Apple CEO comes out (USA)
In an essay in Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook has come out publicly as gay. “I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” he writes. Cook hinted at his sexuality in a speech at Auburn University last year, and it has long been an open secret in Silicon Valley. Cook says he decided to finally come out, despite reservations about his privacy, to inspire people. “If hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy,” he writes.
Republican candidate accidentally advertises on Grindr (Arkansas)
Ads for firmly anti-gay Republican Senate candidate Tom Cotton somehow ended up on Grindr in Arkansas, The Daily Beast reports. It seems that the ads got to Grindr through a third-party advertising network, and neither Grindr nor Cotton were pleased to see them. The ads were paid for by the NRA and supported second amendment rights. Cue the “bear arms” jokes.
Taiwan leads Asia in gay rights
After Taipei’s annual Pride parade this weekend, The New York Times describes how Taiwan is surging ahead of the rest of Asia in gay rights. Activists from more restrictive mainland China and Malaysia come to Taiwan Pride for validation and to bask in relative acceptance. On the other hand, Gay Star News reports that a Taipei mayoral candidate deleted a pro-gay post this week after excessive online backlash.
Read more at The New York Times.
British colonies suffer from anti-gay colonial legacy
In India, Uganda, Malaysia and around the world, anti-gay politicians argue that homosexuality is an alien, Western imposition on traditional values. In The Washington Post, researchers Enze Han and Joseph O’Mahoney argue that, in fact, the opposite is true: homophobia is often the legacy of British colonial rule. British colonies lag behind the rest of the world in the decriminalization of homosexuality, even more than French and Spanish colonies. On the upside, Han and O’Mahoney say that British colonies may be slow to decriminalize because they gained independence later. There is still hope, they say, that many will return to their natural state.
Read more at The Washington Post.
Lesbian sperm-donor recipients happier with open-identity donors
According to a study released by The Williams Institute, nearly 80 percent of lesbian sperm-donor recipients were happy with their choice of a known, open-identity or unknown sperm donor 18 years after the donation. Lesbian couples who received open-identity donations, however, were more likely to be satisfied than those who received anonymous donations.
Read the study in Fertility and Sterility.
Republican uses gay son in campaign ad; gays not impressed (New York)
New York House of Representatives candidate Nan Hayworth ran an ad this week that features her gay son, in an effort to ward off criticisms of her anti-gay record. “She’s always been there for me. And she’ll always be there for you,” her son says in the ad. David Stacy, of the Human Rights Campaign, was not impressed. “Of course Nan Hayworth loves her gay son. That’s not what’s at issue here,” he told The Huffington Post. “The problem is her lack of support for legal protections provided by marriage for everyone else who isn’t lucky enough to be related to an elected official.” Hayworth is running against gay Democrat Sean Maloney.
Read more at The Huffington Post.
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