December 2022 - STR8DAR

Gay Couples Petition India’s Supreme Court to Legalize Same-sex Marriage

19Dec

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

World

Gay Couples Petition India’s Supreme Court to Legalize Same-sex Marriage

Four gay couples in India have urged their Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage. India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has been given a deadline to respond to their petitions. A legal battle is expected as Modi’s government has refused to move on marriage equality in the past. India’s Supreme Court decriminalized homosexuality in 2018 by repealing a colonial-era ban on gay sex. While being gay has become legal, India’s LGBTQ+ community reportedly continue experiencing discrimination and rejection from mainstream society. The Supreme Court filings argue that gay couples in India are denied equal rights as long as same-sex marriages aren’t legal. Without the government recognizing their marriages, gay couples in India are denied rights linked to pensions, adoption and m...

Martina Navratilova Calls FIFA a ‘Criminal Organization’ Amid Qatar Controversy

18Dec

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

Sports

Martina Navratilova Calls FIFA a ‘Criminal Organization’ Amid Qatar Controversy

Tennis star, Martina Navratilova, calls FIFA a “criminal organization” in response to reports of their suppression of the “One Love” campaign at this year’s World Cup in Qatar. FIFA and everyone involved with the 2022 World Cup received strong criticism for holding the tournament in Qatar. With the nations’ history of human right’s violations and strict anti-LGBTQ+ legislation coming into question. The “One Love” armband was a way for soccer players to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community and its rights, while playing in a country where its existence is illegal. The organization announced that players who wore the armband would get yellow cards during games, opposed to the traditional monetary fines that typically come with these types of offenses. As multiple yel...

LGBTQ+ Representation in Hollywood Decreasing

18Dec

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

Entertainment

LGBTQ+ Representation in Hollywood Decreasing

LGBTQ+ representation in U.S. produced movies decreased in 2021 according to a new report released on Thursday by GLAAD. The study found that racial diversity, LGBTQ+ representation and screen time dipped in 2021 compared to previous years. Both Lionsgate & Paramount received failing grades for not having a single LGBTQ+ character in their 2021 feature films. There were no trans women or non-binary characters in any of the major Hollywood productions that premiered in 2021. Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” however, was the first Hollywood movie to feature a trans man in five years. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation releases an annual report named the Studio Responsibility Index, in which they grade the country’s seven major studios on their movies...

Anti-LGBTQ+ Protesters Target Drag Story Hour at New York Library

18Dec

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

Anti-LGBTQ+ Protesters Target Drag Story Hour at New York Library

A group of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters assembled outside of a New York special needs library Saturday morning to disrupt a Drag Story Hour event. The protesters held signs against “grooming” and hurled slurs at people entering and leaving the Chelsea library. While the protesters reportedly were relentless, the event was able to continue on uninterrupted. There were counter demonstrators standing in between the anti-LGBTQ+ protests and the entrance. Yet no one was injured and the property remained unharmed. No arrests were made at the protest. The event was organized by the non-profit New York City Drag Story Hour, at The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. A library that seeks to provide blind New Yorkers with talking books and braille. The New York Public L...

Colombian Webcam Performer Tortured & Killed in Homophobic Attack

17Dec

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

World

Colombian Webcam Performer Tortured & Killed in Homophobic Attack

Webcam model Felipe Garzón was tortured and murdered in his Bogota apartment on Dec. 12. By two men he reportedly met on a dating app. Garzón’s partner, Henry Castiel, asserts that the murder was the result of a hate crime that targeted Garzón because of his sexuality. This contradicts speculations of a fatal burglary. Castiel claims that Garzón was tortured and choked with a pride flag before dying. “They tortured and choked him with the flag that represents our community,” Castiel told local news outlet Noticias Caracol. The two men, who were let in willingly by the 22-year old victim, were last seen leaving the apartment at 8.38 p.m. Garzón’s body was discovered by friends the following day. They reportedly had a locksmith open the apartment door after not having been able to reach...

US Legislators Criticize FIFA’s Response to ‘One Love’ Armbands

17Dec

By Sara BanksNo Comments

Sports

US Legislators Criticize FIFA’s Response to ‘One Love’ Armbands

U.S. lawmakers drag FIFA over threats made to players wearing “one love” armbands and for sending "a message to LGBTQ+ people that neither they nor their allies are welcome at the World Cup." 30 senators and members of Congress released a joint letter Friday strongly criticizing FIFA, just two days before the final. FIFA’s decision to allow Qatar, with its archaic anti-LGBTQ+ laws, to host the 2022 World Cup has caused a great deal of controversy. When the tournament began, players from different teams wore “One Love” armbands to show their support for LGBTQ+ rights. Manuel Neuer, Germany’s goalkeeper, announces he will go against new FIFA rules and will wear the "One Love" armband. He will have to pay a fine and may receive a yellow card at the start of the game. pic.twi...

17Dec

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

Grindr Cannibal Gets Life Sentence

Michigan cannibal, Mark Latunski, sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the 2019 murder and mutilation of 25-year old Kevin Bacon. Latunski pleaded guilty in September to killing and eating the victims genitals after having met on dating app Grindr. The killer received an additional 11 to 120 months for the mutilation of Bacon’s body. Latunski met and murdered the 25-year old hairstylist on Christmas Eve 2019. He has confessed to cutting the victim’s throat before hanging him in the basement and eating his genitals. Court documents unveiled that Bacon was aware that the murderer had violent tendencies. Bacon’s father said that “what was released shows that Kevin had a dark side." Adding that, "he obviously got into something that he wasn't prepared for. I'm going to remember hi...

David Beckham Finally Addresses Criticism of His Role Promoting Qatar

16Dec

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

Sports

David Beckham Finally Addresses Criticism of His Role Promoting Qatar

In a statement released on Friday, the British soccer star finally addressed the global criticism he’s received for promoting the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Qatar as a travel destination. According to the statement, Beckham believes that it's “positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated directly by the first World Cup being held in the region.” This after receiving backlash for promoting the country due to it's questionable record of human right’s violations and strict anti-LGBTQ policies. Same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar and being caught can lead to up to seven years in prison. LGBTQ+ advocates pledged to boycott the World Cup in Qatar as local authorities failed to guarantee the safety of LGBTQ+ spectators and athletes. Beckham’s spokesperson told C...

Restaurant Manager Fired After Reprimanding Gay Actor for Kissing His Date

16Dec

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

Gaylebrities

Restaurant Manager Fired After Reprimanding Gay Actor for Kissing His Date

A restaurant manager in Los Angeles lost his job this week after he criticized a gay actor for kissing his date. The restaurant has since issued an apology & announced the firing of the manager following a complaint from one of the gay patrons on Instagram. Actor Drew Droege was on a date at popular Los Angeles restaurant “El Compadre” on Monday, Dec. 12. Droege stated that his date and him were having drinks with their arms around each other after having enjoyed dinner at the Echo Park establishment. The two kissed a couple of times before being approached by a manager who asked them to stop because they were in a “family restaurant.” In an Instagram post, Droege described the event by writing, “I asked if anyone had complained to him, as we looked around and only saw happy stra...

Gay Norwegian Filmmaker Facing 3 Years in Prison for Saying Trans Women Can’t Be Lesbian

16Dec

By Sara BanksNo Comments

World

Gay Norwegian Filmmaker Facing 3 Years in Prison for Saying Trans Women Can’t Be Lesbian

Gay Norwegian filmmaker, Tonje Gjevjon, is facing up to three years in prison for speaking out against a local transgender activist that identifies as a lesbian. Gjevjon’s claims that Christine Jentoft, who transitioned from being a man and now identifies as a woman, can’t be lesbian. This has led to Gjevjon becoming the subject of a criminal investigation as hate speech against transgender people was outlawed in Norway in 2020. Gjevjon made her claims via Facebook in October by posting “it is just as impossible for men to become lesbians as it is for men to become pregnant.” She also added that she believes that “men are men regardless of their sexual fetishes.” The comments have led Norwegian authorities to investigate the filmmaker as transphobic hate speech was outlawed i...