pic of the day: in iran, you might be surprised

look at the above picture? in fact, click on it so that it is bigger. what do you see?

they are two iranian friends walking together. they look like lovers... maybe so... but perhaps just friends, because it is normal in many countries, including iran, for male friends to be so intimate.

- source: iranian.com

unimportant news: prince william to wed (?)

he is already 23, can you believe it?!?! anyway, prince william is apparently set to marry kate middleton-- a woman whom he had met in university. this will obviously break the hearts of millions of british girls, but it had to be done anywhow :(

- read more: ctv.ca

video: ilga on adoption

this is an ad by the international lesbian and gay association (ilga). it is about gay adoption:

book: longing but not belonging by badruddin khan

this book is very, very interesting. it chronicles the life of badruddin khan-- a pakistani born gay muslim. the book is full of many of the things queer muslims worldwide face; tragic isolation we create ourselves from our families, marriages we tackle to make the family happy, never-ending fact-hiding about our sexualities, et cetera.

but it also gives the reader some hope. aside from the countless love affairs, there is a happy ending to the story. but we won't ruin it for you.

- buy here: amazon.com

Gay Indonesian Archipelago

Dede Oetomo: Welcome to the gay archipelago

Jakarta Post, Indonesia

Sydney may have led Australia in promoting its Mardi Gras marches, but this doesn't translate into widespread acceptance of sexual difference in the country next door. "Poofter-bashing" is still a hazard for homosexuals in some parts of a nation that claims to be liberal and progressive. So what about Indonesia, a land rigid with religion, tense with taboos? Some prejudice, but no fear or repressive laws, according to Dede Oetomo, the nation's leading gay rights activist, who spoke to The Jakarta Post contributor Duncan Graham in Surabaya.

- read more: gay travel blog

pic of the day: the arabic singer, diana haddad

since the single amanneh, with the same name album, hit the airwaves in the mid 1990s, diana haddad has become one of the most successful singers from the arab world. born to a lebanese christian family, haddad married a muslim businessman and converted to islam.

funny: cho chooses the toys...

actress and comedian margaret cho loves sex toys. anyone who knows anything about her knows this. it is public knowledge. anyway, she joined good vibrations-- a company that makes sex toys. who would have thought?

- read more: daily india

unimportant news: jai goes to miami !

remember that cute guy from queer eye for the straight guy, jai rodríguez? well, apparently, he is going to be an eye for miami. he is going to be the producer and host of sí tv's popular show, styleyes. from there, he will be our guide to south beach :)

- read more: miami herald

pic of the day: indian actor, dino morea...

the product of italian father and indian mother, the 31-year-old dino morea went from a popular model to an even popular actor. in 2002, he became a hit with the film raaz with john abraham's girlfriend bipasha basu.

poem: honour killing by ifti nasim

HONOUR KILLING

A stab in the uterus,
a gun shot in the heart,
a burning stove becomes a pyre,
Verbal insults crush the soul
like glass bangle, and then
swallowing them like razor blades
Cutting me inside. No one knows where
it hurts. Slap across the face
stinging like cold wind
upon an open wound.
Mother,
I am telling you the experience
Which you have experienced
over the centuries.
I know you cried when you gave birth to me.
Many nights you did not suckle me
with a hope that I die but
I am stronger than my brother is.
You never told me that I am the bride of
the whole male clan just like you.
And whenever they want they can kill me in
The name of their honor.
Mother,
Promise me. You will never give birth
to me as a daughter
next time.

linklicious: oh la la paris !

the very popular, very chic oh la la paris blog by steph and alek is extremely gay. it is very popular becuase we love the french. they just have a better taste.

their blog keeps up with the latest in fashion, photography and everything that is tasteful. it is actually one of the popular blogs that continues to stay diverse.

and they do good. their "one tee" (in the above pic) is a product in which some of the profit goes to an aids organization.

- see more: http://www.ohlalaparis.com

pic of the day: the bosniak singer, emina jahovic

young, beautiful and popular-- that is emina jahovic. the bosniak songtress is extremely popular in many of the balkan nations.

in 2000, at the age of 18, she performed the song u, la la at the eurovision contest. since then, she has been non-stop.

hot: is your city gay enough?

atlanta, above, ranked the 3rd gayest city in america-- only after san francisco (1) and seattle (2.) minneapolis ranked 4th and Boston 5th. this is all a study from ucla school of law’s williams institute on sexual orientation, law & public policy.

the most surprising thing about this study? neither new york city nor los angeles made it in the top five.

pic of the day: egyptian singer ehab towfik

ehab towfik is very popular in the arab world. his hit song houbbak alliminni made him a household name. he performs for large crowds.

he has had some scandals in his career.

recently, there was a scandal that he was sleeping with one of the (female) models from one of his songs although there is a growing "rumor" in the underworld that he is gay.

the nativity story: new (mainstream) film...

there is a new film coming out on december 1st. it is called the nativity story, which has actually more "middle eastern" or "middle eastern looking" actors.

palestinian hiam abbass (as anna), iranian shohreh aghdashloo (as elizabeth), iranian shaun toub (as joachim), sudanese siddig el fadil (as archangel gabriel), jordanian nadim sawalha (as melchoir), moroccan farida ouchani (as ruth) and algerian said amadis (as tero) are some of them.

although the cast is led middle eastern looking australian actress keisha castle-hughes (as mary) and middl eastern looking american actor oscar isaac (as joseph), does this mean the film will be more true to the story of jesus?

pic of the day: the somali model, iman



since the 1970s, iman has become super famous as "that" african supermodel. she was the first black woman to grace the covers of many of the fashion magazines (like vogue.) and was once the highest paid model in the world.

although from a conservative muslim country, iman is well known for her support to the queers worldwide. for her first book, "i am iman," she posed extremely sexy pictures with lesbian comedian sandra bernhardt.

this year, she was chosen as one of out magazine's the out 100 for the december 2006 issue, in which she is also on the cover.

thanksgiving: the american holiday



probably the most celebrated holiday in america. because it is a national holiday that is not particularly religious, although one has to be "thankful" (presumably to a god.)

in the early years, most muslim institutions made it a christian holiday and did not celebrate and actually advocated against such. today, it has changed with many of those institutions closing for the day, celebrating and even sending "happy thanksgiving" messages.

so, happy thanksgiving !

pic of the day: mr. gay iran ...

pic of the day: mr. gay iran!


yes, there can be a mr. gay iran. his name is kia shirazi, a 25-year-old tehran-born gay man who lives in canada now. he was going for "mr. gay international."

he didn't win the title (and he should have!) but he made people aware of his country.

a friend said that "he is sexy enough to make you think" :)

- read more: mr. gay international (iran)

bringing female voices to islamic law



over the weekend, more than 100 women from 25 countries have gathered in new york city to begin a change that is well over due. they are planning an all-female council that would tackle issues important to women. and they are succeeding. it is great.

- read more: christian science monitor

pic of the day: the indonesian tiara lestari



a very popular model-turned-actress, tiara lestari is going big in indonesia. she graced the covers of many magazines before she started acting. she even once posed for the spanish version of the popular male magazine "playboy," getting the largest sum of money for a malay woman in any magazine. there is a rumor that she will have her own first of its kind hour dramedy (drama + comedy).

help through shopping: amnesty int'l store



it is like killing two birds with one stone, not that we would advocate killing poor birds. you help while you shop! for example, the above t-shirts are only $18.95 but that money helps fund one of the most respected human rights groups in the world.

- read more: amnesty store

pic of the day: the turkish tarkan




















in 1997, he exploded into the world with his song "simarik"-- which later became "kiss kiss" and is now covered in more than twenty languages around the world.

in 2006, his english debut "come closer" was released. the 34-year-old is recognized all over the world as the "turkish prince of pop." everywhere he goes, the crowds follow him.

u.s.: New Dems mixed on gay issues















there is a new muslim congressman in washington. and, apparently, he is really cool. as he is quoted here, he pledges to fight for queers:

“If my gay neighbor suffers from discrimination, then I suffer as well, and so does the entire community,” he (Keith Ellison) said, “just as when my female neighbor is held down by a glass ceiling, or my new immigrant neighbor is treated in a way that makes him or her feel unwelcome in our country."

- read more: houston voice

p.s. like always, click on pic for a better view.

weird ads: the ginchgon collection...



do you understand this add?

- see more ginchgonch

the trannies also get hitched: the korean harisu



"Transgender entertainer Harisu will reportedly be getting married early next year, according to an Internet news site No Cut News."

- read more: the korea times

horror, live! shocking the consciousness:




















this is a hanging in iran, where thousands of queers have been killed over the years mostly in public executions.

tip: like always, click on the pic twice for a bigger view.

why should being gay be a crime?



that is the question doug ireland is asking in an article he wrote for the american queer newsmagazine, the advocate.

"In 75 countries being gay is still a crime. French activist Louis-Georges Tin, founder of the International Day Against Homophobia, hopes to change that by having the United Nations adopt a resolution calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide."

- read more: the advocate

pic of the day: wafah dufour



she is 50% arab, 25% persian, 25% swiss and 100% hot. she is the daughter of yeslam bin laden and carmen dufour. aspiring songstress, she worked hard to put herself away from the bin ladins. and for that end, she changed her name from the famous name to her mother's maden name. she posed provacatively for the american male-oriented magazine gq.

tip: click on pic, for a better view ;)

do you know: ségolène royal (france)



she is a regional president and could become the leader of france. the new york times wrote an article on her. would be very interesting to see...

canada: canfar aids awareness message

if you live in canada, you probably have seen this. this is from the canadian foundation for aids research or canfar. as always, click on the video twice to go to its youtube location.

pic of the day: the lebanese sherif kanawati



he made headlines as the "muslim" boyfriend of david, a popular gay guy in australia from the country's version of big brother.

later, he posed for a calender by the lebanese raynbow group.

then, earlier this month, he wrote for the sydney observer, in which he chronicles his life from lebanon to australia. he was born and grew up in a southern labnese city that "is extremely conservative and homophobic."

do you know: mehmet tarhan (turkey)



he is a queer muslim anarchist, from kurdish background, who is pretty famous in turkey for being a conscientious objector (refusing to serve in the military) and was then jailed for that choice.

- learn more; refusing to kill: mehmet tarhan

u.k. home office listens to gays



"The UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group’s (UKLGIG) fight to put the human rights abuses of LGBT people from around the world onto the agenda, has taken a big step forward with it’s appointment as an observer to the Advisory Panel on Country Information, APCI."

- read more; pinknews

egyptian male belly dancer: tito seif

tito is apparently pretty popular over there. there was a documentary on male belly dancing on an egyptian tv, and that is how i discovered him. as you will see, he is very good ...

tip: to watch the video in its original home in youtube, click on it twice. once there, you can save it to your favorites or even forward it to friends.

pic of the day: indian actress, aishwarya rai



millions of women worldwide lust after the luscious former ms. world and reigning bollywood queen, aishwarya rai. "umrao jaan", a remake of an early 1980s rekha film which is released in november, is perhaps her most awaited film since "devdas" in 2002, of which she won the coveted filmfare for best actress.

south africa: gay marriage approved



"South Africa records its name among the countries in the world that legalise same sex marriages after the country's parliament today overwhelmingly voted in favour of the same sex unions bill. The bill got the approval of 230 deputies as compared to 41 who reject it."

- read more; afrol news

iran executes a queer man: from pglo/irqo,



taraneh forouhar, communications coordinator of the plgo/irqo, an iranian queer rights group, reports;

Iran Executed another person for same-sex relationship

http://www.irna.com/fa/news/view/line-14/8508234483172234.htm

Translated by: Hossein Alizadeh

This just came in from Iran's state-run News Agency, IRNA:

A Delinquent Person was Executed in Kermanshah

IRNA: Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006

Shahab Darvishsi, a delinquent person was executed in the Azadi Square of Kermanshah on Tuesday evening.

According to the Communications Department of the Justice Department of the Kermanshah Province, the above-mentioned was found guilty [ by the court of law] of forming a coterie of corruption rings, physical assaults , and the despicable act of sodomy.

According to this report, his death sentence was issued by the Second Court of the town of Sahneh. The verdict was upheld by the Second Appeal Court of Kermanshah and the Twenty Seventh Branch of the Supreme Court.

Hundreds of Kermanshah's residents were present at the scene of the execution. They were supportive of the Judicial System's decision and called for adopting a tough stance against criminals and disturbing elements.

pic of the day: algerian-french, quentin elias

this is french singer quentin elias, who is of algerian heritage. although not out, he is popularly believed to be gay. click on the pic for a bigger view;

Gay activists lobby UN over Iran hangings



"Gay campaigners are calling on the community to lobby the United Nations and European Union amid reports that ten Ahwazi Arab rights activists are scheduled to be hanged in Iran"

- read more: PinkNews

kelma chat: how the queer (muslim/middle east) french do it

kelma is the largest queer middle eastern group in france. they have a magazine, meetings, night clubs, etc... all for the arab/ethnic/muslim of france. their chat rooms are usually full. if you live in france, you might find friends or lovers. click on the pic to go there:

faridah kenyini: lesbian, to be deported to uganda




"A young lesbian who fled Uganda after her Muslim father threatened to kill her is being deported back home tonight, despite facing persecution and a jail sentence of up to seven years because of her sexuality."

- read more: guardian u.k.

upset malaysian kids:

these malay kids are upset about education, and are prostesting. click on picture for a bigger picture.

out 100: the party, the list



this year, the gay magazine out has another "100" list out. one of them is a muslim woman, iman, supermodel and wife of rock star david bowie, who is also on the cover. check out this queerty video on the event...

*think again: singapore hiv/aids prevention campaign

this is sssssoooo cool. from *think again in singapore...

pic of the day: queers in indonesia

this is a pic from doug ireland's blog where members of a queer indonesian group "arus pelangi" demonstrate for an end to discrimination against them in employment at the labor may day parade, 2006

turkish transsexual Bülent Ersoy:

this is just one of the many contradictions of turkey. as a country with nearly 100% muslim population, a queer person such as bulent ersoy can attain fame and fortune. if you click on the video twice, it will take you to its home on youtube where you will be able to watch the sequent performances.

cesaria evora...

http://www.cesaria-evora.com/

"petit pays, je t'aime beaucoup... petit, petit, je l'aime beaucoup. oi tonte sodade... sodade, sodade. oi tonte sodade, sodade sem fim... "

wow. what a voice! you can link to that song here: petit pays. it is a mixture of french and portuguese in a song of morna-- soulful, deep-down kind of genre music from cabo verde (cape verde.)

that was the first song i have listened of the cape verde-born singer cesaria evora. and, let me tell you, i am hooked since. and so will you be, if you aren't already!

muito amor!