I happen to have a little faith in education. Present young people with facts and give them the opportunity for discussion. Even better follow it up with a whole policy and action. Two news stories today struck me as contrasting approaches to the effectiveness of education. I wonder if either of them is not really a story at all?

Quote:The Safe Space programme will seek financial support from Europe, as well as match-funding contribution from the Welsh education sector, in order to deliver activities aimed at reducing the instances of homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying and improving the equality for students and adults in the Welsh education system.

It is pioneered by the Wales LGBT Excellence Centre whose chief executive Federico Podeschi says: “Safe Space was already piloted with over 1500 students receiving incredible feedback and demonstrating a 90% decrease in instances of homophobic bullying in the schools that participated in the pilot.

“This is a tremendous achievement which proves that education is key to stamp out bullying in our school and deliver sexual orientation and gender identity equality for future generations." more

Quote:if one single child ends up being bullied who wasn't bullied before because of this, then it will mean to say that this hasn't worked. more

or 12th century reactionaries?

Quote:The General Assembly passes a resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions and other killings every two years. The 2008 declaration included an explicit reference to killings committed because of the victims' sexual preferences.
But this year, Morocco and Mali introduced an amendment on behalf of African and Islamic nations that called for deleting the words "sexual orientation" and replacing them with "discriminatory reasons on any basis."

Quote:The resolution, which is expected to be formally adopted by the General Assembly in December, specifies many other types of violence, including killings for racial, national, ethnic, religious or linguistic reasons and killings of refugees, indigenous people and other groups.

Here is a news report of a teacher who was disciplined with loss of work and earnings for attempting to deal with a homophobic incident in his classroom. He was charged with violating the student's rights to free speech.

Mich. Teacher Ejects Student for Anti-Gay Remarks - ABC News

At the school board's hearing,a student from another district, fourteen year old Graeme Taylor, gave this very articulate presentation in what must have been a very intimidating situation. What an achievement!

Malaysian Film Censors: Gay Characters Must Repent Or Suffer

The Malaysian Film Censorship Board has approved one of the country’s first explicitly gay films — but has insisted on an unusual catch in order for it to get to theaters.

Dalam Botol (In A Bottle) is one of the first Malay-language films to overtly tackle the issue of homosexuality. As the extremely conservative Muslim-majority country very rarely lets films dealing with sexuality, religion, or politics past the censors, some were surprised to hear that the film that is already being called “Malaysia’s Brokeback Mountain” would hit theater screens. However, in order to get to the public, the film — which contains absolutely no nudity, sex, or even kissing — had one hoop that other Malaysian films do not have to jump through: censors insisted that the gay characters must either repent or come to a bad end during the course of the film.

The movie has been described by producer Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman as a “tragic love story” between two men, one of whom undergoes a sex change operation in order to allow them to have a public relationship. The story is based off the real-life experience of a man the producer knew; however, she denies that there is any political or anti-religious sentiment to the film. “I’m just trying to tell a story about a friend,” she told the New York Times. “It’s all about love.”

The New York Times has more:

When asked about the requirement that gay characters must repent or be shown in a negative light, Ms. Raja Azmi would only say that the characters “indirectly” express remorse.

Mohammad Hussain, chairman of the Film Censorship Board, said in an interview that, under new guidelines released in March, films dealing with homosexuality would be dealt with on a “case-by-case basis,” although the theme was not encouraged. Sodomy, even consensual, is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison in Malaysia.

Mr. Mohammad said there must be some “good intention” on the part of the filmmaker to show people that homosexuality is “something that’s not normal — at least in our culture.”

“It may be a normal thing outside our country,” he said, “but here in our society, it’s still considered taboo.”

Mr. Mohammad said filmmakers were encouraged to consult with the board before starting production, adding that this could help the filmmakers develop a product able to win approval. That way, he said, “they know already what they can portray in the film and then they shouldn’t blame us if we have to cut certain scenes.”

While Dalam Botol won’t be released in Malay-language markets until February, critics are expecting it to do brisk business at the box office — over 40 theaters have already signed on to show the film when released, and worldwide coverage of the film’s news suggests that an international release may be in the works.

Malaysian Film Censors: Gay Characters Must Repent Or Suffer

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I'm not happy with this. In fact I am actually pissed off by all these - the motive and the purpose of the film, the ridiculous censorship etc.

To be frank, crap and provocation such as the subject above is the reason why I no longer watch and read Malaysia's based print & electronic media (Except for an English newspaper called Star as they stand fairly neutral in everything) for years.

Telling the truth my butt. The purpose of making this movie is just to create controversy and profit. This movie will continue to taint the the gay society within this country. It will only build fear within the mass community towards gay people. Fortunately I think the modern urban community will just ignore this crap.

This is quite an amazing news story.

How Two Gay Men Used Skype To Have a Legal Wedding In Texas

Other other day on chat we discussed some anime and how much I have so I decided to post it
Patlabor 1,2,3
Ghost in the Shell ( also on Bul-Rey)
Ghost in the Shell Innocents ( also on Bul-Rey)
Ghost in the Shell-Stand Alone Complex
Ghost in the Shell-The Laughing Man (which is the S.A.C reduced in a 1hour movie)
Ghost in the Shell-Stand Alone Complex-2ndGIG
Ghost in the Shell-Solid State Society
Appleseed 2004
Appleseed Ex Machina
Vaxille
Armitage Poly Matrix/Dual matrix
Ergo Proxy
Blame
Technolyze
Parasite Dolls
Yukikaze
Akira
Spriggan
Cowboy Bebop The Movie
AD Police
Full Metal Panic The Second Raid
Gundam Wing Endless Waltz
Robotech Shadow Chronicles
Macross Plus
Zone of Enders
Gasaraki
Mezzo DSA
Flag
Black Lagoon
Black Lagoon The Second Barrage
Generator Gawl
Street Fighter 2V
Darker Than Black
Fell free to this post to discuss any anime you guys want.

Has anyone seen it? It's a musical set in a summer camp for aspiring musicians. It has some gay themes in it and it's a pretty okay movie but what got me hooked on it was this song.
It's just so inspirational. When I first heard it I started crying but then I cry for everything so...




The lead guy is also pretty hot.

So I was walking downtown the yesterday, I was about to hit the bridge when it hear this.
FFFFAAAGG GGGGG GGG OOOTTTT!!!!

Some guy in a car randomly decided to yell it at me as he drove by. At first I was just really confused, in my head i was like "what how does that guy know???" afterwards I realized the drive by bigotry came from a Sliver GrandAm GT, my old buddy Gary who I work with down at the loading docks with last summer drives a Sliver GrandAM GT. Now I know it was most likely just Gary being a jackass so I let it slide.

This was my first experience with the old drive by I’m sure most you have experienced this but this was my first experience with the old drive by. Almost feels like a right of passage

Tale of gay woman forced to marry to protect 'honour'

This was taken from the BBC UK News website today, article dated 24th October 2010.

"I took off my hijab, and I threw it on the floor and my brother got really mad. It's the worst thing I could have done to offend my religion, aside from burn or tear the Koran. "My mother, she kind of stood still, and started listening, and it was very liberating that she finally wanted to hear what I had to say. "I told her about my sexuality and I said 'that's right, I do meet girls, and I love it' and I told her that she had been hurting me really badly, and I will never forgive her."

Now 20, Reviva - not her real name - recounts the day she finally came out to her family, her pupils flash and the flat, matter-of-fact delivery of her story-telling becomes briefly animated.

This, you realise, is the pivotal moment in a disturbing journey of self-discovery which encompasses family estrangement, exorcism, and attempted suicide. Like hundreds of young men and women in Britain, Reviva was forced into marriage in spite of her sexual orientation, and still carries deep psychological scars from years of torment at the hands of her parents.

As she admits, "I'm unable to show emotion, I'm unable to trust people. The only person I really trust is myself. I am unable to be vulnerable with a person, I'm unable to feel a lot of things." Born in the Middle East, but schooled in Britain, Reviva's difficulties began in adolescence when she became aware of being attracted to girls rather than boys.

"The first kiss I had, I was around 12," she recalls. "It was always kisses in the playground, and kisses in the gym. With girls it was always perfect. It was always nice. It wasn't something I was ashamed of. It was beautiful."

Aware that her parents had deep religious and cultural objections to homosexuality, Reviva gently tried to make them aware of her situation, but was quickly rebuffed. "I tried to introduce it to them, because I knew it was a thing you don't talk about. It's forbidden. But once you mention 'homosexual' the discussion is over. You can't go into detail about it." Far from accepting the situation, Reviva's parents set up weekly meetings with eligible bachelors - and reacted with violence when their teenage daughter refused to play along.

"The worst thing they tried was burning my hand on the stove. Anything they could grab, they'd hit you until you'd sort of pass out. "They always tried to hit me where it couldn't be seen, to hide the scars. Because don't forget I was meant to get married, so I was meant to have skin that isn't damaged."

Reviva says she attempted suicide several times, knowing that she could never satisfy her parents, for whom she reserves an unmistakable venom. While she understands the roots of their traditional views, her simmering anger betrays the belief that when all is said and done, her home should have been a refuge - not a place of emotional torture.

In a desperate attempt to force the situation, her father even signed her away in an Islamic marriage to a man in another country, who she had never met. Reviva, who was still at school, used her impending exams as a delaying tactic to ensure the relationship was never consummated and it was ultimately annulled.

They put you in a room on your own, I don't get any food, or any water, and I have to just sit there and wait to die or kill myself.”
Far from ending, her ordeal intensified. The troubled teenager was taken to her grandmother's house in the Middle East where, as she recalls with a chilling lack of emotion, her parents tried persuading her to take her own life. "I was damaging the family honour. I was making the family looking like a modernised, westernised, filthy family. So what they wanted to do is get rid of what is damaging the honour. To aid the process, a gun, a knife, and pills were left in the room, along with a can of petrol and a box of matches. In her view, Reviva says it would have amounted to murder, not suicide, should she have decided to kill herself.
"But I wasn't in a situation where I felt I have to end my life. Even if I was, I wouldn't have done it the way they wanted me to do it." Her refusal to give in led to further action from her family, as they sought to "cure" her of her homosexuality.
"They tried a few exorcisms" she deadpans, as if having evil spirits cast out was nothing more extreme than a routine dental check up. "It isn't like The Omen, it isn't as dramatic. You lay on a prayer mat, and somebody who is very religious, will read several verses from the Koran.

"It's very frightening because everyone is scared of being possessed by something, and then you think 'maybe I am?' because I have desires and thoughts that my parents think are wrong." After this morale-sapping ordeal, Reviva briefly tried to come to an accommodation with her parents' views and dutifully studied the Koran. Reviva's family then returned to England but not long after she found one-way plane tickets for her and her father and she realised he was trying to marry her once more - again, to a man she had never met.

She contacted the Albert Kennedy Trust - a charity which helps vulnerable LGBT teenagers seek refuge. The trust has considerable experience helping LGBT victims of forced marriage and offers advice through its website, 'LGBT Forced Marriage'. The Albert Kennedy Trust contacted the police and put them in touch with Reviva. Fearing for her safety, they gave her 15 minutes to gather her belongings and flee the family home. Even then, there was a final dramatic twist as the young woman was taken hostage by her mother and brother, leaving the police to force their way in.

"They had to break the door and come in, because nobody was opening the door for them. And they went in, and my mother and my brother cornered me in the kitchen. "My brother broke a glass to make sure I didn't leave the house alive. And they had to wrestle my mother and my brother, and… I was gone."

And so Reviva is free - or at least as free as anyone with her history can be. Already many of the physical signs of her torment have started to heal, but mentally it will take much longer. "The worst thing is the emotional side of it - knowing your parents think you're not worth anything.

"Scars always fade but knowing your parents hate you? That doesn't change."



A rising trend

The government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) has received hundreds of calls from young gay men and women - mainly men - who fear they are going to be forced into marriage by their family, against their will.

This year, the FMU has dealt with 29 confirmed cases of forced marriage involving gay men and women. Last year, the unit offered support and advice to nearly 1,700 cases in total.

Just how many of those involved lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) victims is unknown, because not everyone is willing to divulge their sexuality. However, it is thought this emerging trend is just the tip of the iceberg, as more gay men and women seek assistance.

If you or a friend are at risk of being forced into marriage call the Forced Marriage Unit on 020 7008 0151 - or 0044 20 7008 0151 if you are overseas. All calls will be treated in strict confidence.

The R rated red band trailer