Big Gay News: 486
BigGayNews from Pennsylvania:
Gay Catholic School Teacher Fired For Wedding Plans
ABC News reports that a gay teacher at a Pennsylvania Catholic school said he was fired after he applied for a marriage license to wed his long-time partner.
Michael Griffin, a teacher at Holy Ghost Preparatory School for the past twelve years, said that school administrators knew of his sexuality, but never made an issue of it until they discovered that he was filing for a marriage license.
School officials say that Griffin violated terms of his employment contract by deciding to marry a same-sex partner, even though Griffin has had a civil union with his partner for five years and wears a wedding ring to the school.
BigGayNews from North Carolina:
North Carolina Basketball, Football Players Among Athletes In Great “You Can Play” Video
SB Nation reports that University of North Carolina athletic teams hav released a terrific video for the You Can Play Project.
Players involved in the project include such notable personalities as basketball players J.P. Tokoto and Nate Britt, and football players Shakeel Rashad, Allen Champagne, Jon Heck and Jarrod James.
In the video, Britt states: “It is important for all GLBT student athletes to be accepted by the people they spend most of their time with.”
BigGayNews from New Jersey:
Gay Waitress Loses Job After Investigation Into Whether Customers Denied Tip
CNN reports that a New Jersey waitress was out of a job on Saturday, weeks after her story of being denied a tip because of her sexual orientation brought an outpouring of sympathy and donations.
Dayna Morales was fired by Gallop Asian Bistro after it was concluded that she invented the story, which went viral on the internet and resulted in her getting a number of donations from across the country.
Various comments on Facebook show anger toward Morales, with one commentator stating: “Whatever the motive, it’s going to harm people who truly are discriminated against. The more this happens, the more the truly maligned will be ignored.”
BigGayNews from the United States:
IOC Under Fire Over Gay Athletes Stance
Aljazeera reports that tennis star Martina Navratilova and US basketball player Jason Collins have accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of not doing enough to defend the rights of gay athletes ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Navratilova stated that she feels officials are “putting their head in the sand” in regard to the athletes, and that focus should not just begin and end with the Sochi games but also extend to championing the rights of GLBT athletes in other countries with anti-gay laws which host global sporting events.
The IOC has stated that they have received written assurances from the Russian government that promise the country’s strict laws will not affect GLBT participants or spectators.
BigGayNews from Hollywood:
George Clooney Addresses Gay Rumors In The Best Way Possible
The Huffington Post reports that George Clooney’s sexuality is frequent fodder for the tabloids, but the superstar actor doesn’t feel the need to deny being gay.
In a recent interview with Esquire U.K., Clooney addressed long-held rumors that he is hiding his sexuality behind his string of high-profile romances and break-ups with various models and actresses over the years.
Clooney stated that to get upset over internet rumors and angrily deny them is “flat out insulting to the gay community”, commenting that it makes it seem that being gay is a bad thing.
BigGayNews from Australia:
Australian Court Rejects Law Allowing Gay Marriage
ABC News reports that Australia’s highest court struck down a landmark law on Thursday that had begun allowing the country’s first gay marriages, shattering the dreams of more than two dozen same-sex newlyweds whose marriages will now be annulled less than a week after their weddings.
The Australian Capital Territory had passed a law in October allowing same-sex marriage, but the High Court unanimously ruled that the ACT’s law could not operate alongside the federal Marriage Act which, in 2004, was amended to define marriage as only being between a man and a woman.
Supporters of same-sex marriage vow to continue the fight for equality in Australia, saying that the setback only strengthens their resolve.
BigGayNews from Russia:
Vladimir Putin Defends Anti-Gay Laws As Bastion Of Global Conservatism
The Guardian reports that the president says Russia stands on international stage in defense of traditional values against “fruitless so-called tolerance”.
Putin’s annual address to both chambers of the Russian parliament saw him assuring lawmakers that Russia’s law banning “propaganda of non-traditional relations” is the country’s way of standing against the assault on conservative values in a war of good and evil.
BigGayNews from India:
India’s Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Gay Sex Law
ABC News reports that India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a 2009 lower court decision to decriminalize homosexuality, dealing a blow to gay activists who have fought for years for the chance to live openly in India’s deeply conservative society.
The decision by the judges was based on their opinion that only lawmakers and not the court system could change the colonial-era law.
Lawyers, activists and supporters vow that the fight to attain equal rights for the GLBT community will continue, and that even though they feel let down by the court decision, they have hopes that eventually the Indian Parliament will take up the issue.
