Rowling: There are gay students at Hogwarts
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has confirmed that, yes, some Hogwarts students are gay. When a fan asked if the fictional school is LGBT-friendly, she replied, “But of course,” and attached an image with the text, “If Harry Potter taught us anything, it’s that nobody should live in the closet.“ Rowling also confirmed that there were such things as Jewish wizards.
Lesbians are paid more than straight women, gay men less than straight men
According to a new World Bank study, lesbians are paid more than their straight counterparts with similar education and skills, but gay men are paid less. The difference varied between countries, but in an average of eight developed countries, lesbians earned 12 percent more than straight women, while gay men earned 9 percent less than straight men. The authors say lesbians may receive a premium for putting more focus on their careers or may benefit from stereotypes of gendered behaviour.
Indiana pastor charged for sexual advances
In a story now depressingly familiar, an evangelical Christian pastor in Indiana has been charged with battery for soliciting sex from a man in a parked car. According to court documents, the appropriately named Gaylard Williams grabbed his genitals and requested oral sex, then ran off when the other man seemed to be reaching for a gun. Police report they found gay pornography in Williams’s car.
Film festival stands behind Egyptian journalist who targeted gay men
In early December, Egyptian journalist Mona Iraqi called the police on a Cairo bathhouse and filmed as dozens of gay men were arrested and hauled away. She later proclaimed she had uncovered a “place of perversion between men.” Iraqi is also the Egyptian representative for Switzerland’s Shnit short film festival, which prides itself on its support of diversity. Shnit is standing behind Iraqi, however, and insists that she was simply targeting illegal sex trafficking.
The flourishing gay culture of Weimar Berlin
On NPR’s Fresh Air, host Terry Gross dives into the surprisingly gay world of interwar Germany, in the brief interlude between repressive old-world policies and the Nazi crackdown. Guests include Robert Beachy, the author of a new book on gay Berlin.
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