Billionaire Branson urges business to back LGBT+ rights

LONDON - British billionaire Richard Branson urged fellow business leaders on Thursday to use their clout and put pressure on countries such as Brunei that persecute citizens for their sexuality.

Brunei's decision to impose the death penalty for gay sex had spurred the call for action, Branson wrote in a blog posted on Virgin.com. He was joined by 20 other top executives, who put their names to a wider initiative in support of LGBT+ rights.

"Why take action now? The answer is simple. I feel that every opportunity to stand up for what we believe in is a good opportunity to shift the conversation on a global scale," said Branson, who made his fortune from a conglomerate of enterprises bearing the Virgin name.

John Fallon, chief executive of education group Pearson, and Paul Polman, former chief executive of consumer goods company Unilever, were among 21 signatories of an initiative supported by Open For Business, a coalition of global firms promoting LGBT+ inclusion.

"It is time for all of us, as business leaders and as human beings, to stand up to ensure that people are free from the fear of abuse for who they love," the 21 signatories wrote.

"This is our responsibility to our employees, to our customers and to communities all over the world."

The initiative calls for businesses to create inclusive workplaces, actively support criminalized LGBT+ communities, and engage with repressive regimes on their policies.

More than 70 countries worldwide, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, enforce anti-LGBT+ laws.

Brunei, a small Southeast Asian country of about 400,000 people, sparked outcry last month when it rolled out laws penalizing sodomy, adultery and rape with the death penalty.

Celebrities, from actor George Clooney to singer Elton John, have galvanized support, with protesters boycotting the Dorchester Collection of hotels, owned by the Brunei Investment Agency.

A growing list of banks, including Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Citi and Nomura, have banned staff from using the hotels.

STA Travel and London's transport network have also begun to cut ties with businesses owned by the sultanate.

In a letter to the United Nations, Brunei has defended the imposition of strict sharia laws, which it began introducing in 2014, as more for "prevention than to punish."

Matt Cameron, managing director of investment industry organization LGBT Great, called for a boycott of countries that enacted anti-gay and anti-transgender laws.

"The financial services sector is a massive part of the global economy and carries a lot of clout," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"I do think there's a responsibility and an accountability for the industry to step up and use its force."

However, Daniel Winterfeldt, a partner in law firm Reed Smith's global capital markets practice, stressed the value of talking with governments, whatever their views.

"Engagement is incredibly important. If you build up a barrier, things can actually get worse," Winterfeldt said.

"When (business leaders) attend high-level meetings with governments, it is important that on their lists of concerns are equality issues." 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Australia seeks to ban schools from expelling gay students

MELBOURNE - Australia aims to ban private or religious schools from expelling students on the basis of their sexuality, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday.

Debate over personal rights is growing ahead of a crucial by-election for Morrison's ruling Liberal-National coalition in the blue-ribbon Sydney seat of Wentworth on October 20.

"I will be taking action to ensure amendments are introduced as soon as practicable to make it clear that no student of a non-state school should be expelled on the basis of their sexuality," Morrison said in a statement.

The statement, which urged parliament to tackle the issue over the next two weeks, follows an offer of support by the largest opposition party, Labour, to repeal legal exemptions that allow religious schools to discriminate.

Archbishop Mark Coleridge, the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, called this week for equality in school employment and enrollment.

"Once employed or enrolled, people within a Catholic school community are expected to adhere to the school's mission and values," the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper quoted him as saying.

Australia's parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage in December after a nationwide postal survey returned an overwhelming majority in favor of the unions.

Morrison said the government was working through its responses to the recommendations of a review panel to examine if the change to the law had restricted religious freedom. The recommendations have not been publicly disclosed.

"Our government does not support expulsion of students from religious non-state schools on the basis of their sexuality," he added.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Paris Gay Games a respite for oppressed athletes

PARIS -- The Gay Games which are under way in Paris are not just a chance to celebrate sport and diversity: they offer crucial respite to gay athletes forced to hide their sexuality in their home countries.

SILENCED IN CHINA

Unable to share the truth about being gay with his family, 21-year-old Zhang Nan flew to Paris on the pretense of taking French classes. 

But rather than practicing grammar, he's enjoying the freedom that comes with being himself. 

"My family is very traditional," he told AFP, his broad smile disappearing. 

"My friends know I'm gay, but you can't be openly gay in China. The government never talks about it."

The 21-year-old table tennis player is part of a delegation of 69 competitors from China joining 10,000 athletes at the games.

"The competition here is very hard. But I came here mostly to find a man," he laughed.

'I DON'T WANT TO HIDE ANYMORE'

Passionate athlete Jay Mulucha's life came crashing down when staff at the Ugandan university where he was studying discovered photos of him in the press attending an LGBTQ event. 

"In Uganda, being gay is illegal. You can be beaten, arrested, evicted from your home, jailed or killed," he says.

"When (university staff) got to know, they suppressed my scholarship and I had to stop my studies," he said. 

Despite being expelled from the university, dismissed by his family and assaulted, he wants to begin living openly as a gay man. 

"I didn't want to hide anymore."

He has since launched the country's first gay and trans basketball team.

"They feel at home, but they have a lot of challenges, to find money for transportation, food, their equipment. It makes them lose moral. But such a team is unique, we are proud."

Due to a lack of players who could make it to Paris, he is competing with the Dutch women's team at the event.

"I have a dream that one day Uganda will host the Gay Games," he said.

THE DANCERS WHO LOCK THEMSELVES AWAY

For a group of lesbian dancers in Russia, what should be a simple training session is often complicated. 

"For some of my students, their parents don't even know about the fact that their child is gay," says Yulia Zhdanova, their heterosexual coach, who won the gold medal for International Latin dance at the games which is open to all athletes.

"After another sport club was beaten by Russians, we have to lock the door when we train.

"It's hard for us to find funds to buy our dresses. But I don't like to fight, I prefer diplomacy."

In Russia, homosexuality was illegal until 1993, a mental illness until 1999 and since 2013 the law punishes acts perceived as promoting homosexuality to minors. 

"For some Russians, being gay and lesbian means something abnormal, immoral and almost like a disease."

MORE PROBLEMS

For swimmer Clare Byarugaba, the joy of competing for the first time in the Gay Games could come at a price. 

She was forced to come out as gay in her native Uganda, after a local newspaper named her as lesbian. 

"In my hometown, I can't take the bus, I have to drive everywhere with my car. I am afraid that people will recognize me," she said. 

The LGBTQ activist is elated to be representing her country, but she can't help of thinking of her return home.

"I was so proud to wear the Uganda flag during the opening ceremony at this gay event. But now, I may face more problems when I return home."

SOCIAL PRESSURE IN HING KONG

Hon Sum Ray Lau is a 38-year-old high school mathematics teacher in Hong Kong, who will face off with fellow fencers at the games.

Because of social pressure, he has yet to tell friends and family that he is gay, instead claiming to be visiting the sites of the French capital.

But in 2022 the Gay Games will be hosted in his home city, where he hopes to openly compete. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Gay prince throws open palace doors to vulnerable LGBT people

MUMBAI - The only openly gay prince in India - where same sex relations are illegal - is throwing open his palace doors to lesbians, gays, transgender and other Indians shunned for their sexuality.

Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, heir apparent to the throne of Rajpipla in western Gujarat state, said it was particularly hard to come out in small-town India, where traditional values hold sway and heterosexual relations are the norm.

"People still face a lot of pressure from their families when they come out, being forced to marry, or thrown out of their homes. They often have nowhere to go, no means to support themselves," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

So the prince, 52, is building a center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (LGBT) on the grounds of his ancestral palace.

"I am not going to have children, so I thought, why not use this space for a good purpose?" Gohil said, adding that he will offer rooms, a medical facility and training in English and vocational skills to help people find jobs.

Gohil came out to his family more than a decade ago, prompting his mother to take out a newspaper advertisement disowning him. Erstwhile royalty in India are still in the spotlight, many holding positions in the government.

After coming out, Gohil set up the Lakshya Trust, a charity for LGBT people in his conservative home state, and became a champion for gay rights. He has made numerous international appearances, including on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

He is a vocal critic of India's colonial-era law that criminalizes consensual sexual relations between same sex adults. Earlier this week, the country's top court said it would reconsider its 2013 decision to uphold the law.

"Lifting the law will encourage more people to come out and live their lives freely. But it may also mean more people in need of support," Gohil said.

Gohil said he is renovating and extending his palace, built in 1927, on the 15-acre site, installing solar panels for power, and reserving some land for organic farming.

An online crowdfunding campaign and donations are financing the centre, which will be managed by his charity, he said.

Gohil's high profile has helped the LGBT community in India enormously, said Harish Iyer, a gay rights activist who hosts a radio show dedicated to LGBT issues.

"For him to be one of us, the stakes are even higher, so providing this space is a great gesture," he said.

"We are lucky to have many LGBT-friendly spaces in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. But in smaller towns, there are not so many places, and that is where they are most needed."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

IN PHOTOS: From Elton John to Manilow, musicians who have come out as gay

It's always a big deal whenever a celebrity comes out as gay because, with their stature, they can have a significant impact on the fight for LGBT rights.

Take for example Barry Manilow, who grabbed headlines Wednesday when he revealed his sexuality.

With that in mind, here's a look at other singers have come out as gay.

Barry Manilow, grabbed headlines Wednesday when he revealed his sexuality.

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Church of England welcomes first openly gay bishop

A British bishop has become the first in the Church of England -- the mother church of the worldwide Anglican faith -- to announce he is homosexual, in an interview published Saturday.

Nicholas Chamberlain, the Bishop of Grantham in central England, told the Guardian newspaper he was in a long-term relationship with his male partner, after a Sunday paper reportedly said it was about to publish a story on his private life.

"It was not my decision to make a big thing about coming out," he said, adding that he adhered to church guidelines which stipulate that gay clergy must be celibate.

"People know I'm gay, but it's not the first thing I'd say to anyone. Sexuality is part of who I am, but it's my ministry that I want to focus on."

The church knew he was gay when he became a bishop last year, he revealed.

"I was myself. Those making the appointment knew about my sexual identity."

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the world's Anglican faith, said Chamberlain's sexuality was "completely irrelevant".

"His appointment as Bishop of Grantham was made on the basis of his skills and calling to serve the church in the diocese of Lincoln," he said.

"He lives within the bishops' guidelines and his sexuality is completely irrelevant to his office."

Chamberlain said of his relationship: "It is faithful, loving, we are like-minded, we enjoy each other’s company and we share each other’s life."

A Church of England spokesman said it would have been "unjust" not to appoint him based due to his sexuality.

The Church of England dropped its opposition to gay clergymen in civil partnerships becoming bishops in 2013, although many of the Anglican faith worldwide -- who number 80 million -- were opposed.

The Anglican Church of Uganda in 2014 said it may consider breaking away from their mother church in England if it put Uganda under pressure over its tough anti-homosexuality law.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Erik Santos addresses gay rumors

MANILA, Philippines -- Erik Santos said he is past feeling offended by persistent rumors that he is gay.

The 30-year-old singer, in an interview on "Showbiz Inside Report" aired Saturday, said he has conceded that his critics are not likely to change their opinion of his sexuality.

"Noong una, siyempre [napipikon ako], pero ngayon, kung anuman 'yung ipakita mo sa kanila, hindi mo naman sila mapi-please," he said.

"Kung anuman 'yung paniniwalaan nila, 'yung pa rin naman 'yung pinaniniwalaan nila eh. Bahala na kayo sa buhay niyo," said Santos, who is celebrating his 10th anniversary as a professional singer.

To mark his decade-long career, the "ASAP" mainstay is releasing two albums -- "The Erik Santos Collection," a compilation of all the film and TV series theme songs he has performed, which is now out in stores; and a new all-original album.

Ten years since he emerged champion in the Kapamilya singing contest "Star in a Million," Santos has a clear vision of where he wants to take his career.

"[Singing is what I do best] and feeling ko 'yun ang strength ko," he said in an earlier interview. "Mag-offer nang mag-offer ng kanta, masaya o malungkot. Iyon ang direksyon ng career ko. 'Yun pa rin."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com