Rod 2.0:Beta #gay #news #lgbt #gaynews

NIGERIA: Criticism After Actor Sentenced for "Unnatural Offences"

There has been public criticism and "mixed feelings" after a Nigerian actor was sentenced to three months in prison after admitting to having sex with another man, reports The Vanguard, a well-respected independent daily based in Lagos.  Some have publicly called the sentence "barbaric."

Twenty-eight-year-old Bestwood Chukwuemeka—an actor in movies produced by the nation's well-known "Nollywood" film industry—reportedly had a sexual encounter in August with another man while he was intoxicated. The other man "informed the police" who promptly arrested Chukwuemeka. The Abuja man eventually pleaded guilty to charges of "unnatural offences" and "homosexuality".

The Vanguard's report is noteworthy because it's fairly balanced and veers away from the entrenched homophobia often seen in Nigerian media.

While some Nigerians hailed the judgment of the court, very many others frowned at it, arguing that imprisonment of the up and coming actor was “barbaric and unacceptable to the people.”

According to those, who went online to express their feelings, being a homosexual should not be a crime punishable by law. One writes: "As far as I am concerned whether gay, bisexual or straight and as long as it is two consenting adults or individuals, love is love and a family is a family. I find it disheartening that this is what this country has come to. Who are we to judge a man for sleeping with another man?"

"If he raped the man in question, then he should be locked up. If it was consensual sex between two willing adults, then, they should let him go. As usual, Nigerians will conveniently call it a disgusting sin, leaving out the part that says promiscuous girls should be stoned to death and men shouldn’t shave ever." writes one Mark Francis.

Prosecutions related to homosexuality are rare in Africa's most populous country. Under existing federal law,  sodomy is punishable by jail. Twelve Islamic states in northern Nigeria have introduced the draconian Sharia law that has sentenced several gays to death. However, these death sentences have never been enforced.

Since 2007, the National Assembly has introduced several proposed versions of extreme anti-gay legislation.  A draconian bill passed last year by the Senate goes beyond merely banning same-sex marriage—which is already illegal—and would ban same sex relationships, ban same sex couples from living together, ban pro-LGBT websites or groups and prosecute their friends or human rights activists. The bill has since stalled under international pressure. Previous versions of the bill banned gays from meeting, living together, reading LGBT websites or even going out to dinner.

Same-sex acts are currently illegal in at least 38 of 54 African countries. Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles are the only African nations that protect LGBT rights. But the reality is much different for many Black gay South Africans. Brutal so-called "corrective rape" and murder are increasing against lesbians in SA's townships, as well as rape and attacks against gay men.

Some Background ...
Nigerian Actor Sentenced for "Unnatural Offences"
"Daily Sun" Warns "Homosexuals in Trouble"
NIGERIA: Activists Harassed During Testimony
Nigeria Advances Extreme Anti-Gay Bill
NIGERIA: Hearings Begin on Extreme Legislation
Nigerian Village Vows to "Stone Any Homosexual"
EU Considers Suspending Aid to Nigeria
Nigerian Legislators Vote to Ban Gay Marriages
EU: Level of Homophobia in Nigeria "Unacceptable"
Nigerian Mob Attacks Gay Activist
Nigerian Lynch Mob Storms Jail
Nigeria: 18 Gays Face Death Penalty
Nigerian Lesbian In Hiding After Reported Wedding
Nigeria's Homophobia Threatens Bid for Games
Nigeria One Step Closer to Outlawing Gays

VIDEO: Ann Romney Worries About "Mitt's Mental Well Being" If Elected

The hits keep coming from the Romney campaign. Ann Romney told Reno's KTVN that she is concerned about her husband's "mental" capacity if elected president.

"My biggest concern [if Mitt is elected], obviously, would just be for his mental well-being. I have all the confidence in the world in his ability, in his decisiveness and his leadership skills, in his understanding of the economy. ... So for me I think it would just be the emotional part of it."

Translation: "Stop it! This is hard!"

Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

REPORT: Janet Jackson Plans Extravagant Wedding in Qatar?

Somethin' for the Janatics ...

Are Janet Jackson and Wissam al Mana planning an extravagant wedding in Qatar? That's according to the National Enquirer and BangShowBiz, which claim Janet's boyfriend wants to spend more than $20 million for "one of the biggest, most memorable" weddings in recent history.

The couple hope to tie the knot in Doha in Qatar where the billionaire was born and are making arrangements for the ceremony to take place in 2013. ... The source added to National Enquirer magazine: "They have tentatively set a late 2013 wedding date. But they are still working out the details and the exact day."

They will reportedly spend $3m to fly in their 500 wedding guests from all over the world, while Wissam wants to give all attendees a $10 000 Rolex watch each as a thank you for attending.

More background HERE on Wissam al Mana, whose family owns and manages real estate, construction and luxury retail brands throughout the Gulf region. The 46-year-old entertainer has been dating Wissam - who is almost a decade younger than her - since summer 2010. Jackson has denied previous reports that the couple is engaged.

Janet getting married in an "extravagant" fairytale wedding? After her history with Renee Elizondo and Jermaine Dupree, does this even sound like Janet? Chile please ...

You May Have Missed:
PHOTOS: Janet Jackson at Lanvin SS2011
Janet Jackson Engaged?
PHOTOS, VIDEO: Janet's First Performance in Abu Dhabi
Janet Jackson Covers "Harper's Bazaar Arabia" 
BTS with Janet and "Harper's Bazaar Arabia"
Janet Jackson is Fabulous at Life Ball Vienna 2011
Janet Jackson Looking Brilliant in Cannes for amfAR
Janet Pops Out of Car Sunroff, Crowd Goes Insane
PHOTOS: Janet Jackson in Milan

WATCH: Janet Tells Bullied LGBT Teens ''It Gets Better"
"For Colored Girls" Premieres
FIRST LOOK: Janet Promo "For Colored Girls"
PHOTO + VIDEO: Janet Covers August 2010 "Essence"
Janet Debuts Super-Short New Haircut in London
Janet Discusses MJ's Death at Length on "Oprah"

VIDEO: New Obama Campaign Ad Slams Romney on "47 Percent"

President Obama's re-election campaigned has just released its third television spot that slams Mitt Romney's comments on the so-called "47 percent." Romney's audio is heard over images of families, workers and veterans. The advert is devastating because it doesn't need any additional commentary.

The spot will air in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia. Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

On Deadline

Posting later. On a magazine deadline and the edits and rewrites are taking forever. Help!

Viola Davis Offers More Details on Barbara Jordan Biopic

Catching up with the brilliance otherwise known as Viola Davis ...

The Academy Award-nominated actress discusses the Barbara Jordan biopic project in an extensive new interview with EBONY. The late and iconic politician rose from poverty to become the first Black woman elected to Congress from the South. Jordan was also lesbian.

Is your [production] company going to be behind the Barbra Jordan biopic? Yes it is! We’re perfecting the script right now and working with some fabulous producers, Shelly Glasser, Diane Nabatoff, and a great director, Paris Barclay, to perfect the story, because 80 percent of work is the narrative. ... And then you you just enhance it. So we’re just trying to perfect that now, but it’s coming.

It seems like a common thread of characters you’ve been playing the last four years —the ones that have been earning your Oscar nominations—is they’re heroines. Is that something you look for? I think that those are the projects that just find me. I think that that’s maybe a quality people feel like I emanate. That they feel that I am larger than life. I’m the reluctant hero.

The award-winning director Paris Barclay is also Black and gay.

Davis offers more insight on the biopic in a new interview with the Houston Chronicle while promoting "Won't Back Down," which opens on Friday.

Davis' influence now extends to producing: Her nascent company has a number of projects in gestation, including a biopic on Houston's Barbara Jordan - civil rights leader, congresswoman, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and flag-planter of many significant firsts in American politics.

"It's a chance for me to transform, to create someone who was such a public, heroic figure, who at the end of the day, had a lot of secrets and was very human. To present a character on a really large scale, to use my craft. We're just in the process of making all that happen. But it will happen, as well as other stories I've always wanted to see," she says.

Barbara Jordan represented her hometown of Houston in the Texas Senate from 1967-1973.  Jordan became the first Black state senator since 1883 and the first Black woman to serve in that body. She was elected to Congress in 1972 and later became the first Black woman to keynote the Democratic National Convention.

The biopic is partially based on Mary Beth Rogers' biography Barbara Jordan: American Hero ... which never addressed Jordan's sexuality. Viola Davis is a terrific LGBT ally. Can't wait for this project to hit the big screen. I looove Viola Davis and am confident that she and Paris Barclay treat Jordan's legacy with  respect and honesty.

You May Enjoy:
Viola Davis Stunning on "The Tonight Show"
Viola Davis to Star in Barbara Jordan Biopic
Big Night for Viola Davis, "The Help" at SAG Awards
List of Golden Globe Nominations
Denzel, Viola Davis Make History in "Fences"
Viola Davis: Gay Men are "Demonized"

Rockmond Dunbar on Homophobia, HIV Awareness Among Black Men

A nice surprise. Rockmond Dunbar covers the latest issue of HIV Plus. The wide-ranging interview with the actor covers everything from his newest series Sons of Anarchy to homophobia in Black Hollywood.

Of note: The star of Prison Break and Soul Food says that he was "punished" for working on Patrik-Ian Polk's critically acclaimed feature PUNKS.

You had a really well-received role in the indie film Punks, a film about black gay men. What was the reaction to it? I was punished for taking that role. Equally applauded and parodied.

Did that change how you felt about the role? I still believe you do a role because it will change someone’s life. Regardless of the stones that are thrown, I did it with no regrets. I am an artist.

At the time, you told The Advocate that other actors wouldn’t take the role because of the kissing scene with another man. That was a decade ago. Is that fear still there among actors? Yes, the fear never goes away when your concern is how you will be perceived in the industry.

What kind of support have you gotten from the gay community? Tons of support. The most inspirational support was from E. Lynn Harris, a great writer and human being. I was invited to his house for dinner, and not only did he welcome me, but he was overt in his support and celebration of me as a heterosexual actor and the work I had done on-screen.

Also: There is a great section on HIV/AIDS awareness within the Black community. Dunbar is especially proud of the work that he is doing with the Black AIDS Institute's Greater Than AIDS campaign.

You played a closeted gay man with HIV on Private Practice. That was a really interesting arc. Did you empathize with the character? Yes, because being who you are and living freely is the most important thing we can do as people. His wife knew that he was sad because he was living a lie, and all she wanted for him was to embrace the truth—be who he was and she would still love him.

One of the charities you work with is the Black AIDS Institute. Why that organization in particular? The Black AIDS Institute is headed by Phill Wilson. Here is a man who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk. He’s a survivor for over 20 years with HIV. He knows what it means to be tested and receive that call. He also knows that hope can be found and full, productive lives created with the support of organizations like the Black AIDS Institute and the community at large. As they say, we are Greater Than AIDS.

Dunbar made a guest appearance on the second season of Noah's Arc, the short-lived series created by Polk on LOGO that has been critically-acclaimed and gained a cult following. The actor also played gay as the lead character in Maurice Jamal's Dirty Laundry. See our review and interview in The Advocate.

Get into the full interview HERE.

The epicenter of the domestic HIV epidemic remains in Black America. Blacks represent only 12% of the nation’s population but account for 44% of all new HIV infections, according to the Centers for Disease Controls.

There has been a soaring number of seroconversions among Black men who have sex with men.  The trend has been particularly “alarming” among Black MSM aged 13 to 19, according to the CDC. New infections have increased by 48 percent between 2006 and 2009. Black poz MSM are also least likely to be aware of their status—59 percent unaware vs.  26 percent for white MSM. The numbers for positive younger Black MSM are even more startling: 71 percent are unaware of their infection.

You May Have Missed:
"Maurice Jamal Airs His Dirty Laundry" [The Advocate]
News: "Dirty Laundry" Pulled, Wall Street, Usher
Maurice Jamal Talks "Dirty Laundry" to "The Advocate"
Rockmond Dunbar Joins "Noah"
Complex Rockmond
VIDEO: Black Celebrities "Greater Than AIDS"
VIDEO: Actor Brian J. White "Greater Than AIDS"

VIDEO: Kaldrick's Amazing Coming Out Letter on "The L.A. Complex"

Last night's season finale of The L.A. Complex was amazing on so many levels. The writing was intense and emotional. Most of the character arcs were resolved in satisfactory fashion. And then there was the fabulousness otherwise known as Kaldrick King.

Did anyone expect that last scene?

Warning: Spoilers inside. The real brilliance begins at 16:00 AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO: R&B Hotness Tank Strips Down for "How I Feel"

Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer Tank has released the official music video for "This Is How I Feel", the title track to his fifth studio album. Tank has a delicious soulful voice—it's perfect for "slow jams" and "quiet storm" radio.

The beautiful song and beefcake AFTER THE JUMP ...

More Hate Crime Charges in Killing of Black Gay Mississippi Man?

There are new developments in the horrific case of James Craig Anderson, the Black gay Mississippi man killed in a racially motivated beating and hit-and-run murder. Twenty-year-old Deryl Dedmon and two other white men pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges last March. A federal grand jury is considering more hate-crime charges, reports the Jackson Clarion Ledger.

Deryl Dedmon, 20, who was driving the truck, also pleaded guilty to state murder and hate-crime charges in March and was given two life sentences. Dedmon and two others, Dylan Butler and John Aaron Rice, await sentencing on the federal charges. Police have said at least four other people were at the scene on the night of Anderson's death, including two teenage girls who were in the truck with Dedmon. So far none of them have been charged, but an FBI spokeswoman said Thursday that the investigation continues. [...]

Prosecutors say Dedmon, Rice and Butler, and others from the suburbs, were involved in an ongoing campaign of harassing and assaulting blacks in Jackson. It's possible the grand jury could be looking into other attacks. Prosecutors say Dedmon and the others chose victims who appeared to be drunk or homeless for random assaults because they thought those people wouldn't tell police. The harassment culminated in Anderson's death, prosecutors say.

Surveillance video shows two carloads of teenagers driving into the parking lot of a Jackson motel on June 26, 2011. Several approached Anderson, who was beaten and robbed. The video also shows Anderson being struck by a truck. Witnesses report one teenager yelled "white power" and the driver of the pickup shouted the n-word.

The 48-year-old Anderson had a long-term male partner of almost two decades and they were raising a daughter together.

Anderson's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in September 2011 against the seven white teenagers that police say were involved in the gruesome crime. Anderson's long-term partner is prevented by Mississippi law and the Defense of Marriage Act from joining the legal action. Anderson's partner was also prevented by Mississippi law from making end of life decisions.

You May Have Missed:
White Teen Pleads Guilty in Killing of Black Gay Man
MS Teen Murder Suspect Requests Change of Venue
MS Murder Suspect Responsible for More Crimes?
New Developments in Killing of Black Miss. Man
Slain MS Man's Partner CANNOT Join Lawsuit
Family of Mississippi Man Opposes Death Penalty
Death Penalty "Unlikely" in Hit and Run Killing
White Teen Wanted "Revenge" in Hit and Run Killing