gays

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Biden Pardons Veterans Convicted 'for Being Themselves'

Thousands were found to have violated repealed military ban on consensual gay sex

(Newser) - President Biden pardoned potentially thousands of former US service members convicted of violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex, saying Wednesday that he is "righting [a] historic wrong" to clear the way for them to regain lost benefits. Biden's action grants a pardon to service members...

In Off-the-Cuff Comments, Pope Speaks of Gay Kids

Francis tells parents to accompany, not condemn, gay children

(Newser) - Pope Francis urged parents on Wednesday not to condemn their children if they're gay, in his latest gesture of outreach to the LGBTQ community, which has long been marginalized by the Catholic hierarchy. Francis spoke off the cuff during his weekly Wednesday general audience dedicated to the figure of...

A Film That Premiered Today Holds Big Statement From Pope

In it, Francis endorses same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope

(Newser) - Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary Francesco, which had its premiere at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday. The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment,...

Brunei Semantics on Brutal New Law: It's Not 'Punishment'

Stoning to death those who cheat, have gay sex is 'prevention' meant to 'nurture': foreign minister

(Newser) - A controversial Sharia law recently put into effect in Brunei, in which it's mandated that people who cheat on their spouses or men who have gay sex are stoned to death, isn't meant as punishment, the Muslim-majority nation's foreign minister is now saying—it's simply a...

New Batwoman Quits Twitter Over 'Ridiculous' Backlash

Ruby Rose was criticized after she took on gay superhero role for the CW

(Newser) - If you're looking for Ruby Rose, you'll have to try her Bat Phone. The Orange Is the New Black star made headlines last week when it was announced she'd play Batwoman for the CW, the first openly gay superhero in a TV series leading role. But while...

$82K Raised for Gay Teen's Tuition After Parents Spurn Him

Seth Owen, co-valedictorian of his senior class, got in to Georgetown, couldn't afford to go

(Newser) - Seth Owen was over the moon when he received what appeared to be the path to his "life goal" of going to college: an acceptance letter from Georgetown University. But the Florida 18-year-old, who was the co-valedictorian of his senior class, had his hopes dashed when he later received...

Gay Abuse Victim Spoke to Pope. Francis' Words Were 'Forceful'

Juan Carlos Cruz said Francis told him: 'God made you like this and loves you like this'

(Newser) - While religious conservatives have long argued being gay is a choice and even a "disorder," Pope Francis has been known to push back on those arguments, most famously with his 2013 statement : "Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?" Now...

His Quest to Create 'Gaydar' Had Unintended Consequences

Michal Kosinski says he just wanted to expose a privacy threat

(Newser) - "Our findings expose a threat to the privacy and safety of gay men and women," wrote Michal Kosinski in a paper set to be published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology—only he's the one now finding himself in danger. The New York Times takes...

HIV Rate Could Hit 50% for Gay and Bisexual Black Men in US

HIV rate for gay, bisexual black men in US higher than any country in world

(Newser) - In 1981, the very first report on AIDS detailed five cases in gay white men. It left out a sixth case: that of a gay black man. The doctor behind the report now says that exclusion "might've made a difference." The HIV rate in gay and bisexual...

In Dark Slice of History, Teens Forced Gay Men Off Cliffs

Australian police now probing deaths from as long ago as 1976

(Newser) - For nearly two decades, Scott Johnson's death had been labeled a suicide. The 27-year-old's naked body was found Dec. 10, 1988, on a cliff overlooking Sydney's northern beaches, with his clothes folded above. His brother didn't buy it, and in 2005 he developed an alternate theory:...

US Senate Approves Openly Gay Army Secretary

Eric Fanning's case was held up for 8 months

(Newser) - The Senate confirmed the long-stalled nomination of Eric Fanning to be Army secretary, making him the first openly gay leader of a US military service, the AP reports. The unanimous voice vote approval on Tuesday came after Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., dropped his opposition to Fanning after a senior Pentagon...

Charges: Father Murdered Son for Being Gay

And police are investigating the death of his wife, as well

(Newser) - A 69-year-old Southern California man has been charged with murdering his 29-year-old son for being gay, the Los Angeles Times reports. Police say Shehada Issa killed his son Amir Issa with a shotgun outside their home on Tuesday. The district attorney says Shehada had threatened to kill Amir for being...

FDA Lifts Ban on Gay Blood Donors
FDA Lifts Ban on
Gay Blood Donors
Dec 21, 2015 4:10 PM CST

FDA Lifts Ban on Gay Blood Donors

But new policy does come with restrictions

(Newser) - The nation's three-decade-old ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men was formally lifted Monday, but major restrictions will continue to limit who can donate. The Food and Drug Administration says it is replacing the lifetime ban with a new policy barring donations from men who have had...

Study Sees Roots of 'Gay Lisp' in Boyhood

It may explain the stereotype, says researcher

(Newser) - A documentary that's new on Netflix called Do I Sound Gay? explores the controversial topic of how some gay men sound, well, stereotypically gay. When it comes to the gay voice, Medical Daily notes that "as a society we associate" a lisp with being gay, though the lisp...

Study: DNA Test Can Predict Whether You're Gay

Potential for misuse troubles lead scientist, who's just left the lab

(Newser) - UCLA scientists think they've developed the first test that can accurately predict whether a man is gay based on his DNA, and all it takes is a swab of saliva, reports New Scientist . The researchers examined 400,000 epigenetic tags—"chemicals that latch onto DNA and help turn...

After SCOTUS Ruling, Shop Posts 'No Gays Allowed'

'I don't want them around me,' says hardware store owner Jeff Amyx

(Newser) - While many celebrated Friday's SCOTUS decision to legalize gay marriage in all 50 states, one Tennessee store owner wasn't flying any rainbow banners. Instead, Jeff Amyx—a "self-described 'blunt' man," per the New York Daily News —put a different sign up Monday at Amyx...

Washington, Lincoln, Nixon Were Gay: New Book

Larry Kramer's new book is ruffling feathers, dividing critics

(Newser) - George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were gay. So were Alexander Hamilton, Herman Melville, and Richard Nixon—at least according to a new book that the author considers true but his publisher is selling as fiction to avoid legal problems, the Guardian reports. Needless to say, Larry Kramer's 800-page The ...

Boy Scouts Chapter Flouts Ban, Hires Gay Adult Leader

National organization is 'looking into the matter'

(Newser) - In what advocates are calling a "watershed moment," the Boy Scouts' New York chapter said yesterday that it has hired the nation's first openly gay Eagle Scout as a summer camp leader, a direct and public challenge to the national Scouting organization's ban on openly gay...

Arkansas Passes Own 'Religious Freedom' Bill

Despite criticism that it's a cover for discrimination against gays

(Newser) - Indiana might be backing away from its controversial religious freedom law, but Arkansas is embracing one of its own. State lawmakers today approved the bill and sent it along to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is expected to sign, reports Arkansas Online . Arkansas lawmakers rejected attempts to include a clause that...

Indiana Businesses Could Now Refuse Gay Customers

Gov. Mike Pence signs Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law

(Newser) - Indiana Gov. Mike Pence today signed the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law—in a ceremony that was held behind closed doors for "no particular reason," says his rep . What it is, and what it means for Indiana, per the AP and Indianapolis Star :
  • What the new
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