Starbucks' Gay Marriage Support Endorsed By HRC Despite National Organization For Marriage Protest. Starbucks' support for same-sex marriage has earned the endorsement of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has spoken out in defense of the Seattle-based coffee chain after the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) launched its international "Dump Starbucks" campaign. "Starbucks has been a vocal supporter of marriage equality for loving same-sex couples –- views that are in-line with the majority of Americans –- and that enrages NOM," HRC President Joe Solmonese said in a statement. "As a result, NOM is throwing a temper-tantrum and encouraging its few supporters to intentionally harm the economic well-being of Starbucks employees all over the world. " Starbucks declared its support for same-sex marriage during Washington state's marriage equality push in January.
Brown announced the "Dump Starbucks" campaign earlier this week. Brad Pitt’s gay marriage pledge tested. Brad Pitt has said this week the pledge he and Angelina Jolie took to hold off on marriage until equality was achieved for everyone in the US is proving hard to keep. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the 48-year-old actor said he did not know whether they would be able to go the distance on the promise.
He told the magazine: “We’d actually like to, and it seems to mean more and more to our kids. We made this declaration some time ago that we weren’t going to do it till everyone can. But I don’t think we’ll be able to hold out. “It means so much to my kids, and they ask a lot. Equal marriage legislation is being considered in Washington, New Jersey and Maryland. But in Minnesota and North Carolina, discussions are taking place to introduce constitutional amendments defining marriage as being between a man and a woman, meaning Pitt and Jolie’s prerequisite of universal marriage equality is unlikely to happen soon. Pitt would not say whether or not he had proposed to Jolie.
How truthful is David Cameron on his gay rights voting record? By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982 Johann Hari has a revealing and “grilling” interview with David Cameron in today’s Independent. In the interview, Cameron denies he voted against gay adoption and insists he “abstained” on the 2002 vote. Hari writes: “He says he didn’t know any openly gay people as a child, or even at university. The first openly gay people he met were at the Conservative Research Department, after he had graduated. Perhaps this explains how he formed the attitudes that kept him opposed to gay equality for so long.
I start to go over his record beyond Section 28 – and slap into a brick wall. But despite Cameron’s denial, it’s clear from the records that he did not abstain from voting in the first two instances, but that he voted against gay adoption, favouring adoption for specifically ‘married’ couples only. The Tory leader also voted, along with many of his Tory colleagues, for an amendment to allow unmarried couples to adopt, but which specifically excluded gay couples. UK | UK Politics | Q&A: The Tories and the EPP. The UK's Conservative Party has announced it will form a new party in the European Parliament in 2009.
Its main partners will be the Czech Civic Democratic Party (ODS). But what is the idea behind the move, why is it going to take so long, and what will it mean for the Tories in Europe and for the balance of forces in the European Parliament? What are the Conservatives planning to leave? The 26 Conservative MEPs and one Ulster Unionist, are currently members of the largest political group in the European Parliament, the centre-right EPP-ED. The EPP part of the alliance, the European People's Party, is dominated by members of Europe's Christian Democratic parties. The ED part, the European Democrats, is made up of the Conservatives, the Czech ODS party, and one or two others. The plan is for the ED part to break away. Why do the Conservatives want to sever links with the EPP? The EPP members are keen supporters of European integration, whereas the Conservative Party is not.
No. UKIP’s new Europe of Freedom and Democracy group | Nosemonkey's EUtopia. The old eurosceptic Independence/Democracy group in the European Parliament was kept more or less respectable largely thanks to the influence of its former joint leader Jens-Peter Bonde, who stemmed from the relatively moderate lefty side of euroscepticism. Now, however, Bonde has retired and his old June Movement was wiped out at the European elections – along with its Polish equivalent – and the Ind/Dem group died with them. But now, from the ashes, UKIP leader Nigel Farage (the former joint leader of Ind/Dem) has managed to salvage an alliance – with 30 MEPs from 8 countries (where the EP requires 25 MEPs from 7 countries for an official group to qualify for funding and committee places). UKIP dominates the new group with 13 MEPs, and for this we should be grateful – because they seem to be one of the most moderate parties in the thing.
The party is often described as “xenophobic” and “anti-immigrant”. But will it last? Turn right, then right again. Poles move from ECR to EFD. This article is reserved for paying subscribers... Select your offer today and receive: Please log in to read this article: UK | UK Politics | Tory anger at 'anti-gay' claims. The top UK Conservative in the European Parliament has defended his group's Polish leader over alleged homophobic comments he made nine years ago.
A video has been released of Michal Kaminski, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists, using a derogatory term for gay people. But Tory MEP leader Timothy Kirkhope said Mr Kaminski's remarks had been taken "out of context". Mr Kaminski said the words had a different meaning when he used them. The Tories last month gained enough support to form a new centre right grouping in the European Parliament - the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECRG) - made up of 55 MEPs from eight countries.
But the socially conservative views of some of ECRG members have come under the spotlight, with critics claiming they are at odds with Tory leader David Cameron's efforts to modernise his party's image. 'Steptoe and Son' This is a derogatory Polish word for homosexual, usually translated into English as "fag" or "queer". 'Very unfair' Nservatives' EU alliance in turmoil after Michał Kamiński leaves 'far right' party | Politics. David Cameron's alliance in the European parliament is falling apart after the group's Polish leader left his own party because it was too rightwing and then faced calls from fellow members to step down.
Michał Kaminski, the Polish leader of the European Conservative and Reformists group, announced that he had left Poland's Law and Justice party, Cameron's main ally in Europe, because it had been taken over by extremists. Fellow MEPs in the alliance have told the Guardian that Kaminski should step down as leader of the ECR because he no longer has a mandate to lead. The developments are a major embarrassment for the prime minister and William Hague, the foreign secretary. They took the party into an alliance with the Law and Justice party in July 2009. Kaminski told the Sunday Telegraph :"I cannot accept that my party is being taken over by the far right, and being dominated by the far right.
Two other MEPs have also indicated they will leave Law and Justice. Polish President Appoints His Twin Brother as Premier (Update2) July 10 (Bloomberg) -- Polish President Lech Kaczynski appointed his identical twin, Jaroslaw, as prime minister today after accepting the resignation of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz. The step was taken even as a majority of Poles said they dislike the arrangement. The ruling Law & Justice party nominated its chairman, the 57-year-old Jaroslaw Kaczynski, for prime minister after Marcinkiewicz agreed to step down. According to Deputy Premier Andrzej Lepper, he was forced to resign after making government decisions without consulting his party or coalition partners. Parliament must approve the appointment before Jaroslaw Kaczynski can take office. ``I wish the designated prime minister success in forming his new government,'' Lech Kaczynski said at a ceremony in the presidential palace late today.
Sixty percent of Poles think that having the brothers in the top two government jobs is bad for the country, according to a PBS Center survey published today. Parliamentary Confirmation. The GULLY | Gay Mundo | New Anti-Gay Regime in Poland. Gay Mundo New Anti-Gay Regime in Poland Catholic ultra-conservatives bash their way to victory. By Tomek Kitlinski and Pawel Leszkowicz WARSAW, NOV. 10, 2005. Poland has hit the homophobic jackpot: the new President, the new Prime Minister and the boss of the conservative Catholic party which now controls a big chunk of Parliament, are all virulent, card-carrying queer-haters.
And for the first time in Polish history, the "gay question" was a centerpiece of an electoral campaign. Right-wing candidates, pandering to a traditionally homophobic electorate, openly used insulting terms such as "pederasta" and "pedal. " During the electoral campaign, and in the months leading up to it, lesbians and gay men were often depicted in the Polish media as abnormal, asocial and abject. Poland's Catholic fundamentalist Radio Maryja dubbed recent developments in Spain and Poland "homosexual terror" "sodomitical unions" and "totalitarianism of sin. " Homophobia works. Resist! "Let us be seen! " From the Web. List of animals displaying homosexual behavior.
Couple of two male mallard ducks in a nature reserve in Germany For these animals, there is documented evidence of homosexual behavior of one or more of the following kinds: sex, courtship, affection, pair bonding, or parenting, as noted in researcher and author Bruce Bagemihl's 1999 book Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. Selected images[edit] The all-female Brandon Davidson species Cnemidophorus neomexicanus (center), which reproduces via parthenogenesis, is shown flanked by two sexual species having males, C. inornatus (left) and C. tigris (right).
Research has shown that simulated mating behavior increases fertility for Cnemidophorus neomexicanus. One female lies on top of another, playing the role of the male, the lizard that was on bottom has larger eggs. Male homosexuality has been inferred in several species of dragonflies. Mammals[edit] Selected mammals from the full list: Birds[edit] Selected birds from the full list: Fish[edit] Reptiles[edit] Same-sex Behavior Seen In Nearly All Animals, Review Finds. Same-sex behavior is a nearly universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom, common across species, from worms to frogs to birds, concludes a new review of existing research.
"It's clear that same-sex sexual behavior extends far beyond the well-known examples that dominate both the scientific and popular literature: for example, bonobos, dolphins, penguins and fruit flies," said Nathan Bailey, the first author of the review paper and a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biology at UC Riverside. There is a caveat, however. The review also reports that same-sex behaviors are not the same across species, and that researchers may be calling qualitatively different phenomena by the same name. "For example, male fruit flies may court other males because they are lacking a gene that enables them to discriminate between the sexes," Bailey said. A selective force, which is a sudden or gradual stress placed on a population, affects the reproductive success of individuals in the population. Homosexuality Common in the Wild, Scientists Say.
As gay couples celebrate their newfound right to marry in California and opposition groups rally to fight the ruling, many struggle with this question: Is homosexuality natural? On this issue, Nature has spoken: Same-sex lovin' is common in hundreds of species, scientists say. Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo, were a couple for about six years, during which they nurtured a fertilized egg together (given to them by a zookeeper) and raised the young chick that hatched. According to University of Oslo zoologist Petter Böckman, about 1,500 animal species are known to practice same-sex coupling, including bears, gorillas, flamingos, owls, salmon and many others. If homosexuality is natural in the animal kingdom, then there is the question of why evolution hasn't eliminated this trait from the gene pool, since it doesn't lead to reproduction. • Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Natural Science Center.
It may simply be for pleasure. Oslo gay animal show draws crowds. Curators say a Norwegian exhibition on homosexuality among animals has been well received, despite initial indications of strong opposition. The Oslo Natural History Museum opened the show last week and says it has been well attended, not least by families. Organisers reported early criticism of the project, and being told by one opponent they would "burn in hell". But there has been strong interest in an aspect of animal behaviour the museum says is quite common. It says homosexuality has been observed among 1,500 species, and that in 500 of those it is well documented. The exhibition - entitled Against Nature? "Homosexuality is a common and widespread phenomenon in the animal world," says an exhibition statement.
"Not only short-lived sexual relationships, but even long-lasting partnerships; partnerships that may last a lifetime. " The museum says it is the first exhibition in the world to touch on a subject that has been taboo in the past. 'Bisexual species' Gay vulture couple raise surrogate chicks - News. The adult males, known as Dashik and Yehuda, built a nest last year and set-up home together. In the spirit of gay liberation, they openly and energetically mated, but failed to produce a single egg. Then, as an experiment, Israeli zoologist Shmuel Yidov took a day-old vulture chick that had been hatched in an incubator, inserted it carefully inside a swan's egg and slipped it into the nest. Fooled, the pair took turns to sit on it and warm it until it hatched again. Dashik and Yehuda then reared their baby. "They did a great job," said the zoo's spokeswoman, Sigalit Dvir. This summer the adoptive parents have done it again.
Sixty years ago, the Holy Land boasted about 1,000 breeding pairs of griffon vultures. Over the past decade, the Nature Protection Society has hand-reared 80 nestlings. The trouble is that hand-reared vultures find it harder to adjust to nature. Timeless Spirit Magazine. Gay penguin couple adopts abandoned egg in German zoo - World. Stonewall. Gay men blood donor ban to be lifted. Gay men who use a condom should not face delays giving blood | Peter Tatchell. Section 28 timeline | Special Reports | guardian.co.uk Politics. David Cameron apologises to gay people for section 28 | Politics. Hundreds attend kiss-in outside John Snow pub after venue closes its doors | UK news. Peter And Hazelmary Bull, Christian Hotel Owners, Ordered To Pay Damages To Gay Couple. Bristol gay couple win Cornwall B&B bed ban case.
David Copeland - "The London Nail Bomber" Nail bomber David Copeland loses sentence appeal. Mayor wants end to gay bullying - Doncaster news. UK | England | South Yorkshire | Mayor vows to cut Gay Pride funds. UK | England | South Yorkshire | New mayor makes Gay Pride U-turn. ROBERT HARDMAN: The un-PC supermayor who has slashed public spending, axed pointless jobs and banned the word 'diversity'