New Clip Days Of Our Lives Gay Storyline: Sonny & Will Are A Romantic Couple Their First Date At The Coffee House!!!
The long year wait is finally for Days of Our Lives fans Sonny and Will to finally a romantic couple. Freddie Smith and Chandler Massey have excellent chemistry with each other. The kissing scenes today are less awkward than the previous episode. Freddie and Chandler are adorable they really capture the excitement of their characters Sonny and Will’s romance starting to bloom.
The final scene in the coffee house is hilarious when Lucas spots the guys kissing and he freaks out! It looks like Lucas might not be so comfortable with his son Will being gay. However, I think it is realistic of the Days of Our Lives writers to have Lucas feeling uncomfortable. It is hard for some fathers to accept that their son is a homosexual. Although Lucas has stated he is okay with Will being gay, now that he has seen Will kiss Sonny the realization is settling in. My only complaint is, the gay storyline on Days of Our Lives isn’t getting enough screentime. I hated that the kissing scenes between Freddie and Chandler were cut and spread out across the episode.
It is going to be interesting to see if Days of Our Lives will allow Will and Sonny to have a sex scene? After all, if the heterosexual characters on Days of Our Lives can have sex why can’t the gays? Also, I hope the Days of Our Lives writers allow Sonny and Will to have a serious romance. For instance, I hope the audience is going to be allowed to see Will and Sonny holding hands in public walking through the Horton Square.
NY Times Article: Gay & Lesbian Athletes Recent History of Coming Out Of The Closet In Sports.
Associated PressDavid KopayBig-time sports lag behind other areas of American society in terms of the number of gay and lesbian participants who feel they can be open about their sexual orientation. Not once, for example, has an active male player in any of the four major professional sports leagues in America publicly acknowledged being gay. But retired football, basketball and baseball players, along with active players in other sports, have come out. And there are plenty of lesbian athletes in women’s professional sports. Here are some milestones from the last four decades :
1975 David Kopay, a former professional football player, publicly acknowledges that he is gay in a Washington Star article. Three years after retiring from the sport, he becomes the first N.F.L. player to come out. “It took me a long time, too long, to accept myself as I really was,” Kopay tells the University of Washington alumni magazine in 2008. “I’m hoping I can at least make a difference in that others in my position will have the freedom to be who they are.”
1976 Tom Waddell, who was a decathlete in the 1968 Olympics, appears inPeople magazine — with his male partner. That same year, he serves as the Saudi Arabian team physician at the Olympics in Montreal. Waddell later founds what becomes known as the “Gay Games.”
Dennis Oulds/Central Press, via Getty ImagesAmerican tennis player Billie Jean Moffitt (later King) at Wimbledon in 19641981 Billie Jean King, regarded as one of the top female tennis players of all time, is outed by a former female partner. King is perhaps best known for winning a 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs. In 1990, Life Magazine calls her one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century.” Today, she lives with her partner, the former professional tennis player Ilana Kloss, in New York City. “We have to commit to eliminating homophobia because everyone is entitled to the same rights, opportunities and protection,” King has said.
1981 Martina Navratilova, a tennis icon, says that she is a lesbian, soon after defecting to the United States from Czechoslovakia. Winner of two Wimbledon singles titles, she goes on to capture seven more over the course of her career. At a 2010 benefit dinner, Navratilova reflects, “I’m told I lost millions in sponsorship, but in my heart I know I gained things of much greater value — the opportunity to live my life with integrity and the knowledge that others might have come out because of my example.”
1982 Glenn Burke, a retired outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics, comes out. He is the first openly gay former major league baseball player. “Prejudice drove me out of baseball sooner than I should have,” Burke tells The Times in a 1994 interview. “But I wasn’t changing. And no one can say I didn’t make it. I played in the World Series. I’m in the book, and they can’t take that away from me. Not ever.”
1992 Roy Simmons, a retired offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants, comes out on “The Phil Donahue Show.” ”The N.F.L. has a reputation,” he later tells The Times. ”And it’s not even a verbal thing — it’s just known. You are gladiators; you are male; you kick butt.”
1994 Greg Louganis, a diver and four-time Olympic gold medalist, announces he is gay. “I was out to my friends and family,” he tells Outsports.com in July 2012. “It was just my policy not to discuss my sexuality to members of the media. I wanted my participation in the sport to be about the sport. I didn’t want it to be about being the ‘gay diver.’ ” Louganis’s best-selling 1995 memoir, “Breaking the Surface,” details his experiences coming out and being H.I.V.-positive.
1999 Billy Bean, a former major league baseball player, openly discusses his sexuality in a front-page article in The Times. He tells the reporter, ”I went to Hooters, laughed at the jokes, lied about dates because I loved baseball. I still do. I’d go back in a minute. I only wish I hadn’t felt so alone, that I could have told someone, and that I hadn’t always felt God was going to strike me dead.”
2002 Esera Tuaolo, a 300-pound, 6’3” nose guard who played in the N.F.L. for nearly a decade, comes out on HBO’s “Real Sports.” Speaking about his decision, he says, “I feel wonderful. I feel like a burden has been lifted. I feel like I’ve taken off the costume I’ve been wearing all my life.”
2005 Sheryl Swoopes, a Women’s National Basketball Association player and three-time M.V.P., says that she is gay. ”I was basically living a lie. For the last seven, eight years, I was waiting to exhale,” she later says in The Times. In 2011, Swoopes becomes engaged to marry a man.
Douglas C. Pizac/Associated PressJohn Amaechi2007 John Amaechi, a former N.B.A. player, reveals that he is gay in his memoir, “Man in the Middle.” He is the first former N.B.A. player to come out. Soon after, Tim Hardaway, a retired Miami Heat player, says on a radio show, “I don’t like gay people and I don’t like to be around gay people.” He later apologizes for the remark, and Amaechi comments: “It is ridiculous, absurd, petty, bigoted and shows a lack of empathy that is gargantuan and unfathomable. But it is honest. And it illustrates the problem better than any of the fuzzy language other people have used so far.”
2009 Sherri Murrell, the coach of Portland State University’s women’s basketball team, becomes the first publicly out female Division 1 basketball coach. In the summer of 2009, she agrees to have a family photograph appear on the college athletics Web site. The image of Murrell — with her female partner and their toddler twins — gains national attention. “There are a lot of coaches out there that want to do this,” Murrell later tells the Oregonian. “But they’re just so afraid. I think I can kind of help say, ‘Hey, I’m successful. It has not affected my program whatsoever.’”
2011 Johnny Weir, three-time national champion figure skater, confirms that he is gay in his memoir, “Welcome to My World.” Referring to his sexuality, Weir tells the “Today” show, “I think the best way I can be an activist is to live my life, and not make that the main thing that is Johnny Weir. I’m much more than just a gay man.”
2011 Rick Welts, president and chief executive of the Phoenix Suns, publicly comes out in The Times at age 58. “This is one of the last industries where the subject is off limits,” he tells the reporter Dan Barry. In September 2011, he announces he will leave his job to be with his new partner — but he did not have to leave the N.B.A. He is now president and Chief Operating Officer of the Golden State Warriors basketball team.
2011 Will Sheridan, who played Division 1 college basketball at Villanova University, publicly reveals that he was openly gay while on the team from 2003 to 2007— and his teammates didn’t have a problem with it. In anESPN.com profile he says, “Look at me. I’m black. I’m gay. I’m like a quadruple minority, and I feel like a little piece of me resides in everybody.”
2012 Wade Davis, a retired N.F.L. cornerback, publicly opens up about being gay. Davis now works with lesbian, gay and transgender youth in New York City. In an interview with Outsports.com, he says, “It’s the first job since football that I wake up excited for work.”
2012 Megan Rapinoe, a midfielder on the U.S. women’s soccer team,confirms in July in Out magazine that she is a lesbian. “In female sports, if you’re gay, most likely your team knows it pretty quickly,” she tells Out. “It’s very open and widely supported. For males, it’s not that way at all. It’s sad.” Soon after, during the 2012 London Olympics, Rapinoe and her teammates capture the gold medal.
Homophobic Wannabe Celebrity Paris Hilton Says Gay Men Are Disgusting & Spread AIDS!!
Paris Hilton defends ‘gay guys’ comment
Paris Hilton under fire for gay comments
- “Gay guys are the horniest people in the world,” Hilton says in secret recording
- “Paris Hilton is a huge supporter of the gay community,” Hilton’s publicist says
- A cab driver recorded Hilton talking to a gay friend, RadarOnline says
- Hilton was expressing dangers of unprotected sex, says publicist
(CNN) — Paris Hilton’s comments about gay men who use a cell phone app for sexual hook ups were expressions of concern about the dangers of unprotected sex, not homophobic slurs, her publicist said Thursday.
The Hollywood socialite said, “Gay guys are the horniest people in the world,” called them “disgusting” and suggested “most of them probably have AIDS” in the short conversation secretly recorded by a New York cab driver two weeks ago, according to RadarOnline.
The online celebrity gossip site did not identify the driver or reveal how much, if anything, was paid for the recording published Thursday.
Hilton’s publicist, in a statement sent to CNN Thursday, confirmed the recording was authentic, but said, “It was not her intent to make any derogatory comments about all gays.”
Paris Hilton’s time in the spotlight“Paris Hilton is a huge supporter of the gay community and would never purposefully make any negative statements about anyone’s sexual orientation,” the statement said.
Hilton was riding in a cab with “an openly gay male model” during New York Fashion Week in the early morning hours of Friday, September 7, RadarOnline reported.
The gay friend was showing Hilton the iPhone app Grindr, which advertises itself as the “most popular all-male location-based social network out there,” offering “quick, convenient, and discreet” connections, RadarOnline reported.
“Say I log into Grindr, someone that’s on Grindr can be in that building and it tells you all the locations of where they are and you can be like, ‘Yo, you wanna f–k?’ and he might be on like, the sixth floor,” the male voice is heard saying.
“Ewww! Gay guys are the horniest people in the world,” Hilton said. “They’re disgusting. Dude, most of them probably have AIDS. … I would be so scared if I were a gay guy. You’ll like, die of AIDS.”
“Paris Hilton’s comments were to express that it is dangerous for anyone to have unprotected sex that could lead to a life threatening disease,” her publicist said.
America’s most overexposed celebs
RadarOnline was “only provided a portion of the conversation,” the statement said of the 50-second-long clip.
“The conversation became heated, after a close gay friend told her in a cab ride, a story about a gay man who has AIDS and is knowingly having unprotected sex,” the Hilton statement said. “He also discussed a website that encourages random sex by gay men with strangers. As she was being shown the website, her comments were in reference to those people promoting themselves on the site.”
Ironically, a sex tape was a major factor in boosting Hilton’s celebrity status. The great-granddaughter of hotel mogul Conrad Hilton was captured in a grainy video having sex with boyfriend Rick Salomon. It surfaced in 2003, just days before the debut of her reality TV series “The Simple Life,” which subsequently registered high ratings.
Billboard Magazine Interview: Pop Star Christina Aguilera Talks About Her Divorce, New Album & Departing From NBC`s The Voice.
Christina Aguilera: Billboard Cover Story
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Christina Aguilera
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Christina Aguilera will participateas a keynote speaker at the 2012 Billboard and Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference being held at the W Hotel in Hollywood Oct. 24 and 25.
“Lotus” will blossom on November, with “Your Body” due this Friday.
Christina Aguilera has previewed forthcoming fifth album “Lotus” with “Your Body,” a sweaty, uptempo lead single produced by Max Martin and Shellback.
Showing contestants on NBC’s “The Voice” how it’s done, Christina Aquilera soars onto Pop Songs at No. 33 with “Your Body.”
CeeLo Green will add a little quirky soul to the holiday season with “CeeLo’s Magic Moment,” his debut Christmas full-length, set for an Oct. 30 release on Elektra Records.
Christina Aguilera hasn’t felt this way in a decade. The singer is reflecting on the eventful two years leading up to the release of her fifth studio album, “Lotus,” from her home in Los Angeles — a period that heralded the commercial disappointment of her album “Bionic”; a divorce from husband Jordan Bratman; the release of her first movie, “Burlesque,” and its accompanying soundtrack; her highly successful stint as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice” and accompanying appearance on Maroon 5’s mega-hit “Moves Like Jagger.”
The last time she felt so inspired, the result was 2002’s Stripped-a creative breakthrough that helped distance Aguilera from her teen-pop peers and produced memorable hits like “Beautiful,” “Dirrty” and “Fighter.”
 Enrique Badulescu PhotographyChristina Aguilera + BillboardBUY A COPY | SUBSCRIBE | LARGE COVER |
Due Nov. 13 on RCA, “Lotus” refers to the “rebirth” Aguilera underwent both personally and professionally, opting not to work with longtime songwriting partners like Linda Perry in favor of such newer collaborators as Alex Da Kid, Sia, Candice Pillay and even pop maestro Max Martin, on first single “Your Body,” which hit radio and iTunes last week and bows at No. 33 on Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40 chart this week.
Like on Stripped, Aguilera dips into many genres-from dance-pop on “Your Body” and “Make the World Move” (a duet with fellow “Voice” coach Cee Lo Green), piano-driven power ballads (“Sing for Me,” Sia collaboration “Blank Page”) and rock-tinged empowerment anthems (“Army of Me,” “Cease Fire”). The album even opens with a quick sample of M83’s “Midnight City” on the title track, an experimental table-setter where Aguilera resolves to “leave the past behind/Say goodbye to the scared child inside.”
Alex Da Kid, who first teamed with Aguilera for 2010’s “Castle Walls” on T.I.’s No Mercy, worked with Aguilera on several Lotus cuts with songwriter Pillay, many of which were recorded at her home studio. “I’ve worked with big and smaller people, and the more established people can get stuck in their ways and say they’re not open to critique,” Alex Da Kid says. “She definitely had a strong opinion, but she’ll go with the best idea in the room. That’s really rare for someone that’s had so much success.”
With Aguilera more or less based on the West Coast for the entire period leading up to Lotus’ release to finish taping the current season of “The Voice,” that means an aggressive Los Angeles-based promotional schedule during the next few months-with expected stops on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as well as prominent use of “The Voice” to premiere the video for “Your Body” and a performance during album release week.
“Nobody knows better than Christina that success doesn’t come from simply having the voice, but from believing and trusting in that voice,” “Voice” producer Mark Burnett says. “That knowledge and experience makes her an incredibly nurturing coach, and one who not only challenges her artists, but encourages and inspires them to challenge themselves.”
“I have no time to even watch my own show.
So there’s your answer.”
– On whether she’ll watch Britney Spears on “The X Factor”
“The Voice” is winning the music-competition show race and beating “The X Factor” in the ratings. But as the show shifts into full-year production, the singer confirmed that she would be taking a break for season four, set to air next spring, with Shakira filling in her chair and Usher taking that of Cee Lo Green. She’s anxious to go back out on the road for the first time since 2007’s Back to Basics tour, having canceled 2010’s Bionic tour due in part to poor ticket sales. “It’s been a joy to be a part of other people’s journey, to be able to inspire and be a part of new singers coming up in this business,” she says. “But I was starting to get really worried and concerned that I wouldn’t have the time to go and be an artist again.
“Mark made it very clear that these chairs are always our chairs,” she continues. “He said, ‘I understand the only reason the show’s going to work is if it doesn’t get stale.’ And he totally understood that I needed something to fulfill my creative soul, and said, ‘This chair will always be yours to come back to whenever you do what makes you the best.'”
However long Lotus keeps her away from “The Voice,” it likely won’t be permanent. “I’ll probably be back. I just need to do my thing for a minute, then I can come back and be that much better of a coach. I just need a second to get back to me.”
Billboard spoke with Aguilera — who’s keynoting the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference, to be held Oct. 24-25 — on the eve of a live Twitter Q&A where she officially announced the details around “Lotus.”
“Lotus” is an evocative title for your new album, given the events in your career and personal life during the past two years. What does that name signify to you?
This album represents a celebration of the new me, and to me the lotus has always represented this unbreakable flower that withstands any harsh weather conditions in its surroundings, that withstands time and remains beautiful and strong throughout the years. Once I could start writing my own songs, beginning with Stripped, I tried to infuse as much as I could to promote strength and inspire people with that message. And now I’m at a place at 31, where the last time I felt this way was when I was 21 with Stripped and I had a lot to say and a lot to express.
Some of the songs on Lotus are thematically similar to “Stripped,” too. Was that intentional?
Absolutely. There’s a song called “Army of Me,” which is sort of a “Fighter 2.0.” There is a new generation of fans from a younger demographic that might not have been with me all the way but that watch me on the show now. I feel like every generation should be able to enjoy and have their piece of “Fighter” within. This time, the way it musically came together it just felt right for this time and this generation. There’s always going to be a fighter in me getting through some obstacle and some hurdle.
| Enrique Badulescu Photography Christina Aguilera + Billboard BUY A COPY | SUBSCRIBE | LARGE COVER |
“Lotus” is also a return to putting your vocals front and center in a way that you didn’t always do on Bionic in 2010. What did you learn from that experience?
With Bionic I fully went in there with [the idea], “I’m going to experiment and not be commercial or pop.” I wanted to play with different sounds and textures of my voice while bringing an electronica feel to it because that’s what I was listening to a lot at the time. And it was a blast.
Were you disappointed with how it was received?
I can proudly say it was ahead of its time, to be honest. It wasn’t so commercialized. You had to really be a music lover, be a true fan of music and the love of being open to really appreciate that record. It’s just a special piece in my body of work that will forever live on. The older the record gets the more people will come to appreciate it actually and check it out.
How has your experience with “The Voice” influenced you as a performer?
Seeing all the singers, you really come face to face with a lot of people-my teammates especially this season that you’ll get to know-that are predominantly younger. That’s inspiring, because they come up to you and they’re such big fans and they share with you what song touched them the most and how they had to learn every single ad lib and dissect it. As a vocalist it brought me back to, “Yeah, that’s what I used to do to my Whitney Houston record and my Mariah Carey record and my Etta James record.” It brings you back to a place where it becomes your personal responsibility to infuse the next generation with more information about learning every intricate note. That’s why a song called “Sing for Me” is special song. It’s one of those singer’s songs where if you’re not a vocalist you can’t mess with that song.
“Your Body” marks your first time working with Max Martin, which is surprising to a lot of people given the teen-pop era where you got your start.
[laughs] Max is legendary in the business. He’s known about me but we haven’t crossed paths. I think when I came in you heard his name with Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Britney Spears — those records were the kind I wanted to stray apart from. If you look at what I did in the past [after my debut], I always try to do things that will challenge me and challenge the listener, too. Could this have worked 10 years ago? I’m not sure. It’s taken us a decade in the same business and watching each other from a distance, so for us to now come together and respect each other’s work ethic and how we like to be heard and making a marriage out of it, I think “Your Body” is the best culmination of that.
You’ve expressed interest in taking a break from “The Voice” in the near future. When might that open your schedule for a tour?
We’re still trying to figure that out. My fans do deserve to see me back out on the road. It’ll be exciting for me. The road is a lot of work. I want to make sure the timing is right and that I’m fully ready to go, otherwise I would have to pull tickets if I’m not feeling it. I want to press the fact that I want to be feeling it before I go out.
Going back to the current season of “The Voice,” what’s been exciting for you so far?
I’m actually very excited about this season in particular. It’s absolutely the most young and full-of-hungry-energy group we’ve had yet-this little next generation of future pop stars. Last year I had a different team as far as different genres, but this year it so happened to come together that they were all pop.
One of your contestants from last season, Chris Mann, will be the first season-two alum to release an album this year. Will you be involved with that project?
Absolutely. He’s working with [Front Line Management Group consultant] Ron Fair, the man who signed me and is still a very, very dear friend of mine. I know he’s in totally safe hands and in great hands musically. Ron Fair really gets it and gets him. One of the songs was sent to me for my participation and I said, hands-down, “yes.” It’s a beautiful song, the way he’s expressing himself on the album-his tone, his richness, his soul. He’s not overdoing it, just coming through strong, clear and rich. I’m very happy for him.
Beyond the technical aspects of executing a melisma, what are some career pointers you’ve been able to hand down to your own artists on “The Voice”?
A lot of these kids are coming from their own kinds of dance and arts schools, which is just like what the Mouseketeers was for obviously me and Britney and Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling-need I say more? We all come from that training camp mentality, but then it was a matter of us to be able to absorb everything, take it all in and now throw it all away. That’s what I’m trying to teach those kids. Everything can’t be so structured, so learned or taught. You guys have an individual self in all of you.
Speaking of Britney, will you be watching “The X Factor”?
[Laughs] I have no time to even watch my own show. So there’s your answer.
Days Of Our Lives Gay Storyline: Sonny & Will Finally Have Their First Real Passionate Kiss!!!
Last month, Sonny kissed Will but Will was still terrified because he wasn’t sure if he had feelings for his best friend. On tomorrow’s episode, Days Of Our Lives fans are finally going to see the first real passionate kiss between Sonny and Will.
Some fans have wondered do Freddie Smith and Chandler Massey have the chemistry to prove to the audience their characters are in love?
In previous kissing scenes, some fans have complained that Chandler Massey is awkward regardless of whether he is kissing a woman or a man.
However, I think fans of Days of Our Lives have the answer Freddie Smith and Chandler Massey have incredible chemistry they play off of each other.
Technically, this is Sonny & Will’s second kiss but this time there is desire and passion behind this kiss. Freddie Smith and Chandler Massey are both straight in real life but their acting in this scene is superb. Both Smith and Massey have no hesitation and really nail this kissing scene. I also liked that the guys both closed their eyes and Massey’s grabs the back of Smith’s neck as they lean in to kiss. The kissing scene is hot!
Sydney Morning Herald Article: Australia Still In The Dark Ages Government Says No To Same Sex Marriage.
- By Dan Harrison
Indigenous Affairs and Social Affairs Correspondent.
Urged campaigners to “maintain your rage” … Labor backbencher Stephen Jones. Photo: Andrew Meares
ADVOCATES for legalising same-sex marriage will shift their focus to the state level, after federal MPs yesterday defeated a bill that would have allowed gay couples to marry.
The bill, introduced by Labor backbencher Stephen Jones, was defeated in the House of Representatives 98 votes to 42.
Ten of the 17 cabinet ministers in the lower house, Green Adam Bandt and independents Andrew Wilkie, Rob Oakeshott and Craig Thomson voted for same-sex marriage. All coalition MPs, the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, and the former prime minister Kevin Rudd voted against the bill.
“I do not regret that our daughter has Sophie and I as parents” … Penny Wong, pictured with her partnerSophie Allouache. Photo: Glen McCurtayne
Channelling another former Labor prime minister, Gough Whitlam, Mr Jones urged campaigners to ”maintain your rage”, while the Australian Christian Lobby leader, Jim Wallace, said it was time for Parliament to ”move on”.
Gay rights activists said they would now look to state and territory parliaments to make the change. ”Now the Federal Parliament has effectively brushed the wishes of a majority of Australians aside, the states and territories will take the lead, making me confident we will see same-sex marriages performed somewhere in Australia by the end of the year,” the Australian Marriage Equality convener Alex Greenwich said.
Tasmania’s lower house passed a bill last month to legalise gay marriage. It must still pass the state’s 15-seat Legislative Council to become law. Efforts to legalise same-sex marriage are also under way in South Australia, the ACT and NSW, where the Premier, Barry O’Farrell, will allow his MPs a free vote.
The University of NSW law professor George Williams said state same-sex marriages would be a step forward but they would not be a substitute for national recognition because a marriage conducted in one state would not be recognised elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the opposition Whip, Warren Entsch, said he would consult with gay rights campaigners, the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, and his Coalition colleagues about introducing a bill for ”civil partnerships” that would provide national legal recognition to both same and opposite sex couples.
The Senate is expected to vote today on a separate same-sex marriage bill co-sponsored by the Labor senators Trish Crossin, Carol Brown, Gavin Marshall and Louise Pratt.
In debate yesterday, the Finance Minister, Penny Wong, whose partner Sophie Allouache gave birth to a baby girl in December, described as ”hurtful” arguments by some senators that the children of same-sex couples were worse off than those raised by heterosexual couples. ”I do not regret that our daughter has Sophie and I as parents,” Senator Wong said.
”I do regret that she lives in a world where some will tell her that her family is not normal. I regret that even in this chamber, elected representatives denigrate the worth of her family. I will not rest in the face of such prejudice. I want for her, for all of us, an Australia which is inclusive and respectful, and this is why this campaign will not end here.”
The gay Liberal senator Dean Smith spoke against the bill, saying opinion in the gay community was divided.
”By not agreeing to same-sex marriage, I’m not choosing to endorse discrimination against my fellow gay and lesbian Australians, or to be disrespectful to their domestic relationships … instead for me, it’s an honest acknowledgment of the special and unique characteristics of the union described as marriage,” he said.
Senator Smith said while he was a man of faith, religious considerations had not influenced his thinking on the issue.
LA Complex Gay Storyline: Tariq & Kal Are Not Getting Back Together.
I know Kal was wrong for beating up his ex boyfriend Tariq but I must admit I want them to get back together. The scene inside Tariq’s apartment in Montreal is so emotional. I yearned to see Tariq and Kal have one last kiss. I wish there was a television show specifically about gay black men. On American television this fall there are two gay shows NBC’s The New Normal and CBS Partners focus on white gay men. I believe it is time for network television to have a television show specifically about gay men of colour because this would be groundbreaking.
The paucity of queer men of colour’s storylines is deleterious because it erases our realities. I believe the Tariq and Kal storyline is positive specifically because they are both black gay men.
Although the LA Complex gay storyline is not perfect, it still illustrates to the audience that gay black men we do love each other. The negative aspect of the gay storyline is the violence which I still believe is pernicious. Couldn’t the writers have done something else to create conflict for Tariq and Kal? Why was it necessary for Kal to be violent and beat Tariq? I am concerned about the subliminal messages of racism about gay black men.
The writing is flawed because the audience needed to see Tariq’s journey from being a domestic violence victim to regaining his self confidence. The LA Complex writers only focused on Kal’s storyline because I guess it is more sensational to deal with a closeted gay rapper. I can’t help but think Tariq deserved more attention and screentime. I wanted to see Tariq go into therapy, speak at a domestic violence group, and battle with his conflicting emotions about Kal. The LA Complex writers robbed the audience of Tariq’s journey from pain to resolution.
The acting by Benjamin Watson and Andra Fuller is flawless. The facial expressions of Watson and Fuller express the pain, regret, sadness, and unhappiness of their break up.
Kal clearly loves Tariq he knows he is wrong for physically abusing him. However, the sadness on Tariq’s face he held it together long enough and stayed strong he wants nothing to do with Kal.
After Kal left, Tariq cried it was heartbreaking to see him so upset because I believe he is torn. Tariq still loves Kal but he can’t forgive him.
I feel that Tariq and Kal have so much chemistry, passion, and love for each other. I believe this is a breakthrough storyline for television to have two young gay black men fall in love and out of love with each other.
I am sad that Tariq is gone because I believe he is the man for Kal. Kal is a work in progress, he still needs to deal with his internalized homophobia and self hatred. Tariq has already moved on he has a new boyfriend and Kal is dating the lawyer Chris. I think Chris is cute, he seems grounded, mature, and responsible, but I am not sure if Kal and Chris have a love connection? I feel that the desire, and love that Tariq and Kal is more powerful.
Disappointing News: Yunel Escobar Only Gets A Three Game Suspension For Homophobic Anti Gay Slur!!!
(/Reuters)
ROBERT MACLEOD
The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Sep. 18 2012, 3:28 PM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, Sep. 18 2012, 3:46 PM EDT
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar has been suspended for three games for displaying a gay slur written in Spanish on his face during a home game on Saturday.
The measures were announced just before a news conference at Yankee Stadium Tuesday afternoon before the Blue Jays opened a three-game series against New York on Tuesday night.
The Blue Jays also announced that the salary lost by Escobar during his suspension will be directed by the You Can Play and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
The team said that Escobar will participate in an outreach initiative to help educate society about sensitivity and tolerance to others based on their sexual orientation.
Escobar will also participate in a sensitivity training program in accordance with the Blue Jays and the MLB.
The incident stemmed from Saturday’s game at Rogers Centre against the Boston Red Sox in which Tu Ere Maricon was written on an eye black sticker that Escobar wore.
The phrase’s most common English translation is ‘You Are A Faggot’.
It went unnoticed that Escobar was displaying the slur until several pictures began being posted online Monday afternoon clearly show the player with the message written on his eye black, a black patch athletes wear under their eyes to reduce the sun’s glare.
Escobar was scratched from Sunday’s game after the team reported he had come down with “flu-like symptoms” and the Blue Jays had an off-day on Monday.
Interesting Article Is the world ready for a gay male athlete?
DICKINSON, N.D. – The moment Jamie Kuntz was dismissed from the North Dakota State College of Science football team, the double standard that exists in the world of sports became all too clear.By: Dustin Monke / Forum Communications, INFORUM
DICKINSON, N.D. – The moment Jamie Kuntz was dismissed from the North Dakota State College of Science football team, the double standard that exists in the world of sports became all too clear.
Gay women can play.
Gay men cannot.
As a sports reporter, I’ve covered several lesbian athletes throughout my career. All of them are fine, normal people and their teams accept them no questions asked.
We rarely hear about controversial lesbians in sports anymore. That barrier was broken long ago and largely brushed aside.
The same isn’t true for gay men in sports.
There has never been an American athlete in any of the four major sports – football, basketball, baseball and hockey – to come out of the closet while still competing. Those players who are gay waited until after their retirement to come out.
That’s why Kuntz’s story presents a new twist for gay athletes.
Kuntz, an 18-year-old Dickinson High School graduate, was dismissed from the NDSCS football team on Sept. 3 for conduct detrimental to the team after admitting he lied to Wildcats head coach Chuck Parsons.
It happened two days after he admitted to the coach he was gay after being spotted kissing his 65-year-old boyfriend while filming NDSCS’s football game against Snow College in the press box of a Pueblo, Colo., football stadium.
The story is now national news.
Kuntz has spoken with countless reporters since Tuesday morning and said that he has been contacted by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” about a segment.
The story is everywhere.
So what do we take from this and the debate that it has sparked?
Could it be that, despite all of the openly gay female athletes in this country, we’re still not that close to seeing an openly gay male athlete in a major sport?
Kuntz’s story has gained a considerable amount of publicity and traction.
Yet, we have to remember that he was an obscure freshman college football player at a small junior college in North Dakota.
Imagine if he would have been playing for an NCAA Division I university? What if an NFL player would have been cut from his team after coming out?
How big would the story be then? And what closeted gay athlete would be willing to come out publicly and subject himself to the wringer that Kuntz has been put through the past two days.
Dan Savage, the gay rights activist and writer for the Seattle Stranger who broke the story about Kuntz, said he is intrigued by the amount of coverage the story has received and praised Kuntz for the courage to come out in such a public manner.
Savage said Kuntz’s story is inspiring to the gay community, but added Kuntz could have perhaps even become a symbol for young, closeted gay athletes had his boyfriend been closer to his own age.
Nonetheless, Savage believes one day there will be an openly gay pro athlete in a major sport. But, he also said it could be a while if players like Kuntz aren’t accepted after coming out to their coaches.
“This feeds into that whole narrative because there will never be an openly gay player in the NFL if gay kids are thrown out of high school or college football programs,” Savage said.
Kuntz, who was a Class 3A, all-West Region linebacker for the Midgets as a senior in 2011, said he wants to find a place to play football. He never got a chance to suit up for NDSCS after suffering a concussion during a preseason practice.
Wednesday, Kuntz posted on Twitter that he had spoken to a representative of the Florida Atlantic University football program.
Though he wants to stay in the Midwest, Kuntz said he would listen to any type of offer Florida Atlantic – an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team in Boca Raton, Fla. – would make to him regarding a spot on its football team.
“My main focus right now is finding a school where I can go play,” Kuntz said on Tuesday.
Regardless of one’s personal feelings regarding homosexuality, Kuntz’s actions or his boyfriend’s age, we should all be able to admit that Kuntz is in a difficult situation.
If he can find a team that accepts him for who he is, then it may be a step toward seeing openly gay male athletes in professional sports.
If he cannot, the world may have to keep waiting.
Disturbing News: Toronto Blue Jay Star Yunel Escobar Writes Anti Gay Slur On His Face.
(Getty Images)
Yunel Escobar has always been a controversial player, though the source of the public’s angst has mostly been derived from the difference between expectations and actual production.
The Toronto Blue Jays shortstop, however, finds himself in a bit of hot water as it has been pointed out that Escobar took the field on Saturday with a gay slur printed in Spanish on his eye black. The “tu ere maricon” (sic) can be translated to “you are a f—-t” and was first pointed out by@james_in_to_, a Jays fan who took a similar picture from behind the Toronto dugout.
Escobar has some explaining to do, but there is some reason to reserve judgment. Former Jays pitcher Dirk Hayhurst believes it to be a clubhouse prank — which basically just means there’s a different source for such blatant homophobia. There’s also the fact that Escobar sometimes wears eye black with funny sayings, so this would be out of character. (These, for instance, read “CHILLING”)
Here’s the thing, though: Eye black now comes in a strip or sticker form and players can write motivational sayings (think Tim Tebow) before applying themselves. There would be no need for Escobar to ask another player to write on his face. The handwriting in the “CHILLING” picture also matches the handwriting from the photo above.
No matter the explanation, it goes without saying that the Blue Jays definitely need to address this. Major League Baseball is already looking into the matter as ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports.
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