Tag: gay

Vishal Pinjani from Kolhapur wins ‘Mr Gay World India 2023’ title

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Vishal Pinjani from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, has won the title of ‘Mr Gay World India 2023’ and now he will be representing the country in the world title competition, which will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, on October 27.

Abhishek Jayadeep from Kerala won the runner-up title in the competition.

The ‘Mr Gay World India 2023’ crowning ceremony was held in Pune on October 5. The event was organised by the Pune-based MIST LGBTQ Foundation in collaboration with Queertainment Private Limited.

The winner of Mr Gay World India 2023 was announced based on online voting and the decision of the jury panel. The online voting was open from 1 p.m. on October 4 to 4 p.m. on October 5.

Vishal Pinjani runs a community-based organisation called ‘Abhimaan’, and he has been working on LGBTQ-related issues in his hometown and across Maharashtra.

“Through this pageant, I got a chance to highlight the issues of gay men in rural areas as the issues of the LGBTQ community are often perceived as only urban issues,” Pinjani told Indian Express after winning the title.

The runner-up of the competition, Abhishek Jayadeep is a 25-year-old software developer working in Pune. He hails from Thrissur, Kerala, and is the first one from the southern state to win any such title. As reported by the Indian Express, while talking to the media, Jayadeep said, “I came out to my family this year and some of my friends are even shy to be with me in public. That is the level of stigma we face.”

LGBTQ rights activist and the first openly gay prince in the world Manvendra Singh Gohil attended the event as the chief guest. Highlighting the importance of the ‘Mr Gay World India’ contest he said that such events help to bring people of the Indian (LGBTQ+) community on the global platform.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Singapore repeals gay sex ban but limits prospect of legalising same-sex marriage

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Singapore’s parliament on Tuesday decriminalised sex between men, but, in a blow to the LGBT community, also amended the constitution to prevent court challenges that in other countries have led to the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

The moves come as other parts of Asia, including Taiwan, Thailand and India are recognising more rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Activists cheered the repeal, but said the amendment to the constitution is disappointing because it means citizens will not be able to mount legal challenges to issues like the definition of marriage, family, and related policies since these will only be decided by the executive and legislature.

The government has defended amending the constitution saying decisions on such issues should not be led by the courts. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his successor have ruled out any changes to the current legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.

“We will try and maintain a balance…to uphold a stable society with traditional, heterosexual family values, but with space for homosexuals to live their lives and contribute to society,” Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said in parliament this week.

Both the repeal and the constitutional amendment were passed with an overwhelming majority, thanks to the ruling People’s Action Party’s dominance in parliament. There is no timeline yet for when the new laws take effect.

The changes do, however, leave room for a future parliament to expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex relationships.

Also Read:Supreme Court seeks Centre’s response on same sex marriage

Bryan Choong, chair of LGBTQ advocacy group Oogachaga, said it was a historical moment for activists who have been campaigning for a repeal of the law known as Section 377A for 15 years. But he added that LGBT couples and families also “have the right to be recognised and protected”.

In Singapore, attitudes towards LGBT issues have shifted towards a more liberal stance in recent years especially among the young, though conservative attitudes remain among religious groups. Of those aged 18-25, about 42 percent accepted same-sex marriage in 2018, up from 17 percent just five years prior, according to a survey by the Institute of Policy Studies.

Also Read:US takes big step towards legalising same sex marriage

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US Supreme Court divided over gay, transgender employment protection

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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US Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared divided over whether a landmark decades-old federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in the workplace protects gay and transgender employees as they heard arguments in one of the biggest cases of their current term.

The four liberal justices on the nine-member court signalled sympathy toward arguments that LGBT workers are covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex as well as race, colour, national origin and religion.

Some of the five conservative justices expressed reservations toward extending protection to gay employees. However, one of them, Justice Neil Gorsuch, asked questions of both sides indicating potential sympathy for the workers. When analysing whether a person was fired on the basis of sexual orientation, Gorsuch said sex seemed to be a “contributing cause.”

But Gorsuch later in the arguments voiced concern that the court would be overstepping its role if it ruled in favour of gay and transgender workers instead of letting Congress legislate on the subject. Gorsuch warned of “massive social upheaval” that could result from such a ruling.

“It’s a question of judicial modesty,” Gorsuch said.

Conservative Justice Samuel Alito said that if the court decides that Title VII protects gays and lesbians it would effectively be rewriting a law enacted by Congress in a way that was never intended by the lawmakers who passed it. Alito said the Supreme Court would be seen as deciding “a major policy question” that Congress would normally legislate on.

The roughly two hours of arguments were held on the second day of the court’s new nine-month term..

The court’s 5-4 conservative majority includes two justices – Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – appointed by President Donald Trump, whose administration has argued that Title VII does not cover sexual orientation or gender identity.

Kavanaugh said little to indicate how he might vote. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who missed the opening day of the court’s term on Monday with an illness, was at the arguments but asked no questions, as is his custom.

The Supreme Court delivered an important gay rights decision in 2015 legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Its dynamics on LGBT issues, however, changed following the 2018 retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative who backed gay rights in major cases and wrote the same-sex marriage ruling.

The legal fight focuses on the definition of “sex” in Title VII. The plaintiffs, along with civil rights groups and many large companies, have argued that discriminating against gay and transgender workers is inherently based on their sex and consequently is illegal.

Liberal justices noted that Title VII also protects against stereotyping people based on gender, and were skeptical of arguments by pressed the Trump’s administration’s lawyer, Solicitor General Noel Francisco, and a lawyer representing the employers that Title VII does not cover sexual orientation because it is a separate trait than sex.

Liberal Justice Elena Kagan said the court has always analysed such discrimination cases in a simple way: Would it have happened if the person were a different sex? “Obviously the same thing would not have happened,” Kagan said.

‘BAD FOR BUSINESS’

A couple of hundred demonstrators advocating for LGBT rights gathered a short distance from the white marble courthouse on an overcast day in the U.S. capital. They chanted for equal rights and held signs including ones that read, “Do fire Trump. Don’t fire LGBTQ workers,” “Discrimination is bad for business” and “LGBT Americans power our economy.”

Police moved demonstrators away from the plaza in front of the courthouse due to concern over “suspicious” packages.

“I am here because I’m a queer person and right now my right to live my life as everyone else is being determined by nine people, none of whom are queer, all of whom are cisgender,” said Washington resident Raegan Davis, 21.

A small group of demonstrators opposing gay and transgender rights also was present holding signs including two that read, “Fear God” and “Sin and shame, not pride.”

“This has to stop. The more and more we give to the homosexual community, the more and more this nation is going to be destroyed,” said Jacob Phelps, 36, from Topeka, Kansas, who held a sign that read, “Jesus will return in wrath.” “It’s very easy in the workplace, shut your mouth, do what you’re supposed to do.”

The arguments presented the court with its first major test on gay and transgender rights since Trump appointed Kavanaugh to replace Kennedy, with the four liberal justices sympathetic to LGBT rights. Kavanaugh, whose approach to gay rights is unclear, could provide a pivotal vote.

A ruling in favour of the plaintiffs would give gay and transgender workers greater protections, especially in the 28 US states that do not already have comprehensive measures against employment discrimination. A ruling against the plaintiffs would mean gay and transgender people in those states would have few options to challenge workplace discrimination.

The court heard two cases about gay people who have said they were fired due to their sexual orientation. One involves a former county child welfare services coordinator from Georgia named Gerald Bostock. The other involves a New York skydiving instructor named Donald Zarda. He died after the case began and the matter is being pursued by his estate.

It also heard a third case that involved a Detroit funeral home’s bid to reverse a lower court ruling that it violated Title VII by firing a transgender funeral director named Aimee Stephens after Stephens revealed plans to transition from male to female.

Rulings in the cases are due by the end of June.

Trump, a Republican with vigorous support among evangelical Christian voters, has pursued policies taking aim at gay and transgender rights. His administration has supported the right of certain businesses to refuse to serve gay people on the basis of religious objections to gay marriage, restricted transgender service members in the military and rescinded protections on bathroom access for transgender students in public schools.

Conservative religious groups and various Republican-led states backed the Trump administration in the case. Big business, typically eager to avoid liability in employment disputes, backed the LGBT plaintiffs.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

No ‘gay gene’, but study finds genetic links to sexual behaviour

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

New genetic links to same-sex sexuality found in huge study

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The largest study of its kind found new evidence that genes contribute to same-sex sexual behavior, but it echoes research that says there are no specific genes that make people gay.

The genome-wide research on DNA from nearly half a million US and UK adults identified five genetic variants not previously linked with gay or lesbian sexuality. The variants were more common in people who reported ever having had a same-sex sexual partner. That includes people whose partners were exclusively of the same sex and those who mostly reported heterosexual behavior.

The researchers said thousands more genetic variants likely are involved and interact with factors that aren’t inherited, but that none of them cause the behavior nor can predict whether someone will be gay.

The research “provides the clearest glimpse yet into the genetic underpinnings of same-sex sexual behavior,” said co-author Benjamin Neale, a psychiatric geneticist at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“We also found that it’s effectively impossible to predict an individual’s sexual behavior from their genome. Genetics is less than half of this story for sexual behavior but it’s still a very important contributing factor,” Neale said.

The study was released Thursday by the journal Science. Results are based on genetic testing and survey responses.

Some of the genetic variants found were present in both men and women. Two in men were located near genes involved in male-pattern baldness and sense of smell, raising intriguing questions about how regulation of sex hormones and smell may influence same-sex behavior.

Importantly, most participants were asked about the frequency of same-sex sexual behavior but not if they self-identified as gay or lesbian. Fewer than 5 percent of UK participants and about 19 percent of US participants reported ever having a same-sex sexual experience.

The researchers acknowledged that limitation and emphasized that the study’s focus was on behavior, not sexual identity or orientation. They also note that the study only involved people of European ancestry and can’t answer whether similar results would be found in other groups.

Origins of same-sex behavior are uncertain. Some of the strongest evidence of a genetic link comes from studies in identical twins. Many scientists believe that social, cultural, family and other biological factors are also involved, while some religious groups and skeptics consider it a choice or behavior that can be changed.

A Science commentary notes that the five identified variants had such a weak effect on behavior that using the results “for prediction, intervention or a supposed ‘cure’ is wholly and unreservedly impossible.”

“Future work should investigate how genetic predispositions are altered by environmental factors,” University of Oxford sociologist Melinda Mills said in the commentary.

Other experts not involved in the study had varied reactions.

Dr. Kenneth Kendler a specialist in psychiatric genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University, called it “a very important paper that advances the study of the genetics of human sexual preference substantially. The results are broadly consistent with those obtained from the earlier technologies of twin and family studies suggesting that sexual orientation runs in families and is moderately heritable.”

Former National Institutes of Health geneticist Dean Hamer said the study confirms “that sexuality is complex and there are a lot of genes involved,” but it isn’t really about gay people. “Having just a single same-sex experience is completely different than actually being gay or lesbian,” Hamer said. His research in the 1990s linked a marker on the X chromosome with male homosexuality. Some subsequent studies had similar results but the new one found no such link.

Doug Vanderlaan, a University of Toronto psychologist who studies sexual orientation, said the absence of information on sexual orientation is a drawback and makes it unclear what the identified genetic links might signify. They “might be links to other traits, like openness to experience,” Vanderlaan said.

The study was a collaboration among scientists including psychologists, sociologists and statisticians from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. They did entire human genome scanning, using blood samples from the UK Biobank and saliva samples from customers of the US-based ancestry and biotech company 23andMe who had agreed to participate in research.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

First LGBTI job fair held in India after gay ban lifted

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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An LGBTI job fair, billed by organisers as the first such event in India, attracted more than 250 people on Friday looking for employment with companies including Intel, Goldman Sachs and Uber.

The event in Bengaluru comes after the Supreme Court overruled a law banning homosexuality in 2018, which the organisers said now enables companies to freely hire people who have been marginalised for years.

Many Indians who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) still face stigma and violence.

But the 2018 ruling has helped some in the LGBTI community come out and it now forces companies to be more inclusive, said Srini Ramaswamy, co-founder of Bengaluru-based consultancy Pride Circle, which organised the job fair.

“Now these companies are not going to give an excuse that it is against the law,” Ramaswamy said. “If you’re not being inclusive, it indirectly means you’re being homophobic.”

Western companies including Goldman Sachs, PayPal, Lowe’s, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Accenture and American Express took part in the event, with more than 250 jobs on offer.

A total of 350 candidates had registered for the event which offered roles ranging from experienced positions to entry-level and support-staff, Ramaswamy said.

Software engineer Arun Gnanavignesh said he had felt ostracized by fellow workers when they learned he was gay.

“Colleagues who were really close to me suddenly stopped calling me for movies or to their homes … I was really hurt,” said Gnanavignesh, 22, who has since resigned from that job.

The turnout at the fair was relatively thin, partly because many still fear stigma, and several of the those people Reuters spoke with asked not to be identified.

Typically, job fairs in India attract thousands even when only a few hundred jobs are on offer and the government has faced criticism for its failure to create enough job opportunities for the millions annually entering the workforce.

The government’s national jobs portal currently lists more than 10.2 million active job seekers for some 386,000 vacancies.

Uber, which had a booth and was looking to recruit people at the job fair, changed all its route maps in Bengaluru to rainbow colours on Friday in a show of support.

“We are committed to creating an environment that works for everyone,” Vishpala Reddy, Uber’s regional human resources director, said in an email.

“We also want dignity. Am I not qualified enough to work in an office? Of course I am,” Mala Bai, 27, a transgender law student, who applied for jobs at JP Morgan and Accenture, said.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Apple removes app claiming homosexuality is ‘sin’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Apple has removed a religious app from App Store after a petition by an LGBTQ rights organisation called for its removal as the app portrayed homosexuality as “sickness” and “sin”.

According to a report in Fortune on Sunday, the app was created by Living Hope Ministries, a Texas-based religious group.

The app sought lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning, two-spirit, asexual (LGBTQ) youth “to change from gay-to-straight through prayer and therapy”.

“We thank Apple for exemplifying corporate responsibility and taking swift action to remove a dangerous app that stigmatises and demeans LGBT people,” Wayne Besen, Group Executive Director of non-profit Truth Wins Out that began the petition, said in a statement.

Ricky Chelette from Living Hope Ministries Executive, however, told NBC News that “we only help those individuals who are seeking us”.

Chelette added that he was not informed in advance that Apple would remove the app.

Apple was yet to issue a statement on the app’s removal.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

With Kevin Hart’s downfall, hosting the Oscars got harder

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The “most thankless job in town” just got even more difficult.

The Oscars have a longstanding host problem, but Kevin Hart’s swift downfall over old anti-gay tweets has led to bigger questions about the gig and the liability of social media histories.

It’s just the latest controversy for the organization that puts on the Academy Awards, which is trying to combat declining ratings for its marquee event while weathering the pressure of being a focal point for the shortcomings of the entertainment industry as a whole.

“I think it’s embarrassing,” Matthew Belloni, the editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter, said about the academy’s decision to pick Hart. “It shows that they either didn’t vet this host properly, or they did vet him and didn’t think this would be an issue. And both are a little troubling.”

Hart seemed to fit the bill for what the academy was looking for.

“He checks all the boxes for a show like the Oscars,” Belloni said. “He’s a legitimate movie star. He’s a funny guy and can handle the stand-up element of the show. And he has a gigantic social following. And to the academy, that’s important. They want someone who can bring a new audience to the show.”

But Oscars hosts have always been subjected to a lot of scrutiny.

Poor or even mediocre performances can haunt people for years (Anne Hathaway and James Franco). Off-color jokes have a way of festering in the cultural consciousness (think of Seth MacFarlane’s “we saw your boobs” song, or Chris Rock’s Asian jokes). And even when things go decently enough, everyone is handed the right envelope and nobody walks away offended, the hosts can still be blamed for poor ratings.

“Oscars host has become a not very desirable job in Hollywood. Very few people see an upside,” Belloni said. “You put a huge target on your back.”

People have stepped down from being the public face of the event amid controversy, as producer Brett Ratner did in 2011 for anti-gay slurs. But Hart’s case is a little different. Ratner’s offensive remarks came after he had secured the gig. Hart’s tweets were from almost a decade ago and were well known.

But in 2018, an unsavory social media past can cost someone their job. Just this past summer, the Walt Disney Co. fired director James Gunn from the third “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie for old tweets in which he joked about subjects including rape and pedophilia. As with Hart, the problematic tweets were amplified by social media outrage.

Immediately after Hart was confirmed as host on Tuesday night, some journalists began tweeting reminders of Hart’s past comments. By Thursday morning, a few publications had written articles about them. The outrage escalated, Hart commented but did not apologize, stoking even more outrage, which culminated with Hart’s announcement on Thursday night that he was stepping down as host of the 91st Academy Awards.

As the dust settles, the situation has proved vexing for some in the entertainment business. Actor D.L. Hughley commended Hart for his decision.

“A Comedian says something that offends people and refuses to apologize?” Hughley tweeted. “(Expletive) ’em if they can’t take a joke! Well done #KevinHart.” Snoop Dogg posted an even more colorful Instagram video in support of Hart.

The advocacy organization GLAAD wishes Hart hadn’t stepped down, however.

“Hart’s apology to LGBTQ people is an important step forward, but he missed a real opportunity to use his platform and the Oscars stage to build unity and awareness,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.

The film academy has yet to address Hart’s departure. Hart said the film academy told him he had to apologize or he’d lose the gig. He bowed out on his own, and with an apology.

Now everyone has an opinion about who should be named host. A woman? A comedian? Not a comedian? Someone in the LGBTQ community? All of the above?

Many keep coming back to Whoopi Goldberg, who has hosted the awards four times. Some have said Ellen DeGeneres, who hosted one of the Oscars’ highest-rated shows, or Tom Hanks, who has a longstanding academy relationship.

Others have said Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele, Will Smith or Lin-Manuel Miranda. Busy Phillips threw her own name out there (“I AM AVAILABLE,” she tweeted). Philips also proposed Issa Rae, Sarah Silverman, Ali Wong, Samantha Bee, Robin Thede and Aisha Tyler, or “any other woman working in Hollywood right now who wants to.” Stephen King suggested Patton Oswalt (He’s “funny, sharp-tongued, and he knows film,” King tweeted.) Some have even proposed Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty. Or no host at all, which has been done several times before, and as recently as 1989.

But the film academy will need to move quickly. The 91st Oscars are less than three months out.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow