Gay senator wins nom for Irish presidency
Openly gay Irish senator David Norris has secured enough nominations to stand for president.
The independent politician won the support of Dublin city council Sept. 27 and will run against six other candidates in October.
He said he was “absolutely thrilled” at the news.
Norris 67, pulled out of the race in August over controversy surrounding a letter of support he had written for a former partner who was convicted of raping a 15-year-old boy.
But earlier this month, he announced he would stand after receiving a “consistent outpouring of public support.”
“If I can make this kind of comeback, I hope to God as president I’ll be able to help the country make the kind of comeback that it and its people deserve,” he said.
The vote will take place on Oct. 27.
If elected, Norris will become the world’s first openly gay head of state.
500 attend East London Pride
Five hundred people joined a Pride march through east London on Sept. 24.
The area has had a troubled year. In February, Muslim extremists distributed stickers warning of a gay-free zone, while a Pride march was cancelled after it was revealed that an organizer had links to the English Defense League.
The East London Mosque was accused of breaking a promise not to host antigay speakers.
The event saw a march through Hackney and Tower hamlets, followed by a festival in Bethnal Green with performers and discussions.
Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman spoke on stage with a drag queen and told the crowd he would ensure respect for local LGBT people.
“I grew up here, and have seen how things have changed in the last 20 years,” Rahman said. “I want you to be in no doubt I will fight to ensure there is respect for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture and rights in the same way I will for all communities. LGBT people are part of the community of Tower Hamlets, and a respected part. I am pleased to be here and to support this event.”
Festival organizer Jack Gilbert said: “His words are to be welcomed, as were the discussions in the community marketplace, on LGBT Muslim experience, on the increase in homophobic crime and on LGBT-related material in schools. We look forward to a meeting in the near future to take these forward.”
Ahmadinejad admits possibility of gays in Iran
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad acknowledged that gay people might exist in his country during a press briefing in which he suggested that perhaps CNN correspondent Wolf Blitzer knows some of them.
During the Sept. 22 briefing with reporters in New York City, the site of the United Nations General Assembly, Blitzer asked Ahmadinejad about his controversial statement from 2007 at Columbia University that gay people do not exist in Iran. The statement at the time was in response to questions about the execution of gay people, which reportedly continue despite the country’s insistence to the contrary.
“Are there homosexuals in Iran?” Blitzer asked.
“My position hasn’t changed,” said Ahmadinejad through an interpreter, although his acknowledgment of gay people in Iran presented a new development.
“In Iran, homosexuality is looked down upon as an ugly deed,” he said. “Perhaps there are those who engage in such activities and you may be in contact with them and more aware of them. But in Iranian society such activities, thoughts and behaviors are shameful. Therefore, these are not known elements within Iranian society. Rest assured, this is one of the ugliest behaviors in our society. It is against divine will, divine teachings of any and every faith, and it is certainly at the detriment of humans and humanity. But, as the government, I cannot go in the street and stop my population and ask them about specific orientation, so my position is clear about that.”
Scotland minister backs gay marriage
An openly gay minister in the Church of Scotland has backed calls for marriage equality.
The Rev. Scott Rennie, whose 2009 appointment threatened to split the church, said the change should be “celebrated.”
The Scottish government is holding a consultation on opening up marriage to gay couples.
Rennie said, “Marriage, like most institutions, has been changing. In my own religious tradition, the theme is one of covenant and love and support. The sharing of these things should be greeted and celebrated.”
The minister also spoke about his own experiences as a gay clergy member.
“There is a huge climate of fear still in the churches about sexuality, about the freedom to be honest,” he said. “I certainly didn’t feel able to talk to anyone within the ministry, which is very sad and not a terribly great thing. You can’t underestimate how difficult it is to be open and honest. A lot of people just don’t feel safe and that’s a terrible, terrible indictment. In 100 years’ time, I would venture a guess that it won’t be such a big issue.”
Rennie was previously married to a woman but now lives with his same-sex partner.
His congregation at Queens Cross Church, Edinburgh, voted overwhelmingly for him to become their next minister but controversy over his appointment led to deep divisions in the church.
Trans dancer sacked from Chinese talent show
A famous Chinese dancer said she was dropped as a judge on a TV talent show because she is transgender.
Jin Xing, 44, had sex-reassignment surgery in 1996. She was booked to appear for eight weeks on “Feitong Fanxiang,” a show for professional singers.
She said the show’s director, Chao Chi-tai, called her personally to say that government officials had demanded she be axed from the show.
Xing claimed that Chi-tai, quoting from an official document from culture officials in Zhejiang province, said her “transgender identity could have negative effects on society.”
The dancer says she is not interested in compensation or an apology.
“I’m just angry that the officials used such a lame excuse. It’s a personal attack,” she said.
The Zhejiang province culture department has not commented.
Tasmanian parliament votes for gay marriage
The Tasmanian parliament’s House of Assembly has backed gay marriage, putting pressure on the federal Labor government to follow suit.
This is the first time a house in any Australian parliament has voted in favor of marriage equality. Tasmania only voted to legalize homosexuality in 1997.
Tasmanian Greens Leader Nick McKim said, “Labor and the Greens have come together to advance this cause, in another vindication of the outcomes achievable from collaboration in a power sharing Parliament. It’s time for this debate to now move from Tasmania to the national stage. It’s time for the federal government to change our nation’s laws and provide marriage equality for all Australians, regardless of gender, regardless of sexuality.”
Federal Labor will debate the issue of gay marriage at its December conference. Prime Minister Julia Gillard is against gay marriage.
The party’s branches in Queensland, Tasmania, West Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have all passed motions in support of marriage equality.
Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson Rodney Croome called on other state parliaments to follow Tasmania’s lead.
“If every state and territory parliament were to do what we have seen in Tasmania today, it would be impossible for the federal parliament to continue to resist change,” he said. “If Tasmania can do this, the other states and territories can do it too.”
— compiled by Larry Nichols