Confused Irish anti-gay speaker accidentally rejects straight marriage
In a town hall on Ireland’s upcoming same-sex marriage referendum, one anti-gay speaker became so enraged he accidentally came out against straight marriage. “We don’t want men and women getting married!” he said, before correcting himself. According to polls, about 70 percent of Irish people say they will support same-sex marriage.
Dissent: California sex-crime law discriminates against gay people
Two dissenting judges in a California Supreme Court case say that a ruling allowing mandatory minimum sentencing for unforced oral sex with a minor — but not for unforced intercourse with a minor — discriminates against gay people. The majority wrote that sexual intercourse with a minor deserved special protection because pregnancy could result, and mandatory minimums could hurt the interests of a child. The dissent wrote that the law stemmed from “irrational homophobia” and would treat gay people in a “differentially harsh way.”
ExxonMobil ads LGBT protections under pressure
Oil giant ExxonMobil has finally added LGBT protections to its anti-discrimination policy, in reaction to a 2014 executive order by American President Barack Obama denying federal contracts to companies that discriminate. In 2013, ExxonMobil won almost half a billion dollars in federal contracts from the United States. Several LGBT groups told BuzzFeed they were still unhappy with ExxonMobil because it shifted only after direct pressure from the government.
Iconic New York gay bar closes down
Rawhide, a 32-year-old gay bar in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood, has shut down because of rising rent. Several other gay bars competed for the spot but lost out to a more profitable, and less gay, lingerie store.
Kate Bornstein: Now is a pivotal time for trans people
American author and trans activist Kate Bornstein tells Reuters that now is a pivotal moment for trans people, as the younger generation increasingly accepts ambiguity in gender. “Most college students are okay with the idea of someone who defines themselves as not a man or a woman,” Bornstein says. “That’s very different from their parents or even their older siblings.”
“Mostly straight” is the new straight
At The Daily Dot, Nico Lang examines the rise of “mostly straight” men and challenges the old “gay, straight or lying” stereotype of male sexuality. Some new research suggests gay and straight men may be more sexually fluid than once thought, and if Tinder is any indication, a surprising number of straight men are willing to give men a shot.
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