Articles by "GAY-LESBIAN ISSUE"

Last week, Elton John was tricked by a Russian comedian who pretended he was Putin on the phone [EPA]
President Vladimir Putin has phoned popular singer Elton John to say he would be ready to meet up for a chat after the British singer requested a meeting to discuss his concerns about gay rights in Russia.
Putin's call on Thursday came just a week after a pair of Russian comedians tricked John, 68, into thinking he was talking to Putin on the phone, in a stunt that the entertainer laughed off, while saying he hoped it would highlight discrimination against gay people.
US Supreme Court rules in favour of gay marriage
This time, Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said the Russian leader really had phoned John, who has used his status as one of the world's most famous gay celebrities to push for equal rights for gay people around the world.
"Putin phoned him," Peskov told reporters. "He said: 'I know some guys played a trick on you on the phone, but don't get offended. They are harmless people, though that of course does not justify what they did.'"
Putin told John that since he was a popular performer he would be ready to meet him and discuss any subject which interested him, if their schedules coincided, Peskov said.
Western states and human rights activists have criticised Russia for its treatment of gay people, and John has previously spoken out against a 2013 law banning the dissemination of "gay propaganda" among young people.
Putin has said he is not prejudiced against gay people, but has made comments which activists have criticised as being ambiguous and insulting towards homosexuals.
John, who plays to vast audiences in Russia when he tours, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Source: Reuters

Senior clerics taking part in a review of Catholic teachings on the family have called on the Church to adopt a more positive stance on homosexuality.

A preliminary report written by bishops during a Vatican synod said homosexuals had "gifts and qualities to offer".
The report does not challenge the Church's long-held opposition to same-sex marriage, but some gay rights groups hailed it as a breakthrough.
Conservative groups rejected the report, one labelling it a "betrayal".
More than 200 bishops have been taking part in the synod since 5 October. It was convened by Pope Francis to debate controversial issues such as abortion, contraception, homosexuality and divorce.
Monday's report, issued half-way through the two-week meeting, said: "Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community.
"Are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities?"
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Analysis: David Willey, BBC News, Rome
Pope Francis' emphasis on concentrating upon positive rather than negative aspects of human sexuality seems to have won over many bishops attending the synod.
His predecessor Pope Benedict referred to homosexual relationships as "intrinsically disordered" in a Vatican document written in 1986 - when Benedict was chief theological adviser to Pope John Paul II.
Pope Francis on the other hand told journalists returning from a Catholic Youth Festival in Rio de Janeiro last year: "If a person seeks God and has goodwill, then who am I to judge?"
Pope Francis is the first pontiff ever to have used the word "gay" in public rather than refer to "homosexuals".
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Pope Francis was elected to lead the Church in 2013 after his predecessor Benedict XI retired
Breakthrough or betrayal?
The document adds: "Without denying the moral problems connected to homosexual unions, it has to be noted that there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners."
Human Rights Campaign, a leading US gay rights organisation, said the document set a "dramatic new tone".
The London-based Catholic gay rights groups Quest called parts of it a "breakthrough".
However Voice Of The Family, a conservative Roman Catholic organisation, rejected the interim report as a "betrayal".
The group's co-founder John Smeaton called it "one of the worst official documents drafted in Church history".
Last year, a survey launched by Pope Francis suggested that the majority of Catholics rejected Church teaching on issues such as sex and contraception.
Are you a catholic? What is your reaction to the issue raised in this story? email your experiences enter your comment below:


The daughter of Ugandan President Yoweri ­Museveni. Has admitted during a radio talk show in Mbarara, in Western Uganda that she is homosexual, and that she is revealing this fact as a protest to the anti-gay law her father signed only a few days ago.
Diana Kamuntu, Museveni’s daughter said that though she loves her father unconditionally, she does not agree with Uganda’s anti-gay stance, and will fight against it.
“I am gay, I am homosexual. I have known this since I was a little girl. Also, I have been Christian all of my life, so I will not tolerate any law of this supposedly democratic nation, that will place hate on any person just because of what his or her sexual orientation happens to be,” said Kamuntu.
“Now that I finally revealed my sexual orientation, I put myself in front of this new law and I will let our people decide what to do with me,” Kamuntu adds, as her voice breaks down while on air.
The radio host, James Kasirivu noticeably was in shock, and could not seemingly get words out of his mouth.
The live radio broadcast was abruptly shortened and was put off air after a few hours of repeated commercials.
In the latest setback for homosexuals across Africa, the Ugandan President signed a law Monday that imposes tough penalties for homosexual acts, a move that has been condemned from around the world and that may jeopardize Uganda’s relationship with the United States and other Western nations.
As of this writing, neither the radio station nor the office of Ugandan President Yoweri ­Museveni could be reached for comment.
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The bill, which the state House of Representatives passed by a 33-27 vote Thursday, now goes to Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican and onetime small business owner who vetoed similar legislation last year but has expressed the right of business owners to deny service.
“I think anybody that owns a business can choose who they work with or who they don’t work with,” Brewer told CNN in Washington on Friday. “But I don’t know that it needs to be statutory. In my life and in my businesses, if I don’t want to do business or if I don’t want to deal with a particular company or person or whatever, I’m not interested. That’s America. That’s freedom.”
As expected, the measure has drawn criticism from Democrats and business groups who said it would sanction discrimination and open the state to the risk of damaging litigation.
On Friday, the LGBT group Wingspan staged a protest march to the governor’s office that drew about 200 people. Some carried signs with messages “God created us all equal” and “Shame on Arizona.”
Tucson-based Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria posted a photo on its Facebook page of a sign with a message for state lawmakers: “We reserve the right to refuse service to Arizona legislators.”
“It’s a ridiculous bill,” pizzeria manager Evan Stevens told CNN on Friday. “Arizona has much bigger problems than allowing businesses to discriminate against people.”
In a statement, Anna Tovar, the state senate Democratic minority leader, said: “With the express consent of Republicans in this Legislature, many Arizonans will find themselves members of a separate and unequal class under this law because of their s*xual orientation. This bill may also open the door to discriminate based on race, familial status, religion, s*x, national origin, age or disability.”
The Greater Phoenix Economic Council, in a letter to Brewer on Friday, urged the governor to veto Senate Bill 1062, saying the “legislation will likely have profound, negative effects on our business community for years to come.”
“The legislation places businesses currently in Arizona, as well as those looking to locate here, in potentially damaging risk of litigation, and costly, needless legal disputes,” council President Barry Broome wrote, adding that four unidentified companies have vowed to locate elsewhere if the legislation is signed.
He added, “With major events approaching in the coming year, including Super Bowl XLIX, Arizona will be the center of the world’s stage. This legislation has the potential of subjecting the Super Bowl, and major events surrounding it, to the threats of boycotts.”
Arizona state Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican, said the bill would not allow hotel clerks or waiters, for instance, to turn away customers, unless there was a “substantial burden on their sincerely held religious beliefs.”
The bill is being pushed by the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative group opposed to abortion and same-s*x marriage. The group has justified the measure on grounds that the proposal protects people against increasingly activist federal courts.
“As we witness hostility towards people of faith grow like never before, we must take this opportunity to speak up for religious liberty,” the group said on its website, asking people to contact Brewer and urge her to sign the bill. “The great news is that SB 1062 protects your right to live and work according to your faith.”

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