbitt revealed he was giving his second-preference to the SDLP.

However, Mr Beattie said voters should look at the individuals and their policies.

“It’s a more complicated question than just saying vote down the list of unionists. That’s the easy thing to do. It’s the lazy thing to do as well,” he said.

“You have to make sure the people who are standing are the right people with the right policies who are going to help the people of that constituency.”

He said it “doesn’t make sense” for the UUP to be “saying don’t transfer to anybody apart from unionists”, adding: “It won’t help unionism in the long term.”

But when asked about how his answer differed from Mr Aiken’s, the Upper Bann MLA said that “of course we want to be voting for pro-Union”.

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“The point that I’m making is, is that people out there look at somebody and if somebody is not trustworthy, if somebody is not going to represent them, I would not expect or order anybody to vote in a particular way,” he said.

“So actually, I don’t think my answer is that much different from Steve’s in many ways.”

Mr Beattie also stood by the UUP joining other unionist parties in calling for Chief Constable Simon Byrne to resign after criticising the PSNI’s handling of the Bobby Storey funeral controversy.

The demand preceded an eruption of several nights of rioting and street violence in mainly loyalist areas in which dozens of police officers were injured.

Mr Beattie said the decision was based on numerous issues and was “made after a lot of deliberation”.

“So in hindsight, no I don’t think it was the wrong decision or the wrong timing or anything like that,” he said. “When unionists raise and issue it’s all classed as stoking tensions, but if anybody else raises an issue they’re just raising an issue.

“I don’t understand why people think it’s not right for unionists to raise what they think is a genuine issue but at the same time say there should be absolutely no violence whatsoever.”

While music is an excellent way to enjoy yourself and be entertained, it can also be a powerful tool to deliver a message. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC has been using music as a vehicle to fight for equality and justice for the last 40 years. Its community came together virtually to celebrate their Ruby Jubilee this past Saturday night.

Formed all the way back in 1981, at the dawn of the AIDS crisis, GMCW was sparked after an inspiring performance of San Francisco’s newly formed Gay Men’s Chorus at the Kennedy Center. Since then, they have performed hundreds of hours of both shows and community outreach, including international Equality tours, performing in front of sitting presidents, and taking iconic stages such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the White House. They have an continue to use their platform and voices to push for inclusion.

This season marks 40 years for the dynamic group, and it has been a tough one. With the pandemic raging, performance groups all over the DMV, and the world at large, have had to suspend their in-person operations and pull things into a virtual format. GMCW is no exception, and has been able to deliver dynamic performances online, making the best of a difficult situation. They did this once again with their fundraising Spring Affair, focusing on celebrating 40 years, making it a Ruby Jubilee to remember.

The show kicked off with a personal favorite Broadway tune of this reviewer, “My Strongest Suit,” from the musical “Aida.” It featured several members of the chorus dancing, a soloist, and the rest of the chorus backing up with tight vocals. It was a fun and engaging start to the night’s festivities. The performance was cohosted by GMCW’s Executive Director Justin Fyala and Artistic Director Thea Kano (looking gorgeous and in theme in their ruby sequins), but they were also assisted by a special celebrity guest host — Alan Cumming!

Alan Cumming is a multi-faceted performer who has had a long and varied career. He got his big break from his magnetic performance as the Emcee in the revival of “Cabaret,” first in West End and then on Broadway. He has extrapolated his theatrical success into film and television as well, This reviewer’s favorite highlights are Cumming’s performances in the films “GoldenEye” and “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion,” and TV appearances as the firecracker Eli Gold on “The Good Wife,” and as the first openly gay leading character in a 60-minute primetime drama, “Instinct,” in 2018.

We also got to hear from a large and varied group of people, who shared information about the founding and continuing mission of the GMCW. This included some of the founding members Marsha Pearson and Steve Herman, Board Chair Jay Gilliam and Vice-Chair Nicole Streeter, Membership President Mario Sengco, VP of Diversity and Inclusion Keygan Miller, Historical Society Chair Greg Kubiak and Co-Chairs of this year’s Spring Affair, Erich Sommerfeldt and Shawn Morris.

There were also several performances throughout the gala, in addition to the opening number. There was a fun and varied walk down memory lane with a montage of performances, which highlighted the scope and breadth of the music performed by GMCW over the last 40 years. Towards the end of the show, the full choir presented a stirring performance of their theme song, “Make Them Hear You,” from the musical, “Ragtime.” While all the music was engaging, the one that impacted this reviewer most was the performance of the “GenOUT” youth chorus. The performance was introduced by C. Paul Hines, who is the group’s director and filled us in on more information about the group and how they actually grew over this past year, even welcoming two members from Scotland! The performance was then also introduced by two members of the choir, Elliott Eiseman and Elena Vol. The members were able to share their perspectives and the impact that GenOUT, the only choir of its kind in the DMV area, has had on their lives. They performed a beautiful and stirring rendition of “Will You Teach Me” by Victor C. Johnson. Their stand-alone concert, “Youth Invasion,” can be viewed through May 9th here.

There were also several surprise shout outs from a wide variety of celebrities. I won’t ruin them here, but look out for some alumni of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Broadway, and beyond, wishing GMCW a happy 40th and wishing them the best for the next 40.

Finally, this show acted primarily as a fundraiser to help continue to support the important work of the GMCW and continue its mission. The hosts informed the audience that they had two generous donors that would match up to $100,000, and over $130,000 was raised by the end of the live performance — an amazing accomplishment! If you would like to support the mission of the GMCW, please click here.

The Gay Men’s Choir of Washington, DC’s “Spring Affair: A Ruby Jubilee” can be viewed here on their YouTube Channel. The show runs approximately two hours long, and is appropriate for most. Their next show is “GMCW Turns 40” on June 5th, 2021 at 7:00 pm. It can be viewed here and tickets are $25.

MILAN — (AP) — Italian rapper Fedez received a wave of public support Sunday after going public with attempts by RAI state television to censor his planned remarks on homophobia during an annual Worker’s Day concert.

Fedez prevailed and made the statement as planned during the Saturday evening concert, saying it was the first time he had ever been asked to submit his remarks ahead of time.

He went on to read homophobic statements by members of Italy’s right-wing League party. The rapper’s remarks were made in support of legislation that seeks to punish discrimination and hate crimes against gays and transgender people, but which is stalled in parliament by right-wing opposition.

After RAI denied putting pressure on the rapper, Fedez released a recording of a phone call with a RAI executive and co-workers during which he was told that his remarks would be “inappropriate” and discouraging him from using the first and last names of the politicians he was citing.

The head of state-run RAI has promised to investigate.

Among those supporting Fedez were two former premiers, Enrico Letta, now head of the Democratic Party, and Giuseppe Conte, who has been tapped as head of the 5-Star Movement. Letta called on RAI to apologized to the rapper.

Gay rights groups mostly welcomed Fedez’ words. The president of Arcigay, Gabriele Piazzoni, said he “gave voice to millions of us,” while the spokesman of Partito Gay (Gay Party), Fabrizio Marrazzo, said the phone call with the RAI management was “disconcerting” and called on RAI’s oversight board to intervene.

The president of Equality Italia, Aurelio Mancuso, was more cautious, warning that polarization could further stall the proposed law, “which must be approved in the Senate, not on Fedez’ Instagram page.”

League leader Matteo Salvini, meanwhile, went on an offensive, reiterating his reasons for opposing the legislation in television appearances and social media posts and offering to debate the issue on TV with Fedez.

Still, Salvini distanced himself from the remarks by the League members, calling them “disgusting.”

The so-called Zan Law, named for a Democratic Party lawmaker and gay rights activist Alessandro Zan, would add women along with people who are gay, transgender or have disabilities to the classes of those already protected under a law banning discrimination and punishing hate crimes.

Right-wing politicians object to language they claim would make it a crime to publicly oppose gay marriage or adoptions by gay people.

MILAN — (AP) — Italian rapper Fedez received a wave of public support Sunday after going public with attempts by RAI state television to censor his planned remarks on homophobia during an annual Worker’s Day concert.

Fedez prevailed and made the statement as planned during the Saturday evening concert, saying it was the first time he had ever been asked to submit his remarks ahead of time.

He went on to read homophobic statements by members of Italy’s right-wing League party. The rapper’s remarks were made in support of legislation that seeks to punish discrimination and hate crimes against gays and transgender people, but which is stalled in parliament by right-wing opposition.

After RAI denied putting pressure on the rapper, Fedez released a recording of a phone call with a RAI executive and co-workers during which he was told that his remarks would be “inappropriate” and discouraging him from using the first and last names of the politicians he was citing.

The head of state-run RAI has promised to investigate.

Among those supporting Fedez were two former premiers, Enrico Letta, now head of the Democratic Party, and Giuseppe Conte, who has been tapped as head of the 5-Star Movement. Letta called on RAI to apologized to the rapper.

Gay rights groups mostly welcomed Fedez’ words. The president of Arcigay, Gabriele Piazzoni, said he “gave voice to millions of us,” while the spokesman of Partito Gay (Gay Party), Fabrizio Marrazzo, said the phone call with the RAI management was “disconcerting” and called on RAI’s oversight board to intervene.

The president of Equality Italia, Aurelio Mancuso, was more cautious, warning that polarization could further stall the proposed law, “which must be approved in the Senate, not on Fedez’ Instagram page.”

League leader Matteo Salvini, meanwhile, went on an offensive, reiterating his reasons for opposing the legislation in television appearances and social media posts and offering to debate the issue on TV with Fedez.

Still, Salvini distanced himself from the remarks by the League members, calling them “disgusting.”

The so-called Zan Law, named for a Democratic Party lawmaker and gay rights activist Alessandro Zan, would add women along with people who are gay, transgender or have disabilities to the classes of those already protected under a law banning discrimination and punishing hate crimes.

Right-wing politicians object to language they claim would make it a crime to publicly oppose gay marriage or adoptions by gay people.

The Guardian

Biden stakes claim to being America’s most pro-union president ever

The president’s decision to set up a taskforce to boost union membership is of a piece with other efforts in his first 100 days People listen as then Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks after touring International Union of Operating Engineers Local 66, in New Alexandria, Pennsylvania, in September 2020. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP Just over 100 days into his presidency Joe Biden is showing that he is one of the most pro-union presidents in American history, declaring the “unions built the middle class” in his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Union membership has declined precipitously in the US and accounted for about 10.8% of US employees last year, just over half the rate in 1983. Unions have also suffered notable setbacks in recent years, mostly recently failing to get the votes to unionize at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama. None of this has dampened Biden’s ardor for organized labor, or Republican opposition to it. Last Monday, Biden issued an executive order establishing the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, a move that aims to help unions expand their ranks. On Tuesday, Biden named Celeste Drake, to head his new “Made in America” program, which is designed to steer more federal money to US manufacturers. Drake is longtime trade expert at AFL-CIO, the US’s largest union federation. Also last week, the White House issued a fact sheet saying that Biden’s proposed $2.3tn infrastructure plan would create many union jobs in construction, clean energy and other fields – by, for instance, requiring companies that receive money under the legislation not to oppose unionization efforts. Biden’s new taskforce is seen as an important pro-union move – headed by Vice-President Kamala Harris, it includes most cabinet members and aims to have the entire executive branch promote unionizing and collective bargaining. In this way, Biden is undertaking an extraordinary effort to help reverse the decades-long decline in labor unions’ membership and power. In announcing the taskforce, the White House said “the shrinking of America’s middle class [is] associated with the declining percentage of workers in unions”. The taskforce, officials say, will recommend ways to use existing policies and programs to promote organizing and will also explore new policies to further that goal. “This is an all-hands-on-deck effort,” Jared Bernstein, a member of the president’s council of economic advisers, told the Guardian. “The marching order from the president is everything we do in the job market space needs to reflect the importance of unionization.” One White House official noted that the percentage of federal workers in unions, 28%, is lower than the percentage of state and local government workers. He said the administration might seek to increase that percentage by communicating with federal employees on the advantages of joining unions. Robert Bruno, a professor of labor relations at the University of Illinois, called Biden’s creation of the new taskforce “a significant historical step”. “The idea of the White House using this as a platform – it seems every cabinet member is on the taskforce – is a pretty profound statement about the importance the Biden administration places on collective bargaining and organizing workers.” A White House fact sheet seemed to acknowledge the complaints of many labor leaders who argue Democratic presidents have done too little to strengthen unions. “No previous administration has taken a comprehensive approach to determining how the executive branch can advance worker organizing and collective bargaining,” the fact sheet said. During his first 100 days, Biden has acted repeatedly to promote unions. On his very first day, he fired the National Labor Relations Board’s anti-union general counsel. On 28 February, he issued a video that some historians say was the most pro-union statement ever by a sitting president, one that many saw as indirect support for the unsuccessful Amazon unionization drive. Biden has vigorously supported the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, (Pro Act), the most pro-union legislation to advance in Congress since the 1930s. The House approved it in March, but it faces a filibuster in the Senate. Among other things, the Pro Act would take away some of corporate America’s most effective tactics in fighting unionization and give state and local employees in all 50 states the right to unionize. Biden gave his indirect support to the drive to unionize the Amazon warehouse at Bessemer, Alabama. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images Biden has backed other legislation that labor strongly supports. He has pushed to lift the federal minimum wage to $15, and after a $15 minimum lacked the votes to pass the Senate, he issued an executive order on Tuesday setting a $15 minimum for federal contractors. Unions also applaud Biden’s efforts to create 12 weeks’ paid leave for new parents and workers who need to care for sick family members. “Biden has a long record of being very pro-union. The challenge now is figuring out what he can do with Congress, what he can do without Congress and what he’s willing to do without Congress,” said Rebecca Givan, a professor of labor studies at Rutgers. “Supporting organized labor is a win-win for him. It builds on his electoral base. It addresses what he sees as the key problems ailing our country, not the least of which is economic inequality, and it builds broader support for Democrats up and down the ballot across the country.” Some labor experts say Biden may prove to be even more pro-union than Franklin D Roosevelt, who signed landmark legislation creating a minimum wage and giving workers a federal protected right to unionize. Givan said that for Biden to be arguably as pro-labor as FDR, he will need to go beyond rhetoric and take some far-reaching pro-labor actions and enact some important pro-labor legislation. Seth Harris, a White House labor adviser, told the Guardian: “In the past we’ve had very good-faith efforts by some presidents to do individual things, like executive order and regulatory actions [to help unions]. The question is, what about a whole-of-government approach? We never sit down and think about what it would be like if the whole government was organized around the principle that worker organizing was a good thing and not a bad thing.” Biden appears eager to use multiple tools and tactics to promote unions, including his procurement powers, through $600bn in annual federal contracting. That power might be used to organize the lightly unionized clean energy industry, officials said. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden meet with labor leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, including Eric Dean, general president of the Ironworkers International Union, right, in February. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP “We know that about two-thirds of Americans approve of unions from a 2020 Gallup poll,” said Bernstein of the council of economic advisers. “We know that only 6% of private-sector workers are union members. There is a huge gap between the number of working Americans who want to be represented by unions and have collective bargaining and the number who are in unions. It could make a very big difference in this space to have a president who uses the bully pulpit to make this a front-and-center preference.” None of this has sat well with Republicans. Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the ranking Republican on the House education and labor committee, criticized Biden for creating the new taskforce, saying that move “further solidified his cushy relationship with union bosses; the same people responsible for swindling workers’ hard-earned paychecks and pushing radical, unworkable policies that lead to lower economic growth”. But for all his talk of bipartisanship, Biden seems keen to promote unions despite the potential blowback and is actively courting working Americans in his efforts. “Union workers earn roughly 13% more than non-union workers on a similar job site,” the White House said in a fact sheet. “They also experience drastically lower rates of labor standards violations,” like wage theft or safety violations. The fact sheet noted that 60% of the nation’s 16 million union members are women and/or people of color. In an interview, a senior White House official said Biden was very concerned about the weakened state of worker power and sees unions as the best method of increasing it. “His framing of worker power and unionization has always been a matter of getting a fair shake at the bargaining table,” the official said. “He looks at the bargaining table and sees a woman of color in the healthcare sector and on the other side of the table, a bunch of people with a lot more power than she has, and that’s what he wants to balance out.”

A gay paramedic has been burnt alive in an alleged homophobic attack in Latvia.

Normunds Kindzulis, 29, died after he was doused in flammable fuel and set ablaze in the suspected arson at his home.

The victim was tragically unable to survive his horrific injuries that left him with burns to 85% of his body

Another gay man was also burned in the blaze as he rushed to Normunds’ aid, campaigners urging the police to treat the incident as a homophobic hate crime claimed, according to the Star Online.

Normunds was rushed to hospital for burns treatment in Latvia’s capital of Riga following the alleged attack on April 23.

But the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) confirmed on Wednesday he had since sadly died, Pink News reports.

The EPOA wrote on Twitter: “Normunds Kindzulis, a victim of the homophobic arson attack in Latvia last week, has succumbed to his injuries. Our deepest condolences to his partner and family, and to all our community in Latvia.”

Local police initially refused to open an investigation, according to Euractiv – which added that the authorities have not ruled out the young man taking his own life.

An investigation has now been launched into the paramedic’s death.

Police officer Andrejs Grishins said on Thursday: “Bringing someone to the brink of suicide is also a crime.”

Kindzulis had reportedly faced homophobic death threats in Riga before seeking refuge in the quiet town of Tukums, where he was said to have been physically assaulted at least four times.

The second burns victim claimed the pair had reported a neighbour to the authorities for threatening and jeering at them in the five-storey building they lived in.

He told Tukums Independent News: “We reported these threats to both the police and the neighbour’s workplace, but there was no reaction.

“We had to wait for someone to be mutilated or killed.”

In response to the incident, Latvia’s president Egils Levits tweeted “there is no place for hate in Latvia”.

Critics point out the EU nation recently passed legislation which defines family as exclusively the “union of a male and female person”.

Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said the “heinous crime” should be “thoroughly investigated,” Euro News reports.

Consistency was important when it came to parental support of gay and lesbian people, a researcher reported.

In a survey of 175 gay and lesbian adults, those who reported consistent positive support from their parents had the lowest levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, according to Matthew Verdun, of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles.

But individuals whose parents were consistently negative when it came to their sexual orientation didn’t experience significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression, Verdun explained at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) virtual annual meeting.

Interestingly, gay and lesbian adults whose parents flip-flopped with support — vacillating from negative to positive support regarding their child’s sexual orientation — experienced significantly greater symptoms of anxiety and depression than those with consistently positive or consistently negative parents.

“The findings are also relevant to mental health providers working with lesbian and gay individuals who have, or desire, a strong family connection or whose families are inconsistent in their support,” according to Verdun and colleagues in a poster presentation.

Measured by the GAD-7 questionnaire, people with consistently positive support had average anxiety scores of 5.79 (mild anxiety), while those with consistently negative support from parents had average scores of 6.22 (mild anxiety). However, those with parents who alternated between negative to positive support had an average score of 10.37, indicating moderate anxiety.

As measured by the PHQ questionnaire, those with consistent positive or negative support from parents saw mean scores of 7.38 and 8.20 (mild depression), respectively. But those whose parents weren’t consistent with support had an average score of 12.88, suggesting moderate depression severity.

Verdun recommended that if a provider has a patient who says they’re being rejected by their parents, the first thing to do is to ensure sure they’re safe and have immediate needs met, such as safe housing and access to food. The next time would be to connect patients with community resources or online in order to gain support from other sources.

“Are there existing Gay-Straight Alliances [networks] if your client is in school? Or if your person is not in school, is there an LGBT community center?” he stated.

For the analysis, surveys were administered to 175 cisgender gay and lesbian adults, who were recruited via social media. The surveys included demographic questions and questions on their parents’ initial support regarding their sexual orientation, as well as current level of support.

Most of the participants were under age 30, and about 70% of the cohort was white, while 9% were Black, 11% Latinx, and about 3% Asian. The vast majority (about 90%) had attained some college education or higher.

In total, the majority of participants had consistently positive support from their parents (n=84), while 50 had consistently negative parental support, and 41 had parents who went from negative to positive support. Only two respondents had parents who went from positive to negative feelings, and were excluded for being too small to analyze.

A study limitation was the lack of data on substance use amongst the parental support groupings.

Verdun said the next area of research may be to see what individuals of consistently rejecting parents did to support and buffer their mental health.

APA press conference moderator Jeffrey Borenstein, MD, of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, called the study “extremely important…I like that this can potentially lead to guidance in terms of treatment.”

Borenstein noted that it’s “common sense” that those with more supportive parents will have fewer anxiety and depressive symptoms, but “it’s always good to have such a finding demonstrated.”

“I think that the finding about the consistent parenting — even if there is a rejecting response — leads to further research to better understand why that’s so, and to see what types of other support these individuals are able to have that allows for lower levels of depression and anxiety,” he stated, adding that this population is vulnerable to mental health issues, including higher rates of suicide.