Facebook caused global controversy recently when they decided, in all their infinite wisdom, to remove a photograph of two men kissing after it was flagged by some homophobes as being “offensive”. The moderator in question didn’t seem to see a problem with obeying the vocal minority who have a warped sense of reality and promptly complied, removing the said image from a page.

Conveniently, this story also ties in to my previous report on the homophobic incident in London, where two young men were evicted from a Soho pub by the landlord and landlady for being “obscene” and daring to share a kiss.

The page on Facebook was a blog entry by Richard Metzger, commenting on the incident. Want to see the offending pic?

I know! Disgusting isn’t it? How dare someone post such a “sexually suggestive” image on Facebook, and on a blog post about gay rights too!

It’s actually quite funny to think that a post about gay rights and homophobia toward a male couple kissing was targeted in this way by the Facebook staff. It’s not quite irony, but close to it.

The Sexually suggestive element of this image is purportedly what Facebook objected to, although I fail to see why this is any more sexually suggestive than any one of the billions of images there must already be on Facebook of heterosexual couples kissing. So is it only sexually suggestive if the couple are both male? How about if it were two women, I wonder how that would be viewed by the almighty overseers at FB?

Never fear though, because the gay community and their friends are here to help out when our clan is being abused unjustly. Before you could utter the words a-moderator-lost-their-job-today thousands of copies of the image flooded FB profiles and pages in protest at the move, forcing FB staff to eventually back down and apologize for what they called an error.

In what could be considered an unemotional retraction (perhaps even reluctant?) FB staff released an official statement on the matter, suggesting ““The photo in question does not violate our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and was removed in error. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

Well, in more emotive speak I would like to say SUCK MY BALLS FB!

A royal cock-up like that requires a little more than an unfeeling response after being pressured into making a U-turn.

What I would have expected would have been something along the lines of… “We are terribly sorry for this unfortunate incident. It was not our intention to suggest that we supported homophobia. While it is clear that some members of our vast staff may be considerably backward and unenlightened, FB itself supports diversity and equality. To adequately display our regret and assert our support for the GLBT community globally, we have made a $1m donation to Amnesty International in the names of the two gentlemen at the heart of this story.”

But no, apparently their PR people are paid less than that idiotic moderator responsible for this fiasco!

What do you think, were FB right to remove it? Should their apology have had more meat on the bones? Will a squirrel fall from a tree if you hit the trunk with a hammer?

There are certain places you might not want to go to in the UK if you happen to be a little, shall we say, “flamboyant”. But a pub in the heart of the capital, surrounded by passing gay customers is not somewhere you’d expect to be confronted by a splash of homophobic sentiment.

It might be fair to expect a little icy attitude in a mining town or a rural farming pub, but not in the capital of our country, surely?

For those who don’t know, Soho in London is the capital-of-the-capital when it comes to the gay scene. It’s right up there with Camden for the alternative and liberal. This little area of our fabulous city is the place we all go whenever we’re in town. In the summer it is the epicenter of everything in gay culture, pretty much.  The music is pumping, the men are often shirtless and the women are ogled by all the straight locals as they enjoy a cuddle on the grass.

The place is packed with bars and restaurants, and the majority display insignia and rainbow colors to signify their welcoming attitude. Statements like “Gay Friendly” and “Gay Owned and Operated” are not uncommon, because it makes sense to appeal to your largest target audience, doesn’t it?

The Landlord and Landlady of the John Snow pub in Broadwick street Soho don’t seem to think so. They must have so many customers that they can afford to throw out the poof’s and the queen’s. Or perhaps they just missed a marketing for dummies seminar that they really should have attended?

They certainly don’t seem too bothered about letting down their operator – the Samuel Smith Brewery – through embarrassment and the inevitable negative press this will gain them.

It all began late one night as two cute boys on their first date chose to stop by in the John Snow for a drink after their enjoyable dinner. Johnathan Williams and James Bull had been having a thoroughly nice evening by the sounds of things, nice enough to enjoy a little snogging at their table. Cheeky fellas.

Now what would normally be considered uneventful in a London pub – in Soho – appears to have upset the off-duty Landlord (is that like an off-duty cop?) who interrupted the pair and asked them to stop because they were “bothering him”. How seeing two people kissing can bother a person is anyones guess. Perhaps the fella was jealous, who knows?

They ignored the unhappy chappy and continued their drink, enjoying another peck on the lips before heading off, only to be confronted again by a woman in branded uniform claiming to be the landlady. Apparently she advised them that they had to leave because they were being obscene.

After leaving (while being guided by hands on lapels, no less!) a Police report was filed. It later emerged that a couple (straight no less!) were also asked to leave shortly after for daring to question the Landlord and Landlady’s attitude!

Wow, it’s a double whammy of professional ineptitude isn’t it?

The witnesses to this (lets call it what it is) bigotry, have stated that no one else seemed to mind the young male couple loving it up, all except for this one man, and apparently his partner too.

Despite the nastiness of the Pub staff, it’s refreshing to see another couple stepping forward to show their support. They didn’t have to say anything about it, they could have just done what many others do when they see racism, homophobia or general bigotry and just pretended it wasn’t happening. But they didn’t, they stood up for them.

And that is the Soho I know and love!

I guess it might be wise for the Samuel Smith Brewery to hire an expensive PR company in an effort to rectify the damage – this only happened on Wednesday 13th, but the damage to brand and reputation is spreading fast!

With just over two months until Soho is inundated with us “Obscene” people celebrating Gay Pride, they couldn’t have chosen a worse time to reveal their homophobia. The first week of July should be one of their busiest weeks of the year, and I have a feeling it won’t be.

If you happen to be attending this year, join me and we’ll pop in just to tell them that we’re heading to the Admiral Duncan instead :)

We are glad to see these changes from Facebook especially because they are the most popular site right now and can set an example. Now the choice will be to call your partner a civil union, domestic partnership, open relationship, married (just like the straight couples), or it’s complicated.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today applauded Facebook for adding ‘In a Civil Union’ and ‘In a Domestic Partnership’ options to user profiles. The option is now available for users in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

“Today, Facebook sent a clear message in support of gay and lesbian couples to users across the globe,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “By acknowledging the relationships of countless loving and committed same-sex couples in the U.S. and abroad, Facebook has set a new standard of inclusion for social media. As public support for marriage equality continues to grow, we will continue to work for the day when all couples have the opportunity to marry and have their relationship recognized by their community, both online and off.”

GLAAD was among the organizations that met with Facebook to advocate for this change. In October 2010, Facebook partnered with GLAAD and other national LGBT organizations to create “Network of Support,” an educational initiative that works to combat anti-LGBT cyberbullying. GLAAD also worked with Facebook to reshape the way that the site responds to hateful, anti-LGBT comments posted on public pages.

One major thing that Facebook and other companies may gay from this new drop down box of options for married gays and lesbians is the niche marketing. They will now be able to find and market to the gays and lesbians who are in long term relationships and towards those who can buy their products and services. That is one exciting niche.

Facebook’s “Network of Support” is comprised of five leading LGBT advocacy organizations in conjunction with MTV’s “A Thin Line” campaign, including GLAAD, GLSEN, HRC, PFLAG and The Trevor Project.

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Issues that Lesbians Face in 2011

With a new year under way the lesbian community has an agenda of issues to explore. Most of these issues are carried over from previous years. Some of them may be settled in 2011 while others will most likely be carried on into future years. For example, at the front of the gay rights movement, affecting both lesbians and gays, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule has now been thrown in the garbage can where it belonged for many years. Even so, this was an issue that took a number of years to address and to solve. It can now be crossed over the “to do” list.

Another similar issue, that still remains with the lesbian community, is workplace discrimination. Of course there is a federal law in place that discrimination is illegal; however, let us face it, if a well-dressed woman walks into an upscale dress shop for an interview, followed by a dyke dressed in Levis and a flannel shirt along with her hair cut as short as possible – is there any question as to which lady will be offered the job? Although sex discrimination is against the law it is still a part of our culture. It is an issue that has been fought for many years before and an issue the lesbian population will face in the years ahead. Related to this issue is workplace discrimination. Nearly half of the states in America do not have laws that bans workplace discrimination based on a persons sexual orientation. The lesbians living in our country need to have a uniform policy that assures them that they will not suffer from workplace discrimination.

Family, relationships, and marriage are also issues that have faced the lesbian community for a number of years; unfortunately these same issues will most likely be with us in 2011 as well as into the future. Two women raising a child together still remains different, in the opinion of society, opposed to the customary husband and wife. Two women attending a PTA meeting, representing their child, still offers some uncomfortable moments for most female couples opposed to the husband and wife couple. Even the children of a lesbian couple continue to be discriminated against at school once it is learned that s/he has two mothers opposed to one mother and a father.

Naturally, at the top of the list of family, relationships, and marriage issues is that of gay marriage. Many lesbians have actually moved to different states or to different countries – places that accept gay marriages. This is a major political issue that remains in the forefront. Women want the same guarantee of rights as any married couple. The question remains: why shouldn’t they?

Those lesbians under age, still in high school for example, continue to be bullied and harassed. This makes it extremely difficult for a teen lesbian to function at school as well as in society. This discrimination is felt not only at school but in public as well. If the young lesbian chooses to dress in a less then feminine manner, wear her hair shortly cut, and so forth, she will most likely suffer from discrimination. This is a major issue in 2011 but hopefully it is an issue that will be extinguished one day in the near future as young people learn to understand and try to deal with differences in people.

Health care is also an important issue that lesbians must deal with in 2011. Unfortunately, this has to deal mostly with misinformation and inadequate information the medical care community has as well as the homophobia among some health care providers. These issues have led to an increased rate of suicidal behavior among lesbians as well as in stress related chronic illnesses. The lesbian community is making an effort to address many of these issues by supporting medical research in such areas as rates and risk factors of cancers, infections, and diseases among lesbians. There is also a widespread effort to gain access to the health care system. There is the need to address lesbian family issues as well as mental health concerns of lesbians.

The new year will most likely offer a continued struggle that lesbians will face in order to be heard; however, little by little they are making the guarantee that they will eventually be heard.

There are many legal and political issues that the LGBT community faces in the United States that need to be continually addressed. Lambda legal is dedicated to these issues, and have been for quite some time now. They are the largest and oldest such organization in the United States and have helped the LGBT community make great strides politically and legally in the past few decades alone. Most notably of late is the Gays in the Military issue that has been at the forefront of the gay rights movement. Acceptance of homosexuality has always been an uphill battle, and Lambda Legal as well as the HRC work hard to to make it easier.

One of the longest running issues that the LGBT community has faced has been workplace discrimination. While there is a federal law in place that businesses cannot discriminate against people in their hiring process based on a persons sexual orientation, there are no laws in roughly half the states that bans workplace discrimination based on a persons sexual orientation. There needs to be an even, across the board, representation of sexual discrimination laws that cover every aspect of a persons employment. From the hiring process, to the actual time of employment, and to the time of an actual discharge of said employment. Currently there is no across-the-board, uniform policy, and we are working hard to change that.

Laws regarding family, relationships, and marriage have been a high priority of ours for going on 40 years now, with the specific issue of marriage leading the way. We have been fighting hard to protect families since the 1970′s when a lesbian mother,who was a foster mother, regained custody of her children with the help of Lambda Legal when the appropriate state agency took them away. In the same time frame we helped a father who was gay get the legal right to visit his children after a legal divorce. Same sex relationships and marriages without children have also gotten our attention and help through the years in regards to obtaining the same health benefits that heterosexual couples get. There are many different legal rights that we try to obtain for same sex partners and we have learned through the years that you have to start small if you want to get to the top of that legal hill.

The youth of our country is also a big concern for us. Bullying in general in our public schools has been on the rise lately, but with gay students this is labeled as harassment for it is based on a persons sexual orientation. Being a teenager these days is hard enough, but being a gay teenager in this society is extremely difficult, and the pressure they can feel from their peers is not only felt in school, but in out-of -home care facilities as well. We have made a lot of legal strides with the public schools in our country to make them a more safe and open environment for gay students. Out-of -home care facilities such as foster homes and juvenile detention centers are also hotbeds for sexual discrimination, and we keep active in those areas as well.

Our legal teams and political activists have been working overtime for decades now to help ensure equal rights for everyone in the LGBT community. With your financial help we will be able to do even more. Organizations such as the HRC also help make life in general for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-gender individuals better on a legal and political level. For example the HRC helped in the State Departments decision to modify the application process for a child to obtain a passport. The information on the parents now ask for “father or parent 2” or “mother or parent 1″, instead of simply “father” or “mother”. We believe that the mere acknowledgment of the different family structures here in the U.S. will lead to the acceptance of them.

With your donations to help with our legal and political work, we can all help ensure a more fair and balanced way of life for us all.

It seems there has to be something done here with all these states and countries taking action against what they perceive as people having unprotected sex or having sex at all. Some of these laws come down to hate and discrimination against gays or those with HIV. It should be pretty plain and simple if you have sex with someone and you do not use protection then its your fault as well. You can’t go blaming someone for not knowing their status or what STD they might have.

If you have had multiple sex partners then how can you go around blaming all of them or even blaming one person. We always want to blame someone for things we have done but this is something that is preventable if you take the proper steps. The choice to bareback comes with consequences for some and others just get lucky but when two people are having consensual sex then the questions or tests should be done before the sex not after.

States having HIV lists which I am sure are online somewhere or they probably will have iPhone apps with these telling you when someone with HIV walks in the door. We have gone so big brother these days even with things like HIV. It is offensive that there is an HIV list. Just because someone has HIV they do not deserve to be on some list with a scarlet letter on them. They have not committed a crime for having a virus and the person who gave it to them unless they did not consent did not either.

Of course this is a very touchy subject if someone gets an STD they are quick to blame someone. I cant imagine anyone who would want to purposely give someone an STD or HIV. It is crazy to me to think someone should be put on some public list like some type of criminal. The laws in this country and even the ones where the Wiki Founder was arrested are out of control aimed at HIV and Sex. Sex has always been such a subject the media likes to blow out of proportion as you see here this article at the Body tells it best. HIV is being turned into a crime. Not the rapist or the pedophile or the real criminal but it is the HIV which with laws like we are seeing are turning carrying HIV into a crime. With HIV being a crime this could hurt prevention and testing efforts as you can see here:

Most of the cases prosecuted around the world have not actually focused on criminal HIV transmission, but rather on exposure to the risk of transmission. These cases often hinged on whether or not someone with HIV had informed their sexual partner — sometimes a one-night stand, sometimes a long-term partner or spouse — that they were HIV-positive before having sex that may — but may not — have risked HIV transmission.

Very few cases have involved people who truly intended to harm anyone. That’s the ‘line in the sand’ that most experts, including UNAIDS, have agreed fulfill the criteria of when it is justified to prosecute allegations of criminal HIV transmission. Rather, what most of these cases boil down to is perceived responsibility for HIV prevention. Research suggests that most HIV transmission takes place during sex between two consenting adults, neither of whom is aware that one them is living with HIV.

Have such laws and prosecutions reduced the number of new infections? There is absolutely no evidence that they have. Have they made more people with HIV disclose? There’s no evidence there, either. However, there is some evidence that HIV-specific criminal laws and prosecutions for non-disclosure have made people who are at risk of HIV, and who expect to be told if their sexual partner is HIV-positive, feel more secure, even though this is a false sense of security. And there’s little doubt that these laws and prosecutions have further increased the stigma associated with HIV, sometimes making people living with HIV feel even more insecure about disclosing — the very thing expected of us.

-The Body’s Edwin Bernard

This was originally intended as a reply to a Moveon.org letter sent to me asking me what concerns I had of what was in the news right now and what news I was interested in. I thought I would reply my biggest concerns, some concerns I have had for awhile, and address my views on a few things.

I am really disgusted with this oil disaster right now. I think we need to put more of the tax focus on energy and more taxes on gasoline at the pump. We have got to get away from our oil dependency. I would even go with nuclear before buying more oil from terrorists and to cargo oil all over the ocean. Of course, the world would be a much better place if we would have made Exxon pay for their damage years ago because this created an environment where anyone can get away with an Oil Spill and not pay the consequences.

I am also concerned that our spending is out of control we do need to keep taxes reasonable so that companies and people do not move to other countries. The Tea baggers have lots of good points and it makes me want to join them if they weren’t racist hypocrites. Then they make statements about microchips in people but want less government. But some of the sain people such as Ron Paul make good points in the unfair taxes for some while others get by without paying taxes at all when some should (they are probably getting more use out of Federal facilities than the people paying for them for free).

I also think that gays should get every federal right such as marriage. GLBT are paying taxes and deserve to be treated like every other tax paying citizen. While I agree that the Arizona law went to far at discrimination I do feel we have got to do something when it comes to illegals mooching off our system. If someone is living off our healthcare and driving uninsured cars down the highway these people need to be addressed.

We need to focus on incentives for companies more to build stronger internet backbones, faster rails, and curing diseases and viruses such as HIV and cancer. Private companies need greater support doing these things and much larger tax or cash incentives. We want to be the first here in America and want to make sure our bio-techs are focused on science that can save lives and not things like Ambien and Restless Leg Syndrome just to make a quick profit.

We have to make sure the FDA does not stop any more natural supplements such as Almonds or something like Vitamin D. We have to protect natural ways to keep healthy and make sure there are no toxins in these products at the same time. That will be hard but we have to do it. We should also make it where natural pain killers or a natural inflammatory such as THC/Pot are available and we should be able to grow anything in our own yard. This is a freedom we must have to be a real America and get away with having to buy things like this from the drug lords in Mexico.

Finally, I feel that Churches that do not do a certain amount of community service SHOULD pay taxes. If the church is not doing say 50% community service besides preaching and activism why are they getting by without paying taxes just like any other business? They are a business they need to be taxed.

I feel that the news is not really worth watching lately. I get more quality stuff out of the Daily Show than anything and still fast forward through Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. Most of my factual news comes from the Yahoo.com homepage and if I want opinions I turn over to MSNBC.

No this is no April Fool’s Joke or anything this really is a painting of Jesus Christ dated back to 12th Century art where his genitals wee exposed during the crucifix. This painting is displayed in a Catholic Church near Oklahoma City, OK. The church is not taking the painting down and surprisingly most of the visitors to a news website in the city agree that it is ok to leave up.

Keep in mind this is a 10-foot-tall crucifix hanging above the alter at a Catholic church. One Facebook comment makes the point “The image is quite obvious; but, I find it interesting that many people don’t… seem to notice (on a 10-foot-tall crucifix), and that 62% of people polled don’t find it offensive (whereas people sure were “outraged” when Erykah Badu exposed herself at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas on March 17). According to the Church, there are no plans to remove it.”

I agree that our bodes are art and so are the clothes we wear for that matter. We may be disgusted by seeing one person walk around nude but someone else we may get turned on by but when we came out of our mommies we certainly were not dressed and we bared all. We were in our birthday suits. I am surprised there is not more art that depicts nudity in our true form and the beauty of our different bodies.

Jesus in this painting definitely had something sticking out of his skirt or dress that looked mighty powerful and that was not your ordinary sized penis. I am not sure if I was in shock it was so big or because the balls were so big. In some of the same paintings dating back to this time it seemed to show more abs and images of the genitals. The crucifix hanging at this Catholic Church resembles other San Damiano crucifixes except for Jesus’ abdominal area, which is noticeably more pronounced than on similar crucifixes. Very hung if you ask me.

Could this be a sexual depiction of Jesus? Could this be a bondage type depiction? I do not think so I think it is just the way the artists captured this moment. I do find it strange that some captured abs in that area that look similar and this painting has a full out private part sticking out for the world to see.

The Catholic Church certainly has their problems with some Priests who are pedophiles (people who molest children) which has been confused with gays serving in the church. There is a big difference there because gays are not pedophiles they are attracted to the same sex of someone who is consenting adult. But this Vatican problem is something that has been crippling the church and as for the artwork it is certainly not going to be a problem because it has been around for thousands of years and no one has bothered to remove the genitalia from the paintings as they should not.

Well everyone is talking about the new “Obama Care” this week as they should. It was shocking news to many that the Healthcare legislation passed late Sunday night then went on to President Barrack Obama’s desk for signature this week to become the law of the land.

What this will do for gays and lesbians is really not much too soon unless you have kids in college or children in the home. The healthcare legislation was certainly not perfect because it will take too long for the pre-existing part to kick in. It will also not put enough restrictions on the health insurance companies that are known for their heartless greed.

We also should have done something more for research in medicine in terms of vaccines and cures. It scares me to think less money could go into these areas at a time we need them the most with MRSA infections which antibiotics cannot help immediately and HIV and Cancer still out there putting people in pain and suffering.

This was an amazing Victory for the Democrats such as Pelosi and Obama. They have really worked hard on this and I am pleased it passed in some ways. It defeated all the namecalling and hate speeches that went on during this debate. The republicans went to extremes and lied to try to get this to not pass and if they would have not acted like ignorant mules and used some intellect in their discussion it may have been stopped.

Where will all of this new healthcare money come from?
There is talk of new taxes for those who make over $250,000 a year who could end up paying 2.5% instead of 1% in Medicaid taxes. There is also talk of taxes for those who drink soft drinks and a 10% tanning salon tax.

I do my tanning now and then but I think its a brilliant idea to tax tanning and high fructose corn syrup and things such as diet coke chemicals. All of the chemicals but at the same time think its a bad idea to be able to make judgments on what to tax. TAXING SHOULD BE FAIR AND ACROSS THE BOARD. The sales tax should be increased for any goods we buy that way it would hit all these families who have kids who are mooching off the system. You can sit around and have all these kids but not pay more in taxes and get more deductions?? These kids are the reason my property taxes are so high thanks to the school district I live in. Without kids it is just unfair and unwarranted to have to pay these taxes. That would be like me paying taxes for someone else to enjoy drinking or smoking. You always hear about Children benefiting from most any legislation passing.

Most of us will not benefit from this until 4 years from now unless you are on your parents health ins until age 26.

Also, we need to Tax churches!! Churches are supposed to be separated but they damn well do their indirect grubbiness into politics!

While the gay rights movement in the United States is typically focused on gay marriage, gays in the military and similar civil rights issues, elsewhere in the world the situation is much more dire. Homosexuality is, in some areas, treated as a criminal offense. Recently, Uganda has been in the news with steps taken toward laws that would condemn gays and lesbians not only as criminals, but even impose the death sentence in some circumstances. Other African countries, including Kenya and Tanzania, have anti-gay laws on the books, but there is fear that these may be expanded.

Unfortunately, the Ugandan law, The Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, is expected to pass, regardless of international condemnation. In its current form, the law will condemn HIV positive individuals, those convicted of same-sex rape or sex with a minor, and serial offenders to death. If found guilty of homosexuality, life imprisonment is the penalty in other situations. Family, friends, and even landlords can face imprisonment if they fail to report someone for homosexuality.

While the international community has condemned this law and is treating it as a foreign policy issue, there are much more concerning ties to America. The initial law came to be after visits to Uganda by conservative fundamentalist American clergy; Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schmeirer, supporting treatment for homosexuality and religious cures and promoting intensely negative views of homosexuality. During the course of their visit, gays were accused of sodomizing teenage boys and attempting to defeat a marriage based culture. It should be noted that the three have criticized the new legislation, even though Lively met with lawmakers to discuss it.

What is being done and what can you do about gay rights so far away? President Barack Obama has publicly criticized the bill at a morning prayer breakfast on February 4, 2010 and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has phoned the Ugandan president to express very strong concerns. Take a few minutes out of your day and call your senators and representatives to encourage them to voice their condemnations of this human rights violation. If you wish to give money, options are limited to get funds directly into Uganda and Ugandan gay rights activists are largely silenced. You can opt to give to Amnesty International or the Human Rights Campaign to support international attempts to prevent this legislation.