Champion strongman comes out as gay
Rob Kearney, one of the strongest men on Earth, has come out as gay. A professional weightlifter and strongman, he came out in a Facebook post last month about his boyfriend. “The past few months have been crazy, but through it all you’ve given me a reason to smile,” he wrote. “So I guess this is me coming out and saying . . . I’m gay!!” Christian Matyi at Outsports writes about what this means for one of the most manly of sports.
Section 377 ruling hangs over heads of gay Singaporeans
The Economist takes a detailed look at the case against three Singaporean men charged under a colonial-era law banning gay sex. Singapore’s high court upheld the law last week, ensuring that gay men (but not women) could continue to be imprisoned for sexual activity. The Economist argues that while Singapore promises tolerance to the rest of the world, “if every sexually active gay man who attends one of those plays or bars or clubs has the threat of imprisonment hanging over his head, simply for who he chooses to love in the privacy of his own home, that tolerance is conditional.”
Derek Jarman’s film legacy rolls on (New York)
As a season of Derek Jarman’s films opens at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Tim Teeman at The Daily Beast writes about the legacy of the filmmaker and activist, 20 years after his death. Jarman was the video director behind The Smiths and the Pet Shop Boys.
Activists undecided about gay gubernatorial candidate (Maine)
You have two choices for governor: one man has a long and consistent record of standing up for gay rights; the other man is gay and could become the first gay governor in the United States. It’s no wonder activists are split over Democrat Mike Michaud and independent Eliot Cutler in Maine’s upcoming gubernatorial election. Michaud may be gay but spent years voting down gay-rights measures and staying silent on gay issues. To make it worse, Cutler is a long shot for governor and might split votes on the left, leading to a Republican victory. What’s a gay voter to do?
Elton John: Make Pope Francis a saint (New York)
Elton John thinks Pope Francis should be made a saint for his acceptance of gay people. “Ten years ago one of the biggest obstacles in the fight against AIDS was the Catholic Church. Today we have a pope that speaks out about it,” he said at an AIDS fundraiser in New York. “Make this man a saint already, OK?”
Image Credit: Rob Kearney, YouTube
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