His Mother Was Disappointed When He Came Out As Straight

Meet Guillaume Gallienne, French actor, film director and member of the renowned Comédie Française.

Born into a French upper-class family in 1972 (the year following the legalization of homosexuality in France), Guillaume's mother quickly noticed his interest in making dresses out of bed covers, and aspiring to be like his mother.

Guillaume is very effeminate, and always has been. So much, to the point where his own mother always believed he would come out as gay. But Guillaume is in fact straight, and one of his latest films tells the story of his troubled growing up.

FRANCE: Senate Adopts Gay Marriage Bill, Homophobia Grows

The French Senate adopted the bill last night (S)

With 179 for and 157 against, France's senate decided in the late hours of Tuesday night to pass article 1 of the equality bills that are on the table at the moment.

But all has not yet been won. Same-sex couples will be able to marry as soon as this summer, but French activists know that this is only the beginning of the end of their fight for equality. The senate is yet to adopt articles on adoption, partnership laws, and once those have passed the fight will be reignited by the demand for same-sex equality when it comes to Medically Assisted Procreation (MAP).

My Coming Out - Part 1 : My Letter to My Parents

LGBT History Month

This is the 2013 logo for LGBT History Month UK

Today is the first day of February and, in the UK, the first day of LGBT History Month 2013. In this post, I am going to talk about why we need LGBT History Month, some interesting parts of British LGBT history, and where we are likely to go from here. 

LGBT History Month first took place in the UK in 2005, and is now well established. Long time sponsors include the Metropolitan Police Service, the Metropolitan Police Authority, Amnesty International and the Crown Prosecution Service. Taking inspiration from the US's LGBT History Month, in October, and with respectful acknowledgement to the example of Black History Month, the founders School's Out chose February mainly because of the successful repeal of Section 28.

Found! Instant and Efficient Cure for Homosexuality.

The common drug has new-found rainbow-busting properties

Homosexuality was first removed from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in 1973 amidst controversy, but was replaced with "ego-dystonic homosexuality," which was highly criticized. It wasn't until 1986 when the diagnosis was removed entirely from the manual.

Countless methods have been tried to cure homosexuality over the years by some governments, health services and religious organizations, but this week in France scientists finally reached the end of an eight-year-long study researching the genetics of homosexuality in an effort to determine whether or not it can be cured.

Romilly's Completely Serious Guide to Important Things

Look I spent almost ten minutes on this appreciate it

I know that most definitions of sexual orientations are fairly well known to most of our readers now, but sometimes a new word may throw you off unexpectedly - pansexuality, asexuality, and genderqueer are just three possible new and confusing terms on the sexual orientation and gender spectrum. That’s why I have compiled this handy reference guide to spotting and identifying someone – people of what orientation are characterised by their remarkable similarity to bookcases? What orientation might you be if you only eat cheese? I am here to help.

Before you read, I must emphasise that this is intended to be completely the opposite of serious, and is definitely not intended to offend.

REVIEW: Keep The Lights On (2012)

Keep The Lights On (2012) is a film directed by Ira Sachs, a gay American filmmaker from Memphis, Tennessee.

The film is about two men, one of them, Erik, openly gay, and the other, Paul, in a relationship with a woman. Eventually Paul breaks up with his girlfriend and moves in with Erik.

The film recounts their rocky relationship and Paul's drug addiction. It's very dramatic and it won the prestigious Teddy Award at the International Film Festival in Berlin in 2012, as well as the Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature at Outfest 2012. It also made the official selection for the Sundance Film Festival.

"I'm 26 years old and the only thing I haven't got is my other mother's surname"

Myriam Blanc and Astrid Boekholtavec were two of the parents present at the conference

FRANCE -- "I'm 26 years old and the only thing I haven't got is my other mother's surname" says Celine before silently breaking down in tears. Sadly, an estimated 300,000 other children of gay couples in France share her story according to a study by APGL (the Association of Gay and Lesbian Parents, France).

Recently I attended a conference on adoption and same-sex parenthood in Bordeaux, France. It was an emotional evening with same-sex couples giving accounts of their experiences and the hell they have been through to have children because of the French system. The conference was also attended by other representatives of local LGBT associations, and the director of interim President, François Hollande's online election campaign, Vincent Feltesse, now the county deputy who described himself on the night as "very close to Mr. Hollande".

The Biggest Apocalypse We Have Ever Been Blamed For

The "Mayan Calendar", in all it's glory. [S]

Dudes and dudettes, we are mere days away from the end of the world as we know it. Those pesky Mayans forgot to get a new calendar for the new bak'tun, and just like us at New Years when we still haven't crawled into an overcrowded mall to pick up a new one, they have doomed the entire world to a certainly inevitable death.

And just like every other vaguely catastrophic event, I would like to take a moment to take full responsibility for this event. I am a queer. Only last week I had a big discussion with my partner about my upcoming visit, and I suppose the Mayan gods had foreseen that and scheduled in a little end-of-the-world to stop it from happening.

And I even have proof. Here's why:

Women-Oriented Women, or "How to Save the Babies"

Baker herself, looking businesslike

Dr Sara Josephine Baker was an American physician, most noted for her work in reducing child mortality rates and improving public health, particularly in New York. She was influential in many different areas, including bringing cases of infant blindness down from 300 babies a year to 3 a year and reducing the death rate in what was considered to be the worst slum in New York. 

She was born in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1873. At sixteen, her father and brother both died of typhoid, which prompted her to choose a career in medicine. She studied chemistry and biology at home, and then enrolled in a medical school for women called the New York Infirmary Medical College. 

Public Displays of Gay Affection

Eww! (S)

According to many studies, the vast majority of homophobic hate crimes are attacks on gay men.

It's not uncommon to hear of gay couples being beaten up in the street, even in some parts of the Western world, and also not uncommon to hear of a gay man being followed and then attacked when he's alone.

No matter where you live, these stories exist.

But should we, as gay men, refrain from expressing our love for our partner in public? Or should we express it as we wish?

Gay, Straight, Black or White, Marriage Is a Civil Right!

That's me in the grey tee there, with my friends.
[S]

Dudes and dudettes, it's that time of the three-months again. Activists from all around Brisbane flocked together to march against government enforced discrimination- or should I say, we marched for marriage equality.

This rally was a little different to others- different starting location, large difference in temperature to last time (oh, Queensland.) and a little break sitting down in the middle of the road halfway through.

We met wonderful new people, listened to downright inspirational stories, and persevered through heat (and for some, hangovers..) to make our voices heard.

Breaking the Stereotype: We are no Different

Shutterstock always has the best
images of confused people

Dudes and dudettes, today in my study-fogged manner, I write to you all from my own personal experience. Today I explain to you all exactly how to speak to someone like I.

The teenage LGBTQ community is one which is, sadly, pockmarked by the bullied, the marginalised, and the suicidal. A teenager whose sexuality is not that of society’s definition of the “norm” (that is, a teenager who is not straight) is one who society expects to be bullied. It has become so normal for LGBTQ youth to be depressed and struggling with their sexuality, that it is expected of us. The amount of people who tell my friends and I that they are surprised how comfortable we are with ourselves, is astonishing.

My friends and I are the portion of LGBTQ youth who don’t struggle day to day, but that doesn’t mean that the apprehension to come out isn’t there. We stick to the people we know are safe- we’re closeted in the classes where teachers are homophobic, we don’t let news about our sexualities be spread around the school. And we’re happy to take questions from people about our sexualities- within reason.

Everyone Wants Things No Exceptions

The elusive majority of a population, maybe? (S)

America voted to reinstate Barack Obama this month, despite the almost universal belief that the polls were running (however slightly) in Mitt Romney’s favour. A lot of people believed that the right wing’s views on certain sensitive subjects actually made up the majority of the country. Now we can see that what we thought they wanted, they don’t.

So how sure can you be when you say “the majority of the population want this”? 

Do You Have a Flag?

If you don't get this reference, just watch this video

There are numerous symbols, colours and events that are significant to people of different sexual orientations and gender identities. If you have been to Pride, you’ll probably have seen the most enthusiastic of these – the flags. They are numerous, and all equally recognisable if you know what you’re looking for. They might be in flag form, or knitted into a hat, scarf, or gloves. They might be put into a piece of jewellery or onto a sticker. The colours and patterns remain the same in most cases, so even if it’s not flag shaped then you can still see what it’s meant to be showing.

What the French Right Really Thinks of Gay Marriage

This morning I woke up and saw an article on the website of the centrist British newspaper The Independent that annoyed me.

It is about President Hollande's push to legalize same-sex marriage in France, and while this article does drift past some truths, not all of it should be just swallowed up.

So, dear readers, today you shall be treated to my analysis and correction of this article, since I live in the country in question and have been following this subject very closely and somewhat actively.

Someone shouted "Faggot" at me in the street

The Manchester Mincers Parade 2011 (S)

"Don't mince!" I remember my father kept saying. "Mince?", I thought, "What does that even mean?", I didn't understand. I was what? Five to eight years-old? I found out, after a long time of my Dad saying this to me, that it meant to walk in a certain way; a bit flamboyantly, effeminate, swishy - those are some words often used to describe it. I think I actually just asked him straight out what it meant one day, annoyed that I was still failing to "not mince", whatever that meant. For me, I was doing nothing wrong, nothing out-of-the-ordinary, I was just walking. It genuinely troubled me. I was failing to walk "properly" - or as I see it now, fit into a "straight" box.

I was just thinking about this this morning on my way to the tram stop. This evening, some stranger finished this article for me. I was insulted in the street, loudly.

New Totally Scientific Facts as Told by the ACL

(S)

News just in – homosexuality (or more specifically gay marriage) is now unhealthier than smoking! Well, it was quite a shock to the system when I first found out about the latest in scientific studies. Many people I know are at risk, I realised! Even I might be at risk - although there has not yet been any word on the relative health problems associated bit being panromantic, I eagerly await the results. I was just amazed that I, with my romantic attraction to people of all genders, could be less healthy than, say, the gentleman to the left, but who am I to say otherwise?

Don’t question the facts, dear readers, this was said by the head of the Australian Christian Lobby, who I’m sure researched his point thoroughly before saying anything. Isn't that the norm when people speak publicly? 

Gay Pastivists

Ever heard of gay pastivists? Do you know what a pastivist is? No? Well that makes sense, because it's what I call them.

Some people in the gay community do not support gay activism, at all. It sounds completely ridiculous, doesn't it? Why would you choose to settle for less in the hope that it gets better some day in the future?

I'm not talking about the gays who don't take part in activism (it's up to you whether you do or not), but the gays who oppose the fight for equal rights and cannot begin to fathom why some gays - like me - are outspoken. However, these people still want equal rights, but just expect them to turn up. This is where my term 'pastivist' comes from.

Is Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody "as Gay as a Daffodil"?

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is arguably Queen's most famous song, and they have quite a few. "I Want to Break Free", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" which Jessie J sang well at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, but once her performance was over I thought it was mediocre; "no, no-one can equal Freddie Mercury".

But "Bohemian Rhapsody" has some very peculiar lyrics. There are lots of different interpretations as to what they mean, but I have my own theory.

Throughout the course of this post, I will try and prove my point by putting on my analytic head and by using a bit of music theory to try and help you see my interpretation of the song.