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» Hammer Time.
An "emotionally disturbed" man remains in police custody after hitting nine people in the head with a hammer during Vancouver's gay pride. No one was seriously injured, thankfully. [CBC] |
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Organisers of Amsterdam's 13th annual Gay Pride festival which ended on Sunday said the annual canal parade on Saturday drew a record crowd of more than 500,000… According to the paper, "80 boats full of partying homosexuals" took part, including a police boat and a government boat… Uniformed seamen also took part, a first. [Image] |
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Spanish social conservatives have filed a lawsuit against Madrid Pride for - get this - hate speech. HazteOir claims that pride organizers and other revelers smeared the Catholic Church's good name by holding up a sign calling Pope Benedict XVI "chief of the inquisitors." Benedict, of course, often rails against gay rights. Should we sue him for hate speech? As if their lawsuit's not laughable enough, HazteOir claims their fight's for the greater good: From both humanitarian and Christian concepts of society, only by protecting values such as liberty, justice and solidarity can citizens retain their rights and dignity," HazteOir states on its website. How do you say bullshit in Spanish? |
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» Size Matters.
"This year's Gay Pride event in Madison yesterday was smaller than in years past, but organizers promise a bigger event next year. Madison Pride announced some financial discrepancies in April in accounts managed by it's former treasurer, leaving the group in debt and with little to spend on this year's event." [WIBA] |
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Check out the blow-by-blow, after the jump… |
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Those attacks, sparked by right wing extremists, garnered ire from the European Parliament's gay intergroup, who have pledged to bring Hungary before the European Commission. While most governments would simply claim they couldn't control the masses, Hungarian state secretary yesterday admitted that the secret service knew who would instigate the attacks, yet did nothing to protect their gay citizens. Nice! Meanwhile, Hungarian Member of European Parliament Katalin Lévai, whose car was attacked during the near riot, also vowed to right the right's wrongs… |
» Ride 'Em!
For some reason this got filed under "Weird But True:" "The San Francisco Fire Department is investigating one of its own after an off-duty firefighter was photographed wearing her badge while riding topless on a motorcycle. Sabine Balden appeared to be wearing her official badge while riding with the 'Dykes on Bikes' during the recent Gay Pride Parade. It was pinned to her bustier." [NY Post] |
» Premeditated.
Hungarian secret service agents knew ahead of time which anti-gay activists planned on attacking last weekend's gay pride march, but didn't arrest anyone because that would "not be democratic," according to state secretary Imre Iváncsik. The fifty-seven people who were arrested go to trial today. We don't have high hopes for justice… [Caboodle] |
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A Queerty Exclusive!
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Johnson sported a pink cowboy hat as he led a Gay Pride parade through London, drawing boos along the way from some who remembered his past doubts about civil partnerships. Johnson's dubious gay politics included comments worrying that gay unions would lead to polygamy and bestial nuptials. Wrote Johnson, 'I saw no reason in principle why a union should not be consecrated between three men, as well as two men, or indeed three men and a dog." Those comments came seven years ago and gay activists, like Ben Summerskill of UK's Stonewall, suggest that Johnson's adapting to the times. Besides, he's only been mayor since May, so the homos should give him a shot. [Image] |
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Far-right activists György Budaházy and László Toroczkai made an online appeal on kuruc.info for "Hungarian patriots" to go to Oktogon in Budapest on 5 July to demonstrate against this year's gay pride event. Somehow we doubt that… |
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[Images] |
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"It's a huge thing for me personally," said Warrant Officer John McDougall, a parade participant who has been an openly gay member of the military for 13 years. "To be able to be in public and be recognized not just for being a soldier, but for being a soldier who happens to be gay is amazing." The American military could learn a thing or two from its neighbors to the north. |
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Most of the marchers came out to oppose Section 377, the colonial era law prohibiting gay activities. While most political leaders oppose opening the laws for the lavender set, none actively protested this weekend's happenings, saying they didn't want to give the gays too much attention. Ain't that grand? |