Slap reader Tim writes in with this bit of news from Down Under: Currently in Queensland Australia there exists a legal defence which allows a reduced sentence on murder of another person of the same sex if they hit on you. [There is a] petition put forward by Rev. Fr.
Continue readingAuthor: Mark
Slap Upside The Head: Court Rejects Anti-Gay Lawsuit
An anti-gay group calling themselves New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms filed a lawsuit late last year to reverse the state’s equal marriage law. Like most attempts to get same-sex marriage overturned, they gave themselves a delightfully ironic name; unlike other groups, however, they didn’t seem to rely on the usual
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Airport Screeners Unfairly Target Gay Passenger
An inspection of staff behaviour at London’s Gatwick airport has uncovered an incident where a gay passenger was searched under suspicion of pedophilia ”because he had a camera and a boyfriend.” The incident was just one of the 71 percent of searches deemed to have been conducted inappropriately. The chief inspector of Borders and
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Letter From A Father
Father’s Day may have already passed, but you should still read this amazing article from a father published in last Sunday’s New York Times. (On a related note, Slap-branded tissues will soon be available for purchase. Don’t read another touching letter without one!)
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives Finally Acknowledge Their Progressive Side
Alberta Premier Alison Redford took part in Edmonton’s annual Pride parade earlier this month, making her the province’s first premier to ever participate in a Pride event. While this might seem awfully late compared to other provinces, it’s actually a pretty big deal for Alberta. When I left Alberta in
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Apple Adds Same-Sex Emoticons To iOS 6
Have you ever been composing a text message and wanted to insert a generic and practically microscopic representation of a gay couple only to discover that all available visual iconography was exclusively heterosexual? Well, I say straight people have had this unshared privilege for too long! It’s time for a
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Naughty Penguins Horrified Polar Explorers
A century-old academic paper labelled “Not for publication” has been discovered at the Natural History Museum in Tring, England. The paper, written by a polar explorer in 1915, observes—with horror—the deviant and immoral sex lives of Adélie penguins. The naughty, naughty penguins were described as having “autoerotic tendencies” as well
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Tories Reduce Hate Speech Protections
The federal Conservatives quietly removed protections against hate speech online and over the phone from Canada’s Human Rights Act last week, stripping Human Rights Commissions of their power to investigate incidents of hatred or violence being incited against identifiable minorities. The first sign that this might not have been a
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: An Unlikely Apocalypse
At first, it had seemed possible to continue moving through the desolate landscape on foot, but soon, it was obviously impracticable. Many bad things happened to the people travelling in traditional, bipedal mode: Ether-snakes. Entropic planter fasciitis. Electric sand. (And … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Pantomime Jaw-Warbler
Albert Ploof was an early pioneer in the field of haberdaeronics, and celebrated throughout Europe, despite the fact that his mother was Jewish and his father was a mime. He entertained throughout the courts of Europe, telling of plans to … Continue reading →
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Ontario GSA Bill Passes
Ontario passed Bill 13 this week, which forbids school administrators from banning Gay-Straight Alliances. Hooray! The congratulalien has been vindicated! Good job, Ontario.
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Publicly-Funded University Forbids Gay Staff Members
Crandall University, a school located in Moncton, New Brunswick, is under fire this month over its discriminatory hiring policies. The school, which is publicly funded, does not allow any gay staff members—and proudly announces so. The “no gays” policy is almost certainly in violation of Canada’s Charter of Rights and
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: And Now, Some Brainwashing From The States
Perhaps discouraged by polls showing that opposition to equal rights for the GBLT community is falling rapidly, members of the Apostolic Truth Tabernacle Church in Greensburg, Indiana, have resorted to this: Coaching four year olds to sing “Ain’t no homos gonna make it to heaven” to an applauding congregation. (And
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Toronto City Councillor Tries To De-Fund Pride (Again)
Looks like Toronto’s got another annual event coinciding with Pride Week: A city councillor has proposed—once again—that funding for the city’s annual Pride festival be withheld until it can be confirmed that a group called Queers Against Israeli Apartheid does not participate in the parade portion of the weeklong event.
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Ontario Catholic Schools To Get GSAs
I admit it. I jumped the gun with my Congratulalien last year. When the Ontario government announced that all schools—including Catholic schools—must allow the formation of student-run GLBT support groups, I took that to mean students would finally be getting GSAs. Having endured twelve years of Catholic schooling myself, I perhaps should
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
Today’s the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, a magical day where anything can happen—including a public endorsement by… Toronto Mayor Rob Ford? There can only be one explanation: A Dickensian epiphany, ghosts and all. A Merry International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia to everyone!
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Killer Snails, Therefore No Same-Sex Marriage
A recently retired politician in Denmark seems to have discovered a new argument against equal marriage: Killer snails are hermaphroditic, therefore same-sex marriage should be illegal. Gee… I never thought of it that way before.
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: California Moves To Ban Gay “Conversion” Therapy For Teens
Encouraging news coming out of California this week! The state senate is quickly passing some new legislation that would ban the practice of applying the unscientific and discredited practice of gay “conversion therapy” on anyone under the age of 18. The bill would also make anyone over the age
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: And Now, Some Anti-Gay Testimony From Nebraska
Check out this video of Jane Svoboda arguing against a non-discrimination ordinance in Lincoln, Nebraska. It’s about as coherent and reasoned as any other anti-gay argument, but the reactions of the guy in the back is priceless!
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Obama Backs Marriage Equality
Barack Obama announced his personal support of marriage equality yesterday, making him the first U.S. president to do so. Political analysts are already speculating on how this will affect November’s elections, although I don’t really expect that rabidly anti-gay voters would have supported Obama anyway. Still, in the off chance
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