Recently I sent a gay friend some photos of ‘hot’ men, that is, beautiful looking adult males with minimal clothes that revealed their handsome faces and muscled bodies. Several such images are included here (taken randomly from the Internet). After my friend finished swooning he recovered his breath and asked why did some guys have
The Way of the World: Dalai Lama vs China’s Factories
The following bit of news was written by Jamie Johnson and published in Vanity Fair magazine July 19, 2011 (http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/07/harmonic-divergence-wealthy-dropping-the-dalai-lamas-name-literally.html) “It was big news last weekend when President Obama refused to let journalists into his private meeting with the Dalai Lama. The maneuver reflects increasing concerns in the U.S. that emphatic public support for the
Afghanistan Atrocity
Gays Are Not the Only Targets of Persecution in Afghanistan. “It was the beginning of an Afghan love story that flouted dominant traditions of arranged marriages and close family scrutiny, a romance between two teenagers of different ethnicities that tested a village’s tolerance for more modern whims of the heart. The results were delivered with
A Shining Moment for LGBT Gay Rights
I’ve never seen anything like it. A gay deluge in the media: gay marriage in NY; mainstream gay-theme films; congressional approval of an openly gay federal gay judge; children of gays; Obama’s administration’s removal of support for DOMA; major newspaper editorials applauding gay marriage; an historic UN resolution, in June 2011, condemning discrimination on the
More Anti-Gay Distortions and Lies From Another Church
The following editorial is from ‘The Trumpet‘, an online newsletter of the Church of God, regarding the California law that requires some gay history to be included in public school education curricula: “Landmark law reveals that the war against family is intensifying” –“California’s public schools will be required to teach students about the contributions of
Book About Gay Life in New Zealand–by Aaron Allbright
Book review: THE LAND NEAR OZ: TWO GAY YANKEES MOVE TO NEW ZEALAND In this book, memoirist and humorist Aaron Allbright examines the mystical fringes of life with a side of love and a little hash. Filled with great affection, indescribable moments of serendipity, and a few cattle calls, this debut is a raucous spot
The Bible is Propaganda–Bring Me Science
Ya gotta love the old guy who said this: “We should not accept religious literature instead of scientific report.” The Delhi High Court bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah remarked in response to a Solicitor General who cited an article condemning gay sex by quoting the Bible. “These are not scientific reports. These
Homophobia–Win a Few, Lose a Lot, Win a Few More
Sunday’s New York Times (online, July 3) featured four articles about homosexuality in America–on the front page. In the context of a recent wave of gay issues in the media (Governor Cuomo wins the NY gay marriage vote (photo right); Rhode Island approves civil unions; New Jersey’s governor rejects gay marriage; the debate over DADT
Gay Marriage Opponents Pray to Loving God for Bigotry
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com June 25, 2011 Recent news reports have posted this story: Timothy Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York (photo right), on Sunday prayed for the defeat of a gay marriage bill in the Empire State. During Sunday’s prayer service at St. Patrick’s cathedral in New York City, Dolan said: “Any
Homophobia is Fear of Oneself
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com June 19, 2011 Progress or standoff? Gay Pride in UK vs Croatia: Homophobia, Changing Culture and Fear Two news stories arrived on my computer today about two very different Gay Pride Parades, one in Oxford, England and the other in the Croatian city of Split.: Croatia – http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/11/Jun/1104.htm Oxford – http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/11/Jun/1101.htm
American Founding Fathers: Elegance and Shame
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com June 3, 2011 In the past week I have visited the mansions of three early presidents of America: Jefferson’s ‘Monticello’ (photo right), Monroe’s ‘Ashlawn’ and Andrew Jackson’s ‘Hermitage’, in Virginia and Tennessee. Viewing these stately properties a modern visitor can glimpse a past way of life both elegant as well as
Memorial Day Remembrance of Army Private John Ammon
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com May 31, 2011 Memorial Day is different from other holidays. Unlike Thanksgiving, Fourth of July or religious festivals where the celebrations recall rather abstract events, Memorial Day for me is about a particular person known and loved by his family and friends. Memorial Day is both a remembrance of millions of
A Moment of Joy in the Slums of Rio de Janiero
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com May 20, 2011 Surrounding the upscale condo towers and long white beaches of Rio de Janiero, up on the hills, there are numerous slum neighborhoods, shanty towns, where millions of people live in substandard housing with open sewers, tangled electric wires, broken walkways, private militias and drug gangs with machine guns
Homophobia Kills–International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), May 17, 2011
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com May 17, 2011 International Day Against Homophobia If you knew this child had a homosexual orientation would you refuse to feed him? to clothe him? to shelter him? put him out of the family? tell him he could not desire love? Think about it: such rejections would kill him. It doesn’t
A Child is Born, the Torch is Passed
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com May 15, 2011 Within 24 hours last week a dear friend’s mother died of old age and my nephew and wife gave birth to a baby boy. There may be something profound in this cycle of life and death but I’m not sure. Is it just human anatomy changing forms? Is
Africa and Homosexuality: Is It Natural and Native?
On March 5 this year the British Broadcasting Company, always looking for unusual or controversial subject matter to entertain its audience, found spice in sponsoring a debate about homosexuality in Africa. It’s a topic that is guaranteed to stir up dissonance and disagreement and, true to form, the televised ‘discussion’ indeed did just that. With
Homophobia is an Addiction to Anger and Fear
I have seen and read about homophobia for many years, from the streets in Eastern Europe to the recent debate on South African TV (‘Is Homosexuality un-African?’). A report came across recently that Scott Lively–the American anti-gay crusader who stirred up gay-hate legislation in Uganda last year–was recently in Moldova warning legislators of the impending
Male Circumcision and HIV–No Correlation
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com March 23, 2011 In 2009 I wrote a blog about male circumcision and HIV in which I doubted the usefulness of removing the male foreskin to prevent or reduce HIV infection. I noted that virtually all Danish men are not circumcised (as I personally observed during the 2nd OutGames in Copenhagen)
Freedom in Egypt–What it Means for Gays
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 13, 2011 Well, after eighteen days of protest and demonstration to bring down a corrupt dictator and allow free and fair elections, what will this mean for the LGBT (gay) citizens who were certainly present in Tahrir Square? There was plenty of talk in the media about repression, corruption. imprisonment,
World’s Largest Gay Party Boat Sails Today Into Caribbean Homophobic Waters–Bahamas
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com Feb 6, 2011 The world’s largest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean sets sail with 5400 LGBT passengers in February 6-13 for a week of sun, fun, camaraderie and validation. Anyone who is shy about publicly showing their affection to their same-sex partner, friend or a new
Words Matter: They Breed Homophobia That Kills
From: Washington Post February 2, 2011 In Uganda and America: Words Matter By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire (photo right) Words can inspire good, and they can incite hatred. We’re seeing a lot of the latter lately, and it’s getting dangerous. Even deadly. Last week, one of the only gay activists
Gay Somalia: The Price of Being Soul Mates
Introduction An Africa queer Muslim writer opens a small window onto the difficult world of gay love between two boys-to-men in Somalia who simply want to live peacefully in love. But the world around them–danger, threats, harassment, civil war–forces them away from home into unpredictable changes. This story is not new but the human nature
Scuffles Disrupt Funeral of Murdered Ugandan Gay Activist David Kato
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com Jan 28, 2011 Here is a revolting story about a funeral that only deranged minister Fred Phelps could admire–and inspire. The behavior described in this story from Reuters (below) is about as blasphemous, disgusting, irreverent and anti-Christ as one could ever expect from a Christian clergyman–as wickedly perverted as Fred Phelps
U.S. Pastors Export Bigotry to Uganda
From: Sharon Groves Religion and Faith Program Human Rights Campaign, Washington DC U.S. pastors are exporting bigotry to Uganda, with brutal results. This is an issue close to my heart, because I’ve spent over a decade working for equality as a lay leader in my own church, and now, as acting director of HRC’s Religion
One of Uganda’s Finest Gay Rights Advocates is Murdered
By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com January 27, 2011 In Memorium: On February 26, 2011 one of Uganda’s finest and most outspoken LGBT rights activist, David Kato, was murdered in cold blood in his home. Friends and activists called him the “grandfather of the kuchus”, a self-applied label by Ugandan LGBTs. GlobalGayz was privileged to interview him