US sailors get first same-sex “first kiss”
A sailor from the submarine warship USS San Francisco was the first openly gay man to celebrate the naval tradition of a “first kiss,” the first sailor to kiss a partner when returning to shore. Thomas Sawicki kissed his boyfriend, Shawn Brier, after he returned from a seven-month mission in the West Pacific.
Swiss priest refuses to resign after blessing lesbians
A priest in the Swiss village of Bürglen has refused to resign after blessing a lesbian couple in 2014. The local bishop has called for Wendelin Bucheli’s resignation for violating Catholic doctrine. Bucheli says he sees nothing wrong with blessing a committed couple, however, and many residents of the town have signed a petition in support of their priest.
New Jersey judge rules conversion therapy fraudulent
A New Jersey judge has ruled that a conversion therapy centre violated the Consumer Fraud Act by claiming to be able to cure homosexuality, striking a significant blow against conversion therapy across the United States. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which brought the suit, points out this is the first time a US judge has said that homosexuality is not a disease and that making such a claim for business purposes is fraudulent.
Flawed study claims children of gay parents have more emotional problems
A study run by a Catholic priest at the Catholic University of America found, not surprisingly, that the children of gay parents suffered more emotional problems than the children of heterosexual couples. The study followed the same flawed methodology as several past gay-parenting studies by comparing all children from gay households, regardless of family formation, to children living with their married, biological parents, while failing to control for family structure or other factors. The vast majority of published research shows that the children of gay parents suffer no ill consequences.
Gay life fades in Senegal
A year ago, she was optimistic about the future of gay life in West Africa; now she is not. At Slate, New York drag queen Miz Cracker writes about two trips to Senegal over two years and how she has watched as the gay community is pushed underground and out of sight. She mourns the violence and repression of gay people in Senegal and lauds Dutch photographer Ernst Coppejans, who went on a covert mission to photograph their invisible lives.
UK lesbian English teacher sentenced for relationship with student
A 40-year-old English teacher in the UK has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for exchanging explicit text messages with a student. Helen Carter became friends with her student after the girl came out to her as gay. The two began exchanging text messages, which became increasingly sexual, a relationship that the judge called a “gross abuse of trust.”
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