Controversy & Opinions
Husbands & Husbands
Mar 12th
An interesting exchange with a small boy who meets a gay couple at a family function
For this boy it was a simple step of logic. First, he admits he knew about husbands and wives but had never seen a husband and husband before. He says: "This is the very first time I’ve seen husbands and husbands." And then he draws his conclusion: "So that means you love each other." A logical conclusion, but one so many people seem to miss.
Smoking is Gay. For Real.
Feb 25th
It looks like the Onion has more influence on the real world than they might prefer to think. Their satire video about a teen health campaign that compares smoking to being gay triggered a discussion about what comedy is allowed to say when it comes to minorities. The French, who aren’t exactly squeamish when it comes to sex or racy content in advertising, are already a step ahead. A controversy has erupted over an ad that some feel has gone a step too far: it doesn’t just evoke oral sex, but actually simulates it. And these salacious images are targeting young people in what is actually a laudable campaign — trying to stop them from smoking.
The ads are meant to link smoking to submission and have a caption that reads: “Smoking means being a slave to tobacco”
The campaign of the Droits des Non-Fumeurs (Non-Smokers’ Rights) association features male and female adolescents kneeling at the waist of a businessman with a cigarette in their mouth.. Queer activists are concerned the ads could rehash prejudices and clichés against gays; an organisation for rape victims says “the campaign trivialises sexual abuse – worse, it implies guilt on the part of the abused”. France’s conservative minister for families, Nadine Morano, said she would take measures to get the advert banned on grounds of “public offense to decency”.
Tobacco is the number one cause of avoidable deaths as well as of cancer in France, according to the health ministry. Half of French students over 14 have tried smoking at some point. While Droits des Non-Fumeurs argues that young smokers tend to ignore adverts focusing on health, other activists were doubtful about the effectiveness of the provocative posters.
What do you think, are these ads too much or just enough?
You don’t need to be so tough
Jan 19th
via sCandy Boys
This Norwegian public service announcement for gay teens is floating around the net for years now but people ask me about it every now an then so i thought it wouldn’t hurt to post it again. The text says "You don’t need to be so tough""
Omar
Nov 23rd
Omar is one of five French short films against homophobia. The story is pretty easy to follow even with my poor French skills from school ;) The other videos can be seen here. Thanks to shezatokyo for posting this on the milkboard.
C’est l’histoire d’Omar, un jeune homosexuel qui vit dans une cité. Une cité qu’il aime et qui l’aime mais où la pression est telle qu’il ne peut vivre, ni même révéler son homosexualité. Pas même à son meilleur ami Morad. Jusqu’au jour où son histoire d’amour cachée avec Arthur est découverte. Une décision s’impose alors : renoncer à son amour ou quitter la cité pour d’autres horizons.
Everything is Relative
Nov 4th
The yearly US defence budget is nearly the amount we would
need to feed and educate every child on earth for 5 years
My new Dress
Sep 26th
I know it doesn’t really fit in here age-wise but it was way too cute to skip it. And it has an important message about gender clichés of course. Try to ignore the horrible subtitles, rather be thankful there are some; Spanish speaking people tend to believe everyone speaks their language conspicuously often ;)
Download this Video | Thanks to demo for posting this in the milkboard
Periodical Political Post *34
Sep 5th
- Indian government tipped to allow gay sex ruling, decriminalizing homosexuality
- State of Washington to hold referendum on new gay rights laws
- New Bill would give US president power to shut down internet for all Americans
- Lawless surveillance, warrantless rationales – Obama’s continuation of Bush policies
- DNA data bases useless? Scientists learn to fabricate DNA evidence
- How the UK government lies about number of file sharers with fantasy calculating
- Sweden seeks way out of selfish capitalism with negative interest rate for banks
- Umfragen zu Gewalt gegen Schwule manipuliert um Stimmung gegen Ausländer zu machen
- Unzensierte Nach-Wahl-Pläne der CDU aufgetaucht: Kein Mindestlohn und höhere Steuern
- FDP verhindert BND-Untersuchungsausschuss & klagt nur gegen Netztzensur wenn sie nicht gewählt werden
- CDU traut nicht mal den eigenen Parteimitgliedern, liest heimlich vertrauliche Mails mit
- Bundeswehr fordert Luftschlag gegen dutzende Zivilisten an, aber das ist natürlich eine Friedensmission…
- Nur gegen Kinderpornos? Österreich sperrt Website eines kritischen Journalisten
- Contentmafia mahnt jetzt schon der Wiederverkauf legal erworbener CDs ab
- Air France verbietet Männern neben allein reisenden Kindern zu sitzen
When Words can kill
Apr 16th
Another tormented grade schooler, another little kid who thinks there’s only one way out. An 11-year-old boy from Massachusetts, US, killed himself after he was repeatedly bullied by classmates who bombarded him with anti-gay taunts for “acting gay” and being feminine. "I am determined for the rest of my life to advocate on behalf of students who are voiceless and silent.” his mother said, "I have been homeless, but Carl and I made it through. I was a victim of domestic violence and we made it through. The one thing we couldn’t get through was public school." This is at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying this year.
