This LGBT Activist Shamed Her Trolls By Posting Their Pictures Online

This is Elena Klimova. She runs a support group for Russian LGBT teens online called Children-404, where she posts letters from young people about coming out and dealing with discrimination. 

The group’s name is a reference to the “page not found” online error and Russia’s law banning “gay propaganda” among minors. One of its slogans is “LGBT Teens: We Exist.”

Klimova gets lots of hate mail for supporting LGBT teens. Yesterday, she posted some of it, with photos of her detractors, in an album called “Beautiful People And The Things They Say To Me” on the Russian social network VKontakte. Read More

Original 'X-Men' Character Iceman Comes Out As Gay

Original "X-Men" member Iceman is set to make a big revelation this week: he's gay.

The iconic character makes the surprise declaration in the All-New X-Men #40, which is available in stores and online April 22. Pages from the new book show an intimate conversation between a young Iceman, or Bobby Drake, and pal Jean Grey.

"There are thousands, if not millions, of stories of people who, for many different reasons, felt the need to hide their sexuality," he said. "The X-Men, with the conceit of time travel, give us a fascinating platform in which to examine such personal journeys. This is just the first little chapter of a much larger story that will be told.” Read More

Making the pen give LGBT might

In a move to help make journalism as practiced in the Philippines more sensitive to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, Outrage Magazine has launched the Pink Ink.

Pink Ink is in line with the #HateWatchPH, which aims to: 1) document LGBT-related hate crimes happening in the Philippines, and 2) empower LGBT people to report, and/or do something when such crimes happen; and 3) form partnerships with like-minded organizations to eradicate – not just curb – LGBT-related hate crimes. It has numerous components as it attempts to help develop would-be journalists while they are still in campuses, and provide support to already professional media practitioners.  Read More

Canada: Gay Olympians honoured at 2015 Bonham Centre Awards Gala

Pioneering out Olympians were honoured April 23 for their contributions to  LGBT inclusion in sports. The Bonham Centre and the Canadian Olympic Committee hosted this year’s Gala. The awards recognize individuals or groups that have made a difference in the field of sexual diversity education. Mark Tewksbury, Greg Louganis and Marnie McBean will be recognized as people who have made a difference in the world of sports.

“These are people that were coming up through sport at a time when there was no safe space at all,” says Brenda Cossman, director of the Bonham Centre.

Mark Tewksbury, who won Olympic gold in the 100 metres backstroke in 1992 for Canada, says that was the case for him. “There wasn’t really space to talk about it with anybody. There’s been a massive shift in sport,” he says. “It’s not a non-issue, but the issue has advanced.” Read More

US: Olympian Bruce Jenner Interview Breaks Twitter Record as Most Social Friday Telecast of All Time

Bruce Jenner, the Olympic gold medalist and member of the Kardashian family, ended months of speculation when he announced during a television special that he identified as a woman and was transitioning to female.

The announcement made him among the highest-profile people to publicly come out as transgender. For the purpose of the interview, Mr. Jenner said he preferred the pronoun “he,” and Ms. Sawyer called him Bruce. He said that he had been undergoing hormone therapy for a year and a half but had not made up his mind about reassignment surgery. He declined to provide the name he might use during or after his transition, citing privacy concerns.

According to Nielsen Social, a total of 8.1 million people in the US saw one or more of the 972,000 tweets sent about the 2-hour special, “Bruce Jenner – The Interview” The tweets were sent by 403,000 people and viewed 139 million times, making Jenner’s official declaration that he is a transgender individual who identifies as a woman the top worldwide trend on Friday.  See more of Jenner's interview here

What “The Heidi Chronicles” Gets Right About Feminism And Gay Men

It’s been more than 25 years since Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize–winning drama The Heidi Chronicles premiered, and the fact that the play remains as relevant as ever is more than a little depressing. The iconic feminist text — currently on Broadway in a revival with Elisabeth Moss in the title role — chronicles Heidi Holland’s life from 1965 to 1989 as a fervent activist for women and an accomplished art historian.

The play’s concerns about female representation and society’s skewed expectations for women are as pointed now as they were then, but there’s something particularly pressing about the way The Heidi Chronicles addresses the fraught relationship between women’s rights and queer rights. Read More 

India: Board bans film on gays

Days after India voted against gay rights for the United Nation employees, a film called Unfreedom which explores homosexuality, has been banned by the CBFC. 

The film is the story of a young girl who resists a forced arranged marriage to unite with her lesbian partner. The nudity and lovemaking scenes of the female protagonists, irked the Board. Add to it a parallel story line which revolves around a liberal Muslim kidnapped by a terrorist and the CBFC was up in arms. 

Speaking from the US, the director told Mirror, "The two stories are juxtaposed and the film challenges the idea of religious fundamentalism and questions its connection with homosexuality which is a biting reality of India." 

He added that the film was refused by both the Examining Committee and the Revising Committee. "They plainly told me that after watching the film, Hindu and Muslims will start fighting and will ignite unnatural passions. I was aghast as my film is not provocative."  Read More 

SA’s first transgender teen novel published

A local novel about a transgender teen coming to grips with his true identity has been released in South Africa. It’s believed to be a first.

Miscast, written by Charmaine Kendal, is published by Junkets Publisher. In it, Kendal tells the story of Cathryn, a teenager born as a biological girl, who has always felt that she was in the wrong body, and how she journeys to her real identity. Read More

How Patricia Velasquez Was Inspired To Come Out as The World's First Latina Lesbian Supermodel

Patricia Velasquez was anxious in the final days before Y2K. The world was about to end. The impending date would crash essential computer systems throughout the world, bringing about a global apocalypse – or at least that’s what thousands of people believed. Yet, Velasquez was carrying a heavier weight on her shoulders – how to live an open and authentic life.

It consumed her while in Paris, getting glammed up for what would become known as one of Jean Paul Gaultier’s most wild and memorable fashion shows, but in the seconds before she stepped out onto the runway, she had a moment of realization. Read More

I’m both man and woman and am proud of it- Gospel Singer

His life has been an empty shell, filled with shame and guilt, for 35 years.

Coming to terms with the fact that he was a hermaphrodite (person with both the male and female sex organs) was too much to bear for Apostle Darlan Rukih Moses, adding that his wife has since accepted him the way he is, though at first, it was really difficult for her.

 The father of three adopted children (with the same condition) says he’s now ready to come out of the closet, and speaking to The Nairobian, Moses says he is proud of being a man and a woman and going public will help create awareness and is advocating against discrimination of people suffering from his condition. Read More

Obama Shoots Giant Rainbow Out Of His Hand in Jamaica

President Obama visited Jamaica, the 1st US president to do so 30 years. Departing, he shot a beautiful, giant rainbow at the island nation, proving he has some tricks up his gay wizard sleeve! Caught on camera by White House photog Pete Souza, we guess Obama is okay with his magical powers not being a secret. Read more