To celebrate the London premiere of the new Star Trek film Into Darkness, British gay organization Stonewall has boldly gone where no gay-rights message has gone before with a Klington translation of its iconic slogan, "Some people are gay. Get over it!," according to Gay Star News. In Earth text, the Klingon reads as: 'Rut nga'chuq loDpu', rut nga'chuq be'pu'. YiqimHa'!' In the new film, out actor Zachary Qunito portrays Spock.
A Catholic priest in southeastern Brazil was excommunicated after publicly resigning from his duties to protest against the church's opposition to homosexuality, AFP reported. "Father Roberto Francisco Daniel can no longer celebrate the divine rite because he has been excommunicated," a statement from the Bauru diocese in Sao Paulo state said. The church hierarchy accused Daniel, 48, of "heresy" and "schism."
A European Union court ruled that a Romanian soccer club needs to show it does not promote discrimination after its outspoken owner went on an anti-gay tirade, according to Courthouse News. The ruling came after Romanian LGBT organization Accept complained to the National Council for Combating Discrimination about soccer club FC Steaua and one of its owners. In 2010, Steaua's owner, George "Gigi" Becali, blocked the club from accepting the transfer of a player he believed was gay.
Out Mexican superstar Christian Chavez and his boyfriend, Ben, were taken into police custody at a Beverly Hills, Calif., home, according to a Gay.net item. The couplewho have reportedly been dating for about a year and a halfreportedly had visible injuries and were booked on suspicion of felony domestic violence. An outspoken advocate for LGBT rights in Latin America, Chavez, who came out in 2007, is a former telenovela star, a solo artist and a former member of the Latin Grammy-nominated Mexican pop group RBD.
A New Zealand McDonald's employee says he was reprimanded and harassed by management for being "too gay," according to the Huffington Post. Sean Bailey allegedly faced three incidents of discrimination by two different managersone of which was reportedly about his voice sounding "too gay"and he says the encounters made him "embarrassed" to return to work. Unite, a New Zealand workers' union that fights to improve workers' wages and work conditions, is backing Bailey.
On Australian television, a piece on Channel 7's Weekend Sunrise about same-sex marriage had a surprise as Mitchell Luo proposed to his boyfriend, Pablo Molina, live, according to Gay Star News. The couple were being interviewed on the show about gay life in China, where they both live. Molina accepted Luo's proposal, and they said they would go to Barcelona for a ceremony.
In Zimbabwe, the group Africa Against Western Influence and Interference has called on authorities to ban gay and lesbian groups in the country, saying their existence was unconstitutional and un-African, according to SDGLN.com . The organization's chief executive officer, Makhosini Khumalo, said in an interview that the group is worried about the future of the country in the wake of a proliferation of gay and lesbian groups.
International gay dating brand Gaydar has fought back against its competitors with the May 3 launch of its new mobile web service, Gay Star News reported. Gaydar has been a leader but has faced stiff competition from location-based dating apps like Grindr in recent years. Gaydar officials say its desktop version remains popular with new members, but feels the new mobile service will suit some markets in particular.
In the Indonesian province of Banda Aceh, a law has been proposed that has gay men and lesbians being publicly lashed 100 times, according to Gay Star News. Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal, the Banda Aceh deputy mayor, is calling for harsher bylaws against gay people as it is against the district's adherence to sharia law. Gay-rights advocates have slammed the proposed bylaw, calling it a "move backward for civilization."
Kenyan authorities have arrested a man accused of blackmailing gay men, Gay Star News reported. Hillary Oleshawa was arrested in a Nairobi downtown bar following a tip off from local gay activists. He is accused of luring unsuspecting gay men on the promise of a date online, abducting them and extorting money and property.
LGBT-rights activists in China are launching a campaign to increase transgender visibility, according to Gay Star News. An IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia) event, called "lgbT: Increasing Transgender Visibility in China" aims to spread awareness about trans issues. May 17 is IDAHO around the world.
Also in China, gay men are apparently looking for lesbian wives for sham marriages, according to NewNowNext.com . This arrangement, called a xinghun, has become somewhat widespread in China. Chinagayles.com, one of China's largest xinghun match-making sites, has more than 160,000 members and claims to have matched almost 20,000 couples since its establishment in 2005.
In Canada, a Toronto teacher has been ordered to work from home after school board officials learned he had posted explicit materialsoriginally intended for gay bars and bathhousesin middle-school classrooms since October, according to the National Post. The posterspart of an awareness campaign by AIDS Committee Torontocontained the phrase "If you like to f" in bold letters, followed by tips on how gay and bisexual men can practice safe sex. The materials also detailed steps on how to "Use your head when giving it," which was coupled with a photo of a man's partially exposed buttocks.
Also in the Canadian province of Ontario, Mississauga real-estate agent Andrew Ciastek is under fire for distributing a brochure that promotes nuclear families and criticizes homosexuality, TheStar.com reported. Ciastek, a sales rep for RE/MAX, distributed the flyers that read, "traditional family is the best for the future of the kids." Ciastek said he didn't intend to offend anyone; however, the brochure infuriated several residents , who filed complaints with RE/MAX, Peel Regional Police and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Christine Martysiewicz, director of internal and public relations for RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada, said that Ciastek will apologize and make a donation to a local charity of the company's choosing.