Navy Wrongly Accused Hazing Sailor

Navy officials said Thursday that they had wrongly accused Chief Michael Toussaint of abusing former petty officer third class Joseph Rocha (pictured) while stationed in Bahrain.

Rocha reported in 2009 that Toussaint singled him out for being gay and subjected him to several acts of hazing. He said the treatment forced him to come out to his commander so that he could report the abuse.

He was then discharged from the Navy and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Rocha testified before a U.S. district court in August in the case Log Cabin Republicans v. United States, where he said he was forced to eat dog food, put in to a kennel filled with dog feces, and his colleagues harassed him for being presumably gay.

Two Navy officers who investigated his claims told Bloomberg News that Rocha's claims are "flawed" and unsubstantiated. However, Toussaint will be forced to retire for "minor" hazing directed at Rocha and other trainees. He will not be demoted in rank, nor will his discharge papers show any record of hazing.

He is still in the running for the Navy's highest award, the Silver Star, because he saved the life of a Navy SEAL in a 2009 firefight against insurgents in Afghanistan.

NY GOP governor candidate talks trash about gays

Carl Paladino, the Republican candidate for governor of New York, soundslike an old-school homophobe.

First, on Oct. 10, he said: “I didn’t march in the … gay pride parade
this year. My opponent did. And that’s not the example that we should be
showing our children, and certainly not in our schools. And don’t misquote
me as wanting to hurt homosexual people in any way. That would be a
dastardly lie. My approach is live and let live. I just think my children
and your children would be much better off and much more successful
getting married and raising a family, and I don’t want them to be
brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or
successful option. It isn’t.”

The following day Paladino went on the Today show and dug in his heels,
telling Matt Lauer: “They wear these Speedos and they grind against each
other and it’s just a terrible thing. … Would you take your children to
a gay pride parade? I don’t think it’s proper for them to go there and
watch a couple of grown men grind against each other. I don’t think that’s
proper. I think it’s disgusting.”

In an Oct. 12 editorial, The New York Times called Paladino’s comments
“bigoted” and “shockingly irresponsible,” given recent anti-gay hate
crimes and the spate of gay teen suicides.

“A week before Mr. Paladino’s comments, police say three men in the Bronx
were tortured by a group of attackers who believed they were gay,” the
newspaper wrote. “On Oct. 1, Rutgers University held a memorial service
for a student who killed himself after police said his sexual encounter
with a man was broadcast over the Internet by two classmates. For Mr.
Paladino to choose this moment to make his utterly gratuitous remarks
suggests at the very least an extraordinary level of insensitivity.”

Later Oct. 12, Paladino issued a statement that said, in part, “I
sincerely apologize for any comment that may have offended the Gay and
Lesbian Community or their family members.”

Racy “Glee” photos in GQ kick up a storm

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A racy photo shoot for men’s magazine GQ featuring three “Glee” cast members raised eyebrows on Wednesday, provoking terms like “creepy” and “pedophilia” and questions over whether the popular TV musical show is becoming over-exposed.

Short skirts, high heels, scanty panties and provocative poses featuring lollipops dominate the November issue photoshoot featuring Lea Michele (Rachel), Dianna Agron (Quinn) and Corey Monteith (Finn) that plays with the high school setting of the Emmy-award winning television show. All three actors are in their 20s.

The Parents Television Council watchdog group said the photos “border on pedophilia,” given the adult male readership of GQ. “This is just the latest example of the overt sexualization of young girls in entertainment,” the PTC added.

“Glee”, a sometimes dark, subversive comedy featuring a high school choir, has taken U.S. pop culture by storm since its 2009 debut. Superstars like Madonna, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga readily agreed to license their songs to the show.

The program has produced three best-selling albums, won two Emmys and deals boldly with issues like sex, disability, and gay bullying. It is regularly watched by some 13.4 million U.S. viewers and has a strong youth following.

Broadcaster Fox on Wednesday declined to comment on the PTC statement. But GQ editor in chief Jim Nelson said that the watchdog group “should learn to divide reality from fantasy.”

“As often happens in Hollywood, these ‘kids’ are in their twenties. Cory Monteith’s almost 30. I think they’re old enough to do what they want,” Nelson said

Bob Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, brushed off the PTC comments, noting that “Glee” had never been a “kiddie show” despite attracting teens.

“From the very beginning, ‘Glee’ has dealt with pot, teen pregnancy and gay sexuality.

“This is a show that has definitely got adult themes. The GQ shoot demonstrates it isn’t just a show for teeny boppers,” Thompson told Reuters.

But Salon.com writer Mary Elizabeth Williams said GQ’s playing up of the sexy teen angle was “just creepy”.

Los Angeles Times TV writer Mary McNamara, noting that Monteith remains fully clothed, expressed dismay that young women still feel the need to pose so provocatively. Michele, she wrote “seems to be auditioning for a live action version of Japanese anime porn.”

The Washington Post’s Celebritology blog said the GQ shoot was “the latest evidence that the ‘Glee’ hype machine might be starting to spiral out of control”.

Thompson said he had long felt that “Glee” is over-rated by the media. But he noted that one of its consistent themes was tolerance and “that’s a pretty good message for a kid, even though it gets there with a lot of dicey content.”

Gays win landmark rights case against Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The European Court of Human Rights said on Thursday it had fined Russia for banning homosexual parades in Moscow, marking a victory for the country’s marginalized gay community.

Gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev had lodged three cases with the court arguing that Russia had violated the European Convention on Human Rights, to which it subscribes as a member state of the Council of Europe.

The Strasbourg-based court ruled that Russia had violated rights of assembly and had discriminated on grounds of sexual orientation. It ordered Russia to pay 29,510 euros ($41,090) to Alexeyev in damages and for legal fees.

For years authorities had denied gays permission to hold demonstrations on the grounds that they would cause a violent reaction in the country, where prejudice against gays runs deep.

“The mere risk of a demonstration creating a disturbance was not sufficient to justify its ban,” the court said in a statement.

Demonstrators have sometimes been beaten by police during rallies. Moscow’s ex-mayor Yuri Luzhkov called gay marches “satanic” and said the demonstrations would endanger public health and morality.

“This is a crippling blow to Russian homophobia on all accounts,” said Alexeyev in a statement after the verdict was announced.

The court also said the gay community’s claims were not given a fair hearing in Russia, whose constitution guarantees the right to hold demonstrations.

Alexeyev has said men connected to the authorities abducted him and pressured him to drop the cases.

President Dmitry Medvedev has promised repeatedly to usher in democratic ideals and policies, but rights activists and analysts say little has changed since he came to office two years ago.

Analysts are still awaiting signals over whether new Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who was approved by lawmakers for the post on Thursday, will take a softer line on gay rights.

Military tightens controls on gay discharges

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon tightened controls on discharges of gay members of the military on Thursday, as it predicted months of legal uncertainty over the future of its ban on homosexuals.

The on-again, off-again “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been revoked and reinstated by U.S. courts this month, fueling confusion within the military as activists try to legally force an end to a ban that Congress has failed to scrap on its own.

During an eight-day window that ended on Wednesday, the ban ceased to exist thanks to federal judge’s ruling — prompting veterans in New York City, Texas and elsewhere who had been discharged for being gay to apply to re-enlist.

Officials also fear some active gay or lesbian troops may have revealed their sexual orientation, potential grounds for discharge now that the ban is back in force. But that could change again next week.

Noting the confusion, Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a memo on Thursday scaling back the authority to kick out troops under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which allows gay men and lesbians to serve in secret but discharges them if their sexual orientation is revealed.

Now, only the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force, in coordination with two other officials, will be allowed to approve such discharges, as opposed to the hundreds of officers who could previously enforce the ban.

“You should not interpret that as: We are going to (discharge) more or less people,” a senior U.S. defense official told reporters.

“We are going to elevate these decisions to ensure uniformity and care in the enforcement of the law. That’s what it is. It is what it is.”

OBAMA UNDER PRESSURE

The headline-grabbing debate has put the Obama administration in an uncomfortable position ahead of congressional elections in which Republicans — who largely favor the ban — are expected to make big gains.

President Barack Obama, who received strong support from gay rights activists in his 2008 election, insists he supports ending the ban. But his administration is challenging attempts by a federal judge to impose one, saying it’s up to Congress, not the courts, and arguing that the military needs time to integrate openly serving homosexuals in an orderly way.

Democrats in Congress failed to pass a repeal last month and their chances in the future are uncertain.

U.S. defense officials acknowledge the legal battle is expected to drag on for months.

The U.S. defense official noted the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, which just received the case, usually takes about 16 months to reach a verdict.

“A case of this magnitude, maybe sooner,” the official, who is also an attorney, said. “But I think that likely (there will be) a decision at some point in 2011.”

The big question at the Pentagon is whether the 9th Circuit Court will allow the ban to stay in force while it hears the case. That ruling could come next week.

“No doubt, I will have additional guidance for you at some point soon,” Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Clifford Stanley said in a memo to top brass.

Thousands riot against Belgrade pride and trash the city

Thousands of anti-gay hooligans tried without success to stop the first LGBT pride parade in nine years in Belgrade, Serbia, Oct. 10.

However, the rioting anti-gays laid waste to parts of the capital city and injured more than 130 police officers by throwing bricks, rocks, bottles
and Molotov cocktails.

They burned cars, hijacked a bus, broke windows, looted, set alight the
ruling party’s headquarters, and attacked and damaged other political
parties’ offices, the state television building and embassies.

They chanted, “Death to homosexuals.”

More than 5,000 police officers kept the marauding gangs from making
contact with the 1,000 LGBT marchers. More than 200 of the rioters were
arrested.

“Inside the (secure) zone (of the parade) it was peaceful, with most of
the pride participants unaware of the battles going on,” Andy Harley of UK
Gay News said from the scene.

Serbian President Boris Tadic said the hooligans all will be arrested and
brought to justice.

“No one threatening public order, attacking police and destroying public
property will go unpunished,” he said.

The European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and
Intersex Association said: “ILGA-Europe wants to express its gratitude to
Serbian police for impeccable conduct of their duty. We express our
deepest sympathy to those police representatives and their family members
who suffered injuries.”

The group also said it is “concerned that despite heavy police protection,
the March for Equality was shortened and participants of the march were
completely isolated from the general public.”

“We believe the next challenge for the Serbian authorities and the police
will be to ensure the proportionality of security measures with the true
spirit of free assembly — delivering a message which on this occasion was
compromised,” ILGA said.

Last year’s planned pride march was canceled under pressure from police

and the government, who said they couldn’t protect the marchers from

thousands of anti-gays who planned to attack the event.

The first Belgrade pride parade, in 2001, ended with dozens of marchers
injured by marauding nationalists, skinheads and soccer fans.

Welcome to the World of OH LAND

Welcome to the world of Oh Land… ‘Sinisterly transfixing’, ‘genuinely distinctive’ and ‘timeless and fresh’ are just a few quotes thrown around by critics in praise of the rising Danish newcomer, Oh Land who after being seen last year at SXSW was immediately signed to Epic Records. Oh Land’s self-titled EP is available on itunes. The full studio album release, also self-titled, will follow in 2011.

The four song self-titled EP of lavish loops and layered vocals will include “Sun of a Gun,” “White Nights,” “Rainbow” and “Wolf & I.” The speaker-panning samples, honeyed hooks, and the knob-twiddling skills of Dan Carey (The Kills, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip) and Dave McCracken (Depeche Mode, Beyoncé, AFI) along with Oh Land have created, “The folksy, mythic electro-pop…,” according to Interview magazine.

“I want my music to feel like 2050 meets something really classic, like meeting a stranger that feels as familiar as an old friend,” says Oh Land.

Oh Land will be performing throughout NYC and Brooklyn for the upcoming CMJ Music Marathon week (show details below). Her incredibly unique performance style confronts the audience via her “contraption” – a homemade one-woman-band music box including elements like drum pads and an omnicord. The music box is topped with a projector system that broadcasts homemade visuals across balloons.

This budding singer, songwriter and producer is already seeing early press features in Interview, Filter, NYLON and Vogue. “Sun of a Gun” reached the #2 “Most Popular Song” on online music blog monitoring website The Hype Machine and Oh Land herself landed in the top 10 for “Most Blogged About Artists” on the site.

“We can’t stop playing this Danish pop star in the office, so allow us to reiterate: you must listen to Oh Land now, before everyone else starts to play her at parties and you can pretend to be so over it. It’s the natural cycle of the tragically hip – don’t fight it.” – Nylon.com, August 13, 2010

“One to watch, indeed!” – Huffington Post, August 4, 2010

“The only thing better than listening to her sing was watching colorful images of sunsets, animals and Oh Land’s face projected against a tightly knit bunch of white balloons.” – Elle.com, July 31, 2010

“There’s this chick that sings like a hummingbird, drops 808 beats like an experienced Lily Allen and has the stage presence of a KISS show — and here’s the kicker, she’s drop dead gorgeous.” – NY Post Pop Wrap, August 20, 2010

“…The perfect blend of the electro-pop sound with classic pop arrangements and melodies. Her songs are rich with harmony and contain beautiful symphonic arrangements, all with a splash of the experimental electro sound.” – MTV.com, October 1, 2010

The 25 year-old Oh Land hails originally from Copenhagen, Denmark and now resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. With an opera singer for a mother, a theater organist for a father she originally spent much of her time pirouetting as a ballet dancer at the Danish Royal Ballet Academy when an injury forced her to reinvent herself and discover her true talent and passion as a musician. After releasing a critically acclaimed album FAUNA in Denmark she soon booked her own US tour ending at the SXSW festival where she was discovered and signed to Epic Records.