Scotland pardons gay men convicted under homophobic laws

LONDON - Gay and bisexual men in Scotland prosecuted for consensual same-sex activity will receive an automatic pardon under a law which came into effect on Tuesday aiming to correct a "historic wrong".

The law will cover anyone convicted for same-sex activity which is no longer illegal, ranging from gay sex to kissing or flirting, and those affected can apply to have their former police record 'disregarded' or wiped clean.

Hundreds of men in Scotland were living with criminal records as a result of such discriminatory former laws, estimated LGBT+ rights group Equality Network, which said the convictions had hampered careers and overshadowed men's lives.

"We know of people who were prosecuted as late as the early 1990s for things like kissing their boyfriend in the street," said director Tim Hopkins, adding that for men prosecuted in earlier decades especially it could have been "devastating".

"A conviction like this could have meant the end of your career, it could have meant losing your friends, it could have meant losing your family, all of those huge impacts," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"The pardons and the disregard can't undo all of the harm done by these discriminatory laws but they do at least give some comfort to people."

Scotland legalized same-sex activity between men in 1980, though it was not until 2001 that the age of consent was equalized between gay and heterosexual couples.

Thousands of men are thought to have been prosecuted for consensual same-sex contact over the last 150 years, said the Equality Network.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon offered a public apology to those convicted in such cases for a "historic wrong" as the draft law was first published in 2017, and it was passed unanimously by Scottish parliament the following year.

The new bill will pardon all those affected, including those that are no longer living.

However, they must apply to have their criminal records wiped, a free process that the government and campaigners say it necessary because the offences are so wide-ranging it is not possible for authorities to proactively identify them.

The bill is wider-ranging than a similar law introduced in England and Wales, which only automatically pardons those who are dead and which has also been criticized for not including all of the former offences used to target gay men.

"There is no place for homophobia, ignorance and hatred in modern Scotland," said justice secretary Humza Yousaf in a statement on the eve of the law coming into effect.

"This legislation makes good on the commitments made by the First Minister, who gave an unqualified apology for the now outdated and discriminatory laws, and for the harm they caused to many."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Canada 'serial killer' linked to five deaths, targeted gay men

OTTAWA - A landscaper charged in the deaths of 2 Toronto gay men is a suspected serial killer, police said Monday, as they linked him to 3 additional victims and scoured sites around Canada's largest city for more remains.

Bruce McArthur, 66, was arrested earlier this month and charged Monday with three additional premeditated murders after human remains were found "hidden in the bottom of (large) planters" at a property that he used for storage, Toronto police's lead investigator Sergeant Hank Idsinga said.

McArthur is an "alleged serial killer," he told a news conference, adding that authorities were searching some 30 properties in Toronto where McArthur worked.

Police are examining a dozen more planters from various locations across the city, and eyeing 2 properties for excavation "where people might be buried," Idsinga said.

"We believe there are more remains at some of the properties that we're working to recover," he said.

"We believe there are more (victims) but I have no idea how many more there are going to be."

DNA tests, meanwhile, are being performed on the dismembered skeletal remains found so far "and depending on the identification of the remains and further evidence that we uncover, we'll lay more charges," Idsinga said.

McArthur was arrested following an investigation into the disappearances last April and June of 2 men -- Selim Esen, 44, and Andrew Kinsman, 49, respectively -- from a predominantly gay neighborhood in downtown Toronto.

He was also indicted Monday in the deaths of Majeed Kayhan, 58, who went missing in 2012; Sorousk Mahmudi, 50, whose disappearance was reported almost 3 years ago; and 47-year-old Dean Lisowick, who was homeless and was believed to have been murdered in 2016 or 2017.

Two of the victims did not fit the profile of some of the others -- men of Middle Eastern descent known to have frequented Toronto's gay village neighborhood, suggesting the accused's crimes may extend beyond that district.

The investigation "certainly encompasses more than the gay community. It encompasses the city of Toronto," he said.

McArthur, however, was known to have had a long-term sexual relationship with Kinsman, police said.

"We know that many in the community are struggling to understand and process these developments," Idsinga said. 

Although McArthur had come under suspicion last September in connection with the disappearance of Kinsman, police rejected suggestions in December that a serial killer was prowling Toronto's gay neighborhood.

In 2013, police said they believed Kayhan's disappearance may be connected to 2 other missing persons cases, those of Abdulbasir Faizi and Skandaraj Navaratnam. 

McArthur was not charged in those disappearances, but the investigations remain open.

Authorities are now reviewing missing persons cases dating back to at least 2010, and asking anyone who employed McArthur to do garden work to come forward.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Former 'It's Showtime' winner to represent PH in Mr. Gay World

MANILA – Mister Gay World Philippines John Respado is off to Madrid to represent the country in the 2017 Mister Gay World pageant.

Respado, the winner of the Pogay segment of “It's Showtime” in 2014, said he is grateful to ABS-CBN for helping him conquer his fears.

“Maraming salamat po kasi without ‘Showtime’ po, hindi ko naranasan rumampa sa stage at hindi ko na-conquer 'yung fear ko sa stage. Doon kasi ako lumabas so malaking malaki po talaga ang pasasalamat ko sa ‘Showtime,’” he said.

He also asked for the program’s avid viewers to support him in this journey.

“Gusto ko nga po sana pumunta sa ‘Showtime’ para mag-invite din. Sa lahat po ng madlang people, sana po suportahan niyo ako sa upcoming Mister Gay World sa Madrid, Spain,” he said.

Mr gayworld ph john respado @ send off mr gayworld2017 pageant Madrid may10, grateful 2 abscbn as it's showtime pogay2014 winner @abscbnnews pic.twitter.com/3RvDLlRbS0

— Mario Dumaual (@mariovdumaual) April 24, 2017
With the pageant fast approaching, Respado vowed to do his best and apply everything he learned from his rigorous trainings.

 Asked what he thinks is his advantage over the other contestants, Respado said: “I think the greatest edge among other delegates is kapag Pilipino ka, 'yung support mo from the Filipino community, nandoon sila.”

The 2017 Mister Gay World pageant will happen from May 5 to 10.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

UK to pardon thousands of gay men convicted under defunct laws

LONDON - Britain is to pardon thousands of gay and bisexual men who were convicted of crimes under sexual offense laws which have now been abolished, following the 2013 exoneration of celebrated World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing.

Homosexual acts were not decriminalized in England until 1967 and it was not until 2001 that the age of consent for homosexuals was reduced to 16, bringing it into line with the law governing heterosexuals.

Lord John Sharkey, who has been pushing the government to issue pardons, said some 65,000 men had been convicted under the now-repealed laws, of which 15,000 were still alive.

The government said anyone who had been found guilty of consensual homosexual sex would have their names cleared, and for those still living, the offenses would be removed from any criminal record checks via a "disregard process".

"It is hugely important that we pardon people convicted of historical sexual offences who would be innocent of any crime today," said Justice Minister Sam Gyimah.

The pardon plan has been dubbed "Turing's Law" in reference to the brilliant wartime mathematician who cracked Nazi Germany's "unbreakable" Enigma code.

He was stripped of his job and chemically castrated after being convicted of gross indecency in 1952 for having sex with a man, and killed himself two years later, aged 41.

After years of campaigning by supporters including physicist Stephen Hawking, Turing was granted a rare royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth in 2013.

WHAT ABOUT OSCAR WILDE?

"Alan Turing just so, so deserves this," his niece Rachel Barnes told BBC radio.

"To think that this is the man who cracked the enigma code and saved countless of millions of lives during World War Two and to think of the treatments that he went through at the hands of the government in 1952 is still unbelievable to us."

Another of those prosecuted under the legislation used against Turing was Irish playwright Oscar Wilde in 1895 during a Victorian clampdown on homosexuality. He was sentenced to two years labor.

However, the Guardian newspaper said it was not clear whether Wilde would be included in those pardoned as the Ministry of Justice has said that no new individuals would be named or singled out. No comment from the ministry was immediately available.

One man who was convicted of gross indecency in 1974, said he would not accept a pardon and wanted an apology.

"To accept a pardon means you accept that you were guilty. I was not guilty of anything. I was only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," George Montague told BBC TV.

Lord Sharkey said a pardon was "probably the best way of acknowledging the real harm done by the unjust and cruel homophobic laws".

"I hope that a lot of people will feel exactly the same way," he told BBC radio.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Chinese firm buys majority of gay dating app Grindr

BEIJING - A Chinese gaming firm has bought a controlling stake in the hugely popular US gay dating app Grindr, despite homosexuality remaining a sensitive subject in the Asian giant.

Grindr, which calls itself "the largest network for gay men in the world", has millions of users globally. It is renowned for facilitating hook-ups, helping potential partners connect via photos, messaging and location details.

Its search criteria include body type, ethnicity or "Tribe": Bear, Clean-Cut, Daddy, Discreet, Geek, Jock, Leather, Otter, Poz, Rugged, Trans or Twink.

Beijing Kunlun Tech's soared 10 percent -- their daily limit -- on the Shenzhen stock exchange on Tuesday after it announced the $93 million deal.

Grindr is already available in China, and in a statement to the exchange Kunlun Tech -- one of China's biggest designers and operators of online games -- suggested it might be interested in the company as much for its networking technology, as for its particular niche specialisation.

"This investment in a social networking platform will further improve the company's strategic layout in the global Internet market," the statement said.

It added that its own experience operating Internet products in overseas markets, such as games, would help Grindr's business grow.

Los Angeles-based Grindr was founded in 2009 and the gay dating application -- versions of which are tailored for Apple or Android devices -- says it has more than two million daily active users in 196 countries.

Its 10 most active territories do not include China, where it competes with other foreign gay dating apps such as Jack'd as well as hugely popular homegrown options such as Blued and Zank, which sport interfaces similar to their international counterparts.

Blued says its app has been downloaded by 17 million users in mainland China, and another five million overseas.

- 'Vote of confidence' -China only officially decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, and listed it as a mental illness for another four years.

More recently tolerance has grown in larger Chinese cities, but conservative attitudes remain deeply engrained and discrimination against gays and lesbians is common.

In a company blog post, Grindr founder and chief executive Joel Simkhai touted the investment as "a huge vote of confidence in our vision to connect gay men to even more of the world around them".

The six-year-old start-up agreed to the purchase to accelerate growth and improve the mobile application for its users, according to Simkhai.

Simkhai founded Grindr with his own money and said it was the first time the firm had sold shares to an outside investor.

The deal -- which is subject to US anti-trust approval -- is for a 60 percent stake in Grindr, and Kunlun Tech will appoint three of the five members the US app's board, including its billionaire head Zhou Yahui, who will become its chairman.

Tuesday's share price jump took Kunlun Tech's market capitalization to 1.13 billion yuan ($170 million).

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

PH ranks 41st in list of countries where gay men are happiest

MANILA -- The Philippines ranked 41st among countries where gay men are the happiest, according to a recent survey.

The results of said survey were published in a May 27 report from The Washington Post.

The online survey, conducted by Planet Romeo, an Amsterdam-based dating and community site, in collaboration with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany, asked 115,000 gay men from all over the world about their society's view on homosexuality. They were also asked about their public behavior, as well as their satisfaction with life.

The Philippines, where 4,947 participated in the survey, ranked 41st out of 127 countries where the survey was conducted.

European countries topped the list, while countries in central Asia and Africa were considered as worst countries for gay men.

Iceland was named as the country where gay men are happiest, while Uganda was named as the worst place for gay men.

Aside from Iceland, the other countries in the top ten are Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Uruguay, Canada, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

Thailand was ranked 16, while the United States was at number 26. The United Kingdom ranked a bit higher at 23.

The ten worst countries for gay men are Kazakhstan, Ghana, Cameroon, Iran, Nigeria, Iraq, Kyrgyztan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda.

The survey also showed that only 28 percent of respondents are in a committed relationship with a man, while four percent are in a relationship with a woman.

The rate is higher for the 20 top countries, with 37 percent of respondents currently in a committed relationship with a man, while 3 percent were in a relationship with a woman.

For the 20 worst countries, 22 percent were in a committed relationship with a man, while 5 percent were in a relationship with a woman.

In the 20 worst countries, 56 percent of respondents experience discrimination within their own families.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com