The largest gay pride parade in central Europe took place again in Warsaw for the first time in two years after a pandemic pause and a backlash in Poland and Hungary against LGBT rights.
Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski walked at the head of the Equality Parade on Saturday, a sign of support for LGBT rights by the liberal politician.
Thousands of people joined the march and were cheered on by others waving rainbow flags from their balconies.
But that level of acceptance is not universal in Poland, a heavily Catholic, largely conservative country.
The joyful and colourful celebration was tinged with fear of what the future holds for the rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people after setbacks first in Russia and now in Hungary.
“The day of the parade is always a bitter-sweet moment for our community,” said Rafal Wojtczak, a spokesman for the organisers.
He described feelings of sadness and helplessness that LGBT people have not achieved rights liked same-sex partnership or marriage in Poland, while also facing new threats.
The parade comes days after Hungary’s parliament passed a law that makes it illegal to show any materials about LGBT issues to people under 18.
Hungary’s conservative ruling party portrayed the law as an effort to fight paedophilia.
But human rights groups see it as a cynical tool that will stigmatise and discriminate against LGBT people, and prevent young people from accessing critical information.
Poland’s populist ruling party has taken a political direction very similar to that of Hungary under prime minister Viktor Orban in recent years, pushing conservative policies and tightening ruling party control over courts and media.
The European Union has denounced both these two member nations, accusing them of eroding democratic norms.
One prominent Polish activist, Bart Staszewski, carried a Hungarian flag in Saturday’s march. He said it was a message to the EU to act in defence of LGBT people because he fears that “Poland will be next”.
This weekend’s Equality Parade comes 20 years since the event was first held in the Polish capital.
It was banned twice in its early years by a conservative mayor, Lech Kaczynski, who feared it would promote homosexuality, and last year it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the first event in 2001, Polish society has become largely more open on the issue of gay rights, shaped by EU membership and cultural influences from the West.
This year’s parade was smaller than the one in 2019 due to some pandemic restrictions.
Father Paulo Antônio Mueller hurling homophobic slurs from the pulpit (YouTube/Jacques Gosh)
A Brazilian priest is under investigation after he was filmed delivering a homophobic slur-filled homily about a gay reporter.
Father Paulo Antônio Mueller, a preacher in the city of Tapurah, is being investigated by Mato Grosso State prosecutors for a vile anti-gay sermon during Pride month.
The video shows him standing in the pulpit and repeatedly using the Portuguese slur “viados”, which is best translated as “f****ts”.
“Dating for us is not like Globo [a major Brazilian TV network] showed this week. Two viados, I’m sorry, two viados. A reporter with a little viado called Pedrinho, I mean, Felipe, saying: ‘Prepare lunch, I’m coming home. I miss you, Felipe.’ Ridiculous,” Mueller said.
The priest delivered the hate-filled sermon on 13 June, a day after Lovers’ Day, when Brazilians typically celebrate love and romance.
According to Crux Now, Mueller was alluding to another video that went viral in Brazil on Lovers’ Day last year, in which TV Globo reporter Erick Rianelli sent a message to his partner Pedro Figueiredo on air.
>As the video was shared by thousands again this year, Mueller told the congregation to consult the Bible and see that God “created man and woman”.
“That’s marriage. They can call the union of two viados and two lesbians the way they want, but not marriage. Please! That’s a lack of respect towards God, it’s sacrilege, it’s blasphemy,” he said.
“Marriage is something beautiful and dignified. Sentiment, love, is for a man and a woman.”
A few days later, Mato Grosso State prosecutors confirmed that they had launched an inquiry to determine if the priest had perpetrated any crime.
“The Mato Grosso State prosecutors launched that investigation because the Supreme Court has recently decided that acts of homophobia should be treated in a similar way that acts of racism, which are crimes according to the Brazilian law,” explained Catholic lawyer Cláudio Langroiva Pereira, speaking to Crux.
Pereira said all citizens must be held responsible for their acts when “their rhetoric harms fundamental human rights”.
“I consider that he extrapolated the right to freedom of speech which the Brazilian State grants him. The Supreme Court equates homophobia to hate speech. His own institution, the Catholic Church, doesn’t authorise him to say such things,” he added.
Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.
The Groundbreaker: Victim
Few contemporary audiences have even heard of this 1961 British thriller–the first movie ever to invoke use of the term “homosexual.” The great Dirk Bogarde (who was gay in real life) stars as Melville Farr, a successful lawyer living in London with his wife, Laura (Sylvia Syms)…and a closeted gay man. When Boy, his former boyfriend (Peter McEnery), approaches him for money, Melville expresses the requisite skepticism. Then he learns of a much larger blackmail plot over a picture of he and Boy in an intimate embrace. Unable to turn to the police, as homosexuality was sill a crime at the time, Melville vows to destroy his blackmailers by helping their other victims. On his journey into the underworld, Melville must dodge his blackmailers and the police or risk total ruin.
Victim did in 1961 what it would take American films, television, and even the stage years to do: portray a sympathetic gay protagonist. Director Basil Dearden shoots the film in film noir style, using the long, rich shadows of black and white photography to create an atmosphere of danger and suspense. It helps too that Dearden has Bogarde–one of the great, underrated actors–in the lead, giving one of his best performances. As a gay man himself, Bogarde understood the pain and repression of his character, not to mention the pressures of hiding his sexuality from the public. More importantly, he doesn’t fall into the trap of making Melville into a pathetic character. Rather, he plays the role as a fundamentally good man, not ashamed of who he is or who he loves, but frightened by life in a hostile world.
Victim may not have the affirmation or sexual charge of latter-day gay films, but that doesn’t make it any less important, or any less powerful. It’s an essential film in the Queer Cinematic Canon, one that features a stellar performance by Bogarde, and one that still deserves to be seen.
A FARMER has spoken of growing up gay in Herefordshire and how he used social media to become comfortable with his sexuality.
Ben Andrews, who farms near Leominster, has been named a top rural influencers by Norwegian influencer marketing platform inzpire.me for amassing 45,000 Instagram followers.
Mr Andrews gives updates from the farm, as well as about his experience of being gay in a rural community, and is involved in Agrespect, an lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) farmers network that encourages inclusivity and diversity.
Growing up in Herefordshire, Mr Andrews, 39, said he had to use gender-neutral pronouns, such as they and them, to talk about his boyfriend, worried about how people could react.
Social media, for Mr Andrews, has been “self-therapy” as he found the more he talked about his sexuality, the more he felt comfortable with it.
His involvement with Agrespect started when he and a farming friend from Lincolnshire were talking about press coverage of issues facing the industry, with mental health and suicide talked about most.
They agreed that while they were serious issues, there were others – such as challenges facing people in the LGBTQ+ community working in agriculture.
He didn’t want young, gay farmers in Herefordshire feeling like they had to “run away to the city”, because it was possible to “live your best life” in farming.
He said people in Herefordshire might have formed opinions based on what their peers say, without actually ever meeting anyone in the community. He said this was a reason why Herefordshire was arguably less accepting of LGBTQ+ people, and his “coming out” left some people shocked as they’d never met anyone from the community before.
In Hay-on-Wye, the town will host its first ever Pride event next year.
With June being Pride month, founded to to recognise the impact lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history, friends Graham Nolan and Helen Jane Campbell revealed their plans for 2022.
Hay Castle has agreed in principle to host the event, and businesses are pledging support.
Mr Nolan said Hay-on-Wye had been accepting since he moved to the world-famous book town with his partner, but said there was still a “huge amount of shame” associated with sexuality.
He wants Hay Pride to create conversation, show off the town as being something special, and “make sure locals who don’t themselves identify as LGBTQ+ know their power and value as allies in an inclusive community”.
Just because parents want their offspring to be the world’s wokeist doesn’t mean it will be so. Plonking kids in front of a TV screen and demanding they enjoy a camp concert doesn’t mean they’ll grow up how their parents imagine.
If I was an obsessive wokey parent, I’d be very worried about the inevitable blowback. Know what I mean? You’ll no doubt recall your own years of teenage rebellion, when hormones pulsed through your body. It’s human nature to do the very opposite of what your parents demand, especially when they can be annoyingly prescriptive and preachy. It is, after all, simply human nature to rebel against one’s parents. Blame biology.
Just because you really want little gender-neutral Arlo and Kai to be exemplars of the wokeist take on the human race, doesn’t mean it will come to pass. It’s his or her life, not yours. They’ll do what they feel, ultimately, whether you like it or not. And trying to create the model human, the child of one’s dreams, smells to me of eugenics.
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That bloke Adolf Hitler and his fascist mates had all wanted their offspring to face in the exact same direction too, and you may have read about how that all ended. Little Adolf’s mummy, Klara, doted on her boy and, in return, she was apparently “the only person he genuinely loved”.
And what about those parents who obsessively push their little girls and boys in specific directions? There have been loads of TV documentaries over the years about unhinged mothers and fathers – oh, sorry, parents who give birth and parents who don’t give birth – living their lives through their offspring. You know, the dad at the touchline screeching out instructions to his not-very-sporty son. Or the mum who’s utterly convinced her daughter is gonna be the next big thing in Hollywood and live out her mother’s dreams. Whether the kid agrees or not is irrelevant. Casting directors are always nervous about who might walk through the door when they have a role for a child – and it’s not the kids that cause the nerves but their parents.
And this parental pressure so often backfires. Take Sasha Bennington, a little girl from Burnley, Lancashire, in the UK, whose mother was convinced would take the American beauty pageant world by storm. She was famous for a while, on account of a BBC documentary about her. As an 11-year-old, Sasha was obsessed with Jordan, aka Katie Price, the glamour model with absurdly large fake breasts. Or was it her mother Jayne who had that obsession…? Anyway, a fortune was spent on the girl’s fake tan and make-up and hair extensions. And guess what happened when she turned 15? Sasha rebelled and became… wait for it… a boxer. Awesome!
What about James Hetfield? His parents were devout Christian Scientists and medicine was forbidden, so his mother rejected treatment for the cancer that killed her when her son was aged 16. He went on to become the frontman of heavy metal band Metallica, and penned little ditties such as ‘Enter Sandman’ – a tune that was originally about cot death but then rewritten into a song about the manipulation of kids by adults.
The world is full of the offspring of hyper-religious parents who became Satan worshippers or lovers of death metal and such like, or the sons and daughters of 1960s hippies and communists who became bankers and accountants, arch-capitalists. And, by the same token, obsessing over your child’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not only similarly pointless, but very dim and, frankly, quite offensive, because it isn’t up to you – it’s up to him or her.
I’m a dad. I have a daughter and a son. I have known a little boy in my girl’s school since he was about four years old. He has always liked dresses and Disney Princess dolls and all that. He’s now on the cusp of puberty, and I would be amazed if he isn’t gay. He has seemed that way since he was a toddler. So what? Who cares? The kids in the playground don’t care. He was always that way. They’ll quite possibly only notice when some stupid parent makes a stupid comment. And maybe I’m wrong and he’ll become a heterosexual lothario. Again, though – who cares? It’s up to him and nobody else. The kid will find his own way, because that’s what we all have to do. Human nature. Mollycoddle and control your offspring at your peril – and theirs.
It always amuses me to read the clunky, crap new terms that have been concocted on college campuses in recent years and end up in the pages of The Guardian. The alphabet soup of LGBPTTQQIIAA+ options is utterly exhausting. And, anyway, most people probably fit into more than one category. But again, man – so what? Does a new badge change how you feel? And do you honestly believe there’s anything new in any of this anyway? Ask the Greeks or the Romans or the Egyptians. They’d seen it all before, thousands of years ago. They even drew pictures and made statues showing human beings disporting themselves every which way. It’s all just self-important, self-obsessive and self-inflating woke gas, and thus irrelevant. It’s certainly not new.
So, wokeys, are you getting my drift? Do you see my point? Push too hard in one direction, and a child is very likely to head the opposite way. It’s human nature, be they male or female, boy or girl.
A big virtual Disney+ concert is to be streamed on YouTube and Facebook on June 27, hosted by drag queen Nina West. It’s being staged to mark the end of US Pride month and celebrate all things LGBT. I can’t be bothered to type the rest of the list of letters, given it changes almost daily, and, anyway, many of the Ls – that is, lesbians – want out. The plan is for popular Disney tunes to be re-imagined with (L)GBT themes. Kermit the Frog is in the mix, too, though I dunno what he’s gonna add to the proceedings – does Kermit even have sex organs or a gender?
Anyway, let me dad-splain something (that’s man-splaining but by dads, by the way): if your kids want to watch this camp concert, then let it be their choice. If you force them to sit down and enjoy it – “or else!” – don’t whinge when they grow up into heretics and revert to a type last seen in Victorian-era London, believing there should be no sex before marriage and gay sex should be outlawed altogether. I’m just saying.
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
Sesame Street is celebrating Pride month with an adorable special episode introducing its first ever same-sex couple.
The milestone episode, titled “Family Day,” debuted on HBO Max and YouTube on Thursday (17 June) and sees characters welcome their family members to the famous street.
Among them are Frank and Dave, the brother of Nina, who works as a bike store owner on the street, and their daughter, Mia.
The iconic kids’ show has discussed LGBT+ families in the past, but Yahoo reports this is first time it’s ever featured a same-sex couple (not counting Bert and Ernie, of course).
Cast member Alan Muraoka, who helped create the episode, shared his happiness on Facebook.
“Sesame Street has always been a welcoming place of diversity and inclusion. So I’m so excited to introduce Nina’s brother Dave, his husband Frank, and their daughter Mia to our sunny street,” he wrote.
“I am so honoured and humbled to have co-directed this important and milestone episode. Love is love, and we are so happy to add this special family to our Sesame family. Happy Pride to all!”
His post was welcomed by scores of parents who were delighted to see the beloved show changing with the times.
“Thank you for showing my boys a family like ours!” commented one. “As a mother of a gay son and a gay daughter, I approve!!!!” wrote another.
The American country pop star Kelsea Ballerini guest starred in the special episode, also touching on the topic of families and how they all share one thing: love.
“I wanna sing a song all about families,” Ballerini said to Elmo.
“Elmo loves his family,” the red Muppet replied. “I love my family too,” she responds. “Actually I love all families … because every family’s different.”
The upcoming lineup for season 51 of Sesame Street includes Hailee Steinfeld, Issa Rae, Billy Porter, Stephen and Ayesha Curry and Maggie Rogers.
Ahead of Germany’s third Euro 2020 group game against Hungary in Munich on Wednesday, city councilors in the Bavarian capital have put forward a motion to have the arena illuminated in rainbow colors.
“[Munich] supports diversity, tolerance and genuine equality in sport and in society,” reads the joint motion from all six factions on Munich’s city council, addressed to Munich mayor Dieter Reiter.
“On the occasion of the match between Germany and Hungary, the council wishes to send a visible message of solidarity to the LGBT community in Hungary which is suffering under recent legislation passed by the Hungarian government.”
“This law represents a new nadir in the disenfranchisement of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, the latest in a series of measures over the years which constitute a systematic restriction of the rule of law and basic freedoms in Hungary,” read the motion from the Munich councilors.
It also said the new Hungarian law contravened the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights and the aims of the EU Commission’s strategy on LGBTIQ equality.
“In this situation, so soon after the passing of this legislation, the German national team’s fixture against Hungary offers a public platform on which to send the message that Munich stands for a diverse and tolerant society,” concluded the motion. “Sport, and football in particular, also stands for these values.”
Far-right fans from the “Carpathian Brigade” conduct the atmosphere at Hungary’s home games.
Pro-LGBT+ and anti-LGBT+ messages in football
Campaigns and messages in support of LGBT+ rights are commonplace in German football, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer wearing a rainbow-colored captain’s armband during Tuesday’s defeat to France, for example. During the regular season, Bundesliga clubs and their supporters regularly take part in similar initiatives, while Hungary and RB Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi also recently spoke out publicly in support of same-sex marriage.
Generally, however, the fan culture at domestic games and also surrounding the national team in Hungary is dominated by right-wing ultra and hooligan groups, who have traditionally made no secret of their anti-Semitic and anti-gypsy views.
At each of Hungary’s two group games in Budapest, the fan blocks behind the goal were occupied by the black-shirted “Carpathian Brigade” – a neo-Nazi ultra group made up of members of extreme-right groups from across Hungarian football, united behind the national team.
During the 0-3 defeat to Portugal on June 15, the same day the anti-LGBT legislation was passed, the Carpathian Brigade displayed anti-LGBT+ banners and sang anti-LGBT+ chants inside the stadium, which UEFA are investigating.
Ahead of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with France, members of the group marched to the Puskas Arena behind an anti-kneeling banner, a reference to some national teams, including England, “taking the knee” against racism and discrimination.
Veterans Affairs officials for the first time will offer surgeries for transgender veterans seeking to alter their physical attributes, Secretary Denis McDonough will announce on Saturday.
The move follows repeated promises by VA officials to make the department “more welcoming” to all veterans and was accompanied by an announcement that the Veterans Health Administration will rename its LGBT health program to the LGBTQ+ program to “reflect new community standards of inclusiveness and anticipate future changes in terms.”
“[This is ] allowing transgender vets to go through the full gender confirmation process with VA by their side,” McDonough said prepared remarks for an event at the Orlando VA Healthcare System in Florida. “We’re making these changes not only because they are the right thing to do, but because they can save lives.”
The National Center for Transgender Equality estimates there are more than 134,000 transgender veterans in America today, and another 15,000 transgender individuals serving in the armed forces.
The new department regulations allow transgender people who meet military standards to enlist and serve openly in their self-identified gender, and they will be able to get medically necessary transition-related care authorized by law, said the officials.
VA officials estimate that around 4,000 veterans nationwide will be interested in the surgeries. Total cost of the program is not yet known. The department also could not say when surgeries will be available, since officials must first go through a formal rule change process.
McDonough said making the change “will require changing VA’s regulations and establishing policy that will ensure the equitable treatment and safety” of transgender veterans.
“There are several steps to take, which will take time. But we are moving ahead, methodically, because we want this important change in policy to be implemented in a manner that has been thoroughly considered to ensure that the services made available to veterans meet VA’s rigorous standards for quality health care.”
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The announcement on gender confirmation surgeries, also known as gender reassignment surgeries, is a dramatic shift from the previous White House and President Donald Trump’s moves to ban transgender individuals from joining the military and limit surgery options for those already in the ranks. Trump cited cost and morale concerns for that opposition.
McDonough, in his remarks, called it a matter of finding the best ways to serve veterans’ needs.
“LGBTQ+ veterans experience mental illness and suicidal thoughts at far higher rates than those outside their community,” he said. “But they are significantly less likely to seek routine care, largely because they fear discrimination.
“At VA, we’re doing everything in our power to show veterans of all sexual orientations and gender identities that they can talk openly, honestly and comfortably with their health care providers about any issues they may be experiencing.”
Since 2016, all VA facilities have had a local LGBT Veteran Care Coordinator responsible for helping those veterans connect to available services.
In a statement, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif. and the first openly gay minority individual elected to Congress, hailed the move.
“Veterans in need of gender confirmation surgery should not have to seek healthcare outside of the VA health system or navigate complicated processes to get the care they need,” he said. “VA must be inclusive of all veterans who have served, regardless of their identity.”
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., similarly praised the expansion of health care offerings for transgender veterans.
“Every service member and veteran deserves equal access to quality care from VA, and this includes our LGBTQ+ veterans,” he said in a statement. “We must reaffirm our commitment to making VA a more welcoming place for everyone who fought to protect our freedoms.”
But House Veterans’ Affairs Committee ranking member Mike Bost, R-Ill., blasted the announcement as the White House trying to win “the culture wars.”
“This announcement clearly has more to do with advancing a radical liberal agenda than serving veterans,” he said. “It is a disgrace. This administration should rethink their priorities immediately.”
In a statement, GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis praised the news as “not only an overdue victory for transgender veterans, but the latest move from Secretary McDonough and the VA in affirming LGBTQ veterans.”
The Rockets drafted Rudy Gay (right) in 2006 and then traded him to Memphis in a deal that brought them Shane Battier (31).
Jessica Kourkounis/For the Chronicle
Sixth in a series
As the Rockets await an NBA draft lottery this year that is critical to the franchise’s rebuild, we take a look back at previous lotteries they were involved in. The Rockets are “credited” with ushering in the lottery system after they were accused of tanking in 1983-84 to land Hakeem Olajuwon with the first overall pick (they also had to win a coin flip with Portland).
Year: 2006 Rockets’ final record: 34-48 Odds to win: 2.3 percent First player taken: Andrea Bargnani (F, Italy) by Toronto Rockets’ final draft slot: 8th
Rockets draftee: Rudy Gay, F, UConn.
How things worked out: It’d be safe to call this a good deal for both sides. Gay was with the Rockets long enough to put on their cap at the draft before being traded with Stromile Swift to Memphis for Shane Battier. Gay, still active, has enjoyed a long NBA career with four different teams.
Battier was a nice addition, playing four-plus seasons in Houston earning two second-team All-Defensive team honors as he started 340 of his 348 games with the Rockets. He was dealt back to Memphis in a multiplayer deal at the 2010-11 trade deadline.
This week, U.S. president Joe Biden met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva.
Palestinian activists in Gaza fired incendiary balloons toward Israeli farmland to protest the Israeli ultranationalist March of the Flags in Jerusalem’s Old City, an annual event celebrating Israel’s 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem.
After a pandemic-induced break, Warsaw held the largest gay pride parade in the region amid a pushback in Poland and Hungary against LGBT rights.
Here’s how these and other stories from the week were captured by photographers around the world.
A Palestinian protester throws a burning projectile towards Israeli forces during a demonstration east of Gaza City by the border with Israel. June 15, 2021Mahmud Hams/AFP
President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland. June 16, 2021Patrick Semansky/AP Photo
Belarusian dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich widely viewed to be kept hostage at a news conference organised by Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Minsk, BelarusJune 14, 2021. Ramil Nasibulin/BelTA via AP
Teddy bears are pictured inside American vintage cars driving through Paris in a show of support for the tourism industry which was hit by pandemic. June, 13, 2021Lewis Joly/AP Photo
Visitors ride a rollercoaster at the Cinecitta World amusement park on the outskirts of Rome on the day of its reopening after being closed since 2020. June 17, 2021Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo
People enjoy the warm weather as they float on a self made boat at the Nyhavn, a 17th-century waterfront, canal and tourists attraction in Copenhagen, Denmark. June 18, 2021Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP
A demonstrator falls as they are hit by water cannon during clashes with riot police amid ongoing protests against the government of Colombian President Ivan Duque in BogotaJune 12, 2021. Juan Barreto/AFP
Flowers are installed on a decorated wall in Beijing in preparations to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of China’s ruling Communist PartyJune 16, 2021. Andy Wong/AP Photo
Hikers pause to watch the sunset at Papago Park during a heatwave where temperatures reached 46 degrees Celsius in Phoenix, Arizona June 15, 2021.Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo
Did you witness any of these events? Share your experience with us via social media.
WARSAW, June 19 (Reuters) – Thousands marched through central Warsaw on Saturday in an “Equality Parade” demanding an end to discrimination against the LGBT community, amid what campaigners say has been a rising tide of homophobia in Poland in recent years.
LGBT rights have become a central part of a wider struggle in the country between liberals, who stress the need for a more tolerant and inclusive society, and religious conservatives, who denounce what they say is an attempt to subvert traditional values in the predominantly Catholic nation.
In a sea of rainbow flags, the symbol of the LGBT community, marchers gathered outside the towering neo-Gothic Palace of Culture in central Warsaw, as a DJ played dance music from a stage before the start of the march.
“The Equality Parade is a celebration of LGBT people and all those who have to fight for their rights,” said 22-year-old restaurant worker Sylwester Cimochowski.
“Homophobia is a huge problem in Poland … there are lots of people who can’t cope with it, they kill themselves. The situation of LGBT people in Poland is tragic and that’s why I’m here – to support them.”
Both politicians and clergy have been accused of stoking homophobia in Poland.
Some conservatives say they have nothing against gay people; they only oppose what they call “LGBT ideology”.
Meanwhile, in Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s nationalist government, which is allied with Poland’s governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has introduced a new law banning the “display and promotion of homosexuality” among under-18s.
“It’s getting more and more difficult … but at the same time there is more and more resistance,” said Marta Borkowska, a 37-year-old business consultant, referring to the situation of LGBT people in central and eastern Europe.
Asked what she would say to people who are opposed to the march, she replied, “I would say ‘don’t be afraid'”.
Reporting by Alan Charlish Additional reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz
Editing by Mark Potter
Homophobic Massachusetts pastor Scott Lively has insisted we must “eschew the Q” in LGBTQ, because it stands for “reQruits”.
Lively, who has for decades made it his mission to oppose LGBT+ rights and is “devoting” his weekly World Net Daily columns to homophobia during Pride Month, has now apparently forgotten how the alphabet works, when he claimed in his latest article that the Q in LGBTQ stands for “reQruits”.
He declared this week: “Virtually every clear-thinking, freedom-loving person in the world recognises that the increasingly universal, increasingly mandatory celebration of same-sex attraction disorder is a kind of ideological tyranny.
“The smartest of them realise its ultimate goal is to impose groupthink upon humanity and criminalise dissent.”
But of all the letters in the acronym “LGBTQ”, Lively said, the “Q” should be by far the most offensive to “MAGA patriots of all stripes”.
The homophobic pastor said that because the “Q” stands for “questioning” (although it is commonly understood to stand for “queer”), means that it “designates a category best described as ‘prime candidates for recruitment into the LGBT army’”.
He added: “‘Q’ effectively stands for ‘reQruits’… a system for and emphasis on attracting new members.”
Lively said he feared that his fellow homophobes may actually play a part in “enlisting” people into the “LGBT army”… by writing the letter Q.
He continued: “To be clear, by ‘recruiting’ I primarily mean encouraging impressionable young people to experiment with same-sex conduct with each other.
“That is the implied and sometimes express purpose of adding Q to LGBT when used by advocates of sexual conduct outside of monogamous heterosexual marriage.
“And it is why I advise everyone who cares about the moral, emotional, physical and spiritual health of young people never to add ‘Q’ to LGBT when referencing the coalition of people with same-sex attraction disorder and/or gender-identity disorder.
“To do so enlists you in the recruitment process whether you intend it to or not.”
Scott Lively tried to ban the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality
Scott Lively has an extremely long history of spewing anti-LGBT+ hatred, and in the 1990s he was instrumental in creating a proposed measure to prohibit “all governments in Oregon” from using money or property to “promote, encourage or facilitate homosexuality”.
He said at the time: “If God had given him favour, nothing that mankind could have done could have removed him from that office.
“They tried for four years, and yet the one thing that he did during that time that would virtually guarantee God’s favour being removed was to put his own personal stamp of approval on behaviour that God condemns in the harshest possible terms in the Bible, which is specifically male homosexuality.”
For many, Pride Month isn’t just a month. It’s what they live every day of the year.
“You could be the ‘A’ at the end of the alphabet, which stands for ‘ally,’” said Paco Lachoy, a longtime local journalist for the LGBTQ + community and founder of The Reno Gay Page.
“Pride is something that is with us every day, and we celebrate it every day,” he said. “It’s not just the month of June when the Stonewall Riots happened.”
Lachoy said he’s been involved in the LGBTQ+ movement even before the Stonewall Riots— a series of riots that erupted following a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, on June 28, 1969.
The incident is largely considered the catalyst that started the modern-day LGBTQ+ civil rights movement in the U.S.
“Because of that incident that set things off, it started gay liberation and freedom marches, which has now become Pride,” Lachoy said.
The LGBTQ+ movement has come a long way since then, particularly in Nevada, according to local transgender rights advocate Sherrie Scaffidi.
Scaffidi, a U.S. Navy Seabee veteran and transgender woman, has been lobbying for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights at the state legislature for the past several years.
She serves as the president of PFLAG Carson Region, a board member of Transgender Allies Group and is a Nevada veterans advocate. Last year, she also ran for the Nevada Assembly Seat in District 40.
“Between 2009 and 2019, we have passed 34 laws protecting the rights and safety of LGBTQ residents,” Scaffidi said.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, Nevada ranks as the best state in the country for LGBTQ people—mostly because of its nondiscriminatory laws and low rate of hate crimes motivated by gender identity or sexual orientation.
Here’s a look back at Reno’s Pride history, the groundbreaking Reno Gay Rodeo and how rights have improved for the LGTBQ+ community in Nevada.
Reno’s ‘strong gay history’
Lachoy has been sharing stories on the LGBTQ+ community for nearly three decades in the region’s first and only gay newspaper, now an online-only website.
“Reno has a really strong gay history,” Lachoy said. “A lot of people don’t know that because it’s been, as you would say, in the closet for a long time and it’s just now coming out.”
The first Pride event was held in 1987 at Rock Park in Sparks, according to Lachoy.
“It was kind of private, and it was kind of quiet,” Lachoy said. “They had a little Pride Parade around a bar using decorated shopping carts back in the 80s. The community has become more out, sort of speak.”
The event eventually evolved into what Lachoy calls “the modern-day Pride,” which was first celebrated in 1997. Then, the first parade was held in 1999, he said.
“In Reno, we used to celebrate in August,” Lachoy said. “In fact, for a little bit, we had two pride celebrations three weeks apart, which really confused people.
“One has gone away because the person who put it on has passed,” he said. “It was around for almost 40 years. The Northern Nevada Pride has been around for eight years.”
Lachoy, who was on the planning committee for the first few Pride festivals, said Northern Nevada Pride has become a part of Artown. It’s one of the reasons Reno celebrates Pride Month in July.
“Reno is very conservative,” he said. “We had several people dressed in what we felt was inappropriate for Reno, and they were asked to go home and change.
“It has changed where you could probably get away with that now,” Lachoy said. “In the last 10 years, things have greatly changed in a positive way.
Gay rodeo has roots in Reno
On Oct. 2, 1976, the first Reno Gay Rodeo was held at the Washoe County Fairgrounds in Reno, according to OutHistory.org, a site that tracks historical moments within the LGBTQ+ community.
The Reno Gay Rodeo started with the Silver Dollar Court, the oldest LGBTQ organization in Nevada.
“It wasn’t real big then, but by 1980, it grew to draw over 40,000 people,” Lachoy said. “There were all kinds of protests.”
He said some people opposed to having a gay rodeo tried complaining to Washoe County commissioners to have them stop the event.
“The protesters were protesting, and AIDS was becoming a big thing,” he said. “It was very successful for eight years. Then they had a very bad year. AIDS was really taking over.”
The AIDS epidemic sparked fear among the public, and the Reno Gay Rodeo faced a stronger threat of violence than in past years, according to a 2019 report from KUNR Public Radio.
Although the Reno Gay Rodeo died out, it was the inspiration for the National Gay Rodeo Association. Gay rodeos still take place in other parts of the country, including Las Vegas.
“They still recognize Reno as the birthplace of gay rodeo,” Lachoy said, adding he believes the community has become more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.
“The city is so diverse, and I don’t think a lot of people know that,” he said. “Reno has kind of a red-neck personality, or that’s how it’s perceived, and it definitely isn’t that. If anything, it’s eclectic.”
Protecting the LGBTQ+ community
Both Lachoy and Scaffidi agreed Nevada has been progressive when it comes to laws protecting the LGBTQ+ community.
“Nevada is one of those states that has so many rights that protect gay and lesbian people because we’ve gone to the legislature,” Lachoy said. “They’ve learned that gay and lesbian people aren’t a threat to them. We’re just like everybody else.”
In 1999, Sen. David Parks became the first openly LGBTQ person elected to the Nevada State Legislature. He blazed the trail for pro-LGBTQ legislation.
Parks was instrumental in securing marriage equality in the Silver State in 2015—even before the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in favor of nationwide marriage equality.
Nevada also has several other nondiscriminatory laws that protect the LGBTQ+ community, from parenting laws to statutes against hate crime and protections for healthcare access.
“Between 2009 and 2019, we passed 34 laws protecting the rights and safety of LGBTQ residents,” Scaffidi said. “This year, we passed four laws that are positive for the LGBTQ community.”
Those laws include:
Assembly Bill 261: AB 261 requires schools to educate students on the contributions made within the sciences, arts and humanities by multiple minority groups, including those from the LGBTQ+ community.
Senate Bill 109: SB 109 revised provisions relating to the collection of certain information related to sexual orientation and gender identity by governmental agencies.
Senate Bill 237: SB 237 allowed for LGBTQ-owned businesses to be designated as minority-owned businesses, which means business owners can apply for grants or public contracts.
Senate Bill 275:SB 275 decriminalizes the transmission of HIV. Previous laws meant anyone who knowingly or willfully engaged in a manner that could transmit HIV could be charged with a felony.
Lachoy said that, politically, the fight to protect the LGBTQ+ community started with preventing the Nevada Citizens Alliance from banning homosexuals from teaching or holding any kind of public position.
Then in 1999, the state also passed workplace protection laws.
“They couldn’t discriminate anymore based on your sexual orientation,” Lachoy said.
Jeromy Manke, president of Our Center and director for Northern Nevada Pride, described the passing of marriage equality at the federal level in 2015 as a “huge moment” for the LGBTQ+ community.
Despite the national change, Nevada still had a state constitutional amendment limiting marriage between a man and woman.
“Although a Supreme Court ruling in 2015 had invalidated that, it was still something that was on the books that we worked for a long time and finally got removed,” Manke said. “It was just revoked in 2020.”
Manke said that, although it had no legal bearing, it still “enshrined” discrimination in the state constitution.
Lachoy said Pride Month has been the foundation for all of the progress that has been made throughout the years.
“We’re families; we’re parents; we’re grandparents; we’re teachers; we’re doctors; we’re lawyers,” Lachoy said. “We’re newspaper people, and we’re on TV. We’re everywhere, and you may never ever know.”
Aretha Franklin isn’t the only Detroit musical legend whose story is on the big screen.
Marvin Gaye is receiving biographical treatment, Deadline reported Thursday. The movie “What’s Going On” is directed by Allen Hughes, half of the Detroit-born Hughes brothers (“Menace II Society”, “Dead President”), and directed by Dr. Dre and Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy. I will. Iovin is one of the producers.
Marvin Gaye produced “What’s Going On” and composed with Leonardo “Obie” Benson and Al Cleveland.
The film has the right to use gay music, as gay widow, Jean Gay, and Motown Records are involved in the project. This was an important factor in the past when trying to screen gay life.
Playwright Marcus Gardley writes the script. The film’s budget is reported to exceed $ 80 million and is described as a “musical odyssey” rather than a simple biography.
“This is very personal to me,” Hughes told Deadline. Hughes has incorporated gay music into his project back to “Menace,” which used “What’s Going On” in the trailer. “I’m always connected to him. He’s an artist and has this airy voice coming out of heaven. There were a lot of great artists and Marvin in his own lane. . “
The protagonist hasn’t appeared yet, but Hughes wants to find an actor who can harmonize with the gay voice, where real vocals are used throughout the film.
“What’s Going On” is currently scheduled for release in 2023.
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