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Gary Carnivele
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Gay Man Sues California Highway Patrol for Two Decades of Abuse and Harassment
Jay Brome, the former CHP officer | Photo: Video/Sacramento Bee
A gay man is suing the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for decades of abuse, harassment, and discrimination while on the job.
Jay Brome dreamt of working for the CHP, a law enforcement agency in the Golden State with jurisdiction of all of California’s highways.
He spent two years working on getting into the academy. When he finally did, he ended up patrolling the Contra Costa County in 2008, but not without costs to himself, his reputation, and his dignity.
Attorney Gay Grunfeld filed a 55-page brief on 29 November in the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco on behalf of Brome. The brief argues a jury should hear Brome’s case.
Last March, a judge dismissed Brome’s previous lawsuit on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired. Now he’s trying again, with Grunfeld arguing the dismissal was an error.
‘The harassment began during Officer Brome’s academy training,’ Grunfeld wrote in the brief. When his career officially began in 1996, it continued for over two decades.
The humiliation and abuse he suffered
‘There was bullying or name-calling – “fag”, “gay”,’ Brome recalled to the Sacramento Bee about his time spent in the academy. ‘I had an instructor that told me … to take my skirt off and start acting like a man.’
During one exercise, Brome alleged that a fellow cadet pulled a gun on him. Then the other man reportedly stated: ‘I know you’re gay, tell me you’re gay or I’ll pull the trigger.’
Brome said he had to leave the job, after giving decades of service, due to the effect the harassment had on him.
‘What was happening was I would drive around in my patrol car and for no reason I would just be crying, tears just running down my face,’ he revealed.
‘I was getting these urges to kill myself, and it was this sudden urge while I was driving my patrol car and it just said, “Pull out your gun and shoot yourself.”‘
He added he had no backup or support within the agency.
Not an isolated feeling
Despite no one stepping up for him, Brome wasn’t the only CHP officer to experience such treatment.
Another employee, Ken Stanley, served for 30 years and then sued. He was targeted for being perceived as gay.
‘I’m straight, I’m not gay. But some of the other sergeants I worked with didn’t like me, so they took it upon themselves to portray me as gay by posting pictures in the sergeant’s office,’ he said.
In one instance he said he found a bloody tampon in front of his office door.
‘It’s your typical macho environment (where) to other less-educated individuals in the workforce there can be no greater insult according to them than portraying somebody as gay,’ he added before comparing the CHP to the Catholic Church, in that they ‘deny everything’.
Four fellow officers provided documents supporting Brome’s lawsuit.
One wrote: ‘I observed plenty of homophobic behavior towards and about gay men at the CHP, including myself.’
The response
The CHP did not respond directly to Brome’s case. In a statement by spokesperson Fran Clader, however, they said this:
‘It is the policy of the CHP to provide equal employment opportunities for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex (includes sexual harassment, and gender identity), physical or mental disability, political affiliation/opinion, marital status, sexual orientation, or medical condition. Equal opportunity in employment practices will be made on the basis of merit, efficiency, and fitness consistent with state civil service and merit system principles.’
This is the latest lawsuit in the US over LGBTI discrimination in the workplace.
Last month, a firefighter sued the city of Norfolk, Virginia.
Grindr Head of Press Resigns Over CEO’s Opposition to Same-sex Marriage
Grindr’s director of communications has resigned from his role, seemingly in response to the dating app’s president saying he believes that marriage is between a man and a woman.
Landen Rafe Zumwalt, who is gay, published a post on Medium on December 7, explaining that he was stepping down from his position at Grindr with “great sadness.”
Zumwalt does not name Grindr president Scott Chen in his statement, but his blog post appears to be in response to Chen posting on Facebook that he agrees marriage should be “between a man and a woman.”
Grindr’s head of communications: “I refuse to compromise my own values”
Zumwalt writes: “As an out and proud gay man madly in love with a man I don’t deserve, I refused to compromise my own values or professional integrity to defend a statement that goes against everything I am and everything I believe.
“While that resulted in my time at Grindr being cut short, I have absolutely no regrets. And neither should you.”
“As an out and proud gay man madly in love with a man I don’t deserve, I refused to compromise my own values or professional integrity to defend a statement that goes against everything I am.”
— Landen Rafe Zumwalt
Zumwalt also tweeted with a link to his blog post on December 7: “Today, I submitted my official resignation as @Grindr’s head of communications. My full statement is here.”
PinkNews has contacted Zumwalt .
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A Grindr spokesperson told PinkNews: “As Landen shared in his Medium post, he has resigned from his position at Grindr. We wish him the best in his future endeavors and appreciate his contributions to the company and the Grindr community.”
On November 30, it was reported that Chen posted on Facebook that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman.
The head of the gay dating app, who is married to a woman, wrote on Facebook: “There are people who believe that marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. I agree, but that’s none of our business.”
In the post—which was reported by Grindr-owned publication INTO—Chen continued: “There are also people who believe that the purpose of marriage is to create children that carry their DNA. That’s also none of our business.
“There are people who are simply different from you, who desperately want to get married. They have their own reasons. Getting married is a personal issue.”
He added that he wished people wouldn’t donate to anti-LGBTQ causes and instead “donate your money to places which are in dire hunger, poverty, or suffering from war,” asking: “Why spend all that money to stop people who love each other from getting married? Aren’t there more important things in life?”
He concluded: “I’ll never buy HTC products ever again, and I’ll never donate a cent to any Christian groups in Taiwan!”
Chen joined Grindr after it was bought out by Chinese company Beijing Kunlun Tech last year, and became president of the company in August.
Grindr president Scott Chen responds to backlash
Writing in the comments section of INTO’s article, Chen denied he was against same-sex marriage.
“The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience,” said Chen.
“I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage.”
Amy Schumer, Chelsea Handler, Sarah Silverman ‘faggot’ Tweets Resurface
Tweets from Amy Schumer, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman using anti-gay slurs are under the spotlight after a row over comic Kevin Hart.
Musician and actor Nick Cannon called out the trio in the wake of a row involving Kevin Hart, who quit his role as host of the 2019 Oscars last week when a series of homophobic tweets resurfaced.
Hart sent tweets attacking “fags” as recently as 2012, while in his 2010 comedy tour he said: “As a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.”
The star is far from alone in having used anti-gay slurs, however, and Cannon highlighted tweets from three white female comics who had used the same language in the past.
Amy Schumer, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman were called out by Nick Cannon over ‘faggot’ tweets
In a 2012 tweet, Trainwreck star Amy Schumer wrote: “Enjoy skyfall fags. I’m bout to get knee deep in Helen Hunt #thesessions”
Chelsea Handler, who hosted Netflix talk show Chelsea, wrote in 2010: “This is what a fag bird likes like when he flexes.”
Wreck-It Ralph star Sarah Silverman sent a 2010 message that reads: “I dont mean this in a hateful way but the new bachelorette’s a faggot”
Sharing the messages, Cannon wrote: “Interesting🤔 I wonder if there was any backlash here…”
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Sarah Silverman responded to the faggot tweets controversy
Neither Amy Schumer or Chelsea Handler have responded, but Sarah Silverman shared a Twitter thread from a gay author Greg Hogben responding to Cannon, writing: “Thread❤️.”
In the thread, Hogben wrote: “Do you remember the first time you saw someone get punched in real life? There was no sound effect ‘thwack’ like in the movies. The victim probably didn’t do a perfect movie stuntman roll. Could you feel the violence behind it? Recognize the malicious intent to inflict injury?
“That’s what homophobia feels like to me. I can feel the violence. I can feel the malicious intent.”
— Greg Hogben
“That’s what homophobia feels like to me. I can feel the violence. I can feel the malicious intent.”
He added: “There’s been a trend of LGBT allies being accused of homophobia recently… the thing is, a lot of gay guys [don’t] take offence to these comments, because we didn’t feel the violence or malicious intent behind it. Because we knew they were jokes. Because we knew these people were LGBT allies.”
The thread shared by Sarah Silverman pointed out that she, Chelsea Handler and Amy Schumer are all long-time LGBT+ allies who helped fight for equality and fundraise for LGBT+ charities.
Hogben added: “We knew the history and backgrounds of these women. They used their massive platforms to help us long before marriage equality. And continue to do so.
“I can’t say the same for Kevin Hart. I can’t find a history of helping at-risk LGBT youth. To be honest, his tweets and his stand-up gig saying he’d ‘do anything not to have a gay son,’ made me bristle. In short, it *felt malicious*.
“I appreciate Kevin Hart’s apology and think it’s great that he’s ‘evolved and grown,’ but I don’t think there’s much of a comparison in your tweet. So while I understand your attempt to ‘both sides’ this issue, I hope you can see why some gay men don’t see it the same.”
Saturday Night Live comic Michael Che defended Kevin Hart
The spat comes after Saturday Night Live comic Michael Che defended Kevin Hart.
Speaking on SNL on December 8, Michael Che said: “Also if Kevin Hart isn’t clean enough to host the Oscars than no black comic is.”
Alluding to convicted sex offender Bill Cosby, he added: “The only black comic who’s cleaner than Kevin Hart is booked for the next three to ten years.”
Botswana High Court to Hear Decriminalization Case in 2019
Members of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) on Jan. 15, 2016, gather outside the Botswana Court of Appeals, after their organization won legal recognition. The country’s High Court in March will hear a case that seeks to decriminalize same-sex sexual relations. (Photo courtesy of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana)
GABORONE, Botswana — Botswana, the economic jewel of southern Africa, is set to continue its trailblazing social justice track toward legal equality for LGBTQI+ people. While it has taken longer than expected, the High Court of Botswana has set a new date to hear a case which challenges sections of the penal code which criminalize same-sex sexual relations. While the clauses — inherited from British colonial laws in 1885 — are not exclusively applicable to LGBTQ+ persons, their interpretation has caused grave apprehension to full self expression among members of the population who identify as such.According to human rights organization, LEGABIBO (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual of Botswana), the hearing of the case challenging the constitutionality of sections 164(a), 164(c) and 167 of the Penal Code will be heard before a full bench of the Botswana High Court, comprising of the Honorable Judge A.B. Tafa, the Honorable Judge M. Leburu and the Honorable Judge J. Dube on March 15. The aforementioned sections criminalize “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” and “indecent practices between persons” (whether in private or public) respectively.
The organization won its registration case against the Botswana government, heard at the Court of Appeal on March 16, 2016, after 11 years of contestation. On this case LEGABIBO is represented by Tshiamo Rantao and supported by the Southern Africa Litigation Center and members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community.
LEGABIBO Advocacy and Awareness Officer Caine Youngman said the case is “a massive rude awakening to those who are comfortable with the idea that homosexuality is illegal in Botswana.” He added this case “gives a positive image to LGBTQI+ people to know that when they are feeling trampled upon they can approach the court” and “the case is expected to clarify the laws of the land, so the government and ordinary Motswana understand that we are legitimate citizens as much as anyone else.”
There has, historically, been mixed reception of LGBTQI-favorable rulings passed by the courts by the general public as, it would appear, there is little communication and demystification of the necessity and impact of the rulings for people outside of the concerned population. Speaking with internationally-acclaimed, Botswana-based fashion designer Aobakwe Molosiwa of Gilded Sands, he said that for him this case gives an “opportunity to get conversations going because the lack of that attention locally is worrying” adding that it is a chance “to maximize traction; and the consideration we — as the queer community — give this case will drive how the greater community understands who we are. Only through enlightenment can we grow as a nation.” Recently, at the launch of the national observance of 16 days against violence against women and children, the sitting president of Botswana, HE Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, explicitly mentioned people in same-sex relationships also experience violence and must be considered in the commemorations as well as in prevention initiatives. This made him the first occupant of the highest office to speak out on LGBTQIA+ rights while in office.
While Botswana is still lagging on ratifying and domesticating some international human rights related treaties — such as the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — and has been flagged for its questionable press freedom, it appears that the highest courts are willing to address contentious matters when presented. The hope is the efforts of perceived societal minorities will lead to broad-ranging advocacy from many other facets of the community at large to build a socially just democracy. Understanding this, Youngman stated that, “we don’t want backlash from the community once decriminalization has been achieved; we are meeting with dikgosi (royalty), parliamentarians, councilors and community members doing awareness raising.”
Looking at future steps in the advent of a victory favoring the plaintiff, Molosiwa said “it would be a step toward discussing familial issues we as a nation have experienced but never addressed” adding that “this brings forward issues of morality and we can use this as an opportunity to confront the politics which religious factions lean on to vilify us.” Youngman said “it means that as a gay man I don’t have to think about what will happen tomorrow when there is no president who can openly call for respect of LGBTQIA+ persons. As a Motswana gay man, I have other things which are afforded to my heterosexual peers such as marriage and adoption and I can start advocating for these. It means my family will get the peace and quiet they need as they never stop worrying about your safety.”
So, while people around the world celebrate Christmas, the arrival of the New Year, Valentine’s day, and anticipate Easter, LGBTQIA+ persons and their allies in Botswana will be anxiously gearing up for what is hoped to be the end of a leg of a long fought battle to recognize contemporary realities of Batswana against inherited colonial laws. Just as March 16, 2016, will forever be inscribed in Botswana’s LGBTQIA+ history, it may transpire that a three-year gap was what was necessary for the courts to catch up and endow LGBTQIA+ persons with their inalienable rights to recognition as people, protection of the law and freedom.
The 8 Best Albums of the Year Were All by LGBTI pop Stars, Obviously
Janelle, Hayley, Lil Peep, MNEK and Troye | Photos: Atlantic/Columbia/Because Music/Capitol
8 MNEK – Language
Fans were taken aback by the poor performance of MNEK’s debut album this year, such was the hype around the 23-year-old. He’d carved a name for himself the decade prior writing and producing for artists like Beyonce, Kylie and Madonna, and for hit collaborations with Zara Larsson and Stormzy.
But what happened with this project? You can’t fault MNEK’s bassy, velvety voice. The music certainly wasn’t lacking, either. The brash Correct and pulsating Tongue are glossily produced, instantly addictive and insanely confident.
They should have gone stratospheric, but didn’t. The nimble, joyously poppy LGBT anthem Colour with Hailee Steinfeld got a decent push via its video (and a superior lyric video), but didn’t connect either.
Language will go down as one of the most-dissected music mysteries of 2018. It’ll be interesting to see how MNEK’s next record does, and there’ll surely be one, as he’s an irrepressible talent.
7 Rita Ora – Phoenix
First things first, the presence of controversy-causing Girls on Rita’s long-delayed sophomore album is galling. What could have been her Lady Marmalade moment with Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charli XCX was instead a conceptual and musical low point for all involved. The tempo drags, the melody’s feeble and the lyrics, which clunkily explore same-sex attraction, are at best immature (‘Sometimes I just want to kiss girls!’ they chant like a nursery rhyme) and at worst offensive.
Silver linings, though: the song prompted Rita to disclose her past relationships with women. Phoenix alchemises this emotional honesty into a collection of finely-drawn pure pop songs that are often surprisingly vulnerable.
Half-comprised of pre-existing singles (just like the 90s!), Rita’s song with the late Avicii is Phoenix’s strongest moment: the sad, searching but entirely danceable Lonely Together was one of the best songs of last year.
Elsewhere, Your Song, Anywhere and Let You Love Me are a fizzing, mid-20s, love-induced head-fuck musical triptych. Rita’s got a strong voice but often opts for a delicate delivery here, expressing innocence and confidence simultaneously; one could believe all the songs are about the same person. Other tracks like Only Want You, Velvet Rope also click sweetly into place.
6 Years & Years – Palo Santo
Their million-selling debut Communion made a crowd-pleasing splash in 2015. And while Years & Years’ sophomore effort – a concept album about a futuristic, sexually-evolved world – had less of an impact, it’s the more ambitious and artistic of the two.
‘You don’t have to be straight with me, I see what’s underneath your mask,’ sings fearlessly queer frontman Olly on the spell-like Sanctify, the first cut from the album. It’s a strange, tense song, with tribal drums and beckoning vocals. On it, Olly invites his hetero-identifying lover to ‘sanctify’ his body. There are religious undertones, and yet, it’s as gloriously homoerotic as pop gets.
It’s telling, then, that after Sanctify didn’t light up the charts, the silly, sweet kiss-off If You’re Over Me, with its dangerously catchy chorus, was picked as the follow up single. A top 10 mainstay selling over 400,000 copies, it did its job.
But it’s not a fair reflection of Palo Santo’s weirdness, best exemplified in the title track. A depression-drenched ode to an ex, Olly sings likes he’s in a turned on trance as he longs for a past love and quite possibly destroys his new relationship (‘Do I look good in this position, just like him?’ he teases).
5 Troye Sivan – Bloom
Troye took a queer leap of faith with his second album. The thirst was real on My My My!, a euphoric celebration of gay sex and love (‘spark up, buzz cut, I’ve got my tongue between your teeth,’ Troye lulls). It’s the perfect introduction to the concise and sexy Bloom.
The sexuality peaks with the title track, labeled by fans an ‘ode to bottoming’ that paints receptive anal sex as beautiful and inviting an experience as walking through a garden. ‘The fountains and the waters are begging just to know ya,’ he says, before comparing his backside to a flower. OK, maybe this is the gayest song of the year.
The second best song is the playful Plum. Here, Troye compares the perfect stage of his relationship to sweet, ripened fruit that might be on the turn. One’s mind wanders to Call My By Your Name’s peach scene; indeed, you can imagine Elio penning lyrics like ‘jealous you can sleep, you’ve been keeping me up and I mouth the words I think I wanna speak.’
For this listener, Troye’s graceful, haunting voice underwhelms on slower tracks like The Good Side and Animal. And I feel his maddeningly underplayed Ariana Grande duet Dance To This was a massive missed opportunity. But otherwise, I’m still enthralled by this album four months later.
4 Lil Peep – Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 2
Lil Peep’s second album was released posthumously last month: the ‘trip hop rapper’ sadly passed away of an accidental drug overdose last year. From Amy Winehouse’s Lioness: Hidden Treasures to Michael Jackson’s Micheal, music lovers are often wary of cobbled-together collections of a late artist’s songs. And rightly so. They’re often disappointing.
Not in this case. Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 2 feels authentic. It perfectly frames the bisexual star’s uniquely sombre sound. That he’s at all affiliated with the modern SoundCloud rap scene is a mystery to me. His music has more overtly in common with 90s grunge and the better 00s emo bands. The tortured, pleading Sex With My Ex could be Nirvana, and is funereal and intoxicating.
On the downtempo Cry Alone and the desolate, echoey Runaway, a lonely-sounding Lil Peep speak-sings brutally honest lyrics exploring messed up relationships, drug use and mental health. Listeners with such issues of their own should proceed with caution. The pessimism and sense of looming tragedy could prove triggering for some.
I should also mention, the guest artist on wistful bonus track Falling Down will give some LGBTIs pause for thought. The late XXXTentacion, who was murdered in July, was of course flagrantly homophobic. Lil Peep brings something gentle and searching out in him on thus bonus track, as two lost souls struggle to decipher their pain (‘your love is like walking on a bed of nails’). Listening to it with hindsight is devastating.
3 Hayley Kiyoko – Expectations
When I first heard about Hayley Kiyoko, nicknamed ‘lesbian Jesus’ by fans, and her song Curious I was…dubious. I jumped to the conclusion that ‘curious’ was being utilized in the most basic of ways. That Hayley was a gimmicky artist feigning sexual ambiguity like many before her. How wrong I was.
After warming to her stunning debut Expectations, and noting the pride and electropop revelry with which it celebrates out and proud lesbianism, I revisited Curious. I finally paid attention to the complex narrative at play. ‘I’m just curious, is it serious?’ Hayley teases the object of her affection, who’s seemingly chosen a guy over her; ‘Calling me up, so late at night, are we just friends? You say you wanted me, but you’re sleeping with him.’
She doubles down on the theme with the infectious sexual confidence of He’ll Never Love You Like Me. Ditto the sweeping, pulsating wall of sound that is What I Need, her chemistry-laden duet with Kehlani. In a parallel universe, this was the Billboard Hot 100 number one of the summer.
She switches gear on the mid tempo Wanna Be Missed, my most-listened to song of the year on Spotify. She sounds defenceless, desperate, ‘fragile like glass’, but also sexy; laying her cards on the table and insisting ‘say you can’t walk, can’t talk, go on without me.’ An amazingly mature debut album.
2 Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer
After years of speculation and ambiguity, Janelle came out as pansexual on the cover of Rolling Stone this year, the same week her third album was celebrated by music critics worldwide.
Loaded with razor sharp political commentary and poetic lyrics, Dirty Computer is definitely food for the brain. But that’s not to say it’s weighed down by its own intellectualism. Its bursting with sound you can sing and dance to without much thought whatsoever.
Although you can’t miss the point of the epic, flirtatious PYNK, which conjures images of a vagina with more immediacy than even the above trousers. It also features the musical climax to end them all.
One of Dirty Computer’s best qualities is how different each song is from the next. And yet, each blends into the next seamlessly. The Prince-inspired funk of Make Me Feel is a high point, along with the pop-R&B of Crazy, Classic Life, which some of my favorite lyrics of the year: ‘I don’t need a diamond ring, I don’t wanna waste my youth, I don’t wanna live on my knees, I just have to tell the truth.’
1 Christine and the Queens – Chris
Her graceful debut Chaleur humaine sold over a million copies worldwide. It was a masterclass in top quality, intelligent indie pop. Then French star Christine, who identifies as pansexual, waited four years to release the follow up. But Chris was worth the wait. It has a broadly similar sound to its predecessor, but intensified, and powered by hyper-articulation (she uses the word ‘soliloquize’, foe example) and plenty of sexual exploration.
If that makes the album sound like a chore, an easy in is the arresting Doesn’t matter. The cocky percussion and soaring, ethereal vocals combine to create light-footed dance song, full of strange synths and soaring vocals. The astonishing lyrics deal with weighty themes – suicidal thoughts, the existence of God – with elegance and honesty.
On Girlfriend, Christine plays with gender and sings with a light arrogance: ‘Don’t feel like a girlfriend, but lover, damn, I’d be your lover, girlfriend’. Here, the character she creates wouldn’t feel out of place on Grindr with the words ‘masc4masc’ on their profile…
Then there’s 5 dollars, the most beautiful, angelic-sounding song about sex work you will ever hear. The video ups the androgynous ante; I’m a gay man and the sight of Christine in a harness left me hot under the collar. And yet, for me, her voice is gloriously girlish, and that friction creates new, exciting possibilities.
The coolest, most up-to-the-minute record of the year.
Transgender person shot dead in Detroit, Michigan
A 35-year-old transgender person was fatally shot on the East Side of Detroit.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the unidentified person was found around 6 AM on Friday, 7 December. No other details about the victim have been released at this time.
The body was found on E. McNichols Road, between Brush and Omira. The street remains closed for the investigation.
Police are currently investigating the incident, but do not consider it a hate crime.
Authorities are looking into a claim by a man who was allegedly robbed in the area and fired a self-protection shot. He was unsure who the bullet hit. While both these incidents took place close to each other, police are investigating them separately.
Police have a 46-year-old male in custody, according to ABC7 Detroit.
‘I would say that crimes committed against the (LGBT) community are down,’ said Cpl. Danielle Woods, the Detroit police LGBT Liaison.
Woods’ role in the department is to provide ‘sensitivity, awareness, and terminology training.’
Thankfully, ABC7 Detroit and the Detroit Free Press did not misgender or deadname the victim. Unfortunately, not every news outlet provides the same attention to detail for transgender murder victims. For instance, initial reports of last year’s death of trans woman Stephanie Montez identified her as a ‘man in a dress.’
Over 369 transgender people have been murdered globally in 2018 thus far.
South Africa Passes Historic Vote to Protect Civil Unions from Homophobes
The lower house of parliament (National Assembly) in South Africa has voted for a historic change to civil union laws.
South Africa has recognized civil unions since 2006 but today’s changes will mean that officials will not be able to refuse to marry same-sex couples on the basis of their ‘conscience, religion [or] belief’.
Cope (Congress Of The People party) MP Deidre Carter introduced the Civil Union Amendment Bill in January with the parliament’s Portfolio Committee passing it in November.
During the debate, Deidre Carter, said LGBTI people suffered greatly during South Africa’s apartheid era. She told the parliament they ‘suffered a
particularly harsh fate and were branded as criminals and rejected by society as outcasts’.
‘I received complaints that couples were being turned away from a number of Home Affairs offices as there were no marriage officers that were
prepared to solemnise same-sex marriages,’ she said.
‘My investigations revealed that this tendency was in fact more widespread than initially thought. At the time, the Minister advised me that nearly half of its designated marriage officers had been exempted from solemnizing same-sex marriages.’
Carter argued that refusing to marry a same-sex couple was a ‘limitation (that) cannot be justified in an open and democratic society’.
Following today’s vote the National Council of Provinces (upper house) will also vote on the amended bill. Should it be successful in the NCOP, President Cyril Ramaphosa will then sign it into law.
This Record Label is Raising Money for LGBTQ+ International Rights with Perfume Genius
The great queer music artist Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) has joined forces with W Records to release two exclusive tracks for which all proceeds will go to Immigration Equality to further the the rights of LGBTQ immigrants. Immigration Equality is the nation’s leading LGBTQ immigrant rights organization.
W Records is supporting the LGBTQ+ community in other ways, too. Perhaps the first to note is the regular QUEER ME OUT panels as well as a series of destination guides in partnership with them. that explore locations that aren’t always the first that come to mind for queer travelers.
The Pride L.A. spoke with Anthony Ingham, Global Brand Leader for W Records about partnering with Perfume Genius and advancing LGBTQ+ rights.
Tell me a little bit about W Records. Why would a hotel empire launch a recording label?
W Records is a natural next step for the W brand. Just this year we kicked off our global music festival series, WAKE UP CALL at W Hollywood, W Barcelona, W Bali and soon we’ll be taking the multi-day, multi-stage performance to W Dubai – The Palm. Music has always been a passion for us, which is why we brought on Global Music Directors to curate the music experience at all of our global hotels from background music to on-site performances.
Back in 2016 we started exploring how we could support artists beyond our Living Room performances which each W hotel hosts with local talent. We created W Sound Suites, in-hotel recording studios, to support the creative process that is essential to the music we love. When we saw how impactful our partnerships with musicians like St. Vincent were for our guests, we wanted to build bigger and bigger platforms to highlight the new/next talent we love. Once we had thrown an international music festival, the question became what can we create that reaches an audience beyond the scene at our hotels? W Records was the answer. Now we can not only help foster creative expression but also help get the word out alongside artists we believe in.
Why sign with or partner with Perfume Genius? What does his influence have on the LGBTQ+ community that W Records likes?
Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) stood out to us for a lot of the obvious reasons; his overwhelming skill and artistry as a musician and producer among them. However, like W, he is vocal about his support of the LGBTQ community. We want to support him first and foremost as an artist in partnership with him and Matador (his label), but also beyond the performance. Each artist that works with W Records is given the opportunity to choose a charity. All W proceeds from the streaming of the two exclusive tracks released with each artist are donated to that chosen charity. In this case, Perfume Genius chose Immigration Equality and we are honored to be a part of supporting their vitally important work.
Can you tell me a little bit about the success of the QUEER ME OUT speaking panels?
Since day one, W Hotels has been dedicated to inclusivity and equality and it continues to be core to the brand experience. Each QUEER ME OUT event offers passionate panel discussions that dive into hot button issues as well as the work and play of experts and icons. We launched QUEER ME OUT in 2017 to continue the conversations that are essential to progress with incredible individuals like Mickey Boardman (Editorial Director for PAPER Magazine), Abiezer Benitez and Thomas Jackson (Editors of GAYLETTER Magazine) and Levi Jackman Foster (Photographer) among many others. Last year we hosted these discussions in North America at W Washington DC (June 2017), W Fort Lauderdale (July 2017) and W Montreal (August 2017).
For 2018 we took the QUEER ME OUT series global. As an international company, we want to push the conversation forward everywhere, not only in North America. So far this year, we’ve hosted QUEER ME OUT discussions at W Barcelona (June 27), W London – Leicester Square (July 7) and W Amsterdam (August 4).
Can you tell me more about Marriott’s corporate social responsibility Platform (SERVE 360)and how it correlates to the LGBTQ+ community?
SERVE 360 is a multifaceted initiative from Marriott International that aims to nurture, sustain, empower and welcome guests and global causes. Through partnering and supporting charitable causes, nonprofits, creating and implementing training, advocacy and supplier accountability, including those that are focused on the LGBTQ+ community, Marriott embraces travel as one of the most powerful tools for promoting peace and cultural understanding.
Can you comment on the overall social responsibility (especially with the LGBTQ+ community) of other big businesses?
I can’t speak to the motivations and actions of all corporations. As a global organization rooted in an industry that encourages cultural exploration and appreciation, I feel we as a brand have a responsibility to set an example. We can’t shy away from the difficult conversations that push us forward. We as individuals and businesses have to create the space, time and environment to talk about the real issues. Equality is non-negotiable and there is still work to be done. There was a time when a person, never mind a company, would have been shunned for speaking up for LGBTQ+ rights. We are proud to be supporting a cause we believe in. Supporting LGBTQ+ rights across all our initiatives is a privilege we have not and will not take for granted.
A referendum on whether to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in Taiwan failed on Nov. 24, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association)
The most LGBT-friendly country in Asia has rejected marriage equality. Amnesty International says the Nov. 24 referendum results are a bitter blow to the Taiwanese LGBT community that wishes their island nation would be the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. What’s more, for the rest of the dreamers in Asia it’s a painful reminder that realizing genuine marriage equality at home could take another generation.Even though Taiwan is deemed the most progressive country in Asia and a haven for LGBT activism, two initiatives to add same-sex marriage in the Civil Code and gender equality education in schools were both rejected. A pre-election survey that suggested as many as 77 percent of Taiwanese opposed legalizing same-sex marriage is a clear indication that acceptance on LGBT rights is not nationwide, even in Taiwan.
As I grew up in one of the most conservative countries in Asia, I am not surprised to see these results because I know acceptance on LGBT rights in Asian countries is always limited to certain niches. Often, media-distorted views of seemingly widespread acceptance are giving false hopes.
Asian countries present a broad spectrum of LGBT rights conditions, from harsh punishments to discrimination to growing acceptances. As of today, same-sex relationships are illegal in at least 20 Asian countries and are punishable to death penalty in seven of them. For the rest of Asia, LGBT individuals find themselves lucky to struggle with relatively mild miseries, such as family acceptance or workplace discrimination.
As I have traveled as a reporter across Asia, I found a common unspoken consensus among the non-LGBT populace in Asia. Since we are “abnormal” or “deviant” of norms, we shall be allowed to grow only within certain niches. In other words, either as an individual or as a community, if we have grown to the point that the majority feels intimidated, it has the right to say, “too much.” More or less, this reflects the attitudes of the majority in Asian countries. You won’t see them in the media but people act on it when they cast their votes.
On the other hand, the irony is same-sex marriage has become the ultimate symbol of accepting secularism and diversity, so support for LGBT rights has been politicized. From the late-Cambodian King Sihanouk to the Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte, it’s not hard to see why these Asian leaders showed support for LGBT rights but never actually acted to risk public support. Support of gay rights is a symbolic gesture to show their Western counterparts how secular and liberal they have become. In Taiwan, the motives to show the world how it is different from the authoritarian mainland in the era of the regime’s rising global power is behind the push for becoming a paragon of freedom and tolerance in Asia. This kind of “acceptance with an agenda” might fool the international media, but the message of acceptance is never passed down to the grassroots level.
When I attended the ILGA Asia conference in 2013, I came to the conclusion shared by many other activists: Marriage equality is too far-fetched for us, at least in our lifetime.
Demands for LGBT rights are not just fighting the repressive laws and homophobic groups. We are fighting the beliefs, traditions and systems backed by patriarchy, collectivism and fundamentalism, which have been institutionalized and cherished by the society. If you are from one of the bottom Asian countries, you have additional fights against corruption, ignorance and misconceptions against the minorities. This is the reality of being an LGBT person in Asia.
Victor Maung is a journalist and LGBT rights activist who was born in Myanmar. He lives and works in D.C.