Big Gay News
BigGayNews from the United States:
Three Transgender Women Flee Mexico To Escape Transphobia in “Crossing Over”
On Top reports that the documentary Crossing Over looks at the lives of three transgender Mexican women as they seek political asylum in the United States to escape transphobia in their homeland.
Francis Murillo, Brenda Gonzalez and Abigail Madariaga fled Mexico and are now living in Los Angeles to escape the stigma, discrimination, and persecution associated with being transgender in the highly Catholic nation.
The documentary is the first for director Isabel Castro, a Mexican immigrant who recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She said she expects to finish the film in January and premiere it on next year’s festival circuit.
BigGayNews from England:
Manchester LGBT Pride Parade Draws Thousands
San Diego LGBT Weekly reports that thousands lined the streets of Manchester’s city center to watch one of the U.K.’s largest LGBT Pride parades, this past weekend.
Locals and visitors alike defied the forecasted rain to turn out in the thousands to support this year’s Manchester Pride parade, featuring more than 100 participating companies, individuals, sponsors, and local lifestyle, political, and professional organizations.
Many of the entrants were inspired by this year’s theme of Queer’d Science and the centenary of the birth of Alan Turing, the mathematician and founding father of modern cognitive science who was persecuted for his homosexuality.
BigGayNews from Salt Lake City, Utah:
NBC’s Salt Lake City Affiliate Won’t Air Gay-Themed Comedy “The New Normal”
ABC News reports that for the second year in a row, NBC’s affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah, has opted not to air one of the network’s new series, a comedy about a surrogate mother who moves in with a gay couple to help them have a child.
Speaking with Deseret News, the CEO of KSL’s parent company cited what he deemed to be crude language and explicit content as the reason for the decision. He said, “For our brand, this program simply feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time.”
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has also called attention to the ban. The president of GLAAD is quoted in the article as saying, “While audiences, critics and advertisers have all supported LGBT stories, KSL is demonstrating how deeply out of touch it is with the rest of the country.”
BigGayNews from France:
France’s Gay Marriage Bill To Be Introduced In October
The Huffington Post reports that if all goes according to plan, France could become the ninth European country to legalize gay marriage by 2013.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault confirmed in an address to Socialist Party members Saturday that lawmakers plan to introduce national legislation in October that would allow same-sex couples to tie the knot.
Not only do numerous polls indicate that French citizens support gay marriage, but President Francois Hollande declared his support for both marriage equality and adoption rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples during his campaign, as reported by Le Monde.
BigGayNews from Santa Clara, CA:
49ers Become First NFL Team To Record Anti-Gay Bullying Video
The Sacramento Bee reports that the 49ers followed the baseball Giants by becoming the first team in their league to record an “It Gets Better” video condemning anti-gay violence and bullying. The minute-long segment features defenders Donte Whitner, Ahmad Brooks, Isaac Sopoaga and Ricky Jean Francois.
The video, which was filmed in the spring, came about after fan Sean Chapin gathered more than 16,000 signatures on Change.org that encouraged the 49ers to become the first NFL team to make one.
A team spokesman said the anti-bullying message fits the mission of the 49ers Foundation, which is to “Keep kids safe, on track, and in school.”
BigGayNews from Mexico:
Mexican States Ordered To Honor Gay Marriages
The New York Times reports that the Mexican Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that each of the country’s 31 states must recognize same-sex marriages registered in Mexico City, potentially giving gay and lesbian couples full matrimonial rights nationwide.
On Tuesday, the court went a step further, ruling 9 to 2 against a complaint from the attorney general’s office, which had said that other jurisdictions should not be required to honor marriages that were performed in Mexico City.
While the court made it clear that state governments were not obligated to enact same-sex marriage laws of their own, it did require them to recognize the legality of such marriages performed in Mexico City.
BigGayNews from the United States:
T-Mobile Endorses Gay Marriage In Washington State
On Top Magazine reports that T-Mobile USA on Monday announced it would back Referendum 74, the Washington state ballot measure which if approved would uphold a gay marriage law enacted by lawmakers.
According to the Bellevue Patch, T-Mobile will donate $25,000 to Washington United for Marriage, the campaign to approve Referendum 74 in November.
Jim Alling, interim CEO of T-Mobile, said in a statement: “T-Mobile has a long-standing focus on creating an inclusive workplace environment for our employees.”
“Our support of this issue is a reflection of our culture, how we do business, and our belief in the fair and equitable treatment of all employees.”
BigGayNews from Uganda:
Play About Gay Man Staged In Conservative Uganda
WHEC.com reports that a play that revolves around the turbulent life of a gay man in Uganda is being staged in the East African nation, where three years ago a parliamentarian wrote a bill seeking the death penalty for homosexuals.
This is the first time a play exploring homosexuality is being performed in Uganda, and the British playwright and producers say they hope their work can help “normalize the gay character” in this conservative country.
The play, titled “The River and the Mountain,” premiered last Friday at a little-known theater in the capital, Kampala, amid fears the police would raid the venue and stop production. Government officials had objected to the play and blocked it from being staged at Uganda’s national theater.
