Rentboys, a shamanic princess and Donald Trump’s gay thoughts

Your Daily Package of newsy and naughty bits from around the world


Rentboy.com CEO pleads guilty

The CEO of Rentboy.com Jeffrey Hurant has pled guilty of promoting prostition in a plea deal that will limit his time in prison to less than two years. Federal law enforcement shut down the website and arrested Hurant, saying the site amounted to an online brothel, while many gay activists said the prosecution smacked of homophobia.

Read more from the Associated Press.

A dancer, a princess, and the Indonesian moral crackdown

At BuzzFeed, J. Lester Feder tells the remarkable story of a dancer from a rural village in Indonesia who challenged the rules of his Muslim culture, daring to marry his boyfriend after a shaman told him he was possessed by the spirit of an ancient princess.

Israeli lawmaker pregnant by gay gay friend

A single Israeli lawmaker has announced she is pregnant, with the help of IVF and her gay friend. Merav Ben-Ari says reaction from her constituents has been overwhelmingly positive.

Read more at Haaretz.

Mass arrests at a gay bar in Cameroon

Police surrounded a gay bar in Yaoundé, capital of Cameroon, on Sunday and arrested everyone inside, according to international gay watchdog site 76 Crimes. Reports say all those arrested were later released. Homosexual activity is illegal in Cameroon.

A gay moderator, and gay thoughts

CNN journalist Anderson Cooper made history Sunday night as the first openly gay journalist to host a presidential debate, pressing Republican candidate Donald Trump on a leaked video in which he was recorded bragging about sexual assault. Meanwhile, another video surfaced of Trump braggin to Howard Stern that he had never had a gay thought in his life.

Niko Bell

Niko Bell is a writer, editor and translator from Vancouver. He writes about sexual health, science, food and language.

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