BENT! The Gay News Blog

USA: Gay artist arrested for Chick-fil-A 'tastes like hate' graffiti



Sourced from:

Matthew Jenkin
10th August 2012

Artist accuses fast food chain of chipping away gay rights after admitting painting a protest slogan on California restaurant.


A gay artist has been arrested in California for vandalizing a Chick-fil-A restaurant with graffiti that read 'Tastes like hate'.

Police arrested Manuel Castro on suspicion of painting the slogan on the side of the fast food chain branch in Torrance on Wednesday (9 August).

The 30-year-old admitted to defacing the building last Friday (3 August) in an interview with the Huffington Post saying it was in protest at Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy’s public opposition to gay marriage.

‘Everybody is entitled to free speech, but it seems like for the gay tribe, this is more of an issue of equal rights - human rights,’ he told the online news website.

‘I'm against what these people stand for, what this company stands for. They're trying to take away what little rights we already have.’ ‘I am happy to pay for the costs of repainting the wall, but I am not — nor will I ever be — happy to sit quietly at the back of the bus.’

The graffiti, which was written in the same font as the restaurant's logo and featured a cow with a paint brush, coincided with a week of protests by both gay rights activists and supporters of the restaurant, including a same-sex kiss-in at branches around the country and a Chick-fil-A Appreciation day.




Australia: Journalism student uncovers ‘transphobic and homophobic culture’ at major newspaper



Sourced from:

Staff Writer
10th August 2012
Abridged




Sarah Burden said her experiences at the Sun Herald dented her faith in print journalism


A journalism student at the University of Melbourne has exposed what she described as a “sexist, transphobic and homophobic culture” at the Herald Sun, one of the country’s biggest newspapers.

Sarah Burden undertook work experience in the Herald Sun newsroom in March this year and published her piece in the student paper Farrago under the headline: ”The Hun Mole: Notes from a Tabloid Newsroom”. She described her placement as “horrific”.

In the article, Ms Burden wrote: “On the sixth day, a senior journalist sitting across from me repeatedly made transphobic comments to a peer who was discussing a potential story on a trans-person with him. His remarks included, ‘He? She? It?’, ‘There has to be a photo of it’, and ‘You should put the heading – “My Life As A She-Man” or “G-boy” ‘. No-one in the newsroom reacted.”

She added: “The senior journalist opposite me moved from transphobia to homophobia on the eighth day, commenting on a recent piece on Catholic priests opposed to gay marriage. [He said:] ‘It’s good to have the Catholics in the news with no paedophilia [sic], although I guess there’s still sex and gays.”

The article has caused a storm after Phil Gardner, the editor-in-chief of the Herald Sun, lodged a complaint. Mr Gardner has since written to the university to complain about Ms Burden’s conduct, as according to The Australian, the paper was not offered the right to reply to the article before publication.




USA: First openly gay army general appointed in US



Sourced from:

Stacey Cosens
11th August 2012
Abridged

A US army officer has become the first openly gay Brigadier General, following a private ceremony on Friday.


A US army officer has become the first openly gay Brigadier General, following a private ceremony on Friday.
Tammy Smith was promoted to deputy chief in the Army Reserve Office of the Chief in Washington, D.C. at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, receiving the stars from her wife Tracey Hepner.

The promotion comes less than a year after the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and was the first time Smith’s wife was recognised as her significant other at a military event.

Smith told Stars And Stripes newspaper: "All of those facts are irrelevant, I don’t think I need to be focused on that. What is relevant is upholding Army values and the responsibility this carries... For me, the story is about the promotion and the opportunities it brings.”

Her wife Tracey added: “The support we’ve received has been amazing. I wasn’t surprised that people were so accepting, but in some cases it has been even celebratory. It’s like nothing has really changed for us, and yet everything has changed.”




Canada: Anti-homophobia march takes place at University of Alberta in support of assaulted student



Sourced from:

Staff Writer
10th August 2012
Abridged

A fortnight after an apparent homophobic attack on a student from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, hundreds of locals showed their support for the victim in a march against homophobia.


Native studies and anthropology Student Chevi Rabbit, 26, was assaulted by three men close to his campus. In the attack, he was robbed of his iPhone and suffered cuts and bruises.

Earlier this week, the NOH8 Edmonton March and Rally, which boasted over 300 confirmed attendees on Facebook, included a march from the university to the Alberta Legislature.

A Canadian statistics survey found hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were more likely than other crimes of that kind to result in physical injury to the victim. While the police-reported hate crime rate for Canada decreased slightly in 2011 – from five crimes per 100,000 people in 2009 to 4.1 in 2010 – the numbers are still reportedly higher than they were between 2006-2008, according to the Edmonton journal.

Kristopher Wells, chairman of the ***ual Minorities Liaison Committee with the Edmonton Police Service, said the fact that the police department has a dedicated hate crime unit is contributing to awareness.

Mr Rabbit himself said that despite what had happened to him, he still saw Edmonton as a safe, liberal place, stating that “Here, it’s okay for you to be your own, unique self.”

LOL!

It’s A Quote!

“Never let anyone make you feel inferior for being who you are. When you live the life you were meant to live, in freedom and dignity, you put a smile on God’s face.”
~ Desmond Tutu

LOL!

It’s A Myth!

Myth
Homosexuality can be cured.

Fact
Homosexuality is not a disease or disorder, there is nothing to cure.

LOL!

And finally!