BENT! The Gay News Blog

USA: Preacher says he will recruit 100,000 former gays to heal AIDS




Sourced from:

6th July 2012
Joe Morgan

Christian leader Lou Engle tells a youth group they must pray in schools so gays and lesbians can be converted.


An American Christian leader has said he wants to recruit 100,000 former gay men and women to ‘pray AIDs away’ in a new video. Lou Engle told a youth Christian group he had prophesized a ‘first wave’ of ex-gay men and women who would bring about ‘radical salvations and healings of AIDs’. In the video discovered by Right Wing Watch yesterday (5 July), Engle says: ‘God, give us 100,000 gay lesbian men and women to be radically transformed.
‘Begin to pray it in your youth groups! Begin to pray it in your schools! Pray it in your devotions! Lift your voices today!’

At the same rally for the youth group, he said new film The Avengers, directed by gay friendly atheist Joss Whedon, was a good example of how to ‘fight demons’.
Engle said: ‘I want to be the Hulk. I was so deeply moved in that movie when the music’s going and Hulk’s coming – boom, boom. ‘I start weeping in the movie I am so moved by the Holy Spirit. Now you really think I’m crazy.’

Engle is well known in North America for a religious movement 'The Call', and hosting events which include 12-hour prayer sessions.

In May 2010, Engle traveled to Uganda and organized a rally there in which he praised the government’s efforts to combat h.omos.exuality, including the bill which called for life imprisonment or the death penalty.

However after criticism, he said he opposed the anti-h.omos.exuality bill, saying he had ‘no prior knowledge’ of it before the rally.



Ukraine: vote on anti-gay law cancelled




Sourced from:

Stacey Cosens
7th July 2012

The Ukrainian parliament is reported to have cancelled a vote on legislation that would ban any Ukrainian citizen from speaking out in favour of gays and lesbians.


Draft law 8711 would make supporting gay rights in the media or at events such as parades, demonstrations and meetings, a criminal offence.
In a press release, Andre Banks, co-founder and executive director of AllOut. said: “More than 120,000 All Out members spoke out against this horrendous legislation and pushed it to the top of Europe’s diplomatic agenda. “The message of our growing global movement is simple – everyone should be able to live openly and love who they choose. That call has been echoed by the European diplomatic community who played a critical role in blocking the progress of the gay gag law.

“Above all, this is a victory for our partners in Ukraine. Together we are sending a strong message to the other governments of Eastern Europe. Support for anti-gay laws embolden extremists at the expense of lucrative European ambitions.”

AllOUT, a global gay rights petition site, yesterday delivered a petition with 120,000 signatures to Ukrainian authorities at the European Union and Council of Europe.

KIEV, Ukraine - Elton John used the platform of an AIDS charity concert in Kiev on Saturday 7^th July 2012 to make an emotional appeal to Ukraine to stop what he called persecution of gays.



United Kingdom: Anti-gay hate preachers to speak at London conference this weekend




Sourced from:

Dan Littauer
6th July 2012
Abridged

The event was due to take place at the Grand Connaught Rooms London, but has now been moved after the venue cancelled.


On the 8 July 2012, London will host a conference entitled “The Month of Mercy” featuring several extreme jihadist hate preachers, some of which have previously used hate speech against gays and in some cases called for applying the death penalty for this “sin”.

The conference is organised by The Al-Muntada Al-Islami, meaning the “Islamic Forum” in Arabic. However, according to Harry’s Place bloggers the event is still going to take place this Sunday 8^th July at an undisclosed location.

Many of the speakers belong to extreme Salafi and Wahabbi sects and are known to have used extreme and virulent hate language against h.omos.exuality. Speaker Dr Abdul Aziz Al-Fawzan is a Saudi professor of Islamic law, and popular figure on Saudi television. Al-Fawzan has published an essay entitled ‘The Evil Sin of h.omos.exuality’ which stated that ‘one of the most sinful acts known to humankind is what is termed h.omos.exuality.

Out gay Imam Daayiee Abdullah, based in Washington DC, condemned the conference, saying: ‘The upcoming Al-Muntada Trust conference again brings together a deluge of one-sided theocratic domination from one of several very narrowly proscribed understandings of Islam as a religion and faith system.



Australia: Government Frontbencher Malcom Turnball suggests civil unions before gay marriage




Sourced from:

Stacey Cosens
7th July 2012

Australian Coalition frontbencher, Malcom Turnball, has suggested civil unions should be accepted as a first step towards full marriage rights.


In a speech made at Southern Cross University, Mr Turnball said: "We should not miss the opportunity to legislate for civil unions for same s.ex couples in this parliament." "I recognise that will be seen by many as not good enough. But it is better than nothing and as I said in the House last week on another issue, it is a great mistake to allow your conception of the perfect to be the enemy of the good."

Mr Turnball has voiced his belief that there is enough support in Australia’s Parliament to legalise civil unions instead of gay marriage and that further reform could continue after civil union legislation passed. Mr Turnball said: "The United Kingdom and France which recognise civil unions, are both proposing to legislate for marriage."

Alex Greenwich from Australian Marriage Equality said civil unions "entrenched discrimination rather than removed it”.

LOL!

It’s A Quote!

What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it's curved like a road through mountains.
~ Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1947



LOL!




It’s A Myth!
Myth!
Lesbian, Gay and Bis.exual people "flaunt" their s.exuality when they talk about their partner, hold hands or kiss one another in public.

Fact!
These are activities that heteros.exual couples do all the time. Due to homophobic reactions, some lesbian, gay and bis.exual people are actually forced to hide their s.exuality in public, not flaunt it.




LOL!




And Finally!