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The Eurovision Song Contest is often referred to as “Gay Christmas” and Vienna is getting ready to host the finals in two weeks. Via Reuters: Gay-themed traffic lights are getting Vienna into the mood for the annual Eurovision Song Contest, one of the world’s most popular kitsch cultural events which this year is being hosted by the Austrian capital. Dozens …

“There’s a whole world out there who aren’t tuned into social media. They’re the people we need to reach.”

Via World Net Daily: Just imagine a president, like Barack Obama for example, refusing to meet with a group because of their sexual orientation. Impossible, you say? A petition has been launched at Change.org, a popular online petition-posting site that boasts it is integral to helping people “transform their communities” every day, asking President Obama to keep his word. In …

(Via Right Wing Watch & New Civil Rights)

Via the Associated Press: The swan song of “American Idol” and heavy doses of comedy and sci-fi will mark Fox’s 2015-16 season. The once-blockbuster singing contest, which launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, has seen its audience dwindle and age. “Idol” will return next year for its 15th and final season with returning judges Jennifer …

From Kenya’s Citizen Weekly: When Kenya National Human Rights Commission and a section of non-governmental organisations came out guns blazing and demanded William Ruto apologises to the gay community for saying Kenya has no room for gays and lesbians, many were left wondering whether they were hearing right. Others wondered whether they were still in Kenya or in the Godless …

The GLAAD Media Awards were held at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan this weekend and Marti Cummings Gould worked the red carpet, interviewing Sam Champion, Ross Matthews, Laverne Cox, and honorees Kelly Ripa and Lynda Carter.

Last month the Center For Constitutional Rights surprised us with the revelation that Ugandan Pastor Martin “Eat Da Poo Poo” Ssempa is a US citizen and is therefore subject to a subpoena in their civil lawsuit against Scott Lively, who stands accused of crimes against humanity. The Ssempa subpoena has now been issued along with a $1900 check to cover …

“Since hosting a discussion with Texas Senator Ted Cruz in my home, I have been inundated with hateful, biased social media messages, and attacks from gay extremists (do I dare say the word?) who demand inclusion, but do not believe in dialogue. I know in my heart that these attacks do not represent the rich culture and diversity of the …

“For Mother’s Day I decided to call a gay conversion camp to inquire about restoring my son to heterosexuality!” You might remember this guy’s ebola/ISIS makeup tutorial. (Tipped by JMG reader Kent)

Clip recap: “Texas lawmakers vote this week on whether the state should officially defy the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage. Alabama and Minnesota are debating bills to undermine marriage equality. At least one presidential candidate seems to think that if elected he could veto the Supreme Court. But a new survey shows that Americans are getting tired of these anti-gay …

Via the New York Times: Years ago, curing AIDS was considered so out of the question that some scientists dared not even mention the possibility. But in the latest sign that attitudes are changing, the British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline is teaming up with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to start a research institute and a company aimed …

Some of you have said that Ireland has produced the best equality messaging of any marriage campaign we’ve seen. That may be because they’ve kept an eye on what did and didn’t work in other countries. By the way, hurling, it turns out, is a sport.

Miranda Blue writes at Right Wing Watch: In an upcoming article, a pair of sociologists are putting what they call the “final nail in the coffin” of the much-criticized study by University of Texas sociologist Mark Regnerus that purported to show that being raised by gay and lesbian parents harms children. The Regnerus study has become a favorite tool of …

Via USA Today: The promised Prince track about the unrest in Baltimore has dropped on SoundCloud. The serious subject matter is juxtaposed against a bouncy, guitar-based track, recorded at the singer’s Paisley Park Studios in Minnesota with a vocal assist from Eryn Allen Kane. The Purple One begins by alluding to the 1992 Ice Cube track It was a Good …

JMG reader Helen sends us the above photo of today’s big marriage rally in Dublin, where the crowd of thousands was joined by entertainers and politicians. That’s Helen in the red holding the LGBT Noise banner. To Helen’s left is her wife. The Irish Mirror reports: An estimated crowd of nearly 5,000 people gathered at Merrion Square in Dublin for …

Back in January 2014, the anti-gay Iona Institute claimed that it had been defamed when drag performer Rory O’Neill (Panti Bliss) called them “homophobes” during an appearance on Irish state television’s Saturday Night Show. The network then paid the Iona Institute €85,000 in an out of court settlement, spawned outrage and protests over their capitulation. Last night Irish Equality Minister …

Via press release: According to ILGA-Europe’s annual review of LGBTI equality and human rights laws across the continent, published today, Scotland now comes ahead of the rest of the UK and Europe in the legal protections offered to LGBTI people. The ‘Rainbow Europe Index’ measures progress in European countries on LGBTI equality against a 48-point criteria that includes legal protections …

Yesterday in Cuba: Thousands marched in Havana on Saturday to support gay rights and to join a symbolic marriage ceremony organised by President Raul Castro’s daughter Mariela. Waving Cuban and rainbow-coloured flags, the marchers called for equality and marriage rights for Cuba’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, on the eighth National Day Against Homophobia. “(We must) ensure that …