Brazil's President backs same-sex unions

By Tony Grew

Gay couples exist and we must give them legal recognition, the President of Brazil said yesterday.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also questioned why some politicians oppose gay rights but still take gay people's taxes and votes.
The President said he is in favour of civil unions.
"We must stop this hypocrisy because we know they exist," he said in an interview with a TV station.
"There are men living with men, women living with women, and many times they live extraordinarily well.
"They build a life together, they work together and I am favourable."
The President, universally known as Lula, attacked opponents of gay rights.
"One thing that amazes me is why politicians who are against do not refuse their votes, why Brazil does not refuse their income tax.
"The important thing is for them to be Brazilian citizens, for them to be committed to the nation. I support the civil union."
He said that Congress was working on the issue.
Homosexuality has been legal in Brazil since 1823 and civil unions are allowed in some areas.
However, homophobia and gay-bashing remain significant problems in the country of 184 million people.
In June Lula became the first nation leader to launch a conference with the sole purpose of promoting gay equality, where he announced his support for gay rights, and stated he will "do all that is possible so that the criminalisation of homophobia and the civil union may be approved."
A proposal granting same-sex couples the same rights as married heterosexuals has stalled in Brazil's Congress for more than 10 years, prompting some states to take their own action.
Southern Rio Grande do Sul state has permitted same-sex civil unions since 2004, and a Sao Paulo state court allowed a gay couple to adopt a 5-year-old girl in late 2006.
Rio de Janerio grants the same benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees.
The country's Constitution refers to marriage as between a man and a woman, and marriage is a federal issue, though states may choose to recognise civil unions or other de facto same-sex relationships.
A series of court rulings have given gay and lesbian couples some rights in areas such as immigration, welfare, pensions and inheritance.

Never judge a man by his feet

The Western Mirror.................http://www.westernmirror.com/
by Dr. C. Watson MRCOG FACOG MBA DFFP

One day a lady went into a bar. As she sat down she saw this cowboy sitting across from her with his feet up. She was astonished at the size of his shoes, so she said to him, “Is it true what they say about men with big feet?” He replied, “don’t you want to find out?” She said yes and after getting to know each other better she invited him to spend the night with her at the hotel she was staying in.The next morning the cowboy woke to see the lady dressing. On the bedside table was an hundred dollars. Grinning he looked at her and said, “Now do you believe what they say about men with big feet?”She replied, “I don’t know, but please take that money and buy a pair of shoes that fit.”
There is a current debate about men and their “size”. We think it is time that Health Reflections shed some “light” to this debate. It has long been held by women and men of different cultures that a man’s shoe size has a direct relationship to his penile size. Because of this men with small feet sometimes find themselves the victims of jokes questioning their penile size while men with large feet are proudly presented as representing the well-endowed male. Maybe thankfully the real facts seldom come to light. What does happen is that this bit of folklore has become more firmly established as a fact in many people’s minds. It is true to say that many persons do not actually know what the average penile length is. Most men at some time in their life will question their adequacy. Because of this they may consider purchasing products that are advertised to increase penile size.

In fact there is no shortage of websites and magazine ads promoting these products. Sadly most approaches advertised do not work and use of these items can lead to even more frustration and some of the pills advertised can actually be quite dangerous. One study in California has shown that the average length of the erect penis is 5.1 inches and its girth is 4.7 inches. Another study also done in the United States revealed that only about 0.1% of men have an erect penile length of greater than 9 inches.Suffice it to say, the true measure of a man may be complex. It now seems however that researchers have finally gotten around to clarifying the relationship between penile length and shoe size. These researchers say they’ve come up with at least one way to make it easier to judge a man’s penile length. Forget what you might have heard about judging a man’s member by the size of his shoes and consider taking note of his index finger if you’re looking to hedge your bets.
Two British urologists measured the stretched penile length of 104 men and attempted to relate it to their shoe size. Despite the widespread myth, however, they found there was no significant correlation between the men’s shoe size and penile length. 

But just as one myth about men’s manhood is put to rest, another one may now take its place. A group of Greek researchers has found a link between penis length and another part of the body -- the index finger. Some women I was having a conversation with first brought this fact to my attention. They did not know about this research but one of them was convinced that her experience was that she could better judge a man’s penile length by the length of his fingers.Researchers measured various aspects of the genitalia of 52 healthy men under 40 and matched those measurements to other characteristics of the men, including their age, height, weight, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, and index finger length. The only measurements that were significantly related to each other were penile length and index finger length.

The longer the index finger was, the longer the penis was likely to be and vice versa. And for men who might be wondering how they measure up, the studies also calculated the average penile length among the participants. Both studies found the average stretched penile length was about 5 inches, give or take about an inch. So men next time you see your lady friends intently examining your hands, don’t be deceived into thinking they are merely examining those strong beautiful hands. They may just be trying to get a measure of the man you are.
If you know what I mean…


Dr. C. Watson MRCOG FACOG MBA DFFP is Medical Director and Director of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at MoBay Hope Medical Centre, which is located at the Half Moon Shopping Village, Rose Hall, Montego Bay. Dr. Watson also consults at the Montego Bay Hospital, Mt. Salem.

The Ups and Downs of Asylum Seeking - Gay asylum seeker detained in Cardiff

An Azerbaijani artist who is claiming asylum in the UK was detained yesterday at his weekly sign-in at the UK Border Agency Offices in Cardiff.
Babakhan Badalov (Babi), who is gay, arrived in the UK in 2006 claiming he was repressed and persecuted in his home country.
His appeal against the refusal of asylum was rejected at the end of July and has been in the process of filing a fresh claim with new evidence of the danger he would face back in Azerbaijan.
"Alarming new witness statements detailing Babi's history of violent persecution have also recently came tolight, which would allow him to make a very strong fresh claim for asylum," said the campaign group No Borders Wales.
Azerbaijan legalised homosexuality in 2000.
However, the Muslim country is still a very conservative society and homosexuality remains an extremely taboo subject.
The 49 year-old internationally-renowned poet and artist said his work got him into trouble with the law.
He was often critical of the government and members of the regime.
He claims his sexual orientation also caused him both physical and mental grief and he endured years of bullying.
Babi's family's denial of his sexual orientation even led to one of his brothers threatening to kill him as he had shamed the family.
After fleeing to the UK, Babi was detained in four different detention centres for thirty-two days before being moved to Cardiff.
He is currently being held at a police station and will likely be moved to a detention centre.
Friend and activist Hywel Bishop, who visited him at the police station, said:
"I've never seen anyone so scared. If Babi gets sent home he faces persecution from the state for his radical art, beatings from the local community, as well as the threat of honour killing from his family because they can't live with the fact that he's gay."

New guidelines suggest gay men should have annual HIV test (UK)

By Tony Grew

Sexually active gay men should be tested every 12 months, new guidelines on HIV testing have recommended.
The UK National Guidelines for HIV Testing 2008 aim to increase HIV testing in a wider range of healthcare settings and reduce late diagnosis.
Recent figures show that more than 30% of gay or bisexual men living with HIV do not know they are infected.
47% of HIV infected gay men who visit a sexual health clinic leave without being tested for HIV.
The new guidelines state that "HIV is now a treatable medical condition and the majority of those living with the virus remain fit and well on treatment."
Late diagnosis is the most important factor associated with HIV-related morbidity and mortality in the UK, and it recommends that patients be "offered and encouraged to accept" HIV testing in a wider range of settings.
Other recommendations include routine HIV tests for patients with specific indicator conditions and doctors, nurses and midwives being able to obtain informed consent for an HIV test in the same way that they currently do for any other medical investigation.
National AIDS Trust, the UK’s leading independent policy and campaigning charity on HIV and AIDS, produced a report earlier this year showing the symptoms of early-stage HIV infection are routinely being misdiagnosed by doctors.
It found that in one Brighton study, almost half of those who sought medical advice for what eventually turned out to be HIV symptoms were not diagnosed correctly.
Symptoms of early-stage HIV include sore throat, fever and rash and will show within two to six weeks of infection in 70-90 per cent of cases.
The report also found that 30-50 per cent of new HIV infections are thought to be passed on by people in the early stage of infection, making the need to catch new cases early in order to prevent the spread of HIV a priority.
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT, said:
"Today in the UK people still become seriously ill or die HIV because they have not been diagnosed with HIV early enough. And many may be putting partners at risk of infection as they can live undiagnosed for a number of years.
"The new guidelines are a welcome step forward in encouraging doctors and health workers to prioritise diagnosing HIV and increase testing.
"Healthcare workers must be knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms of HIV and be prepared to carry out an HIV test.
"Gay men have a crucial part to play in breaking down stigma around HIV testing. One in 20 gay men in the UK are living with HIV.
"We strongly support the recommendation that all sexually active gay men have an HIV test at least once a year."
The new guidelines were published by the British HIV Association (BHIVA), British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) and British Infection Society (BIS).

Hellooo

Obama "blessed with many openly gay and lesbian friends"

The Democratic nominee for President of the United States has said that if elected he will work for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans rights.

In a written response to questions from US gay newspaper Washington Blade, Barack Obama said "LGBT Americans deserve real change, and they deserve it now."
He reiterated his opposition the the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) which bars the federal government from recognising same-sex marriages, and said that the US Armed Forces should allow gay people to serve openly.
"I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all — a promise that certainly extends to the LGBT community," he wrote.
"I do envision a time when we all enjoy that promise, but we have to work hard to get there. LGBT Americans deserve real change, and they deserve it now.
"Certainly as a nation we can all agree that discrimination has no place in our America.
"Same-sex couples face legal discrimination every day — that we can, and must, end — by repealing DOMA, providing federal rights and responsibilities to same-sex families, and supporting LGBT parents, to start.

"And we need to remember that it’s not just couples that need protection — we need to pass long overdue legislation that ends employment discrimination, enhances hate crimes protections, and repeals 'Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.'"
However, the candidate did not answer a question on organisations such as the Boy Scouts barring gay people and another that got to the heart of his stance on gay marriage:
"If the full repeal of DOMA forces all states to recognise same-sex marriages passed by just a few states, aren't you, in effect, supporting same-sex marriage in the United States?"
Senator Obama does not support gay marriage.
"I support the notion that all people — gay or straight — deserve the same rights and responsibilities to assist their loved ones in times of emergency, deserve equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to heterosexual married couples, and deserve the same property rights as anyone else," he wrote.
"If elected, I would call on Congress to enact legislation that would repeal DOMA and ensure that the over 1,100 federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally recognised unions."
On a more personal note, the 47-year-old, who faces Republican Senator John McCain in November's Presidential election, spoke about he and his wife's gay, lesbian and trans friends.
"Michelle and I have been blessed with many openly gay and lesbian friends and colleagues whom we have been close to for many years," he wrote.
"While that fact has made the issue facing the LGBT community more personal, the fundamental reasons I have for supporting equality are greater than any individual.
"I am running for President because I believe that we as a nation need change. We need to end the divisive politics of George W Bush and pursue policies that treat all of us, regardless of identity or background, with dignity, equality and respect."
Senator Obama said that one of his professors at college helped him to understand the concerns of the LGBT community.
"He was the first openly gay professor that I had ever come in contact with, or openly gay person of authority that I had come in contact with," he wrote.
"And he was just a terrific guy. His comfort in his own skin and the friendship we developed helped to educate me on a number of these issues."
Senator McCain opposes gay adoption and has said of marriage:
"Union - a union between a man and a woman, between one man and one woman. That's my definition of marriage."
He does not back a constitutional amendment on the matter.
However, during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May he told the host, who was about to marry her girlfriend Portia De Rossi:
"I think that people should be able to enter into legal arrangements.
"I think that is something we should encourage, particularly in the case of insurance and other areas, decisions that have to be made.
"I just believe in the unique status between man and woman, and I know that we have a respectful disagreement on that issue."

Click here to read the full Barack Obama Q&A.

So Movado/Mavado has joined the murder music line....

Artist: Movado or Mavado
Song: Dem A Fag (THEY ARE GAYS/FAGS)

Chat dem a chat like gal, hey! scatta! i warn to dem!
Hey! mi nuh tust dem! rifle shot a buss dem!di bwoy dem a fag! (fag!) dem a fag! (fag!)
A battyman alone nuh waan know god
Mi see seh dem a fag! (fag!) dem a fag! (fag!)
Well bleached out and full a tattoo like drag
Di bwoy dem a fag! (fag!) dem a fag! (fag!)
A battyman alone nuh waan know god

Mi see seh dem a fag! (fag!) dem a fag! (fag!)
Well bleached out and full a tattoo like draghey hey! see deh!
Him mek him fren dem press press him like button
See deh! nuh rifle shot a chop chop him like button
See deh! mi keep my gun mi smif and wesson neva heavy
See deh! why yuh a chase like gal scatta wah tek dat freak deh? !
45 shot scatter, cau di xxxxx dem a trace like macker
Curl up inna yuh gal like dagger, see, gi di bumbohole copper!cau dem a fag! (fag!) dem a fag! (fag!)

Mek dem know, a battyman nuh waan know god
Cau di bwoy dem a fag! (fag!) dem a fag! (fag!)
Bleached out face, tattoo dem neck like drag
Di bwoy dem a fag! (fag!) dem a fag! (fag!)
Mi realize seh dem a big gun gab
Yo di bwoy dem a fag! (dem a fag!) dem a fag! (dem a fag!)
Hey wait deh wait deh wait deh wait deh wait deh wait deh wait deh!a him nuh waan know god and god nuh waan know him

Righteous way inna life him muma neva show him
A bare sodemite and battyman a seh dem know him
A him a blow di gal before mek di gal blow him
Ever him tell man carry gun
But my gun dem organized and centralized just like di calico
A nuh threat fi go borrow gun
Check di gully side which part mi live

Mi cousin cross fi come and borrow gunbad! (bad!) dem nuh bad! (dem nuh bad!)
Mi know di pussyhole him a fag
Di bwoy dem a fag! (dem a fag!) dem a fag! (dem a fag!)
Scatta! at last bwoy dem nuh waan know god
Di bwoy dem a fag! (dem a fag!) dem a fag!
Send fi gun cau dem a big gun bag
Because dem a fag! (dem a fag!) dem a fag! (dem a fag!)
Hey yuh nah hear mi scatta!

(SIMPLY PUT IN ENGLISH GAY MEN ARE TO BE KILLED, BY THE GUN)

Gay man refuses deportation to Uganda

A gay Ugandan man has refused to board his flight back to his country of origin.
John “Bosco” Nyombi, 38, was due to be deported back to Uganda, where he fears he will be persecuted on the grounds of his sexuality.
Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, and gays caught by the police can face a life sentence in prison.
Mr Nyombi, who has been employed in the UK as a mental health worker since 2002, refused to get on his plane at Gatwick Airport at 6.40am yesterday and remains with immigration services.
A group of his supporters had gathered at Gatwick to protest at his deportation.
Neil Pugmire, a spokesman from the Diocese of Portsmouth, told The Daily Echo:
“We received a telephone call from John on a landline in Gatwick Airport telling me he had refused to get on the plane and that they had accepted that decision.
“He’s still being held at Gatwick Airport. I imagine that the immigration services are looking for a detention centre that they can take him to.
“That, we hope, will buy us some time for his solicitor to take some legal action; an injunction or a judicial review.”

Whilst Mr Nyombi’s case goes on, anti-gay campaigns in Uganda continue to gather momentum.
Over the weekend, the Great Marriage Celebration organised by the National Association for Marriage Enhancement (NAME) took place at Nakivubo Stadium.
The event was held in conjunction with the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches (NFBAPC).
Overseer of NFBAPC Alex Mitala presented an award to Dr Martin Ssempa, a pastor at Makerere Community Church, for his “fight against homosexuality.”
Mr Mitala then spoke to the crowd of 26,000, stating that homosexuality was wrong and would lead to the extinction of the human race.

Bishop Michael Mugerwa, who organised the celebration, urged heterosexual married couples to continue in campaigning against homosexuality.