REPORT: Actor Leslie Jordan Involved In Anti-Gay Fracas At WeHo Starbucks

West Hollywood police responded to a Starbucks yesterday after actor Leslie Jordan reportedly confronted three young men who had been screaming anti-gay slurs at the customers. WeHoVille reports:

Joseph Daniels, a photographer who was present at Starbucks this morning, said the incident began a little after 11 a.m. when the men were in line waiting to order coffee and began using profane language like “faggots.” Daniels said another customer told them their behavior was rude, and the manager of Starbucks appeared and asked one of the men to leave. As he left, Daniels said, “he was screaming and pointing ‘you will die f–ing faggots’. It was very scary and unexpected." Daniels said Leslie Jordan, the gay actor and screenwriter, yelled at the men to leave, saying “get out of my house.” Jordan, who at 4’11” is known for his diminutive stature as well as his Southern accent, is a regular at that Starbucks. Daniels said Jordan followed the men outside objecting to their language, and he and another customer walked outside to protect Jordan. “The guy lunged at Leslie to hit him,” Daniels said of one of the men. “Then Leslie threw his drink at the guy. Then (another) guy threw his drink to hit me.” Daniels said Sheriff’s deputies showed up quickly and spent about 45 minutes interviewing those present at the altercation. He said deputies urged the gay men not to file charges against the others, saying that if they did the men screaming “faggots” could accuse Jordan of assault for throwing his coffee at one of them and the deputies would have to arrest Jordan.

West Hollywood police says that none of the involved parties wanted to press charges, but Daniels disputes that claim.

BRITAIN: Straight Guy Asks 100 Random Men For Their Phone Number

He got a lot more numbers than when he tried the same experiment with women. Perhaps more surprisingly, nobody got very aggressive with him.

(Via Towleroad)

UKRAINE: Gay Couple Attacked While Replicating "Walking While Gay" Video

Via Bird In Flight:

Last week the creators of ChebuRussia TV published a video that documented how people in Moscow reacted to two young men walking around the city holding hands. The video has more than eight million views by now. This experiment was widely discussed in Ukraine as well, and some speculated on whether the reaction to a similar couple in, say, Kyiv would be different. Bird In Flight decided to see for themselves and filmed Zoryan and Tymur walking in crowded public spaces. We can see that most of the people have a neutral opinion, they show no particular interest. This proves that the confrontation is between the two minorities. The only problem is that one of the minorities is excessively aggressive. I think that law enforcement should start the so called ‘safari’ on aggressors, because the latter are discriminating against Ukrainians, popularizing violence and are making it clear with their actions and statements that law enforcement is insignificant to them and the aggression will remain unpunished.

 More from the Guardian:

The Ukrainian far-right has grown in influence after playing a key role in the Euromaidan demonstrations that brought the current pro-Western government to power, and in the conflict with Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. Earlier this month, a shootout involving the ultra-nationalist militia Right Sector left two dead in western Ukraine and led to a standoff with the authorities. Right Sector’s leader, Dmytro Yarosh, called for a referendum to impeach Poroshenko as supporters rallied in the capital on Tuesday. Maxim Eristavi, a Kiev-based journalist and a member of the LGBT community, said the Mukacheve attack and the assault on Kis and Levchuk were the results of the government’s passive stance towards rightwing extremism. He said top officials failed to condemn an attack by dozens of assailants on a gay pride parade in the capital last month. Eristavi said: “There’s a culture of impunity among Ukrainian far-right extremists that is flourishing on the local governing and political elite’s inability to issue a condemnation of violent paramilitaries.”

The clip below has nearly 800K views already.

(Tipped by JMG reader Den)

Dan Savage To Bullied LGBT Students: Tell The Bullies That Homophobia Is Gay

Last week students at a Pennsylvania high school protested against the Day Of Silence by writing "Anti-Gay Day" on their hands, by posting bible verses to their social media accounts, and by wearing flannel shirts as a show of anti-gay solidarity. They also reportedly distributed a "lynch list" of students that participated in the Day Of Silence and defaced some of their lockers. Today Dan Savage points out a well-known study which reveals that homophobic people very often have strong erotic response to gay porn. Here is his suggestion to the LGBT students at that school:

Here's my advice for LGBT students and allies at McGuffey High: Print out a few hundred copies of the abstract of the study I quoted from above—a reputable, peer-reviewed study published by the National Institutes of Health—and highlight the same parts I bolded. Then tape copies of the highlighted abstract to the lockers of all the boys who participated in "Anti-Gay Day" and hand out copies to everyone else at your school. Will you be accusing the boys who wore flannel, assaulted queer students, posted antigay Bible verses on your lockers, and passed out that a "lynch list" of being gay themselves? Yes. Does that mean you're throwing "gay" around in an accusatory way? Yes. Does that mean you're accepting, for sake of argument, the homophobe's central premise, i.e., that there's something wrong with being gay? Yes it does. But sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. [snip] By letting the entire student body know that science says being a homophobe is totally gay—gay as in the turned-on-by-homosexual-stimuli sense, not the gay-as-in-that-is-so-lame sense—will make these boys less likely to attack you. Because homophobia is gay.

Hit the link to read more and to see the abstract.

TEXAS: Small Fine For Man Arrested In Homophobic Attack At Dallas Airport

John Wright reports at Towleroad:

The passenger who went on a drunken, violent, anti-gay rampage that was caught on video at DFW International Airport in October will pay $474 in fines for the incident, according to a court spokeswoman. McCleish Christmas Benham, now 28, of Shelbyville, Tennessee, assaulted two people while yelling anti-gay epithets, before other passengers tackled him to the ground and he was arrested on Oct. 23. A bystander captured the incident on video and posted it on YouTube, where it's been viewed more than 5 million times. Benham was charged with public intoxication and simple assault, both class-C misdemeanors each punishable by a maximum $500 fine, but no jail time. The case was referred to the Municipal Court in the city of Grapevine, Texas.

Benham had pleaded no contest and failed to appear in court, leading to the fines. Video of the incident is here.

IRELAND: Drag Star/Activist Panti Bliss Wows Crowd With Dublin TEDx Talk

Andy Towle provides some of the transcript:

"Everyday I am jealous of straight people because that tiny intimate expression of affection has never once been mine...I am jealous of that because gay people do not get to hold hands in public without first considering the risk...We look around to see where are we, who’s around, what kind of place is it…are there bunches of lads outside a pub? ... I’m 45 years old and I have never once casually, comfortably, carelessly held hands with a partner in public... I’m 45 and I’m fed up of putting up so I’m not anymore. I’m 45 years old and I’m not putting up anymore because I don’t have the energy anymore. Putting up is exhausting. I’m 45 years old and I’m not putting up anymore because I don’t have the patience anymore. I was born 6 months before the Stonewall riots and you have had 45 years to work out that despite appearances, I am just as ordinary, just as unremarkable, and just as human as you are. I’m 45 years old and I’m not asking anymore. I am just being…human being."

Watch this.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Panti Bliss honored as Ireland 2014 Person Of The Year. Panti Bliss hosts Irish prime minister at local gay bar. Pet Shop Boys remix Panti Bliss speech into new single. Panti Bliss marches in Queens St. Patrick's Day Parade. Panti Bliss' anti-homophobia speech at Dublin's Abbey Theater goes globally viral.

IRELAND: Activist Panti Bliss Honored With Person Of The Year Award

Via Pink News:

Irish drag queen activist Panti Bliss has picked up a Person of the Year award. Drag artist Panti Bliss, played by Rory O’Neill, caused controversy in January this year when she labelled Catholic lobbying group the Iona Institute ‘homophobes’ on an Irish talk show, prompting state broadcaster RTE to award a payout of over €85,000 (£70,000) to the group and associated journalists. After the controversy, a heartwarming speech that Panti gave about the oppression that gay people face went viral online, and was even sampled as part of a Pet Shop Boys track.

About the awards:

Now in its 40th year, the People of the Year Awards are not just the primary awards event in Ireland, they are also among the longest-running. They are widely recognised as one of the highest accolades a person can receive in this country. Based on nominations received from members of the public, the People of the Year Awards give public recognition of the achievement of those who, in their own way, have made such a positive impact on Irish society. The Awards recognise a unique range of people - from unsung heroes who have quietly made a difference and enhanced the lives of others in communities, to the household names who have made a real difference to people’s lives on a national and international level.

If you haven't seen Panti's now legendary speech, watch it here. (Tipped by JMG reader Gerard)

Kluwe Settles With Minnesota Vikings

We've reached a settlement with the Vikings. Terms I can disclose as follows.
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 19, 2014

1. They will donate a substantial amount to five charities, several MN local, over the next five years.
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 19, 2014

2. They are implementing enhanced training within the entire organization, and are committed to a zero tolerance policy on homophobia.
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 19, 2014

3. The Vikings will be working to create a symposium to bring together sports and LBGTQ leaders in order to address this issue in sports.
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 19, 2014

I believe the Vikings are committed to being leaders on the subject of homophobia in sports, and will work to make significant change.
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 19, 2014

Also, I get exactly ZERO dollars from this settlement, so if you sent me a nasty message over the past months, go mainline bleach.
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 19, 2014

#IDAHOT

UN: Tell Your Story On International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Via press release:

On the eve of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has released an emotive, new video that focuses on the impact that each of us can have by sharing our own stories and by showing our support for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex friends, colleagues and family members. The video, entitled 'The Power of Sharing' has been produced as part of the OHCHR- led Free & Equal campaign, which is aimed at raising awareness of homophobic and transphobic discrimination, and promoting respect for the rights of LGBT people. It focuses on the impact that each of us can have by sharing our own stories and by showing our support for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex friends, colleagues and family members.

Via their IDAHOT website.

VIDEO: Pet Shop Boys Issue "Slow Mix" Version Of Panti Bliss' Homophobia Speech

Several days ago Pet Shop Boys issued a dance track that accompanies the now-legendary speech on homophobia by Irish drag activist Panti Bliss. A second, slower version of the track has now been released with an accompanying video. Pet Shop Boys explain the genesis of the project:

Impressed by what they considered (in Neil's words) "a great statement in this age when gay marriage and cruel homophobia exist side by side," the Boys decided to put excerpts of Panti's speech to music just a couple weeks after it he delivered it. They composed an atmospheric backing track, set key segments of the speech to it, and turned it over to Panti himself, who then released it to the world on SoundCloud in early March 2014, about a week after the Boys recorded it. That initial release was a "Dance Mix," rhythmically in a light house/trance vein that, as the title of the mix indicates, would be right at home in most dance clubs. A "Slow Mix" surfaced just a few days later, virtually identical to the Dance Mix except in its statelier, more placid rhythm track, which served to place even greater emphasis on the import of Panti's words. Both mixes were handled by Chris.

Watch the video, which contains images of anti-gay oppression and violence around the world. The audio-only dance mix of the track is here.

Dan Savage Interviews Panti Bliss

In this week's episode of Savage Lovecast.

Out!rage & Panti Bliss - Oppression

Pet Shop Boys aren't the only ones to have put music to Panti Bliss' now-legendary speech. The track below is from Out!rage Dublin and download proceeds go to BeLonG To, which works on behalf of Ireland's LGBT youth.

Pet Shop Boys Turn Panti Bliss Speech Into Dance Track: The Best Gay Possible

Simple, spare, and leaves the speech intact. Love it.

The Front Page Of NYC's Irish Voice

The paper will run an interview with Panti Bliss tomorrow on its sister website, Irish Central. Today there's a story about Panti's appearance in the Queens gay-inclusive parade on Sunday.

NEW YORK CITY: Irish Drag Queen Panti Bliss To March In Gay-Inclusive Parade

Fantastic news. Irish drag performer and activist Rory O'Neil, whose anti-homophobia speech as Panti Bliss went globally viral, will march in the gay-inclusive St. Pat's For All Parade in Queens this Sunday. Via press release:

Mayor de Blasio, who has marched in the St. Pat's for All Parade for many years, will be joined by Members of Congress Caroline Maloney and Joseph Crowley; Speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito; Public Advocate for the City of New York Letitia James; New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer; New York City Council Members Daniel Dromm, Costa Constantinides, and Jimmy Van Bramer and others. Consul General Noel Kilkenny will represent the Irish Government. This year's parade will feature an appearance by Irish gay activist Rory O'Neill, also known as Panti Bliss. Bliss recently caught the world's ear with an impassioned speech on homophobia, gay pride and hope, which she delivered in early February at the Abbey Theatre, the National Theatre of Ireland. Panti will reprise her peech--which has received over a half million hits on YouTube--at the St. Pat's for All Concert. This concert will be held at the Irish Arts Center on Friday, Feb 28th. The Irish Arts Center is located at 553 West 51st Street.

VIDEO: Here's that speech one more time.

Headline Of The Day

Via Business Insider:

People who espouse anti-gay views die younger than those who don't, found a sure-to-be-controversial study in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health. "Anti-gay prejudice is associated with elevated mortality risk among heterosexuals, over and above multiple established risk factors for mortality," wrote the researchers, led by Mark L. Hatzenbuehler of Columbia University. In fact, those who were not highly prejudiced against gay people lived an average of 2.5 years longer than those who were. The researchers acknowledged that the questions represent "a limited range of potential indices of anti-gay prejudice," adding that the effect of such prejudice may actually be larger than they were able to measure. The respondents included in the study were 20,226 heterosexuals who participated in GSS interviews between 1988 and 2008, 4,216 of whom had died by the end of the study period.

Want to live longer? Embrace the gay!

Quote Of The Day - Diarmuid Martin

"God never created anybody that he doesn't love. Anybody who doesn't show love towards gay and lesbian people is insulting God. They are not just homophobic if they do that – they are actually Godophobic because God loves every one of those people. Certainly the sort of actions that we heard of this week of people being spat at because they were gay or ridiculed - that is not a Christian attitude. We have to have the courage to stand up and say that. We all belong to one another and there is no way we can build up a society in which people are excluded or insulted. We have to learn a new way in Ireland to live with our differences and for all of us to live with respect for one another." - Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, speaking to the Irish Independent about the continuing "Pantigate" flap.

RELATED: Rory O'Neill, whose drag persona is Panti Bliss, wants a personal apology from Ireland's radio network.

The controversy over ‘Pantigate’ began after Mr O’Neill – aka Miss Panti Bliss - appeared on RTÉ’s ‘Saturday Night Show’ with host Brendan O’Connor. During the course of an interview with Mr O’Connor. where Mr O’Neill cited particular names – columnists John Waters, Breda O’Brien and the Iona Institute - in relation to a discussion about ‘homophobia’. Two weeks after the interview, and a week after an apology was broadcast on the show, it emerged that RTE paid financial compensation of €85,000 to Mr Waters, Ms O’Brien and members of the Iona Institute for defamation. Last week, Killane took the move to defend the compensation – and said RTE followed the best legal advice available to them. Speaking about the controversy this morning, Mr O’Neill told Today FM’s Ray D’arcy he wants a personal apology from the RTE Head of TV. “I’m not going to be sending solicitors to Glen Killane. I do not expect a public apology,” he told The Ray D’Arcy Show.

If you are among the few who have not yet viewed Panti's now-legendary speech from the stage of Ireland's National Theater, do yourself a favor.

St. Panti's Day Parade

After her moving and eloquent speech about homophobia went viral, a campaign was launched to name Irish drag queen Panti Bliss as the grand marshal of Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Parade. But the chance of that happening appears to be slim.

Organisers have said that the process to select who leads the parade “is well underway and this year’s Grand Marshal will be unveiled closer to the festival”. A spokesperson for St. Patrick’s Festival said that “at this point it is unlikely” that Panti Bliss will follow Nicky Byrne, Katie Taylor, Johnny Giles, Ronnie Drew as the Grand Marshal of the Dublin parade. The orgainsers say that although the process of choosing the Grand Marshal doesn’t take long, the board is required to meet on the matter.

At least the parade committee didn't diss the idea.

UPDATE: Channel 4 interviewed Panti today.

Chris Kluwe Hires Attorney

Via Minneapolis TV station KARE-11:

Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has retained Clayton Halunen [LEFT] to represent him during the team's investigation of Kluwe's allegations of homophobic comments by a Vikings coach. Halunen will co-counsel the case with the National Center for Lesbian Rights -- a national advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating bias against the LGBT community. Kluwe says he will fully cooperate with the Vikings' investigation. He says that the hiring of legal counsel should not be read as a signal of intent to file a lawsuit against. "I want the truth to come out from the investigation, not in litigation," says Kluwe via a news release.

The Vikings investigation will be conducted by the former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. (Tipped by JMG reader Todd)