[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/barackobama.jpg[/img2]US president Barack Obama has addressed accusations he has been slow to keep his promises on gay rights.

Speaking to 300 LGBT activists at a White House reception on Monday, he said: "I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the promises that my administration keeps."

The president promised in his election campaign to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', which bans openly gay people from serving in the military, and the Defence of Marriage Act.

Gay rights activists have criticised what they see as slow progress, saying a recent concession to give equal benefits to gay partners of federal employees won't include healthcare, will not be permanent and will not apply to those in the military.

Obama said: "We seek an America in which no one feels the pain of discrimination based on who you are or who you love.

"I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that.

"It's not for me to tell you to be patient anymore than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago."

"But I say this: we have made progress."

His speech was briefly interrupted by a reporter's mobile phone which rather embarrassingly made the sound of a quacking duck.

As Michelle Obama giggled and the reporter scrambled to switch off his phone, Obama said: "Whose duck is back there? There's a duck quacking in there somewhere."

"Where do you guys get these ringtones by the way?" he asked. "I'm just curious."

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/indianflag.jpg[/img2]The Delhi High Court today ruled that a ban on gay sex between adults violates India's constitution.

Section 377 was enacted in 1860 under the British Raj, in line with the anti-sodomy laws in England at the time.

It punishes anyone who "voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal" by imprisonment and criminalises a whole range of sexual acts from mutual masturbation, to fellatio and anal sex.

Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidahr said the ban violated fundamental human rights.

The ruling said: "In the Indian Constitution, the right to live with dignity and the right of privacy both are recognised as dimensions of Article 21. Section 377 IPC denies a person's dignity and criminalises his or her core identity solely on account of his or her sexuality and thus violates Article 21 of the Constitution. As it stands, Section 377 IPC denies a gay person a right to full personhood which is implicit in notion of life under Article 21 of the Constitution."

The decision was made in response to a case filed by Naz Foundation India. The ruling can still be opposed by the government.

The health ministry has called for the ban to be scrapped, saying it hampered efforts to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. However, the home ministry opposed the move, saying that gay sex is the product of "a perverse mind".

Human Rights Watch has welcomed the decision. LGBT director Scott Long said: "This legal remnant of British colonialism has been used to deprive people of their basic rights for too long. This long-awaited decision testifies to the reach of democracy and rights in India."

If there is one person most people would recognise as a tireless campaigner for GLBT rights over many years it must be Peter Tatchell.

It's quite astonishing to have received a copy of this letter which states that he has been crossed off the guestlist at this year's London Pride!

Quote: Peter is a thorn in the side, not least to those who are quick to praise the Labour government on LGBT issues and slow to critique it. Last year he had a very public word with Harriet Harman at London Pride about LGBT asylum - 'why are we sending gays back to Iran?' This followed her being heckled as she spoke. Of course Harman made promises which were immediately forgotten about.

Most notable of those who don't like Tatchell are the gay establishment, those whom Labour have awarded gongs to. So it's unsurprising to learn that when Ten Downing Street hosts an event for Pride Month on Saturday morning Tatchell won't be there. Neither will he be at Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's soirée, according to Tatchell's tweet, despite being a patron!



Tatchell also says about another Downing Street event in March, held to dismiss the widely believed idea that Gordon doesn't like the gays, he was actively dismissed from the guest list.

An insider tipped me off that my name had been removed from the invite list, at Gordon Brown's personal request. He was apparently still angry that I had heckled him over his government's erosion of civil liberties, when he opened the Taking Liberties exhibition at the British Library late last year.
You could imagine that those invited into the golden circle are not exactly likely to say 'I'm not coming if Tatchell's not there' given that Peter says they're "tame apologists for Labour". And that is precisely what is happening.

Not that Tatchell gives a shit:


I don't do my human rights work to win awards, honours or invites. It doesn't matter to me that I haven't been invited.

What angers me is the principle - the way the Prime Minister invites and fetes mostly tame pro-Labour loyalists in the LGBT community. It is a manipulative tactic by an insecure government that knows its record on LGBT human rights is not as glorious as it claims.


And if the evidence of the Mayor's non-invitation is anything to go by "mostly tame pro-Labour loyalists in the LGBT community" deliberately exclude him precisely because he just so damned awkward.

From the official Michael Jackson Website...

Quote:We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/rickymartin.jpg[/img2]The singer, most famous for his single Livin' La Vida Loca, told Hispanic magazine TV Aqui that his "heart could belong to a woman or a man".

His sexuality has been a topic of rumour for the past ten years, with various reports on his love life.

In 2005, he said: "I think that sexuality is something that each individual should deal with in their own way. And that’s all I have to say about that."

The singer is father to one-year-old twin boys born by a surrogate mother.

Police forces have been reporting a rise in homophobic hate crime. Scotland Yard suggests a 9% rise whilst in Greater Manchester the figure has gone up by a staggering 63% in the year to April.

Acting Detective Superintendent Gerry Campbell, of the Metropolitan police, who led a recent operation against hate crime, said: "Homophobia cannot be considered a thing of the past, it's on the increase."

more

Be careful out there, folks :frown:

For the benefit of those who have not already heard..

The Supreme Court of California has ruled that Proposition 8 was indeed valid. Proposition 8 amended the State Constitution to define marriage as only being between one man and one woman, the Court having previously found that the ordinary statue law so defining marriage was contary to the State Consitution and struck it down. Proposition 8 did not affect the very extensive domestic partnership laws within California which give gay couples most (but not quite all) the rights of heterosexual couples. It appears that the fact that few specific practical rights (as opposed to the word marriage) were removed, was important in the Court's thinking.

On the other hand the court did rule that the marriages of the 18,000 or so couples that tied the not between the court legalising gay marriage and the people of California 'delegalising' it should remain valid.

For those of you who are interested you can read the ruling here. (I have to admit I have yet to summon the enthusiasm to read such a long document.)

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/eminem2.jpg[/img2]Eminem has revealed that Elton John came to his aid during his addiction to painkillers.

According to the rapper, Sir Elton offered him advice on how to rid himself of the addiction which developed during his break from the limelight in 2005, when he temporarily quit the rap scene.

Speaking to the Detroit Metro Times, Eminem, 36, said of the singer: "Me and him have had similar lives and stuff. We became friends and I talk to him about things, career-wise. When I first wanted to get sober, I called him and spoke to him about it. He's somebody who's in the business and can identify and relate to the lifestyle and how hectic things can be."

Sir Elton, 62, has also recovered from his own drug problems, having checked into rehab in 1990 to recover from his addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Eminem continued: "He understands the pressure and any other reasons that you want to come up with for doing drugs."

The rapper's friendship with the openly gay music legend may surprise those familiar with his seemingly homophobic lyrics.

In a song entitled Criminal on his second studio album. The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem's lyrics include: “My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge/ That'll stab you in the head, whether you're a fag or lez/ Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest/Pants or dress? Hate fags? The answer's yes”.

Despite this, Sir Elton has performed with Eminem on stage, and defended his decision to do so. "I honestly don't think people will go out and start beating and killing people because of this album," he said. "It appeals to my English black sense of humour."

However, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said in 2001 that Eminem's website was full of emails from fans railing against "sluts" and "faggots", including Sir Elton.

On his new album The Relapse, Eminem shows no sign of changing his lyrical style with lyrics such as these aimed at Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson: “He does not mean to lesbian offend/ But Lindsay please come back to seeing men/ Samantha’s a 2, You’re practically a 10.”

Homophobic or not, Eminem may partly owe the success of his recent comeback to Sir Elton, one of showbusiness' the most vociferous supporters of gay rights.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/sfry.jpg[/img2]Stephen Fry has been named as the top celebrity choice to take over the role of Speaker of the House of Commons after Michael Martin was forced to resign this week over MPs' expenses.

Martin took 34 seconds to announce he was stepping down from the role on Wednesday. A number of MPs had openly criticised him for failing to grasp public opinion on the scandal.

A survey of 2,000 people found that veteran broadcaster Fry, who gave his own opinion on the scandal this week, was the top man for the job.

It's not the first time Fry has topped such a poll - in April, he was voted as the preferred patron saint of England.

Jeremy Clarkson came in second place, with Jeremy Paxman and Anne Robinson following. Voters evidently felt a touch of humour was necessary in the Commons, judging by the number of comedians in the top ten.

Chatshow host Jeremy Kyle was ranked sixth, with Jonathan Ross at number ten.

The list in full:
1. Stephen Fry
2. Jeremy Clarkson
3. Jeremy Paxman
4. Anne Robinson
5. John Cleese
6. Jeremy Kyle
7. Russell Brand
8. Janet Street Porter
9. Jimmy Carr
10. Jonathan Ross