From the time he was in grade school in his native Jamaica, Andrae Bent was the target of taunts and attacks.
A classmate once stabbed him near his eye with a pencil for being effeminate. Another time, a man pulled a knife on him and asked if he was "one of them," Bent said, meaning homosexual. Fearing for his life, Bent denied his homosexuality.
International Day for Tolerance
Tolerance is especially necessary to guard against the politics of polarization, at a time when stereotypes, ignorance and hatred threaten to tear the delicate fabric of increasingly diverse societies. Today’s world is more closely tied than ever by trade and information technology, but rifts between and within communities and states are being broadened and deepened by poverty, ignorance and conflict. Furthermore, with the speed of communication blurring the lines between the global and the local, tensions in one corner of the world can spread rapidly to others.
Legalizing Discrimination
The push by anti-gay lawmakers in Iowa to strip same-sex families of their currently-existing marriage rights has already gone well past the issue of marriage, with a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to deprive gay and lesbian couples not only of legal marriage, but also of any other form of legal recognition, such as domestic partnerships or civil unions.
Worlds Largest Gay Cruise
Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas will set sail Sunday from Port Everglades on its first charter with nearly 5,400 gay and lesbian passengers. The "world's largest gay cruise" sold out in just three weeks, according to the sponsor, Atlantis Events Inc. of Hollywood, Calif.
Marriage Equality
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s pledge to make a strong push in the next few months to pass legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in New York State is a promising development. Speaking on Wednesday at Hofstra University, Governor Cuomo said he intends to ask the Legislature to take up the measure and that he will be “working very hard to pass it.”
Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way': The New Gay Anthem?
With lyrics like "Don't be a drag, just be a queen" and "No matter gay, straight or bi/ Lesbian, transgendered life/ I'm on the right track, baby/ I was born to survive," it's clear that Gaga is singing for those in the LGBT community who feel disenfranchised on her new track "Born This Way." Perhaps it was no mistake that Gaga debuted the club-friendly track on a Friday, the day many people head out on the town.
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