Thousands Attend March Against Violence
September 25, 2009 by Jason Shaw · Leave a Comment
Thousands of people have staged a torchlit march through the historic down town streets of Italian capital, Rome, to protest at a spate of violence against gay men in the city and all across Italy, in recent times.
The demonstration on Thursday evening was led by gay and human rights groups and politicians from all the main political parties, who came out to condemn attacks that have included beatings, knifings, and even and rudimentary bombings. The Protesters holding flaming torches and rainbow flags, took a slow march silently behind a banner reading: ”Rome is against intolerance and all racism.”
Among those holding the banner was Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, a right-wing former neo-Fascist, who has joined the centre-left opposition in denouncing the attacks and calling for anti-discrimination laws to help combat violence against gay people. He announced the event a major success, saying that some 30,000 people had taken part in the evening, which ended at the Colosseum.
It is besides the iconic ancient arena, is Rome’s gay area, also know as Gay Street, where there are many gay bars, which has seen a lot of the recent violence. Earlier this month, two people were slightly hurt when they had a lucky escape after two unidentified attackers threw two homemade bombs at a crowd of revelers.
Last month,a gay couple was attacked as they embraced, with one of the men suffering a head wound and another knifed in the abdomen.
Ricky Berens’s Wardrobe Malfunction at FINA
August 3, 2009 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
U.S. swimmer Ricky Berens had a “wardrobe malfunction” on Sunday at the FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy when his swimsuit ripped open in the back just prior to a race, but he was a trooper and swam without worry.
“As Ricky Berens, scheduled to swim third for the U.S. morning swim squad, bent over on the pool deck for a drink of water moments before the race, his suit — a Jaked01 — split significantly in the back, exposing his rear end. There was no time to change the suit, so U.S. anchor leg Cullen Jones urged Berens to forget the gaping hole and swim. Berens dived in and contested his third leg as scheduled, helping the U.S. team to a fourth-place finish in its heat in 3 minutes, 11.64 seconds — and securing a critical slot in the night’s final for Phelps and his teammates…Berens, the 2009 Big 12 Swimmer of the Year from Texas, was not available to comment on the suit problem. Jones, though, said tears were becoming increasingly common as swimmers sought the tightest-fitting suits possible for the greatest performance-enhancement. ‘They’re all splitting,’ Jones said. ‘We’re all having problems. We want to get it as tight as possible as sprinters.’”
Pic below!
Gay French Ambassador Rejected by the Vatican
September 30, 2008 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
Joseph Ratzinger – alias Benedicto XVI of France and his plea against divorce, is making it seem as though Nicholas Sarkozy will have to review other practices that the Vatican does not approve of.
This time it looks as though Rome is not prepared to give approval to Jean-Loup Kuhn-Delforge, the ambassador who has been sent from France replacing the deceased Bernad Kessdijian. The reason being, is his sexual orientation. Jean-Loup Kuhn-Delforge has not been accepted due to his ” personal profile” and “for being a declared and militant homosexual diplomat.” Sarkozy has made preparations already by naming two other possible candidates “of good name” for the position: the organizer of the papal visit to France, Stephane Chmelewsky, and the German citizen near Santa Sede Marc Odendall.
Vatican Suspends Senior Monsignor for Being Gay
August 25, 2008 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
he Vatican said Saturday it has suspended a monsignor from a senior post at the Holy See after an Italian TV program using a hidden camera recorded him making advances to a young man and asserting that gay sex was not sinful.
Stenico was suspended by the Vatican after he was caught on tape making sexual advances at a young man.
The Vatican did not identify the monsignor by name.
But Monsignor Tommaso Stenico confirmed in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that he had been suspended from his post at the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy, an office which aims to ensure proper conduct by priests.
“Don’t condemn me,” Stenico said, adding that the program “was done fraudulently” because it used a hidden camera.
In the program on private Italian network La7, a man identified as a priest is heard saying that he “didn’t feel he was sinning” by having sex with gay men.
Rome daily La Repubblica reported Saturday that Vatican officials recognized the monsignor’s office in the background of the program, which aired October 1.
The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said the Italian monsignor was suspended while the case was under investigation.
“Higher-ups are evaluating the situation with the necessary reserve and with the obligatory respect for the person involved, even if this person has erred,” Lombardi said.
Read more of this at edition.cnn.com.
Luke MacFarlane, Take Me Rome
July 9, 2008 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
The absolutely dreamy Luke MacFarlane steams up the 2008 Roma Fiction Fest dinner gala at Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, Italy, last Monday night. The openly gay and gorgeous Canadian actor was there to promote his hit TV show Brothers & Sisters.
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