New York City Say They Won’t Tolerate Homophobic Attacks Following Beating Of Gay Man In Brooklyn is a post from: Queeried

Following an attack on a 22 year old gay man in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn by five men, city officials have spoken of their concern, with openly lesbian City Council Speaker Christine Quinn saying:

“I was appalled and sickened to learn of last weeks anti-LGBT hate crime in Carroll Gardens. New York City’s greatest strength is our diversity. All New Yorkers should be free to walk our streets without fear of being attacked for who they are or who they are perceived to be.”

“The victim of last weeks attack was simply walking on the street when he was beaten by a group of men while being called anti-gay epithets. This is outrageous and unacceptable. We thank the NYPD for their swift response to this case, and urge the alleged perpetrators to turn themselves in immediately. They and any other bigots need to know that the NYPD responds in full force to any and all hate crimes.”

Taking place at around 8.00pm on March 2nd,  the attack saw the five men shout homophobic slurs at the man whilst beating him, leaving him with a head laceration and bruises that required hospital treatment. Whilst the attack has been met with a prompt action by both the NYPD and the City Council, the New York area has seen a number of anti-gay attacks over the last few years with one of the worse being the killing of Ecuadorian immigrant Jose Sucuzhañay in December 2008 who was attacked because the attackers had  mistakenly thought he was gay.

Responding to the latest attack, The Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Campaign spoke of a need to make it very clear such attacks would not be condoned saying:

“In a world as diverse as ours, we cannot tolerate violence based on actual or perceived identity, because if we do we are all vulnerable,”

I’m Just Sayin’…. It’s Not That Hard To Get A Date (Especially If Only One Half Of You Knows It Is) is a post from: Queeried

I’m not gonna lie! I was very tempted this week again to write about my favorite subject (other than me), namely “George Michael”, and share with you the dazzling PR campaign, I have ingeniously concocted in my head dubbed “why I need to meet George Michael and I need to meet him on Oprah…NOW.”

But let’s be real I know most of us not only are inflicted with attention span deficit disorder but also, and sadly, have absolutely zero level of patience to take the time read – much less read about another one of my GM propagandas.

What can I say? It’s the tragic plague of our 21st century. Don’t get me started on how our pathetic addiction to modern technology’s fancy gadgets combined with our junky-like obsession for instant gratification is killing what little of our brain we have left. But that’s whole other topic for an entire other column.
All I know is that I was doing just fine without people being able to stay in touch with me every minute of every hour. My land phone was a perfectly well functioning means of communication (mind you: free of dropped calls and broken up reception); so was my high tech Casio computer aka my calculator, and also my Internet connection: the municipal library – thank you very much!

Anyhow, back to the topic of this column, which has yet to be determined.
So I’m not going to write about Georgie – we’ve already established that – which really leaves only one other option: MOI!

Believe it or not but this past week, in a sheer moment of pure brilliance, I had an epiphany. It suddenly dawned on me that, perhaps, I might possibly maybe be spending too much time in my head, and potentially need to get a life …  a real one in the real world that is!

With that in mind, I decided to skim through the profiles of my 456 Facebook friends (450 of whom I absolutely do not know from Adam) to see what these people were up to in their lives; where do their social butterfly selves go to hang out; and what do they do for fun. Honestly I did not find anything remotely exciting. What I did get, however, was a shit load of too much information, which really made me wonder how do these people have time to do all the things they say they do when obviously the majority of their time is consumed with the “by the minute” posting of their “wall” updates.

That said, one particular item did nevertheless catch my attention, namely the social status of an acquaintance of mine who switched from “in a relationship” to “single.” Not to be mean, but that truly put a smile on my face! I’ll cop to it, I’ve always had a little romantic interest in said acquaintance (let’s call her Christie).
Alright, let’s cut to the chase, I totally dig Christie – always have from the very minute I met her two years ago. The problem was that not only was I too much of a wimp to make the moves but also, and most importantly, she had an extra baggage called a girlfriend.

No need to remind you that I already went through one back surgery and refuse to lift anything heavy anymore. While evidently the girlfriend problem was now solved, I still had to resolve the other problematic obstruction: me, and my mortifyingly numbing fear of rejection phobia that famously prevents me from mustering the guts to approach the object of my desire to launch a successful courtship campaign. I’m just a total complete disaster!

I kind of, sort of, briefly entertained the idea of calling Christie to casually touch base with her and of course get the 411 on the casualties of relationships that prompted the Facebook “single” status update, but evidently quickly changed my mind. While the move strategically sounded good on paper, in reality I knew I would only be accomplishing one grand thing, namely making a total fool of my imbecilic self. Instead, I did what everybody else in a critically desperate predicament would have done: I called her best friend.

After all, it’s always easier to get the scoop from that neutral “Switzerland” person who is usually the pacifying connecting dot between you and your future ex-girlfriend, right? Well, in my case: WRONG! It’s not that I am a drama-queen but I seem to have a natural knack for attracting complications – you know, those sinfully irresistible immoral situations you consciously jump into against all your better judgment thinking you’ll get away with it, yet infallible always come back later to royally bite you in the ass.

Clearly, I was now full blown into the “bite you in the ass” phase of the “payback’s a bitch” karmic law. Let’s just say that said “Switzerland” was in no position to exercise its impartibility having previously being implicated in a little fleeting love affair with none other than me. Shame on me for corrupting our global mediator and forcing it into an untraditional alliance with me! But in my defense I will say that it only lasted a very short ephemeral night, so really it shouldn’t count – it’s like being married for less than 24 hours; I should automatically be legally eligible to file for an annulment.

That said, as much as in my head now the whole sleeping with Christie’s BFF incident never existed, I wasn’t sure it had been totally deleted from Switzerland’s mental map. But it was still an easier affair to handle than directly dealing with the targeted subject of my romantic interest. So I made the call at the risk of paying dearly for lacking the protection of an international roaming plan!

We casually chatted for about 5 minutes and then I nonchalantly inquired about Christie. As highly anticipated, she informed me about the recent breakup and I, of course, acted as if I was receiving the breaking news for the first time, simulating concern and empathy. But really, as awful as it sounds, I was truly elated to get the confirmation that Christie was now a free bird – as in AVAILABLE.

Yet aware of the dangerous fact that I could potentially be the “rebound” girl – something I absolutely did not fancy – I needed to dig deeper in my detective investigation to find out how the “we’re over” surgical detachment procedure was effectuated.

“What happened?” I said maintaining my seemingly compassionate tone, “is she ok?”
“Yes, she’s doing good,” replied Switzerland, “there was no drama; it was a mutually agreed decision, and they parted on good terms; she’s moving on with her life now.”

Suffice to say, this was great news for me. But now that she’s “moving on with her life” how do I make her move into my life?
First things first, I figured that seeing her might help my cause. So proceeding with our “shooting the breeze” conversation, to dissipate any traces of transparency on my end, I suggested as casually as humanly possible that we should all get together for a friendly social (innocent) girls’ night out. Luckily Switzerland was instantly sold on my proposition, and right then and there we set a day, time and location for our nocturnal adventure. Just like that I snatched myself a date – granted an “unofficial” one since Christie will never get the memo, but in my book that’s still a date!

Now this is the part where you’re all sitting at the edge of your seat anxiously waiting for the nail-biting denouement of this highly suspenseful thriller that is this episode of my dateless life – because evidently I am the center of your universe – and where I disappoint you by informing you that said date is scheduled for next week.

And while I could certainly write about what I very much expect to be happening, based on the inexhaustible fruit of my outrageously creative imagination, I will, nevertheless, wait to see what reality has in store for me.

After all I need to get a “real” life, remember?

Sean Hayes Reveals The Worst Kept Secret Ever – He’s Gay is a post from: Queeried

We’re predicting this is going to come as something of a shock to you so you’ll probably want to sit down before you read this. Ready? Okay, here goes… Sean Hayes, aka Jack McFarland in Will and Grace, has announced to The Advocate that he is gay.

What do you mean you knew already?!?! So okay it’s not come as much of a shock to you, so why has Hayes chosen to confirm what has been an open secret in Hollywood for years?

From the interview with The Advocate, it appears it’s down to Sean feeling he is at a point in his life when he actually wants to speak about it as opposed to being pushed to. Having said that though Hayes is keen to point out that he feels he has never denied his sexuality insisting:

“I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never,”

Hinting that the reason why Hayes has kept so quiet is down to him being a much more private person than his old alter ego Jack McFarland, Hayes discusses how much more sedate a life he leads than McFarland saying:

“I don’t need events. I don’t do a lot. I live my life like an 85-year-old man. I’m just quiet. It’s fantastic.”

and this is reinforced again in Hayes talks about how he felt that he has never owed it to the wider public to have to say anything

“Nobody owes anything to anybody. You are your authentic self to whom and when you choose to be, and if you don’t know somebody, then why would you explain to them how you live your life?”

This doesn’t however mean that Sean believes he has had no impact on gay rights issues though. In fact he believes quite the opposite is true and was at pains to let The Advocate, who under a previous editor had previously ran an article ridiculing Hayes for pretending no one was aware he was gay, by stating:

“I feel like I’ve contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I’m open to it. You’re welcome, Advocate.”

“Why would you go down that path with somebody who’s done so much to contribute to the gay community?” he asks. “That was my beef about it. What more do you want me to do? Do you want me to stand on a float? And then what? It’s never enough.

“That’s the thing about celebrity: It sets you up to fail because the expectation is so high of what’s needed, what’s wanted from you that the second you don’t [meet it], you disappoint people.”

Grab Yourself A Sneak Preview Of Beverley Knight’s New 100% Advert Before It Hits The Small Screens is a post from: Queeried

Beverley Knight’s new advert for her stunning album 100% will hit your television screens tomorrow but you lucky Queeried reader don’t need to wait that long to see it as we can share a sneaky little preview with you now.

Featuring 13 amazing tracks that include the brilliant 100%, the stunning Beautiful Night, the heartbreaking Turned To Stone and the awesome Soul Survivor featuring Chaka Khan, this truly is a phenomenal album that frankly it would be rather rude not to own…

100% by Beverley Knight is available to buy now on the high street as well as from Amazon and iTunes.

Soul Survivor – Beverley Knight

Aussiebum Unveil New ComfyFit Range And Super Hot Model is a post from: Queeried

When we grew up we want to be just like Aussiebum. Fun, modern and stylish, this is a company that just makes you fall in love with it without it having to try, and it doesn’t hurt much that it’s a company full of some of the most gorgeous men on Earth.

And it’s recently got even more beautiful with the addition of the rather lovely Matthew Wilson to their already gorgeous list of models. Winner of Australia’s Hottest Tradie Competition, Matthew is not just a stunner ,but also good with his hands too….because he’s a carpenter (well what did you think we’re going to say…), and has become the face of the new ComfyFit range.

Designed to feel super comfy on, these might sound like they’re going to be boring undies but you know that Aussiebum won’t ever let that happen as these rather tasty shots of both the boxer briefs and briefs available in the collection show.

The new ComfyFit underwear range will be able to order online direct from Aussiebum.

IBM Boss Tells Conference Recognition Of LGBT Rights Essential To All Businesses is a post from: Queeried

Both Brendon Riley, the Chief Executive Officer of IBM UK, and Vice Admiral Alan Massey Second Sea Lord, Royal Navy have used their keynote speeches at the Stonewall’s workplace conference to call on employers to make sure they are achieving workplace equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff.

Supported by Barclays, the conference saw Vice Admiral Alan Massey Second Sea Lord, Royal Navy tell the near 500 attendees that:

“Changing behaviours takes some time. Changing the underlying attitudes and culture takes a whole lot longer. The continued engagement of the LGBT community is vitally important to us to ensure that it becomes an embedded part of our business, a fundamental part of a fair leadership culture.”

Antony Grey Jenkins, Chief Executive of Global Retail Banking, Barclays reinforced this highlighting the benefit it can be of to the company itself saying:

“Organisations that focus on diversity tend to be higher performing organisations than those that don’t. People take their lead from what they see around them. Creating a workplace where all colleagues are able to be themselves is absolutely critical to the overall wellbeing of any business.”

Brendon Riley from IBM was also keen to point out the result of a company taking it’s eye off the equality ball talking of how IBM had seen it’s ranking fall and how:

“‘Stonewall keeps us honest, it keeps dialogue going with business. We were number 1 in the Workplace Equality Index, and then we slipped to 11. I said to the team that there were too many 1s in 11,”

Having now reclaimed the number one spot, Riley went onto say:

“Of all the awards for business in the UK a Stonewall award is the one you really want. It goes to the heart of who you are and what you stand for.”

Help Stop Homophobia In Schools By Taking Part In The Stonewall Equality Walk is a post from: Queeried

Stonewall’s annual 10k Equality Walk will be taking place on May 2nd and will start at Brighton’s Pavilion Gardens. Attempting to build on the success of last year’s walk, which saw over 400 people take part, the American Express supported event will be the 7th Stonewall has done with it all being in aid of their work to stamp out homophobic bullying in schools.

The cost of registering for the walk is just £10 and for that you not only get to enjoy all the entertainment on the day, but also get a goody bag and a special edition t-shirt. Once you’ve done that Stonewall are then encouraging everyone to try and raise as much as they can to help their campaign to end homophobic bullying in schools, with a top fundraising prize of a luxury weekend for two in Paris including business-class travel on Eurostar, two nights’ stay in a luxury hotel and £500 spending money, courtesy of American Express Business Travel.

The walk itself winds through the heart of the city so is guaranteed to be an enjoyable affair and will help Stonewall educate not only children that homophobic bullying is not acceptable, but also help guide and train teachers on how to prevent and respond to homophobic bullying.

Last year’s walk managed to raise over £50,000 for Stonewall which went towards the production of the FIT DVD, an anti bullying film that was sent with accompanying teaching materials to every school in Britain. And if you sign up for the the walk you’ll be able to see it too as Stonewall are putting on a special screening of FIT for all Equality Walk registrants in Brighton on Thursday March 11.

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, in speaking about the event said:

“The Brighton Equality Walk has always been a key event in Stonewall’s fundraising calendar. This year we’re continuing our focus on stamping out homophobic bullying in schools. Secondary school teachers say that homophobic bullying is the second most frequent form of bullying in our schools.”

Fancy taking part? You can register for the walk on the Equality Walk website or by calling the team on 020 7593 2294.

Australian Political Parties Show Increased Support For Gay Rights In New Election Pledges is a post from: Queeried

All three of the main political parties in Australia have acted to show support for the LGBT community in their election pledges. Marking a big step forward for a country that has seen it’s government do little to combat homophobia, the three parties have all put forward very unique policies.

For the Labor party the focus is on the issue of gay adoption and promising to reopen the debate via a Parliamentary inquiry, whilst the Liberals have said that they will look to improve the treatment of transgender inmates in prison. It is however the Green’s policy that is likely to grab the attention of most with their promise of spending $300,000 on anti-homophobia campaigns in state schools.

Speaking about the announcement of these policies, Rodney Croome who is the spokeman for the Gay and Lesbian Rights Group in Tasmania said the group would never act to endorse one party, but that the announcement has shown

“…is that all three parties have moved forward in their policies and their objectives and their programs from where they were in 2006.”

Whilst these announcements are positive, it is important to recognise that many election pledges make it to reality, something that really need to happen in Australia, particularly concerning homophobia with Croome indicating that recent surveys showed Tasmania is still the most homophobic Australian state.

Leader Of Opposition Increases Issue Of Homophobia In Australia By Saying LGBT Community Are Threatening is a post from: Queeried

The current Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives Tony Abbott, who could become the next Prime Minister of the country has done nothing to improve the issue of homophobia in Australia by responding to questions about his views on homosexuality in an interview with Australia’s Channel 9’s 60 Minutes program by saying:

“I probably feel a bit threatened, as so many people do. It’s a fact of life. I try to treat people as people and not put them in pigeonholes.”

His comments have undoubtedly angered the LGBT community in Australia who have called his views dangerous, with one gay rights campaigner, Gary Burns, saying Abbott was acting like an “imbecile” and that “I think poor old Tony thinks it’s 1956…. “This is the 21st century.”

Focusing in on Abbott’s choice of wording, Burns also went onto question:

“Why is he using such dangerous words? How could he feel threatened? You know what I’m frightened by? Funnel-web spiders and crocodiles.”

Fierce in his criticism Burns is also passionate about showing Abbott the error of his ways saying he would happily spend time with the politician to show him that members of the LGBT community were hard working Australians and nothing to be scared of.

The convener of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights, Anthony Bendall, has also added his voice to the criticism directed at Tony Abbott saying he should have kept his personal views to himself as they weren’t useful to teens struggling with their sexuality, stating:

“It certainly isn’t a very helpful comment in terms of trying to eliminate discrimination and homophobia,”

Mary Portas Just Keeps On Giving With A New Designer Charity Boutique In Edinburgh is a post from: Queeried

When Mary Portas agreed to do the series ‘Mary Queen of Charity Shops’ for the BBC where she attempted to take an old outdated charity shop and make it just as enticing to shoppers as the high street names and designer labels on the street she probably didn’t think it was going to turn out to be an issue she was going to be get so passionate about.

However that is exactly what has happened, because far from stopping and moving onto a new project when the show finished, Portas has instead put her heart and soul into changing the perception of what charity shopping is all about by launching her Living and Giving shop chain.

First appearing as a pop up shop in the upmarket Westfields shopping centre last year, this first shop wasn’t filled with old vases, faded pictures and old tatty books with pages missing that you’ve come to expect from charity shops but something a whole more appealing – designer fashion at bargain prices.

Seeing queues that went on for days and shop assistants that were more often seen on your television screen than in shops, this first venture, which was supported by the fashion magazine Grazia (for whom Melanie Rickey, her other half, rather handily works as the fashion features editor) was such a success that Portas decided it was time to find a permanent home for a store, and where better than the very hip and happening city of Edinburgh.

Mary’s Living and Giving Shop for Save the Children is at 34 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH4 1HN and is open 10am — 5pm every day. Mary will be instore from 10.30am on Tuesday 1st December.
Set up in aid of Save The Children, the shop opened in November of last year and has featured designer goods donated from Jamie Oliver, Meg Matthews, Peaches Geldof, Lauren Laverne and Grazia itself alongside that of the rather fashionable Scottish people.

Making over £5k on it’s first day of trading, the store not only offers great designer bargains but also allows young local businesses to promote themselves and grew with jewellery designers, artist and even bakers able to trade off the shop floor in exchange for splitting their profits with the charity.

Fancy grabbing yourself a designer bargain? Mary’s Living and Giving Shop for Save the Children is at 34 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH4 1HN and is open 10am — 5pm every day.

You can learn more about the Shopping Neutral concept that Mary Portas is promoting in her presentation to Grazia below: