MetaFilter posts tagged with homosexuality

Even the logo is a blood stain...

WinnipegDragon — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:38:44 -0800

When it comes to roleplaying games, there are your run-of-the-mill CRPGs and then there are Bioware CRPGs. Last week saw the release of the next Bioware CRPG, Dragon Age: Origins. The game has received the expected universal acclaim. Bioware has intentionally produced on a mature-themed game, including the expected copious amounts of violence. The game also allows for inter-character romances of straight, gay and lesbian orientations, one of the few major mainstream titles to do so. The game is not without criticism, some centred around launch-day downloadable content, although Bioware insists that it was not intended to rip-off players.

Iraq's New Surge: Gay Killings

Acromion — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:31:13 -0800

The lynching of gays in Iraq is on the rise, according to ambassador Christopher Hill's testimony before the house today."Hamizi, a computer science graduate, is at the cutting edge of a new wave of violence against gay men in Iraq. Made up of hardline extremists, Hamizi's group and others like it are believed to be responsible for the deaths of more than 130 gay Iraqi men since the beginning of the year alone." WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE, POSSIBLY NSFW

Homophobic Professor invited to teach Human Rights in NYU

merv — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:50:00 -0800

NYU recently invited a Law Professor from Singapore, Thio Li-Ann to teach "Human Rights in Asia". Thio, also a former Member of Parliament, is infamous for having strong views against homosexuality. As expected, she is not warmly welcomed by NYU students. Background: Thio has spoken in Parliament against repealing the law against homosexual sex in Singapore. Her post infamous quote from parliament: "Anal-penetrative sex is inherently damaging to the body and a misuse of organs, like shoving a straw up your nose to drink." [link to full transcript of speech]

Indian High Court Says Ban on Gay Sex Unconstitutional

Azaadistani — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:40:10 -0800

New Delhi legalizes homosexuality. In a landmark ruling, the Delhi High Court has for the first time in India declared the British-era law against homosexual sex unconstitutional. Is this India's Stonewall?

How much zeal!?

pwedza — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:18:07 -0800

An incredibly long, ten-day (so far) discussion in response to a letter to the editor in regard to "'God's law' and homosexuality" from an East Tennessee newspaper.

Beneath the burqa

tavegyl — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:36:43 -0800

Shuttlecock burqas to fetish wear. Some snapshots of Pakistan's struggles with its sexual identities. Sex, love, dating and marriage* in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. In Peshawar, a vibrant porn scene coexists with conservative Islam and tribal traditions. Writers talk about being gay in Pakistan. In Lahore, where the Mela Chiraghan festival celebrates a Muslim sufi poet's love for a Hindu man, openly gay women have just launched Chay, the country's first magazine dealing with sexuality. Begum Nawazish Ali, a bisexual transvestite TV host, uses her transgressive persona to throw politicians off balance on air (previously). Meanwhile, there is a long history of hijras belonging to the third gender in Pakistan and neighbouring countries (photographs) (previously). This is also the country where Mukhtaran Mai was gang raped to punish her brother for a sexual transgression, the historical sex trade is no longer a respectable occupation, the Taliban flog a teenaged girl on film (warning: graphic), bans a Bollywood movie for "propogating homosexuality" and women are still killed for honour and subject to acid attacks. * Alys Faiz, the foreign wife of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, on marrying a Pakistani, just before the Partition

Cooking the Books on Sexual Orientation

digaman — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:43:36 -0800

Teh gay can be cured. So declared the most influential sexologists of the late 20th century, William Masters and Virginia Johnson, in 1979, providing much-publicized scientific backing for the "conversion" theory, and dozens of right-wing efforts to prove that homosexuality is a psychological aberration that can be fixed. Or were those case studies fabricated? In his new biography of the couple who helped spark the sexual revolution, Thomas Maier uncovers the truth and the cover-up.

Brüno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:43:10 -0800

Trailer for Brüno, the upcoming film by Sacha Baron Cohen, formerly known for his characters Ali G and Borat.

Richard Nixon watched 'All In the Family'

geos — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:25:57 -0800

Richard Nixon watches [transcript] 'All in the Family.'

A ground for the love of men

Abiezer — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:50:59 -0800

Colm Tóibín reviews Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love by Sheila Rowbotham a fine essay and good introduction to the life, thought and work of "the poet, socialist, free-thinker and sexual rebel" of high Victorian England, Edward Carpenter.

Will the Mormon Church decide who gets married in California?

homunculus — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:30:20 -0800

Prophets and politics. "The Mormon Church works to ban gay marriage in California, even as gay people in places like Rexburg, Idaho, come out of the LDS closet."

"Homosexuality: Legitimate Alternative Deathstyle"

tehloki — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:48:10 -0800

Comics With Problems Presents the first of a two part series entitled "Dick Hafer was an asshole"

Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- Kill

digaman — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:15:12 -0800

The Surge is working [tm] -- but for gay Iraqis who face a murderous new spate of violence by theocrats and militiamen, notsomuch. "More than 430 gay men have been murdered in Iraq since 2003... [but] many officials say they feel that in a country at war, there are more pressing concerns than gay rights."

Speaker for Himself

Artw — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:43:03 -0800

Orson Scott Card on gay marriage, which he says "marks the end of democracy in America". Not everyone is too happy about that.

The plague is over, lets party.

seanyboy — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:26:41 -0800

The plague is over, lets party. Article by Elizabeth Pisani describing the troubling consequences of a gay scene in a world where HIV is treatable and AIDS is avoidable.

Being depressed (or gay) is not all in your genes.

joannemerriam — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 07:36:13 -0800

Cheer Up Emo Kid! Writer Ekaterina Sedia argues that the lack of a consistent definition of homosexuality, conflation of sexual orientation and gender, conflation of heritability and inherited, conflation of correlation with causation, conflation of biology and genetics, non-random recruitment for twin studies, and other factors make the argument for a genetic basis for homosexuality and other complex human behaviors "not only misguided, [but] downright foolish."

Otto-biography

Bathtub Bobsled — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:03:28 -0800

Otto Preminger died on this day 22 years ago at 79 years old, and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY. Notable film noir director of many classic films such as Laura (Gene Tierney's most popular role), Fallen Angel, Carmen Jones, and Anatomy of a Murder. Although his resume only includes three oscar nominations, his legacy stems a fearless portrayal of many controversial issues such as homosexuality in the movie Advise and Consent, heroin use in The Man with the Golden Arm, and *gasp* using the word "virgin" in The Moon is Blue (earning him a condemnation by the Catholic Legion of Decency). Oh, he was an actor too. Here is a rare interview with the director. Here is the German wikipedia entry.

The Hillsong Church

Effigy2000 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:57:55 -0800

The Hillsong Church has been a controversial church in Australia for quite some time (13mb mp3 link). From questions over its political influence to claims that they were stacking the votes in Australian Idol to concerns about the way it uses its donations, Hillsong continues to inspire much debate over whether it is a force for good or whether it is corrupt. In the latest controversy to surround the church, they are now claiming that they can cure homosexuality. Hardly a first for a Christian church except that Hillsong, which has a strict doctrine that teaches homosexuality is an affliction that can be cured, is so obsessed with ensuring that there are no homosexuals under their roof that it is running the program for its own disciples... even those who aren't gay. Allegedly, they are going so far as to issue "separation contracts" to young women who simply make friends with each other and which prevents any form of physical contact between residents. Ex-residents claim that to help in Hillsong's endeavour to rid themselves of homosexuals, Hillsong has gone so far as to enlist the services of Sy Rogers, an American 'ex-gay' (now reformed) married Christian who spoke at their MegaChurch last year. Hillsong uses Roger's Youtube show Turnaround, in which he claims "Happily, homosexuality can be turned around. Homosexuality is out of tune with religion; it is not what God planned for human sexuality." Mercy Ministries, who own Hillsong, have denied running such a program and, according to the Brisbane Times article, Hillsong has not answered questions regarding their views on homosexuality. Brian Houston, the senior pastor at the church has been described by some as a great man. Is he? Or is he simply the head of a church with no answers?

For The Bible Tells Me So

Ira.metafilter — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:42:13 -0800

For The Bible Tells Me So. (documentary, Google Video. Trailer.)

“All residents are treated equally.”

hermitosis — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:34:13 -0800

"The authorities not only discouraged Alex from pressing charges, he, his family and French diplomats say; they raised the possibility of charging him with criminal homosexual activity, and neglected for weeks to inform him or his parents that one of his attackers had tested H.I.V. positive while in prison four years earlier."(NYTimes)

Dubai upholds its inhuman tradition of neglecting, threatening, and even criminalizing victims of rape.

Why Bomb Iran?

snsranch — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:35:07 -0800

This is the full, 81 min (embedded small screen vid) speech given today at Columbia University by President Ahmadinejad of Iran. Columbia University President, Lee Bollinger sets the stage with some critical statements about the President of Iran.

The Tearoom Trade and the Breastplate of Righteousness

jonp72 — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 07:55:28 -0800

Laud Humphreys was studying to be an Episcopal priest in the mid-1950s when he learned, shortly after his father's death, that his father, Oklahoma State Representative Ira D. Humphreys, took trips to New Orleans to have sex with other men. After being dismissed as an Episcopal priest in the 1960s, Laud Humphreys then enrolled as a sociology grad student where he completed a dissertation about men who had sex with other men in public bathrooms in St. Louis, which Humphreys researched by agreeing to serve as a "watch queen", looking out for the police. After writing down the license plate numbers of the men having sex, Humphreys traced the men's addresses and contacted them in disguise, claiming to be collecting data for a public health survey. The research, which was condemned as unethical for its use of covert methods, was published in 1970 as Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Public Places. According to a summary of the Tearoom Trade, "Humphreys' findings destroy many stereotypes. Fifty-four percent of his subjects were married and living with their wives, and superficial analysis would suggest that they were exemplary citizens who had exemplary marriages. Thirty-eight percent of Humphreys' subjects clearly were neither bisexual nor homosexual. They were men whose marriages were marked with tension; most of the 38 percent were Catholic or their wives were, and since the birth of their last child conjugal relations had been rare. Their alternative source of sex had to be quick, inexpensive, and impersonal. It could not entail any kind of involvement that would threaten their already shaky marriage and jeopardize their most important asset - their standing as father of their children. They wanted only some form of orgasm-producing action that was less lonely than masturbation and less involving than a love relationship." Based on his revelation about his father's trips to New Orleans and what he learned at St. Louis "tearooms," Laud Humphreys concluded that many of the men he observed put on a "breastplate of righteousness" (an allusion to Ephesians 6:10-18) by displaying socially and politically conservative views in public to shift attention away from their private sexual behavior.

These days, Wheeler is a "food defense specialist" for the American Institute of Baking.

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:44:19 -0800

Bill O'Reilly alerts the nation to the roving lesbian gang menace.

God says it's a real big no-no.

Baby_Balrog — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:44:39 -0800

Sing along. Street Evangelist Robert Breaud has a special message for you.

The Most Hated Family in America

Ljubljana — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 03:35:11 -0800

The Most Hated Family in America (Parts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) The BBC spends some time with the notorious Westboro Baptist Church of Fred Phelps, et alli. (Note: Some NSFW language and tons of crazy)